*Note this story is in Tagalog
May tatlong mangangaso, mariin na nagmamasid sa susunod nilang huhulihin.
“Tumingin kayo sa taas mga kasama, wika ng unang mangagaso. “Ang ating pakay ay nananatili sa taas ng mga puno.”
“Siyang tunay kaibigan,” tugon ng pangalawang mangangaso. “Hindi na ulit makakapaminsala sa ating nayon ‘yang lumilipad na nilalang na yan.”
“Dapat lang nating siguraduhin na matalas ang ating mga talim sapagkat ang balat nito as kasing tibay ng balat ng kalabaw.” Pagsambit ng pangatlong mangangaso.
Tinipon ng tatlong mangangaso ang kanilang mga sandata at nagtungo sa bundok.
Maraming taon na ang nakalipas mula noong unang dumating ang alan sa kanayunan. Ito marahil ang panahon na walang maglalakas ng loob umalis ng bahay sa pangamba nila na hindi na sila makakabalik muli.
Marami nang kinuha ang alan mula sa nayon, mga kuya, ate, at mga bata.
Alam ng mga mangangaso na kailangan na nilang wakasan ang paghahasik ng lagim ng nilalang na ito. Alam nila na walang gagawa nito na iba, sila lang.
Sa gitna na kagubatan, nagpasya silang magpahinga at maghanda ng makakain.
“Huwag kang gagawa ng apoy,” babala ng unang mangangaso, “sapagkat matututunton tayo ng mga nilalang ng gabi.”
“Kung ganoon, paano tayo makakapagluto kung hindi tayo gagawa ng apoy?” tanong ng pangalawang mangangaso.
“Kakainini natin ang pagkain natin ng hilaw,” tugon ng pangatlong mangangaso.
Pinagpatuloy nila ang kanilang munting salu-salo ng biglang nabasag ang katahimikan.
“Alam n’yo ba kung paano sila nagpaparami?” tanong ng pangatlong mangangaso.
Tumugon ang pangalawang mangagaso, “Isang kahindik-hindik na pamamaraan. Narinig ko na ang kanilang nagiging supling ay gawa sa dugo mula sa mga nakunang kababaihan.”
“Kasuklam-suklam na mga nilalang. Mas mabuti kung mawawala silang lahat.” Sambit ng unang mangagaso.
Tila ba sumang ayon ang lahat sa sinabi ng unang mangangaso.
Kinalaunan, ang unang mangagaso ang nagbantay sa kanilang munting kampo.
“Bukas ng umaga natin sila tutugisin, kung kailan sila pagod,” sambit ng unang mangagaso.
“Sang-ayon ako, mas madali silang hanapin sa liwanag ng haring araw,” tugon ng pangalawang mangangaso.
“At mawawakasan natin sila ng walang kahirap-hirap,” dagdag ng pangatlong mangangaso.
Subalit nagpaalala ang unang mangangaso, “kailangan pa rin nating mag ingat. Hindi sila dapat maliitin.”
“Tama ka. Narinig ko na nakasabit sila sa mga sanga ng puno at naghihintay lang ng mabibiktima. Kapag nahuli ka, wala ka ng kawala,” wika ng pangalawang mangangaso.
“Bilib ako sa inyong karunugan mga kasama. Tayo ay magpahinga at ituloy ang ating paglalakbay sa umaga,” pagtugon ng pangatlong mangagaso.
Hindi lumipas ang gabi na nagpabaya sila sa pagbantay sa isa’t isa na tila ba ay pinapatalas ang pakiramdam nila ng kagubatan. Dumating ang umaga at nagpatuloy sila sa paglalakbay nila.
“May aaminin ko sa inyo mga kasama,” sambit ng pangatlong mangangaso.
“Ano iyon?” Tanong ng pangalawang mangangaso.
“Hindi ko pa nakikita kung ano ang tunay na anyo ng nilalang na tinutugis natin,” pag-amin ng pangatlong mangangaso.
Tumugon ang unang mangangaso hinggil sa tanong. “Makinig ka ng mabuti, kapatid. Ang mga nilalang na ito ay may lubhang karimarimarim ang itsura, animo’y sira ang kaanyuan ng mukha. Nagtatago sila sa sulok ng kadiliman ng kagubatan. Bagamat kasinglaki ng tao sa kaanyuan, may pakpak sila na kasing lapad ng mga puno. Ang mga daliri sa paa at kamay ay waring pabaliktad ang tubo mula sa mga kasukasuan nito. Samakatuwid, wala kahalintulad sa wangis ang isang nilalang na tulag ng isang alan.
“At malupit sila. Wala silang awa sa mga biktima nito, kahit ang mga musmos,” dagdag ng pangalawang mangangaso.
Napayuko lang sila habang inaalala ang mapait na pangyayari sa nakaraan. Bigla silang binalot ng katahimikan sapagkat alam nila ang kinuha ng alan sa kanilang nayon.
Nagbalik sa alaala ng unang mangangaso ang kanyang mahal na asawa at kung gaano siya pinapasaya nito. Walang salita ang pwedeng maglarawan sa kalungkutang iniwan nito sa puso niya.
Samantala, natatandaan ng pangalawang mangangaso ang tawa ng kanyang kapatid na kakambal. Meron silang koneksyon na walang tulad sa iba.
At, ang pangatlong mangangaso ay nahulog sa gunita ng isang puting kumot, ang mga telang bumalot sa kanyang anak. Subalit kinuha ito ng alan, ilang linggo pa lang ang nakalipas mula ng ipanganak ito.
Mula sa rurok ng pagkalugmok na ito, napagpasiyahan nilang magtulungan at wakasan ang mga kampon ng kadiliman.
At sa pagkakataon iyon, ibinigay sa kanila ang sandali at nakarating sila sa kanilang papatunguhan.
Dagliang pinalibutan nila ang isang malaking puno ng balete. Tanaw nila ang mga balahibo ng mga nilalang na lumilitaw sa pagitan ng mga dahon. Inihanda nila ang kanilang mga patalim at nagsimulang sumalakay.
Bagamat lamang ang alan sa bilang na lima, hindi inaasahan ang pagsalakay ng mga mangangaso. Wala silang oras para lumaban pabalik at dagliang nagbigay ito ng pagkakataon para supilin sila.
Mag-isang hinarap ng unang mangangaso ang tatlong alan. Buong lakas niyang hiniwa ang makakapal na balat nito. Sinasamantala niya ang kaguluhan habang maliksi siyang nakakaiwas sa pag-atake nila.
Subalit bigla na lang napahinto ang pangatlong mangangaso. Bumungad sa kanya ang bitbit ng kinakaharap niyang alan.
Hindi siya makapaniwala na nakita niya ang kanyang sanggol na anak, nakabalot sa puting kumot.
Ibinaba ng pangatlong mangangaso ang kanyang sandata at lumapit sa alan . Hindi sumalakay ang nilalang at kusang inabot ang sanggol sa kanyang ama.
Napaluha na lang ang mangangaso habang tangan niya ang sanggol sa kanyang mga bisig. Sa kabila ng kanilang kalupitan, napagtanto niya na hindi sinasaktan ng alan ang mga supling at mga bata.
At bago pa man makatugon ang mangangaso, lumipad palayo ang mga natitirang alan.
Bagama’t matuturing na tagumpay sila sa adhikain nila, ang tanging naiisip ng pangatlong mangangaso ay ang kanyang munting sanggol, ligtas sa kanyang piling.
Pinagpatuloy ng dalawang mangangaso ang pagtugis sa mga natitirang alan patungo sa malalim na bahagi ng kagubatan. Habang ang pangatlong mangangaso ay inuwi ang kanyang anak pabalik sa nayon.
Datapwa’t hinirang na mga bayani ang dalawang mangangaso, wala ng narinig patungkol sa kanila kinalaunan. Habang panahon ng nakaukit sa alaala ng mga tao ang dalawang magiting na mangangaso na buong tapang na hinarap ang halimaw na nagbanta sa kanilang mapayapang pamumuhay.
At sa pangatlong mangangaso at kanyang anak, umalis sila sa nayon para magsimula ng panibagong buhay, malayo sa lagim at kaguluhan na dala ng alan.
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English Version
Three hunters there were, closing in on their prey.
The first hunter said, “Look to the skies my fellow hunters, our prey stays in the trees.”
The second hunter replied, “Yes, my friend. These winged beasts will not harm our village anymore.”
The third hunter said, “Our blades must be sharp for its skin is as tough as a carabao’s hide.”
The three hunters gathered their weapons and trekked through the mountains.
It had been years since the first alan arrived in their village. Those were dark days when no man or woman would be brave enough to leave their homes for fear of never returning.
The alan took many away from the village, too many brothers and sisters. Too many children.
The hunters knew that they had to end this reign of terror through blood. Nothing else would do.
In the middle of the forest the three hunters sat and prepared a meal.
“Do not make a fire,” the first hunter said, “for the creatures of the night will be able to find us.”
“How will we cook our meal if we don’t have a fire?” said the second hunter.
“We will have to eat our food raw,” said the third hunter.
And they took out their provisions and ate.
The third hunter broke the silence by asking, “Have you heard how they make children?”
The second hunter replied, “A nasty business. I heard they take blood from miscarriages and mold it to become a child.”
The first hunter said, “Disgusting creatures. We’ll all be better off once they’re all dead.”
And to this all the hunters agreed.
The first hunter took watch over their camp.
“We will hunt them in the morning, when they are tired,” he said.
“I agree, it will be much easier to find them with the light of day,” said the second hunter.
“And we will be able to cut them down without any trouble,” said the third hunter.
“Be careful, brother, we must not underestimate these creatures,” replied the first hunter.
“That is true. I’ve heard they hang upside down from the limbs of trees and wait for their prey to pass under them, snatching up the poor soul with no chance of escape,” the second hunter intoned.
“I bow to your wisdom, brothers. Let us rest for the night and resume our hunt in the morning,” the third hunter said.
And so, the hunters took turns watching over their camp. With each rotation they became more aware of their surroundings, breathing in the paths of the forest. The night passed without incident and the hunters resumed their long trek through the underbrush.
“I must make a confession,” said the third hunter.
“What is it, brother?” replied the second hunter.
“I do not know what these creatures look like,” he admitted.
“Then listen close, brother. These creatures are deformed beings that lurk in the darkest parts of the forest. They are as large as you or I but they have wings that span the breadth of the limbs of trees. Their toes and fingers point backwards from their joints. Surely there is no other creature as ugly or as misshapen as the alan,” the first hunter replied.
“And they are vicious. They spare no mercy for any of their victims, not even the smallest ones,” said the second hunter.
And with this silence overtook the hunters.
They knew what the alan took from their village.
The hunters bowed their heads and drifted off to the realm of memory.
The first hunter remembered his wife and how she made him feel. Words could not describe the emptiness that filled his heart.
The second hunter remembered his brother’s laugh. They were twins and shared a bond no other could understand.
The third hunter remembered a white blanket in which laid his son. He was only a few weeks old when the alan took him.
They had decided enough was enough and banded together to fight these demons.
And now it came to this.
The three hunters circled a large balete tree. They could see the feathers of the creatures poking through the leaves.
They readied their blades and prepared to strike.
The creatures were caught by surprise and did not have enough time to retaliate. There were five creatures and though the odds were in their favor the beasts seemed to be caught unawares, giving the hunters ample time to cut them down.
What followed was a stream of talons and steel. An alan grabbed the second hunter and began to fly upward. It was only with his quick thinking that he managed to chop of the foot of the alan and rolled to the ground.
The first hunter fought three of the alan by himself. He hacked and slashed through their thick hides, dodging their blows and taking advantage of their confusion.
The third hunter stopped when he saw what the alan he faced was carrying.
It was his son, wrapped in a white blanket.
The third hunter dropped his sword and walked towards the alan that held his son. The creature did not attack and handed over the boy to his father.
The hunter wept as he cradled the baby in his arms. For all their viciousness the alan had not harmed children after all.
Before the hunter could respond the alan had flown away. The other hunters bandaged their wounds and screamed a cry of triumph.
But the third hunter could only think of his son, now safe in his embrace.
The two hunters continued on deeper in the forest, looking for more alan to hunt while the third hunter took his son and returned to the village.
They were never heard from again, though the pair were hailed as heroes by the village. Forever would the people remember the two brave hunters that stood against the monsters that threatened their way of life.
The third hunter and his son left the village to find a new life, far away from the chaos of the alan.
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Alan Illustration and Watercolor by Nightmaresyrup
Tumblr: http://nightmaresyrup.tumblr.com/
