The rain beat on the green foliage of immense trees and thick bushes full of colorful flowers whose petals seemed to cry. The cold dark water of the river ran impetuously under the thundering gray sky whose flashes illuminated a forest as wide as a hundred cities. Enkidu, solitary, walked through the wet vegetation, touching with his bare feet a wet and red ground; a beast, a little further on, similar to a red lion with a thick mane of the same color as the fire, was lying on the ground, as if asleep, with a wound on the side whose depth made one think that the beast had been stabbed with a sword ; its eyes were empty, its mouth half closed and already some insects were seeking shelter inside its body.
Enkidu approached, stroked the lion's cold wet mane and kissed its hairy forehead.
« You have done your time, I'm here to say goodbye. »
A golden light illuminated the lion's carcass, Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk, appeared behind Enkidu.
« I was looking for you, my friend, you abandoned Uruk. I asked Ninsun, my mother, about you but she didn't know and so I worried, why are you here? The sky is dark, the sun does not reach us, staying here in the forest without Šamaš' protection is risky, my friend. »
« Forgive me, Gilgamesh, it wasn't my intention to make you worry. » Enkidu apologized with a gentle smile.
« Why are you in this forest, Enkidu? »
« I'm here for the beast that nobody will bury. I'm here for the animal that nobody will cry. »
« Are you here just for that lion? Don't you think it's strange? It's just a beast, it has no value. »
« I was like this beast, once, I was also an animal far from civilization and the worries of your world. Men and animals are no different, a beast is not worth more than a man and a man is not worth more than a beast, every life deserves to be respected. Every life has value, Gilgamesh. »
« Do you really think so? What idiocy. In this world we are not all equal, I know it because I'm the one who judges the value of human beings and divinities. » Gilgamesh exclaimed in a proud tone.
« You say this because you haven't lived in these places, you don't know this world as I know it. »« I know everything, fool! »

« You only know what your nature allows you to know. Your knowledge has a limit, I'm that limit since I represent a world that you have never wanted to understand and I do not blame you for this, my friend, but know that the animal, unlike man, does not lie and does not hurts for selfishness. Forests injure the body but defend the soul while cities defend the body but injure the soul. Is simple. It's the rule of things. »
Gilgamesh was unable to follow his friend's speeches, they were baseless trivialities for his ears, but Enkidu was not saddened by Gilgamesh's grumpy reaction, on the contrary, he smiled and then embraced him, holding him close stroking his head and Gilgamesh muttered :
« Don't feel sorry for me. »
« I'm not doing it, I'm happy with our differences. We two are living proof that two enemies can become friends and brothers, together we will face any danger. »
« You really are a fool, Enkidu, we cannot know anything about our future. »
« Just that makes every moment worth living, doesn't it? »
Enkidu, a mysterious being shaped by clay by the goddess of creation, Aruru. In essence he was created to be as similar and powerful as the God of Heaven, Anu, and as much as the god of war, Ninurta, he was created to be a weapon whose purpose was only to kill the arrogant tyrant Gilgamesh but he became his friend. The search for glory and immortality placed the two friends against the divinities who seemed powerless before the two of them.

That same weeping forest, under the bright sun of a different world, was visited by Fujimaru Ritsuka. The young Master had entered the dangerous forest driven by the desire to explore the ancient lands of Mesopotamia in solitude, his youthful curiosity led him to lion bones, covered with greenery and trapped by long and sinuous strings of green ivy. The rays penetrated the dense forest and illuminated that dull white of the jaws inside which there was a spider's cobweb. Fujimaru was impressed by the size of that skeleton, it was certainly bigger than any other creature he had ever seen. He approached and then he saw a white snake appear that looked threatening from the orbit of the skull, Fujimaru backed away frightened and the slimy animal followed him.
« Stay away! No, don't come any closer! » Fujimaru exclaimed, shaking a stick he had collected.
« Shaking a stick," warrior "? » Asked Enkidu, who emerged from the green like a kind of ghost.

« The snake is trying to bite me! Looks like it's having some trouble with me! »
« Or it just wants to talk. »
« Huh? » Fujimaru, confused, asked: « Enkidu ... you're not going to tell me that snakes are starting to talk now, are you? »
« Relax, Master, I was just kidding. Evidently you disturbed him. »
« I ... I wasn't bothering anyone, I was just ... forget it. Can you take it off? This slimy white bastard is frightening me. »
« After all those battles you've faced, you still are afraid of a little snake? You're funny. »
« It's not a "little snake", okay? And then I never liked slimy animals, they make me shiver. »
Enkidu took the snake and this became tame like a puppy, Fujimaru was speechless in front of that scene so out of the ordinary, it didn't seem real to him, that snake let Enkidu carry it around like a cat. Enkidu placed the animal near the lion's carcass and this, without turning around, slipped back into the skull.
« How did you ... ? Is it part of your skills? » Fujimaru asked curiously.
« You could do it too, if you wanted. »
« I doubt it. But I can shake the stick and make believe I have a plan. »
« Never doubt your abilities, it's a matter of soul not brain. Extend your hand where no one can go and grab what people are afraid to touch, you will find out that most of the time it's what makes terror to be terrified in turn. »
Enkidu then turned to the carcass, his gaze was thoughtful, something was troubling him and Fujimaru, worried, asked:
« What worries you, Enkidu? »
« I don't want to bother you, You surely have more important things to do, Master. »
« No, I was only here to explore this forest. »
« Alone? »
« I don't need protection wherever I go, I'm not a child. »
« I understand. You really are a brave boy, you have Šamaš' protection, be proud of it. »
« So ... how about telling me what's bothering you. »
« Master, I've a favor to ask you. I need you to come with me to a place, I have to do something very important and I need your help, if you don't mind. »
« Er ... okay, yes. Where do we go? »
« In the Chasm of Tammūz, the tomb of the god of vegetation. Come, it's going to be a long journey, Master. »