Green Desert - Chapter 2.5.4 - Zhíno

Alone. Rock. Fires encircling. The warm hand of a god. Comfort. Running free through the open plains. Hiding in my burrow. Soaring through the air high above the forest. I was at peace. I was one with the world––the worlds. Every human, every horse, every buffalo, every giraffe, every snake, every jellyfish, I could feel them all. I could be them all. I was them all.

Névazhíno floated/sat/stood in front of me in the field/clouds/ocean. A forked tongue flicked from His beak and He quietly asked, “Which are you?”

“I am. . .” It took me awhile to remember. “A human being.” Yes, that was it.

He lowered His head, arched up His back, stuck out His quills. “No. Are you the sacrifice or the recipient?”

Sacrifice? Recipient? I could barely remember my species––human, right?––and He wanted me to know if I was a sacrifice or not? I was enjoying myself far too much in these forests and lakes to want to end my life, however. “Recipient.”

Névazhíno rattled His tail and snorted through His huge nostrils. “Where is the sacrifice?”

I looked around. Nobody else was in sight, just air and waves and empty tunnels. “I do not know.”

“Then I shall find someone.” The god swam away, His wings pumping.

I sighed with contentment and returned to my desert growing thick with leafy plants.