The twilight was already showing its colors when the small cave was sighted. After going through a difficult path, through the dense forest, the objective was finally reached.
Inside the cave I could see only a small beam of amber light that intensified as you entered the mountain. On the stone walls reflected the most varied objects, strange tapestries, weapons, among other relics that adorned the place. At the end of the corridor a small hall could be seen. In the center of the room, which was circular, was a half-meter-tall crystal protruding from the floor, this being the source of amber light that was visible from the cave entrance. Inside the room, more objects were arranged on the walls and at the back a small crack gave access to a new room that had its interior hidden by a curtain of rags.
In front of the crystal, which when entering the room it was noticed that it also emanated heat, was a small lady, sitting with her back to the entrance. He wore a linen cape, bearing the red symbol of a large animal's paw.
"I was waiting for you to come." Said the old woman without turning around.
With a gesture he invites the stranger to sit by the crystal. The heat coming from the stone was pleasant and its light didn't dazzle the vision, even looking directly at its source, but its glow changed in intensity constantly, like waves that come and go, in an almost hypnotic rhythm.
The old woman, who must have been less than a meter tall, was gazing deeply into the crystal, as if she saw scenes from a distant past. His gray hair hung braided from his right shoulder to his chest, where he twisted its end between his fingers. Beneath the linen cloak he wore a long linen tunic that covered his entire body, reaching down to his bare feet. In his left hand he held a long, extinguished pipe.
Minutes of silence passed before the old woman began to speak.
"What brings a person like you to a place like this?" No, you don't need to answer, tiich tiich tiich... The old woman laughed, showing her last three teeth. “No one seeks the Great Naualli for any other reason." Said proudly.
“You're looking for a new story, but no, not just any story, no. Just a story you could find anywhere but not here."
Naulli then gets up muttering words that are meaningless or that would only make sense to herself.
“I could tell you many stories, like a weird boy with a funny hat who wanted to venture out into the seas or a fox boy who wanted to be the warrior leader of his village, but no. These stories we all know. You came here for something different that hasn't been told yet." Naualli debated while looking thoughtfully at her collection of relics.
After a few minutes lost in thought, without being interrupted at any time, as a storyteller never rushes, she approaches and says.
"Wild."
The words came out of his mouth almost as a whisper, but his enthusiasm for the idea was visible.
"Yes yes! tiich tiich tiich!" Said Naualli while laughing. “Wild is perfect for you. This story has been passed down through generations of accountants in our tribe, but much has been lost outside this region."
Naualli sits down next to the crystal again. He knocks his long pipe on a stone, cleaning the residue of the previous smoke and pulls a bag of tobacco out of his cover to refill it. With the tip of your index finger, touch the large amber crystal in the center of the room. The touch lasted less than a second, and then, with the tip of his finger glowing, Naualli touched the tobacco to his pipe, which immediately smoldered in small flames.
After a few long drags and expelling the smoke that was already spreading throughout the room leaving a sweet smell in the air, the old storyteller says.
"What I'm about to tell you happened many winters ago, in a time of chaos across the lands..."
Obrigado pela leitura!
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