101. Home again

There was a question about the Athamanas that had been bothering Rahul since he started walking the hidden paths of Madüjawr with the group. And this question was none other than 'why don't they ride horses?' Well, the newest member of the group finally got the answer to this question when they were forced to flee from the Ötandi troups.

Eight horses were waiting for the group at the edge of the camp. The horses, however, were suspiciously avoiding Suk, as if the boy had literally repelled the animals. They hardly wanted to stay near him and it was also difficult for the boy to mount a horse. As the group said, this was because 'He is a Zovárd, even horses know to avoid their poison-mixing kind.' Let's say Rahul didn't understand what poison mixing had to do with horses, but he didn't question his companions.

In the end, however, the Athamanas' group of eight horses only used seven, since none of them knew how, but out of nowhere White Horse appeared on the horizon, the horse given to Rahul by Etele. The noble animal did not let Rahul ride on another horse, and since they were already pressed for time, since who knew how long the ötandi would be occupied, Rahul finally accepted the horse's will without further ado.

Thus, despite minor obstacles and a fair amount of swearing, especially from the mouth of Suk, under whom the horse would not rest, the Athamanas finally left Rimurrukh, the country of the ötandi, straight towards the Karrabatas, but heading west to Rahul's village.

However, even on horseback, it took the group days to reach the mountains, where the horses were set free, which, with the exception of White Horse, who went to Madüjawr, returned to Rimurrukh. The Athamanas had taken on the mountains, so that they could cross them and reach Nisurrukh, as the chüvigh country was called.

"And I am home again, that there is already Míngrizimen." Rahul put his hands on his hips, stopping on the pass and smiling at the forest spread out below their feet and the village in the distance.

"What?" Citar turned to him with a puzzled look.

"My village, Míngrizimen." When the others still looked at him strangely, he continued. "That is the name of the place." Rahul chuckled. "Well, let's go, they will surely be waiting for us." The boy remarked as he set off on the thin, barely traveled path leading to the valley.

While the group of Athamanas descended the mountainside, a day fifteen years ago came back to life in Rahul's mind, the day when little Rahul saw a nyiumgyi for the first time in his life.

"Honey, you won't believe what kind of things there are out there in the fields!" Rahul's father burst into the small house on the edge of the village that particular morning, with a wide smile on his face and a look of confusion in his eyes. And with his words, he managed to get Rahul's mother and little Rahul to step over to the window through which they could see the field.

"What are these?" The question came from his mother's mouth, and little Rahul curiously looked at the creatures that looked like huge colorful bubbles jumping in the field, leaving nothing on the ground.

"I have no idea, but Tete and I decided to hunt them down. So, could you go into the village and ask if the villagers know what the wild maidens these are." The man asked, and Rahul's mother just nodded.

Thus, little Rahul and his mother soon arrived in the village, where they learned from the village leader that these creatures were the nyiumgyi. They also asked Rahul's mother, as the village leader had said: 'Tell the two eastern lords to bring the killed nyiumgyis to the square.'

To tell the truth, little Rahul was more occupied with the new fountain than with what his mother was talking about with the village leader, about the strange bouncing bubbles. That may have been why poor little Rahul jumped a huge one when his mother told him that they were going home.

Rahul didn't see his father all day, but he heard his voice, along with Uncle Tete's voice, which had to mean that they were somewhere nearby. Rahul's mother was busy in the kitchen after delivering the village leader's message to the men and returning from the field. Little Rahul played at the foot of the house until the sun went down on the horizon.

"Bon appetit." The woman said with a smile as she put the dinner on the table.

"Thank you, dear, but what is this anyway?" Rahul's father asked, pointing to the food that little Rahul had already enthusiastically started eating.

"Ommmm..." His mother scratched her neck.

"Honey, you know I love you very much, but did you seriously make dinner out of those nyiumgyium thingies?" Rahul's father looked at his wife questioningly.

"The villagers said it was good for your health and anyway, it's a rarity here and they pay a fortune for it. The last time I ate one was when I was a little girl. You have no idea how long I've wanted to try it again." The woman folded her arms in front of her, ending the conversation, after which dinner proceeded peacefully in the small house.

The next morning, little Rahul, believing that his father and Uncle Tete had cleaned the area, played around as usual and went to play in the forest. Little Rahul followes the same wide, well-trodden path leading to the center of the village fifteen years ago, which Rahul and the Athamanas were taking in the present.

Rahul knew this path well, he always went there to play, he had every turn in the palm of his hand. On that day fifteen years ago, as in the present, a huge bubble blocked Rahul's path. However, the current nyiumgyi was bright green compared to the pale blue of the past.

"What the wild maiden with a bun is that?! " The question fell out of Benkó.

"A nyiumgyi." Rahul stated in a completely calm voice.

"Okay, maybe it's not the best time, but why do you call this big bubble a nyiumgyi?" Citar snorted, and Rahul smiled faintly.

"You'll find out soon." Although Rahul was talking to the Athamanas, the past and present blurred before his eyes when the huge bubble made a sharp 'nyiiiiiiuuuuuuumgyiiiiiiiii' sound and started moving towards him. A strange figure appeared in Rahul's memories. In the present, the boy made the nyiumgyi with the same movements that the stranger had made in the past.

"Who are you?" Little Rahul and the Rahul of the present whispered to him in the memory at the same time. However, unlike the present, they heard his words in the past. The stranger turned towards him, but the boy did not see the face of the figure in the memory. However, Rahul was sure that he had not remembered this event until now, which, given that his memory was exceptionally good, was a particularly worrying thing.

"A god who kills little boys." The stranger grinned, and little Rahul laughed to himself.

"That's good, because Uncle Tete says that I am a big boy now." As little Rahul said this, the memories scattered and Rahul turned to face the Athamans.

"And this is how you kill a big nyiumgyi." He put down his weapon and forced a faint smile on his lips, trying to hide from his friends the worries caused by the strange memories in his mind.