Advanced Beings and a Fork in the Road of Evolution

«It is hard to believe. Tell us something else,» the listeners asked.

«Those cold lands are infested by fantastic beasts,» Pharoum continued. «According to the story of this man, his father once came face to face with a huge cat. It was a mountain lion. It had huge paws, sword-like claws, a strong club-like tail, and a massive jaw. And his fangs were as big as my thumb,» the men were open-mouthed with astonishment. «It was a very strong and fast beast. There was no escape from it!»

«But how on earth did the man survive?!» the men of the settlement were excited to learn the outcome.

«The mountain lion roared and bared its fangs like this,» Pharoum imitated the roar and fangs, which scared the gathered men. «No man with bare hands would ever stand a chance against the beast. That man’s father had no choice but to try and placate the wild cat in spite of his fear. He talked to it gently and tried not to move.»

The listeners didn’t dare to move or make a sound, in anticipation of the attack. The most impatient ones asked: «Did it attack him all the same?»

«The brave man kept on talking to it. Slowly, the mountain lion closed its mouth and headed towards him.»

«That’s it! It’s going to attack him! That’s for sure!» the listeners tried to shout one another down.

«That man’s father held onto the hope. The mountain lion was slowly approaching him,» Pharoum’s voice fell to a whisper.

«That’s it! It’s over!» someone let out a desperate scream.

«You will never guess what it did!» Pharoum said in a teasing way.

«What?! What did it do? Get on with it!» the shouts came from all directions.

«It began licking his hand, purring loudly,» all the men were amazed at such a development. «And that man’s father took it home, tamed it, and they lived together ever since. The puma even protected him from other predators,» Pharoum said self-contentedly. «Do you believe it?»

«No!» a wave of indignation rippled through the gathered men. «You can’t tame a predator! And they can’t purr!»

In the meantime, while the men were shouting, trying to figure out whether the story was true, a small group of strangers was energetically approaching the settlement, using the cover of darkness. They had heard the voices and were now following them.

«It’s the truth!» Pharoum kept saying but no one believed him.

«I’ve also heard a story about taming wild cats and it’s even more improbable!» they heard the loud jolly voice of Etan, a young man with raven-black curly hair that reached his shoulders. He was one of the two Pharaon’s close friends. «Somewhere in the hot lands, people managed not only to tame cheetahs but also to turn them into their hounds.»

«What is that supposed to mean?» someone asked.

«It means that those cheetahs were taught to hunt on command of a man and give their kill away instead of eating it themselves,» Etan said so proudly as if he was the one who tamed the cheetahs.

«That’s impossible! A predator that gives away its kill to a man?! That will never happen!»

A ripple of laughter ran through the men.

«Shush!» Pharaon suddenly said, stretching out his hand and showing everyone his broad palm.

That got everyone’s attention.

«What’s going on?» someone asked after a while.

«It seems we are not alone,» Pharaon replied quietly.

All the men could hear was silence, however, it did not last long. The next instant they were attacked by robbers who were screaming and waving their clubs. There was a fight. The attackers were well-trained and, a few minutes later, most of the men of the settlement were lying on the ground, unable to move.

«You shall not go any further!» Pharaon yelled to his opponent in a dreadful voice. He was punched in the stomach pretty hard but bounced back quickly and hit the robber over his head with enough force to knock him off his feet.

Pharaon came rushing up to his friend, Etan, who was holding one of the attackers back with his last bit of strength. Together they knocked the enemy out with hard and swift blows.

Pharoum and Noumat were trying to hold off several strangers at once. Noumat was the other one of Pharaon’s two close friends and the same age as he was.

Suddenly, something flashed in the darkness. The robbers’ faces were wreathed in smirks: They were holding knives in their hands. There remaining attackers turned out twice as numerous as the men of the settlement. Before Pharoum, Pharaon, Etan, and Noumat knew it, the robbers threw the knives at them. The faces of the men froze with terror. Time seemed to stop. They did not have a chance to survive and protect their women and children.

At that very moment, something inexplicable happened. Pharaon’s desire to fight back got so strong and filled his heart with such a powerful energy that he let out a horrendous shriek, unable to contain the energy inside.

The next instant, all the strangers with their knives were thrown away for about a hundred meters as if knocked out by an air blast. The landing was hard, many of the robbers suffered various fractures. Silence fell. Everyone who witnessed the entire thing was appalled. The strangers quickly came to their senses and ran away like mad with cries of horror.

Pharoum, Pharaon, Etan, and Noumat rushed to the aid of their friends.

On the following day, Pharoum, the head of the settlement, addressed his people with a speech. He devolved his powers upon his son who proved it in the fight of the previous day that he was mature enough and ready to replace his aging father for the benefit of the people.

Pharaon took his new position very seriously and began to think about the future of their small settlement.

Since no one could explain what had happened to the strangers, the entire story was soon forgotten. Our memory has a tendency for order and gets rid of all things that are out of whack with our traditional views of the world, incendiary or discomfiting.

However, Pharaon would secretly think back to that night again and again. Somehow, he felt that it was he who released the power that threw the strangers back. From that moment on, Pharaon began wondering who he really was.

«I clearly remember the overwhelming feeling of the energy burning inside me,» Pharaon would contemplate each night before going to bed. «It made me shout.

And then that energy seemed to splash out of me and I saw something. I saw a wave that was sort of powdered with glittering colorful dust. It swooped down to those villains. I could have sworn I’ve already seen something like this. But what actually happened? What else don’t I know about myself? Will I be able to do it again?»

After that fateful day, Pharaon’s eyes, iridescent just like colored pieces of glass in a kaleidoscope, began glowing even brighter from under his thick prominent brows. His dark oval face with a chiseled jaw and strong neck made the effect quite striking. He had a blatantly masculine face and build, his movements were steady and precise, he spoke coherently and rather bluntly. Pharaon usually pulled back his black long hair, shining in the sun, into a tail to keep it out of his face and eyes.

Back in those early days, people had relatively short lives, no one had a full understanding of illnesses, there were no medicines. Death rates in the settlement exceeded birth rates. Pharaon wanted to increase the population of the settlement but the number of his people was not his only concern.

Pharaon chose Etan and Noumat, men of strong build and great fighters, who were almost identical, both in appearance and in character, for a journey. Only Pharaon’s closest friends could be entrusted with such a difficult mission.

«My dear friends,» Pharaon began in a firm, naturally tuned voice. «Our life is a constant struggle. We barely have enough food, our clothes wear out too quickly, our shoes that protect our feet from the burning sand are too uncomfortable, we have nowhere to sleep.

We can’t go on like this. Living every new day, granted to us by the gods, in the same way as the one before, not striving for more. Go to the nearest lands. You are likely to meet people who lead lives much different from ours. Bring the best of them with you to help us change our way of life. I know in my gut that we miss something big, something important. We have to get a hold of it.»

«Pharaon,» Noumat said, without hesitating, his large hands clenched. «We promise you that we will find such people, learn their customs, and bring their masters to you. No matter what it takes and how difficult it may be.»

«Yes!» Etan nodded, swinging his curly hair. His eyes shone with determination. «We will do it. We want a better life for our people. So be it!»

Chapter Two. Meeting with the Unknown

After saying goodbye to their parents and friends, Etan and Noumat set out on their way. They stayed close to the river, the source of life in the desert. They walked for a day, two days, a week and still didn’t meet anybody.

The men couldn’t say how many times the sun went up and down since the beginning of their journey when they suddenly saw some silhouettes over the horizon.

«Etan, I can see something in the way,» Noumat said carefully.

«It’s people,» Etan confirmed the suspicions of his friend.