Читать книгу The Last Days of Pangea - OGO - Страница 7

The rays of the Great Fire illuminated the hunting trails of the first people. The Giver of Warmth rose high into the sky and hovered over the Bennettite field, breathing new day into the endless expanse of a recently created world. From mountain ranges to dense palm-like plains, from swamps and arid steppes to coniferous and liana forests, from deep lakes and fast-flowing rivers to impenetrable jungles and thickets of araucaria – Fire embraced everything, and only the raging waters washing the shores of Her creations remained on the dark side light alone with the cold stars and the moon. In the midst of the abundance of impregnable and unexplored nature, in every inspiration of its creator, the life of the then inhabitants, from young to old, was in full swing: huge dragonflies, horned beetles, colorful butterflies and other marvelous living creatures buzzed everywhere in flocks; buzzing, chirping and chirping, they created a universal rumble that carried to the most secluded corners of the mysterious, sometimes dangerous and unknown abode of all living things. Even the cave creatures that had abandoned the Great Fire heard the alluring singing of their relatives, but hostility to the rays of the luminary left the once reigning species in the dark labyrinths of rocky volcanoes.

Somewhere in the fields near the boulders, jumping out of the grass after low-flying butterflies, from time to time the heads of small cold-blooded ones showed up. Expecting easy prey, bipedal carnivores, squeaking, hid among the young shoots of the cycad and occasionally climbed small hills to catch the smells of something edible brought by the wind. Larger lizards tried not to give themselves away, and only by swaying grass or bushes could one understand that they were somewhere out there – hunting down their own kind in order to feed their offspring, or hiding so as not to become prey for others.

On this most ordinary day, from the outskirts of the liana forest into the bennettite field, the most ordinary inhabitant of this world came out to graze – a dark blue herbivorous Longneck. But he didn’t leave of his own accord. Hunters contributed to this. Noisy and occasionally appearing before the giant’s eyes, they deliberately forced the creature to leave the thickets. Huge, fifteen or twenty paces from head to tail and almost ten in height considering the length of the neck, Long Neck felt the presence of people. But the good-natured reptile did not suspect why they had come. She nibbled on the grass and leaves of the ginkgo trees, sometimes stopping and warily looking at the thickets around her.

If this herbivore were Tailtail or Razorthorn, he would have long ago made those who disturbed his peace flee, but Longneck’s temperament, unusually for a lizard, was too soft and affable. Taking advantage of this, the beaters-pathfinders lured him into the field with hunting tricks, since the dense vine forest was not the best place for the Big Hunt: huge boulders lay everywhere, mighty trees with trunks, vines and roots tearing the soil created countless obstacles, preventing archery or throwing a spear. And the frequent fern thickets were fraught with dangers: small and large predators were regulars in the cool forests, and they would certainly take the opportunity to hunt along with people, and at the same time on them! For these reasons, the lizard ended up here alone, in full view, and the same beaters were furtively following him.

A teenager and an adult man were dressed in vestments made of thin reptile skins – windings that covered the genitals and some parts of the body: the hands to the elbows and the legs from the ankles to the very knees. Above the robes, except for the area of the hips and torso, were green-painted protective shells – hunting armor made from the bones of various, mostly herbivorous lizards. The shells protected vulnerable places, and in the event of an attack by predators, at least they did not allow their powerful jaws to close.

The tall, broad-shouldered hunter was much older than his compatriot. His fiery curls, collected in an armful at the top of his head, were held by a hairpin made from the tooth of a small lizard. Her hair gradually grew into a curly beard, from which, like a vine, a neatly braided pigtail hung down. The beater’s once broken nose resembled a Raptor’s claw. This disadvantage, obtained by negligence, did not disfigure the appearance at all, but only emphasized the pointed features of the face. In the man’s right ear hung an earring made from the fangs of various reptiles. The spike of the Sharpthorn protruded from the left, and beads made from the teeth of herbivorous lizards adorned the neck. The ranger’s large brown eyes blended with the tinge of scaly skin. And if it were not for the whites of the eyes, then on the swarthy face the eyes would have remained completely inconspicuous. The whole body of the hunter from birth was covered with small clay-colored specks. The shamans of the first people believed that these spots were a talisman of the Great Fire, and judging by the barely noticeable scars on the areas of the legs and arms of the red-haired man that were not protected by shells, this superstition was quite justified: the one who bore the name Taro on free hunting fell into the abode of carnivores more than once, and although inattention cost many lives, he got only small bites and cuts.

The second beater was very young, but this did not prevent him from getting on the Big Hunt. The narrowed blue eyes of a teenager were separated by a wide bridge of nose, a narrow forehead smoothly turned into small spiked growths, and between them stretched light, combed back hair that barely reached the neck. The pale skin tone of the youngster did not succumb to the rays of the Great Fire, and the bright drawings on the bare parts of the body and face harmoniously merged with the painted armor. Unlike the usual daub on the protective shells of Taro, the work of the young Salas on his own body and armor bore a mysterious design that generates the element of flame. But despite the similarity with the engraving of shamans and hunters, skillfully applied symbols and silhouettes of lizards served only as decoration and disguise and did not affect the teenager’s human ardor in any way.

Armed with bows and spears, with leather bags and quivers over their shoulders, the first men cautiously crept up to Longneck. Suddenly, Salas stumbled and almost fell to the ground.

– Hush hush! Look under your feet. He already knows that we are watching him. You’ll scare me, and you’ll have to drive on a new one! – Taro warned the young man and climbed onto the giant cycad.

The immense trunks of cycads, by the way, were slightly taller than adults, and the branches growing along the edges at the end of the trunk, densely strewn with large yellow-green leaves, fanned out towards the Great Fire and created shelter. Towering above the grass, cycads in the field served as excellent observation points, thereby allowing them to inspect the surroundings without falling into the eyes of reptiles.

«Maybe I want to scare him!» Salas was outraged. How can we hunt them? Look, this giant won’t hurt a beetle. Old man Hord recently told at the fire how the same lizard allowed himself to be stroked…

The soul of young Salas was tormented by dislike for predators and pity for herbivores. Why the will of Pangea and the instructions of the ancestors instructed to arrange crafts only for harmless creatures – a question that haunted him. In addition, this was his first hunt, and Salas did not yet understand hunting matters at all.

Radon, the senior watchman and relative of Salas, understood that the time had come for the offspring to test himself on the hunter’s path as a beater. The youngster was shining with the third hundred moons, and he was about to recognize in himself the feelings of Zavrin – the eyes and premonition that the first people got from rational ancestors. Shaman Vall approved the request and took the youth to the squad under the supervision of Taro. Vall, of course, was aware of Salas’ prejudice against herbivorous lizards, but he was sure that the Great Hunt would make a real man out of him! If he copes with the corral, then next time be his assistant on patrol. And then – a free hunter. If he wants to, he will be able to leave the settlement without the knowledge of the leaders, and there, on a free hunt, he will mature and learn premonition and the ability to see. See through the eyes of reptiles.

For four days, the shaman’s squad scoured the unfamiliar paths of the liana forest in search of prey and constantly went out to the Vultures, then to small predators. But the first people avoided both of them. Today, Longneck was tracked down, and Salas was upset about it. He really liked these creatures, and the exciting stories of the seasoned hunter Hord about herbivorous giants did cause strange feelings of attachment to such reptiles. But the youth understood that there was going to be a Great Hunt. And the young trackers from the detachment, in the event of a failure with the corral, will simply laugh at him. Or even worse – Vall or the leader, in front of everyone around the fire, will begin their tales about the unsuccessful hunt of one of the beaters. And Salas wanted that least of all.

Taro, an experienced hunter who drove more than one giant, was cold-blooded and unshakable. He tried to ignore the youngster’s impulses and not be distracted. Moreover, he was responsible for the child, which Taro considered Salas, and at the same time all those who, instead of scars on their bodies and faces, had useless drawings of being and far-fetched victories over lizards. Yes, carnivores often attacked fickle camps, but since ancient times, shamans and those who have lived for thousands of moons have been repeating: «To live in harmony is the plan of Pangea! Herbivores are a gift to us in the womb to exist in this world. Predators and Vultures are the eternal keepers of the balance of Her abode. And our first ancestors, the Razaurs, who did not accept Zavrin, who did not succumb to the will of the creator and were doomed to be soulless, are a reminder to the first people of who they are now and who they were. Killing the carnivores and the doomed for the sake of saving human life is a good deed! And for the sake of food or self-interest – it is tantamount to killing one’s own kind! And the Tarot unquestioningly honored the instructions and precepts of the wise.

«We can hunt Rasaurs, or at least Raptors, can we?» – the teenager was indignant.

«You know, Salas, that we can’t,» Taro replied. «And Her will is not the only reasonable reason. Poisoning a large lizard is much more practical than catching dozens of small Raptors, especially since these scoundrels are too fast. No one will run after the Raptors! I will deliberately keep silent about the Rasaurs… Oi! – the hunter did not restrain himself. «I’m even afraid to imagine how you are going to hunt them!» I wonder who will track down whom faster – Razavr you or you him?

Do you think I’m that stupid? Of course he me. But when Zavrini’s eyes appear to me, everything will be different! I will not hunt harmless creatures,“ Salas protested. „Squads have always defended and driven the Rasaur away from the camp. Why not start hunting for them?

«Do you seriously think that driving a pack of Rasaurs away from a camp is tantamount to hunting?» Have you really thought to yourself, youngster, that you are the smartest? Even if their blood were alien to us, none of the leaders under any pretext would risk their relatives! Hungry Razaurs for our carcasses are not ready to die, therefore, when they feel a mortal threat, they retreat from the settlements. If you start hunting for lizards, you will put them at a crossroads: which of you should be prey! That’s when you will know the real fury of the reptiles,» Taro chuckled.

«I’m not afraid of the Razaurs!» AND…

While the young beater was talking about the injustices of hunting, the giant snorted and, stretching his neck, began to sniff and look around excitedly, gradually moving away from the prepared ambush. The lizard sensed something was wrong, and Taro drew attention to it. With a conventional gesture, the man stopped another chatter of a teenager and instantly embodied his gaze. Salas froze, watching his relative.

The whites of Taro’s eyes were filled with yellow, and the pupils narrowed. The bright colors of the real world – the sky, grass, shrubs and other vegetation – dissolved in the hunter’s gaze and acquired cold gray hues. Perception in the eyes of the hunter weakened the light of the Great Fire, everything around turned pale, and only some details of the environment, to which Taro paid special attention, concentrating his eye on them, kept the color of reality. The rustling of grass, the rustling of leaves from gusts of wind, the rumble of insects – everything around calmed down, resounding with a barely audible echo in the subconscious of a man. And only the deep rhythmic beats of Longneck’s heart in the ears of the red-haired hunter broke the muffled sounds of reality.

Taro looked around carefully. The eyes of Zavrini – the eyes of a hunter – made it possible to see, hear and distinguish all living things around. Penetrating the distance with his eyes, Taro could see in the distance what the human gaze was beyond the power of. All those who were endowed by the creator with a heart, which of the reptiles could hide nearby in the grass or thickets, did not go unnoticed! And today the Great Fire itself favored the Great Hunt. Apart from the huge red relief of muscles, veins, and the flawless skeleton of Longneck, from which people would later make protective shells, there was no one nearby. With the gaze of a hunter, Taro saw the smallest detail that was hidden by the dense skin of a lizard. Huge muscles, every vein, down to the bones – everything was before the eyes of the beater. Like a web that cave creatures weave, the giant’s crimson heart was wrapped in many blood vessels. The source of life contracted quiveringly and uneasily, betraying the excitement of the reptile with tactless, momentarily fading blows.

– Taro? What’s there? Salas asked, pulling himself up to the trunk.

The man took another look at the area.

«I don’t know what came over him… Everything seems to be quiet. It is time! he commanded and jumped to the ground. «We need to get around and launch the arrow.

Taro’s eyes returned to their former human form, and the beaters rushed around Longneck, and the giant wandered lazily, moving away from the planned ambush.

Running, hiding among the vegetation, the tribesmen reached a convenient position and began to prepare.

Come on Salas! He must be returned to the detachment, otherwise we will remain hungry!

The teen sighed deeply as he unslung his double bow from his shoulder and took out an arrow from his quiver.

«Come on, come on, Salas!» You have the blood of real hunters! – Taro encouraged, pulling out the remains of silicon from the bag. «Zavrini’s presentiment promised me that today there would be a successful hunt!»

«But they haven’t told me anything yet!» the young man balked.

On the third attempt, the stones sparked. The reptilian-greased wrapping of thin, dry, loose branches of the liana tree at the end of the arrow ignited. The teenager looked sadly at Long-necked and, raising his bow to the sky, he pulled the bowstring with all his strength. Having gained maximum height, the arrow hung in the air for a moment and, leaving a dark plume of soot, headed towards the ground. Valla’s squad received the signal.

***

On the other side of the field, behind a small rocky hillock, sticking out alone on the outskirts of the liana forest, was the main party of hunters. Lying on ledges, smeared with the juice of ground coniferous leaves, which interrupted the smell of human presence, dressed in leather vestments, in bone armor and armed to the teeth, two dozen rangers, and with them the shaman Vall himself, were already waiting for prey. Powerful bows, wooden spears and clubs with carved stone tips and Edge stones – all this, engraved and painted with symbols from hilts and blades to shock parts, today will break another giant so that the tribe of the first people would not remain hungry and continue their race.

The hunters had gone too far from explored lands, and in all the days only Raptors, Lazoons, and scavengers Vultures had been encountered on the fishing trail. Honoring the will of Pangea, the precepts and instructions of ancestors and sages, nosy Raptors and small scoundrels, people shunned, and the meat of scavengers was nasty and smelly. Like all herbivores, the Vultures ate vegetation, but they did not refuse any dead or half-eaten flesh: because of the disgusting diet, the fried meat of the Vulture tasted like rotten meat, and the smell even gave off droppings. Eating these reptiles was not possible! And since the stocks in the village were coming to an end and it was completely unknown how the other hunting parties were doing, the Great Longneck Hunt today became significant. The carcass of the lizard would have been enough for the tribe for several moons!

Vall, the black-haired leader of the Great Hunt, donned a Rasaur skull helmet. The inner part of the bone, lined with thick leather, sat tightly on the long curls of the shaman, hiding his face to the chin. Through the bored holes that once served as the eyeballs of a reptile, the bright green eyes of the leader shone. Pulling on his helmet, Val took over the responsibility of the huntsman. While the others distract their prey by hitting it with spears and archery, Vall will try to climb onto the lizard’s back in order to stick a powerful knife made of Edgestone into the victim’s neck more than once before the reptile falls dead.

Yesterday, the Zavrinis themselves whispered to the shaman about the glorious hunt, but tonight the heavens cast a strange sign. Val looked at the rest of the hunters and thought.

On the eve of the sunset of the Great Fire, the detachment set up camp on a liana tree, almost at its very top. When it got dark, Wall replaced Taro on patrol. And when the first rays of moonlight began to break through the foliage, the leader of the Great Hunt climbed to the other side of the crown, under the starry sky, where mighty Pterosaurs reigned. Val knew that today, at the foot of the Great Volcano, his tribesmen would set fire to the creation of Varna.

The path of the detachment lay through the liana forest, and they wandered through it for four days. But during the day, climbing the crowns and following the path back to the camp was tantamount to death! The lords of the skies, the giant Pterosaurs, sensed the human spirit from thousands of paces away. Once the shaman had already seen such a predator… Only the light of the Fireplace, promised by Varn, could show the path through the forest, and only at night did the winged lizards become inactive. Despite the danger and risk, Wall climbed to the top of a liana tree and saw an unusual phenomenon there – a bright luminous circle formed in the middle of the sky. The stars in it seemed to cling to each other, and it seemed that another moon was born in the sky.

The shaman peered into the heavenly miracle for a long time, trying to unravel the cause of the mysterious radiance, but inadvertently he was attracted by another unfamiliar glow – far on the horizon, Val saw a stream of light. Bright and mobile, as if alive, a thin flickering beam clearly stood out among the darkness. Closer to the sky, it was a little wider than at the source. The glow swayed randomly to the left, then to the right, like nothing else, never seen before! And the leader guessed that they were particles of hot tar – the light of the Campfire. This is how the one-eyed man described his manifestation.

«Good job Varn!» thought the shaman and took out a parchment. Wall marked the end of the liana forest and marked on the map the path to the Great Volcano. After that, the leader contemplated a mysterious luminous circle in the sky for some more time in order to understand what kind of manifestation it was, but nothing sensible came to mind – the shaman saw such a phenomenon for the first time. And when he was about to return to the camp, the mysterious stake suddenly flared up, as if lightning flashed in the valley.

Val shuddered in shock. Soon the dazzling glare in his eyes weakened, and the leader saw how the glow of a strange phenomenon hastily disappeared, and in its place a bright bizarre star was born. It shimmered with shades of scarlet and was more expressive and larger than other stars. Amazed by the appearance of the red luminary, Wall admired his stay for a long time. And when the shaman went down to the camp, anxiety suddenly flooded over him. Zavrini’s foreboding made the leader feel something was wrong. It seemed to him that a star born in the sky brought death!..

Wall did not tell his fellow tribesmen about what he had seen at night. Didn’t want to disturb the hunting mood. The leader wanted to quickly hunt down any giant that came across and return to the Great Volcano to report the vision to the leader Roshan.

Val, are you sure? – the young tribesman disturbed the leader.

The shaman frowned.

What are you, Arwen? You think I’m too old for the Big Hunt?! Watch and learn, son, while I move my feet! Forgot where I got this helmet from? Vall was indignant and tapped his fist on the top of the skull.

The rest of the hunters chuckled softly. Arwen also smiled, not at all doubting his leader. After all, every young ranger heard this story, and experienced ones saw with their own eyes the fierce battle of the brave Wall with an underdeveloped ancestor.

The head of the reptile had fallen to the shaman almost two hundred moons ago, during the last carnivore attack on the temporary camp. Stopped by fire arrows and spears, the pack of Razaurs retreated, but one of the lizards managed to get through the fence on the other side of the village. He almost tore apart a child hiding in the hut. The shaman, by chance, was nearby and was able to attract the attention of the cold-blooded one in time. The frightened girl ran away, and the hungry predator accepted the challenge. Despite the mortal danger and the superiority of the reptile, the hunter did not flinch and, drawing his knife, attacked first. The huge lizard was faster and grabbed the shaman’s hand. Sharpthorn bone armor on the forearm withstood the pressure of the carnivore’s jaw, and while the reptile was dragging Vall along the ground, trying to bite through the bone protection, he stabbed the predator many times with a knife in the neck. The lizard fell. From the skull of Razavr the shaman made a helmet and called it his amulet. Wall believed that the amulet would intimidate other reptiles, especially carnivores.

«Tristail nearly broke Tris’s head last time!» Val continued to be indignant. – It was necessary to think of it, being a dexterous one, to jump from the side of the tail to the Tailbone. You’re lucky Tris that Razorthorn has a tough skull. Together with a helmet and your head would split!

The hunters giggled again, and Tris blushed uncomfortably.

– Yes, Rylan, Arwen! Find something to laugh about. Quiet everyone! Val ordered angrily.

Teenagers and men grimaced seriously and, barely suppressing smiles, began to wink at the embarrassed Tris. In order not to watch the teasing antics, the fair-haired tracker averted his timid gaze from his fellow tribesmen and directed his gaze to the bennettite field.

«From now on, no youngsters in the hunters!» Enough already, got it! Wall snapped. «Only die-hard hunters!»

– Wu-u-u-u! – among the young relatives there was a rumble of discontent.

– I don’t want to hear anything! the leader insisted.

Being a hunter is a dangerous business in the fishery! Despite this, young men were always eager to ride a reptile to demonstrate their skills. True, the youngsters did not have that skill at all. But everyone was ready to jump on the herbivore. And then, returning to the House of Hunters, tell women, children or fellow tribesmen from other hunting parties about their courage and dexterity. But lately too many young hunters have failed. And in Akira’s detachment at the last Great Hunt, Sharpthorn even ripped open the belly of one of these onlookers. The gutted hunter died on the spot, and his body was not returned to his relatives. Alas, walking the trails with bloodied human flesh is like throwing yourself naked at a pack of Raptors. The one who was killed after the end of the persecution by the element of fire was led to the stars – they burned it, erecting a fire and pounding drums, and sang songs on a good journey, so that one day a kinsman would descend from heaven and be able to accept his genuine death from the moons of the new lived…

So Tris’s mistake was another example of the fact that the young are not ready! Tris learned his lesson: during an attempt to jump on a reptile, he received a powerful tail blow and lost consciousness. The teenager almost died, but they managed to drag him away from the angry lizard, and as Wall said, Tris was lucky! And such youths as Arwen, Tyrant, Rylan and other young hunters who had recently been beaters did not even suspect how dangerous it was to be a hunter! Any experienced person has experienced this sudden attack of indecision more than once, when you need to act right now and not a moment later! When everything constricts in the chest and a taste of strange bitterness comes to the throat, when a surge of emotions muffles the mind, when the heart begins to beat as if it is about to burst out. In this state, it is very difficult to properly assess what is happening, and even more so to control your actions. Already then you stand over the killed lizard and partly do not remember what happened. Only pain and abrasions all over your body make it clear that the victim has thrown you off your back or neck more than once, trying to trample on you.

Those who have never been dexterous seriously think that riding a giant is as easy as shelling pears. But it’s not!

By the way, the death of any tracker from the Great Hunt squad has always become a real tragedy not only for the tribe as a whole, but also for the squad itself, to which the tracker was assigned. After all, each leader had his own peculiar ways of hunting, and it took a lot of time for a fellow tribesman from another detachment, for example, or a completely newcomer, to get used to the manners and conventional signs of already close-knit hunters.

– Arrow! Tris said almost in a whisper and pointed to the sky with his hand.

The Kindred raised their heads.

Val, did you see? Rylan asked.

«I see everything,» the shaman replied calmly. «What they were doing with him is incomprehensible!» I suppose Salas thought for a long time… about what he would have in his stomach in the coming days!

The first people removed the leather covers from their spears and clubs, prepared arrows, twine from loose vines, and, waiting for a command, stared at the leader of the Great Hunt. Vall, meanwhile, latched the lower part of the helmet – the jaw of the Rasaur, covering the chin and neck – and tightened the armor with a leather yoke through the nostrils of the skull. His head was completely protected. Behind, coming out of the back of the head of the helmet and hanging almost to the very waist of the shaman, was attached the backbone of the lizard. Wall decided that the vertebrae of Rasaurus could also serve as a barrier to the teeth of reptiles.

The elongated shape of the cranial bone of the cold-blooded one only in their appearance resembled the former owner, the first ancestor of the first people – the most dangerous predator that could move on earth! Sitting harmoniously on its new owner, the Rasaur’s skull blended perfectly with the Razorthorn’s carapace on its chest, giving its wearer a flawless and intimidating appearance.

Val raised his head and squinted at the Great Fire.

– May the glow of the Great Fire abide in our hearts! And our hearts will not go out with his departure either during the Great Hunt today or tomorrow! – admonished the shaman. «May the spirits of Zavrini protect our bodies and souls!» May the flames of Pangea give us strength!

«May the spirits of Zavrini protect our bodies and souls!» May the flames of Pangea give us strength! the others whispered.

There was a roar from Longneck.

– In places! Wall ordered.

Tris and Rylan rushed to their prepared positions. The second climbed to the top of the hill and hid in the thickets. Rylan saw the dark blue giant approaching the ambush, followed by Salas and Taro, spears brandishing at his heels. Tris went down along the ledge and hid among the moss-covered stones. Young hunters will be on patrol today. Through the eyes of Zavrini, they will see to it that no carnivorous reptile can interfere with the persecution. As soon as the heart of a predator beats nearby, the rest will be warned and will instantly drive away the intruder!

Vall pulled a huge, intricately engraved knife of Verge stone from a leather sheath and stalked up the edge of a small ledge. His cheekbones slowly tightened and his eyes turned reptilian. Longneck’s increasing heartbeat flooded the shaman’s ears. The vibrations from the clatter of the giant’s powerful limbs increased with each approaching step. The earth underfoot seemed to come to life: small pebbles, particles of sand, small twigs and dried leaves with light gusts, trembling, for a moment broke away from the surface of the rock. The herbivore lizard was already very close.

The shaman scooped up a small handful of dust from the surface of a nearby boulder. Slowly rubbing it in his palms and not making the slightest noise, the leader jumped up from the ledge above the reptile. For a moment, Vall hung in the air and, like a Pterosaur, swiftly, under the weight of bone armor and Her attraction, fell on the neck of the victim. The humility of the spirit and the strength of the shaman merged into one. The element of the creator’s prana filled the engraving on the edge of the knife to the limit, and the symbol of the cutting blade in the embodied gaze of the leader lit up with a green flame! Going beyond the limits of his body, the shaman plunged the weapon into the hard skin of the reptile with a force inaccessible in everyday life.

The lizard roared in pain and began to shudder, trying to throw off the offender. The leader dug his claws into the neck of the victim with all his might and delivered a few more blows. The flames of Pangea blazed in the cavities of the engraving and gave the shaman’s onslaught incredible power! Through the eyes of his ancestors, Wall saw how with each subsequent blow the tip came closer and closer to the vital organ, how the vessels enveloping the flesh of the reptile expanded either from an overabundance of fear, or from hatred for the one who caused the pain. Being agile many times, it always seemed to Val that the blood threads of the next prey were about to be torn apart!

Longneck quickened his pace and, without abandoning his attempt to throw off the rider, rushed into the infinity of the Bennettite field. The rest of the hunters ran behind, readying their bows and spears.

The distance between the detachment and the herbivore increased, and the lizard did not allow the shaman to hit himself with a knife. It was then that I had to jump off the giant, otherwise he would have gone too far from the hunters and eventually dropped and trampled the leader. So Wall loosened his grip and deftly rolled over the reptile’s neck onto its back; immediately pushed off his back and landed somersault on the grass.

Arrows immediately rained down on Longneck! The volleys of young rangers did not inflict significant injuries – they only distracted the lizard. But the powerful shots of persistent hunters, the arrowheads of which were made of the Edge stone and concealed the mysticism of the flame in the engraving, dug deep into the body of the cold-blooded. It was they who angered the giant even more and forced him to stop in order to fight back. Waving his tail and rearing up, Long-necked began to furiously rush at the offenders. But the first people deftly dodged: they jumped and rolled under the lizard, hitting it with sharp spears, and hitting the limbs with clubs, trying to damage the joints.

– Tarot, lasso! roared the shaman to the beater who came to the rescue.

With a deft movement, Taro removed the skein from his shoulder and threw it to the leader. Wall picked up the liana rope in mid-air and jumped on the lizard again. In an instant, the shaman ran along the sinewy back of the reptile and tried to throw a lasso around the giant’s neck. But the loop did not reach the goal and tightened on the muzzle, and the lizard bent and trembled with muscles. Vall lost his balance and, grabbing onto the taut lasso, flew over the ground, crashing into the bushes right in front of the enraged herbivore. A blow to the ground stunned the leader of the Great Hunt, and the shaman lost the incarnation of the eyes.

The huge paws of the giant flew a stone’s throw from Val – Arwen, the Tyrant and a dozen other hunters managed to pull the lasso in time – and the ground shook so that the leader was thrown aside!

Salas, help us! – Arwen yelled at the teenager who arrived at the place of persecution.

But seeing what was happening, Salas was stunned. The roar of a bloody lizard trying to escape from the lasso, and the shouting of the hunters filled the youth’s ears. Everything blurred before my eyes. Salas felt his eyeballs heat up, as if a flame of fire touched his eyes. A shiver ran through my entire body. The young beater’s legs became weak, and, unable to stand any longer, he fell to his knees. Meanwhile, the reptile rushed once again. The hunters could not hold her, and, releasing a lasso, fell to the ground, and the giant turned and rushed towards Salas.

– Watch out! shouted one of the tribesmen.

The young beater raised his head with difficulty and stared at the reptile.

But what is it? Instead of a reptile, he saw bloody flesh hurtling straight at him. Bloodied flesh without skin! A living carcass of meat and bones with eyes filled with madness rushed at the youngster! Salas tried to get up, but found that his hands and feet were entangled in the roots of unseen plants.

– Aaa! yelled a stunned Salas.

He tried to free himself, but the plants, suddenly rapidly making their way out of the ground, began to envelop his limbs. Seeing this, Salas was completely shocked. Everything went dark in his eyes and, losing consciousness, he fell to the ground.

– I-i-ha! I-i-hu-hu! Taro’s battle cry rang out loudly.

The reptile slowed down and paid attention to the human scream, and Taro rolled under its belly with lightning speed and, jumping to the side, aimed the spear at the bleeding wound on the neck. The bright green light of the Tarot engraving flared on the edge of the Edge in a blinding flame. The spear pierced the flesh and half came out the other side. A deafening roar swept over the Bennettite field. The lizard’s body bowed to the ground. Letting out a heavy sigh, the reptile finally fell off its feet, raising a huge column of dust around it.

***

Val walked towards Longneck. Approaching the body of the lizard, the shaman took off his helmet. His tangled black hair, freed from bone armor, casually lay on his broad shoulders. The scaly nose of the leader was sweaty from the fight with the giant and gleamed under the rays of the Great Fire. His beard, through which prickly growths were visible, was fastened with a hairpin in a small ponytail. In the right ear of the shaman hung an earring of several Rasaur fangs, and above the ear there was a huge scar that diagonally reached the left side of the chin. The scar also fell on the upper and lower lip, and he got the leader during the rescue from the claws of a heavenly predator. The scar, painted green as usual, did not disfigure Vall’s face, but only gave it a defiant look.

The shaman looked at the body of the mortally wounded lizard. Then, coming closer to the head of the reptile, he stared into its still not cooled eye. The cheekbones of the leader of the Great Hunt tightened, and the human eyes again embodied in reptilian ones, and Long Neck immediately caught the hunter’s gaze and froze. Val opened his eyelids wide. The yellowed whites of his eyes shone as if a tear had poured into them, and his gaze was frozen in the gaze of a lizard. The leader reunited with the fading mind of the herbivore and transferred his vision to his peaceful past. As heaven and earth are reflected from the surface of an undisturbed water surface, so the vision of shamans in unity with reptiles in shining eyes reflected fragments of the past, and a liana forest appeared in the eyes of the leader…

Arrived in time relatives began to closely examine their leader, watching his harmony with the Long-necked. Zavrini’s eyes in Vall’s gaze have always fascinated his fellow tribesmen. His pupils were similar to the color of the flame that was hidden in the engraving of tenacious hunters. No one had such bright green eyes! And watching Vall traverse the giant’s recent path, trying to find similar herbivores, was always mesmerizing.

In front of the shaman, a small pond appeared, surrounded by vegetation and mighty liana trees. Thin rays of the Great Fire, with difficulty passing through the crowns of trees, playfully rotated particles of moss and wood dust in the air, scattering light over a muddy lake in the middle of a dense forest. Flocks of multi-colored dragonflies were circling near the shores of the reservoir, above the thickets of horsetail and fern, and behind it, among the young shoots of ginkgo, the shaman inadvertently spotted fallen dead wood – a dilapidated snag seemed to the leader to have met before. Then Vall heard a horned beetle flying by somewhere very close, followed by another.

Immediately, the mirage of memories began to quickly move the vision closer to the water, constantly clinging to and breaking off the dry shoots of the vine – apparently, the reptile wanted to quench its thirst. Several Pawwings jumped from a dangling vine to another. The giant followed them with his eyes, and Wall noticed how one of these crumbs deftly grabbed a large red dragonfly in the air. Suddenly, Longneck’s eyes focused on the trembling bushes on the other side of the lake, moving a fragment of the past almost close to the vegetation: circles on the water in front of the bushes broke the serene surface, and the shaman managed to make out the silhouette of a Sharptooth diving under the water. The body of the reptile vanished into the depths of the pool, as did the vision of the lizard, and a fragment of memories transported the leader of the Great Hunt through the pouring rain into the bennettite field.

In front of the shaman’s gaze, a flock of dark blue giants gracefully walked towards the liana forest under the pressure of a powerful downpour, and Long Neck, who was killed in the near future, dutifully followed them. The downpour was so heavy that Wall noticed how the heavenly water on the backs of the reptiles turned into small streams. Playing and seething between the folds of the skin, flowing around the bends of the muscles, the streams gathered into whole currents and fell on the soil and vegetation under the paws of the lizards.

The vision stopped and turned in the opposite direction. Behind the giants were three still very young reptiles – a brood, and far beyond the veil of rain was a forest of araucaria. Wall recognized the area – the southwestern border of the slave lands, the detachment at this edge left the grove, leaving the familiar paths. Longneck’s gaze fussily scanned the surroundings on both sides of the cubs. Somewhere in the distance, a roar sounded like a lizard’s call, and the vision of the past dissolved, returning the leader of the hunters to reality. The shaman’s eyes took on a human form, and Long Neck sighed heavily, and his eyelids closed.

Wall crouched beside the dead reptile. Silence reigned. The hum and chirping of insects ceased. Everything around seemed to freeze, only a free wind, sorting through the leaves of the cycads, allowed itself to break the strange calm. This sometimes happened during the Great Hunt: as if she had led one of Her great creations to the heavenly stars, Silence reminded the first people that the life of the creature She created was firmly connected with other inhabitants of the world. The hunters pricked up their ears, and soon the silence was filled with the singing of the mundanes – reality began to surge again.

– The first people are grateful to the Great Fire for the warm light of the Great Hunt. The soul of Her creation will adorn the night sky, and the flesh will prolong our lives,» Vall whispered.

«The soul of Her creation will forever adorn the night sky, and the flesh will prolong our lives,» the tribesmen repeated.

«Let’s set up camp in that clearing over there!» Bring Tris and Rylan here and put him on patrol here! the shaman commanded. – Taro, thank you, my friend, you are on time as always! And now be kind – take the people and return to the rock. Get supplies and wood!

Yes, Wall! The redhead replied.

Taro approached the dead Longneck, pulled out his spear and, having called several hunters with a whistle, rushed off to carry out the assignment.

– Wall! Val, come here quickly! shouted the Tyrant.

The shaman turned around and saw the Tyrant and several other tribesmen surround the groaning Salas.

«Ahh, Salas! Good job, youngster! Radon will be pleased! – Coming closer, the shaman praised. «Don’t forget to thank Taro for saving you this one… In the name of Pangea!» What about him?

When the Tyrant brought the teenager to his senses, he immediately began to back away from his relatives. Taking out a knife, Salas began to threaten his fellow tribesman. And the young man’s eyes were embodied in the strange appearance of Zavrin’s eyes: the whites were filled with a crimson hue, and the irises became black, like night, and merged with the pupils.

– Don’t come near me! Salas shouted.

– Hey, what are you doing? It’s me, the Tyrant!

But the tomboy continued to back away, brandishing a knife.

– Don’t come!

Other hunters also noticed what was happening, and began to converge around the youth.

«Wall, what’s wrong with his eyes?» Why are they red and irises turned black?! asked Kun, a shaggy kinsman with a scar across his forehead.

– Yes indeed!

– What’s wrong with your eyes?

– Why?..

The rest of the hunters also began to mutter and whisper.

– Who you are? Ahh, my eyes! Salas continued to yell. – Don’t come!

Wall was at a loss from what was happening, but tried to calm the young beater.

«Hush, hush, Salas, hush. Let me help you. Give me the knife,» said the shaman.

But Salas did not listen and continued to brandish the hunting weapon.

«What’s wrong with my eyes?!» Who you are? he yelled.

Suddenly, one of the tribesmen pounced on the youth and grabbed his hand. Just then, the second one arrived. And now they have already piled on him in a crowd. Salas began to shriek convulsively.

– Son, chill! It’s me, Wall! the shaman reassured, holding Salas. Relax, we’ll heal your eyes. Everything will be OK!

As soon as Wall approached the face of a teenager to examine his eyes, he immediately lost consciousness. The shaman immediately slapped the young man’s cheeks with his palm a couple of times – to shake him up for sure. Did not help. Then Wall opened his eyelids, and it was incredible! The incarnation of the eyes of Salas did not leave even in an insensible state!

– He always had blue eyes… I remember exactly. Even the irises have been reincarnated! Or is it the pupils that have become so large?! I don’t understand, Val, what happened? And why can’t he understand who we are? the Tyrant began to inquire.

«I don’t know… I see this for the first time!» the shaman answered in confusion. «He got Zavrin’s eyes, but…»

«He woke up in oblivion, Vall,» said Kuhn. The boy didn’t recognize anyone. He was in unity, and he was violated…

– In unity? the relatives asked in unison.

The shaggy hunter leaned towards Salas and examined his hands and feet.

«Look at your wrists, Wall. There are traces left.

Everyone began to examine the limbs of Salas. Indeed, there were abrasions on the forearms and ankles, as if something had just recently held the youngster and did not allow him to free himself. But for what reason the unity happened during the hunt, no one could understand.

«You’re right, Kun,» Val agreed, looking around. – Everywhere grass and ivy… Ivy and grass will not leave such traces. But how?.. Embodiment of eyes and unity overnight?

«I don’t know what kind of incarnation it is, Vall,» Kun replied and rolled his eyes. «The eyes of Zavrini look different,» the hunter pointed with his hand at the inverted gaze.

Wall frowned and looked thoughtfully at Kuhn. Then the leader again sat down next to the unconscious Salas and once again lifted his eyelids. The youngster’s eyes were still transformed: the whites shimmered with shades of scarlet, and the shaman’s bizarre black irises, inexplicably merged with the pupils. Zavrini’s presentiment inspired the leader of the Great Hunt with thoughts about a newborn star, and he plunged into thought.

– Wall, Wa-a-all! the grey-haired ranger nudged the leader on the shoulder.

We need to set up camp before dark! Wall suddenly commanded. – And skin the carcass. All for business! the leader hurried. «Tyrant, you look after Salas for now. In the morning we move forward to the camp! The sooner we get back, the better it will be. And horns! Drive more goons around the camp!