2. Humans are nicer than I thought

I traveled for days before I left the mountains behind. Once, I met a bear, and if I hadn’t been able to climb trees as fast as the squirrels, who knows how I might have ended up.

I did not have many provisions left in my pack when, one day, I came to some treeless land, relatively flat and dotted with flowers. I wandered through it with curiosity and saw a large herd of deer in the distance. I continued to move forward when I came upon a huge white snake. Well, it wasn’t a snake, it was a trail.

“A path,” I said aloud.

I was pretty sure that this was what was called a path. And as my master had told me that paths were made for walking, so I did.

“Where will you take me?” I asked.

“To the east, to your own kind!” I exclaimed.

Well, since my master wasn’t by my side for real, I pretended he was. It was always comforting to hear him speak, even if it was through my own voice.

When the sky began to darken, I strayed from the path and went back into the woods, only to realize that the white snake had slightly led me away from the mountains. I didn’t quite like that. I walked between the trunks, patting them and watching them, and then stopped in front of one and smiled.

“Tonight I sleep with you, big tree. You don’t mind? I swear I don’t snore anymore. My master told me so.”

I climbed the branches and settled down in the heart of the tree. The sounds of the night were similar to those back in the cave. Which is why, tired and serene, I fell asleep right away. I dreamed that I was sitting on a huge branch, surrounded by several squirrels, and one of them, with a serious expression, was taking an acorn and throwing it far, far away, to a field of flowers that lit up like lanterns in the middle of the night.

When I awoke, I yawned, ate some of the roots from my supplies, and went on my way, but this time, I did not go back to the white snake: I went along the mountains, through a land covered with tall grass. I was whistling when I came to the top of one of those small mountains that must have been called hills and saw the forest. It was very large, but it was not in the mountains.

It was frightening to be so alone, I must admit, because sometimes, I imagined that a lynx or one of those monsters my master had told me about would appear and attack me. And walking through a treeless meadow worried me. How could I escape a wolf if it ran faster than me?

With relief, I entered the forest and felt almost at home again. Not completely, because my master was not there, nor the slopes, nor the squirrels, and the trees were different. The forest was very dense and I lost the sunrise. I found some berries, but my master had told me that I should not eat what I did not know, so I did not touch them. Instead, I ate the eggs from a bird’s nest. I found them delicious.

“I like you very much, trees,” I said one day, a little irritated. “But I did not leave my master to come and see you. I came to see my own kind, my people. And I have been looking for them for days. And nothing, I can’t find them. I should have followed the white snake,” I muttered. “Shouldn’t I?”

But it was too late to turn back: I didn’t know where I had come from. So I kept going. And luck smiled on me when, on the evening of that same day, I saw that the forest was disappearing and giving way to hills of grass. I did not dare to go far from the edge when, suddenly, I saw the white snake, and I laughed.

“Ah, there you are!”

Despite the rain, I ran out of the forest and went to check that it was a path. I followed it in the rain, and then, freezing, I took refuge in a large, lonely tree near the snake, climbed up, and wrapped myself in my blanket. The spell on the blanket was not working as well as before, and it was not as warm either. How many days had it been since I had left my master? I didn’t know, but quite a few days already.

The next morning, I awoke with a start when I heard a noise. I opened my eyes and clung to the largest branch in wonder. On the white snake, a hornless deer was passing by with a person on it.

“My own kind,” I murmured.

A wave of memories came over me, from when I was a little boy playing in front of a house. The deer was trotting along and soon disappeared behind a hill.

“It can’t be a deer,” I muttered, remembering a story my master had told me. What then? A mule?

The best thing to do was to ask my own kind. I looked up and was suddenly left speechless. There, in the distance, I saw a city. There were houses. And people.

When I got there, I first looked around at least twenty times. I took a few more steps and entered the city. Curiosity and wonder made me turn my head like a restless squirrel. I found a larger place where I saw people behind tables with containers full of food. In one of them, there were strawberries, and my mouth watered.

It was only after a long time that I gathered my courage to speak with a person a little taller than me, who was eating something with a good appetite.

“Do you speak my language?” I asked.

He looked me up and down, eyes wide, and swallowed what was in his mouth.

“By all the spirits, what’s that?” he let out.

I smiled, relieved to understand him, then thought about the meaning of his question and returned a puzzled look.

“Excuse me?”

“Excuse me,” the boy repeated, he looked at me again from head to foot, then laughed. “I can’t believe it! Are you human?”

I shrugged.

“That’s what I’ve heard. What about you?”

The boy was laughing. At least, he was cheerful.

“Human to the core,” he replied. “You, on the other hand, look like an out-and-out savage.”

“Never heard of Atenout,” I confessed. “Is it a new place?”

“That one’s crazy,” the boy commented. And he turned to another person who was busy at a table loaded with food. He shouted, “Hey, Mama! Did you see him?”

Mama looked at me, and her expression changed.

“Oh, you poor little thing!” she exclaimed. “You are so skinny!”

I smiled at her.

“Hello,” I said. I had not finished the word when Mama handed me something that looked like a fruit. I took it with an exclamation of surprise. “How kind!”

I was hungry, so I took a bite. It burned my tongue a little. I asked:

“This city, what’s it called?”

“A city?” Mama repeated as the boy burst out laughing. “It’s a village, kid. If you’re looking for a city, you’ll have to go on this way. Where are you from?”

I made a vague gesture with my hand.

“From over there.”

“From the forest?”

“From further away.”

“From the Evon-Sil Valley?”

“That’s it!” I nodded, relieved. At least, that name hadn’t changed.

“And you came all this way alone? Why?”

I shrugged.

“To go see my people.”

“Your people! And where do they live?” As I cast a puzzled glance at her, she suggested, “At Estergat?”

I nodded slowly and asked:

“Is Estergat a city?”

“Hahaha…!” the boy laughed.

“Hishiwa!” Mama scolded. “Yes, kid, it’s a city. It’s the capital of the Republic of Arkolda.”

“Estergat, then,” I said, smiling. “By the way, thanks for the fruit. It’s really good.”

The boy collapsed with laughter.

“The fruit, he says!”

“Quiet, Hishiwa!” Mama demanded, her eyebrows furrowed. “Tell me, little one. What’s your name?”

“Mor-eldal,” I replied.

“Well, Mor-eldal, you are in luck. My son will travel to Estergat to work for his uncle the glassmaker. He will leave in an hour with old Dirasho, on his cart. If you like, you can wait and he will take you too, what do you think?”

“Ah, thank you, Mama!” I said, not knowing how to thank her better.

Mama smiled at me, and I smiled back. Her smile widened and then faded as Hishiwa laughed harder.

“Ah, Mama, I’m going to travel with him? And there I thought I was going to be bored to death with old Dirasho!”

“Calm down, Hishiwa!” Mama growled. “Can’t you see he’s from somewhere else? And a little respect for old Dirasho. He may not be much of a talker, but he’s a straight man with a good heart. Anyway… Be kind to your new companion. Mor-eldal,” she added in an affable tone. “Will you wait here for a bit? I’ll go and talk to Dirasho. Sit down there on the stool, there, good. I’ll be right back.”

Mama made sure to leave me sitting on the stool and walked away. More serious now, Hishiwa sat down on the stool next to mine. He had a small nose, blue eyes, pale skin, and brown hair. Exactly like me, except my nose was medium-sized, my eyes were dark gray, my skin was tan, and my hair was black.

“Here,” he said. He handed me something. I took it, and he explained, “There’s nothing like a piece of bread to get the onion through. So, you’re from the mountains?”

“Yeah,” I said, as I ate. “A few days ago, I was surrounded by trees, and suddenly, everything changed. I came all the way down and followed the rivers and paths. It’s amazing how everything changes.”

Hishiwa looked at me with a smile, but he didn’t laugh anymore.

“It sure must impress,” he said. “You’ve never been to Estergat, have you?”

“The city? No, never,” I confessed.

Hishiwa shook his head.

“Are your people really there?”

“I think sho,” I replied. I swallowed my mouthful. “Actually, I’m going there mostly to see. And to look for a ferilompard.”

Hishiwa opened his eyes wide.

“A ferilompard?”

“Yes.”

“And what’s a ferilompard?”

I pouted.

“Well… It’s a creature. But I don’t know which one, yet. I’ll find out,” I assured him. And I smiled at him. “And, believe me, when I want to find out a thing, I do.”

Hishiwa looked at me thoughtfully.

“I believe you. Hey, if you need any help, you let me know.”

I looked at him, genuinely surprised.

“You want to help me find the ferilompard? Seriously?”

“Seriously,” he assured with a smile. “It intrigues me. I’ve never heard of this creature, you understand.”

“Oh, well, thank you! Hey, you guys around here are really nice.”

I had to admit that I was beginning to find the sajits really friendly. We exchanged a smile. And he said:

“But, by the way, what’s the ferilompard for?”

I hesitated.

“Well. First, we have to find it. Then we’ll see.”

He did not insist, for Mama was already coming back. She looked satisfied.

“He says it’s fine, of course!” she announced. “By the way, he’s asking you if you’re afraid of dogs.”

The dogs, I thought. Ah, yes. I remembered: they were the same as foxes, but civilized.

“No, I don’t think so,” I replied.

“Glad to hear it,” she smiled, “for he has two of them.”

“But they’re puppies!” Hishiwa informed, laughing. “He’s going to give them to his niece. He says she’s a celmist.”

“A celmist!” I exclaimed. I knew that word.

“Yeah, like, a magician,” Hishiwa explained, just in case.

“Well, you don’t have long to wait, you’re going to leave soon,” Mama interjected. “Hishiwa, go home and get your bag. You don’t want to keep Dirasho waiting!”

“I’m going!” the boy said, and he waved his hand at me. “Come on. I’ll show you the house.”

I followed him curiously into his cave. It was made of wood. He took me inside and said in a ceremonious voice:

“Make yourself at home.”

I looked at everything with great attention. There were so many objects!

“What’s that?” I asked, pointing to a huge box.

“This? That’s the stove. Didn’t you ever have one? That, over there, is a canvas,” he added when he saw me watching it. “It’s my grandfather. A portrait we did of him years and years ago. Now he’s very old.”

“How old is he?” I asked.

“One hundred and thirty years!” Hishiwa replied as he busied himself. He picked up a bag from his pallet and spun around. “Well. I think that’s all. Wait, I want to show you something.”

He stood on his tiptoes to reach something on a strange branch. He showed me a transparent and luminous object in the shape of a bird. I looked at him in wonder.

“What’s that?”

“My uncle, the glassmaker, gave it to my mother. It’s a little sparrow, but made of glass. It’s pretty, right?”

“Very pretty!” I said. “But he has no feathers.”

“Of course he does! Don’t you see them?”

He showed me some feather shapes on the glass, but I was not convinced. I pouted, reached into my bag, and showed him my yellow feather.

“This is a real feather. Not those.”

“I didn’t tell you they were real,” Hishiwa huffed. He placed the glass bird back in its place and waved me out. “By the way, nice feather.”

“It was a yarack who gave it to me,” I informed him. “A real one.”

“What’s a yarack?”

I shrugged.

“A bird with lots of colors.”

We returned to Mama, and she nodded to her son and ran a hand through his hair tenderly.

“Dirasho is waiting for you. Take care of yourself in the capital, son. And behave yourself with your uncle.”

“Yes, Mama,” Hishiwa replied, and he mumbled something unintelligible when she placed her lips on his forehead. “Are you sure you’re not forgetting anything? No? Good. Well, don’t keep Dirasho waiting. Good luck, Mor-eldal.”

“Thank you, Mama,” I replied cheerfully.

We found old Dirasho on the other side of the clearing, already sitting on the cart.

“Get on, boys!” he said.

We climbed up beside him on a piece of wood, and I stretched my neck while Dirasho shook the ropes. The animal did not move. I laughed.

“The mule is stubborn, isn’t it?”

Hishiwa guffawed.

“It’s not a mule, it’s a horse!”

At that moment, the horse started up and the cart with it. I let out a snort, tensed up, and looked on in amazement. Almost right away, though, I recovered and smiled broadly.

“We’re flying!”

Hishiwa let out a loud laugh.

“We’re not! We’re rolling, not flying.”

I saw him look back and wave a hand. I turned around and saw Mama waving her hand as well, and I suddenly felt a surge of understanding for Hishiwa.

“Don’t worry, one day you’ll come back,” I said.

Hishiwa gave me a thoughtful look and nodded.

“Of course. I’ll be back in the fall for the harvest.”

I gave him a pout of incomprehension, but he did not seem to notice. He was lost in thought. So I looked around. We were already leaving the village on the white snake, and when I saw that it was passing over a river I stood up and stretched my neck in astonishment.

“And what is this?”

“What, boy?” old Dirasho asked. And as I showed him, he said, “Mmph. Sit down, or you’ll fall. This is a bridge.”

A bridge. I sat down, meditative. There were so many words that I knew but that I had never seen in real life! I asked more questions, and old Dirasho answered sparingly. This was a hat, that was a pipe, what he was carrying at the rear was a barrel of wine, and that over there was a crate. And inside the crate were the puppies.

“They are very quiet,” I remarked.

Moving away from the bench, I passed into the cart, and old Dirasho grunted:

“Don’t do anything stupid, huh?”

I rolled my eyes. How many times had my master told me the same thing? I replied:

“No, no.”

The crate was open at the top, and I saw the sleeping puppies in a tangle of cloth. I watched them for a while, until Hishiwa asked:

“Have you named them yet, sir?”

“No,” Dirasho replied.

“Not even with a temporary name?” Hishiwa insisted, disappointed. He, too, passed by the cart and observed the puppies.

“This one has a white nose. Why don’t we call him White-Nose?”

Old Dirasho did not answer. Then I said:

“I like the name. The other one has red paws. It almost looks like a red fox!”

“White Nose and Red Fox,” Hishiwa concluded.

I took White Nose between my two hands and saw him open his eyes and give a puppy bark. I smiled, kissed him on the forehead, put him back in the crate, and lay down on the planks of the wagon, looking up at the sky. It seemed as big as the world I had yet to discover.

“Hishiwa,” I said after a moment. “Why is Estergat the capital of Arkolda?”

Hishiwa arched a mocking eyebrow and replied:

“Because Estergat is huge.”