FANTASTIC PLANET v2.0 Read Online Free

feelings for
Tiwa will change, believe me. Come on, you're not tired anymore. Let's go,
we've got a long walk ahead of us, and it's getting dark.'

5
    They walked
throughout the night, for so long in fact that when Terr woke up he could not
remember falling asleep.
    He found
himself lying in some kind of nest set amongst a tree's forks. All around him
branches were trembling gently in the breeze, letting through shimmering
patches of light from the starry sky.
    Used as he
was to cushions, his fragile skin was irritated by thousands of stings from the
blades of dry grass making up his bed. He propped himself up on his elbow
scratching his legs furiously with his spare arm as he called out softly:
    'Brave!'
    Something
moved beneath him; he lowered his eyes which were now used to the dark and saw
an Om he did not know. An old Om with white hair and a beard.
    'Brave isn't
here', said the old man, 'he's gone back to the Traag city. He lost time
because of you, little one, but he was really happy he saved you.'
    'Who are
you, old Om?' asked Terr.
    The old man
waved him down. Terr, who was shaking from vertigo, used the wood's cracks and
knots to slide down towards the old man. He soon found himself next to him in a
slightly more spacious nest.
    'Who are
you?' he repeated.
    'My master
used to call me Faithful. And I truly deserved my name. He was a good Traag and
it was impossible not to love him. But one day he left for a long trip and he
entrusted me with neighbours who beat me and didn't feed me properly. So I ran
away at the first opportunity. That was a long time ago. And you, little one,
what's your name?'
    'My name is
Terr.'
    'It doesn't
mean anything...'
    'It's
shorter than saying Terror.'
    The old man
smiled faintly:
    'Terror! Is that so?'
    He touched
the young boy's arm and added:
    'You're
quite well built, but you could do with more muscles. How old are you?'
    'Tiwa, my
mistress, tells me I'm a hundred days old... Faithful, why are you wearing a
collar? Are you not a wild Om?'
    'All the Oms
wear collars, even the wild ones. Didn't you notice Brave's?'
    'No, his
hair and beard are too long, I couldn't see.'
    'They're
fake collars', said Faithful. 'If an Om was found without a collar he'd get
taken back. Myself, when I was younger, I got caught by a guard. When he saw my
collar, he said: "This Om must belong to someone in the
neighbourhood". And he let me go. We'll give you a fake collar.'
    Terr
remained thoughtful. 'I'm really hungry, he said after a while. Do you have any
food for me?'
    The old man
raised his finger in the air.
    'Above your
nest you'll find a pot of sap.'
    'Sap?'
    'Yes, Brave
cut a gash in the tree's bark and the sap is pouring into a pot for you. You'll see, it tastes like sugar. You won't be hungry or
thirsty anymore.'
    The little
Om shuddered at the thought of more dangerous acrobatics, but driven by hunger
he climbed the branches and found the pot above his bed.
    He drank
from it a thick tepid liquid with a vague sweet taste. He was not happy with
this unrefined food, but he drank enough to regain some strength before going
back down to keep the old man company.
    'Feeling
better, little one?' asked the old man.
    'Yes, but I
don't really like it much.'
    'You'll get
used to it. Besides we do have other
    foods .'
    'Where are
the other wild Oms?'
    'They're all
hunting to bring back what can be useful to us. They mostly steal from the
Traags.'
    An idea kept
running through Terr's head.
    'Do they
steal instruction headsets?'
    The old man
sniggered:
    'No, whatever for?'
    Terr evaded
the question.
    'I stole
one.'
    'Really?'
    'Yes, I
enjoy learning. It makes me stronger.'
    'And are you
educated?'
    'A little, I
can read. I also understand a lot because
    I used to
listen to Tiwa during her infos.'
    'Believe me,
little one, Traags' education may be fun, but it's of no use at all to the Oms.
What would be useful for you, on the other hand, is to know how to run fast,
climb trees, steal without getting