When the earth gave birth to people, darkness and cold ruled the world. Arev and Krag were just learning to walk. They lived with the tribe in one of the caves of the then young Ararat. Adult men hunted and often became victims of predators: they saw better than humans in the dark. Only the strong could get the beast, and he himself ate almost everything he caught. Therefore, golden-haired Arev and curly-haired Krag rarely feasted on juicy meat.
I spent my entire childhood dreaming about food. One day, an unimaginable noise arose in the cave. Someone suggested hunting together. This did not please the strong hunters. But after long and fierce debates, a leader was elected, whose word was to become law. Now the leader ate first so as not to weaken. Strong hunters followed the leader so that they would always be strong. The last to eat were women and children. The leader vigilantly ensured that the hunters brought all the prey to the cave. Anyone who violated this law was expelled and soon became a captive of neighboring tribes or a victim of predators.
No matter how hard life was in the dark and cold, the tribe grew. When Arev and Krag began to lift stones within the reach of an adult's strength, they were allowed to hunt. Arev and Krag reached the forest. The wind blowing towards him whispered about the proximity of the tiger. “You can’t escape him.” “We climb the tree,” said Krag. With the agility of monkeys, they climbed up the branches. Fresh human tracks led the beast to the tree. The tiger lifted his mustachioed muzzle and growled. Arev shuddered. She fell to Krag's shoulder. The young man waited, clutching the stone tightly. Suddenly the burning gaze of a predator illuminated his face. Krag jumped down. The impact of the stone killed the tiger. Krag let out a cry of victory. He looked proudly at Arev, but in amazement fell on the carcass of the beast - Arev was glowing!
Krag was scared, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the girl. “What’s wrong with you?” “I don’t know myself.” The tiger's burning gaze lit up your face. It is still engulfed in hot flames. Courage made your face beautiful: it pierced my chest. This is my heart burning. The soul shines. Arev spoke, and hot tears - tears of love, joy and pain, the first tears on earth - flowed from her eyes. They turned into bright stars and ascended into the black sky. And one of them fell on Krag’s chest. He felt a burning pain in his chest. But for some reason she made him feel sweet. He, too, kept looking and looking at Arev.
And then Arev came down to the ground. “Let’s go.” The leader is waiting for us,” she said. With difficulty, Krag lifted the tiger carcass onto his shoulders. But it took him even more effort to look away from Arev. The girl walked ahead, lighting the path. The forest was illuminated by its radiance. They entered the cave and illuminated all its dark, cold corners with warm light. Krag insisted for a long time that he and Arev were not evil spirits of forests and mountains. People gathered around Arevi and Krag in disbelief. They cautiously looked at the glowing girl and the young man with a fiery face. Horror froze their timid hearts...
The darkness gave way to light. Cold - warmth. People began to look around their homes and themselves. For the first time we saw that they were different. I was struck by the beauty of some and the ugliness of others. The leader also noticed that there were many beautiful girls in the cave. But then his gaze settled on the young and strong hunters. The old heart began to smoke with jealousy. An angry spasm ran across his face. The light began to weigh heavier on the leader than the darkness...
The same burden fell on the shoulders of women who had few teeth and a lot of gray hair. They were afraid that now no one would need them. They rushed to the leader: “Listen to us, unworthy!” They ordered to kill Arev and Krag. Let darkness fall! The less people see, the happier they are! - Kill them! Kill! – the cave shook.
The leader raised his hand. All at once everything fell silent. Power made the leader lonely and cruel. But that’s why he was a leader, to think deeper, to see further, to be firmer. He said: “In the dark it is more difficult for us to find edible roots, fish, and hunt.” But Arev and Krag cannot be left together! Those who drink water will cool down, those who eat enough will fall asleep...
As the stern leader said, so the tribe did. Arev was thrown into the sky. And Krag, having been chained, was carried from cave to cave. Every morning Arev gets up and searches for Krag until the evening. Millennia have passed. But she does not lose hope of meeting her beloved. Her heart still burns, her soul glows. This is Krag’s destiny too – to warm people even in his suffering. And as long as Arev and Krag love each other, they are immortal, just as people like them are immortal.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru