The Moon Worshippers Read Free

great healing powers for fevers. It was needed urgently to cure a very sick child.
    On the second day he reached the place where the blue orchid was to be found. The climb into the mountains had been hard. Tired and almost exhausted, he started to collect a few roots. The ground was hard and powdered with snow and he had not eaten for a day to conserve his food for the return journey. As he dug, he did not at first become aware of the low sound that floated through the cold air. Then he became slightly aware of a low whimper. So low, that at first he hardly noticed it. It came again. He stopped and listened. Nothing, so he dismissed it. Then just as he began to dig, it came again. He scanned the ground around him. He could see nothing. He went back to work until he had all the roots he needed. He turned towards the way he had come. He started to walk, then suddenly stopped.
    The sound seemed to come from directly in front of him some twenty paces ahead and to the right. He moved forward ten paces and stopped. He stood there like a rock for a few moments and was about to move when the whimper came again. He gripped the axe in both hands. He looked around for a position that could be defended with protection for his back. He knew that the animal he had heard could only be the young of a wolf or bear, neither of which he had any intention of meeting on the side of a mountain on open and exposed ground. There was a large rocky overhang above him. He moved slowly and silently upwards until he was safely upon it. He sat down carefully and pondered his position. The place he was on was defensible. Still, he could not stay here very long, since he had little food and it would soon be night. He certainly did not want to spend a long and very cold night here.
    For a long time he sat, in deep thought. Should he creep away? Was it a large or small animal? Would there be others coming back? If there were, he would meet them on open ground. The Gods forbid! He must think, like he had never thought before. At this point, as with all boys in difficult situations, his stomach rumbled and made a protest for food. Since he was going to die, he decided he might as well eat some of his precious remaining food. He took the pouch from his belt, removed the linen cloth and opened it. Inside was cheese and bread. As he ate, he thought. He looked down at the cloth and reached for more food.
    He cursed slowly and deliberately, “bloody fool!” he said in a harsh whisper. There before him lay his iron and flint… fire. It was the one element all animals feared. It would protect him. He looked around for wood. Oh, what a fool he was! On a mountain this high up there wasn’t any wood. Had the cold air frozen his mind? Think you idiot. Think! No wood, but plenty of long high grass. Make a torch. Make it big. As he worked, his thinking became clearer. No animal makes a sound whilst his or her mother is there. They must be alone, surely. Should he look? He gathered up his courage. He would see. He worked his way down and found the entrance to the den under a rock. He lit the torch and pushed it inside. His heart fell. Inside, in the semi-darkness, lay the body of a she-wolf. Beside her were four cubs, all of them dead. On top of the dead mother was another of the wolf cubs. He was almost dead, but still alive. The cub was making a low, whimpering sound. He reached in and grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and gently brought it out. He took some bread, soaked it with water and fed it. Afterwards he placed it inside his woollen tunic and made his way home.
    He arrived a day late, hungry and exhausted. The reception he encountered on his return was twofold. From his uncle he received only anger, because of his lateness; his mother showed only pure relief at his return. The cub was the cause of more trouble, when they learnt that it was the reason for his delay and that the puppy had been given most of his food on his return journey. Nobody spoke for days,