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«What about the herbivore, Val? asked Iris, a black-haired hunter with a burn on his right cheek.
«Yes, unity with a lizard…» Vall scratched his beard. «In harmony with the reptile, I saw other Longnecks,» the shaman began to broadcast. «Eight or ten – I didn’t have time to count.
– Wow! What’s the output? Kuhn was surprised.
– And the brood too. There was a flock of them! exclaimed the leader.
– A flock? the relatives asked in unison.
Longnecks were by nature loners. And usually, not counting the male during the laying period, only her cubs were near the female. When the cubs grew up, the female drove them to an independent flock. And of course, the rangers, hearing about the brood and the pack of Longnecks at the same time, were very surprised.
«I’ve never seen giants gather in packs,» said Iris.
«Yes, yes, that’s the whole point – there was a flock of them, and they walked across the field, which is between our lands and the liana forest, along with this lizard,» Val pointed to the sacks with slaughter. – And recently they passed there – about five days ago. Then the downpour was heavy, remember? The relatives nodded. «In the vision, I heard the roar of another brat at the edge of the grove,» Vall continued to broadcast. «Maybe the Raptors or some other lizards attacked the cub, and this Long-necked one, having fought off the pack, went after him.
«But the cub was torn apart,» Arwen suggested.
«Yes,» Wall agreed. «So it is, since we tracked down a lone lizard. But! We tracked him down in the liana forest. And in the direction of the forest in the vision, other Longnecks were also heading!
«That is, this reptile followed the flock,» Kun concluded.
«You think right, old one,» the shaman nodded.
«And Longneck went out into the Bennettite field too,» Taro picked up, «and we didn’t lure him out. The flock went west across this field!
Yes, Taro. I think so too, – approved the leader of the Great Hunt, and the hunters roared together, gossip about the pack and its nomadism. «By the way, there is a lake in the wilds of the liana forest,» the leader remembered. «And it seemed to me that we were passing not far from him. On the way back we will look for a reservoir.
– And what about the Fireplace? Kuhn asked. – What does it look like?
«Just like the one-eyed guy said. On the horizon, I found a beam of light, and it was still moving so strangely, now to the left, then to the right – Varnus did not warn about this, but it was definitely the Totem of Flame. I give you the fang of Razavra! the shaman fiddled with the earring. – But this star that you noticed is not simple … – And Vall told the detachment about what he saw on the crowns last night: about the strange crowding of the stars, about the flash in the sky, about the birth of the phenomenon, and about his disturbing foreboding. «I didn’t tell you, so that your spirit would not be inclined to evil thoughts, and the hunt would be completed calmly,» the shaman concluded.
The tribesmen were silent for a while, and then they whispered, talking about the sign of the red star.
«Ah, here’s something else!» Val said. «Maybe I’m imagining all this, but what’s with Salas’s eyes… And his unity in such turmoil… Also, these Longnecks are in harmony… All this happened after the flash and the appearance of the star. What do you think? the shaman turned to the hunters. – Kuhn?
Kindred nodded, supporting the leader’s reasoning.
You are correct, Val. The long-necked ones walk alone – everyone knows, – the shaggy man confirmed. – And unity has never happened without silence and peace. And the eye of the boy is definitely not the eye of Zavrini! Kuhn thought for a moment. – With a star, you say, is this all connected? How only?.. – the elderly tracker turned in the direction of Salas. – Tyrant, come on, lift his eyelids!
Salas, covered with the skin of a reptile, lay on a bedding near the wall of the tent near the sacks of fresh meat, and the Tyrant, leaning on a pile, sat beside the teenager. As soon as the thin youth reached for the face of Salas, he instantly woke up.
«Ah,» moaned the beater, barely opening his eyes.
The tribesmen were alarmed, and the young man leaned back and wanted to scream, but the Tyrant managed to cover his mouth.
Salas’s eyes were still in a strange incarnation. The youngster still did not understand what was happening to him, and the same vision appeared in his eyes as on the day after the persecution of the Long-necked: all the relatives he saw then, again appeared before the ghost without skin – with bare flesh, with with bloody skulls and bulging eyes, in robes and armor, staring at him as if they wanted to eat – such a terrible look they had. And in the youth’s head, the beating of human hearts sounded with dull blows. He could hear indistinct tapping, like the deep, distorted sounds of a bongo. Now simultaneous, now out of place, they either accelerated, or pounded measuredly. Overnight, over the ugly silhouettes, Salas noticed strange torches tied to the chimney: the lights of the lanterns brightly illuminated the building, and the elements of the flame that blazed at the ends of the handles looked like clots of rotating and luminous particles. To all this spectacle, suddenly, through the rumble of heartbeats, a strange distant chirping of nocturnal insects and a rustle, similar to wind gusts, began to seem. From such a performance at once, the teenager was stunned again!
«Hush, hush,» the Tyrant said and removed his hand from the lips of his relative. «You want the lizards to come for our souls?»
The Tyrant’s voice echoed in Salas’s ears, and the young beater stared at his Clanmate in bewilderment.
Tyrant, is that you? What happened to you? What’s happening?
«Ahhh, I found out! The Tyrant smiled. – I am good. But what happened to you is not entirely clear…
«Hey, screamer, are you okay?» Wall said. We thought you’d never wake up! Do your eyes hurt? Well, look at me!
– Wall? Salas stared in disbelief at the silhouette of the leader of the Great Hunt.
«Wall, Wall,» the shaman confirmed. «It’s like you’re seeing me for the first time,» the leader grinned and reached out to the beater to examine his eyes closer. – You, my young friend, have almost no pupils. Yes, you can’t do without the elders and Inga…
The hunters surrounded Salas – some sat down, some stood behind – and all as one began to look at the strange embodiment of eyes. They stared intently at the youngster, and this alarmed him. Someone standing behind him waved his hand to the young man, and if the skull with a bloody mouth and yellow fangs had not begun to spew speech, then Salas would never have understood who it was that greeted him.
«Do you even recognize me, herbivore lover?» After these words, all the tribesmen quietly giggled.
– Taro? Yes, I know. Only now you all look terrible and your voices seem to be heard from a cave, «Salas said slowly and cautiously. «Varnus taught that such visions…» the teenager did not have time to explain himself, when suddenly something plopped onto the tent outside – a small, but obviously weighty, stirred up the leather fabric of the building.
Then an incomprehensible rustle was heard both behind the tent and to the right of the entrance to it. The tribesmen were worried.
«I hear…» Salas was about to say something again, but Vall stopped him:
– Shh!
The strange rustle continued, and its repetitions began to appear around the halabud from all sides. The relatives looked at each other and froze.
«Weapons at the ready now!» Wall whispered. – No noise. No sound.
The hunters grabbed spears, knives, clubs and bows, and those who had bone helmets began to put them on.
– Let’s make a circle! Salas, hide among the bags. Fast! the shaman continued to whisper commands, pulling a helmet from the skull of Razavr over his head. «Rylan, cover him with skin and needles!»
Salas nodded and immediately buried himself among the slaughter, and the young hunter threw a bedding and stocked branches of odorous trees on him.
– Rustle of wings, Val! one of the trackers whispered. – Pterosaurs?!
– Yah! They sleep at night! the leader objected. Razorwings, maybe?
«Yes, it looks like it, Val,» Iris agreed. – There are palm trees everywhere and ferns – almost a jungle. Razorwings, apparently, flocked.
Suddenly, the curtain at the entrance to the tent moved, and from below the head of a flying lizard appeared from under the curtain. The relatives started up, and the reptile, frightened by the people, made a disgusting squeak and disappeared on the other side of the lodging for the night. The tribesmen breathed a sigh of relief and lowered their guns.
– Paw-covered?! Wall was surprised.
What do they need in the field? said the grey-haired hunter. – They are without trees – easy prey for any predator. Really Lazuny exhausted in the liana forests?!
Small lizards – the size of an elbow – instead of forelimbs had paws with wide membranes. Underwings, as the first people called them, allowed Pawwings to cover short distances, flying from branch to branch. Out in the open, Pawwings never showed up unless they intended to be eaten. Flying reptiles hunted mainly on the same small ones as they are – Lazunov, Piskunov and Nyrkov. And the most important thing is that Pawwings ran with difficulty on the ground, and of course, their appearance in the bennettite expanses caused bewilderment among all hunters.
«Very strange, indeed,» agreed Kuhn. «And judging by the rustle, there are dozens of them outside. I suggest you don’t even bother!
«Do you think they’ll attack us?» Iris turned to the shaggy tracker.
– There’s a whole bunch of them! Who knows what’s on their minds? And they are unlikely to climb here, «Kun reasoned.
«You will, don’t panic,» Vall whispered. «It’s just Pawwings. Maybe they decided to fly to the carcass of Long-necked.
– Fly? Taro was surprised. «It’s a few hundred steps to the liana forest!»
Suddenly, a disgusting squeak and wheezing, rustling and squealing began to be heard from all sides. The hunters shuddered and again prepared to fight back. Whoever is there.
«What else is this?» Arwen pricked up his ears.
«Looks like the Lazoons have come,» Tris whispered.
«The Lazoons have come to profit,» said Kuhn.
Lazoons very much looked like Raptors, or rather, their cubs, as if the latter had not grown up and remained to be Lazoons. Noisy and importunate lizards dwelt in every corner of Pangea where hunters had ever set foot. In addition to dragonflies, horned beetles, butterflies and eggs of all sorts of reptiles, Lazoons allowed themselves to live with Pisks, Divers, and the same Pawwings, which occasionally descended to the ground. And it happened that two-legged rogues hung around the camps, striving to find loopholes and feast on dried meat from pantry tents or pits, for which they were always punished by sentinels, that is, they were killed – despite the precepts of the sages about the keepers of balance, the murder of any predator who desired the food of the first people, was considered right and for the good of the tribe.
The tribesmen whispered, agreeing with Tris and Kun’s assumption, and outside the tent a real hunt began! The reptiles could be heard rushing around the building, rumbled and rushed at each other. The rustle of wings, thumps on the ground, the swaying of the walls of the tent, hissing and other fuss completely disturbed the rest of the hunters.
«Listen,» Vall began to be indignant, «this little thing will not let us sleep, and we definitely won’t be able to rest before the road!» Therefore, I propose to light torches and disperse these rogues. If need be, we’ll finish off a couple. Both those and others! The rest will run away.
«What if the larger carnivores notice the flames?» Iris hesitated.
«We’ll disperse the trifle and put it out right there!» – supporting the idea of the leader, said Kun.
The hunters, without hesitation, nodded and approved of the decision of Vall and Kun, and then began to set fire to the lights.
– I, Kun, Iris and Taro – bring the eye to life! the shaman gave the command. The rest are our human eyes! And you, Tyrant, sit here with Salas and don’t go anywhere! Is everything clear to everyone?
«Yes, yes, yes,» the relatives unanimously assured the order of the leader.
– I’m going out first. Tris, you’re my guide, so keep your eyes peeled for me! Vall alerted and, holding the torch in front of him, turned the eyes of the hunter and silently jumped out. Tris, along with the others, followed the leader.
Zavrini’s eyes in the night, in the presence of a fiery element nearby, lost their legible visibility of the surrounding world. Not only did the specter darken the radiance of the Moon and stars and turn the ordinary colors of Her abode into gray shades, but the flames of fire became too bright and did not allow one to focus on the nearby details of the area: it was quite possible for oneself not to notice a stone, a large snag under one’s feet, or some other obstacle, stumble, or worse, fall to the ground. In addition, the reptiles themselves – their flesh – in the dark hours of the day with the eyes of Zavrini were visible and distinguishable only at a distance of twenty or thirty steps, no more! This opposition of the elements – night darkness and fire – and the short-sightedness of the incarnation of the eyes did not allow hunters to confidently go hunting at night. And no one, by the way, in the tribe of the first people since the death of Lasso did not approve of night hunting!
But for the lizards, for some unknown reason, the flame of fire was especially bewitching, but the reptiles were afraid to come close. And since the fire interfered with Zavrini’s eyes and was needed overnight to frighten Lazunov and Lapokrylov, the human eye and the reptilian gaze in the current situation at the tent were needed at the same time in order to see everything that was happening for sure. Therefore, Wall ordered some of the staunch hunters to turn their eyes, and the rest to leave the human ones. And those who embodied the gaze, and those who remained with the ordinary, overnight became each other’s guides. Some could hardly see the reptiles in the darkness, others – obstacles. It was here that the consistency of the hunters and trust were important, so that, at the very least, they would not run into their own gouges, understanding at a glance and instant support, which, of course, could not be taken away from close-knit fellow tribesmen – only the coordinated actions of the entire detachment could justify such here are forced night outings!
The chirping of reptiles came from all directions. There was complete confusion around the camp tent. Pawwings dived from the chimney and the roof of the building to Lazunov. Lazoons bounced and tried to catch the attacking Pawwings. Some flying lizards simply squeaked or rumbled, sitting on the ends of the goads, and Lazoons, who were more cunning, tried to climb onto the goads and pull the winged ones down.
In the gaze of the shaman, like other relatives with embodied eyes, only the glow of torches and a huge amount of small red flesh remained visible. And on hearing the screech, rumble and accelerated heartbeat of more than a dozen lizards were heard with a rumble. Seeing all this, Vall and the staunch hunters, growling and waving torches, began to rush at the reptiles. Nearby, side by side, uttering hunting calls and also dispersing the crumbs, the rest of the trackers were bustling about. The lizards, seeing the people, were alarmed and rushed in all directions. Lazoons took to their heels, making their way through the hammered goads, and Pawwings flew over the stakes and immediately flopped into the tall grass. Very quickly, the camp was cleared of shrill intruders. Even after a little time of cold-blooded and the trace caught a cold even in the district. No squeak or rustle was heard, only the chirping of night cicadas and cracklings trilled everywhere.
Having bypassed the tent and checked the surroundings, the hunters put out the lights.
– OK it’s all over Now! Three breaths of business,» Vall said, and involuntarily raised his gaze to the sky.
The cloudless vault, as always, was strewn with bright stars. The full moon shone on the western side of the sky, and not far from it a red star flickered. The rest of the hunters paid attention to the contemplation of the leader.
«She’s still here,» whispered one of the seasoned trackers.
«Where is she to go?» Val frowned. – It’s a star!
The Kindred again began to discuss the star, and the Longneck pack, and the look, and the unity of the young beater. The eyes of the Clanmates had adjusted to the midnight darkness, and Iris, having removed the helmet from the Sharpthorn, drew attention to the fact that the night was not so dark. The radiance of the moon filled everything in the neighborhood with light, and the black-haired man could see in the twilight the outlines of the vegetation around the goats. Immediately the hunter turned towards the liana forest and managed to spot its edge. «It’s bright, but…» thought the big man Iris and went up to the stakes that guarded the northern side of the camp. In two steps, he climbed onto the goads and fixed his eyes on the bennettite field, and the trackers, chatting stormily at that moment, did not notice that the kinsman had gone away.
A warm wind swayed rare ginkgo trees and steppe palms with light breezes. In addition to the trill of the primitives, the rustle of grass and leaves could be heard everywhere from the gusts of the windy element. Iris pricked up his ears and, for as long as his breath was enough, pulled the northern monsoon with his spiked nose. Not feeling any extra smells, except for the aromas of a vegetable plateau, the man tried, under the glow of the moon, to distinguish the remains of Long-necked, which was poisoned during the day, but tall grass and bushes prevented him from doing this. The steadfast hunter turned his eyes, but the herbivore’s carcass was too far away, and if there were any lizards next to it, it would hardly have been possible to find them. Then Iris pierced the distance with his eyes, but still he could barely make out the silhouettes of vegetation. Despite the bright night, Zavrini’s eyes, like an ordinary gaze, did not see well in the dark. The black-haired hunter returned the human mind and looked at the strange outlines of low hills on the horizon.
Meanwhile, the Tyrant, having opened the curtain of the tent, leaned out halfway and, in a whisper of indignation, called his relatives. Iris paid no attention to the call.
– Hey, where are you? Wall, Arwen, Taro, it’s so creepy for us to be here together,» the young hunter was indignant. – And you are still mumbling – it is not clear what the rumble is.
The tribesmen heard the calls of the Tyrant and, not looking up from the conversation, went to the lodging for the night.
«We’ll discuss everything on the way,» Vall suggested. «We need to get some good sleep now. In the morning there is a long road ahead.
What are we going to do with Salas? Taro asked.
«Let’s not do anything,» Vall replied. – Let him get enough sleep, and if he has already slept, then he will sit on patrol, and in the morning he will be on his way. Let’s get to the Great Volcano, and then let the leader and the elders decide for themselves what to do. Inga will cook something so that his eyes are in love…
– Val, Taro! All! Come here! Iris interrupted the speech of the leader.
The hunters flinched at the unexpected speech of their kinsman. And some erected weapons.
«Why are you so scared!» Arwen was outraged. – Where did you come from, put you in the litter!
– Come here quickly. You need to see it!
The tribesmen went to Iris. And the Tyrant also crawled out of the tent to find out what the staunch hunter saw there.
«Don’t you dare go outside, Salas!» I’ll be right back,» he ordered.
***
The young beater listened to the voices of his fellow tribesmen, trying to make out what the relatives were talking about and what Iris had noticed there, but in addition to the hunters’ muttering, the trill of nocturnal animals rumbled in Salas’s ears. All this rumble was mixed up at the hearing, and it was impossible to distinguish anything. Amidst the confusion of sounds, the teenager casually recognized a strange crackle. Salas pricked up his ears more, trying to catch the source of the sound, and inadvertently drew attention to the bizarre fire of blazing lanterns. The teenager remembered that he noticed this strange phenomenon of the fiery element when he woke up.
Salas threw off his skin and ospreys of odorous branches and, climbing out of a pile of bags, approached the torches. The rustle intensified, and the young man realized that it was they who made the crackling. A bizarre mode of fire, similar to a tiny whirlwind of luminous and swirling dust particles, came from the ends of the torch handles, saturated with particles of light! And these particles, under the draft of air, rose to the chimney, turning into white smoke. As if swirling, they circled, and the bewitching dusty flame, as it seemed to the youth, exuded more luminosity than was seen by the usual eye. The young man looked at the bizarre warehouse of the elements for a long time, and then carefully blew on the streams of particles of one of the lights. The luminous dust particles were alarmed. Some of them remained on the handle, while others spun randomly and, leaving their place of residence for a moment, returned back and lined up in the former whole whirlwind.
– Wow! Salas exclaimed in surprise.
The young man stretched out his hand to the torch, trying to feel the warmth of the flame, but was suddenly horrified at the sight presented. Dodging his own hand, he leaned back and flopped to the ground, and then began to crawl away until he hit his back against the bags of slaughter. There was nowhere to go, and the youth froze, holding his breath. He couldn’t believe his eyes! Realizing that this disgusting limb belongs to him, the teenager slowly and cautiously brought it closer to his gaze, and then began to rotate his brush, examining its disgusting articulation. Salas’s hand – both one and the other – was devoid of skin!
Bare bones of the phalanges of the fingers protruded from the red sinewy palm and from its back side, and their beginnings grew into plexuses of muscles, meat and blood vessels of the hand. Hand combinations were hidden under leather windings up to the elbow. Raising his arm slightly, the beater could see the bone on his elbow. And intricately woven, like a twist of liana twine, the red-blue muscles of the arm above the elbow went under the robe on the torso. All this naked horror shone under the glow of torches! A chill ran through his body and a cold sweat broke out. As soon as Salas realized that there was not a piece of human skin on him, he almost vomited.
The teenager looked at his fingers once more, and then looked at the uncovered leg muscles. A red pile of the same plexuses as on the muscles of the upper limbs, like the fresh flesh of a tenderloin from Polosun’s thigh, shone before his eyes. White bones, similar to lime bowls, which Varnus invented for lights in the camp, stuck out at the knees, and from under the flaps below the shin in sandals one could see white phalanxes with claws.
Salas rose from the ground, and it dawned on him. He touched his face hesitantly. Feeling the presence of the skin on it, the youth breathed a sigh of relief. Then he slowly reached out with his right hand to the palm of his left. Afraid to feel pain due to lack of skin, the teenager, holding his breath and narrowing his eyes, touched the bones of his fingers. Feeling nothing unusual, Salas opened his eyes and, already looking at the action, repeated the movement and was stunned again. He moved his bare hand over the bare places of the other hand, and in his eyes it seemed that his fingers were not touching bare flesh, but were touching an invisible, but tangible emptiness. The teenager, having grown bolder, squeezed the muscle above the elbow on the left limb. The combination of muscles tightened disgustingly and took on a bluish tint where the muscle touched. But even squeezing the limb, Salas could not penetrate the invisible shell, and the young beater realized at that hour that his skin was on him and it had not gone anywhere! It is his eyes that contemplate so! That the eyes of Zavrini appeared to him, which Varn taught and which all the hunters of the tribe knew, but for some reason the wrong eyes turned out to be, and Salas should not have seen human flesh. Realizing all this, the young man closed his eyelids and shook his head, trying to free his eyes, but nothing came of it. He furrowed his brows, trying to master concentration, but again nothing worked. «What to do? How to return human vision? Salas began to think.