Читать книгу The Last Days of Pangea - OGO - Страница 9

The whole day in the village there was only talk about a flash in the night sky and a star being born. Both old and young discussed the newly appeared sign. Kindred eagerly awaited news from the Temple of the Shaper. Most of all, young descendants chatted about what had happened. They expressed their assumptions about the manifestation to every adult and elder who passed by. A lot of chatter went to Varna. He spent the whole day with teenagers in the training arena, and the young constantly asked the craftsman various stupid questions: «Why did the star light up?», «And when will it go out?», «Will there be more?”… As if Varn lit the heavenly stars and deliberately did not say anything about them!

There were also those in the settlement who had not even heard of the heavenly miracle. They were sentinels who changed their posts in the first half of the night. But the children immediately broadcast about the mysterious glow to their ignorant fellow tribesmen, and by the onset of twilight there was not a single relative left in the camp who did not know about the revealed star.

As soon as the rumble of daytime living creatures ceased, the women led their children on araucaria to huts. All the boys were told to get ready for bed, even though they asked them to stay at night with the elders to fuss with the Totem of Flame and at the same time look at the bizarre particles of hot resin and the glow of the red star. Only future hunters remained to help build the Fireplace – those who were admonished by the second hundred moons.

With the advent of dusk, the first stars lit up. The cloudless sky adorned the night luminary, and next to the Moon, turning the gaze of the sentinels on itself, a mysterious phenomenon also shone… The first people lit the lights. Some of the elders, at the call of Hord, descended from the caves. Night has come.

In the Pavilion of Flame, as usual, there was a noise-din. The tribesmen gathered in crowds around the refectory bonfires: women cooked meat dishes and treated them to young and old people, youths, led by Ana and Varna, erected a fire totem. The fry were in a great hurry with the construction of the Fireplace, despite the fact that it would be set on fire when the Moon reached the middle of the sky. The young hunters were eager to see the fiery whirlwinds, and they believed that the sooner the Totem of Flame was erected, the faster the tedious waiting would fly by, so the turmoil in the tent was still so.

The enthusiasm and restlessness of the young tribesmen gradually cheered up Anya, and she was very worried about the leader. Roshan has been in unity so far. The huntress knew that no one had tried to comprehend the abode of the stars before, and this alarmed her. But the fun of the young gradually distracted the woman from her anxious thoughts, and sometimes she even smiled and laughed at all the stupidity and clumsiness of future hunters.

Soon Inga and several elders entered the tent. The sorceress immediately spotted the fair-haired huntress and slowly walked towards her.

– Hello, my child!

– Inga-ah! Hello Inga! Ana happily hugged the old woman. – You haven’t been down to the camp for a long time! Did you bring us your new potions?

The sorceress laughed, snuggling back.

– No, honey. Didn’t bring. The last thing I made from the tricky drink I gave to Roshan.

Did you add a red flower? the huntress asked excitedly. – And how is he? Tell. Was unity quickly overtaken him?

Yes, I added. Yes, yes, very quickly!.. Don’t worry, Ana, everything is fine with Roshan. He’s strong, he can handle it! I think if you cook meat broth from this muck, then you can poison the lizards, – changing the subject of the conversation in a different way, Inga spoke. «Razaurs and all sorts of Raptors. I heard that the toothy little ones completely filled the grove.

Yes, Inga, yes! All the Polosuns were exhausted… Good idea! Do you think these creatures can’t smell the red flower? Prepare this potion for me too. Roshan will return – I will go hunting, I will test it.

– I’ll cook, I’ll cook. How is Omi? Is she in a hut? Learned to shoot a bow?

Yes, I hope she’s asleep. Shooting, shooting! So far, only for butterflies,» Ana answered fervently.

– Ma! – Varnus threw the firewood to the ground and rushed at the healer.

– Hello, my good! the old woman hugged the craftsman. «They say in the caves that you built this tent. Well done son! Elders and shamans are proud of you. And the leader too!

– Thank you, Ma! What did you bring us this time? Elixir of the Great Hunt? Will one of the trackers now become more agile and faster?

The old woman broke into a smile.

– Oh, and you’re a joker, Varn! Maybe I’ll bring it tomorrow. You can check with Ana whether he is good for the Great Hunt or not at all, «she answered, laughing.

After talking with her relatives about this and that, about the events of the previous night, Inga undertook to help Anya and Varna with the Fireplace. And soon the fire totem was erected. When the moon reached its peak, Radon, Hord and several sentinels arrived in the tent. Under gracious speeches and parting words to the detachments of the Great Hunt, Radon set fire to the Fireplace. And when it became very hot in the Pavilion of Flame, the tribesmen left the building. Like last night, they settled side by side, in a clearing near the fire.

A warm monsoon descended to the foot of the Great Volcano. The wind, with a sudden gust, stirred up the lights of the lanterns that illuminated the bypass paths, posts and huts of the settlement. From the breaths of the winds, the silhouettes of the shadows of the way of the village danced on the hills and sheer ledges of the mountain pedestal. The flickering of light under the power of the windy element seized the midnight spirit of the camp with mystery, and the newborn star on the eastern side of the sky assured this mystery with its bizarre scarlet radiance. She riveted the attention of the first people. Kindred, while eating half-eaten dinner in the Pavilion of Flame, stared intently at the night sky. And not everyone noticed at that hour that the star changed its stay among other luminaries and became a little more than its manifestation last night. And those who noticed thought they thought it was. Everyone thought so, but not Hord.

When the heat reached its limit, Varnus released particles of hot tar into the chimney, and the Totem of Flame with its glow touched the sky. In anticipation of another miracle, the tribesmen, sitting by the fire, looked either at the fiery swirls or at the red star, but nothing surprising happened in the night sky. For some time, the elders-shamans listened intently to their inner urges in order to catch the voices of their ancestors again. Each time, shuddering from the sudden crackle of a fire or gusts of wind, the relatives perked up their ears even more, but the spirits were silent… Very soon the elders calmed down, and the wonder of the manifested star and the light of the incandescent particles became commonplace for the gaze – and then the time for cognitive stories came.

***

Amidst the booth of juveniles and the dialect of adult tribesmen, Unga, the younger relative of Taro, turned to the senior sentinel. The future hunter or shaman, the smart youngster has not yet decided what path he will take, but his interest in the unity of the leader drew attention to the conversation with Radon and other relatives.

– Radon, when will the leader return? Why has he been in unity for so long?

– Yes! Yes! When? the youngsters cried out.

– Why is it so long? Not long at all,» the watchman replied. «I’m sure Roshan will come down from the caves in the morning,» Radon said convincingly, looking at his older fellow tribesmen.

The teenagers nodded in agreement.

– And what is there, in the unity of the leader, Radon? Unga continued to pry.

«Ask the sage Valan, my friend,» Radon waved his hand towards the seated elders. «He was most united. I chose a different element. I like hunting.

The young descendants immediately turned their eyes to the elderly relatives, located opposite. The youth tried to look out who Radon called Valan, but the light from the flame of the fire was too dim, and it was impossible to see who among the elders was the sage of unity. Besides, teenagers might not have seen Valan before. Few people met him in the settlement – the old shaman preferred to spend his moons in caves. And even during heavy rains, he retired to the Temple of the Creator. But the building of Varna and its Fireplace aroused curiosity in the ancestor last night, and he and other elders went down here – to the Pavilion of Flame.

Khord and several of his relatives sitting in front turned towards his tribesman – his dark silhouette in a hoodie. Puffing, the mysterious old man reluctantly got up from his seat and, barely moving his legs, moved closer to the fire. Teenagers closely watched the stranger. His green robe dangled to the very ground, and the hood of his hoodie was fairly pulled over his head and hid the face of the old shaman. The ancestor, while walking around his fellow tribesmen, accidentally caught on his own cape and almost collapsed to the ground – he was held by other elders. Having got out of the crowd into the front rows of gatherings, Valan sat down on his cloak and, slightly raising his headband, turned his gaze to Unga. The light of the fire touched the dark face of the shaman and revealed his appearance: long gray hairs protruded from under the hood of the old man, into which the fangs of lizards were woven, the shadows in the pits of the wrinkles of his face in the dim glow of the fire sharpened the features and darkened the skin even more, and the hooked spiked nose and brown eyes shone from the radiance of the flame.

«No one knows, my young friend,» began Valan. «No one has seen the stars with Her eyes before. Now, if Roshan of the earth knew the far-lying diseases of our flesh and poisonous or life-giving streams, then unity could be assumed. Any vision through Her eyes, even the first unity of the hunter, is similar to one another.

The youths tensed, trying to understand the meaning of what they heard, and for a moment silence reigned around the fire. Ronin broke the silence.

– And what is there, in the first unity of the hunter?

– Yes! Yes! What? The other children immediately murmured.

Haven’t you been taught yet? Valan was surprised.

– Yes, where are they going, – Varnus entered into the conversation. It’s too early for them to think about it.

– It’s not too early! Let them listen to the wise man while his head is reasonable! – the old shaman exclaimed and turned to the young relatives: – In the first unity – in the unity of the hunter – the prana of Pangea is known, which is called a flame on a carved engraving and that gives unprecedented strength, – Valan began teaching. – Until you know prana, you will be beaters on the Great Hunt or lookouts until the end of the moons allotted to you. You can hunt. You will go to the freestyle – to drive all sorts of trifles, Piskunov, for example, which is faster than smart ones, which is one tooth, and then it will get stuck – until you get some Chameleon for dinner. And in order to ignite a flame on a carved engraving and strike a steadfast giant with a flame, you will have, at the very least, to walk the path through Her eyes in unity.

Adult relatives roared*, supporting the tale of the old shaman.

– In any unity, whether it be the first or the other, Pangea grants her eyes so that you can see with the gaze of Her expanses created by Her! exclaimed the old man, spreading his arms. – And She leads through Her expanses every hunter who wishes to know unity. And among these expanses, particles of light of primordial life dwell. And each of Her creations consists of these particles. From one particle, a seed grows into a tree, from another, the element of wind incarnates into a storm. In the third, an unprecedented disease lives, and in the tenth, a reptile is formed from a reptile’s egg. And many such particles are contained in unity. It is from them that prana must be withdrawn and turned into a flame!

The young were fascinated by Valan’s story and, opening their mouths, heeded every word.

«Each hunter has his own path in unity,» continued the sage. – As Azis said, the starry sky is his soul, unity is in our heads and in our thoughts. What you imagine in oblivion, you will see with Her eyes. And the path through Her abode and the elements presented and creations will appear before the eyes … – Valan thought for a moment, and the sentinels, having heard speeches about Azis, stared inquiringly at the old man, expecting that he would tell something else about the old shaman, but Valan continued to broadcast about unity. «As I said, Her creations are made up of particles of light. And the particles of some creations are different from others, and they keep in themselves the prana of the original life – the flame. And in order for the prana of the particles to turn into a flame, it is necessary in the unity of each particle of the incarnation of the one who looks closely, whether it be a blade of grass or a whole bush, or maybe a flower or a primitive creature, a dragonfly, for example, remove prana. Remove from all the particles of the incarnation, to the last! Don’t leave a single grain! And so the element of flame will gather from them into one whole – into the flame. And the one who knows the flame in unity and called it with an impressive engraving, will see the flame through the eyes of Zavrini. And all the steadfast trackers,» the elder waved towards Khord and some experienced ones sitting at a distance, «who once seized prana, can see one flame alone! The unity sage raised his index finger to signify the importance of the next clarification. – But if the engraving does not belong to you, but to another hunter, then in order to embody the flame in it, you need to perceive the message carved and important of that hunter with both mind and spirit! Valan finished his explanations, and the fry immediately began to whisper, trying to catch the truth from all this string of ambiguities said by the sage.

«And why is it possible to see the flame only through the eyes of Zavrini, but not through human eyes?» asked Renri, the offspring of one of the leaders of the Great Hunt.

The old shaman’s cheekbones stretched into a barely perceptible smile, and he replied:

«Because Pangea created Zavrini in her own image, to think and create in her image. And in order to think and create, She imprinted her element of primordial life into the belly of a lizard – the soulless Razaurus. And she didn’t just capture it, but lived in her eye, so that Zavrinis were connected with Her by Her eyes, so that they were reasonable and saw the truth, and could create life. So you can see the flame that your leader Roshan obtained with her gaze, with the hunter’s vision – the incarnation of Zavrini! – explained the old sage. – So our ancestors knew our ancestors, and I’m telling you now, so that the truth does not go away – it does not dissolve in being.

The children understood little of what they heard, but their faces showed delight.

– What do her eyes look like? one of the youths shouted, and grins were heard among the older relatives.

You can’t see her eyes! Valan responded promptly. «It’s only given to look at them…» Valan thought for a moment. – And remember! he immediately added. «When you undertake to withdraw prana in your first unity and incarnate it into a flame, the main thing is not to confuse the particles with the transformations of other particles that are alien to them!»

– What happens if you mess up? Unga asked casually.

Yes, yes, but what will happen? – shouted the young descendants.

Valan frowned.

«Otherwise, the prana of alien incarnations will mix and dissolve in the wastelands of the presented. And you will have to collect new particles and withdraw prana from them. AND…

– And if you can’t collect it at all? interrupted Ronin.

– What do you mean – at all? the old shaman frowned even more. – There has never been a hunter who, having surrendered to the first unity, could not turn prana into a flame. Is it really a matter of repeating this flame on a carved engraving in reality, and making the symbol incarnate into the true element…

«It’s too early for you, Valan, to know about it,» Radon interrupted. – First, let them learn how to hold hunting tools correctly.

«Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum,» the children hummed, disapproving of the head watchman’s talk.

Radon smiled.

– It’s not too early! the old shaman continued to insist. – Let them know! What is there. Who else can teach them? Varna will not teach unity! Taught already – now he walks without an eye!

Varnus looked at the old shaman in bewilderment, while adults and juveniles looked at each other.

– Well, you will, Valan! – Hord stood up for the offspring. – An old grumbler. Look, your tongue will dry up!

– All right, all right, – the shaman calmed down and turned to Unge: – Here you are, young man, which path did you choose? Shaman or hunter?

«Um…» Unga thought.

– Here! the sage hastily exclaimed. – To become a shaman, you need to understand what you want. What do you want to know from Pangea? What do you want to see? And it’s not so easy, my young friend,» said the old man. – The time will come – be a hunter and do not be afraid. Accept the first unity and remember what I said that night. You look – you will get stronger, and you will be a shaman.

The teenagers whispered among themselves, discussing the parting words of the old sage.

«Why didn’t you go to the Temple to look at the stars?» Unga suddenly asked.

Valan frowned and looked at the other elders.

«I have not been young for a long time, my boy, and unity takes a lot of strength. And what is going on among the stars? No one knows… I’m afraid if I look there, my consciousness will not come back, and I will become a burden for the tribe…

*shuffled – made a noise.

***

«Valan, tell me,» Elna timidly sat down closer to the sage, «why?.. Why don’t we have Zavrini’s eyes,» the girl pointed to herself and other children, «do adults have them?»

– Yes, Valan, why is that?

«We also want to see with the eyes of the hunters!»

The youngsters and maidens made an offended noise, and the adult relatives laughed in unison. The genuine feeling of annoyance of young people due to the inability to embody the eyes of Zavrin could not but cause a smile among experienced tribesmen. But this shortcoming had its beginning, and many remembered this beginning.

«It was in ancient times, when my and your ancestor, Alak, the last one, who adopted the eyes of reptiles by his kind, by origin, could still hunt and admire the Moons,» the old shaman suddenly began to say. «The eyes of Zavrini were passed on to Alak and his relatives by blood from the ancestors, and to the ancestors from the great-grandfathers, and to the great-grandfathers from Zavrini, and relatives and Alak could embody the eyes of reptiles from birth. But our blood and flesh change with the lived moons, like the stars in the skies. In some ways we become better and stronger, but in some ways we become weaker. So then blind hunters were born from the descendants of Alak, and I am among them. And the eyes of our ancestors were unknown to us.

You didn’t see anything at all, did you? Ronin asked, confused.

– No! Blind means we never had Zavrini’s eyes. So we saw, as you see now, young man, and the rest.

Ronin nodded.

«And no one then knew why this happened,» Valan continued. – And our relatives thought that we had an unprecedented disease, and old Alak went to Pangea to look for answers. For a long time he was in unity with Her, and when he came out, he weakened greatly and plunged into weakness from a slender month to the full moon. Then everyone was upset about it. They thought it would die. And in those days, only the children of Alak and his brothers hunted, who ran with the eyes of Zavrini from birth, and some relatives who did not lose their strength for the moons lived. Youths, boys, and I was among them, were sitting in the settlement. And young hunters, too – with a stern human look guarded the camp from lizards. Yes, Hord? – the sage turned to the experienced hunter.

«Yes, I remember that time,» Hord confirmed. – Then the relatives were afraid to go fishing without eyes. Any lizard far away from the ravines was noticed by people, herbivores did not let them near at all, and predators and Rasaurs with open mouths in those days lurked everywhere in the thickets – crawl in, do not be afraid!

– Where do you crawl? Unga asked.

The elders could hardly contain their smiles, and the young watchmen burst into laughter.

– Where where? Into the mouth of the Chameleon! Hord exclaimed. – I tell you – without the eyes of a hunter it was dangerous to leave the camp!

The children giggled and made noise.

«It was hard to feed our tribe in those moons,» Valan continued his tale. «The first people did not yet know that the flame of Pangea was created from prana, and there was no Great Hunt at all. And it was then that my relative – Lasso, very young, who invented the lasso for baiting – for the first time on a hunt and knew the eyes of his ancestors. He then became bolder, did not want to put up with blindness and went alone to free trade! It means that he followed the Polosuns, and they are smart and sighted scoundrels. They see Lasso from afar, but they know his every step in advance. And at Lasso, nothing can be seen through the thickets until it comes close to the lizards. The lizards would wait until he discovered them, and immediately ran away – a hundred paces. And so the whole day – back and forth. Lasso realized that the reptiles were leading him by the nose, but he could not do anything to them with his nose. This made Lasso sad. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how he squinted, he could not see the sly one first.

«Uuuuuuuh,» boomed the fry condoling with their congener.

It was already getting dark, but Lasso did not give up. Decided to get around Polosunov at dusk! He peered, peered, and suddenly everything turned pale in front of him and his eyes appeared to him. And that evening he brought different carcasses, and told about his insight, but he thought that the twilight of the eye had awakened – he still did not know how to master concentration to perfection – at this tale, Valan turned his eyes into the eyes of a hunter, and the children gasped and began to stare consider the reptilian incarnation of the sage. – And after the epiphany, Lasso went hunting and took the young with him another moon at dusk, and then went alone into the night. And after that night he did not return. They found his body in a ravine gnawed to the bone…

The old shaman returned his human gaze and fell silent, remembering the past, while the children and older relatives groaned sympathetically.

– And when Alak gained strength, he told us about the eye. As if he understood in unity that the eyes of Zavrini with us and our descendants will now appear with the moons, as if Pangea itself is so re…

Suddenly, a bugle sounded from the direction of the southeast watchtower, a simple melody of several beeps.

The tribesmen involuntarily jumped up.

Brun is back! Radon exclaimed. «Brun’s squad has returned from the Great Hunt!

– So fast?! Hord was surprised.

– Let’s meet! shouted one of the teenagers.

A farce began, and the relatives, leaving the fire, advanced to the eastern loophole to greet the hunters.

***

– Elna, shh! Elna! Ronin whispered.

The blue-eyed girl followed her Clanmates down the path to the Hunter’s House. Hearing the call, Elna turned around warily.

Ronin, is that you? Why are you sitting there? she asked in bewilderment.

The youth hid in the fern thickets along the path. His face was smeared with a green infusion of cycad and looked like a camouflage color of a hunter.

– Shh, hush! Go with us?

– Where? Are you going to leave the camp again?

No, to the caves!

What caves? Elna asked already in a whisper, looking around and not understanding the mystery of what was happening.

– To the Temple of the Creator! Let’s look at the unity of the leader.

Immediately, Unga’s head appeared from the booth, and his face was also painted.

Elna, come with us!

– Are you seriously? The girl walked closer to the bushes.

Rhonin came out of hiding a little and held out his hand to her. Elna timidly looked at the youth. In the darkness, she could see his green eyes glittering. Peering into the features of a teenager, she thought for a moment about something of her own and froze.

– Do you trust me? Ronin suddenly blurted out.

– I? Umm…» Elna hesitated, and the young man immediately grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into the thickets.

Unga chuckled.

– Can we go to the Temple of the Creator? the girl asked, frowning.

– Well, you already! They say you can’t, but we’ll go quietly and no one will know,» suggested Ronin. «Aren’t you interested in yourself?»

Interesting, but I’m afraid.

– We are not afraid! Let’s go see the leader! – Unga’s eyes burned with anticipation of a trip to the caves.

«And if one of the elders notices us?» Elna hesitated.

– They won’t notice. Most of the elders are in the Hunters’ House, and those left by the caves are most likely asleep, Ronin assured. «We’ll just see what the chief is doing there and then we’ll go back.» Nobody will notice!

«But what about the watchmen?»

We are future hunters! Unga exclaimed. «Let’s imagine that the sentinels are reptiles, and go around them!»

Elna asked a dozen more questions, but the young men had answers for all occasions, and they still persuaded the girl to go to the Temple.

The teenagers, making their way through the paths and vegetation, returned to the Pavilion of Flame, and soon came to the araucaria.

– Shh! Ronin hissed, crouching behind a rock. – Look – the lights are on the wires. Maybe there are some adults there?

Unga and Elna hid nearby, examining the branches of coniferous trees.

«Yes, everything seems to be quiet,» Unga said. – There is no one there. Everyone heard the horn. Just went to the House of Hunters.

«Then the main thing is not to wake the kids,» Elna whispered. Otherwise, they will get scared and start calling for help. Don’t get stretch marks!

«Let’s follow me,» commanded Ronin, resolutely jumped over the boulders, passed on tiptoe under the araucaria, deftly bending between the stretched rattles, and again jumped into the thicket.

The youths followed him.

The quieter the children tried to walk, the louder, it seemed, was the crackling of dry leaves, twigs, stones and the rustle of grass under their feet. Even the chirping and clatter of nocturnal cicadas and other living creatures was not as audible at that hour as the crunch of vegetation under the sandals of future hunters, as if the night itself listened and followed every step of the young relatives, illuminating the untouched by torches surroundings with the moon.

So – from one tree to another, from ledges to thickets, from huts to huts – the children made their way through the village. Miraculously, they bypassed two sentinel detachments, and this was a real test! After all, no one has yet managed to sneak past the sentinels unnoticed! True, no one has ever tried to do this before…

Elna was very frightened when the hunters met on the way. She had no idea what would happen if they were discovered, and a premonition, which adults called the feeling of Zavrini, at that hour seemed to speak to her for the first time. As if an inner voice whispered to the young maiden that all this was not good. But Unga and Ronin constantly encouraged her and assured her that there was nothing shameful in their journey.

Soon a cheerful mood picked up Elna. Teenagers thought up a game of hunters and imagined that someone was following them. Children were fooling around, giggling softly, pretending to be reptiles and trackers, hiding among boulders and thickets. The youths pursued each other, hiding in the bushes and setting up the expected ambushes. And after a while, the young relatives reached the very path at which the ledges and the ascent to the caves of the elders began. The path uphill was illuminated by hammered torches, and it seemed impossible to go unnoticed.

The young hid in the thickets.

– And how next? What we shall do? Elna wondered.

«Hmm… If we crawl through the bushes along the path near the cliff, then we won’t be particularly noticeable,» Ronin realized.

What if someone falls?

– Come on, Elna! See how much space. Let’s crawl carefully. If so, let’s help each other. Let’s go, – Ronin answered confidently and took Elna by the hand.

Suddenly there was a rustle behind the children. The teenagers jumped in surprise! Terribly frightened, they slowly turned around.

The Watchmen was the first thing that flashed through Ronin’s mind. And Unga even thought it was a reptile. But from the thickets of ferns, shaking off the clinging twigs and leaves, a little girl looked out.

Elna, take me with you! I want with you! – the leader’s daughter looked plaintively at her older relatives.

– Omi? In the name of Pangea, how did you end up here? The young girl ran up to the child and hugged him.

Ronin and Unga looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief.

«In the name of Pangea, I was so scared!» Unga breathed, and his eyes nearly filled with tears.

«Omi, why aren’t you in the hut?» How did you get here? Ronin asked.

«I had a terrible dream, and then I started thinking about Pa. And then I heard someone walking downstairs, and I saw you. I was scared to call you in the dark, and I just followed you,» Omi rattled, almost crying.

– What a news! Ronin was delighted. – You came from the most araucaria? Omi, you are a real hunter!

«It’s good that it happened and we didn’t reach the caves,» Elna said, looking at the youths. – It is not known how it would all end. Need to come back!

«Hey, what about the Temple of the Maker?» How is the leader? Ronin was outraged.

– I want to go to Pa, let’s go to the leader! the girl exclaimed.

«Hush, hush, Omi, don’t scream!» Ronin, don’t tell me we’ll take her with us.» Elna stared at the teenager, waiting for a clear answer.

– Why not? She is already an adult. She followed us from the very araucaria, bypassed the sentinels. Nobody heard her, not even us! Let her go, especially since her leader, her father, is there. We’ll take a look at the leader and we’ll be right back!

«Yes, yes, I want to go with you,» Omi rejoiced.

«Yes, yes, Omi will come with us!» Unga picked it up.

Elna frowned and reluctantly agreed:

– Well, okay… But only there and back. Promise, Ronin? She looked humbly at the teenager.

– I promise! Roundtrip!

***

A refectory fire was burning in a niche near the entrance to the cave. The fading tongues of flame sometimes shuddered from sharp gusts of wind, and the crunch of charred wood after sudden breaths dragged out the crackling melody of the fiery element. Either igniting the fire, or suppressing it altogether, the eastern monsoon caught in the haze of smoldering logs the aromas of recently eaten meat and carried them along the paths of the Great Volcano. Not far from the fire, along the sharp-angled walls, the elders slept on the bedding. Their snores echoed across the cliffs of the mighty mountain. From time to time, the echoes of deep dreams of elderly tribesmen merged into a monotonous thundering rumble, as if somewhere among the rocks an ancient Gigantosaurus had taken refuge for the night.

On the instructions of Radon, young hunters – Barda and Veles – guarded the passage to the Temple of the Creator that night. When the elders, after dinner and informative conversations, fell into a dream, the sentinels left the grotto and settled down in the open air on a ledge at the very edge.

– Amazing, right? Veles pointed to the pillar of fire. And how did he come up with this? I can’t imagine…

The stream of incandescent particles of the Flame Totem swayed from the gusts of wind and at the same time held back its integrity, as if an unknown force forced the flames to cling to each other. A strange phenomenon – an original element, not similar to any other element – stretched out from the chimney of the tent, barely visible from the height of the caves. The dim glow of the fiery column barely illuminated the way of the settlement and the sloping slopes of the Great Volcano, as if the hot particles held back the streams of light in themselves, not releasing them beyond the whirlwind. But in the center, the glow was bright and blinding. From the hill, it seemed that the whirlwind, shrouded on all sides by the darkness of the night, arose from the void – from the blackness of the night. Only the lights of the camp in places illuminated the omnipresent darkness.

Well done Varn! exclaimed Barda. «Now hunting parties can easily find their way home.

– That’s for sure! – picked up a relative.

«Veles, did you happen to hear the bugle while we were having dinner?» I thought it was a signal that the rangers had returned from the Great Hunt.

«No, brother, I haven’t heard,» Veles answered puzzled. – Yes, it was hardly a horn. Sixth night in total. So quickly no one could return. There is such a wind here – anything can seem.

«Hmm… it must have seemed…» Barda hesitated and flattened himself on the ledge.

The cliffs of the Great Volcano revealed a marvelous view of the southeastern lands. In the daytime, one could see hills and lowlands from here, on which there was a coniferous forest, edges and conditional paths. Rocky boulders covered with moss and fern thickets could be seen in places among the trees, dilapidated dead wood flashed among the thick of araucaria, and even stunted ginkgo trees were visible. But at night the view from the caves of the elders was especially attractive. Here, as if two worlds merged together – the world of Pangea and the abode of the stars.

Below, from the pedestal of the mountain and to the infinity of the grove, the silhouettes of Her expanse were buried in darkness. Even the glow of the moon made it impossible to see the details of the distance. Only a black haze, diluted with the lights of the camp, stretched from the foot of the volcano to the horizon. And where the horizon merged with the skies, the star harmony began. An infinity of luminaries hung right over the forest, and it seemed that if you get to the limits of the araucaria, you can find yourself at the edge of the earth – step into the starry sky. And once every ten moons, when under the cover of night more stars lit up than usual, an indescribable sight took place in the firmament: night luminaries descended from heaven!

Once every ten moons – between two full moons – every night the tribe gathered on the ledges of the Great Volcano to watch the starfall. The elders and sages-shamans believed that the souls of hunters who left this world not by their repose, but from the paws of reptiles or by chance, at night these returned back to Her abode and took on new guises in their descendants or those that Pangea would accomplish, live a new life until real death. And it was gracious and wise on such nights for men to decide to continue their kind!

Do you see this, Veles? Don’t you think it has grown?

Veles, dangling his legs over the abyss, was sitting next to him. Kindred raised his head and looked up:

«I don’t know, brother. That’s what she was…

– Strange… What do you think this sign is?

– When the soul leaves the abode of Pangea, a new star lights up in the sky – so the elders and shamans say, – answered Veles.

«Yes, I remember… But last night there was too much light for one soul,» Barda doubted the sign of the sages. «First multicolored aurora… flash… now this red star. Maybe the soul of some extraordinary reptile left our world? Maybe we haven’t seen any lizards yet?

«Maybe it’s Zavrini’s soul?» Welles suggested. – The leader said that the spirits of Zavrini ask him for something… to find out what kind of radiance it is or… I don’t remember exactly. Hord found traces of ancestors. Maybe the last Zavrini died somewhere?

«Didn’t the Zavrini leave this world tens of thousands of moons ago?»

«I don’t know… Maybe they didn’t leave, or maybe the soul isn’t Zavrini at all. Roshan will return – he will tell.

– Yes… Don’t you think that he has been gone for too long? There are underground creatures living in the tunnels. Maybe go check? Bard suggested.

– Check? I wouldn’t do it, brother. Valan taught that unity must not be interrupted. He said that once someone, being a child, interrupted the unity of one of the shamans. Having made his way into the tent, the kid, without realizing it, touched the vital threads of Pangea with his hands. Azis – that was how that shaman was called – went crazy from unconsciousness, and after a few moons he died altogether. What if we interfere with an alarming sound or our appearance? And the creatures… Barriers have been standing in the Temple for more than a dozen days. Strongly stand, and to this day have been motionless.

«Then you just have to wait. I wonder who this kid who broke the unity? Did he live to see our moons?

– No one knows. Some elders did, but no one ever talked about it… Better show your symbol, brother. Are you done with the engraving? Welles asked.

«Oh right, how did I forget?! – exclaimed Barda, in two jumps he reached the leather bag that lay near the smoldering fire, and instantly returned back. From the bag he took out the tip of the Verge.

Stone of the Edge – this is how the first people called a very rare and resistant to Her flame stone. The forms of the stone, whatever it was and wherever the hunters found it, were always composed of many regular measured faces, as if the stones were created and carved intentionally by Pangea herself and scattered in all corners of Her abode. It even happened that when butchering herbivorous giants in the hunt, the rangers found the Edge in their stomachs. How they got there, at first no one knew. But Viksha, the old shaman of the tribe, when the hunters found the Facets several times in the stomachs of reptiles, in unity he knew that the lizards had swallowed them on purpose, and suggested that they needed it so that it was easier to digest the tree bark!

For thousands of moons of nomadism, on the way to the Great Volcano, hunters encountered stones of the Verge of various sizes. And from the palm came across, and those that could not be carried away. And it hardly seemed possible to carve a stone of the Edge into the desired shape for a weapon! Therefore, if there was a stone with more rounded warehouses, then they adapted it for a club, and if with sharp ones, then for a cutting or piercing tool. It was possible to carve a symbol on the weapon of the Edge only with the same edge of the Edge. None of the people imagined what could be stronger than this stone!

The stones of the Edge were used mainly only by staunch trackers, and there were enough points and shock parts for many hunts. Unlike ordinary stone or bone fishing tips that crumbled into dust from the first manifestation of the creator’s flame, the stones of the Edge withstood hundreds of flames, so the hunters used mystical symbols only on these stones – there was no point in others. But the Edges were not eternal. Over time, they split from the flame, and these fragments were used for arrows. Such points served the first people for a very long time, until they turned into powder.

Do you see this ornament? It means «Split the Skull»! said Barda. «Glyph of Crushing Skulls!»

Veles took the workpiece Facets and began to examine the carved drawing. A skillfully engraved symbol of a flying spear was in contact with an equally finely carved rounded skull of a reptile – rounded forms of engraving of various limbs of lizards in the symbols and sketches of the first people always indicated the creature’s herbivory, and predators were indicated by pointed drawings.

– Well done! Welles praised. «And when will the flame ignite in it?»

«I figured it would exude prana after sticking my spear to death in two dozen herbivore heads in a row without a single miss!» Barda confidently hit himself in the chest with his fist, showing his younger brother the mood and seriousness of his intentions.

«That is an imposing symbol, brother!» Welles said in amazement. You are a worthy hunter!

Thank you, Veles. Someday the symbol will awaken the flame, and this ornament will be carved on the tablets of the Temple of the Creator.

– If a flame is born in your gaze in the engraving, then it will definitely be carved, and more than once! All hunters will walk with such an engraving,» Veles declared convincingly.

«You know,» Barda thought for a moment, «I want to be a leader one day.

The young hunter looked proudly at his elder brother.

«It’s a difficult path, Barda… probably. Although, how would I know? Veles patted Barda on the shoulder and smiled. «You’ll have to grow a braid longer than Roshan’s and bring back just a little – two heads of a Gigantosaurus!» The watchman laughed. – Do you remember? When we were very young, did Roshan return from hunting with the head of a giant?

Barda broke into a smile.

– Yes Yes! Then everyone in the tribe only talked about it.

«And Hord that evening at the fire told us that Roshan the night before, for the first time in unity, turned the prana of Pangea into flame, and then he carved the first symbol of the first people on the tip of his spear.

– Aha! Bard confirmed. – And when he knew the flame, he promised his relatives that he would defeat the indestructible lizard and the carved symbol would reveal prana. And that this prana will unite the strength and spirit of every hunter and shaman.

The watchmen were silent for a moment.

«The Gigantosaurus was defeated, and at the moment of the fatal blow, people saw through the eyes of their ancestors how Roshan’s body acquired incredible power, and the tip of the spear blazed with a green glow,» with solemn faces in one voice, the brothers retold the story of Hord, who every three or four hundred moons to youngsters the fire broadcast the same story about the feat of the leader. – That’s how Roshan became the first leader of the first people! – the brothers again immediately blurted out the words of an experienced huntsman, imitating his own manner of speaking, and burst out laughing in unison.

Raising their spirits and laughing enough, the relatives fell silent for a moment. Everyone thought about something of their own.

Suddenly, something rustled behind a ledge at the path that led down to other caves. The watchmen pricked up their ears.

«Someone can’t sleep…» whispered Barda, listening.

«Yeah… Stop!» Who goes? Veles jokingly ordered in a voice.

But in response, apart from gusts of wind and the snoring of the elders, nothing followed.

– Hey! Who’s there? asked Barda louder.

The answer is nothing. The brothers looked at each other. A sound was heard again. As if something heavy hit the ground. Then there was a distinct crackling of the bushes.

«I’ll go and see who it got in the middle of the night.» Barda jumped off the ledge and headed down the path. Soon his call was heard: – Veles, come here!

– What else is there? – Veles lazily wandered to the request.

Barda turned to his younger brother. Barda’s eyeballs were turned into reptilian ones, and he held a spear at the ready.

– What happened, brother? Veles took out a huge knife from his belt.

– There’s no one here! No one answers the call and the call, but some noise was again at the lower cliffs.

– Raise the alarm? – With these words, the sentinel took the bugle out of the bag.

– No, Veles, wait. We’ll handle it ourselves! The Lazoons must have sneaked into the village again to feed on supplies. Lead me!

And the relatives began to descend down the illuminated path, peering into every bush, checking every rocky nook.

Having outwitted the sentinels, in the meantime, the young, having passed the sleeping elders, slipped into the cave leading to the Temple of the Creator. In the middle of the way, in the place where the corridor forked into three channels, the teenagers and the leader’s daughter stopped. In a dispute about whether it is worth going along the illuminated path or is it better to climb over the barriers and go through the dark corridors, where the likelihood of running into the next sentinels was reduced to a small one, Ronin won. As if he once heard from the hunters that all three moves lead to the Temple. The teenager pulled out a blazing light from the wall and led the young relatives along the narrowed tunnel to the right channel.

***

As soon as the detachment returned to the camp, the sentinels immediately informed Brun about the events of the previous night: about the flash and the newborn star, about the leader’s campaign to the Temple of the Creator, about what the tribesmen had heard, how the elders had spoken about the premonition of Zavrini. As if the spirits of the ancestors suddenly turned to the elders and shamans.

The news of the star did not surprise Brun. He and the hunters also spotted a star and lightning. But the rumor about the mysterious urge was very strange. What the spirits were talking about, none of the sentinels knew. The watchmen only heard out of the corner of their ear how the elders talked about the spirits. In addition, something strange happened to Illy, the young beater, during the persecution of the Polosuns: she was suddenly overtaken by unity and insight at the same time. At least that’s how Brun and the other hunters in the squad took it.

How are you, Illy? – the leader ran his hand through the strands of the maiden, straightening the tangled black curls. – Are you not hungry?

She was lying on the bed. Her eyes were still transformed into the strange appearance of Zavrini’s eyes: the squirrels shimmered with shades of scarlet, and the black irises seemed to merge with the pupils and gave the pale face of the mature huntress an eerie and at the same time captivating charm. The sight of the young maiden, like a predatory gaze piercing with determination, froze Brun’s soul, and with a long contemplation of her gaze, a chilling shiver ran through the body of the leader of the Great Hunt.

It’s all right, Brun. Until you’re hungry. But you look terrible,» Illy answered with a grin. «If it wasn’t for your voice, I wouldn’t have believed it was you.» Her cheekbones and the scaly lines under her eyes puckered up in a smile. – This is so strange. The eyes of the ancestors are not what I imagined,» the maiden spread her hands. Everything is so pale in here. Everything but you.» She gently touched the leader’s cheek. «You are completely different, Brun… Your flesh… And those sounds in my ears. I can hear your heart beating. I can hear you, Brun. And what is happening outside I hear… And the fire, Brun! Fire – it is very strange, as if it was created from luminous dust.

«Don’t worry, Illy, I sent for Inga. She will cure your eyes,» the kinsman assured.

The young lady nodded.

«Will you tell everyone how good I was at tracking down the reptiles?»

«Of course I will!» You’re doing great, Illy! Now rest. Try to sleep,» Brun answered and hugged the beater.

Having risen to the House of Hunters, Brun’s detachment lit fires and lamps. Trouble immediately began in the settlement. The Pathfinders went to the wells for water, the rest bustled about in the huts. In the clearing in front of the tents, the hunters piled up the Polosuns, who had fallen in the grove. This time there was plenty of prey, and the sentinels were very surprised.

For six nights, the detachment hunted down two dozen lizards, and these reptiles were dexterous rogues: striped herbivores, slightly larger than the knees of adults, knew how to hide in time from an alien gaze and always moved silently. Inhabited in small flocks of five to ten lizards, the Stripers were careful to ensure that no one approached them. And if suddenly the flock was in danger, then there were always reptiles in it, which, risking for the sake of the family, deliberately attracted an unfriendly gaze and led the persecutors away from their relatives. In addition, the Polosuns began to leave the grove. Whether roaming behind heavy rains, or because of the numerical reproduction of the Raptors, or for some other unknown reason, the smart reptiles have long ceased to be seen. Therefore, the sentinels could not even imagine how the tribesmen managed to drive so many lizards for such a short absence. Apparently, the flames of Pangea and the benevolent light of the Great Fire bestowed impeccable agility and luck on the squad.

Having kindled the fires, some hunters began to skin their catch. Separating the skin from the flesh, they immediately cut off the tidbits and roasted them at the stake. Quite tired and hungry, the rangers ate juicy cuts of tenderloin, treated them to the lookouts and heatedly discussed the hunt, the mysterious unity, Illy’s epiphany and the flash last night.

Brun left the hut. His robe, bone armor and body were heavily stained with the blood of the slain lizards. And even on the head, among the braided blond braids, one could see bloody curls. Fresh bruises oozed on the leader’s pale face. Around his narrowed gray eyeballs and on his scaly cheekbones, there were traces of martial color. The blurred juice of the cycad on Brun’s face was mixed with the blood of reptiles during the persecution, and now only worn, filthy remnants remain of the skillfully drawn sketches.

Throwing off his bulky armor, Brun looked around. In the House of Hunters, juveniles were already running everywhere. Women met their men, gave them jewelry and attention. On the fires, vats were boiling with might and main, and dishes were being prepared from fresh pulp. The camp has become quite lively. The leader turned and looked at the glow of the whirlwind that blazed over the settlement, and then fixed his eyes on the sky – at the twinkling red star. It seemed to the hunter that she had become a little larger, and her radiance intensified. Brown thought…

Brun, my friend! Radon greeted. You came back so fast! How was the hunt? Hope all is well? – the senior watchman hugged his fellow tribesman.

– Oh, Radon! The hunter patted the watchman on the shoulder. – Greetings, Radon! Everyone is alive, yes, but Illy’s hunting… I don’t know where to start.

Next came Hord, Varn and Valan.

– Good catch, Brun! Where are you after such a flock … – the experienced hunter wanted to take an interest in fishing, but Radon interrupted him:

– Wait, Hord! What’s up with Illy?

«Let’s go to the hut,» Brun called. – You need to see this.

The tribesmen entered the tent. Illy was already asleep, and Brun carefully lifted her eyelids so as not to wake her up.

In the name of Pangea! Valan whispered. – My child… What’s wrong with her?

«That’s what I wanted to ask you, Valan,» Brun answered.

Kindred began to consider the embodiment of the eyes of a young maiden, which did not subside even in a dream.

«The eyes are as black as night, and the pupils seem to have merged with the irises,» Valan remarked. And the squirrels are red…

The elders thought.

***

Darkness shrouded the vision of Varnus, and suddenly children’s voices were heard in the darkness:

– Where is he?

– Don’t know…

He’s the last one, right?

«Taro, if we don’t catch him before it gets dark, then tomorrow you will be the Hunter again!» – With difficulty restraining laughter, said a young man.

– We’ll catch it. Check each bush. He is cunning! Couldn’t he have escaped from the camp?! His sentinels would be under…

The childish voice faded into silence.

Immediately, right in front of the vision of the one-eyed, fiery eyes flared up, and in them the pupils were blacker than night, and overnight Varnus thought a familiar voice:

Do you hear what I’m telling you, Varn?

***

– What are you standing for? Find, I say, Inga. She and Ana are somewhere here in the Hunter’s House. Let Bruna come to the hut, and Ana too! Valan exclaimed.

– Oh yes. Fine! the one-eyed one caught on.

Confused Varn went to carry out the assignment, and the rest looked after him in bewilderment and continued to discuss Illy’s gaze.

– I don’t know what it is, Valan. Maybe it’s some kind of disease? How many diseases have we cured? Hord turned to the sage. «This is the first time I see this and I don’t remember this in any of my ancestors until Alak himself.

Valan didn’t answer. He peered into the eyes of the beater for a long time, and suddenly exclaimed:

«Her eyes – the whites of her eyes – are like starlight!» With a newborn star! Everyone looked at the old man in surprise. – They shimmer with scarlet, as if a star burns in her eyes! Valan continued to admire.

Brun looked inquiringly at Radon, and the rest of the relatives began to look closely and really noticed the resemblance to the red luminary, only blackening irises interfered with the incomparable community.

«And the blackness points to the night!» Valan exclaimed again.

– Yah! Do you really think, Valan, that a born star and her eyes are united?! Radon immediately hesitated.

«Hmm…» thought the old shaman. Roshan will tell us about it.

– Wait, wait, Valan, Radon! Are you talking about the red star that lit up last night? Brun didn’t understand.

– Exactly! Valan exclaimed.

And the relatives told the leader of the Great Hunt about the past events. And they told about the foreboding of Zavrini.

– Here is the news! – the leader was amazed. «We saw both the lightning and the star. And how the luminaries dazzled and the colo shone – they did not notice. There was no time to look at the sky in the fishery. And we didn’t hear spirits. What does «run» mean?

– That’s what it means! The spirits want us to leave the Great Volcano, Brun. Me, Valan, Viksha, Hann and the leader heard the call at the same time! Hord exclaimed. «This has never happened before!

«Warn us about something,» Valan added. – And we have to wait for Roshan.

«And how long will he have to wait?» I was told that he went to the caves in the morning,» Brun asked.

«We’ll wait as long as it takes,» said Hord. – When our ancestor Alak was looking for a cure for diseases, he was in unity for two nights and found it. Therefore, we are waiting for the leader. There is no other!

«And if he doesn’t come back the second night?» Radon suggested.

«He will come back,» the experienced hunter confidently answered. – Will be back!

***

«There were still two days left before the alien paths,» Brun began the tale. – We got only something to the second ravine and decided to make a halt. Many of you know Illy. She cannot live without trees. A little something – immediately on araucaria. Well, she climbed from one tree to another to see what was going on behind the ravine. We didn’t worry about her at all. Her dexterity – everyone can envy. And now, she comes back to us and breathes so heavily, as if she was in a hurry. She returns and says that she has tracked down the flock – there are fifteen Polosunov. Many laughed, and I, along with them. Where is it seen that the beater without the embodiment of the hunter Polosun tracked down?! Brun was indignant, pointing at his eyes with his hand.

The elders and sentinels nodded approvingly, agreeing with the reasoning of the leader.

– Well, who will believe? the leader of the Great Hunt continued to escalate. – She’s serious! We went there – to convince the young maiden that it seemed to her. But it was not there! Brun waved his hand. «The beneficent light of the Great Fire really spotted a couple of Stripers for us exactly where Illy led us.

From this news, the relatives groaned with surprise, and the rangers who arrived from the Great Hunt, praising the young beater, stomped.

«It became clear that a flock was grazing nearby,» Brun said. «In two days, apart from the Vultures and those rabid Raptors, not a single lizard was seen. Well, I look – there are only two striped ones, which means that the rogues have already discovered us and are taking us away from the herd. But no! exclaimed the hunter. «The reptiles didn’t notice us at all, as if we didn’t surrender to them. So I sent Illi and Ramir as beaters, – the leader of the hunting parties pointed towards Ramir, who was sitting among his relatives, – around the right slopes, assuming that the pack was there.

Ramir nodded, confirming Brun’s words.

We’ve gone to the left. We climbed to the other side of the ravine and we hear – vanity at the edge! The eyes of the incarnation came closer *, – at this place of the tale, the leader turned his eyes into reptilian ones, – and through the thickets I see Polosunov – a dozen or two of them huddle there. We have prepared the guns and are waiting for Ramir and Illy to frighten off the flock and bring them to us. We wait and wait, but they still don’t exist. That’s what we decided for ourselves. Bows, spears at the ready took and sneaking closer. We sneak, and I see that there is no gap behind the flock, as if it does not end. The whole clearing is strewn with flesh, and there is a hum in the ears. Hearts are beating – they are not afraid of us, or even they do not hear at all and do not smell, as if the lizards have lost their abilities. With the flame of your engraving with the truth, brothers and sisters, wither my tongue – there are about four dozen of them, or even more! I freed the eye in order to see with my own eyes whether I was imagining it, – Brun returned his eyes to their former human appearance. – Do not imagine! he continued. – And suddenly this herd began to fuss and began to slowly go deep into the grove. I could not restrain myself, whistled, and we attacked. That’s how they raised the guns, so everyone managed to stab Polosun, and I – two. The rest of the reptiles pulled east in fear, and there were a lot of them, brothers, a lot!

– Wu-u-u! The tribesmen clapped their hands enthusiastically.

«Where did Illy and Ramir get lost?» Hord asked.

– But let Ramir tell you. What should I tell you, Brun answered.

The tribesmen stared at Ramir. The experienced hunter got up from his bedding and sat down closer to the fire. His beard and hair were neatly woven and suspiciously clean. And judging by the fresh camouflage color on the face and in those places where the bone armor did not cover the limbs and body, it became completely clear to everyone that Ramir did not take part in the persecution of the Polosunov. The paint applied by the cycad juice on the kinsman’s skin was so fresh and untouched that if no one knew that Ramir was on the Great Hunt, everyone would think that he was just about to go for it. And, of course, many fellow tribesmen had questions, but Ramir, without waiting for judgments, began to open the eyes of the ignorant with his tale:

«Illie and I went around the right slopes,» the hunter immediately began. – I examined the area – everything is clean, not a single predator in the area, only striped ones. And the flock is big! I confirm Brun’s words – he did not imagine! I myself went ahead a little, but Illi and I agreed on a signal to start. I’m sneaking around, that means, make my eye come true, and it seems to me that Illy is calling me, but somehow strangely – her voice broke off. So, I decided that I heard. I got to the thicket and I give a whistle, but I myself do not climb towards the flock. Waiting for Illy It’s interesting! This is her first hunt. How will she behave, what will she do?

The tribesmen murmured their approval, supporting Ramir’s decision.

«But she seemed to have fallen through the ground,» the hunter continued to tell. – There is none and no… Then I look – there is a commotion in a flock of lizards! I understood that Brun gave the command to poison the prey. I wanted to help, but Zavrini Illi’s foreboding directed her to search. I returned to the place where we parted ways, and she was lying unconscious there. Let me bring her to her senses. She opened her eyes and how she jumped away from me! I have never seen such a jump,» Ramir said admiringly. She jumped back and looks like she doesn’t recognize her. And her irises are black as night, and there are no pupils at all! And the squirrels shimmered red, as if the flame had mixed with blood!

At this tale, the relatives groaned in surprise, and the hunters from Brun’s detachment again rustled and stamped, confirming the words of the hunter.

«I understood that the maiden recognized Zavrini’s eyes, but the eyes are somehow wrong,» Ramir explained. – And she says to me: «Do not come near, monster!». I was in a hurry. «Illy! I calm her down. «It’s me, Ramir!» And she looks and understands nothing – she does not recognize me! I am closer to her, and she screams and collapses to the ground unconscious. I took her in my arms and carried her to the detachment…

The tribesmen opened their mouths.

– Upon returning to the camp, Illi told me that when she parted ways with Ramir, the roots of unprecedented plants entwined her legs, and then got to her hands. And she doesn’t remember anything else. She doesn’t even remember how Ramir brought her to her senses,» Brun concluded. – She has known unity, people! And her unity was broken. I tell you exactly! Did you forget Azis? He, too, lost his memory when they violated him.

The elders and experienced rangers nodded, and the sentinels, once again hearing the mention of the old shaman, again froze in anticipation of some details, but Brun continued to explain what had happened to his beater:

«Illy hears our voices as we, the hunters, hear with the vision of incarnation. And what about her eyes is not at all clear. You say, Valan, they look like a star? – he pointed with his hand at the manifestation, and all those sitting by the fire immediately raised their eyes to the sky. «Perhaps they are similar,» the leader continued to argue. «But what do I know for sure, and Illie herself told me that she saw with her eyes the twilight in the middle of the night, as if it were not night at all, although then it was well after midnight. And all living creatures that chirp and clatter, she saw luminous lights, and she sees us all relatives in a different guise, like our eyes are embodied lizards! He says – carcasses we are in armor! She herself knew that her bones stick out everywhere and meat with blood – there is no skin! Neither she has, nor we, nor anyone! Only bare flesh!

* incarnate the eye – in the language of the first people means «with the eyes of a hunter.»

***

– Aaa! Unga yelled, and an eight-legged shadow appeared on the illuminated wall to his side.

– What? What’s happened? – frightened by the cry of a fellow tribesman, the already excited children began to wail.

– She’s on me! Sitting on me!

– Who is sitting? How is he sitting? Ronin immediately brought the torch closer to his kinsman.

– Creature!

A barely visible shiny cobweb stretched down from Unga’s chin, and at its end, at the chest level of the future hunter, a tiny furry creature hung.

«In the name of Pangea, Unga!» Elna exclaimed. – It’s Yellowbelly!

Omi giggled, and the black-haired girl picked up the web with her finger and held it up to her to see the insect. The spider, meanwhile, chaotically waved its paws, trying to cling to at least something.

«They live in rocks, remember? Elna added. – He himself slipped them dragonfly larvae!

– Unga, it’s already so creepy here, and you’re still with your creatures! Ronin growled angrily.

The gloomy tunnel gave off dampness and coolness. Its narrow and winding corridors were so monotonous that it sometimes seemed to young explorers that they were walking along the same nooks and crannies. In places, the pointed reliefs of the walls and the shadows falling on them resembled the silhouettes of lizards, and sometimes it seemed to the children that the stone forms were moving at all. This made it scary. But despite the terrible decoration of the underground passage, the desire for adventure did not leave the brave hearts, because the mysterious and unknown path inspired young relatives not only with anxiety, but also with the anticipation of seeing something unusual and unseen before.

Making their way along the narrow corridor, the future hunters barely spoke. They were seriously afraid to break the enchanting silence of an unfamiliar dungeon. Therefore, the road to the Temple of the Creator passed without chatter and tomfoolery. And only distant bursts of an underground stream measuredly disturbed the silence of the walls.

Ronin and Unga were constantly helping the girls up the awkward slopes and ledges. And Unga also marked the walls of the tunnel with his small bone knife. From time to time, carving arrows on the walls and asking him to wait, the boy delayed the move, to which his fellow tribesmen were indignant, since the tunnel did not branch out and it was impossible to get lost in it with all the desire. But Unga insisted, justifying his actions with the words: «Just in case.»

Often, children hit and scratched on the sharp edges of the reliefs, while receiving unpleasant burning abrasions. But the youth endured and moved forward. After several too narrow corridors, Elna guessed why the adults did not go to the Temple of the Shaper this way. In this sleeve, even small offspring sometimes had to crawl on all fours, which was a very unpleasant act: sharp warehouses of caves dug into their knees, leaving behind a strong desire to return to the camp and, having collapsed on a soft bedding, plunge into the carefree world of dreams, but curiosity took its toll..

It seemed that the tunnel would never end! The children walked and walked, but soon the corridor began to expand significantly, which could not but please the young adventurers.

«I think we’re almost there,» whispered Ronin in a barely audible voice.

«It’s getting warmer in here,» Elna said.

Will we see the leader soon? Omi exclaimed at the top of her voice.

– Shh! Omi, what are you talking about, Ronin whispered. «Do you want the watchmen to hear us?» I beg you – let’s whisper!

«Sorry, Ronin, I just missed Pa,» the girl pouted, pouting.

«Soon you will see the leader, soon,» said Ronin. – Be patient. The main thing is not to meet anyone.

«Stop it, Ronin!» It’s creepy to the bone in here. Who else should we meet? Unga got excited. And to be honest, I’m already tired. I am sleepy.

– Well, you will, Unga, – Elna muttered. «You yourself wanted to go to the caves, more than anyone!»

«I wanted it, I wanted it, I didn’t want it,» the youth grumbled offendedly, remembering the yellow-bellied who attacked him.

The underground passage became wider and more spacious, and the glow of the torch covered its length less and less. And if before, in the narrow corridors, the flame of fire scattered the light far ahead, allowing you to walk more confidently along the rocky terrain, now the vast structure of the tunnel noticeably absorbed the glow. The wider the grotto became, the closer to the juveniles, devouring the limits of visibility with black, pitch darkness crept up. Sometimes children are completely lost in the expanses of the dungeon. The outlines of the walls either appeared very close, or disappeared into the darkness for a dozen steps.

This pretty much scared future hunters. Their progress has obviously slowed down. And after several such sweeping transitions, in order not to get lost by chance, Elna offered to join hands and step along the left wall of the corridor.

Soon, a barely visible green light appeared in the distance.

– Look! Unga was the first to notice. Is there something glowing?

The fry stopped and tried to see what the youth was pointing to, but the flickering of the torch did not allow them to focus their eyes.

«Ronin,» Elna said. – Well, put away the torch.

Ronin moved his hand to the side. The radiance of the torch receded, and not far away in the darkness, fifty paces from the young relatives, greenish silhouettes of stone walls appeared.

– Yes, I see! There is something there. It seems that we have come, – Elna was delighted.

We have come, we have come! Omi spoke up again. – Run quickly!

– Omi, shh!!! Hush, dear, – Ronin warned the girl.

– Oh, sorry, sorry. Let’s go quickly,» the leader’s daughter hurried in a whisper.

The children rushed towards the light. And very soon the tunnel led the young tribesmen to the source of a mysterious glow – to the Abode of Unity.

– Wow! Just look how they glow! Ronin wondered as he entered the vast grotto. – These are the symbols of hunters and shamans!

The Temple of the Creator, shrouded in a green haze from top to bottom, shimmered with iridescent green streams of light. Everywhere on the walls, on the ledges and planes, exuding a bright glow, the rock paintings and engravings of the first people shone. Radiance, like rare rays of the Great Fire, cutting through the thickness of the clouds on a cloudy day, emanated from the cavities and inscriptions of ornaments, spraying warm light over the expanses of the Temple. The children were fascinated by what they saw! For all the Moons and Great Fires they have not seen anything more bizarre and unusual. Opening their mouths, the fry slowly stepped along the walls of the dungeon and examined the luminous symbols on the tablets.

– Ah! Omi admired. – How beautiful it is here!

– Yeah… And one of the hunters said that the Temple was dark and damp, – Ronin remembered the gossip of the sentinels and put out the torch. – And it’s very warm here, even hot somehow…

– It’s a glow! It warms the Temple, – Elna guessed, and cautiously extended her hand almost close to the glowing symbol. – Ai! – immediately pulled back. – Hot!

«I think it’s the flames of Pangea that Valan was talking about!» Green fire that gives strength to tenacious hunters and shamans! Unga exclaimed. – Or prana, which must be withdrawn!

– Exactly! Elna picked up. – It can only be so hot from the flame!

Suddenly and briskly Unga held his hand at a distance from the symbol. The kid touched the green rays for a moment and, not feeling the warmth, realized that they were scalding only at the source. Unga once again, but slowly, brought his hand to the stream of light and froze. The youth gasped in surprise: a mysterious green beam, touching the palm, illuminated Unga’s hand and came out through the other side; the youth’s hand was filled with a glow to the very forearm, and through the radiant skin the silhouettes of bones and joints became visible, and Unga bulged his eyes in amazement.

– Wow! the children were delighted.

– Wow! Elna gasped. – Aren’t you in pain? Not hot?

Unga shook his head.

«He… He’s not hot. It’s not even warm!

Immediately, the young adventurers repeated after their relative – they touched the rays. And indeed – at a short distance from the luminous ornaments, warmth was not felt at all. The hands of the brave men were filled with green light, while Elna carefully brought her palm close to the symbol.

«Look.» She touched the engraving. – Try it. No longer burns.

The others followed the girl’s advice. Slowly bringing their hands to the springs, the children nodded approvingly. Elna was right.

Ronin also completely removed his hand from the symbol, but his brush continued to radiate radiance, gradually losing the power of the glow.

– Wow! – the relatives groaned and groaned again, and Ronin began to smoothly move his hand in front of him. His movements mysteriously left behind a plume of green radiant dust. The remnants of the radiance of light retained the silhouette of the hand for a moment, and then disappeared into the air without a trace.

– Wow! the children were delighted again and repeated after the youth.

They did this over and over again, admiring the luminous outlines.

Soon, Ronin’s hand completely stopped glowing, and he once again touched the symbol, but immediately pulled his hand away.

– Ai! Hot! the youth exclaimed.

– Aha! Elna smiled. – From afar it is necessary.

The girl did the same thing that Unga did the first time, and then touched the engraving. She managed not to get burned, and she quietly clapped her hands:

– How wonderful, how wonderful!

Young tribesmen followed the example of Elna. Having done the cunning trick many more times, they, satisfied with the solution of the shining rays, ran up to the next ledge with symbols.

«Look, these are all the reptiles that the hunting parties defeated! Unga thought.

The rest, assenting, confirmed the words of a relative.

«It’s Longneck,» Omi pointed to the symbol.

«You know everything, baby,» Ronin praised.

– Aha! And these are Lazuny, Unga noted. «They hang around the camp all the time.

«Tail… Tails…» the leader’s daughter hesitated.

– Tail – Leech! Elna suggested.

– Exactly, exactly! Tailtail,» Omi rejoiced at her quick wits and hugged her older tribeswoman.

– And what is it? The dark-haired maiden turned her attention to the next tablet. What is this, the Great Fire?

To the right, on the ledge, ancient wisdom was carved – an inscription about a fiery luminary, which illuminated the abode of Pangea and helped hunters in the hunt, and about the Moon, which calculated time and with its presence granted rest and dreams. And everyone from young to old knew that wisdom!

«And Pangea created the Great Fire in the raging waters,» Ronin began to broadcast. So that hunters can see their prey.

– Yes! The children supported the story.

«And so that the fire would not incinerate the created lands, Pangea returned it back to the water element and raised the Moon into the sky in its place so that Her creations could gain wisdom!»

Elna stared at the young man with admiration.

«You did well, Ronin, you memorized the tales of Varn,» she praised.

The youth smiled and, grimacing abstrusely, continued to examine the symbols on the ledge with an important face. The girls and Unga noticed their kinsman’s imaginativeness and giggled softly. And Ronin, unable to restrain himself, giggled with everyone.

For a long time, the young looked at the luminous inscriptions with reptiles and the history of the heavenly bodies and imagined all sorts of adventures with them, until little Omi discovered nearby a niche with some bones, a broken bow, a spear and colorful intricate pebbles.

– Look! she called. – Here is a decrepit bow and some kind of gnawed bones. Fi… And colored pebbles! They shine! Elna, can I take these stones for myself?

The black-haired maiden and the youths immediately jumped up to the leader’s daughter and began to examine her find, and Ronin, seeing the bizarre luminous likeness of stones, remembered the teachings of Varna and explained:

«These are ancestral relics, Omi. Not stones at all. These are the shells that the great-great-grandfathers of the ancestors once found off the coast of raging waters! And here is the footprint of Zavrini, about which Hord spoke, – the young man lifted a petrified stub of earth.

– I don’t want a trace! Can I have shells? At least one?

«No, no, dear,» Elna objected tremulously. – You can’t take relics. We can be scolded for it.

– Well, uh … – the baby immediately pouted her lips, and Unga began to calm her down:

«You will, Omi. We really will be reprimanded for shells. And by the way, have you forgotten why we came here?

– Exactly! said Ronin. – Look at the leader!

– Where is the leader? Where is Pa? Omi immediately began to look around.

«Indeed,» the dark-haired maiden picked up. – Where is the leader?

The relatives looked around. A little further from the shining symbols, closer to the center of the cave, the rays, coming from the mass of rock paintings, intersected each other and formed clusters of dense nebula and dust clouds in the Abode of Unity. Through this bizarre curtain that enveloped almost the entire space of the grotto, the children noticed a small luminous boulder.

– What is it there? Unga asked. – Let’s go see.

And the future hunters rushed to the mysterious stone.

While passing through the nebula, Ronin, who stepped in front of everyone, inadvertently entered the dust cloud. Suddenly, the cloud broke into many tiny particles. The particles shot up and hovered over the youth.

– Oh! The young man stopped and, cautiously raising his head, stared at the dust particles.

Unga and the girls also noticed what was happening.

– Wow! Have you seen? Unga exclaimed, opening his mouth in surprise.

«Yes-ah-ah,» the young compatriots picked up in unison.

Meanwhile, the luminous particles, trembling slightly, continued to float in the air, as if they were waiting for the disturber of the peace to leave their place of residence. The teen slowly and cautiously took a step forward. At that moment, the grains that were farthest from the young man smoothly descended a little lower and hung again.

Elna, Unga and Omi groaned with delight, and Ronin realized what was happening and took a few more steps – away from the bizarre dust particles. And then all as one tiny particles of light rushed back to their original location. They clung to each other measuredly, re-creating a cloud of light dust.

– Ah! Omi exclaimed and, without thinking twice, briskly jumped into the same dust curtain.

Grains of light scattered again and hung in the sky! As soon as the daughter of the leader moved away from their former place of accumulation, the particles again gathered into a single whole.

– How wonderful it is here! Elna rejoiced and also jumped into the dust cloud.

The children, rejoicing and admiring the fun of the mysterious dungeon, began to rush from one cloud to another, dispersing the particles of light across the Abode of Unity. And when the young relatives were tired of the unrestrained running around the Temple, Ronin called his fellow tribesmen to him, and, having caught their breath, the future hunters finally approached the mysterious stone.

«Interesting, what is it?» Unga asked thoughtfully.

The strange and slightly ugly miracle stone was covered with equally strange shining tangles of roots that resembled shoots of a liana tree. The plexus emanated directly from the grassy island under the stone, and their glow was like the glow of the symbols of the first people on the walls of the cave.

Ronin, bypassing the boulder, touched the top of the miracle stone and immediately noticed standing near the bowl and a huge vat.

«Someone here would…» the youngster did not have time to finish, when suddenly, combined with a dull crack, the processes on the bizarre stone began to move and, losing their glow, began to slowly slide down.

The children groaned in surprise and jumped away. A moment later, the rays of light emanating from the cave paintings and symbols of the first people began to fade throughout the Temple of the Creator – the luminous dust clouds and nebula faded away. The cave quickly began to envelop the darkness!

The young relatives panicked.

«Ronin, what have you done?» Elna exclaimed, looking around, frightened.

«Ronin, what’s going on?» Unga asked confused.

I don’t know, I didn’t do anything. Nothing at all,» the equally frightened youth justified himself.

Elna, I’m scared! Elna!.. – Omi hugged the black-haired maiden.

«Hush, honey, everything will be fine!» Elna hugged the baby.

«Ro-ro… i-nin, Ro-o-ni-i-n, what is this?» Unga said in a trembling voice.

The pale young man pointed to the boulder and tried to say something, but the words no longer came out of his mouth. The teenager seemed to be speechless. Opening his mouth and silently moving his lips, Unga plopped down on his back and was dumbfounded. The bandage around his thighs got wet, and a puddle formed under the youth.

– Aaa! yelled little Omi and clung to Elna so that she felt the sharp claws of the little girl pierce the skin to the blood.

As soon as the luminous stems exposed the top of the boulder, the young relatives saw someone’s face in the stone forms. And the young realized at that hour that the mysterious stone was not a stone at all! The children recognized the human body between the plexuses, and it was enclosed in plexuses, clothed from head to toe, as if in captivity. And between the disgusting shoots, the gray and, it seemed, petrified face of a stranger was serenely visible. His eyelids were lowered, as if he were in a dream, but in the semi-darkness it was seen by the young relatives that his eyes were restless. And this vision inspired confusion and fear!

Ronin was taken aback. Unga crawled away from the tangles in fear. And Elna’s legs shook from excitement, and, hugging the baby even more tightly, the dark-haired maiden fell to her knees on the sharp outlines of the relief.

The emerald streams of light and luminous dust clouds in the Temple of the Shaper faded completely. The abode of Unity was enveloped in darkness, and everything in the cave seemed to freeze at that hour. In the impenetrable darkness, the children could no longer distinguish one from the other – it was impossible to see anything at arm’s length. Only Omi and Elna were together, in each other’s arms. The girls hid. They did not speak or even move, for they were afraid to break the silence of the grotto and awaken the stranger imprisoned in the roots. From left and right, they sometimes caught the tremulous breathing and sniffling of Unga and Ronin, and a barely audible stream flowing in the warehouses of the dungeon broke the eerie calm.

And suddenly, in the midst of the dark blackness, right in front of the young, red eyes lit up, and huge pupils appeared in them blacker than night: the stranger’s gaze suddenly quickened, and fiery eyes, closing their eyelids over and over again, began to look first at Ronin, then at Unga, then at Elna and Omi, then somewhere in the distance.

Ronin collapsed unconscious. Omi, seeing the luminous ghost, turned away and screamed with all her might, her screech echoing through the Temple of the Shaper. Clinging even closer to the black-haired maiden, the baby began to roar excitedly. Ungi was not audible at all, and the pale Elna, at that moment shaking with fear and not feeling her legs, inadvertently caught a captivating and terrifying look.

And that gaze was alive and intelligent! And there was no light in the Abode of Unity, except for the light of fiery eyes. The reflections of the radiance of a terrible look dimly illuminated the outlines of the petrified face, and the black-haired maiden recognized the features of her leader in those outlines. And it seemed to Elna at that hour, as if the leader’s lips were moving, trying to say something, but the gloomy stems held back the cheekbones, as if suppressing the voice…