paurastaya - the lost realm.

Although apparently silent yet in the last of the night, the chaos had crept inside the blue valley. The distant faint melody of violin got distorted with the howling wind. the dry leaves swirled and with it, a wolf snarled, impatient and eager as it had smelled something strange. hardya dismounted off the horse. He sat on knees and repeatedly stroked his fingers through the hairs of the wolf named Tausara, his pet and his companion like a white woolly puffball.
the blue twilight sky had stained the snow cover of the mountains into the colour of itself. soon the sun will rise again on the heavenly land of gonam. The abhirahans had forgotten their hunting past being nurtured ardently by mother nature. hardaya assembled himself and sank further deep inside the hold of the blanket.
in the harsh and frigid windstorm, the snow-covered lifeless branches of pine trees wavered, thrashed and danced making the demonic gestures or wailed as they begged for mercy. hardaya turned back and looked at the magnificent backdrop of mountains stretching all round from south to west till north. the wild meadow spread far beyond eyes can see covered in violet and white flowers extending into the valley along the river Yavyavati. he tried to locate the herd of cows he had left at Riverside at the foothill of the valley. the blue valley, they called it the pass of barbarians.

The wolf howled again and the voice returned back from the top of the illuminated mountain peak. now he had to climb it by himself without a horse. the smile spread down his face and then it vanished as soon as it appeared.  Each time hardya looked into the valley he imagined the martands marching behind the mountains. Perhaps those distant memories hunted him more than anyone else. the faded memories of his father and his brothers and those torturing night in the deadly forests filled with screams of hunger and torments. He always felt guilty for cowardliness and obligation of his tribe for nonviolence.

the escalating melody of violin and pale shine of distant fire comforted him to some extent. Wolves were howling relentlessly inside the cave ahead. though strange it was as they never behaved this way and hardya believed the wolves had acclimatised to the smell of Abhiarans in such a way that they could not differentiate it from their own.

the clash of the wild wind consumed the sound of approaching footsteps and the man covered in the blankets around campfire didn't notice hardya. the pack of wolves were still not in peace for a moment and now they had turned violent.  now hardya heard the crocky conversation instead of a melodious violin.
"it's strange, there must be some animal around here either prey or predator,".
"could you feed them please, no animal would stand a chance against a pack of wolves maybe it those badass leopards" a loud voice echoed in the cave.
"that wouldn't enough, it's the last of the milk, lose them"  the grizzled man suggested.
hardaya discovered now they couldn't hold wolves back or didn't want to, however, the pack got disappeared into the fog from the side of him and the Tausara too followed them. 
"Hardya, you rode 10 Kosh in the dark in this windstorm, you are crazy, brother" Drishnu exclaimed raising from the seat, "I thought there must be some animal outside, it was you!".
next to him was kapatu. he put the violin aside "don't you fear the night".
Hardya grinned.
"what? you don't believe that?? you don't believe the demon of the krithar" kapatu said.
"why should I fear that".
"well said" the grizzled man passed a sly smile.
 "well, in the darkest Pahar of the nights, it emerges out of the krithar mountains and hunts the lonely souls under the open sky," kapatu whispered with a smile, "and the winter augments its hunger, the dark and long nights ahead for the hunt".
"it's not darkest Pahar anymore and nights nowadays are dull and long, couldn't wait for dawn in that comforting shelter,"  Hardya said "and you wouldn't move your ass out of this hole would you… the guardians of gonam".
"Look at these harsh and cold mountains and this devilish windstorm does it look like welcoming anyone," Drishnu said.
"we aren't the only into this" hardya said.
"whom else have you seen".
"I have seen many and today the things you would find hard to imagine" hardya smiled.
"tell us" the boys teased him.
"I saw her, the beauty! Sara, the only daughter of council member, lord parthin and all the others girls with her, screeching, teasing and gasping in the cold water of lake gonam" hardya showed them the cloths "in the light of the full moon".
 "you stole their clothes" Their eyes gleamed as they found a treasure.
"I would have frozen," kapatu said feigning the shiver.
"The only surface is chilled, underwater always remains warm" Drishnu whispered.
"Still, what makes them tolerate this?"  kapatu said after staring in silence for a while.
"till next full moon, if they bath every day in holy water before dawn, lord gonam would grant them with the blessing of good fortune and prosper married life with the mate of their dreams" the old man explained.
"To born on these mountains, isn't a good fortune in itself?" Drishnu boasted "I need to pee".
"there is no fun in it alone, we got nothing to do here, " kapatu said aloud and guffawed "I had to hold it for a long time, today I win and I would pee farthest from this peak anyone could do ever".
"why the Tausara had not returned yet" hardaya warned.
"so call it, you could call any animal" kapatu mocked.
"don't do this time, I could feel it, something unusual around here today".
"No, do you mean that... those savages are coming again," Drishnu said, "it isn't summer, brother, let us pee in the peace, don't worry about your pet".
the abhiharns were not raised to use a weapon or to take any life, however, hardya had practised spear fight alone in his lonely time. he fumbled around for his wooden spear and the horn, in the case, he might need them.
"damn it, this wind always ruins the play I would have won this time" kapatu shouted. hardya shared a laugh with the old man however soon the screams replaced the mockery and a gush of wind filled an awkward silence into the blind hole.
hardya rushed out of the cave. the intruding bright sunshine made hardya blind for a moment. kapatu was trembling in the windstorm in the bewilderment.
"kapatu??" hardya shouted.
 Drishnu could not utter a word. he pointed down the hill.
"what was it?" hardya cried out, " what was it, kapatu?
"don't know something shot on his head".
the two red-skinned barbarians rose above the cliff with the wooden spears. their face painted as a wild boar, covered in wolf hides. hardya gripped his spear tight and blew out his horn loud but with their every sanguineous step his soul got shattered as he had a glimpse of hell, unable to move, dazed and freeze into the moment. moreover, the two martands emerges out of the fog with bow and slingshots. they carried some freshly-skinned wolves skins.  A giant man covered under a bloody white fur strolled in front from behind all of them dragging a bloodstained heavy club.
"Tausara" hardya burst out into the tears, "monster" hardya lamented, frothing out of his mouth. each time hardya looked into the valley he dreamed of killing the bherunda, the monster who slaughtered his father and brother and took his sisters as slaves. he had never slept a night before imagining his spear piercing through that heart who beat for the others blood.
The Bherunda was in front of him but he could not find that strength what he needed. the anger shook him deep down into the soul, his hands numb and dead and the spear dropped to the snow.
"coward" the inner voice ripped him apart. the only possible move was to retreat back into the hole. the martands followed them.
behind the fire, three of them had held the burning torches for defence but it wasn't the ordinary encounter with some wild creatures. the fire which always had comforted and protected them seem to be failed and now it could not uphold its devotees who shuddered like a dry leaf in the windstorm.
"I would let you live, I give my words" bherunda offered the blood from his injured hand to the fire sitting beside the it. it was a voice of the frost, "if you could satisfy my hunger, the martands don't consume the carnivores flesh, give me something delicious".
bherunda showed them wolf skins. the other martands stood behind him.
"we have nothing left" the old man blabbered. he was ready to die and not to beg for the life, there was no place for mercy in the world which had come to them.
"you have your blood, flesh and the bones". bherunda turned and looked at a martand "bring me some flesh".
the man stopped trembling, he never was such fearless in the whole life. "I wouldn't die with fear, lord accept my soul". he offered the last prayer.
hardya whished his death being the food of some poor beast.
the blood-spattered and the cold air clogged with the oppressed cries and screams. martand chopped off the arm of the man and offered the fresh flesh to his chief. 
"set them free" bherunda commanded.
the abhiharns were brought back out of the cave.
"you go first" martand pushed the old man out in the snow, already half dead and bleeding profusely. he dumped into the snow.  the man crawled and the snow soaked all the blood the man gave it, he rose again and put his all the strength to stumble forward. an arrow penetrated his back and the man rolled over the snow, and rest for forever.
"now you, claim your life" martand kicked Dhrisnu.
drishnu understood the play, he ran, his legs stuck in the snow, he dragged, meandered and ran having abrupt and alternate turns. bherunda aimed his head and shot a stone, arrows and again an arrow and it all missed the Dhrisnu.
a martand smirked after his consecutive failed attempts. hardya could sense that arrogance underneath the mockery, that certainly would have annoyed bherunda.
bherunda turned and grabbed his shoulder and gave his club to the martand "bring me his head... brother".
martand was dazed and staggered. he stared at the face of the chief and ran for the prey.
Dhrisnu found martand just behind and the death would hunt him in the next moment.  he wobbled and ran in the straight path. tired and exhausted his legs dared not do this. Dhrisnu lost the hope. the knees dropped into the snow and he offered his last prayer to the lord gonam.
the club raised high in the air above his neck and it dropped into the snow in front and the martand staggered at the side with a spear penetrating out from the front.
Dhrisnu looked behind amazed and found no one chasing him.
 "I live, I have claimed my life" he rose again and ran having abrupt and unpredictable turns. a new strength ran inside him. but the death which had come for him was much worse than he had surmised. the arrows shot him down and the snow drank the blood again, eagerly.
"never doubt the bherunda" the martand chief roared, "nothing escaped from these arms".
hardya watched and knew he would not make it in any possible way, but he would do it rather an easy death. he ran straight with all the strength.
 an arrow pierced his thigh and he cried out in agony. Dark spots floated in his dying vision and dizziness diminished his perception. he crawled, ran and rolled down the slope and again crawled and found no one was chasing.  the horse he had left at the base of the peak was front of him.
Hardya gleaned some courage and lift his gaze to the mountains of the blue valley. he rode, down the mountain. The hordes of savages were marching for them, bloodthirsty and rapacious, in the numbers of hundreds in the valley both side of yavyavati. Screams are getting loud and bitter. Hardaya tried to assemble his strength and regained his fading consciousness but it was hard after such blood loss. he glanced back and found high flames unfolding behind the ravaging Martands.
He felt an incoming deep slumber which would never end. Screams were now fading slowly. There was something which could not let him rest in peace. He could save thousands of innocent lives being butchered, raped and forming slaves.

                                                   ************

Hardya perceived the vision of distorted mountainous grove and orchards around the cottages. his Intuitive mind was aware that he had ridden all the way through the eastern shore of vast lake continuous northward as the gulch of river gomati. it seems a never lasting time. With the extraordinary will he raised and rode hard until the horse burst entered into a large cottage at the top of the mountain. The horse staggered and slumped on the smooth wooden floor of a massive hall.
Some white-bearded men, immediately gathered around him, all wearing the long white gown.
"martands," an old man exclaimed showing removed arrows to others.  after cleaning wound they applied some herbal paste over it, lord parthin poured a medicinal soup with the milk of poppy through his clenched jaw.
"They have come" hardya choked after he had gained full consciousness "they… they are here".
"Calm down," lord parthin said, "don't be afraid, pray to the god".
"Abhirans, we must abide by nonviolence and the Lord's command of mercy and kindness, whatever the fate it lead to" lord Ignit, one of the four council members announced to the gathering.
"Lord, we must defend, we must avenge our loved ones, our blood and our lives" hardya shouted with pain and frustration.
"my son, lord commands that our actions mustn't be incited by others karma, we must stay on our path," lord Ignit said.
"where our god hides when their spear tears our flesh apart and when they drink our blood and feast on our hearts".
"the fear for life had spoiled your soul and mind, the path shown by lord is the only way to the free from this mortality! the path of dharma isn't easy, the way of self-sacrifice, we must sacrifice our greed and fear for life! We mustn't hurt anyone or anything and this is what lord commands".
"My lords, then that must be incomplete in a way" hardya bowed "to not resist the violence is a violence in itself, Isn't this selfishness to self-sacrifice in the pursuit of the great things afterlife? isn't this greed?".
"Stop spreading the filth out of your mouth".
"lords with your permissions I request, maybe we should let him speak" lord Davit another council member demanded.
"I saw the hell with all its devil, I saw bherunda and his barbarian hordes" hardya raised his voice, shaking with pain, his voice trembled and the words hard to escape out of the throat "they are not raiders or hunters like before but they are the demons and determined to wipe out everything beautiful from the land".
"Why the council should listen to an arrogant boy?" another council member said, "Lord Almighty is with us, everything he does has a reason". 
 "God is the creation of those cowards who couldn't face the truth of the existence", Hardya grunted getting upon the elbows. the crowd yelled all around. he urged to shout but words did not come out with that strength, " and the truth is coming for you, for all of us".
"how dare you" lord parthin exploded amidst the bullying crowd, "We should have left you to die and decay with your arrogant and putrefied soul, you don't deserve mercy".
"I don't beg for mercy, soon I would be dead but not like my father or any abhirans rather I fight and sacrifice myself for this tribe" hardya groaned, "an invisible man couldn't save my mother and now I live, I would do it".
"who saved your life?" lord Ignit yelled.
hardya didn't respond. he looked away. "how I had escaped that," hardya thought. the cold butchery revived again into his thoughts and the fresh tears flowed down his face.
the crowd was perplexed, turmoiled.
"blow the great horn, warn the tribe get everything you can carry and everyone west of the gomati,  and burn the bridge" lord parthin declared after an uneasy silence.
the abhirans followed the words immediately.
"you have to make a decision" lord parthin whispered after everyone had left. he strolled out of the hall. hardya was left alone, disappointed.
"Sara, your daughter, do you care for her..." hardya screamed from behind "she went for the winter bath before the dawn". hardaya saw not everyone had left, at a corner, lord davit stopped arguing with another council member.
lord parthin turned and stared at hardya. his eyes were wet and he swallowed hard, helpless. the horrific foreboding grabbed his mind.
"Only you can save her, the god wouldn't" hardya said with tears streaming down over his face.
lord parthin stormed out of the hall.
"NO..." the council members ran after him, " Lord, you couldn't save her".
the chief had ridden far away before they reached the entranc