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