Celestial Roots

Chapter 19 - The storm

Færn was facing Taghna. He was wearing an old loincloth around his hips. The day was dawning and the dark blue of the sky was dotted with white clouds in which Taghna would have liked to immerse herself. She realized that she could no longer calm down near the earth, and her mind was irremediably drawn to the blue immensity that hovered above all the things that surrounded her. She let herself go into the contemplation of the immensity.

More serene, she looked for her brataïr. Slavan was walking slowly towards the mataïg. He was even more emaciated than the last time she had seen him. His hollow cheeks brought out his cheekbones and jawline.

He went to introduce himself to the séalyar. Séabanh, back from her harvest with Maoïr, approached the boy. He didn't need to say anything, to confess his defeat in the form of words. When she saw it so shaken and weak, the dean understood. She put her hand on his shoulder and forced him to look her straight in the eye. Taghna saw a mixture of feelings: pain but no bitterness or disappointment. Still silent, Séabanh let got of Slavan. The dean closed the entrance to the mataïg with a weary gesture.

There was nothing more to expect.

Out of habit, Slavan went to where the children had gathered every night to eat, talk and sleep. The place around which they had shared so many warm moments no longer existed. Only a trace of earth, blackened by fire, remained. The old heat had disappeared and would not return until the next generation of children.

He remained there for a moment, contemplating the empty space before going to sit against the wall of a house. Taghna wanted to join him but she knew that nothing would fill the void he was experiencing anymore. She felt strangely connected to him, because she herself felt a lack that she had difficulty describing. The path that had guided their steps had suddenly disappeared. They found themselves without direction.

Asgeül brought a bowl of smoking meat to Slavan. She too was sparsely dressed in a skin with holes in it. Around her neck was tied a wolf's fang. When Taghna saw the object, she felt an even greater abyss opening up in her. Not only had Asgeül managed to survive, she had also felled one of the forest's most cunning predators. Thanks to this small object, her link to the village was well-deserved, clear and definitive.

Slavan refused the food, turning his head away. He didn't want to take what didn't belong to him anymore. The sneaky and painful realization of being a burden for others crept into his thoughts. It altered and infected all relationships that were otherwise carried out naturally. His brataïr convinced him to eat anyway. After all, the food was ready, so it should not be wasted. He accepted with reluctance and also because he was famished.

Taghna looked at the adults who went about their business without conviction. Some were weaving baskets, others were finishing sorting food that had been left to dry on a roof. They were eager to officially end the stroïgil.

As far back as their memories went, they had never witnessed such a massacre. Only Caïséan, Asgeül, Taghna and Færn had survived. They were barely enough to form a cuélan. Everyone was wondering how they would survive the next Hir.

There were certainly fewer mouths to feed, but adults who had previously spent a lot of time refraining from eating in order to promote children's development had to regain their strength before they could begin to fill the reserves. They had to eat a large amount of fruit, fish, roots and leaves that were still tender and full of nutrients. Then would come the time of the hunt, when the young adults were at their peak and could spend long, uninterrupted days tracking.

The inhabitants of Séaroën no longer had much time: the séalyar had delayed the stroïgil as long as they could. That was not all. If, until now, the days had lengthened and the adults had been busy checking the state of their territory and teaching the children, this slowness was not for nothing. They knew that they also gave game the opportunity to grow and gain strength.