Rey De-Heavens (English)

1.1

Inside the cave, Rey believed that the sticky unstable ground, which wavered between solid and liquid, had a life of its own. That it was like a sleeping giant just waking up very hungry.

Intent on shedding the mud, sweat and blood that covered his body, the little boy shook himself again and again, however ineffectively, to get deeper into the interior, where the moisture could not reach him. That was the only place around that would provide safety for him along with his inseparable furry companion, who efficiently shook the water from his fur and stretched out on the ground to satisfy the needs of his heaving lungs.

The little guy began to understand that even if he felt safe from all that lay beyond his new shelter, it didn't mean he was safe from what he could feel. He had stopped running, he had stopped the activity that had so tired him so far, but, still, he felt defeated. He sensed an enormous weight on his shoulders and a thick rope around his neck. Two factors that would not let him stand. "I need to lie down on the ground," he thought. Extreme fatigue was stalking him. His own body had him cornered and he didn't understand why. Once lying on the rough ground made up of roots, Rey felt a sensation coming over him that promised to bring even more darkness, neglect and weakness.

"Something else is being done out there," he said, alarmed, to himself after time passed and the rain began to fall. "I hear it falling from above. Dripping all over the place. Hitting the ground and wanting to keep going. Willing to end up being sucked into the blanket of dust and fallen leaves."

He could not see, nor did he know what rain was. He could only listen and analyze.

"The brittle boulders that usually rise into the air, the ones I always hit my forehead with while running blindly, are being engulfed by the ground, I'm sure. The ground is dangerous. Not to be trusted when awake. I was able to realize it in time. I'm fine here, it's safe. Yes, the ground here is still sleeping and not sticky like outside. As long as I have this place I don't have to keep moving until I get my energy back. Even if it is very slow and I am very agile. No need to risk it. Running makes me want to stop, makes me weak, and short of breath. It makes me tired..."

Time passes.

"I have shelter, but no food Maybe that's why I don't regain my energy? The water keeps falling. It doesn't give up. But, no matter how much my stomach rumbles, it's better to keep waiting, to wait for the earth to go to sleep... I could have stayed inside the tent Heroclades created, even if it means sharing a bed with him. Still, sleeping well and safe will not make me strong enough to solve my other problem, mother, father and the others. Yes, they who now sleep, but, just as the water awakened the earth, the light will awaken them and at that time they will come for me, wherever I am. As long as it is within this circle... I think... Perhaps it is the most convenient time to close my eyes, to surrender. To, perhaps, sleep as they do. To rest for a while, an instant; my comrade is also lying at the entrance. She can see and take care of me, entertain herself watching the water fall. Instead, I see black, even if I close my eyes tightly or open them as wide as I can. Everything is dark to me... I wonder if Heroclades knew that perhaps not being able to see would prevent me from escaping?"

Inside the cave, not only did the floor made up of roots or the presence of the furry companion provide security for the little one, but, between his bruised fingers, the child of beasts held an instrument he had created with his hands and teeth. A rustic spear fashioned from wood and the coiled horn he had found in the dead skull of an immense animal that, when alive, with its elongated legs, ran as fast as the wind. He, too, spent much of his time on a tree. He learned by seeing firsthand how one of those animals, which fed on grasses, could rival the claws and teeth of the smaller meat-eating animals. All thanks to the elongated horn on its forehead and its aggressive behavior when cornered. He would always take aim at the enemy and then run away.