CHAPTER 10. CLOSER AND CLOSER TO THE DISTANT GOBLINUM

The three young Bignoses continued their journey and had covered more than half the distance. Another day had passed since their encounter with the snake. The goblins no longer thought about that unpleasant meeting on the bridge, and now rode closer to the river. Here there were almost no trees. Mor expected that in about two more days they would reach the goblinum they needed.
The ram carrying him and Nuk seemed to have resigned itself to its fate and was displaying remarkable endurance. Because of that, they had to stop less and less often.
“Have you noticed that the forest here is different from ours? There are more trees with needles here, and back home it’s mostly trees with leaves,” Nuk said, studying the unfamiliar forest with interest.
“That’s not surprising. We’re riding through the Hermits’ land, after all. I suppose everything’s bound to be different here,” Vuk answered his brother.
“You’re not quite right, Vuk. This territory is considered a border region, and it has its own owners. It’s called the Black Lands,” Mor explained.
“So why are they called black? I haven’t seen a single black tree.”
“They’re called black because black wolves live here. But we have nothing to fear. Warden Ogl told me they don’t come close to the river.”
“And I can guess why. That snake could easily swallow a whole wolf. Maybe that’s what it ate, that time. Where did it even come from, into our forest, anyway?” Vuk asked, glancing at the river again with unease.
“I once heard about huge snakes that live in the western mountains. In summer they sometimes set out on a long journey down the river, swimming nearly to the eastern edge of the forest. I think that’s exactly where that snake came from — the mountains. But what difference does it make now? It’s long since behind us. So there’s nothing to worry about.”
“What do you mean, nothing to worry about? About the snake, maybe there’s nothing to worry about, though I’m not so sure. But we’re spending the night in a forest where black wolves roam. And who knows — maybe they’ve already picked up our trail, and now they’re just waiting for the right moment. You fall asleep like that, and wake up surrounded by a pack of wolves. And then that’s it — the end. And I’m still so young. There’s so much I haven’t seen, so much I haven’t had time to do,” Vuk said with theatrical sadness.
“And what exactly is it you haven’t had time to do? Try eating a whole ram, or pluck the feathers off a live bird?” Nuk asked indignantly.
“Maybe. But there’s plenty more besides that. For instance, I haven’t even managed to get myself so much as one gobliness. And I can see plenty of others have.”
“Oh, come on. As if that’s something to worry about. So you’ll get yourself a gobliness — what new thing will you learn from that? You already know how to pick out good meat, you already know how to pick beetles off potatoes. And you already know how to cook a bird, for that matter.”
“Well, sure. I’m not stupid at all. Everyone can see that. But even I don’t know everything yet. For instance, I don’t know where little goblins come from. That’s exactly what I’d ask her about. For now, all I know is that one day at dawn a gobliness goes off into the forest together with her mother, and by evening they come back with a baby. So the question is, where did it come from?
“After all, little goblins can’t grow on trees. If they did, every gobliness would pick out the strongest, best-looking baby, and the weak, ugly ones would just be left there to keep growing on the branches. But I’ve never seen any like that in the forest. In fact, I’ve never seen any at all.
“So they must come into being some other way.
“I don’t believe in sorcery. Goblins aren’t sorcerers, after all. At least, I haven’t met a single one so far. So that leaves two possibilities. Either the babies grow underground, feeding on roots and worms, and when the time comes, they climb their way out. Or else they’re raised somewhere else, and then brought to the forest, where the goblinesses come to collect them.”
“Oh, I’d love to know who was raising you before our mother came and got you,” Nuk said, not bothering to hide his smile.
“Maybe I’m an earth goblin. There’s a reason I love caterpillars, after all — they’re almost like worms. But if someone did raise me, I’m sure they were very intelligent and very good-looking creatures,” Vuk answered proudly.
“You might be right. But why do you forget about the bellies? Haven’t you noticed that every gobliness who goes into the forest has a big belly? And when they come back, the belly’s gone. Maybe that has something to do with how little goblins come to be? Maybe the babies live inside their mothers’ bellies, and then, when it gets too cramped, they leave them?” Mor suggested.
“Mor, you seem to be at least as smart as I am, so what are you even saying? How can a little goblin live in a belly, when that’s where food goes? A belly’s for food, not for living in. It’s not a house, after all. So my guesses are still closer to the truth,” Vuk finished confidently.
And it must be said, such confidence very nearly convinced Mor and Nuk that he was right. Though Mor still had a few questions left.
Amid talk and small arguments, the goblins rode on for another half a day. The weather around them was calm, and the sun blazed away in a clear sky, mercilessly beating down on their young goblin heads. If there was some way to hide from the heat, there was none at all from hunger.
The first stomach to growl was Vuk’s. Before long, Mor’s and Nuk’s stomachs joined in. None of them wanted to keep riding hungry, so the goblins decided to stop for a rest.
Their rams headed straight for the river to drink, carrying the food bags off with them. The goblins had to follow. Along the way, they remembered that they still hadn’t gotten around to fishing.
Nuk volunteered for the job right away. His leg had been healing and had almost stopped bothering him. He was full of energy again — enough, if not to hunt, then at least to fish.
“Come on, Vuk, grab the other hook, and let’s fish together. Let’s see who catches more,” he suggested, hurriedly tying a rope to his hook.
“Nuk, you know I’m more of a fish-eater than a fisherman. And I’m sure you’ll land a fish big enough for three. So why should I fish, too? And what if I caught just as big a one? What would we do with it? In this heat it’d go bad fast, and we’d have to throw it out. What a waste. But when it turns colder, I’ll go with you, for sure,” Vuk answered, very seriously.
“Fine, then. If that’s what you think, I’ll go alone.”
Meanwhile, Mor had already found worms somewhere and was bringing them to Nuk. Soon a worm was threaded onto the hook, the hook was cast into the water, and the long-awaited fishing began. Mor settled down next to Nuk, ready to help if needed. Vuk sat down nearby, warming himself in the blazing sun, glancing at the water’s surface without much interest. Under the bright rays, his red hair looked especially fiery.
Nuk, holding his breath, gripped the rope tightly and waited impatiently for it to go taut. That was exactly the moment to give it a sharp pull. He had often gone fishing with his father, and knew well what needed to be done to keep a fish on the hook. And now he wanted to feel that incomparable sensation again, the moment when the catch starts to fight back. But time passed, and the rope stayed still. Nuk cast the hook a few more times, searching for a better spot, but there was still no bite. The eyes that had lit up at the start of the fishing trip gradually dimmed. Mor could only watch him with sympathy, unable to help, since he knew little about fishing matters.
“Listen, maybe there’s no fish here at all? Look around — nothing but frogs hopping everywhere. This is probably their territory. Or maybe the fish don’t like the worm. I didn’t like the look of them myself, right from the start,” Vuk remarked.
“Try them yourself, then,” Mor suggested jokingly.
“Already did, and I have to say, I wouldn’t have bitten on one like that myself.”
“Just be quiet, will you. Fish get caught in silence. Though how would you know that, being nothing but a fish-eater,” Nuk said in a whisper.
In truth, Nuk badly wanted to shout out of frustration just then. But as if by the will of someone above, at that very moment the rope began to move. His eyes lit up again. He rose carefully and gave the rope a sharp pull toward himself. But some invisible force immediately straightened his arm out and began dragging the goblin into the water. The goblin resisted with all his strength. He dug in his feet, strained his arms, but the force seemed unstoppable. His legs had already nearly disappeared beneath the water. It was clear that something very large had taken the hook. Nuk thought of the snake with horror, but he still didn’t let go of the rope. From the outside, it might have looked as though he were ready to go down to the bottom after his catch.
Mor rushed over to Nuk and grabbed the rope with both hands, straining with all his strength. The goblins could feel that whatever had taken the hook was, after all, weaker than the two of them together. Nuk thought with relief that it wasn’t a snake, but a fish. They began working their way back toward the shore.
The fish had no intention of giving up quickly. The stubborn struggle went on. But now both goblins looked like true hunters. Having caught their prey, they weren’t about to let it go.
Meanwhile, Vuk stood nearby, slowly finishing off the last worm.
If the fish’s already on the hook, they won’t be needed anymore. And I really, really want something to eat, Vuk excused himself.
Vuk, too, had been ready to rush to his brother’s aid. But seeing that the two of them were managing well enough, he decided not to get his feet wet.
Quite a lot of time passed before the tension in the rope eased. The fish’s strength gave out, and it yielded meekly into the hands of its conquerors. Nuk and Mor quickly pulled in the rope, eager to finally see the creature that had tormented them for so long.
Vuk, too, watched the water intently, already picturing a big piece of fresh fish in his hand. Even the riding rams, resting nearby, glanced with interest back and forth between the two goblins and the river. As if they were still hoping the fish would win this fight, and then someone’s back could breathe a sigh of relief.
And then a head appeared out of the water, followed by the rest of the fish. It was, just as expected, very large, its scales big and a dark yellow, almost brown color. What caught the fishermen’s attention were its two enormous side fins. They kept contracting and expanding, like bellows in an Iron-master’s workshop.
“Look at those! They’re bigger than the fish itself! You could probably even cover yourself with them! Now it’s clear where it gets all that strength from!” Nuk exclaimed.
He was very pleased with himself, and with Mor, of course. Without Mor, after all, Nuk really might have ended up at the bottom of the river. And it wasn’t just stubbornness at play, either. The moment he’d cast the hook, he had tied the rope to his hand, so that it wouldn’t accidentally slip free and disappear underwater.
Vuk no longer hid his delight and was even jumping up and down with impatience. The rams, on the other hand, had lost all interest in what was happening and ambled off to graze on grass.
“Well, see, I told you so. Now just imagine if I’d pulled up one that size, too. What would we do with it? We’d have had to haul it off as a gift to the Hermits… or whatever they’re called. We won’t even manage to eat all of this fish as it is.”
“You, pull out a fish like that? It would have dragged you in instead! And anyway, why didn’t you help me? It nearly pulled me into its own territory. Thanks to Mor for getting here in time.”
“I wanted to help. Mor was just faster, that’s all. He was sitting right next to you, after all. Do you really think I’d have just sat there calmly, watching my own brother slowly sink into the water? So calm down and be happy for yourself. You’re a natural-born fisherman — probably even better than Father. And by the way, I never doubted you.”
Vuk cast another hungry glance at the fish and added:
“Well, now, let’s eat it.”
“Shall we eat it raw, or roast it?” Mor asked.
“Let’s have it raw. We’d still have to build a fire, and that’ll take time. Now, if Vuk hadn’t been lazing around and had gotten a fire going instead, we’d already be roasting it,” Nuk said, a little put out.
“Why’s it always me? Personally, I’m for raw fish. And anyway, I think this fish is going to taste a lot better raw than roasted. Just look how big it is — which means it’s fatty. That’s obvious to anyone. If we roast it over the fire, all the fat will just drip out. And fat, after all, is the tastiest part of any food,” Vuk answered confidently.
“I think I’ve heard that one somewhere before,” Mor said, recalling Warden Ogl’s wife.
Nuk didn’t say anything more to his brother, deciding that he wasn’t going to win this war of words anyway. Still, he firmly decided that Vuk ought to be the one to gut the fish, since that would only be fair. Vuk agreed and didn’t even argue. He took out his knife and skillfully cleaned the fish down to the very last scale.
At last, the goblins set about filling their empty bellies. The fish turned out to be truly fatty and delicious. Juicy, fragrant chunks of meat, almost free of bones, didn’t linger long in their mouths. The goblins feasted for a long time, but still couldn’t manage to eat the whole fish. Having stuffed their bellies right up to their throats, they got ready to move on. But when they struggled to their feet and tried to climb onto the rams, they realized that continuing the journey wouldn’t be easy. With every sudden movement, it felt as though the fish was trying to come back up. One could only imagine what awaited them once the riding and jolting began.
Vuk, in particular, grew anxious, since he understood better than the others what trials awaited them. So as not to lose their tasty, hard-won food along the way, they decided to rest a little. Judging by the wagging tails of the rams, they liked that decision very much, too.
Once the goblins felt they could breathe freely again, they set off. Realizing they had lingered by the river longer than planned, the friends agreed not to stop again until evening.
With the coming of dusk, they had to look for a place to spend the night. They decided not to ride deep into the forest. They hadn’t yet encountered the black wolves, but they already feared them more than the snake. Once they had built up the fire, the goblins, as usual, took turns keeping watch over the camp. This time, Mor had the last watch. His turn fell during the hours when even the forest’s nighttime creatures go off to rest. So apart from the peaceful breathing of his sleeping brothers, nothing else could be heard around him.
But that didn’t last long, since Vuk’s quiet breathing soon gave way to a long, drawn-out snore that nearly woke Nuk. The snoring didn’t bother Mor at all — if anything, it reminded him that someone close to him was nearby. He sat right by the fire, feeding it dry branches with great satisfaction. He liked how they immediately began crackling loudly, as though glad to be turning into flame. Mor could not have guessed that right now, the bright red tongues of flame were protecting them as never before. For in the darkness, he couldn’t see the silent watchers standing not far away at all.
The black wolves had spotted the goblins long ago. These cunning, cautious predators never attacked when they doubted their own victory. They knew all too well that the two-legged ones sometimes carried sharp stings that could easily pierce a wolf’s body. So they weren’t in any hurry to attack until the whole pack had gathered. But by the time it had, the two-legged ones had a fire going. Of all things, the wolves feared the red enemy most — the one that burned and devoured any flesh. So they waited patiently, but the fire went on burning all night long.
Toward dawn, Mor began to drift off. However hard he tried, his eyes wouldn’t obey him and kept closing. It seemed the exhaustion from the hard fishing and the long ride was catching up with him. Mor threw a few thick branches onto the fire, lay down on his cloak, and fell asleep instantly. But the moment the first light began breaking through the trees, Mor opened his eyes. Looking at his still-sleeping brothers and at the rams already having their breakfast, he smiled, for some reason.
This night, too, had passed quietly, Mor thought.
He didn’t have to stay alone for long, since Vuk and Nuk woke up soon after. The goblins had eaten so much fish the day before that they felt no hunger at all that morning. So they decided to set out right away and hurried to the river. Mor was hoping that today, somewhere in the distance, the goblinum would finally come into view.
As soon as the goblins rode away from the dying fire, the wolves followed after them. The pack moved silently and quickly closed the distance to striking range. The wolves waited for the signal from their leader, who moved ahead of the rest. More than a dozen jaws bared their teeth, ready to sink into easy prey. Suddenly the leader stopped, crouched back on his hind legs, and fixed his gaze on the distance. There, beyond the trees, the river had come into view.