* * *
It was dawn when Nelson came with Nsharra out of the Cavern. L'Lan lay before them in the rising sun, a valley half blackened and blasted by fire. The bubble-domes of Vruun glittered amid smoking ashes.
"But all the valley east of the river was untouched by fire," Nsharra said. "It is enough until the forests grow again."
The Humanites were gone — their warriors, led by Hoik, had gone back to Anshan. And they had gone silently and heavily.
It was not only because their leader was dead, their outland mercenaries and weapons lost, their campaign a failure. It was because the whole basis of their ambition for human supremacy had been swept away by the revelation of the ancients.
For Hoik had obeyed the dying command of Shan Kar and had brought the Humanites, one by one, into the Cavern to hear that mighty message of the ancients. And they had listened in sick silence.
"We know that we are guilty of wrong," Hoik had said, in parting. "But we will strive to redress the wrong. Anshan shall be a city of the Brotherhood as of old."
"The past is done," Nsharra had answered. "Let there be peace now in L'Lan."
* * *
The Humanites had so gone — but the Clans were waiting. Down on the slopes below the Cavern they waited — the packs of the Hairy Ones, the hot-eyed tiger Clan, the wild-maned brothers of Hatha. And overhead against the sunrise swung the hosts of the Winged Ones.
Hatha and Tark, Quorr and Ei, were waiting on the ledge outside the Cavern. Nelson heard their thought-cry.
"Nsharra, you are Guardian of the Brotherhood now!"
The girl looked at Nelson. "You can go from L'Lan with clear conscience now, Eric Nelson. You redeemed any guilt that was yours in bringing death to our valley."
Nelson said slowly, "I don't want to go, Nsharra. I've found something here that I never found in the outer world."
Her eyes were doubtful and at the same time glad. "Could you, a man of the different outer world, be happy here where there is Brotherhood of man and beast?"
"Nsharra, I learned what that Brotherhood can be when I ran in the body of Asha!" he told her.
He had learned, yes! He knew now that the ancient way of life that held in L'Lan was not really strange, that it was the outer world of rigid caste, of men-masters and enslaved beasts, that was really strange.
He would never again, Nelson knew, be at home in that world. He would suffer and endure with every driven beast in it, and the magic of L'Lan would tug in memory at his heart until it broke,
"I want to stay, to help keep L'Lan as it is and prevent the outer world from ever breaking in upon it!" he told her. "And I want to stay with you, Nsharra!"
Her eyes searched his face. "I want you to stay," she said.
Then, as incredulous hope and joy sang up in his heart, she turned and sent her thought and her voice ringing out.
"Clan-leaders, will you accept Eric Nelson into our Brotherhood?"
Tark's green eyes flashed bright as the great wolf strode forward. "He fought shoulder to shoulder with me! For the Clan of the Hairy Ones, I acclaim him brother!"
Up from the wolf-packs crashed the pack yell and the greeting thought.
"Hai-ooo, brother!"
Ei's thought came coolly, swiftly. "Tark says well. The Winged Ones accept him!"
"And my Clan," said Hatha. "I saw him fight in Anshan!"
Nsharra looked down at the tiger. Quorr wrinkled his terrible face.
"He nearly killed some of us once," growled Quorr's thought. "But he has bled for Vruun. Blood pays back blood! We accept him!"
Nsharra grasped Nelson's hand. "Now let us go down to Vruun, Clan-brothers!"
They went down the hill, in the rising sunlight, down toward the blackened forest and the forlorn city that would live again. And as they went the Brotherhood was all about them and over their heads was a thunder of wings.
THE END
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The Valley of Creation Page 14
