Chapter 8: Light in darkness
Beyond the chaos that started spreading around the inn, both men got onto the tank. Onix, confused and desoriented after his phone conversation moments ago, decided to let Rezler free definitely and forget about him forever. "Eh, youngster, don't think that after all of this you are going to leave me here and that's it", said the old hunter. "Before you go wherever you have to go, let's return to my house and leave me there".
Onix didn't make any objection to Rezler's request... anyway, even though he didn't say it, the warlock didn't have any place to go to.
Well into the evening, the tank drove by Onix that was following the precise indications of someone who knew the desert of Sachs like the back of his hand, found Rezler's house. However, they didn't expect to find the small and discreet house as black as coal, completely burned, as well as the raplos farm that stood up fabulous beside it.
Rezler hardly waited for Onix to park and open the hatch, and reach rushing the area of the disaster... Onix did nothing but look the scene from far, surprised by the sudden breakdown of a man who he believed was strong and tough enough moments ago.
"No...what have they done to you, my little raplos...what did they do..." Rezler's eyes were fixed on what had previously been the beautiful entrance to his stables, where all his beloved animals had a rest at night. In that moment, almost everything that could be seen inside was the virtually demolished roof that, most likely, fell over the unfortunate reptiles as they suffered from the fire. The few that managed to escape didn't go far, including the two that some hours ago rode Rezler and his then captive Onix... the burnt corpses were spread all over the area. The old hunter cried inconsolably, like a child, in view of losing the most similar to a family he had in the last years, and it looked like he would be that way forever. He hardly seemed to worry about his home, in which was even imposible to enter since the roof was demolished into the basement, and only two skinny and dilapidated foundations overhung over the land level. What hurt Rezler most was the loss of all his raplos.
Practically resigned to his future of total loneliness that was imposed to him by reality in such moments, but still preserving the little piece of irrational hope that everyone who can't assume what their eyes see have, the depressed man made his way into the debris and checked one by one the corpses of his raplos, through the curtain of tears that covered his wrinkled eyes. For every one of them he found dead, his hope blew out, until he was sure that every one of his twelve friends wouldn't stand up anymore.
So much time remained the hunter kneeling down there, remembering the past, extremely depressed and blocking himself out from the present reality, that even Onix entered the stables to see what was happening. The warlock, seeing that image of Rezler, downhearted, absent, destroyed, asked himself if he could in fact experience that feeling at some point of his tormented life... it was hard for him to believe that even strong people could surrender to sorrow and desperation. Or was Rezler a weak man, after all? Onix thought about that while he asked the hunter what was he going to do now. He received no answer.
Instead of answering, Rezler asked Onix for silence. The old man seemed to regain consciousness, stopped crying, moaning, thinking, and focused all his senses on the little noise that he heard seconds ago, that noise was so familiar to him...
-An egg! -said Rezler- An egg is opening!
Onix, who paid no attention to that sound, started thinking that the hunter was delirious. However, after a few seconds he started to hear a kind of soft sound too, a continuous clatter, muffled by the layer of earth that was covering it. Rezler, like possesed by a strange force, ran from stable to stable, approaching his ear to the earth on each one, longing to find the focus of that sound. But, it wasn't him who finally found it; Onix was who after some minutes and with his keen ear, detected that the sound didn't come from any of the compartments, but just behind them, on the center of the corridor on the stables, the only area that had been partially safe from the extreme temperatures and fire and the impact of the debris. The warlock turned around and kneeled down curious, and then he saw coming from the earth, digging with difficulty with it's little legs, a newborn raplos of no more than a pair of handspans in height exhausted by the effort of cracking the hard shell of it's egg. Something inside Onix was moved by the most pure phenomenon that was the miracle of life... looking at that little thing that could hardly move by it's own, a strange feeling ran all over him, and he just looked quietly it's laborious and strained task to surviv, to reach the solid ground and leave behind the place where it had been incubating for several months.
Goodness! -shouted Rezler disconcerted, still looking at the last stable he checked from all that were there- Onix, tell me you heard the same as i heard! I'm surely becoming crazy, i was sure, totally sure, oh well... i suppose it's the end of my family, after all...
After saying these words, the hunter stood up and looked at Onix. He couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing, the proud raplos breeder emited a great shout for joy and rushed, running and stumbling across the debris, to take the newborn between his arms. Onix, who didn't understand that sudden change on Rezler's mood, observed his joy as he rocked the little newborn with love. In a short time, Onix was entrusted with the job of taking care of the little raplos. "My canteen is still full, but please wait for me here for a minute while i look for his first dinner".
The warlock, who didn't have any objection on accepting the request of the now full of happiness Rezler, sat on the floor looking at the baby raplos with attention. It walked here and there with certain clumsiness, but anyway surprisingly fast, which made Onix take it finally between his arms, as he waited.
Rezler came back quickly, in about five minutes, and was carrying a lot of little insects and desert worms, recently taken out of under the numerous rocks from the surrounding area. With his experience as good breeder, he gave them one by one to his little newborn treasure, patiently and satisfied of the voracity with which the raplos ate and, later, drunk.
-This is a miracle, without a doubt this is a real miracle. -said Rezler, addressing himself more than Onix-. I don't believe in providence, nor destiny, but something else than simple luck must have permited this baby to be born in peace. It's the first time that one of my raplos buries it's eggs out of the stables, and in this case, this extraordinary fact has saved the egg from the fire and demolishments... -Onix stayed sitting in silence, thinking about the hunter's words-.
-I'm going to call you Mapryd, dear -said Rezler convinced. Smiling, looking at the characteristic black mark on the reptile's dark-green neck, added...- just as your mother. Definitely, thanks to it's exceptional decission on burying you on this strange place, i have you here now, alive between my arms...you have became the only light in my darkness. You are alone, but i promise you that i will change that soon... i'll devote the rest of my life to restore my farm, my family, my life...raplos mean all to me since almost thirty years ago.
