- -
- 100%
- +
As soon as the hunter disappeared among the huts, Roshan descended the wooden platform and moved towards the southeastern watchtower. Silently stepping along the fences, the leader attentively listened to the slightest rustle on the other side of the fence. Night cicadas, crackling beetles, crickets and other insects chirped and chirped uncontrollably in the area. But even amid this rumble, Roshan could make out the bustle of small lizards, which, in search of food in the dark, came too close to the village.
A whistle sounded from fifty paces before the guardhouse. Roshan stopped. Everything was OK. The sentinel confidently stood at his post and watched what was happening not only on the other side of the fence. Answering him with the same whistle, the leader turned around and wandered to the western outpost.
The path between the outposts passed through many huts. Structures made of tree branches and trunks, covered with reptile skin, decorated with the bones of herbivorous lizards and painted with symbols of the first people, were erected along the entire border from the western to eastern loophole – the entrances to the camp. All these huts belonged to the House of Hunters. And for good reason! Fences were not always safe from carnivores, and if any predator or pack tried to get into the settlement, then the first to get in their way were hunting parties: skilled traps, shamans, beaters and trackers. They already knew how to deal with uninvited guests and could always protect the village! Fortunately, for all the time in the new place, not a single large lizard has come close to the camp. Only tiny Lazoons and Squeakers occasionally flitted around, but they did not pose any threat to the tribe.
Each hut and the small territory adjacent to it were fenced with goads – sharpened stakes. Lights or bonfires were usually lit near the huts. Someone was constantly roasting meat. Hunters from different squads arranged nightly gatherings by the fire: they shared their experiences, told exciting stories, or just played dice. During the day, children ran here, chasing the Hunters, and youngsters and maidens came to train in archery or throw a spear. Here they made and tested weapons, studied engraving, craft and hunting art. This part of the village has always been noisy and lively, but now these buildings are deserted: the days of the Great Hunt have come, hunting parties went in search of prey. The camp became perceptibly deserted and vulnerable. Young growth and women with their children temporarily moved to the araucaria close to the foot – in huts. Some of the youths, whose relatives had gone hunting, were not afraid to remain in solitary dwellings, but that night they all went up to the Pavilion of Flame. Peace reigned in the House of Hunters.
Before reaching the western gatehouse, Roshan himself gave a prearranged signal to the sentinel. To which he received an immediate response. The leader’s anxiety subsided a little, and he, thinking about the stars, went to the Fireplace.
Weaving along the path, the shaman came to the well. Here the sounds of a mountain stream blended well with the chirping of nocturnal living creatures. Simultaneous crackling and murmuring created in this place a feeling of true unity with nature. With every part of the body, the leader felt Her near presence. And if not for the hubbub of the tribesmen, which came from the Pavilion of Flame, then the unity would instantly overtake Roshan.
Scooping water from the vat with his palm, the shaman drew attention to the strange reflection of the stars in the well, and then looked at the sky. The bright lights were no longer full of rainbow colors. Their glow became normal. But overnight, in the middle of the sky, among the many luminaries, a barely noticeable measured shining colo formed. The stars in it seemed to have started to each other, creating a shimmering nebula. And the closer they spread to the center of manifestation, the brighter they radiated light. This unusual phenomenon fascinated! Where the Great Fire was incinerated and the cold Moon hid, something unknown was happening, visible and at the same time inaccessible…
Roshan contemplated the mysterious night sky for some time, trying to understand the reason for the mysterious radiance, but nothing intelligible came to mind. And suddenly it seemed to the leader that the Zavrinis themselves whispered to him: «Run!..»
The shaman shuddered in surprise and froze, listening carefully and striving to catch the inner call again. But nothing but the chirping of insects, the murmur of the stream and the voices of relatives bothered Roshan anymore. He looked back at the glowing stake. The leader’s heart was overwhelmed with anxiety, and in his thoughts, the thought flashed that when he and Varn would set fire to the Fireplace, and in the morning everyone would fall into a dream, he could go up to the caves in the Temple of the Creator and, indulging in unity, find out the reason for the strange appearance – to see Her eyes that are inaccessible to humans.
*volcano – in the language of the first people means «mountain»; Great Volcano – Great Mountain.
***
At the Pavilion of Flame, Roshan was met by an experienced hunter Khord.
– Oh, leader! You’ve all been waiting for! he greeted. – Do you look at the stars?
The spiky bald head and the old man’s small brown eyes gleamed in the moonlight, and when speaking, the crooked and long nose moved slightly, and it seemed that Hord was constantly recognizing smells around him. Hord was the only hunter of the tribe’s ancestors who survived to this day, the other old hunters were younger, much younger. And the sixth thousand moons shone for him!
His long, unkempt gray beard, which hung down almost to his knees, was slightly greasy and indicated that the old man had just had supper. The leader noticed this and smiled.
«You see everything, hunter,» Roshan replied and held out his hand to the old man as a sign of honor.
– Many people asked me about the stars… but I did not know what to answer them. Do you hear Roshan? For the first time in thousands of moons, I didn’t know what to say!
The shaman frowned.
«Yes, Hord, I see it too. They shimmered like a rainbow, and now this strange phenomenon… Have you ever noticed this?
– No… for all my moons – for the first time.
The leader nodded approvingly.
– And what do you think? asked the seasoned hunter.
«I can hardly imagine, Hord. In our world, everything happens in harmony, and in the world of heavenly fires there are many inexplicable things… Do you remember how our ancestors taught: «If the soul leaves the abode of Pangea, then a new star lights up in the sky»? But what does their bizarre glow and this mean? The leader pointed to the shining stake. – I don’t know…
«Yes…» the old man said in a barely audible voice, looking at what was happening in the sky.
«Maybe the elements have raged somewhere, and reptiles are dying in its captivity?.. And the spirits of Zavrini warn us with this sign? the shaman suggested.
«Perhaps… But even before the elements were rampant, and the stars did not warn us.
«And that is true, my friend. What if this is an unusual element that has never been before? Maybe you should ask her? – spreading his arms, suggested the leader.
Hord looked at the shaman in bewilderment.
Do you want to ascend to the stars in unity? the old man asked.
– Yes. With her eyes to see the radiance…
The experienced hunter thought for a moment and again fixed his eyes on the night sky.
«You know, Roshan, no one has looked at the stars with Her eyes before. And no one thought of it! I can’t even imagine what’s there – in infinity of luminaries, – Hord said puzzled. – And how long will you stay in unity, wandering among the stars?.. And in…
«They whispered to me, „Run!“,» the shaman interrupted excitedly.
The old man frowned:
When did you hear the call?
Just before our meeting.
– This is impossible! exclaimed the old man.
– Why? the leader was surprised.
I heard the same…
Are you sure Hord?
– Yes! I felt it when I left the Flame Tent before you came. I thought I felt it. But now I am sure that I heard the call just as I hear you now, Roshan.
The shaman considered.
«Zavrini’s premonition has always been a personal feeling of every hunter, but we both heard it overnight! the leader reasoned. «This has never happened before, Hord?»
– No, Roshan, this has definitely never happened!
«It is the glow and the spirits of Zavrini that disturb me, my friend. We must go to the Temple!
The experienced hunter was embarrassed, but immediately gathered his thoughts:
«Wait, leader, don’t rush. Wait for the hunting parties to return. The Zavrini are warning us of something, but they can be wrong too,» Hord pointed to the scar on the chieftain’s cheek.
«It’s been quiet here since we settled.
«What if the Rasaurs come?» Do not risk! I understand you, Roshan. Her eyes reveal to us the secrets of the created world, and the determination to learn something new is stronger than the most persistent will. But thousands of moons, the traces of Zavrini led our ancestors to the Great Volcano, and the spirits pointed the way for a reason! Definitely not to be overtaken by some kind of element or even worse – in your absence, the settlement was attacked by lizards. Do not risk! You learn from Her what kind of radiance it is. Find out what disturbs the spirits and tell people, but first wait for the hunting parties. And remember, Roshan, no one has looked at the stars with Her eyes before!
– I understood you. Ask which of the old shamans heard Zavrini and tell me, the leader urged convincingly.
– All right, chief, – Khord, encouragingly, patted Roshan on the shoulder and added: – Ignite the Fireplace. I will call the elders. Let’s see what Varn promised, and what will come of it. Let’s make a fire at the tent – we will teach the young!
***
The Pavilion of Flame was in disarray. Children ran everywhere with training weapons. Depicting a hunt to the joyful cries, the young descendants attacked the erected totem. Some were shooting at him with bows, others were beating him with sticks, others were arguing about the Great Hunt or about which of them was more agile and faster. There was a hum. In the midst of this bustle, women and elderly men sat in small groups near the refectory fires on the mats. Every now and then they shouted remarks about bad behavior to their offspring and immediately switched back to adult conversations.
Varnus noticed the leader who had just arrived. A short, thin craftsman – the offspring of a seasoned hunter Hord – in a hurry gathered his short dark hair, secured it with a bone hairpin and headed towards Roshan. On his right eye, the artisan wore a bandage – it was said that Varn, when he was very young (the eighth dozen moons of his age), flopped with araucaria by accident, so much so that he ran into a bough with his eye!
– Ah, Varn! I have no doubts about your work! exclaimed the leader, and, raising his hands, he pointed to the open spaces of the tent.
Hello, Roshan! Today, our troops will see the light of the Bonfire, and no hunter will be lost in the lands of Pangea!
The single brown eye of the resourceful Varn shone with anticipation. Varnus had no doubt that the Flame Totem would work.
– Of course they will! Thanks to you, we built this tent,» the shaman proclaimed, giving even more confidence to his fellow tribesman. – Well, then. Let’s see how your Fireplace works?
The one-eyed man nodded approvingly and went to his hearth for a torch, while the leader briefly examined those sitting in the tent and immediately noticed Anu. She settled down by the fire with the women at the other end of the building and squeezed her blue-eyed child. The child accidentally caught the gaze of his patron and, escaping from his mother’s arms, ran towards him.
– Dad!
Roshan smiled. The bustle in the tent subsided for a moment. Kindred paid attention to the child, and then to the leader.
The leader has arrived! someone shouted. – Set fire to the totem!
The first humans greeted Roshan by whistling and drumming their feet and clubs on the ground. The bongos and congos played. There was a joyful uproar!
The fair-haired girl ran to her father, and he picked her up in his arms.
«Pa, where were you?» We already want the Fireplace! she spoke loudly. – Come on, set it on fire!
Omi’s curly hair was braided into many braids, and her features were similar to Ana’s. And only huge blue eyes and scales on the cheekbones indicated a resemblance to the head of the clan. In the child’s right ear was an earring made of Lazun’s claw, on the bone of which a red field butterfly impregnated with the same resin was glued with the help of the resin of coniferous trees. The baby’s loincloth, like many girlish attire, was decorated with green dragonfly wings. More than seventy moons from birth, the chief’s daughter already looked like a young maiden and was a little taller than her parent’s knees, but her childlike voice and behavior still betrayed such a young age.
«Why aren’t you in the hut yet?!» Roshan asked playfully. «You should be dreaming by now!»
I don’t want dreams! Ma gave me permission. Permission to burn the Bonfire! she answered, laughing, and with her small hands clutched at the scythe protruding from the leader’s chin.
Roshan laughed. Suddenly he was surrounded by children:
– Roshan, tell us about the spirits!
«Chief, when will Zavrin’s eyes appear to us?!
– Why do we…
Many questions poured in from all sides.
«Not all at once, young hunters! Roshan exclaimed.
Immediately Varnus arrived and held out a light to the leader. The shaman softly whispered something in his daughter’s ear and, having received a portion of tickling in pursuit, the child, laughing loudly, rushed to his mother, and the leader took the torch and raised his fist. Silence reigned in the Pavilion of Flame. Everyone froze in anticipation of the speeches of the leader.
«The Four Great Fires have circled the sky since our hunters set off in search of prey!» Roshan said. «Varnus promised us that thanks to this pavilion, our rangers and stalkers would see the light of the Flame Totem!» And now we will set fire to the creation of Varn, so that the troops can see the way home – to the Great Volcano!
– Wu-u-u, Wa-a-arn! – there was an approving rumble of fellow tribesmen. – Set it on fire!
– May the glow of the Great Fire abide in their hearts! And their hearts will not go out with his departure, neither during the Great Hunt today, nor with the dawns of the coming Great Fires! the shaman growled as he approached the Fireplace. – May the spirits of Zavrini protect their bodies and souls. May the flames of Pangea give them strength!
«The spirits of Zavrini will protect their bodies and souls, may the flames of Pangea give them strength!» the others picked up.
Roshan brought the torch to the totem, and the Fireplace blazed with a white rage!
***
The Pavilion of Flame was the largest structure in the settlement. People covered the wooden structure of support posts and beams twice with dense reptile skin, and from the inside the leather cloth and wood were carefully smeared with limestone, which prevented accidental sparks and tongues of fire from burning through the skin and igniting the building. Outside, the tent, like ordinary huts, was decorated with bones, symbols and other drawings of life. The rounded shapes of the walls of the building gave the roof a peculiar look. Closer to the center of the tent, it was significantly extended upwards and looked like a bottomless quiver. Giant bottomless quiver! This part of the structure Varnus forced the tribesmen to re-tighten several times until they achieved the necessary elasticity and stability: sharp gusts of wind should not have shaken an important part of the structure. The elongated roof served as both a chimney and a source of light for the Flame Totem – the Fireplace. The entrance to the tent appeared overnight and blew.
The Fireplace itself was erected inside, right under the chimney, from large logs, branches and pieces of hardened resin of liana trees. The Flame Totem was almost as tall as an adult Thickskin! The erected idol was poured with thick reptile fat, the stocks of which the tribe had plenty of. According to Varna’s calculations, the fat had to ignite first. Then – the wood will burn out and the resin will melt. And so it happened. When the heat reached its limit, it became unbearable to be in the Tent of Flame: white particles of hot resin rose into the air and gradually filled the space of the structure; getting on the skin, they burned unpleasantly and left traces of soot.
«Let’s go faster, youngsters,» Varnus urged. «Otherwise, charred bones will go hunting instead of you!»
Teenagers, noisy and giggling, hurried to the exit. As soon as everyone left the building, Varnus tightly tightened the entrance with liana twine. It remains to wait until the resin completely burns out, and release the red-hot grains into the chimney.
A fire has already been lit in the clearing in front of the Pavilion of Flame. Watchmen sat around him, women, elders, whom Khord had called, and youngsters – restless descendants fooled around every now and then: they jumped from one bedding to another, pushed and squeezed each other.
When everyone was seated, one of the youths – Ronin, the son of the shaman Vall, the leader of one of the detachments of the Great Hunt – pointed to the sky with his hand and turned to the leader:
«Chief, the hunter Hord does not know why the stars were full of colors and what kind of rounded glow in the sky is!» Wasn’t he there before?
Everyone raised their heads and gasped in surprise, and whispering began among the elders. Roshan noticed the fuss of the old people and immediately replied:
«And you are observant, young man. Today is indeed an extraordinary night,» the shaman looked up at the luminous stake. «Look at the glow,» he turned to his fellow tribesmen. – The stars in it clung to each other and shine like never before!
The Kindred, who were in the Pavilion of Flame and helped build the Fireplace, did not see the shining stake at the moment when it was noticed by Roshan and Hord. Therefore, most of those sitting by the fire did not even suspect that it had managed to transform: the ring of light became much brighter, and the cluster of lights in its middle merged almost into a complete ball, as if a new luminary was born in the heights! Roshan did not show that he was surprised by the celestial manifestation, and while the juveniles, women and sentinel hunters, opening their mouths, looked at the glow in amazement, the leader glanced at the elders. Hord and a few old trackers caught the leader’s gaze. Shrugging their shoulders and shaking their heads in bewilderment, they made it clear that the wisest men of the tribe were also confused and did not know what this phenomenon was.
Roshan did not want to stir up confusion among his relatives, so he deliberately withheld the warning message whispered by the spirits.
«Zavrinis are asked to learn the secret of the radiance of heavenly fires. And when the hunters return, I will definitely do it! Have you heard the spirits of Zavrini yet? the chieftain asked Ronin, trying to distract the young from the strange appearance.
The green-eyed fellow was confused:
– No, chief. I didn’t hear… I…
«Tell us about the spirits, chief!» a black-haired girl sitting next to him interrupted the teenager.
– Yes, yes, leader, tell me about Zavrin! roared the rest of the children, immediately forgetting about the bizarre glow.
Some of the boys have already heard the story of the origin of Zavrini from the lips of relatives, but the young descendants really wanted the leader himself to tell the truth.
Roshan looked around at his Clanmates. The adults nodded approvingly, and the young froze in anticipation of the leader’s tale.
– Well… Listen carefully, future hunters, and remember my every word in order to retell to your sons, as my ancestors retelled to me! Roshan exclaimed. «Once Pangea, the giver of life, whose name means everything around that does not carry a soul in itself, created Zavrini in her own image – to think and create in the likeness! Razavr became the womb of Zavrini’s life, because She wanted Her intelligent children to be both fast and strong! So that they could survive and protect themselves in Her abode,» the leader spread his hands. «The reptile hatched eight eggs, and they hatched into creatures different from their parent. These creatures were like you and me. Four Zavrinis were larger than the rest. Two of them wore dark scales, almost black as night. Others in red skins were born – the color of their body was like the Great Fire at sunset. And those Zavrinis, which are smaller, had skin similar to the skin of sandy Rasaurs!..
«Roshan, were they reptiles or humans?» Ronin asked.
«Neither one nor the other,» the leader replied, frowning. – Their heads were human, but a little elongated, and their eyes* were like those of reptiles, yes! – at this tale, Roshan instantly embodied his vision in the eyes of a hunter – the whites of his eyes turned yellow, and the pupils narrowed and became one in one like a lizard. The young gasped in surprise, and the adults laughed. Returning his eyes to his ordinary appearance, Roshan continued: «Zavrini’s hind legs were similar to ours, but with large claws and strong, like those of their ancestors, the Rasaurs. Forelimbs – hands, only instead of five fingers sticking out three!
Suddenly, Roshan waved his hands and put his palms forward. With a brisk movement, he spread his fingers, so much so that the ring fingers pressed against the little fingers, and the middle ones pressed against the index fingers. In the semi-darkness, it seemed to the teenagers that the leader really had three fingers, and they groaned at the unexpected display.
«Climbing trees like we do is dexterous, they didn’t know how, but they ran faster than any carnivore. Not even the Vultures could catch up! Roshan exclaimed. – Other lizards in the flock did not recognize the offspring and tried to eat the ugly cubs, but the female stood up for her children. She could not resist for a long time, and the stupid Razaurs tore her apart!
The chief threw his arms up again, as if tearing a piece of leather in two. His story was so exciting that the future hunters were imbued in earnest. And the leader’s daughter was completely frightened. Covering her face with her hands, she pressed herself against her mother. There was a sob.
«Omi, Omi…» Ana tried to calm the child.
Roshan waved his hand to the fair-haired huntress, and she, wrapping the child in a leather blanket, went to the araucaria.
«Tell them, Hord,» the leader of the old man asked. – I’ll be right back.
The leader followed Ana, and the teenagers sitting by the fire instantly stared at the old man. Hord scratched his beard with a bone comb and picked up the story:
«Zavrini’s skin wasn’t all scaly. Once, at the Bolshoi Okhota, near the lime swamps, I found their petrified trace. How many moons does he have? I don’t know. But the footprint is larger than the human one. And it became clear from him that the skin of Zavrini on the feet was smooth, like mine.
Khord deftly threw off his sandal and put his foot in front of the seated ones. The bare heel of the old man shone from the glow of the fire. The tribesmen laughed in unison.
«So,» Hord continued, «the Rasaurs tried to eat the little Zavrinis, but they, frightened, rushed to their heels. They managed to hide among the roots and thickets of the liana forest. What happened next – we do not know, but we know for sure that two fair-skinned cubs survived.
«Hord, how do you know about light-skinned cubs?» the black-haired girl asked.
«My ancestor, Alak, told me, as his ancestor told him, and his ancestor, great-grandfather, that our tribe once stood near the banks of raging waters at a time when the last white-skinned Zavrini was alive,» the elder replied. – And that the first people appeared in the monastery of Pangea from the first feeling of Zavrin – not from an egg, like reptiles, but from a womb, like you, Elna! Hord added.
Sighs and gasps of surprise were again heard among the young listeners.
«And what is that feeling?» Elna asked timidly.