The Last Days of Pangea

The dungeon labyrinth didn’t end at Unity Hall. Within the grotto, on its other side, there was another passage that led to a similar cave, but much larger than the Temple. Dozens of tunnels were located in this cave, and the path through them was not explored. The first people were afraid of underground creatures that live and weave webs deep in the depths of the Great Volcano – gigantic creatures, continuations of the original lives. They appeared in the light of the Great Fire, but over time they did not like its rays, and they went underground, where darkness and dampness reigned. In order to protect themselves from this living creature, which the shamans saw near the tunnels inadvertently, and then briefly, the tribesmen decided to erect barriers at the entrance to the labyrinths. And on the barriers of these fixed horns. Staring into the impenetrable darkness, the goats guarded the rest of the first people from insects of creatures, and the high grotto before entering the kingdom of creatures was declared the Abode of Unity – the Temple of the Creator. A place where elders and leaders gathered to discuss real difficulties and future affairs, hunters and shamans – to know the flame of Pangea and the secrets of the unknown.

The leader took off his outer garment, beads, and, cross-legged, sat down on the mat. Inga placed small vats around him and placed resin candles in them. Then the healer gave Roshan a potion.

– Are you worried? the old woman asked.

– Yes a little…

When was the last time you were in unity with Her? I have already forgotten that past day when I gave you this potion to drink…

– In the camp near the liana forests. We went to a ravine in new lands, I was looking for a way, as it turned out – here, to the Great Volcano, – the shaman reminded.

The old woman smiled.

«And now the Zavrinis are driving us out. That’s the way things are… I hope you can figure it out! I like it here, and I don’t have the strength to wander anymore, Roshan. When will we find shelter for our descendants?

– Don’t worry, Inga, we’ve already found him. He’s here at the Great Volcano! the leader exclaimed.

The sorceress smiled. «We will stay where we are,» Roshan said. «At least now we have no reason to leave the camp.

Here the shaman sniffed the broth and looked inquiringly at the old woman.

«Come on, drink, my boy,» she said. – I added something there. Don’t worry, have a drink! As soon as you feel warm, tell me – I will light the candles.

The red flowers of the swamp fern were the strongest poison, but they tasted and smelled quite sweet. Roshan immediately smelled the familiar captivating aroma, so he hesitated. The fruits of plants could send anyone to eternal sleep, but with other healing herbs, the names and recipes of which only Inga understood, they were only supposed to accelerate the relaxation of the mind and body. The sorceress was certain of this!

As soon as the bowl was empty, the woman sat closer to Roshan and hugged him. The shaman responded by gently stroking the old woman’s back.

– Be careful with the stars! They are beautiful, but we know nothing about them,» the old woman whispered.

«Everything will be fine, Inga,» Roshan answered. «And the potion is fast-acting!»

– What? Already? the healer asked in surprise and stared with her green eyes at the leader’s eyeballs. – I added quite a bit of red flower. Didn’t think so…

– Set it on fire! Roshan interrupted her.

The shaman’s gaze slowly swam.

– Yes, I see. May Pangea keep your soul in unity,» Inga admonished.

The leader lowered his eyelids, nodding. The sorceress took a torch and lit the candles, and then carefully placed the dried roots of a bundle leaf on each candle. The roots began to smolder little by little, spreading a pleasant smelling aroma throughout the expanses of the Temple.

– Hord, old, where are you? It is time! What are you stuck in there? Inga said.

– I’m coming! – Returning from the passage with the barriers, the old man answered. – Checked the horns. Roshan, everything is whole, like…

«Shh, shut up, old man!» the woman interrupted. – Let’s go outside. We don’t belong here anymore.

An experienced hunter helped the old woman to her feet.

– So soon? he whispered, looking at Roshan.

«A red flower…» Inga whispered thoughtfully. I’ll dilute it more next time…

«May Pangea help your soul in unity!» – the elder barely audibly blessed the leader and, together with Inga, left the cave.

***

Silence reigned in the Temple of the Creator. Under the influence of the healer’s decoction, Roshan fell into a dream, but thoughts in a dream remained subject to him. Focusing his thoughts on the stars, the shaman embodied before him the events of the past night, and in the realm of oblivion, the radiance of the heavenly bodies appeared before the gaze of the leader. Penetrating deeper and deeper into the world of dreams, Roshan was able to see every moment in the night sky, which disturbed him the day before. He again saw the glow of heavenly fires and their crowding, a strange nebula, a flash of the skies and a red star. And in order to be among the stars during the time of unity, Roshan needed to keep the manifestation of memories as long as possible. The shaman recreated passages of the previous night over and over again, going over the details of what he had seen in his mind.

Meanwhile, smoldering herbs filled the grotto with aromas, and the distant bursts of an underground source and the crackle of blazing lights in immaculate silence gradually became more expressive. The peaceful atmosphere of the Temple seemed to revive and, having overcome the limits of the possible, slowly approached the dream of the leader. It squeezed in a thin mist through the nostrils and auricles straight into Roshan’s mind, and in his dream he felt the smell of incense and the murmur of the stream. The sound and flavor of reality mingled in oblivion with the embodiment of what was presented, blurring the line between the recreated past and present. Thus, in a stream of perfect harmony, reality penetrated into the manifestation of the past and awakened the flow of prana in the Temple of the Creator.

The leader felt how She quiveringly touched his bare feet with her fibers. Then Her touch rose a little higher and embraced the ankles. Life threads in the form of thin stems of plants unseen in Her abode, breaking through from the ground cover of the Temple, began to envelop the body of the leader in numerous beginnings. Squeezing through the cut of the robe on the hips, they were already crawling along the naked torso and, branching into dozens of processes, continued to excite a surge of energy in the camp of the man. A moment later, the same fibers, escaping from the ground nearby, touched the tips of the fingers. First, they clasped the phalanxes, and then, confidently moving to the palms and not slowing down for a moment, reached out to the shaman’s shoulders.

The leader raised his eyelids. The irises of his eyes turned black like night and merged with the pupils, and the whites filled with a scarlet glow!

On the reliefs of the grotto, the shadows from the light of the flame of candles and torches have disappeared. The surroundings of the Temple faded, and a red nebula formed everywhere. Suddenly around, at a distance of the shaman’s outstretched hand, sources of glow flared up. Bright multi-colored tiny lights, now connecting with each other, then avoiding collisions, with incredible swiftness began to randomly circle around. Those that merged together, pushed out one by one into the expanses of the cave in the form of extinguished particles. The remnants of the lights slowly settled on the rock paintings and in the cavities of the carved symbols of the first people throughout the Temple of the Creator, and those sources of glow that never touched, like swamp mosquitoes, divided into small flocks and hung in the space of the grotto.

Meanwhile, the fibers of life reached the head of the leader, and a radiance radiated from the stems of the creator. It covered the entire cave, engravings and paintings on the walls of the Temple of the Creator blazed with green flames. Roshan was overtaken by unity with Pangea – his soul left the flesh and turned into an essence…

Primal hunt

The rays of the Great Fire illuminated the hunting trails of the first people. The Giver of Warmth rose high into the sky and hovered over the Bennettite field, breathing new day into the endless expanse of a recently created world. From mountain ranges to dense palm-like plains, from swamps and arid steppes to coniferous and liana forests, from deep lakes and fast-flowing rivers to impenetrable jungles and thickets of araucaria – Fire embraced everything, and only the raging waters washing the shores of Her creations remained on the dark side light alone with the cold stars and the moon. In the midst of the abundance of impregnable and unexplored nature, in every inspiration of its creator, the life of the then inhabitants, from young to old, was in full swing: huge dragonflies, horned beetles, colorful butterflies and other marvelous living creatures buzzed everywhere in flocks; buzzing, chirping and chirping, they created a universal rumble that carried to the most secluded corners of the mysterious, sometimes dangerous and unknown abode of all living things. Even the cave creatures that had abandoned the Great Fire heard the alluring singing of their relatives, but hostility to the rays of the luminary left the once reigning species in the dark labyrinths of rocky volcanoes.

Somewhere in the fields near the boulders, jumping out of the grass after low-flying butterflies, from time to time the heads of small cold-blooded ones showed up. Expecting easy prey, bipedal carnivores, squeaking, hid among the young shoots of the cycad and occasionally climbed small hills to catch the smells of something edible brought by the wind. Larger lizards tried not to give themselves away, and only by swaying grass or bushes could one understand that they were somewhere out there – hunting down their own kind in order to feed their offspring, or hiding so as not to become prey for others.

On this most ordinary day, from the outskirts of the liana forest into the bennettite field, the most ordinary inhabitant of this world came out to graze – a dark blue herbivorous Longneck. But he didn’t leave of his own accord. Hunters contributed to this. Noisy and occasionally appearing before the giant’s eyes, they deliberately forced the creature to leave the thickets. Huge, fifteen or twenty paces from head to tail and almost ten in height considering the length of the neck, Long Neck felt the presence of people. But the good-natured reptile did not suspect why they had come. She nibbled on the grass and leaves of the ginkgo trees, sometimes stopping and warily looking at the thickets around her.

If this herbivore were Tailtail or Razorthorn, he would have long ago made those who disturbed his peace flee, but Longneck’s temperament, unusually for a lizard, was too soft and affable. Taking advantage of this, the beaters-pathfinders lured him into the field with hunting tricks, since the dense vine forest was not the best place for the Big Hunt: huge boulders lay everywhere, mighty trees with trunks, vines and roots tearing the soil created countless obstacles, preventing archery or throwing a spear. And the frequent fern thickets were fraught with dangers: small and large predators were regulars in the cool forests, and they would certainly take the opportunity to hunt along with people, and at the same time on them! For these reasons, the lizard ended up here alone, in full view, and the same beaters were furtively following him.

A teenager and an adult man were dressed in vestments made of thin reptile skins – windings that covered the genitals and some parts of the body: the hands to the elbows and the legs from the ankles to the very knees. Above the robes, except for the area of the hips and torso, were green-painted protective shells – hunting armor made from the bones of various, mostly herbivorous lizards. The shells protected vulnerable places, and in the event of an attack by predators, at least they did not allow their powerful jaws to close.

The tall, broad-shouldered hunter was much older than his compatriot. His fiery curls, collected in an armful at the top of his head, were held by a hairpin made from the tooth of a small lizard. Her hair gradually grew into a curly beard, from which, like a vine, a neatly braided pigtail hung down. The beater’s once broken nose resembled a Raptor’s claw. This disadvantage, obtained by negligence, did not disfigure the appearance at all, but only emphasized the pointed features of the face. In the man’s right ear hung an earring made from the fangs of various reptiles. The spike of the Sharpthorn protruded from the left, and beads made from the teeth of herbivorous lizards adorned the neck. The ranger’s large brown eyes blended with the tinge of scaly skin. And if it were not for the whites of the eyes, then on the swarthy face the eyes would have remained completely inconspicuous. The whole body of the hunter from birth was covered with small clay-colored specks. The shamans of the first people believed that these spots were a talisman of the Great Fire, and judging by the barely noticeable scars on the areas of the legs and arms of the red-haired man that were not protected by shells, this superstition was quite justified: the one who bore the name Taro on free hunting fell into the abode of carnivores more than once, and although inattention cost many lives, he got only small bites and cuts.

The second beater was very young, but this did not prevent him from getting on the Big Hunt. The narrowed blue eyes of a teenager were separated by a wide bridge of nose, a narrow forehead smoothly turned into small spiked growths, and between them stretched light, combed back hair that barely reached the neck. The pale skin tone of the youngster did not succumb to the rays of the Great Fire, and the bright drawings on the bare parts of the body and face harmoniously merged with the painted armor. Unlike the usual daub on the protective shells of Taro, the work of the young Salas on his own body and armor bore a mysterious design that generates the element of flame. But despite the similarity with the engraving of shamans and hunters, skillfully applied symbols and silhouettes of lizards served only as decoration and disguise and did not affect the teenager’s human ardor in any way.

Armed with bows and spears, with leather bags and quivers over their shoulders, the first men cautiously crept up to Longneck. Suddenly, Salas stumbled and almost fell to the ground.

– Hush hush! Look under your feet. He already knows that we are watching him. You’ll scare me, and you’ll have to drive on a new one! – Taro warned the young man and climbed onto the giant cycad.

The immense trunks of cycads, by the way, were slightly taller than adults, and the branches growing along the edges at the end of the trunk, densely strewn with large yellow-green leaves, fanned out towards the Great Fire and created shelter. Towering above the grass, cycads in the field served as excellent observation points, thereby allowing them to inspect the surroundings without falling into the eyes of reptiles.

«Maybe I want to scare him!» Salas was outraged. How can we hunt them? Look, this giant won’t hurt a beetle. Old man Hord recently told at the fire how the same lizard allowed himself to be stroked…

The soul of young Salas was tormented by dislike for predators and pity for herbivores. Why the will of Pangea and the instructions of the ancestors instructed to arrange crafts only for harmless creatures – a question that haunted him. In addition, this was his first hunt, and Salas did not yet understand hunting matters at all.

Radon, the senior watchman and relative of Salas, understood that the time had come for the offspring to test himself on the hunter’s path as a beater. The youngster was shining with the third hundred moons, and he was about to recognize in himself the feelings of Zavrin – the eyes and premonition that the first people got from rational ancestors. Shaman Vall approved the request and took the youth to the squad under the supervision of Taro. Vall, of course, was aware of Salas’ prejudice against herbivorous lizards, but he was sure that the Great Hunt would make a real man out of him! If he copes with the corral, then next time be his assistant on patrol. And then – a free hunter. If he wants to, he will be able to leave the settlement without the knowledge of the leaders, and there, on a free hunt, he will mature and learn premonition and the ability to see. See through the eyes of reptiles.

For four days, the shaman’s squad scoured the unfamiliar paths of the liana forest in search of prey and constantly went out to the Vultures, then to small predators. But the first people avoided both of them. Today, Longneck was tracked down, and Salas was upset about it. He really liked these creatures, and the exciting stories of the seasoned hunter Hord about herbivorous giants did cause strange feelings of attachment to such reptiles. But the youth understood that there was going to be a Great Hunt. And the young trackers from the detachment, in the event of a failure with the corral, will simply laugh at him. Or even worse – Vall or the leader, in front of everyone around the fire, will begin their tales about the unsuccessful hunt of one of the beaters. And Salas wanted that least of all.

Taro, an experienced hunter who drove more than one giant, was cold-blooded and unshakable. He tried to ignore the youngster’s impulses and not be distracted. Moreover, he was responsible for the child, which Taro considered Salas, and at the same time all those who, instead of scars on their bodies and faces, had useless drawings of being and far-fetched victories over lizards. Yes, carnivores often attacked fickle camps, but since ancient times, shamans and those who have lived for thousands of moons have been repeating: «To live in harmony is the plan of Pangea! Herbivores are a gift to us in the womb to exist in this world. Predators and Vultures are the eternal keepers of the balance of Her abode. And our first ancestors, the Razaurs, who did not accept Zavrin, who did not succumb to the will of the creator and were doomed to be soulless, are a reminder to the first people of who they are now and who they were. Killing the carnivores and the doomed for the sake of saving human life is a good deed! And for the sake of food or self-interest – it is tantamount to killing one’s own kind! And the Tarot unquestioningly honored the instructions and precepts of the wise.

«We can hunt Rasaurs, or at least Raptors, can we?» – the teenager was indignant.

«You know, Salas, that we can’t,» Taro replied. «And Her will is not the only reasonable reason. Poisoning a large lizard is much more practical than catching dozens of small Raptors, especially since these scoundrels are too fast. No one will run after the Raptors! I will deliberately keep silent about the Rasaurs… Oi! – the hunter did not restrain himself. «I’m even afraid to imagine how you are going to hunt them!» I wonder who will track down whom faster – Razavr you or you him?

Do you think I’m that stupid? Of course he me. But when Zavrini’s eyes appear to me, everything will be different! I will not hunt harmless creatures,“ Salas protested. „Squads have always defended and driven the Rasaur away from the camp. Why not start hunting for them?

«Do you seriously think that driving a pack of Rasaurs away from a camp is tantamount to hunting?» Have you really thought to yourself, youngster, that you are the smartest? Even if their blood were alien to us, none of the leaders under any pretext would risk their relatives! Hungry Razaurs for our carcasses are not ready to die, therefore, when they feel a mortal threat, they retreat from the settlements. If you start hunting for lizards, you will put them at a crossroads: which of you should be prey! That’s when you will know the real fury of the reptiles,» Taro chuckled.

«I’m not afraid of the Razaurs!» AND…

While the young beater was talking about the injustices of hunting, the giant snorted and, stretching his neck, began to sniff and look around excitedly, gradually moving away from the prepared ambush. The lizard sensed something was wrong, and Taro drew attention to it. With a conventional gesture, the man stopped another chatter of a teenager and instantly embodied his gaze. Salas froze, watching his relative.

The whites of Taro’s eyes were filled with yellow, and the pupils narrowed. The bright colors of the real world – the sky, grass, shrubs and other vegetation – dissolved in the hunter’s gaze and acquired cold gray hues. Perception in the eyes of the hunter weakened the light of the Great Fire, everything around turned pale, and only some details of the environment, to which Taro paid special attention, concentrating his eye on them, kept the color of reality. The rustling of grass, the rustling of leaves from gusts of wind, the rumble of insects – everything around calmed down, resounding with a barely audible echo in the subconscious of a man. And only the deep rhythmic beats of Longneck’s heart in the ears of the red-haired hunter broke the muffled sounds of reality.

Taro looked around carefully. The eyes of Zavrini – the eyes of a hunter – made it possible to see, hear and distinguish all living things around. Penetrating the distance with his eyes, Taro could see in the distance what the human gaze was beyond the power of. All those who were endowed by the creator with a heart, which of the reptiles could hide nearby in the grass or thickets, did not go unnoticed! And today the Great Fire itself favored the Great Hunt. Apart from the huge red relief of muscles, veins, and the flawless skeleton of Longneck, from which people would later make protective shells, there was no one nearby. With the gaze of a hunter, Taro saw the smallest detail that was hidden by the dense skin of a lizard. Huge muscles, every vein, down to the bones – everything was before the eyes of the beater. Like a web that cave creatures weave, the giant’s crimson heart was wrapped in many blood vessels. The source of life contracted quiveringly and uneasily, betraying the excitement of the reptile with tactless, momentarily fading blows.

– Taro? What’s there? Salas asked, pulling himself up to the trunk.

The man took another look at the area.

«I don’t know what came over him… Everything seems to be quiet. It is time! he commanded and jumped to the ground. «We need to get around and launch the arrow.

Taro’s eyes returned to their former human form, and the beaters rushed around Longneck, and the giant wandered lazily, moving away from the planned ambush.

Running, hiding among the vegetation, the tribesmen reached a convenient position and began to prepare.

Come on Salas! He must be returned to the detachment, otherwise we will remain hungry!

The teen sighed deeply as he unslung his double bow from his shoulder and took out an arrow from his quiver.

«Come on, come on, Salas!» You have the blood of real hunters! – Taro encouraged, pulling out the remains of silicon from the bag. «Zavrini’s presentiment promised me that today there would be a successful hunt!»

«But they haven’t told me anything yet!» the young man balked.

On the third attempt, the stones sparked. The reptilian-greased wrapping of thin, dry, loose branches of the liana tree at the end of the arrow ignited. The teenager looked sadly at Long-necked and, raising his bow to the sky, he pulled the bowstring with all his strength. Having gained maximum height, the arrow hung in the air for a moment and, leaving a dark plume of soot, headed towards the ground. Valla’s squad received the signal.

***

On the other side of the field, behind a small rocky hillock, sticking out alone on the outskirts of the liana forest, was the main party of hunters. Lying on ledges, smeared with the juice of ground coniferous leaves, which interrupted the smell of human presence, dressed in leather vestments, in bone armor and armed to the teeth, two dozen rangers, and with them the shaman Vall himself, were already waiting for prey. Powerful bows, wooden spears and clubs with carved stone tips and Edge stones – all this, engraved and painted with symbols from hilts and blades to shock parts, today will break another giant so that the tribe of the first people would not remain hungry and continue their race.

The hunters had gone too far from explored lands, and in all the days only Raptors, Lazoons, and scavengers Vultures had been encountered on the fishing trail. Honoring the will of Pangea, the precepts and instructions of ancestors and sages, nosy Raptors and small scoundrels, people shunned, and the meat of scavengers was nasty and smelly. Like all herbivores, the Vultures ate vegetation, but they did not refuse any dead or half-eaten flesh: because of the disgusting diet, the fried meat of the Vulture tasted like rotten meat, and the smell even gave off droppings. Eating these reptiles was not possible! And since the stocks in the village were coming to an end and it was completely unknown how the other hunting parties were doing, the Great Longneck Hunt today became significant. The carcass of the lizard would have been enough for the tribe for several moons!

Vall, the black-haired leader of the Great Hunt, donned a Rasaur skull helmet. The inner part of the bone, lined with thick leather, sat tightly on the long curls of the shaman, hiding his face to the chin. Through the bored holes that once served as the eyeballs of a reptile, the bright green eyes of the leader shone. Pulling on his helmet, Val took over the responsibility of the huntsman. While the others distract their prey by hitting it with spears and archery, Vall will try to climb onto the lizard’s back in order to stick a powerful knife made of Edgestone into the victim’s neck more than once before the reptile falls dead.

Yesterday, the Zavrinis themselves whispered to the shaman about the glorious hunt, but tonight the heavens cast a strange sign. Val looked at the rest of the hunters and thought.

On the eve of the sunset of the Great Fire, the detachment set up camp on a liana tree, almost at its very top. When it got dark, Wall replaced Taro on patrol. And when the first rays of moonlight began to break through the foliage, the leader of the Great Hunt climbed to the other side of the crown, under the starry sky, where mighty Pterosaurs reigned. Val knew that today, at the foot of the Great Volcano, his tribesmen would set fire to the creation of Varna.

The path of the detachment lay through the liana forest, and they wandered through it for four days. But during the day, climbing the crowns and following the path back to the camp was tantamount to death! The lords of the skies, the giant Pterosaurs, sensed the human spirit from thousands of paces away. Once the shaman had already seen such a predator… Only the light of the Fireplace, promised by Varn, could show the path through the forest, and only at night did the winged lizards become inactive. Despite the danger and risk, Wall climbed to the top of a liana tree and saw an unusual phenomenon there – a bright luminous circle formed in the middle of the sky. The stars in it seemed to cling to each other, and it seemed that another moon was born in the sky.

The shaman peered into the heavenly miracle for a long time, trying to unravel the cause of the mysterious radiance, but inadvertently he was attracted by another unfamiliar glow – far on the horizon, Val saw a stream of light. Bright and mobile, as if alive, a thin flickering beam clearly stood out among the darkness. Closer to the sky, it was a little wider than at the source. The glow swayed randomly to the left, then to the right, like nothing else, never seen before! And the leader guessed that they were particles of hot tar – the light of the Campfire. This is how the one-eyed man described his manifestation.

«Good job Varn!» thought the shaman and took out a parchment. Wall marked the end of the liana forest and marked on the map the path to the Great Volcano. After that, the leader contemplated a mysterious luminous circle in the sky for some more time in order to understand what kind of manifestation it was, but nothing sensible came to mind – the shaman saw such a phenomenon for the first time. And when he was about to return to the camp, the mysterious stake suddenly flared up, as if lightning flashed in the valley.

Val shuddered in shock. Soon the dazzling glare in his eyes weakened, and the leader saw how the glow of a strange phenomenon hastily disappeared, and in its place a bright bizarre star was born. It shimmered with shades of scarlet and was more expressive and larger than other stars. Amazed by the appearance of the red luminary, Wall admired his stay for a long time. And when the shaman went down to the camp, anxiety suddenly flooded over him. Zavrini’s foreboding made the leader feel something was wrong. It seemed to him that a star born in the sky brought death!..

Wall did not tell his fellow tribesmen about what he had seen at night. Didn’t want to disturb the hunting mood. The leader wanted to quickly hunt down any giant that came across and return to the Great Volcano to report the vision to the leader Roshan.

Val, are you sure? – the young tribesman disturbed the leader.

The shaman frowned.

What are you, Arwen? You think I’m too old for the Big Hunt?! Watch and learn, son, while I move my feet! Forgot where I got this helmet from? Vall was indignant and tapped his fist on the top of the skull.

The rest of the hunters chuckled softly. Arwen also smiled, not at all doubting his leader. After all, every young ranger heard this story, and experienced ones saw with their own eyes the fierce battle of the brave Wall with an underdeveloped ancestor.