Dimitri is a man who lived in the streets for quite some time now. Five years ago, he lost his job and everything went downhill from that point. He became homeless and was estranged from everyone he knew.
Source: MisterStory
Filled with shame, Dimitri had withdrawn from everything. He had no idea how he was going to bounce back years had passed until it reach the point that he knew it was too late to turn things around.
He got tired of the city
Soon, Dimitri got tired of being homeless in the city. He faced hostility daily, he was always being chased off the streets by the local enforcement, he had people throwing things at him and insulting him, and the cold was unbearable at night. Dimitri wanted to leave.
Source: MisterStory
Dimitri did not have a destination in mind. He pulled together all the spare change he saved over the months and was able to get some food. His plan was to wander around until he ran out of supplies and just simply improvise after.
Feeling weak
Dimitri did not have much so he tried his best to ration his food and water. But everything just lasted for a week. He was out of the city now but he had no idea how far the next town was. With no food and water, his body started to get weak.
Source: MisterStory
He could not go any further. He sat down on the side of the road by a forest and took a rest. Maybe a kind stranger would be driving by and helping him. But after many years on the street, he knew kindness was rare these days.
He was not alone
Dimitri closed his eyes for a while to take a rest. But it did not take long before Dimitri felt that he was no longer alone. He opened his eyes slowly. He was stunned to find a huge reindeer standing in the forest nearby, staring at him.
Source: MisterStory
Reindeers usually tend to avoid human contact – unless they were approaching to attack. Dimitri felt his heart pounding – is this the end for him? He closed his eyes once more, bracing himself for any kind of attack the reindeer would do.
What did it want?
But the attack never came. Dimitri opened his eyes once more and found that the reindeer was slowly approaching him. It made a low and soft noise and nudged him. Dimitri held his breath. He has never been so close to a large wild animal before.
Source: MisterStory
The reindeer did not look mad or seemed interested in harming him. Dimitri had no food with him so he doubted that the animal had approached him because of it. Could it be the stench from his unwashed clothes and body that attracted the reindeer?
Causing traffic
Dimitri thought that the best thing for him to do was to pretend that he was sleeping or dead. Maybe the reindeer would leave him alone. But instead, the reindeer came closer and nudged him again and again into the middle of the road.
Source: MisterStory
Dimitri could feel his body being rolled out into the street. He instantly feared for his life. He could hear cars approaching and before he knew it there were several cars on the scene. One of the drivers got out of his car and approached Dmitri and the reindeer.
Don’t shoot please
The man moved slowly so that he does not scare the reindeer. He called out to Dimitri and asked if he was okay and if he needed help. Dimitri looked up and was shocked to see that the man had a gun in his hands.
Source: MisterStory
Dimitri did not want to see the reindeer get hurt. He knew he needed to act quickly before the man decides to shoot. He had to get the reindeer out of there. Dimitri signaled to the man that he was okay and not to shoot.
It wanted him to follow
Dimitri stood up and this made the reindeer move to the side of the road. Getting the reindeer away from the scene seemed to be easy after all. But instead of running away into the forest, the reindeer stood there and continued to look at Dimitri.
Source: MisterStory
The reindeer took a few steps into the forest and then turned to look at Dimitri. It returned and did the same thing again. It looked like the reindeer was asking Dimitri to follow. Dimitri looked at the armed man, he was ready to shoot anytime.
Adrenaline rush
So, Dimitri thanked the armed man for his concern and assured him that it was okay. Cars were honking as they see the reindeer has moved to the side of the road. The man looked hesitant but eventually went back to his car.
Source: MisterStory
Dimitri followed the reindeer into the woods. Dimitri was weak but the scene gave him an adrenaline rush. He could feel his body aching as he followed the reindeer into the woods but he was also alert at the same time.
Into the woods
The reindeer seemed to lead him to a valley. Dimitri felt confused but he was also curious. What could the reindeer want from him? But Dimitri had nothing on his plate at the moment and he had nothing to lose. He continued following the reindeer.
Source: MisterStory
A few minutes later, Dimitri could feel that his adrenaline rush was fading away. He was starting to feel exhausted and the heat from the afternoon sun was not helping. Dimitri feared that he would faint in the middle of nowhere.
Wounded babies
But just before he was about to give up, something caught his attention through the thick vegetation. He walked a little closer and found two small reindeer on the ground. And it looked like they are not in good shape.
Source: MisterStory
One of them has a large wound on the paw. The other one is also groaning in pain. This must be the reason why the adult reindeer was nudging him and making her follow him. She was asking for help.
A gunshot wound
Fortunately, Dimitri used to work as a nurse before he became homeless. But he only knew how to care for people – not animals. But he would try his best. Dimitri focused on the young reindeer that seemed to be suffering the most.
Source: MisterStory
The wound on the reindeer’s paw was very dirty and Dimitri noticed that there may be a piece of lead in it. It looked like it was caused by a bullet. Dimitri immediately thought about the man with the gun earlier.
Asking for help
Dimitri looked around for something he can use to clean the wound. There was a puddle a few steps away so he used the water in it. Then, he put some leaves on the wound to help stop the bleeding.
Source: MisterStory
There was not much that he could do from there so he decided to bring it to the roadside to get some help. Dimitri put the injured reindeer on the roadside and then rushed back to get the other reindeer. Six cars passed and each one of them ignored the homeless man.
Getting a ride
Fortunately, the seventh car made a stop. The driver was a middle-aged woman named Jenna. Dimitri pointed at the young reindeer and told her that they have been shot. He asked if she could drive them to the nearest vet as fast as she can.
Source: MisterStory
Jenna did not hesitate to help. They put the young reindeer in the truck and she signaled Dimitri to get in the passenger seat. The mother reindeer watched calmly as they got in the car. It seemed like she knew her babies would be safe now.
Full speed ahead
Jenna drove at full speed. It took them about 20 minutes to get to the nearest vet. Jenna tells the first person she sees that the reindeer need help right away. One of the vets hears this, runs out, and leads them to the operating room.
Source: MisterStory
The vet tells Dimitri and Jenna that he will take over now. He asked them to wait in the hallway and assured them that he will keep them posted during the operations. While waiting, one of the clinic’s staff asked them questions about the situation.
Illegal hunting
After hearing what happened, the vet decided to call the police. As it turns out, hunting wild animals are illegal in the area. Anyone who does so is punishable by law. Two police cars were sent to the scene of the crime for investigation.
Source: MisterStory
Dimitri instantly thought of the man who tried to help him on the road earlier that day. Could it be that he was the one responsible for this? If there were no other cars around earlier, would he have shot the mother reindeer too? It was a sad thought.
Arrested on the spot
The police scoured the area where Dimitri found the reindeer and empty bullet shells were found. These were gathered as evidence and were used to trace the gun. It did not take long to discover the identity of the illegal hunter.
Source: MisterStory
Sadly, Dimitri’s instincts turned out to be right. The bullets belonged to the man he met earlier. The police raided his home and arrested him on the spot. The man denied that he was involved but the evidence says otherwise.
The verdict
During the trial, it was revealed that the man did not even have a valid gun license. He was eventually found guilty of shooting wild animals illegally. The judge sentenced him to 3 months in prison and ordered all guns in his home to be turned in.
Source: MisterStory
Dimitri and Jenna were present during the trial as witnesses. They were very pleased with the verdict. A couple of animal rights activists approached Dimitri with a job offer. It did not pay much but it could eventually help him get back on his feet again.
A job opportunity
Dimitri was shocked that they were taking a chance on a homeless man like him. He thanked them and agreed to work with them. With this opportunity, he will be able to earn money, buy food and drinks, and eventually rent out a room to stay in.
Source: MisterStory
The organization that hired Dimitri specializes in taking care of neglected animals. They told him he can start the following week. Dimitri checked out the place and found himself to be quiet at home there with the animals.
The reindeer turned his life around
Thankful for this unexpected turn of events, Dimitri decided to visit the veterinarian clinic and ask how the reindeer were doing. The vet told him that they survived the operations and stayed with them for a couple of days and they were released in the area where Dimitri and Jenna found them.
Source: MisterStory
The staff tried looking directly for the mother to make sure they would be reunited.
It took them two hours to find the valley Dimitri told them. The vet assured Dimitri that the mother and her babies were reunited.