Taghna and Færn were training to shoot leaves and insects with their spears. Færn had improved a lot and Taghna provided him with advice that he was increasingly able to replicate. His progress reflected the general level of the group. The children had gained a lot of independence. They used their knowledge of the field and their ability to track with greater ease.
As they interacted, each member of the group found a field of predilection. Stær and Ranié had become unbeatable on the use of plants that proliferated in nature. Færn spent a lot of time with them. Taghna was observing at him from a distance. She was a little afraid that he would leave her to find more pleasant people, but he would always come back to his friend and give her some knowledge that she pretended to try to retain.
Taghna spent time with Déan to force herself to maintain good relationships with different people than Færn. Like her, the little boy dreamt to bring back game, but his spear skills were strangely inferior to those of other children. Branach, the most puny boy in the troupe, followed them from time to time, or stubbornly imitated every single act and gesture of Slavan. Taghna's brataïr had grown quickly. If he was not as stocky as Déan, the speed of his movements was far more impressive.
For Taghna, only Caïséan was worthy of being her true rival. The girl's skills seemed to encompass all the techniques necessary for Séaroën's survival. For this reason, Taghna didn't understand why everyone was seeking the advice of Asgeül, who was less gifted. In the evening, Taghna would dwell on the question long before she could fall asleep, finally lulled by the crackling of the dying flames or the hooting of some night bird.
One sunny morning, Taghna and Færn had left the village early. They had travelled a good distance in order to practice in peace and quietness. Their footsteps sank into the ever softer snow and the light squealing noises echoed in the silence of the forest.
As they wanted to rest, Taghna spotted traces of wild boars. The characteristic marks of the two large nails were clearly visible on the soft, moisture-rich ground. It wasn't the first time she'd been able to find a lead. Thanks to their silent walking training, she had even managed to see a white tail or long woods behind some trees. Surprised, the animals always escaped at full speed.
Galvanized by her discovery, Taghna asked Færn to stay where he was until she could continue her research. She wanted to get as close as possible to her prey. The track zigzagged, as if by chance from the difference in altitude and obstacles. Taghna could now recognize the tricks that animals used to destabilize a predator. She grabbed her spear more firmly and continued on her way.
She avoided the wrong paths thanks to the increasingly strong olfactory trace. After several detours, she heard growls accompanied by rubbing hooves that scraped the earth. The prey was very close. The hunter's heart leapt into her chest. She did everything possible to contain her excitement.
She took several long breaths to keep her enthusiasm at bay, made sure she wasn't on the wrong side of the wind and approached her target. Just behind a tree, she was only a few steps from a big boar.
The animal was gigantic. She immediately realized that it was very old. Its thick grey coat was missing in places and its body was covered with scars. One of its defenses was broken. She even saw that its eyes were covered with a milky layer that she could not identify. The imposing male was walking randomly, trampling on the spot before sniffing the ground with power.
Taghna took her time, observed the beast and analyzed the situation carefully. She didn't want to waste her chances, because she obviously had the opportunity to kill her first prey. Imagining this perspective that she thought impossible before the stroïgil, she felt a tingling sensation of excitement throughout her body. Her eyesight blurred, her mind fogged and she had to concentrate to regain her senses.
The animal didn't move much. Taghna took the opportunity to get a little closer. Confident she could hit the target, she raised her spear and aimed at the boar's chest. It wasn't yet perfectly oriented for her to pierce its heart. She waited patiently for the side of her prey to find itself in her sights.
The boar, always growling in search of food, took a step sideways that sealed its fate. The angle of attack was optimal. Taghna, stretched to the extreme, fired her weapon with all her might. She felt, without a shadow of a doubt, that her gesture was perfect. The spear left her hand after the little girl's body had given it all the speed it was able to produce.
Taghna screamed fiercely as she had become the very action of her gesture.
The girl was about to jump for joy. In a flash of pure contentment, she saw herself returning to Færn to show him her success. They would both ask the adults to bring the still warm carcass back and celebrate by sharing the most beautiful pieces of meat. It would be a moment of joy and contentment.
She saw the spear bouncing off the thick coat of the boar.
Taghna was stopped abruptly in her premature jubilation. Her blood froze in her veins. She saw, without being able to understand, her spear, lying on the ground beside her living prey. Reality was so different from what she had imagined that she could not understand how to comprehend the situation. Her mind was blocked between what her senses were telling her and what she had anticipated.
The old male turned around. It sniffed the air noisily, suddenly unhappy that it had been disturbed. The little girl saw a big browned and scorched tooth, finishing its curve in the open mouth of the boar. The latter did not take long to locate Taghna, who remained frozen on the spot, completely exposed.
The animal made a hoarse shriek before rushing in the direction of the girl. Taghna was unable to react. She still didn't realize the situation she had put herself in, but she realized the weight of the beast rushing towards her at a dizzying speed. Despite succinct images of her trampled body scrolling through her head, she could not order her legs to move.
When she saw herself already dead and the boar occupied her entire visual field, she felt a shock that threw her to the side. She flew a little further. A thicket absorbs her fall. The icy and wet contact with the earth made her regain consciousness. She looked around and located the boar, which went to hit an old stump nearby. The wood exploded, sending chips and shavings flying from all sides.
The animal gave great head blows from right to left believing that it was destroying its enemy. It quickly realized its mistake and started sniffing again in the air and then on the ground, drooling its lips.
Not far from him laid Færn. The little boy was picked up on himself, motionless. Mud stained his clothes and his pale face was streaked with red lines. Taghna got up as fast as she could and wanted to join her friend, but the boar's roar stopped her in her tracks. Having found a prey, the animal had taken over and was heading straight for Færn.
Without thinking, Taghna screamed as loud as she could, waving her arms like a fury. She wanted to do everything to divert the boar's attention. Her ploy worked and, even before she realized what was happening, she had started running, the rabid beast following her closely.
Completely confused and panicked, Taghna had forgotten everything she had learned. She still had the presence of mind to zigzag between the trunks to gain ground on her attacker. She kept shouting for help without daring to turn around for fear of a gaping mouth closing in on her.
The flight gradually helped her regain her senses. She was forcing herself to breathe, but she felt that she was getting tired quickly. Fast, too fast. Her muscles and chest were burning and she felt her legs were weakening. She kept calling for help and was beginning to lose hope. She resisted fatigue, sucked in the air with all her strength and moved from one tree to another without thinking about where she was going.
Just as she was about to give up, Araïg appeared. The woman rushed in her direction. Taghna let one last call die as she collapsed to the ground when Araig sent her spear at her prey. The long piece of wood pierced it through and the beast slumped to the ground, stopping its mad rush. Araïg turned to the little girl and asked what had happened.
Taghna couldn't articulate as she was out of breath and sobbing. However, she succeeded in formulating:
- Færn... Hurry, Færn! He needs help! Over there, further away, fast!
The little boy was brought back to the village as soon as possible. Blood was flowing from his mouth and his left arm was bent at an unnatural angle. He moaned weakly and his wheezing breath was interspersed with long silent moments. All the members of the village present had gathered around the trembling little body.
Taghna cried with tears and could not explain how the event unfolded. She only wanted to take Færn in her arms so that he would heal as soon as possible, as if nothing had happened. Finally, Dannaï and Rissar arrived and asked Araïg and Tacras, the woman who had given birth to Færn, to carry him in the mataïg. The deer's skin closed behind the four women and Taghna could not know what was happening to her friend.
Very quickly, the adults dispersed, a handful of them going to fetch the boar's carcass to retrieve its meat. The children, after telling Taghna that Færn would be fine, that the séalyar would take care of him, had divided into groups to gather food when they saw their comrade crouching on the ground without moving. No one had blamed her at all, but the little girl was consumed with guilt and anxiety.
Her mind was overwhelmed by the terrible images she had experienced. The echo of the boar's cry rippled through her and made her whole being vibrate. The gaping mouth, the shock of her fall, her desperate escape... All the sensations mixed together without her being able to stop them, to control them.
Taghna could not help but think that the accident was her fault. She should have known that she was too small to hunt, that she should have waited for the stroïgil. And worse, she couldn't do anything when the animal attacked her. It was Færn who had acted. Despite her more developed skills, Taghna had been useless, helpless.
Her physical superiority had been of no use. None at all. She thought it was unfair that Færn should be the one lying in the mataïg instead of herself. She should have paid for her incompetence, stupidity and vanity. Maybe her friend was going to die because of her. The more Taghna thought about it, the more she hated herself. She wanted to destroy everything in her path, including her own existence.
The rage was rising inside her and drying up the tears that had not stopped flowing since Araïg's rescue. An acid bile turned her guts, gnawed at her guts and deformed her face into a hateful grimace. Séacas pulled her out of her thoughts:
- Join the others, kid. There's nothing we can do but wait. One day or another, Lorgá takes back what she has given... he said half-wordly, as if it was for himself only.
Taghna didn't understand what Séacas meant. She ignored him at first, but he forced her to stand up, not to remain prostrate. As Taghna turned around, she saw the carcass of the boar. It was already skinned. How long had the little girl been standing motionless?
Seeing the animal's white ribs, rough and unhealthy skin and body in such a harmless, pitiful position, Taghna was overcome with a powerful desire for revenge. She threw herself on the pieces of wild boar and lashed at them with angry kicks. She wanted to trample on the monster who had hurt her friend. She wanted to see it turn to dust and erase its existence from the surface of Verglosas.
Before she could let off steam on the bloody mass, Séacas pulled her by the arm and threw her away.
- What are you doing here, kid? Have you lost your mind? he said coldly, with a severe face.
- He hurt Færn. I hate it! she shouted with rage.
- Lorgá gives life and takes it back, that's the way things are in this world. Your attitude is not worthy of Séaroën or this animal. Go away. Now!
Taghna wanted to attack the cripple, to make him pay for his attitude, but she could see that she was unable to do so. Even if he was lame, Séacas remained an adult whose presence commanded respect.
- You... you're useless anyway, with your stupid limp leg! she spat at him before running away.
Taghna sank into the forest, her sight obscured by tears that flowed without her being able to stop them. It didn't matter to her which way she was going. She just wanted to run, to exhaust herself, to feel the burning in her lungs and the pain in her legs.
She eventually stumbled and fell. She was overcome with fatigue, pain and guilt. Very quickly, the contact of the cold foam on her burning face diffused in her body a soothing sensation. Her breathing slowed down. Above her head, half masked by the growing leaves of the trees, Taghna saw the dark blue of the immensity that covered the world. Her colour and immobility eventually completely calmed her down. Her mind was emptied of all sensation. She fell asleep.