Rahan. Episode One hundred and eight. By Roger Lecureux. The Sacred Bird. A Puke (TM) Comic.

Index:
https://rumble.com/v3486cm-rahan-index-of-episodes-by-roger-lecureux..html

Source of Rahan Comics:
Philippe Ropers.
https://vk.com/topic-203785966_47424128

Rahan.

Episode One hundred and eight.

By Roger Lecureux, drawn by Andre Cheret.

The Sacred Bird.

The long arrow pierced the green chest of the "Quetzal".
The son of Crao did not appreciate that a hunter, apparently without hunger, killed for pleasure.
Why steal the life of the "Flame-Tail"?

Because the sorcerer he belongs to is stealing my brother's!
That is why Xica killed the sacred bird!

The man explained how, despite the pleas of Ourgang, the sorcerer of his clan, slow death gnawed at his brother's body.

Rahan despises sorcerers and their stupid incantations but killing that bird was a useless gesture!
Why not take on Ourgang himself?

Page Two.

Ourgang is far too disrespectful of mine!
They would kill me if I opposed him!
As they would kill me if they knew that I had just shot down his sacred bird!

Xica was pulling his arrow from the quetzal's body when shouts rang out.
Here are mine, I am lost!

Sacrilege!
Xica killed the wonder bird!
Hunters charged forward, lances raised.

Stop!
Xica is not guilty!
Rahan is the one who killed the flame tail!

Do not protest, Xica.
Rahan is not one of yours, your clan may forgive him!

Xica rightly accused Rahan of having committed this sacrilege, but Rahan is ignorant of the customs of this territory.
He could not know that this "Tail-of-flames" was sacred!

Page Three.

In that case Rahan must follow us!
Only the clan council can decide his fate!

Saved by Rahan's lie, Xica embarrassedly avoided the gaze of the son of Crao.
The clan's village was nearby.

This hunter killed the "marvelous bird" Ourgang!
We will judge him later!
Ourgang has more serious things to do!
The sorcerer was busy among his mixtures, next to the man who was moaning.

After each of the drinks he gave the dying man, he invoked the spirits.
Let life not abandon the body of the hunter! Come to aid Ourgang!

All sorcerers are the same!
It is not the supplications of Ourgang that will cure this unfortunate man!

Rahan was right. As night fell, a rumor ran through the camp.
The man had just died.
Ourgang has lost his power! And he lost it because his marvelous bird died!

Page Four.

He who killed the sacred bird does not deserve to live another insane life!
Men were brandishing their spears angrily, aiming at Rahan.

No! Only the council can decide to kill this hunter!
Let it meet immediately!

A few men were heading towards the sorcerer's hut. Xica was among them.
Rahan could save his life by coming back to the truth.
But Xica would be the judge.

But since Xica is on the council, Rahan will have a defender in him!

The son of Crao was seriously mistaken.
By killing the sacred bird Rahan took away your power, Ourgang!
Because of him, my brother is no more and you can no longer do anything for the clan! Rahan must Die!

Unaware that Xica, probably out of fear and cowardice, had been his fiercest accuser, Rahan saw a member of the council approach.

Page Five.

Only one of us asked for clemency.
The sentence of the council is therefore, death! You will be executed at daybreak!

Xica defended Rahan.
Rahan was right not to denounce Xica!
Xica will free him tonight!

Once again the son of Crao was wrong.
The shadow that crept toward the totem in the middle of the night was not that of Xica.

Ourgang.
He wants to avenge his Sacred Bird!
He does not have the patience to wait for daybreak!
The sorcerer approached, Rahan's ivory knife in his hand.

And it was a surprise!
Flee, "Fire-Hair"! Flee!
For I no longer have the authority to prevent the clan from carrying out its verdict!

Throwing the knife at the astonished Rahan's feet, Ourgang the sorcerer stealthily slipped away.
Rahan is not dreaming!
Page Six.

Saved by a sorcerer!
By a sorcerer!
As he fled the village, the son of Crao repeated the same words to himself.

This thought still haunted him when, exhausted by his race, he lay down on the fork of a large tree.

The growl of a feline brought him back to reality.
Rahan does not want to fight you over this shelter!
He will find another one! Stay where you are!

He did not have time to satiate the ivory knife. The jaguar had jumped.

And hit the weapon, that fell to the ground, and knocking him over on the fork!
He was going to have to fight the beast with his bare hands.
Ra-ha-ha!

Page Seven.

It was a fierce hand-to-hand combat.
If Rahan could push the fearsome fangs away from him, he could not dodge the claw blows.

One of them made him fall under a branch. Another, plowing his hands, made him let go.

And there was the fall! The foliage whirled above him.
And he thought his skull was bursting like a wild berry.
And that his vertebrae were dislocating.

Everything became blurry around and above him.
The trees.
The foliage.
And the jaguar gathering itself to dive at him.

Rahan is lost. He.
He will no longer have the strength to resist the Jagha!

Page Eight.

Lying on his back, he tried in vain to straighten up and everything became even more blurred.

And then his fingers felt the ivory knife.

The jaguar that had just leapt was nothing more than an imprecise shape.
As imprecise as the weapon he was gripping with both hands.

The shock was very harsh when the beast impaled itself on the ivory blade!
It was the last that the son of Crao felt.

He did not even feel the weight of the stricken feline on him.
He had lost consciousness.

When he came to, the beast's body had disappeared.

But his first instinct was to prepare to continue a fight he did not know was over.

Page Nine.

What are you looking for, "Fire-Hair"? This cutlass?
Ourgang!

A few steps away, Ourgang the sorcerer offered him the ivory weapon.
I found it in the chest of the "Jagha" you killed three nights ago!

Three nights!?
Yes Rahan.
It has been three days and three nights since I found you in a clearing!

You were covered in wounds and I knew you would suffer a lot before they healed.
That was why I made you drink the "Long-Sleep Brew," which would allow me to heal you without pain!

I am glad I succeeded!
The son of Crao could see that only a few scars remained on his body, thin and painless.

This is the second time you come to Rahan's aid!
What a strange sorcerer are you, Ourgang?!
And why are you here, far from your clan?

Page Ten.

Xica guessed that I had freed you and the council chased me from the clan.
But maybe it is better this way.
Since the death of the sacred bird, my people have withdrawn their trust in me!

But I will probably find another clan to which I could be useful.
Ourgang's face remained disturbed.
But his gaze was strangely gentle and thoughtful.

He recounted how, throughout his life, he had patiently uncovered the secret of healing plants and saved countless hunters.

So it is not the sacred bird that gives you your power. Your power is your knowledge!

Who knows?
One of these flame-tailed birds flew over the village the day I cured the first hunter!
The whole clan saw a sign there and began to worship the marvelous bird!

Rahan understands!
But he does not understand why you violated the council's decision by freeing him.

Page Eleven.

Because I failed to convince the council that you had not committed sacrilege.
Since you did not know that "The Wonder Bird" was sacred to us!

So you were the only council member who defended Rahan?
Yes! And I made the decision to free you when Xica spoke of torturing you before putting you to death!

What are you saying? Xica! Xica!?
But it is impossible! Xica did not want Rahan's death! Rahan who lied to save him!
Because you must know the truth, Ourgang!

It was not Rahan who killed the sacred bird.
It was Xica!
This unexpected revelation made the wizard turn pale. His fists clenched.

Then everything is explained, “Hair of Fire"! Everything becomes clear.
Xica has always wanted to lead the clan and is jealous of my authority!
When I told him that it would be impossible for me to cure his brother, this diabolical idea of killing the sacred bird came to him.

The death of the bird would explain that of his brother.
And the loss of my power! The plan of the deceitful Xica has succeeded perfectly.
Page Twelve.

No, Ourgang!
Let us go back to your people! Rahan will tell the clan that it was Xica who killed the flame-tailed bird!
Xica will kill you before you reveal the truth!

Oh! Look! This is the only thing that could convince the clan.
Ourgang pointed out a marvelous quetzal perched on a high branch.

Rahan understands! He will capture this "Flame-Tail"!
Rahan is a fool. No one has ever caught one of these birds alive!
The one I had managed to train had been found very young, barely flying!

The son of Crao was already jumping into the branches and Ourgang witnessed the most extraordinary of pursuits.

Twenty times Rahan almost caught the quetzal.
But twenty times the long scarlet tail escaped him.

Page thirteen.

Rahan is too presumptuous! He needs wings and. Oh! What. What.
His hands clung to the sticky bark of a particularly resinous tree.

The blood of trees! Rahan should have thought of this trap of the bird hunters!
What does your bird eat, Ourgang!

A moment later, Rahan was scooping berries into the thick resin, that Ourgang claimed all quetzals were very fond of.

And it was a very long wait.
The quetzal flew from one tree to another, sometimes whirled around the trap, then moved away from it.

And finally landed there.
And there, Rahan's victory cry thundered.
Ra-ha-ha!
You succeeded, “Hair of Fire”!

Capturing the bird that could not free its resin-stuck legs was now just a game.

Page Fourteen.

A great clamor arose when, at dawn the following day, the son of Crao and Ourgang the sorcerer came within sight of the village.

Ourgang has brought back a "Wonder Bird"! Ouragan has regained his power!
Do not forget that Ourgang helped the one who killed "The Sacred Bird" escape!
They both must die!

Fearing that the truth would come out, Xica was already rushing towards the two men.
He did not know the son of Crao.
Get out of the way, Ourgang! Rahan is used to these assaults!

Rahan stood immobilized, letting himself be charged with astonishing composure.

He only jerked aside for a split second before the spear could pierce his chest.
The two-noses charge as stupidly as Xica!
But they are less light than him!
Argh!

Page Fifteen.

Xica found himself on the ground, under the tip of the spear.
And now it is high time for the deceitful Xica to reveal to the clan who really killed the Sacred Bird or else!

It is useless, Rahan!
I just revealed the truth to the council!
The council believes me and gives you the right to put Xica to death, if you want!

Rahan never steals the life of "Those-who-walk-upright"!
May Xica the deceiver be banished from the clan!
So it will be done brother!

And so it was done.
And to think that you had only risked your life to protect it from this coward!
This generosity has not brought you much!

You are wrong, Ourgang! I have discovered something very important!
Rahan did not dare to admit that he had discovered, during this adventure, that good sorcerers could exist.

And if he stayed among the clan of the sacred bird, it is because he had much to learn from Ourgang, this strange sorcerer, this sorcerer like no other.