Armhianthia by Arbhin Cioc (best novels for students txt) 📕

in his way towards the metal heap. And by this way, he finally found his way back upwards the hill. Till he reached the place where the forest grew less tall, and the hill stopped climbing.
The sun had raised up high again in the sky and the heat immediately hit him in the face. The forest had been much cooler than here in the open. But he had to catch his things.
When he finally found his things, he turned back towards the forest again, and tried to get sight of where he had been for that fallen star. The sun had risen far more towards noon and the temperature had climbed as well. Wiping the heat off his head, he started for the forest once more. Descending down the hill side, he was glad to come in to the shadowed parts of the forest again, but at the same time was asking himself, whether he was going the right way.
Obviously he had lost track. He had no idea where he was, nor where he was going, since he walked far longer now, than he had when he was running down the hill for that fallen star.
Stepping more careful through the dense parts of the forest he tries to look for trees or plants that he had seen earlier that day.
In the end he gave up.
Parts of the book endlessly started popping up in his mind, with almost every tree he saw, and they made it impossible for Luse to think. Every time those pages flashed in front of his eyes, he lost track of where he was, or could be.
Finally on his right, in the far distance, he could finally see something that looked like metal.
Relieved that he finally found it, he went straight for his goal. Prepared to see the little creatures again, he was surprised they were not there.
He entered the open space, tried not to trip over the fallen trees and splinters of wood that was everywhere.
The metal was cold to the touch and very smooth of structure. Of course, the crash into the woods had not done it any good. Small cracks and ripples are all over the exterior, but the parts that were unharmed felt smooth. Careful not to tear a wound by the sharp edges of any of the cracks, Luse walked around the metal heap.
After three times walking around it, Luse sat down on one of the fallen trees and took his bread out for a bite.
Not long after he had some bites, he felt the lack of sleep pushing heavy on his eyelids, now that most of the pressure of today was gone.
With the heat now slowly entering the shadows of the forest, he felt his eyes heavier than before. He searched an easy place to lay his head, found a big branch with enough leaves still on it, and laid himself for a moment of sleep.
The first next thing he recalled was waking up in the dark and feeling revived.
Wiping the sleep off his eyes and stretching his muscles, for the branch had not been the best bed he had had, still it was sufficient.
With stiff legs he made some careful steps, before his muscles wanted to cooperate.
Only then did he realise he was not alone there. Some of those creatures were about too. They were busy with the metal heap, using wooden instruments to get through it, tearing small cracks open, to make larger cracks. Thinking back how he got up, Luse realised he had made quite some noise. Still those creatures gave him no attention what so ever.
Slowly Luse closed in on the scene, watching closer as those creatures worked on the metal. Onnly when Luse was close, one of the closest creatures glanced sideways to Luse, but get back to work again.
Luse realised he was not strong enough to give these creatures any help, but still he did not want to feel as if they had to do all the work. Searching the large heap of metal, running with his hands over it to find parts to give these creatures help, one of them walked from the group of workers and tucked Luses clothing.
He walked back to the group, looking at Luse once again, Luse followed him.
They had made a small hole through the metal. Not enough for Luses hand to pass through, yet one of these creatures could put his hands in.
Luse felt his skin prickle. It made him uneasy for some reason he could not say. Maybe the heat of the day and the cold and damp of the forest now was too much difference on his skin.
He saw that the upper side of that tiny hole was coloured with oxidation. The creature took his hand back out, and with two, they started to make the hole bigger.
Luse wanted to help, but could not see how he could. He stood up and started to walk around the metal heap again. As he had rounded the heap he saw that they had made the hole as big as his own hand. Curiosity was not strange to those creatures, he saw. For one of them had laid himself on the ground, just to be able to look into the hole.

It took them the rest of the night, till there was a hole big enough for one of them to pass through. Luse did not really see much difference between them all, fur and large ears was all he saw. But for some reason when the hole was big enough, they made way for another of them, to go through the hole. He was armed with a stick, but for the rest was he just the same as the others were.
It took him some time to get through the hole, but as quick as he was through, he was back too.
With the first light of the new day creeping through the trees, Luse could make out a little of what was behind the hole. It seemed the metal was just outside, and the rest was paper, or something that looked like paper. Behind that there was the blackness of the interior. Suddenly the face of the creature inside came back to the hole.
In the half dark, his face was more the appearance of an animal. As soon as he appeared, he vanished from sight again as he dashed back inside again.
A second creature went inside.
The other creatures outside began to chatter at each other, some animalistic bark, with humanoid sounds to it. And nothing guttural. More spoken from the front of their mouth, using lips and tongue to make sounds, they communicated with each other.
Luse went closer to the gap, studying the sounds that the creatures made.
After a small moment he let go, to try to understand what they were saying, but it was clear they were upset about something.
It took a while for one of the creatures inside, to reappear at the gap again, at that same time, another creature entered the open space in the forest, with an iron bar.
Using the iron bar, he forced the gap open till it was wide enough to give way for Luse to enter.
On the other side Luse saw a small chamber, good enough for one person to work, just a little smaller than his office at the Eagris. But all the walls were made of iron. One of the walls was covered with a black, now broken, picture, underneath it a bench, with ribbons and reliefs. Quickly he ran his hands over the bench, But took his hands off of it, when he faced the other side of the cabin.
He saw the remains of a human being, strangely clothed, pale as the metal inside that little office, and two of those creatures working their hands on the body.
In shock he stood still, afraid he was facing some horrid scene, but then he realised that the body was still alive. The breast of this man was slowly and inconsistent, but yet still moving.
Panting for breath, like after a run of many miles, but slightly visible, this man was fighting for life. The creatures were prodding the body of the man, for signs of life, other than the panting. Luse entered the bed and laid his hands on the forehead of the man. He felt the heat and wondered why this man had not died because of the fever.
As he wished he had taken his flask with him into this cage, one of the creatures entered the gap with the belongings of Luse in his small hands.
Dashing for his flask, Luse returned to the bed uncorking the flask.
With care he let some drops of fluid fall on the lips of this man.
This man had to go from here, and had to get a good bed, with lots of fresh air too. The whole cabin had an odour of disease and sweat.
He let some more drops fall in the lips of this man, than put the flask back.
He took some steps back from the bed, than saw the two creatures take the man off the bed.
With them two they had a hard time carrying him, but soon a third and fourth creature entered to assist.
A fifth signed Luse to follow him.

With all those creatures after each other and Luse between them all, it was a strange procession.
The day was halfway through when they finally stopped.
Luse looked up in the trees and saw more of these creatures about. In and on the trees, over the ground and from under they appeared out of nowhere to greet their comrades.
Startled with the view of so many creatures he thought to be but fables, Luse slowed his pace, but kept on walking behind the procession of these creatures.
As animalistic as their appearance at first seemed, so human were their behaviours.
Their bodies covered with fur, but to some point they covered with minimal appearances of clothing. Even though their bodies resembles something like an oversized mouse, their ears look like giant cat ears, placed on the side of the head, instead of the top as with normal cats.
And unlike mice their faces hold strangely normal nose and mouth features.
On the other hand, as much humanity they hold in their features, so few humanity they had in greeting each other.
Fully adept to a life between animals and forest, these creatures fully belong here.
Even the forest around them seemed fit. Trees all hold holes in which the creatures could nestle, or make their homes. Luse was not sure which of the two these creatures would do. The largest of these creatures only reached up to Luses leg. The smallest of them was only as big as his hand.
Because of the size of this very sick person, they had to lay him in the centre of their village. On the hard ground. In little time they had made him a small bad made out of leafs of all sorts and twigs.
Luse knelt down besides the person and investigated the sort of his illness. He saw no direct wounds, nor bruises. He needed to undress this man.
He then realised he had forgotten his pack. Most probably this night when he woke up and saw that falling star.
He muttered in his breath. Searching for something sharp to cut this mans clothing, because he could not find buttons with which the strange clothing was closed around this mans body.
He took a small stick, hard and most probably fit to