I was returning from the hunt and walking through the garden. My dog was running ahead of me.

Suddenly, he slowed his pace and began to creep forward, as though he had sensed something in front of him.

I looked towards the place where he had stopped. A tiny sparrow, with yellowish down around its beak, had fallen from its nest. It sat motionless and helpless, its wings barely formed.

The dog approached slowly. Then, from a nearby tree, a dark sparrow dropped like a stone, its breast puffed out and its wings spread wide. It chirped desperately and threw itself in front of the dog’s jaws, ready to sacrifice itself for its little one.

The dog stopped. It seemed to recognise that force. It stepped back.

I called my dog and walked away, filled with admiration.

Yes, do not laugh. I admired that tiny bird, its heroic love.

Love, I thought, is stronger than death and the fear of death. It is through love alone that life is sustained and moves forward.