Things don’t go always as you plan and while I was satisfied that I’m not late with my expedition, something unexpected changed my situation. When I waked up after the first night with my new mates – the “pariah”, the one with the long hair was playing at a some sort of a guitar (which seemed to be modified to fit his bag). I guess that people who travel a lot don’t have too many ways to have fun. Standing there, near the river, at the sunrise, was obviously that these three persons are innocent.
We’ve gathered our bags and leaved. In the first hours we’ve moved slowly; we’ve been gathering some mushrooms, I’ve made some juice from pine cones again (that was a surprise for my fellows) and ‘Oldie’ tracked the migrating groups trail. This part of the trip was nice; the mountains and the cool air were improving my mental state. I think that it was also the relief that the group of three is harmless.
As we were getting closer to the migrating group, we’ve planned that I have to present my self as a trader. The goods are missing, but I know that I can invent a story to explain my lack of goods. I would present my self as a doctor, but I have no knowledge about medicine (except surviving skills) and I could easily fell for a simple scratch. Anyway, the equipment that I carry it shows enough what I’m not. We were at less than two hours of walk to the cave. The road in front of us is turning left after a hill and then goes right again and in the distance I can see some campfires, crowd and people moving, working and lots of action.
As I stand now I can’t see all of that anymore. While gathering food from the bushes, I’ve felt in a trap. The migrating people have arrived here with enough time before us to set traps for animals, and one of these traps had pointed me with the legs against the sky and the head against the soil. A rope tied in a tall tree caught my legs and launched me into the sky, but not before hitting my head in the dirt. I’ve been unconscious for one hour after my calculations. When I waked up I was dizzy and standing with the head directed to the soil. The rope was crunching by time to time as it was moved by me and the wind. From here I can see “Oldie” standing below me and watching how I was swinging and floating above it. From a not so big distance a few silhouettes struggles to put a tree down. I can’t see too much in that direction as the mist dominates the atmosphere now, but they are for sure members of the migration group. The sunset doesn’t fight anymore with the mist. Two of my fellows are preparing again to camp, while the one with beard tries to climb the tree to get me down. It was obvious that this day is ruined and we have to wait till tomorrow morning to leave.
I can see clearly the silhouettes while hitting with their axes in the tree. The wood spreads the echoes of their beats and as I am hanged with my head down, I can feel the air vibrating around me. I’m bleeding quite badly. The head wounds usually bleed more and since I’m standing like this, all the blood is directed to the head. I can see blood drops that falls around my old dog.
Sooner or later I will get down from here. Either “Long Beard” will cut the rope, either I will have enough strength to cut it, or hopefully not, the hunter will get its prey. For the moment, until I regain my strength, I must make a plan to test those herbs. Is the last night before the big meeting and I must to understand the effects of the herbs over the mind. So, here it is how it should happen: first, we will drink the tea together; during this time I need to make my questions heard; also, I have to think at something that they should think that is one of my hidden thoughts. After going to sleep, in my dream I should be in their persons, answering the questions. In their dreams they will be me and here my thoughts. Tomorrow morning I will have the results.
The plan is good, but what exactly do I need to test? If I can manipulate their thoughts? Or if I can find secrets that interests me? Probably both. First I will try to manipulate them. While drinking tea, I will think that the pine cone juice is poisoning. And what secret they might have? I think that they know more about the migration’s group leader. I remember that once, while talking about how is the migrating group organized, they’ve been evasive.
The migrating group has established their base for the winter. Probably a part of them will stay inside the cave, and else will have tents built out of the trees that are lumbered in the vicinity. It’s a good position. The cave is safe as a shelter, the river is quite close, so they can fish, the wood surrounds this place and they have fire to warm. I wonder if their leader really believes what is prophesying or is just a way to take advantage of these people.
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The mist is gone by now. I can’t sleep right now, even if is past after midnight. I’ve been unconscious one hour when I’ve felt in the trap and other two or three hours after I’ve lost a large quantity of blood standing hanged with my head down. I couldn’t even try to release my self from that trap. “Long Beard” have untied the rope and he felt badly too. I appreciate his almost four hours of effort. I’ve recovered myself fast with a big quantity of fresh water from the river and a few birds toasted by my fellows. I’ve reached my purpose for this night; I and the three “pariah” shared the tea and I gave them a cigarette too. I’ve left one to smoke alone while walking with “Oldie”. Now I can only go to sleep and start dreaming. I will see tomorrow what I can do with the herbs in the future.
SIDENOTE
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I don't know if the man dominates the nature or is dominated by it. Sometimes a person when is in a dramatic situation senses that the nature has the same tense as its feeling, or the atmosphere around has the same pattern. This would look like a moment of panic, but in reality I think that the nature contributes somehow to this tension. Is true that the man is inducting to itself this feeling by imagining that a tree has a scary form, which in a different situation would look banal, but the natures offers the stimulents, the tools and sometimes the reason for this feelings. At this moment the person is at the border between normal and panic and at any single wind pale it might fell on one of these sides...
