"The Great King of the Forest?" Roland wasn't the type to take an interest in mythology, but he knew that legends were often the result of actual sightings. And the creature embroidered in front of him was too detailed to be fictional, even though the canvas was still incomplete.

This, combined with the footprints they had found next to the mamenchisaur's body and the fact that Sisna had said they had recently encountered the creature, raised doubts in Roland that they were facing an entirely new species.

"It certainly has a high-sounding name. 'Great king'… I guess it's pretty pumped up" Ian said.

Sarah disapproved him wholeheartedly. "Nick, ask her to describe it to you" she told the photographer. Her friend promptly executed.

Neytiri shrugged: "I didn't see it, but the guards described it to me eagerly. It is large, much larger than any other creature, and has giant claws and teeth. It moves with majesty, it can swim and walk, and it has a sail on its back, a symbol of its royalty"

"The description is too accurate to be a fantasy" Eddie said after Nick translated. "We have proof. Those footprints we found belong to a new species of spinosaurus!"

"If so, we should look for it" Roland said, who was already looking forward to the hunt. "Can they tell us where it is, do you think?"

"I doubt it. If they think it's a deity, they won't help us find it. They'll be afraid of running into its wrath. Moreover, they don't seem to know its whereabouts very well" Eddie shook his head.

"We don't have to tell them that we want to find their god. We just need that they take us to the places where it get its food" Roland explained. "We have already discovered that it feeds on sauropods. We have to ask these savages to lead us to the largest herbivores they know. Where there are herbivores there are always predators, so giant herbivores will be accompanied by a giant predator. Exactly like the one we are looking for"

Although he despised the hunter Nick, he could not but admit that Roland was perfectly right. "It may be dangerous. We are talking about an animal that we have never seen"

"It is always an animal. A shot of tranquilizer and it will go down"

"Dottor Morgan thought so too, and we all know what happened to him"

"Well, I'm not Morgan. I am a hunter. I know how to deal with these creatures"

Nick wanted to punch him, but just then a guard came to call them. "The Manas have ended their discussion!" he announced.

"Good" Roland said impatiently as Nick translated, heading for the main hall.

When they arrived the Manas were all still sitting in their seats, but it was evident that they had faced a heated discussion. "We have made a decision" said Mo'at. "We will allow you to be accompanied by our guards, but only two. We won't give you more"

"We will be satisfied. You have our gratitude" Nick said flatteringly.

"What do you want to study, exactly?" Mo'at suddenly asked.

Nick was silent for a moment, undecided about what to ask. Eventually he made up his mind. "We are looking for sauropods. I believe you call them 'franknar'. They have long necks and are huge"

"The grazing giants. We know what you mean" Mo'at murmured.

"We need your guides to find them. We don't know their movements and it would take a long time to find the ones we're looking for" Nick explained. "We would like to find the bigger ones who live in these lands. The bigger they are, the better"

This was cause for reassurance for the Manas. Sauropods were gentle giants and carnivores hardly came close to them; the Neanderthal soldiers they lent to the khel'valart would be less exposed to the risks. "Do you have any other requests for us?" Mo'at asked.

"No, Your Excellency"

"Then you may retire for now. If you wish to be our guests..."

"We would never allow ourselves to disturb you so much! You don't have to worry, we will rest at our base camp"

"Then come back. Tomorrow morning, at the first light of dawn, the guides we have chosen will join you on the shore of the lake"

Nick bowed respectfully. "You are extremely generous, my ladies"

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

Even though they had said they would have slept at base camp, Sarah, Ian and the rest of the group rested on the ship that night. After discovering that there was such a large and dangerous predator around that they knew practically nothing about, they had very wisely decided to stay in a safe place. Not that the ship was a completely safe place: everyone in the group who knew anything about biology knew that spinosaurs were excellent swimmers. But the ship from their perspective still looked much safer than the beach.

To avoid possible attacks, the ship kept its lights on. This would have kept most dangerous animals away and would have allowed the guards to notice any movement in the water.

In contrast, the Neanderthal city remained obscure. Being a very primitive people, the Neanderthals did not have electricity, consequently the only source of illumination was the fire of the torches and the light of the moon, which, however, was in its waning phase at that time of the month, thus illuminating much little.

For Neytiri, this wasn't very flattering. When the young Neanderthal wanted to think she used to sit at the window and watch the city. But now, practically all she could see from her window was pitch darkness, barely illuminated by the silver light of the satellite.

Despite this, she still stood there watching the stars twinkling in the sky, at least until she heard the door open and Mo'at entered her room. "Teacher" she greeted her respectively.

"Are you upset?" the Supreme Mana asked.

After so many years, both Mo'at and Neytiri had learned to understand each other, so both were able to tell when one of them had thoughts on her mind. "Not so much, teacher" Neytiri replied, then she asked: "Have you already chosen who will lead the khel'valart tomorrow?"

Mo'at nodded. "We will send one of our youngest and most promising warriors, Tsu'tey. He has been outside the walls many times already and knows how to decipher trails well. He is considered one of the best hunters" she replied. "Regarding the second person we would like to send…we are still discussing, but I think we will choose Eytucan. He is older, but he is experienced and wise. Why are you asking?"

Neytiri bit her lip. "Teacher, Supreme Mana, please…could you allow me to be the second person to accompany the khel'valart?"

Mo'at looked surprised by the request, but not as much as Neytiri expected. Apparently her teacher knew her very well. "You are not a hunter, you are not a guide, and your place is not out there. I thought you knew that, Neytiri"

"I know it!" the young Neanderthal exclaimed. "But teacher, please… you know how much I wish I could see the outside world. Just this once. The khel'valart will be there and they will have their magical weapons with them, I won't take any chances. Tsu'tey is more than enough to lead the khel'valart alone, I'll just follow them"

"You know I can't let you do that. The world out there is dangerous, far more dangerous than you know. Don't think their weapons protect the khel'valart from all harm. There's a reason our people always have lived within these walls"

"I know our history and our traditions, teacher. But I still want to do it"

"Why?"

"Because..." Neytiri didn't know exactly how to answer. "I don't know. I just know that I want to go out there, even just once in my life. I want to be able to see the plants and animals that live there in person, so I can know what our hunters get into every time they they come out of the protection of the wall. If I don't know, how can I guarantee their safety? My job as Supreme Mana will be to protect the community, but how can I do it if I don't know what I have to protect it from?"

Mo'at shook her head. "You can learn these things from manuals written by those who lived before you. They contain all the knowledge you need and..."

"That's not enough for me! Sorry, teacher" she said quickly when she realized she had interrupted her teacher. "I want to know what it's really like, not just someone else's version. I want to know what our hunters face every day. one day I will be better able to help our people... when it will be my time to govern"

Mo'at was silent for a second, then she heaved a sigh and smiled. "You know, that's exactly why I chose you as my apprentice, many years ago"

Neytiri was surprised by the sudden change of subject. "What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about your nature. You're one who lets her heart guide her" Mo'at explained. "All the other girls I had inspected were obedient, dutiful, showing not the slightest imperfection. You, on the other hand, behaved as your soul desired, completely oblivious to my presence. While the others rose and bowed to me as I passed on the street, you sat in a corner helping that little boy who had fallen and bruised his knee. Put the well-being of others before your own". The Supreme Mana smiled even more: "That's why I knew that you would be the perfect guide for our people when my time was up"

Neytiri wanted to say that she wasn't worthy of her teacher's compliments, but Mo'at didn't give her time. "Leaving the walls is something that no Mana, let alone an apprentice, has ever done. It means exposing yourself to the dangers of the outside world and putting your succession at risk. But you're right... you need to know what your subjects must be protected against"

Neytiri's eyes lit up. "So you will let me go?"

"I'll have to argue a lot with the other Mana, who surely won't be happy with my decision, but I'm pretty sure I can persuade them" Mo'at answered, then she took her hands: "But I want your word. Whatever happens, don't put yourself in danger. If you must abandon someone to save your life, then do so. Remember, you are my apprentice and you will have to take my place one day, and I no longer have enough time to train anyone else. You must come back here, alive and unharmed. No matter how high the cost, you must return"

Neytiri nodded vigorously. "I promise you I won't put myself in danger, teacher"

"I wish I could believe it. Now go to sleep. If you're going outside the walls tomorrow, you'll need to be at your full strength" Mo'at said as she exited the chamber. As he stood at the door she cast one last quick glance at her apprentice, and then closed the door behind her.

Neytiri listened to her teacher's advice and lay down on the bed, but she couldn't sleep. As childish as she knew she was, she couldn't help but daydream in excitement. It was since she was four years old that she wanted to go out and see the outside world, and finally the day where that wish would come true seemed to have come.