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
