Аул

Having lost his father, Sashka is left completely alone — far from home and with not a penny to his name. It would have been tough for him if it weren't for the passing mullah who took him in! Now... Sashka needs to get used to life in a Bashkir aul, to unfamiliar customs, to wonderful tales and songs. He works for the kind uncle Mirgali, falls in love with the beautiful Altynai, and the bookworm Zainab teaches him the local language...
And beyond the outskirts of the aul lies the dense forest. There, in the thicket, horned warriors — artaks — call to each other in guttural voices. Proud shurales reign there — it is said that some of the aul's residents have their dark forest blood flowing through their veins. Spirits wander there, and twisted trees creep up on careless travelers, and a one-eyed demon mumbles something — whispering, lulling into eternal slumber... Beware, man, look sharp and do not stray from the path!
When a mysterious crime occurs in the aul, the villagers hastily accuse Sashka. But soon it becomes clear that this is only part of a complicated story that has been unfolding for many years, and the connection between the aul and the forest is much stronger than it seemed to both people and non-humans.