A long standing tradition in Dan Hailifax's life up to this point is to take a week off and backpack in the untamed Oregon wilderness. Considered a hard-working carpenter and and a caring, wise man by his co-workers and friends, Dan especially enjoys these seven days void of human contact and the temporary separation from the modern world. It is now mid-afternoon, and the hiker is now deep into his favorite tract of land. He finally reached the top of Écouter Valley, which he knows is home to the Squall Creek, which meanders lazily at the bottom of the thick and overgrown valley. Before the decent into the depths, the moderately tall man decides to rest for a few minutes and proceeds to cautiously takes off his pack and rubs his sweaty, muscular shoulders that now give him a floating sensation. While drinking some luke-warm, mineral-tasting water, Dan takes a deep breath and sits down on a small patch of grass and then leans back on the trunk of a tall fir tree. Suddenly, he felt as if something moved in the forest in front of him, or at least something changed. The tint of the visible world seemed to shift, like when one opens his eyes after having them long closed while bathing in sunlight. But, then again, maybe it was just a fallen branch opening up more canopy for the sunlight to shine through. Dan stands up erect, senses fine-tuned, intrigued by the strong investigative spirit arising towards this change. Scanning into forest on the right side of the trail, the explorer sees what looks like a previously unnoticed path make itself visible a few hundred feet from where he stood. Extremely curious after this new discovery in this very familiar land, Dan decides to go investigate.
Stepping on a few of the numerous ferns and bushwhacking through the larger saplings and shrubs, Dan finally finds the beginning (or, maybe, the end) of this mysterious trail. Craning his neck and squinting his eyes, Dan calculates the direction of the vague, yet visible path. As far as Dan can tell, the trail gradually descends along the side of the valley. Plenty of time for exploration, Dan thinks as he spots the sun's fairly vertical position in the sky. After what seems like a half-mile, the hiker turned scout spots what looks like a building vastly overgrown with centuries of vegetative growth. Set off on the right side of the trail and half-enclosed by the earth of the steep valley, there is a faintly distinct glow emanating from a mysterious, stone structure. Dan, in a furry of curiosity and excitement of this new and absurd discovery, starts carefully removing the thick webbing of vegetation to finally reveal a short arch, barely clearing five feet. The faint glow of the unknown power or energy source radiating from the temple-like structure propels Dan's imagination to an ancient, undiscovered world filled with mysterious unknown power. Running his hand across the yellowish-golden stone, he is amazed at the impeccable and nearly untouched masonry of what seems to be some sort of temple built many centuries – perhaps millennia ago. Symbols across the arch of the temple read:
נְפִילִים שלPerplexed by the strange symbols and general absurdness of the structure, Dan crouched down and squinted his eyes to see inside the dark, gaping opening. It looked almost like a rustic elevator lift which seemed to be the source of the glowing energy. Phew – now it comes to it, thought the man as he stood up, put his hands on his hips, and paced back and forth in the freshly cleared path. Dan felt an almost irresistible desire to go in, get in the lift, and see what happens. Yet, the cautious side of his brain that has kept him out of trouble so far in his life, resisted the urge to immediately explore the unknown that lay in the temple. The sheer happenstance and opportunity of this discovery finally led Dan through the short opening – it was almost as if Dan was meant to do the next natural act of exploration: enter the lift. Now, with hands shaking with pure excitement and invading fear of what could happen next, Dan cautiously made his way to the lift through the dark, cavernous temple. A few perfectly round and smooth pillars led him straight, while he felt the growing intensity and warmth of the vague, nearly invisible energy enveloping him. The lift itself, made of the same masonry as the rest of the structure sat almost hovering just above the stone floor, revealing a sliver of black below the rectangular, three-sided, smooth-edged capsule waiting to transport this man somewhere. Prudently, Dan stepped in and crunched his tall body into the relatively small lift and immediately, he felt the mysterious energy envelop him in a warming, relaxing embrace. CHA-CHUNK! CA-CHUGGA-CHUGGA! As if Dan's presence in the lift was the ignition of a 16 cylinder, 1000 horsepower stone engine, the lift started to move down. Starting slowly, the temple and the green world seen through the entrance started to move up and finally disappeared as the lift accelerated down into the depths of the earth.
After what seemed like two minutes, the lift started to smoothly slow down from its terminal, downward velocity. Dan could feel his innards resist the pressure of the slowing trend, yet he was relieved that lift started to slow, which gave him confidence that he wasn't in fact careening down into the liquid, molten core of the earth. Finally, the lift slowed to a snail's pace and an opening in the solid rock started to appear by the man's toes. Growing into a hole that matched the dimensions of the lift, Dan's eyes eagerly scanned the chamber gradually coming into view. Dan's jaw dropped as the fullness of the deep-underground chamber came into view. The place was utterly massive. At a height that had to have been a few hundred feet, the ceiling met the four side walls to make a square area of nearly a hectare. The enclosure of the deep-underground chamber matched the theme of the temple and lift, yet glowed red-orange from the periodic wall mounts of some type of fire which burned quiet and flickered a bright light. Dominating the visual landscape were the gargantuan statues spanning half the height of the chamber and a good portion of the width of the size allotted to the walls. Still dazed by the magnificence of the hall, Dan stepped out onto the chamber floor, leaving the small, warm lift. With a pounding heart and almost deafened ears in the silence of the breathtaking hall, Dan craned his neck to look up the thighs, abdomen, chest, chin, and face of the towering figures to which he only stood at a shin-height. Impeccably fashioned by the hand of a god, the angelic figures seemed to be the noble kings of a world as ancient as the earth itself. Relatively similar to humans at first glance, the statues were rather what humans were supposed to be – nearing perfection in shape and strength and exhibiting the charity, nobility, and power of gods. Three of the magnificent ancients stood half encapsulated by the stone wall on both the left and right walls, while the seventh, the largest, spanned the length and height of the wall facing the lift opening. Exercising his dominion upon the other noble lords, the seventh king's disposition was of utmost power and cunning. Dan could barely make out the eight pointed star glimmering on his chest, which was rising right above the curved horizontal line cut into the the towering abdomen.
Slowly moving towards the end of the hall, something caught Dan's eye. Hidden by the protruding lower appendages of the two closest, opposing figures lining the side walls, were two gaping archways to which each corresponding god-like effigy safeguarded. Now standing with his back to the first two opposing figures, with the gaping archway's immediately to his left and right, Dan took a closer look at the dark, seemingly meaningless arches. The arch itself was only a few feet wide protuberance from wall which enclosed a very large dark inset of wall space. It was a doorway to nowhere except more stone wall a few feet in from the threshold. Strange markings, each completely different in shape and character lay carven above the two arches. Still driven by immense curiosity, Dan continued along the awe-inspiring hall only to discover that each of the six figures hid an arch on the side closest to its apparent king and master. Each of the six arches were dark, barren, and have independently unique markings on the top. Now what? thinks Dan as he stands at the furthest end of the hall, turning back and seeing the very small in comparison entry-way where he entered from the lift.
WHUMPH! Suddenly, without notice a greenish blue light lit the right side of Dan's body.
Afraid of what just whumped in his peripheral vision, the explorer slowly turned his head with wide-open eyes. A sea of greenish blue energy was flowing and vibrating where the dark wall inside the arch had just stood. Mesmerized like a child in front of a television, Dan took a few steps toward the phenomenon – then looked around to make sure nothing else was happening in the hall. Every other archway was dark. No way, it can't be . . . thought Dan as fragments of Stargate SG-1 episodes revisited his consciousness. There was no choice anymore – Dan had to go through the mysterious sea of rippling energy – even if it meant death. Cautiously stepping toward the supposed portal, the vibrating sea consumed his vision and mind. Again, the uncontrollable curiosity and patient cautious sides of Dan battled it out – the curiosity won out in milliseconds – and before his mind could object, Dan sprinted through the portal with head down and muscles tensed for the worst.
Accelerating, stretching, and spinning at an increasing rate – Dan felt immense pain as he careened across the universe breaking the laws of space-time. Just before he thought he would stretch beyond his limit of recovering, Dan's body finally coalesced on solid ground. After the pain subsided and his vision cleared, he was greeted with a magnificent view of a strange and definitely foreign world – even the air smelled different. The last remnants of the sun were barely visible through the thick, dark forest on his left, which revealed the progression of blue to black sky. WHUMPH! The greenish-blue light emanating from the source behind him suddenly disappeared. Dan quickly turned around to discover a gaping, transparent arch form which he just careened across the universe. Yet, to Dan's amazement and open-mouthed wonder, perfectly framed in the arch was a rising blue planet dominating the dark, deep blue sky whose equator had just cleared the tops of the trees. Without warning, Dan felt a slight pain in his chest while his breathing accelerated. Before he knew what was happening, he collapsed on the forest floor, unconscious.
Slowly opening his eyes, Dan was greeted by the light and warmth of a fire in what seemed to be a little hut. Made out of a dark, almost black wood, the walls consisted of stacked trunks of the ebony wood. The rest of the hut was decorated with an assortment of supplies and equipment which reminded Dan of the museum exhibits representing a sample Neanderthal shelter. Various stone and wooden tools ranging from spears to daggers to blunt axes were mounted on the wall. Dan could just barely hear footsteps over the crackling of the fire, and peered over to the flap of the hut. They were getting louder . . . Finally a figure came through the flap. At first, Dan saw a five-foot tall dog standing on his hind legs. But at a closer look, Dan could see the distinguished, noble, and intelligent features of this bipedal hound as the creature searched Dan's face. The deep-set, thoughtful eyes defined the face of this fierce-looking creature whose jaw and nose protruded into a slight snout which gave way into a fairly large, narrow head bordered by two perked, triangular ears. Covered in a light layer of fur, the neck, chest, and abdomen were large and lean with muscle which continued onto its bowed appendages, which created the presence of a poised, magnificent creature. Now sitting bolt upright in the cot where he had been unconscious, Dan's face was dripping with wonder as he gazed upon the intelligent beast. The jaw of the alien creature gently formed into a smirk when he started to utter deep throated, resonant barks that seemed to be warm greetings which were immediately followed by a low bow. Dan immediately stood up, said an awkward “uhh, greetings” with the most noble, deep voice he could muster and bowed low to the ground.
“Hwrolf”, said the beast in a deep voice while placing a pawhand on his chest. “Hwrolf”, he repeated with added emphasis.
“Hewrowlf”, said Dan in a very meek voice in comparison to the sentient canine, which he followed with a hearty “Dan” while placing his hand on his own chest.
“Rhraan, hran” repeated the creature with a swift nod of the head, and continued, “hroof hran buunaraho heowhalf” Hwrolf moved over to the fire and grabbed the stew that was simmering and handed some of the food to Dan in a crude wooden bowl. After eating his fair share of what tasted like venison soup with some unnamed herbs and vegetables, Dan thanked Hwrolf who proceeded to motion Dan to get up and follow him. The human followed the wolf-man out of the hut and into daylight revealing a clearing surrounded by a forest of very strange, odd looking trees. But Dan had little time to look around, Hwrolf was briskly striding towards an path cut into the nearby forest. After almost jogging for a few hundred yards on the uphill path, the two creatures arrived at the top of a particularly high bluff. Now Dan had a chance to get his bearings. In three directions, hills carpeted green with trees surrounded them, which at a closer look, served at foothills to the distant mountains far behind the two travelers. Yet in front of them lie a gradual decline of elevation and, as the elevation lowered, the forest of the hills steadily declined to a desert lowland which stretched out in front as far as the eye can see. The small, almost red looking sun was starting its mid-day decent upon on the dessert, while a blue planet was struggling to rise above the mountains, opposite of the desert. Hwrolf uttered a few, brief barking words, signifying his urgency, and then continued to point to a little clearing far below them on the outskirts of the encroaching forest. Dan could just barely see the top of a tan, stone arch, when Hwrolf started to make more actions and motions while speaking more untranslatable gibberish. According to what Dan could understand from the wolf-man's signals, there was a flash of something at that clearing last night, where Hwrolf found Dan unconscious on the forest floor and brought him back to his hut. While his new companion was speaking and motioning, Dan was struck by how similar and how different this creature was to the human race he was so familiar with. In Hwrolf's eyes was the distinguished intelligence, or maybe, the soulful sentience that set himself apart from the rest of the animal and plant world. Yet Hwrolf's mannerisms and behavior was completely different from what Dan would describe as normal. More animalistic, more driven by instinct and his senses, the wolf-man was always in tune and attentive to what the world around him was telling him. Language was perhaps not something the wolf-man used that often, as it seemed to be struggling to convey what the creature was actually thinking and feeling. But, even though Dan was such a foreign being, he could still sense some sprig of commonality between himself and this creature, some part of them was the same, yet Dan could not quite put his finger on it. Now Hwrolf's motions seemed to indicate that they were both going to travel to a higher bluff somewhere in the distance sometime soon – he seemed very urgent and tense. Abruptly, he headed back in the direction of his hut and the very curious Dan followed.
Hwrolf, as soon as he got back to camp, started to busy himself packing supplies and food in a leather sack. As soon as he finished – he offered Dan a few swigs of water, strapped the pack to his chest, and put all four of his pawhands on the ground – closely resembling a dog on earth. Gently swinging his tail back and forth, Hwrolf motioned for his new discovery to climb on his back. Hesitation at first, and then awkwardly clamoring onto the furry, muscular creature, Dan tried to secure himself on the wolf-man on which he barely fit. With his chest directly on the back of Hwrolf, and legs bent and strataling Hwrolf's ribs, Dan was soon propelled through the forest in a blur of speed. Cris-crossing a labyrinth of trails, the forest seemed a dizzying blear of green leaves and black trunks of trees.
Finally, after a few hours of riding the muscular Hwrolf who had an unending source of stamina, Dan was finally permitted to stand on his own two, shaking, legs. While running a massaging hand down his rigid, cramped forearms and thighs, Dan looked around to find yet another breathtaking view. The forest blanketing the hills shone a deep blue, while the blue sister planet was still rising and now dominated the sky recently absent from the sun's light. The two just arrived at the highest hill this side of the mountains. As Dan and Hwrolf walked up to the final bald peak of the large hill, they were met with a hubbub of nightly activity. The path was lined with carved pieces of black timber which led up to a cluster of buildings – one of which was a domed tower which seemed to be the center of activity as flickering light and low, harsh, yet excited voices emanated out of its windows. Dan spotted more and more creatures like Hwrolf as they neared the noisy hall – all of which took a good look at Dan and nodded their heads when Dan happened to make eye contact with the magnificent creatures. Hwrolf looked especially proud among his counterparts, as he strode tall with alien companion in tow – his fur a deep blue and eyes alight with the fire-lit hall ahead.
As the two crossed the threshold of the domed tower, they were immediately greeted by what seemed to be the clan leader of the wolf-men, who Hwrolf paid allegiance to by bowing low to the ground, to which Dan tried to imitate immediately. When the human became vertical again, he was greeted by a closer, grinning clan master, who proceeded to rest his pawhands on Dan's shoulders, closed his eyes, and said a few deep, growling words with a bowed head. The obvious leader was a bit larger than the average wolf-man, given a quick sweep of the room, and was decorated in various wooden and stone ornaments in addition to a tailor made leather chest piece embroidered with the apparent symbol of the race which had appeared in several places near the hall. The more or less circular hall was packed with men, women, and even children of this wolfish race, all intently watching the proceedings. After Dan's very warm greeting by the leader, the large wolf-man greeted Hwrolf then invited the two companions to sit beside him on a patch of ground elevated a bit above the rest of the hall floor, immediately after which a great feast was served – complete with fire roasted meat, bread, soup, and some sort of ale, all of which tasted particularly good and different from anything Dan had ever tasted.
While the human was eating, he had a few minutes to think to himself while the hall was abuzz with the howling and music of a very foreign celebration. Why such a celebration?, Dan asked himself while pondering the absurdity of his universal transportation and warm greeting from this very foreign race of creatures – especially when he couldn't help thinking about the wraith race depicted in the Stargate series. After the meal was over, the leader quieted the hall with a big howl and nodded to what looked like some sort of clerics of the clan who stood by the door. They suddenly produced a small box which was very ceremoniously brought to the leader, who held it in his hands and spoke a few barking words. At a closer look, the box was very intricately carven with an illustration of a dark figure standing in an arch with a planet dominating the background sky above the tree-line. Dan had a very funny feeling that that dark figure was him last night, and this box held something very ancient and mysterious. The leader slowly handed the box to Dan, and signaled the alien to open the box with a nod of the head. The room was dead silent as the human's hands grasped the box and slowly opened it up. All that the box revealed was a short sheet of paper that was barely held itself together in a yellow, decrepit state. But there was writing on the sheet of paper, and to Dan's amazement, it was written in english. In a very odd, foreign writing style, it read:
Welcome, son of Adam, descendent of Apes, and inheritor of the breath of Mulumu. Go south, past the desert of Kumju and into the land of darkness and cold. There, you will find the eternal children of Naril. Mulumu be with you.Thoroughly astonished and perplexed at the origin and meaning of the apparent prophecy, Dan raised his head and looked around at the silent, wide-eyed clan and then turned to the leader. With a desire to communicate with the creatures around him, he said, “I must go south into the land of darkness”, while gesturing and motioning enthusiastically. When the human pointed to the direction of the dessert, the wolf-men and women suddenly started to celebrate, for an unknown reason. Now feeling utterly confused to what was going on, Dan felt a hardy pat on the back from the neighboring Hwroth, while the leader of the clan gently motioned and guided Dan out of the hall and into what looked like the leaders private living quarters a few paces from the hall. The leader proceeded to invite him to retire in a spare straw bed located in a quiet space near the back of the highly decorated and beautiful hut. Dan, now feeling his suddenly very heavy eyelids as he sat on the bed, immediately crashed into a deep sleep even amid the rambunctious activity next door.
The next morning, Dan was woken up hastily by the clan leader, fed a small breakfast, and led outside to where Hwroth and some random gear was waiting. The sky was now in reverse – the sun was struggling to rise above the mountains, and the humongous planet was starting to sink into the horizon just to the right of the dessert. Hwroth motioned for Dan to come closer and then proceeded to dress him with a complete clothing set of a very furry, soft, skinned and tailor-made pelt of some animal. A leather pack full of food and water was also strapped onto Dan's back. It looked like Dan was going to head south immediately. There was a gathering crowd when Hwroth led Dan out of the camp and down the hill, out of sight. What a fascinating place, thought Dan as he passed the black, carved totem poll look-alikes on the main path to the camp, only if I had more time . . . While Dan was mindlessly following Hwroth through the labyrinth of trails that led downward, his mind rushed over the event that happened last night and tried to sort everything out. It didn't work – his mind was deeply puzzled with the questions: why was the “prophesy” written in english? why such an uproar when he pointed south? why were they so hospitable? descendent of Apes? Mulumu?
Hwroth stopped to take a drink in a small, nearby stream, and motioned for Dan to do the same. Dan had been lost in his thoughts for quite some time, and suddenly noticed his surroundings. The trees were now a bit more spread apart, and the ground was a bit more sandy – they must be getting close. Sure enough, only about a half mile from where they stopped, Hwroth permanently stopped and refused to go any further. Dan came beside Hwroth, breathing hard, and looked into the deep-set, blue eyes of his gracious guide. Hwroth bowed low – Dan embraced him and thanked him care and guidance with as much emphasis and meaning as possible. Hwroth nodded his head and uttered a deep, resonant word. The human now continued on the trail which soon was void of trees and void of any path as he entered the desolate, dry, sandy dessert. After about a mile into the heat, Dan took off his furry clothes and packed them in and around his pack. Dan suddenly heard a distant howl from behind him, only to see a very small figure on the top of the nearest hill who then turned around and disappeared. Now Dan was alone. The only thing he could do was keep walking.
The desert seemed endless as the man kept going up and down sand dunes, hoping for a glimpse of green in the horizon. Before he knew it, the sun started to sink lower and lower while the temperature started to drop exponentially. He donned the animal hides, and found a little convex sand crater to sleep in. The nights were very cold and the afternoons a blazing, scorching oven. It took him four days before he saw the glimpse of green and five before he kissed the bark of the first tree of the southern forest. Almost out of the nearly two, heavy gallons of water the wolf-men packed for him five days earlier, Dan immediately started searching for a water source in the gradually thickening vegetation. Finally, a little stream revealed its cool fresh water by the most wonderful trickling sound to ever grace Dan's ears. Rationing his packed, dried food reserves, he figured that he had about another five days, tops, until he would run out. Hopefully, he would manage to find the so-called “lost children of Naril” before that happened. Surprisingly, the air was very cold already, and the sun was just setting. It seemed like the sun's path was a bit closer to the northern horizon today, Dan noticed, while he realized that the sun was almost always at his back throughout the most recent day. The mysterious blue planet, meanwhile, seemed to have changed its path too, as it rose not in the north, but in the east over the desert. Something did not feel right, this new place seemed very different, and very cold.
After the first night in the outskirts of the forest south of the desert, Dan continued on due south, or, at least what he thought was due south. The land started to rise, and as the forest thickened, it was harder and harder to find a path. After a few miles of exhausting bushwhacking, Dan finally reached the top of the nearest rise, on which rested a lake. Taken aback by the magnificent sight, Dan had yet another open-mouthed wonder-filled moment (these moments were starting to stack up). The lake just so happened to be on the top of yet another hill – but this hill seemed minuscule to the mountains that it reflected to the south. Covered in snow, the somewhat jagged peaks rose above the forest in magnificence. Only three peaks were visible, alone and set apart from the green carpet below them. The first two lay in front the the third, which rested behind yet between its two brothers in front. What looked like a canyon valley lead up to a dark green patch of flat land that lay in the middle of the three towering, relatively steep mountains. That has to be them, it just has to, thought Dan as he felt an almost irresistible urge to explore the far off fertile valley which potentially housed the thing that the prophesy asked him to find. Eating a quick lunch by the quiet, reflective pool, Dan set off again filled exciting determinism and purpose to explore the mountainous valley.
Tired, bedraggled, and hungry after a long hike which seemed to make no progress, Dan rested as the sun waned in the northwestern sky. Later that night in the bright blue planet light which illuminated the night, Dan found his first trail and celebrated by setting up camp and closing his heavy eyes. The trail seemed to head directly for the three mountains, with a few deviations here and there in the foothills. As Dan progressed south, the air seemed to get colder and colder, and the sunlight less and less intense as its path moved to a more northern arch. Yet his new clothes and wolfish food reserves kept him warm when he was not huffing and puffing down the trail. Now it was the ninth day in Dan's journey and his food reserves were small indeed, with only a few small meals left. With the sun setting on the ninth night, Dan decided to make one last push south. The first two giant, snow-capped peaks pierced the sky on both sides of him as he started his last climb. Bathed now in a blue hue, the path before him had been dwindling for quite some time now, and finally ceased to exist – leaving Dan the exhausting task of clamoring through endless vegetation.
Nearly delirious with hunger and physical fatigue, the human dropped his pack and looked for a place to camp in this cold, dark wilderness. Yet, all of a sudden, something caught his eye. His mind and senses immediately sharpened as they scanned the surrounding vegetation for the unknown movement. No, it can't be, mouthed Dan as he was shocked to see a moving figure silhouetted in the blue background of the forest nearly a few hundred paces above. Barely noticeable, the startling profile was walking effortlessly through the forest with its side facing Dan. Shifting his weight and craning his neck to get a better look, the human stepped on a bowed branch – CRACK! The figure suddenly stopped and turned its head towards the noise. Dan could see two small white lights staring at him in the dark, while the rest of the silent creature stood erect and tall as if interrupted from some important task. With almost mechanical precision, the creature then turned back and continued walking away. A bit anxious about the potentially unfriendliness of this strange encounter, Dan made a make shift lean to, ate the last of his rations, and fell asleep.
Just before the sun was visible in the northern sky, Dan was scared awake by the sound of movement around him, lots of movement, in fact. Before he realized what was happening, his feet were grabbed, and his body pulled out of his leafy shelter. At light speed, he was tied up to a board, blinded, and carried up the steep slope. Relaxing after the initial shock of being kidnapped, he was surprised at the little sound coming from his carriers – no breathing, barely any sound from footsteps, and no communication. In fact, sometimes during his blind journey he wondered if he was really being carried at all. It was not until the end of the day when he was finally set down and untied. Now the sun was close to the horizon again, creating a beautiful orange-red sky contrasted by the deep blue planet which was now nearly fully risen over the far away desert, all of which was happening over the magnificent green valley below the area between the three giants. But Dan was still very blindfolded and very hungry. Finally, at dusk, the blindfold was taken off. His eyes were met with three other pairs of the same whitish glint that met his last night. Completely composed of metal parts, the creatures shone the red-orange-blue collage in the sky above them on their green, varied angled bodies. Noble things, these, which stood tall and intelligent modeled after a race similar to humans. Three of the creatures were standing in front of him, the one in the center being the largest, and the other two seemed smaller and less old. Unlike anything he had ever seen, the human stared wide-eyed at the “robots” in silence waiting for their next move.
The largest, center one took a few steps forward, extended his hand, and greeted Dan with a very mechanical and precise, “Hello, friend”. Dan's eyes immediately widened in surprise and graciously took the cold, metallic hand in response. The assumed leader immediately smiled, or at least, moved some of his limited mouth parts into what looked like a smile, and said, “My name is Owadoc, eldest and leader of the everlasting Volfur race. We have been waiting a very long time for you, Ape-man. Come and eat.”
Dan was then led into a very square, very plain shelter made out of the familiar black trunks common to this world. The leader accompanied Dan into the shelter, and showed him to a small fire and some fresh, raw, meat which lay right next to an assortment of berries and roots. Even though he was ravenously hungry, Dan's mind was about to explode with questions. Dan started, “Thank you, but why the -”.
“I will answer your questions after the meal. Please, eat, Ape-man” interrupted Owadoc in the same mechanical, accurate voice. Dan didn't hesitate, and moved close to the fire and started to cook and eat his food ravenously. For the first time in what felt like ages, Dan was finally satisfied and full of warm, delicious, fresh food. “That is the first time I have watched a man eat food in nearly one hundred millennia” mentioned the machine after Dan had finished. “There is little time, we must walk and talk. Come.” Owadoc led Dan out of the hut and into the dark, blue night. “First I must ask your name, ape-man, then you are free to ask.” he told Dan as they worked themselves around a snow patch and onto a well-traveled path.
“My name is Dan Halifax. I must thank you for your care and generous food, but why the abduction?”
“It was a precaution” said Owadoc who was now walking with precision in stride with Dan, looking straight ahead at the upcoming path. “We never take risks, even if the risk is miniscule – it is integral to our programming.”
“Good” replied Dan, confident that this “thing” was honest. “How can you speak my language?” inquired Dan, very anxious to hear the machine's answer.
“We are the creation of a race of people similar to your own. The Naril, our creators, were the most intelligent animals on this planet a very long time ago. They acquired the ability to create us, who, completely mechanical in nature, matched if not surpassed the intellectual and physical capabilities of our creators. There were a few of us who wanted to exterminate the human race, thinking it the natural course of evolution and progression of life on this planet – encouraged by some Naril opposition to our apparent “sentient” status as machines. I, Owadoc, the first of our kind, tried to stop them, but it was too late. They managed to create a virus which specifically and universally exterminated the Naril, leaving us no choice but fight the faction of murderers. We barely won, and with the few numbers we had left, moved to the dark portion of the planet, ashamed of our kind's wrongdoing, and waited for the prophesy to fulfill itself.”
“And what exactly was that prophesy?” interjected Dan, shivering as they now rested atop a rock at the highest point in the middle area between the three mountains.
“The last living Naril in the last few moments of his life, was manifested by Mulumu – the God of the Naril. The last Naril gave me a language chip, a box with mysterious carvings, and said, 'Go into the dark. Wait for the ape-man who will make you complete. Bury this box near the arch.' We have always assumed that the language chip was for you and your communication with us, we were correct. You are the ape-man we have waited for to give us children, now it is time.”
“Children?” asked Dan, who was now starting to understand this strange, blue world that he watching over from his high position.
“We are living, sentient organisms, created by intelligent animals who evolved from simpler life. Yet the Naril forgot something, we are not complete organisms unless we can reproduce and die. This is our greatest wish, and our greatest fear. Our power source and mechanical parts are everlasting, yet we long to be ride of these shells, for the next stage. We are not sure what that is, but we long for it. Now it is time. Time to become true living organisms, who can reproduce, suffer death, and be subject to the great force of evolution, through which Mulumu works and moves.”
At this moment, Dan glanced over at noticed something that was before unnoticed. Owadoc had the same glint in his eyes as Hwroth, which was the same as Dan's fellow humans. There was something, something intangible and beyond both of the two creatures, something that linked the two together in commonality. The human just could not put his finger on it, yet the force of its realization moved Dan.
“We have trusted Mulumu's words, and waited for your arrival, Dan, to reunite in friendship with true organisms” continued the machine. “Tonight we will retrieve the Teml from its ancient hiding place, then tomorrow we will venture out from this, our home for the previous age, and into the new age”.
“What is this Teml?”, asked Dan.
“It is the first photo-reproductive synapse capture – the technology of which our creation was based. We intend to give the Teml to the wolf race who are now ready to help us – signified by your coming. We have work to do yet tonight, Dan, and you need to rest.” Owadoc immediately rose from his position on the rock and started back on the path with Dan in tow. Dan started to feel the adrenaline of this new meeting wear off, and the almost irresistible fatigue saturated his body. Bidding farewell to Dan, Owadoc left the human at the shelter to sleep, while the machine ran off to do many things to prepare for the journey tomorrow. Dan fell asleep instantly.
The human woke up to bright sunshine the next morning, and ate some the rest of the leftover food from last night. Feeling very rested and energized, the man packed the remaining food into his leather sack from the wolf-men, and walked out of the shelter. About twenty of Owadoc's counterparts were moving up to the path where the two walked the previous night. Up ahead on the path, there were even more of the machines walking towards them, some of whom were carrying a small white thing atop a wooden carrying structure – it reminded Dan of Sunday-school drawings resembling the Arc of the Covenant. That had to be the Teml. The two parties met, and Owadoc made his way over to Dan from the crowd of nearly two hundred machines. “We are ready. It will be faster if you sit on my back for the journey.” Dan noticed a fairly make-shift chair made out of wood strapped onto Owadoc's back. He climbed on to the robot's back and then the leader took off at a quick pace. Dan looked back at the amazing sight of the multitude the remaining Volfur all starting the decent down the slope after their leader.
Owadoc moved almost effortlessly through the thick vegetation with no sign of exhaustion or need of energy. Dan asked, “Where do you get your energy from?”
“Part of the ingenuity of our Teml-based systems is that they are photo-reproductive in nature. We convert the sun's light into energy, much like plants, and store that energy inside of us – thus our green color, which is best at absorbing sunlight. Even on the dark side of this world, we receive more than enough power to perform even the most strenuous tasks.”
Dan thought back to when he was a kid, back when he wished he could photosynthesize like trees and receive energy from the sun. “I have noticed a vast change in the sun's path across the sky as I traveled south from the forested hills of the wolf race. What is this dark side of the planet you always mention?” asked Dan as the two were nearly halfway down the slope still moving at an alarming rate. The sun was halfway to mid-day, and the temperature was just starting to rise.
“This planet is relatively small compared to our sister planet, Amidith, which makes up for our small gravitational field. It also creates an odd orbit cycle around our sun, which creates a permanent dark, cold region encompassing the southern part of the globe, while also creating a dessert ring that circles the globe bordering the two zones. Further north is where the Naril lived, where the sun is very warm and the nights are temperate. The wolf-men like the cold and stay away from the heat.”
The next few hours passed away in silence, as the Volfur continued their seemingly effortless trek through the countryside. Dan was mesmerized by the scenery, and, in what seemed like a few hours, the group was already at the lake near the desert by mid-day, apparently intending to reach the wolf race by nightfall. The group stopped, performed some sort of ceremony with the Teml and the lake, and then set off again. The desert came quickly, and before Dan knew it, there was green on the horizon. Dan could start to see a small speck of light atop the tallest forested hill in the distance illuminated by the blue Amidith, which was now starting to rise again in its nightly habit. Now the machines started to climb again, now up the forested slopes belonging to the wolf-race. A few miles in, Dan heard a few howls in the distance, sounding the alarm, and the machines slowed down to a slower pace in response, knowing that their destination was close. An unarmed wolf scout, came out of the darkness and moved toward Owadoc. Dan quickly got of the chair and bowed low to the wolf-man, to which the creature responded with a low bow and a deep, resonate bark. Dan and Owadoc proceeded to follow the scout after his encouraging gesture. Now back in the maze of trails, the wolf-man was joined by a few others and finally led the Volfur's to the summit of the hill where Dan was given the fulfilling prophesy.
Similar to the wonder in the eyes of the wolf people when Dan arrived, the people gawked at the magnificent machines as they trekked into the camp. Dan and Owadoc were summoned to a private meeting with the leader, who immediately greeted Dan warmly. Dan was brought some food, as the the machine and wolf-leader greeted each other and talked at length in the same tongue, which Owadoc, was also apparently familiar with. Guessing from the inflections and gestures, he guessed that the wolf race was also going to leave soon and travel with the Volfur. Dan, at this point, started to feel less and less apart of things, and felt suddenly very homesick. Something told him that his time on this planet was limited. He excused himself from the meeting after finishing his meal and tried to find Hwroth, the closest thing to a friend he found in this strange world. After loafing around the camp, milling through the mixed company of wolves and Volfur, Hwroth was nowhere to be seen. Feeling pointless and a bit lonely, Dan headed back to the tent where the two leaders were finishing up the conversation by shaking pawhand and mechanical hand. Owadoc promptly came up to Dan, looked him in the eyes, and informed, “we have decided to move further inland to a larger camp of the wolf-men. We leave tomorrow morning. It has been suggested that you leave, and go back to your own world. The wolf leader mentioned that some of his scouts noticed a green glow similar to the glow seen on the night you came. Travel safely, Ape-man – your work here is completed. Thank you.”
“You are very welcome, Owadoc” said Dan in response, “may Mulumu be with you in the new age of this world as you discover your true selves.” With that, Owadoc embraced Dan and muttered a few indecipherable words with a bowed head, and then disappeared into the crowd. The wolf leader also said farewell in his own fashion, with a low bow, and clearly said “Hwroth”. Dan thanked him and then turned around to see his trusty companion, Hwroth standing behind him. Hwroth smiled an awkward, doggish smile, and slapped the human on the shoulder with a heavy pawhand. The magnificent creature dropped on all fours and cocked his head to signal Dan's mount on the wolf-man's back, similar to a few days ago. Dan smiled and climbed on, after which Hwroth growled and took off with great speed down the path leading into the forest.
Ten years later . . .
Dan, now a man in his mid forties, was huffing and puffing up a steep incline in the Three Sister's wilderness. It had been a decade since his adventure to the alien planet and every day since he longed for the one week of vacation that allowed him to backpack in his favorite track of land. Ever since Hwroth brought him back to the portal, shimmering green in activity, he had struggled with readjusting to life on earth. He never dared share his experience with others, and sometimes felt as if the whole out-of-world experience was just a very vivid dream only existing in his mind. Every year since, he walked past the spot where the mysterious trail appeared, hoping that it would appear again to transport him away from this mundane earth and back into adventure. Now, he had passed the special spot ten times, as he huffed and puffed up the steep slope which just proceeded the spot that changed his life. Used to being disappointed after all these long years, he expected nothing, yet continued to pay respect to the power that urged him on to be the fulfillment of prophesy. Dan often wondered why he was chosen, of all people, for such a stellar and weighty task.
Setting down his pack at the top of the hill, Dan took his annual rest among the trees, paying close attention to his surroundings. Nothing. Another year, another disappointment – Dan was starting to lose hope. Ten years is a long time . . . But wait, could it be? No. Again, something changed in the forest around him. With mind ablaze in excitement, Dan stood up and burst through the vegetation on the right side of the trail. There was the trail! Dan felt youth surge within him as adrenaline saturated his blood stream. As the human followed the trail which lightly descended down the side of the valley, something very bright suddenly caught his eye. The tan temple was still barely visible under the vegetation, yet there was an object in front of it that burned brightly in contrast with the green and brown background of earthly vegetation. At first it only looked like a splot of light, but as Dan neared, the splot of intense light turned into a human figure which looked to be on fire. The flaming creature, which was now just a few paces from Dan when he stopped, uttered the following words in a deep, almost god-like manner:
“Dan Halifax, descendent of Adam and Apes, servant of the eternal God of many names and forms, you are admired among men and angels for your deeds of service. I am Naralix, leader of the Nephilim who once descended upon this earth in the ancient days. This is our creation,” nodding his head toward the stone temple, “in honor of our previous masters, of whom you would call angels. For Lucifer and his fellow kings were once noble rulers of a previous earth before they fell into sin and God created the world anew a second time. This is our tribute to them, who, in their sinless magnificence and power were able to connect the living worlds together in a system of portals, linking organisms blessed with the breath of God together in unity. You have visited the sixth living planet, and ancient world filled with a long history of animal life infused with the image of God. The portal lies open for the last time in ten thousand years, Dan Halifax. Choose wisely.”
The angelic figure disappeared, and Dan without a second thought, stepped forward into the cavern with a familiar glow.
No comments:
Post a Comment