Chapter 9: Nasash the gardener: Part 1

Dan and Nasash had passed the belt of the lower villages without encountering anyone from the locals.

They continued their ascent towards the villages on the slopes with extreme caution, climbing the rugged paths, moving only under the cover of dense trees and among the massive rocks.

As evening approached, and the sun began to set behind the distant western hills, Nasash led him towards a dense clump of trees, darkening at its end with a narrow entrance to a cave. Dan was tempted to enter out of curiosity, but Nasash stopped him...

He bent down to smell the ground and the cave's entrance, gesturing for Dan to stay behind, then he took a horn hanging around his neck, opened it, and emptied its contents into his right hand...He hissed, mimicking the sound of snakes inside the cave, then threw the powder inside.

Suddenly, a wolf the size of a calf emerged from the cave, howling in pain, trying to wipe his eyes with one of his forelegs. Nasash looked at him with the eyes of a conqueror who had defeated his rival! The wolf stumbled away, attempting to walk, and collided with tree trunks until he distanced himself.

Nasash entered the cave and called for Dan to follow. It was spacious inside, so Nasash lit an oil-soaked wick, spread out two blankets on the ground, and they sat down to have their meal.

Dan asked, "What did you throw into the cave?"

Nasash opened the horn for him, brought it close to his nose, and said, "Just a mixture of spices like red pepper and black pepper. It drives away the animal without needing to kill it."

He added, "Thank God we found a wolf here, not a she-wolf, as they never leave their cubs and don't surrender easily!"

"And will this wolf not return to the cave?"

"No, it won't return for weeks. Animals are smarter than humans and quickly learn from their experiences, even from the experiences of others!"

During dinner, Dan asked him, "How did you learn our language?"

"I am from the upper villages just like you! I've experienced almost the same thing."

"Did you also fall from the highest cliff into the lake?" Dan said

"No, I heard my parents talking at night about throwing my grandmother off the cliff . 

I loved her dearly and knew that she loved life and didn't want to die, contrary to what the elders tell us about the elderly being feeble.

So, I woke her up, told her what I heard, and asked her to ride on my back, which she did. She asked me to take her stick, and I gave it to her. I carried them both as she was lightweight and only suffered from the weakness of old age. Before dawn, I had passed the villages on the middle slope and entered this clump. We spent the day resting here in this cave, waiting for the night to resume our journey..."

He recalled, "By the way, she's the one who taught me the trick to ward off predators and saved my life as I saved hers. 

A huge bear used to live in this cave. She knew it just from her powerful scent. She didn't want to disturb me, but she took out from her pouch a bull's horn, this very horn, and taught me how to use the powder in case an animal entered the cave.

We were barely ready to sleep when the place became dark for us, and we heard frightening growls and snoring. I panicked when I saw the immense head of the bear looming over us, baring its fangs. My grandmother handed me the horn and said, 'Take a handful and throw it in its face!' And that's what happened! The bear experienced the same fate as this wolf and never returned to the cave after that.

"When darkness fell, we left and resumed our journey down the mountain, with her guiding me from atop my back to the safe paths and the unmarked shortcuts."