A long time ago, among the high mountains, there lived a poor shepherd with his wife and small son. The shepherd loved his son very much. He saw in him the continuation of his lineage.
They lived quietly and peacefully, herding the bay sheep. They would not have known sorrow, but a wild spotted cat took a liking to them. Many rams would have been lost if the shepherd had not guarded them day and night.
But one day, his son disappeared. Grief settled in the shepherd's cramped yurt. The mother wept her eyes out, cursing the world. The father's hair turned gray from sorrow. They pondered for a long time about where and why their son had vanished. And the blame fell on the spotted cat. The shepherd took his gun and went searching for his son in the mountains.
The weary shepherd wandered among the rocks and bare stones for a long time until he saw a wild cat on the mountain peak. It was the size of a large dog and was carrying something that looked like a child in its mouth. The shepherd's heart raced. He was afraid to shoot. He took off his coat and set off in pursuit. The cat climbed higher and higher, and the shepherd followed. He was completely exhausted, and the cat was about to disappear behind the mountain. Unable to endure it any longer, the shepherd cursed her. The cat fell on its belly and died. What it had been carrying in its mouth fell out and lay next to it. The shepherd was overjoyed, ran up to the cat, and saw that a small blind kitten lay on the ground. The shepherd realized that he had cursed the cat for nothing. He mourned, sat on a rock, remembered his son, and cried. He took pity on the kitten, tucked it into his bosom, and turned back home.
Since then, a mountain has risen in the Tian Shan, on the peak of which lies the petrified spotted cat — Ala-Myshyk.
