Метка судьбы / Mark of Destiny: Chapter II

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psychoshy 25.07.18 в 00:40

As I came up closer to the river, I realised that my guess was right. It was noon, and the river was all but shallow. The water was just below my knee. On the sand downstream lay a huge crocodile, looking at me with one eye.

psychoshy 24.09.18 в 20:52

"Hey, kid! Where are you going?" I heard his hoarse voice.

psychoshy 19.09.18 в 05:36

"None of your business!"

psychoshy 19.09.18 в 05:35

"Is it how you talk to someone who's older than you?" said the lizard, turning his toothy muzzle towards me. "I remember your great-grandfather as a foal just like you. I'm gonna get in the water and bite off your leg. Is it what you want?"

psychoshy 19.09.18 в 06:22

"Oh yes, with the sun like that in the sky, you have energy no more than elephant's dung!"

psychoshy 19.09.18 в 06:18

"Indeed, I better get a warm just a little longer. But when monkeys grab you by the scruff and throw you out, we'll have a talk."

psychoshy 19.09.18 в 06:21

"Whatever you say, swamp lizard. I'll dance upon your tail!" I shouted, hurriedly hopping out of the water to the opposite bank and climbing a steep cliff. Mocking crocodiles too long could bring you into a lot of troubles. One moment you wanted to drink, and the other you had good chances to got into their jaws instead of an antelope.

psychoshy 24.09.18 в 21:00

The crocodile only smiled and closed his eye.

psychoshy 19.09.18 в 05:37

So I was standing at the other side. Ahead was a single winding path leading deep into the thicket. Frankly speaking, it was not even a path, but just a passage that was overgrown with vines not so much as other ways. Before stepping onto it, I pulled a pouch with a brown, bad-smelling powder out of my bag and tried to evenly sprinkle it over my body, sneezing a couple of times. Long ago I had read the recipe for this powder in one of my grandmother's books. Monkeys could not stand the smell, and due to that I was not afraid to be suddenly caught by my mane or tail and thrown into the river. But there still was a danger to get something heavy fallen onto my head, so I was nevertheless going to keep my eyes open.

psychoshy 24.09.18 в 21:14

But as I made my way deep into the woods, I knew something was wrong. Strange silence wrapped the place. The elephant trumpeting in a distance, the eagle screaming in the sky, some birds twittering in tree foliage—I could hear it all. But what had had to happen a hundred steps ago was not happening. No one tried to attack me with stones or poops. It was like nasty little devils had disappeared somewhere.

psychoshy 24.09.18 в 21:38

"Well, better for me. Probably the effect of my powder."

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 04:36

After a short walk through a spiderweb of vines, I noticed before me an overgrown jumble of huge boulders on top of which was mounted the ancient wooden totem meaning danger. There was no living being around. I walked around the totem and my heart skipped a beat when I noticed the purpose of my journey: small patches of grey moss growing on the rocks.

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 04:54

It was too simple. I took a tuft of moss in my teeth, and was going to put it in my bag when I realised that things were not so good as it seemed at first glance. Under the shade of trees I saw two yellow eyes.

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 04:57

O Sun and Stars, not this.

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 05:00

With my right legs to my belly, I rolled to the side. A coal-black shadow of muscles and claws gently landed on the spot where I was standing a second ago.

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 05:01

I quickly jumped up and looked at it. The panther seemed to be quite young and hardly began to hunt on her own.

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 05:09

"You're not going anywhere." Her voice felt soft and calm.

psychoshy 19.09.18 в 06:32

"I'll try," I answered, and rushed away as fast as I could.

psychoshy 19.09.18 в 06:34

The panther darted sideways, pushing off from the totem and charging after me in long leaps. I could still have some chances at a long distance, but amidst these intertwined lianas...

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 05:40

Suddenly, the tree foliage stirred and pebbly screams filled the air. Bloody macaques saw that they were no longer in danger and crawled out of their shelters. Dodging another stone, I looked around—only to see that it was not so bad for me. The panther caught a rock right in her forehead, and fell head over paws in the bushes. I got another ten seconds to think about my situation. That was enough.

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 06:01

I ran in the same direction, having thrown out the gourd beating at my side as I started unbuttoning my breast bag. Inside was what I needed now: a clay flask of powder. A mixture of a dozen herbs designed to treat broken bones. A pretty specific mixture.

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 06:23

A slight gap between trunks came into my vision, and soon I ran out on a smooth stony clearing, the dense thicket behind, the river under a steep cliff before. Here everything would be decided. I opened my breast bag to pull out the clay flask and could not catch its plug with my teeth a long time, so great was my fear. Finally the cork was removed, and I stood waiting for my pursuer.

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 06:28

It was not long before she appeared. The panther jumped out from bushes and fell to the ground, staring at me with her round yellow eyes. The sun shone brightly here, and the beast did not look such terrible black shadow as in the shade of woods. I saw a bruise from the stone on her forehead, but a lot of other, older injuries covered her body. And she looked very thin, her ribs bulging out under the skin. She clearly was not a good huntress.

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 07:20

"You can't escape," said the panther, breathing hard this time. I remained silent, clenching the opened bottle of powder in my mouth. She turned to me, moving her backside to and fro—she jumped. Everything that followed was like in a blur; I knew my every move.

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 07:33

I inhaled.

psychoshy 19.09.18 в 06:34

Closing my eyes and holding my breath. Crouching. Making a sharp movement of my head, to empty the light volatile powder in the direction of the panther and above me. Bending down and rolling towards her. In our games, when Imara ran at me, it always worked.

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 07:35

I exhaled and opened my eyes.

psychoshy 19.09.18 в 06:35

The panther stopped dead, snorting and rubbing her eyes with her paws. It worked.

psychoshy 19.09.18 в 17:16

"W-What did you do to me? I don't see anything! I... can barely breath! What did you do?!" she wailed, sneezing funnily and spinning in place.

psychoshy 19.09.18 в 06:59

I kept quiet. She could pinpoint my location from my voice and attack me. Tree branches were already crunching under the weight of monkeys who gave shrill cries and aptly threw stones at us both. I should have left. I turned and darted to my right, only to run into impassable dried bushes. I could not go back to the thicket because I had not looked where I ran, so now I had no idea where I was. There was only one way left: past the panther.

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 07:51

She was lying face down, her forepaws on her eyes. A vast deal of stones was scattered around, and monkeys did not refuse themselves in pleasure to throw one more.

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 08:01

I started to carefully walk around her from the side of the cliff.

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 08:04

"You... I smell you. I-Achoo! I know where you are, you mean zebra! You think your magic can save you from my claws?" With that, she rose to her paws, shuddering under the hail of stones, and turned toward me, preparing for a leap. I looked back, where a cliff went down just behind my tail. If she jumped...

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 08:07

"Wait!" I said, even not knowing why. "Don't attack me, or you will be dead!"

psychoshy 19.09.18 в 06:36

"You won't fool me twice, sneaky wretch!" she cried, and jumped. For a last time.

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 07:45

I did not even have to dodge. She swept past me a few steps to my left. A second later I heard the scrape of claws on stone, and noticed only a black tail disappearing over the cliff.

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 07:47

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psychoshy 25.07.18 в 00:40

The cries of monkeys subsided at once. Well, at least there was something good about these creatures. I carefully approached the precipice, peeking over its edge. Motionless, the panther was lying on a narrow sandy shore. The cliff itself was not a vertical stone wall as I thought, but just a very steep slope with protruding dry roots of trees.

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 17:04

Now I should have left this plateau as soon as possible and find a place to cross the river. But instead, I noticed a well-trodden goat path leading down and ran to it. Something just came over me. I had never seen anyone die before.

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 17:05

The big cat shifted slightly and tried to shrink back from the water. Coming closer, I saw a trail of blood running behind her on the sand and... I did not dare to look over there. Instead I drew my attention to two small crocodiles that emerged above the river surface. These guys were clearly intended to eat. I grabbed a dry branch with my teeth and stood between them and her.

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 17:16

"Oh oh, look. I think we got dessert to our dinner!" one of them said and began to crawl out of the water.

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 08:16

"Just try to get up here, you green maggot!" And this was my answer. I looked at my not-so-impressive weapon and threw it away. Hooves would do it a way better.

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 08:16

"Are you a nut? No one dares to stand between a crocodile and his prey."

psychoshy 19.09.18 в 06:38

"Crawl a little closer and find out!"

psychoshy 19.09.18 в 05:38

"Shut up, kids!" I heard the familiar voice, and a huge bulk of my old acquaintance appeared above the water. He could swallow me whole at once. But instead he looked at the panther and said, "Get out of here."

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 08:20

"But grandpa!" the crocodiles exclaimed as they stared at their grandsire in disbelief.

psychoshy 19.09.18 в 06:39

"I said get out!"

psychoshy 19.09.18 в 05:40

They reluctantly turned around, flopping back into the river and vanishing underwater.

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 08:23

"You are either too brave, or too stupid," said the large crocodile, considering me with his eye. "Maybe both. This prey is still ours. I'm only giving you time out of respect for your great-grandfather. My boys will be back soon, and you better be away by that moment."

psychoshy 26.09.18 в 17:29