Rahan. Episode Thirty Four. The Forest of Axes. by Roger Lecureux. A Puke (TM) Comic.

Rahan.Show more

Episode Thirty Four.

The Forest of Axes.

Intrigued by the strange forest he discovered at the bottom of the valley, the son of Crao did not immediately hear the huge reptile that was coiling in the branches.

When the light rustling of the scales on the rough bark alerted him it was too late, the snake was too close!

Back, “Boak”!!
Rahan only violated your domain to orient himself!
He does not want to fight!
Rahan did not even reach for his ivory knife.

Page Two:

Ra-ha-ha!
Because he knew that a hand to hand melee on these fragile branches would be fatal to him.
Seeing a sturdier branch, he dived towards this refuge.

Crack!
His cry was followed by the crack of the branch breaking in shock.
He glimpsed the top of the tree toppling over in the sky.

And fell into the void, shattering the branches that lashed his body.
Had he escaped the boa to crash to the ground?

No!
His fall was abruptly stopped and he felt himself rocking gently, almost pleasantly.
Crao said that luck often comes to the aid of hunters!

The coincidence was that this forked fragment that he had not let go of, had hooked up on a long, paired branch.

Page Three:

For the son of Crao, the jump that brought him back to the ground was just a game.
Farewell Boak!
Rahan cannot wait to take a closer look at this bush with thorns of flint!

A moment later he was descending towards those thickets which had so intrigued him.

Son of fierce ages, Rahan had crossed many territories, met many hordes, and attended many rites.
But what he discovered that day amazed him.
It is not nature that made these stone thorns grow!!
But those who walk upright!!

All around him, branches and bushes were bristling with flints of all shapes.
Even Crao, who knew so much, never spoke of such a strange forest.

Page Four:

Rahan and no time to ask other questions.
Death to him who violates the "Forest of Axes" in the season of yellow leaves!

Weapons flew around Rahan as he fled.
The handle of one of them reached his neck.

Robust, he quickly recovered his wits.
I am Rahan, son of Crao!
I cross this territory as a friend!
But the hunters disarmed and overpowered him.

The clan chief admired the thin but strong ivory blade.
When the next "Season-without-leaves" comes, Baroa will have the most beautiful weapon!

The knife belongs to Rahan!
It is now owned by Baroa!
With a violent blow of the knife, Baroa severed an axe-branch.

Page Five:

He split this one, and slipped in the blade.
Strongly fortifying the branch with the help of a vine.
The "Blood-of-the-tree" will do the rest!

Moons follow moons, seasons follow seasons and the "Blood of the tree" will act.
Your knife and this branch will be one forever!

For the son of Crao the mystery of the forest of axes was suddenly cleared up.
The branches, coming together over the seasons, would form around the flints the most solid, the most effective of attachments.

Baroa and his hunters have discovered a marvelous secret!
Rahan will reveal it to the clans he meets!

The leaders of the horde shall decide whether Rahan should live or die!
Surrounding their captive, the hunters were already dragging him towards a hill.

Page Six:

The clan was only halfway up the slope when shouts arose from the forest of axes.
"Those-of-the-cliff" once again betray their word!

Entrusting Rahan to two of their own, the hunters screamed down into the forest.

A moment later, the men of Baroa and "the people of the cliff" were wildly fighting.
Despite the distance, the son of Crao heard the flint weapons clashing.

Why do they fight? Why are they killing each other?
Because "Those-of-the-cliff" do not have the right to enter the forest of axes!

Watching the flow of the combat, the hunters were less vigilant.
Crao would not pass up this opportunity to escape!

Page Seven:

Ra-ha-ha!
Rahan's two fists struck at the same time.

The hunters had not gotten up when he leapt into the rocks, as nimble as a chamois.

With the night they will not find Rahan!
But Rahan, he must find his knife!

Shortly afterwards, as the sun was setting, the son of Crao saw the two clans which, each side by side, were abandoning the forest of the Axes.

Like most hunters, they fear fighting in the dark!
Their fear can benefit Rahan!

Page Eight:

Rahan stealthily moved through the silent forest, looking for the copse where Baroa had "Grafted" his ivory knife.

When a spear, narrowly missing him, stuck itself in a trunk!
Shtok!
If it was not for this injury, I would not have missed you, hill dog!!

Rahan does not belong to the clan of the hills!
He is looking for his knife that Baroa stole from him!!
A knife!? When so many axes are at your fingertips!

Weapons.
I will not see more.
When I am in "shadow territory"!
Rahan understood that this man, indeed, would not survive his terrible wound.

Whose idea was it to use the "Blood of the Trees" to make these axes?
No one does.
Know anymore.
The fathers, of our fathers, perhaps.
Or maybe them. The fathers of fathers, from "Those of the Hills".

Page Nine:

In the past, our two clans respected the custom!
Everyone waited for "the-seasons-without-leaves" when "the blood-of-the-trees", had made strong axes, to come and get new weapons for our hunts.

At that time peace reigned.
But each clan wanted to own more axes than the other!
We no longer waited for the season without leaves to get weapons.

And the fights started as soon as the men of one clan were reported in the forest, with the men of the other clan running to chase them away!

This is what happened today. But for me. This will be the last fight.
The dying man was panting.
His drooping fingers felt his shell necklace.

Since.
You are not involved in our Discords, I hope you will accept.
To take this to Troik.
Troik is my son.

Page Ten:

Rahan remembered that cruel day of his childhood when Crao-the-wise, before dying, had given him his necklace of claws.

Rahan will put this necklace around Troik's neck himself!
Rahan promises you!

The hunter's eyelids fluttered as if to give thanks.
Then they closed forever.

Rahan will find the copse when it's daylight!
The son of Crao searched for his knife for a long time.
But the darkness was too deep.

He headed towards the cliff at the foot of which were cut out entrances to caves.
As no fire burned in these caves, nor on the hills.

He concluded that these two clans, like many others he had met, did not know how to start the fire using the “stones-that-throw-stars".

Page Eleven:

He was crawling towards the caves when.
Those of the hills are crawling like snakes now!!
Stand!

Goaded by the spears, the son of Crao obeyed.
Look! Troar's necklace!
He killed Troar and dares to spy on us!

Rahan did not kill Troar!
But he saw him die and Troar asked him to bring this necklace back to his son, Troik!
Rahan speaks the truth!
Men and children came out of the caves.

Which of you is Troik?
That is me!

Your father is dead, Troik.
His last words were to regret those stupid fights between you and the clan of the hills!

Page Twelve:

The adolescent let the necklace pass around his neck.
You lie!
You have killed Troar, and this necklace is only a pretext to come and spy on us, to find out the number of our hunters!

Death to the dog from the hills.
A few men rushed in, spears held high.
Death!

Ra-ha-ha!
The first hunter was disarmed, without having been able to understand how.

Ra-ha-ha!
A terrifying roundhouse threw the other men to the ground.

But the son of Crao could not and did not want to face this pack!
A roar of rage and resentment arose as he rushed to the forest of axes.

Page Thirteen:

A moment later he was running between the first thickets bristling with flints.
They dare not chase Rahan!

But as soon as the sun rises Rahan will be hunted down by both the Cliff Clan and the Hill Clan!

Had it not been for his precious ivory knife which he wanted to find, the son of Crao would have immediately fled this hostile territory.

Ohh!
Luck is with Rahan!
Chance, indeed, had brought him back near the copse where his weapon had been consigned to the "Blood-of-the-trees".

The spear cut through the vine.
The branch parted, releasing the knife.

Page Fourteen:

You will never belong to Baroa, like that bully thought!
You will remain Rahan's faithful weapon!

Besides, "Men-of-the-cliffs" and "Men-of-the-Hills", will find here more weapons than they need to massacre each other from father to son!

The son of fierce ages pouted in deep sadness.
Why are “Those-who-walk-upright” killing each other to own this forest?

The pout suddenly gave way to a resolute expression.
The reason for these massacres would disappear if this forest did not exist!

Yes. That is how Crao would have thought!
The forest must disappear!
The son of Crao was already gathering dry brushwood.

Page Fifteen:

He did not have to beat the flint for long.
Flames rose, on which he threw resinous twigs.

From the top of the hills, they had seen this fire light up mysteriously.
But this miracle could not be attributed to a man.

They did not understand until they caught a glimpse of Rahan running through the forest, and throwing here and there his flaming twigs!

Fanned by the wind, the fire uncovered the carpet of dry grass.
The flames on all sides wrapped around the resinous trunks.

And gnawed the branches where, for seasons, the blood-of-the-trees had welded the flint axes.
The son of Crao had fled, so as not to be surrounded by the enclosure of fire.

Page Sixteen:

He perceived, in spite of the crackling, and of the flames, the angry howls coming from the cliffs and falling from the hills.

Howl! Howl!
You will probably understand one day what Rahan has done for you!

At daybreak the forest of axes was no more than charred trunks at the feet of which lay hundreds of flints.

The son of Crao did not see this sight because he was fleeing to the south.
To be hunted by the clan of the cliffs and that of the hills.

The wide precipice that stopped his course did not surprise him.
Because he had often had to cross obstacles of this kind.

Page Seventeen:

He knew that a very long line would allow him to pass across this ravine.
But would his pursuers give him time?

The first time the lasso missed the rock that he was aiming for on the other side of the ravine.

Ra-ha-ha!
But on the second attempt, the loop tightened on the rock.

He was tying the vine to the trunk of a tree when the hunters appeared in the distance.
Rahan is lost!

Rahan is agile, but he will not even get to the middle of the ravine when these men arrive!
And then they will cut the vine!

Page Eighteen:

Rahan will fall over the precipice as he fell from the tree yesterday!
Oh! Oh! The Branch!
Rahan's face suddenly lit up.

And in a fraction of a second, he remembered how a branch had saved him from falling to his death.

The ivory blade repeatedly fell on a forked branch.
The hunters were now only a hundred paces from him.

They were only fifty paces away when the branch was finally separated!

A few spears stuck around the son of Crao who, placing the forked branch on the vine.

Page Nineteen:

Ra-ha-ha!
Let himself fall into the void!

Clinging to the branch that slipped on the vine, Rahan knew that his life depended on the seconds that were to follow.

While the slope of the precipice came on him at a mad speed, in the distance a hunter raised his axe to cut the line.

Clong!
That axe fell just as Rahan let himself roll near the granite rock, on the other side of the ravine!

Only a demon is capable of such a thing!
We should not have hunted a being who has knowledge of starting fire.

Page Twenty:

Listen to his cry!
Maybe he will come back for revenge!?
Ra-ha-ha!

The hunters were wrong.
This cry uttered by Rahan was neither a cry of hatred, nor a cry of revenge!

It was quite simply the clamor he launched when he had overcome a danger, or triumphed over a peril.
They will not kill each other anymore for the "Axe Forest"!

Crao the wise would have been proud of Rahan!
Once again, in these fierce times, Rahan had acted for the happiness of "Those-who-walk-upright".

And if he rushed forward, happy and light-hearted, in pursuit of an immense butterfly, it was not to capture the insect, but because it was leading him to discover new territories.

Index:
https://rumble.com/v3486cm-rahan-index-of-episodes-by-roger-lecureux..html

Show less