What no Scholar knows

The Hunt for the Golden Eyes

I promised to tell you how we two legged Telmori can get our golden eyes. Now listen and do not interrupt.

It begins when a Telmori feels the call of the guardian. Sometimes he likes awake whole night and day and can find no rest. Often his eyes lie to him, they will fool him until he goes on the hunt. This is the call of the guardian. It was the same with me, I was more than blind for a blind wolf can trust his other senses but I did not know what I had to trust. I saw a bear yet I smelled a man. Thus the Tergavi told me about the hunt, the hunt where wolves like me went on.

I spent some nights with the Tergavi alone in the grove where dead Telmori Kings lie. There two spiritwolves approached me and told me what must be done to begin my hunt. They told me where I had to look for the guardian, and how it would smell, look and finally taste. They told me everything.

Out Tergavi gave me the Irrug, the sacred powder which makes a wolf very vigorous and lets him find no sleep until he has finished his task. He showed me how much of it I should take and what else could be done with it. I am still full of thanks, it is sad that he was slaughtered at Artud-ferrs-urrigr. But I have revenged him many times since then.

The hunt began when I first saw the guardian, he was running through my scouting territory and I suddenly knew that it was time for me to run with him.

The first was the test of smell. He was a cunning beast and would have lost me for sure if my old Tergavi had not summoned the spirits of the old Kings for me. Thanks to the Irrug my mind was very clear and I remembered what the guardian should smell like. Thus the first test was passed.

The next was the test of vision. With the call of the guardian my eyes were like nothing before and I could hardly recognise my own wife but here again the Irrug helped me. It sharpened my senses the most and I could see the guardian lying amidst the fallen golden leaves of erutr. Thus the second test was passed.

The next was the test of cunning. Here all the Irrug was useless, and I had to find the guardian for myself and go around all his deadly traps, like to pit with the poison snakes or the trees which weep so sadly that you will listen till you starve. But I was lucky and a friendly bird told me that the guardian hid under the weeping trees. While I covered my ears with one arm I prepared a fire with the other and forced the guardian out of his hiding. Thus the third test was passed.

The next was the test of strength. I had to scale a high cliff where he awaited. The cliff was very rough, its edges sharp and the winds blew very fierce. It took all my strength to climb to the top. Finally I stood there with blooded hands and without any strength. But thus the forth test was passed. I thought that I could lay myself to sleep and regain some lost strength and maybe have a spirit visit me in dreams and tell me a secret. But here the Irrug showed its terrible power, I could not close my eyes for even few heartbeats. I could not find any sleep, since the hunt was still on. Thus I had to follow the call of the guardian.

The next was the test of quickness. The guardian was running before me and if I could not catch him my soul was to guard his golden star forever. But the guardian was no good runner or so it seemed. When I had almost caught him, he made a mighty jump and was many legs in front of me. But mighty Telmor granted me his speed of the seven legs and I jumped as high as the guardian and even touched his fur a bit. Thus the fifth test was passed.

The next was the test of cleverness. I came before three caves. All were very dark and mist rose from them. The first was silent. From the second came a sound of a mighty wolf and from the third I heard a loud roaring, terrible to the ears. I choose the only possible and thus the sixth test was passed.

The last was the test of taste. Inside the cave laid the guardian, a great wolf with a golden fur glowing lightly in the darkness. I knew what had to be done and I knew how it would taste. Well, I thought I knew it. When I pressed my eye-teeth into his warm flesh and the warm blood started to drip from the wound I thought I was prepared for the taste. But I was not. It was terrible, it burned, it tasted more bitter than the oldest of mice. It stank, it was so sweet that it tasted bitter. This was the taste of power which the spiritwolves spoke of, now I knew. And thus the seventh and last test was passed.

The next morning I awoke and when I went to wash myself I discovered that my eyes were full of power, golden and lightly glowing in the darkness.