NADANU, PART TWO
Netr's eyes glanced towards the treeline again. He had heard something that wasn't natural, and the foliage moved in spite of no wind. No, he told himself, Nadanu likes to ambush his prey crouching in tall grass, not from the treetops.
The hairs on the back of his neck rose and he felt eyes watching him intently. His instincts were screaming for him to run. A constant clicking seemed to follow him ominously.
He thought, and turned around. He would check the pasture when he was relieved by Su're, the woman took a while to appear behind him. "I will go and check the tall grass." He made eye contact with her before he walked away.
-"Don't worry, Netr, I got your back," Su're said, biting her lip and smiling cheerfully. He smirked back at the long haired, brunette woman. This kind of flirtation between the huntress and the clan leader had been going on for a while, since last winter. Su're was unmated and Netr had lost his woman two winters ago.
High on a tree, Bal watched the man they called Netr leave. He was the leader of that small camp of gHomon. By accessing infrared sensors aboard the Man'Daca, Bal knew this was one of the multiple groups living in the valley; he counted at least ten of these settlements, with an average population of fifty individuals each. There would be plenty of prey, but he chose this particular camp because the one called Ketur had proven himself.
A well-toned female took the place of the leader, wearing only a wolf skin loincloth and covering her chest and shoulders with a deer-suede blanket. Bal decided to follow Netr.
- o -
Rarama woke up hearing a low growl, she sharpened her ears but couldn't hear it anymore. The air felt stifled and thirst plagued her. Her hand reached out blindly for her deer stomach canteen, she drank deeply and went out into the night air. Her hut was in the farthest part of the camp, on the edge of a cliff that fell into the river.
Netr had chosen this area for the summer camp because it was protected on three fronts with access to fresh water. The river and cliffs to the south and east, a dense grove to the west, the only access was to the north by a wide strip of grassland.
She walked through the camp toward the tall grass. Netr was probably near the edge, both his tent and Mahmuni's were the closest to the meadow.
There was no sign of the clan leader when she got there. Maybe he is near the treeline, she thought. A low whisper caught her attention and she glanced out towards the field.
The blades of grass swayed slightly although it was not windy, Rarama squinted and thought she saw something there, hiding in the vegetation, a yellow glow. A guttural sound reached her ears, almost like a growl...
"Mghhhhhhh!" she gasped as someone grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth with one hand.
-"Did you see something out there?" Netr whispered in her ear.
Rarama nodded and pointed to the grass, where she had seen the glow. Netr grabbed his weapon and advanced slowly, indicating Rarama to remain there with his hand. There was indeed a yellowish glow peeking out between the grass.
Rarama remembered she had taken one of Nadanu's eyes. The yellow light rose and floated over the grass, others soon followed.
-"Titiba," Netr said, turning his back to the field, "Light bugs."
Rarama sighed in relief and felt silly, the fact that she almost lost Yuva in the cave was affecting her badly.
It happened suddenly, the Lion leapt from a bush, right into Netr, knocking him on his back. The great paws landed on his torso, claws digging into his chest. The man grunted, he had managed to bring his weapon up, and was using it to keep the slavering jaws of the beast at bay.
Thick globs of saliva hit the Clan leader's face, the putrid breath of the big cat making him dizzy with both fear and disgust. Sharp nails dug into him, the heavy weight stealing his breath. He spotted Rarama paralyzed before she rallied to his aid. He grunted, trying to shove the animal off while she pelted it with stones.
The noises they were making alerted Su're who came running, she unleashed a warcry as she stabbed her bone-tipped spear into the lion's hide. Nadanu roared and quick as lightning turned to this new threat and lashed out with its massive paws. The huntress screamed and hopped away, bleeding heavily from a fresh wound on her side. Nadanu had shifted enough that Netr was able to roll to his feet, ignoring the injuries on his chest. He pulled out Ketur's carved elk knife and leapt on the beast. He clung to the thick fur, trying desperately to kill the animal.
A great struggle began that Netr would remember for the rest of his short life. The cat shook itself and knocked him to the side, the big head came down and teeth pierced into his shoulder. He shrieked in pain as the maw crushed down and his bones snapped and broke, they cracked right by his ear. He stabbed blindly, howling in pain as Nadanu stepped on his other arm, pinning him before pulling hard. Skin tore and blood exploded and Netr was bounced off the ground. He lost consciousness, the lion's savage snarl was the last thing he heard.
-"Nooooooo!" Su're shrieked, her heart breaking. A gold eye flashed, bloodied teeth bared as the monster turned to the huntress. Her eyes met Rarama's and she managed to yell, "Run!" before she was attacked.
Rarama snapped out of her trance and ran towards Mahmuni's tent without looking back.
-"Soona... Soona!" the girl shouted frantic, "Soona, Yuva... wake up!"
If Netr and Su're, the best hunters of the clan had succumbed to Nadanu's power, then there was no hope. Her only thought was now to protect the young man she loved and the woman who had taught her so much since she was a child, and maybe escape from the wrath of the monster.
She entered the hut and froze, her hopes shattered when she took in what happened. There was a huge rip on the tent's wall, the coldness of the wind coming through. The fire pit at the center was trampled, coals and ash scattered on the ground and next to it, Yuva's inert body lying in a pool of blood in an unnatural posture, his face shredded by claws.
-"Noooooo! Yuvaaaa!" And screamed again with all her strength.
Crouching down next to the man she loved, she let the tears fall unheeded, a few drops fell over Yuva's ravaged face, mixing with the thick red liquid. Her gaze then fixed on the bulge at the other end of the hut.
It was Soona. The old woman hadn't stood a chance. Nadanu had ripped her throat out as she had tried to defend the wounded young man. She still clutched Yuva's spear in her hands.
-"Soonaaaaa!" she cried one more time.
The lion had tracked them to the camp, following the scent of blood. It had attacked and then just left, proof of this were the bloody paw prints that the animal left behind.
Rarama heard the unmistakable growl behind her, Nadanu was there, muzzle dripping blood, its single eye blazing with fury. Rarama knew then that Su're was dead.
Trembling, she took Yuva's spear. It was now or never, she was going to avenge the death of her loved ones or die in the attempt. The great celestial lion is actually a bloodthirsty monster, Rarama thought. It hasn't killed them out of necessity but out of pure revenge... had taken her everything.
Yuva was dead , Soona too... Netr and Su're with all their strength and experience, were killed too. Rarama knew she wasn't going to live through the night, but for Isya she swore that she would take Nadanu's remaining eye before dying.
-"I'll leave you in the dark," she snarled, her body vibrating with adrenaline, "you won't see Arudra when he comes for you!"
The cat roared, and scrambled for her, its paws slapping at the ground, its rear end raising up. She saw the claws in stark relief and jabbed forward. The beast snarled and its jaw snapped shut on her weapon. She gasped as the pole was wrenched from her grip and splintered in one bite.
Rarama did not hesitate and sprinted at full speed through the ripped hole in the tent.
The cave lion charged in hot pursuit, tearing the mammoth skin even more as it jumped out into the night. Rarama knew that if she ran towards the forest or the grassland she would never be able to overcome the predator. She had one option: the cliff at the edge of the camp and the river below.
She screamed as she ran for the ridge. Rarama remembered the water was deep, but it was dark and there were rocks... she tried not to think of missing and jumped, spreading her arms like the wings of a bird.
Teeth clamped on her arm as Nadanu caught her in mid air and pulled. She shrieked as she was tossed against the dirt at the edge of the cliff.
She rolled and just barely avoided the claws of the predator, she could hear the rushing water and the snarling. Her knife dug in her hip as she bounced on the rocks… Her knife! Her eyes widened briefly, her hand flying to the weapon.
Nadanu circled, ears flicking back and forth. He sat back and growled savagely. Rarama jumped to her feet, her back to the cliff. The Lion loomed large, the spear in its side making a mockery of her hunters. It advanced slowly, deliberately, one gold feral eye flashing cruelly. There was the promise of a long, torturous death in those jaws.
Rarama gripped her blade tightly, the drumming in her head was deafening, but stood her ground. Her body was vibrating in both fear and the need for revenge. Nadanu had taken everything from her. She had one more thing left to give.
Her life.
She had nothing left… Yuva…
His image as she had seen him, wounded and ravaged flashed in her mind's eyes, surrounded by blood. Tears rolled unheeded down her cheeks, and she clenched her teeth hard as Nadanu reared in front of her, massive paws grabbing around her neck and shoulders. She shrieked and stabbed for all she was worth into the furry belly of the beast.
The massive head came down, sharp teeth pierced her left shoulder. She screamed, her left arm came around the animal and she grabbed a handful of fur. The weight of Nadanu was too great for her to hold. It was going to bring her down…
She stabbed again and again as they slowly toppled backwards. She clung to the creature, even as it dug its claws into her back, the maw crushing her. Rarama felt the coldness of Antaka's call, she resisted, Nadanu was coming with her.
She fell into the cold water, narrowly missing the rocks, however her head bumped with a submerged log. The blow sucked the air out of her and she swallowed, desperately waving her arms until she managed to emerge.
Rarama watched as Nadanu struggled to scale the edge, but eventually the loss of blood weakened the huge animal. The monster emitted a low groan, foam and blood spurted from its mouth and closing its yellow eye finally fell, slamming into a boulder.
Nadanu is dead, so is the man I loved, she thought.
The current was slowly dragging her down the river. She hadn't any strength left and her body felt heavy, sinking into the dark waters. There, floating on her back, gazing up at the starry sky, she saw the points of light that made up Arudra . They seemed to glow for a moment, giving the impression that he was dancing.
The celestial hunter is pleased, as is Isya, Rarama thought, a faint, sad smile formed on her lips. The great white circle blazed in all its splendor not far from the red dot at Arudra 's shoulders. She sighed, accepting her fate, but at that moment she saw a strange blurr on the shore, the rocks and bushes on its wake. Rarama compared it to the waves produced in a pond by a rock.
Ikal? She wondered.
No, her sight was not deceiving her, the distortion was moving down the bank towards her. Blue sparks spurted around when the Ikal reached the water, and then a big shape materialized out of thin air.
A huge muscular body covered by a net like those used for fishing and a leather loincloth, the Ikal's head with a shining mask like Isya's face and a fiery mouth made by teeth attached to, its hair was braided with bony rings in long dreadlocks, black as bawi the meadow viper, which fell to its shoulders.
-"Arudra," Rarama whispered, before her world turned into darkness.
- o -
And this concludes the second part of Rarama's backstory. Thanks to elven_prophecy who rewrote the action scenes, especially the Lion attacks and the final fight on the cliff, it would be rude not to give her credit for it.
I wish to clarify a strange coincidence that arose during the development of the story. The Arudra's story that Soona tells Rarama was obviously based on previous encounters with Predators, either Bal or someone else of his kind.
Arudra, or Ardra is a Sanskrit word to define the Orion constellation, however in the ancient civilization of the Indus Valley, he was known as Paspati, the lord of the beasts, one of the names of Shiva, represented as fierce hunter, which matches the lore of the Predator.
But also, it has another meaning: The one who roars/Mighty roarer. Before losing consciousness, Rarama thinks she saw Arudra coming for her and later, after she wasn't being able to pronounce Bal's name correctly, calls him Roarr, an onomatopoeia for a roaring sound, making Bal, in effect, Arudra, the roarer.
Having clarified that, here's the glossary.
Nara Words.
Antaka - Death, Lord of the Underworld.
Arudra - The celestial hunter (Orion constellation).
Bawi - Black meadow viper (probably Vipera lotievi)
Ikal - Spirit, invisible.
Iyeru - Mother Nature, Earth (planet).
Nadanu - Cave lion (Panthera spelaea). Celestial Lion (Leo constellation)
Netr - Leader, Chieftain (Name). He's the Clan leader.
Rarama - Light feet, Swift feet (Name).
Soona - Waning moon (Name), Mahmuni's real name.
Su're - Pretty (Name), she's a huntress. Netr to-be-mate.
Titiba - Fire-fly.
Vakra - Any big cat, Tiger.
Yaksa words.
A'dnam - Day, planet cycle.
Man'Daca - Scout ship.
Nak'Stra - Lunar cycle, month.