Rahan. Episode 146. By Roger Lecureux. The Forgotten Women. A Puke(TM) Comic.

Translated by the Son of the Puke Ages. 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

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Rahan.

The Son of the Ferocious Ages!

Episode One Hundred and Forty-Six.

By Roger Lecureux, drawn by Romero.

The Forgotten Women.

Rahan pulled out the deadly arrow with a sharp blow.
The branch gave way beneath him.

Page Two.

It all started the day the son of Crao came to the aid of a child threatened by a lynx.

Rahan did not want to steal your life, "Pointy Ears".
But he cannot give up that of a "Little Man"!

Visibly weakened by hunger, the girls watched Rahan in dismay.
You. You are, you are.

The woman springing from the thickets brandished a solid bow.
You are the first hunter we have seen in a long time, “Fire-Hair”!

But you will not steal our meat from the “pointed ears”!
Without further warning, the unknown woman had fired her black-fletched arrow.

Page Three.

But it did not surprise the agile son of Crao!
Ha-ha-ha! You could use some lessons, You could use some "Vine-Hair"!

The woman with her hair tied in long braids did not have time to reach for her quiver.
To me! To me! Forgotten women!

Other women were appearing from all sides.
Kill him! Kill him!
No! No! We need to know where he comes from!
Oh!

Which Rahan could not and would not resist.
Rahan will never strike “Women who walk upright”!
But he would like to know the cause of your fury!

You are our captive, and you are the one who answers our questions!
This is how our brothers acted.
Before they abandoned us!

Page Four.

Why not kill him on the spot! You are too magnanimous, Laota!
And you are too impulsive, Atani!
The one who commanded these women was as dark-haired as the fierce girl with the braids was blonde.

Their companions were already dragging the son of Crao along.
Rahan hopes that your clan's hunters will be more welcoming than their sisters!

Our clan has not existed for many moons, "Fire-Hair"!
Men, all men, abandoned us one day!

"Many people think, and I am one of them, that they could not resist the fury of the great river which would have carried them away to the cursed valley."

No!
Men abandoned us because we were useless burdens to them, remember.

"How they despised our lack of strength and how they treated us with disdain!
It was because we slowed down their march that they abandoned us!"

Page Five.

A vengeful anger seized Atani.
All men are selfish and cowards! This one must pay for them!
He must die!

"Hair-vines" judges too quickly!
Rahan has met many hunters who disdained their companions unnecessarily.
But they would never have abandoned them!

Those-who-walk-upright are made together and have "Little Men"!
It is the law of life!
Our people violated it!

And since the "Season of Green Leaves" we have been wandering from valley to valley, defenseless against wild animals of all species.

Losing one of ours here, another elsewhere and barely managing to feed our unfortunate little girls.

Every day we hope to find another clan we can join.
But tell me, "Fire-Hair."
Laota's gaze suddenly sparkled with hope.
Page Six.

You who hold such wise words, you could make us accepted by your clan!
Hum.

Rahan has no clan.
Rahan has no attachments!
The son of Crao spoke to these ever-threatening women about his adventurous destiny.

Rahan is a deceiver!
He preached the betrothals between "Those-and-women-who-walk-upright", and he has no companion!

The accusation was embarrassing.
Rahan has not yet found the one who would agree to share his destiny!
Hear! He is vain like all men!
He deserves nothing but death!

Bows and sticks were raised when.
Oh! Look over there!

Page Seven.

The arrows of "Child Hunters"!
I. I thought. To escape them. But they chased me!

The terrified women no longer cared about Rahan.
Give Rahan his knife back! Maybe he can succor Tahang!

No! Let us not give this scoundrel his weapon back!
The women hesitated.
It was Laota who decided.

Here!
If you save Tahang, you will be free!

Tahan is going to die. But he does not care.

The son of Crao tried to extract one by one these arrows, which were hardly longer than his knife.
The "Shadow Kingdom" must.
Be preferable.
To slavery among the "Child Hunters"!
These were the man's last words!

Page Eight.

Atani showed her anger once again.
I was right! Rahan did not save Tahang!
Rahan lied to us once again!

Shut up "Hair-vines"! You all saw that Rahan tried the impossible to relieve your brother Tahang!
But who are these "Child-Hunters" he spoke of?

None of us have ever seen them!
But our hunters sometimes spoke of these fearsome and cruel beings.
Who live beyond the "Great Swamps" in a territory where no hunter can venture without being shot like common game!

Tahang's words and these arrows could prove one thing.
The son of Crao had become thoughtful.

Perhaps your companions did not abandon you as you suppose!
Perhaps they were victims of the "Child Hunters"!

Page Nine.

The "Great Swamps" are several moons' walk from here!
Tahang could not have survived several days with his injuries!

And this proves that he was chased to this territory by "Child Hunters" who may still be here!

Rahan could not have been more right.
The "Fire-Hair" hunter is strong and will be useful!
As soon as he is isolated we will capture him!

However.
Rahan will find those who killed Tahang!
From the Kingdom of the "Four-Hands" we discover many things!

The son of Crao was already climbing into the lower branches.
Do you not understand that this is just a pretext to escape?! He wants to escape from us!

Aatni's arrow narrowly missed Rahan!
Ha-ha-ha!
When Rahan returns, he will give you archery lessons, "Hair-vines"!

Page Ten.

A second black-feathered arrow tore through the foliage.
Rahan was already out of range.

For a long time, from the top of the foliage, he scanned the thickets.
Could Rahan have been wrong?

The forest was familiar and he could guess from the mere rustling of the undergrowth that an animal was huddled there.

And yet, this time, the son of Crao was seen before he had seen.
No! Not those arrows! We need him alive!

Before sunset, the hunter with the "Fire-Hair" will be at our mercy!
The pygmy had chosen an arrow from his second quiver.

Rahan saw the three little men too late.
Aie!
The short arrow had lodged in his shoulder like a dart of fire.

Page Eleven.

He tore it out quickly, but he suddenly felt dizzy. Then, the branch gave way beneath him!
Argh!

Dazed by his fall, he made out the pygmies who were cautiously emerging.
The "Little Men" coat their arrows with poison!

Resisting the torpor that was invading him, he saw the men approaching, their bows drawn.
Rahan does not want to join the "Shadow Territory" so stupidly. He, he, he.

However.
The hunter with “Hair of Fire” is taking a long time to return!
You are crazy to hope for his return, Laota!
You should have listened to Atani!
This man is nothing but a deceiver who lied to us to escape!
Think again, "Hair of Vines"!

Pushing a small man in front of him, the son of Crao had just appeared and was smiling mischievously.
Oh!

Page Twelve.

Those you call "Child Hunters" are not children. But little men!

Rahan was surprised by three of them and hit by a poisoned arrow.
The poison had little effect on Rahan, who gave them the slip!

He let them approach him, and.
Ra-ha-ha!
Rahan briefly describes the quick fight he had with the dwarven hunters.

Rahan disarmed them, but they immediately fled, each in his own direction!
Rahan could not chase all three of them at once!

But he managed to catch up with that one!
And that one will have to guide us to the "Child Hunters" camp!
Is that not so?

Yes, yes.
N'goa will do whatever you want "Fire-Hair"!
In Rahan's strong grip, the captive weighed little more than a very young child.

Page thirteen.

N'goa narrated how Tahang had escaped from his clan by seizing a raft.
He and two of his men had pursued the fugitive with another raft.

You will lead us to these rafts, N'gao!
Well, Atani?
Are you convinced of Rahan's sincerity now?
Let us break camp immediately.

Breaking camp was quick.
Condemned to wandering, these women had nothing for possessions but their raffia braids.

We will have to be wary of N'goa, Laota. Rahan does not like his gaze!
Do not worry!
I will take care of watching him!

They finally reached the swamps that were set ablaze by the last rays of the sun.
The Rafts!
To venture into the marshes now would be too dangerous! We await the day!

While Atani watched over the captive, his companions prepared the fire.
If all goes well, we will surprise the "Child Hunters" and we will free yours!

Page Fourteen.

You are the first man who does not treat us with contempt, Rahan!
In our clan, hunters have always considered women a bit like their slaves.
Only good for cooking meat and to give them children!

Rahan respects "Females-who-walk-upright"!
He knows they are as brave as hunters. He, He, he.
What is going on, Rahan? What is wrong? What is wrong?

The poison!
The poison.
Attention! Oh!
Over there, N'goa had just knocked out Atani and was bending his bow.

The black-feathered arrow stuck in the braid that Rahan, in an instinctive reflex, had made into a shield.

Then he collapsed heavily.
“Hair-of-fire” is dead!
The poison of the infant hunters killed him!
All the women ran over, upset.

Page Fifteen.

No! Life has not abandoned his body!
It is a “Venom-of-sleep” that has struck him down!
He will wake up!

Rahan did indeed wake up. But the sun was already high when he finally opened his eyes.
What, what. Where is N’goa?
Disappeared!

When we thought you were dead, the "Little Man" took advantage of the confusion to escape with a Raft!
N'goa will find you, "Fire-Hair"! And he will kill you!

Rahan's gaze hardened.
We have one raft left!
We will cross the swamps. We will eventually find the clan of the "Child Hunters"!

A little later.
But if N'goa alerts his people, we will no longer have the advantage of surprise.
The overloaded raft slid on the dead waters.

Dotted with islands of rushes where disturbing presences could be expected.
Oh! The woman who had just slipped off the skiff was Atani!
Page Sixteen.

Hum, " Vine-hair" does not know "Crawl-on-water" very well!
Atani was too poor a swimmer to escape the saurian that had just sprung from the reeds.

Rahan will offer you another prey, "Leather skin"!
If you are fast enough to catch it!

Amazed, the women watched the feat.
Swimming at an astonishing speed, Rahan had gone to meet the crocodile.

Who was hunting this new prey that was defying him!
Saved by this diversion, Atani hoisted herself onto the raft.

Swimming faster than the saurian, outdistancing it, the son of Crao rejoined the skiff in turn.
It is incredible!

An instant later.
Rahan will have to teach you how to shoot a bow and arrow, but also how to "Crawl-on-water", "Vine-hair”!

Page Seventeen.

The day was declining when they reached the other side of the marshes.
From this height, we can perhaps spot the camp of the "Little Men"!

An indeed, a little later.
The Infant-hunters!
Look!
Ours are at their mercy!
No doubt informed by N'goa, the pygmies were on alert!

And they watched over their captives, mutually bound in the center of the village.
And the "abandoned women" recognized their companions, their sons, their brothers!

They are too many and their arrows too dangerous! We will never be able to free our own!
You are all as strong as these "Little Men"! As for their arrows.

The son of Crao remembered how he had narrowly parried N'goa's arrow.
There is a way to protect yourself from it!

Page Eighteen.

All night long, on his advice, the women busied themselves. Their raffia mats stretched over bamboo frames formed rudimentary shields.

And it was at dawn that the attack took place!
Alert! Alert!
What. What. But, they look like our women! That, that is incredible!

A rain of short arrows fell on the small group of women who were descending the hill.
Your idea is very good, Rahan!

Sheltered by the "Shields", Rahan and his companions soon rushed into the camp.
Then, here and there, there were quick hand-to-hand combats.
Back, “Little Man”!

Some "Infant Hunters" fled to the nearby forest, but others resisted.
Who among us would have thought that our women had such courage!?

Page Nineteen.

The son of Crao rushed to free the captives, when.
I will kill you with my own hands, "Fire-Hair"!

Stunned, Rahan caught a glimpse of N'goa brandishing his sharp stake to slit his throat.
And suddenly.
Argh!

N'goa whirled around before collapsing, a long black-feathered arrow between his shoulder blades.
Oh!

You still think I need your archery lessons, "Fire-Hair"!?

Atani lay thirty paces away, a short arrow stuck in her thigh.
Thank you “Hair of Vines”!
I hope we win, when.
I wake up!

Page Twenty.

The pygmies had fled and the freed captives relayed their ordeal.
It was impossible to escape them!
Since for moons, "They" despised us and treated us like slaves!

Do they not despise you a little as you despised your companions who have just delivered you?

The hunters, confused, seemed overcome with remorse.
Rahan hopes you understood that "Women-who-walk-upright" are worth as much as "Men-who-walk-upright"!

When Atani came to, the clan had crossed the marshes again.
A sturdy and respectful hunter was carrying her.
You deign to carry me?!
Eh good, things have changed!

You have just won two victories, Atani!
One over the "Little Men", and the other over your companions!

And this, thanks to you, "Hair-of-Fire"!

Atani's hand, affectionately, had grasped Rahan's.
The son of Crao was happy because he knew that for this clan reform, things would never be the same again.
"Females-who-walk-upright" would now have the right to the respect that was due to them.

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