After the very first steps in it, Yaati discovered that imagining himself as a Wild Youth is one thing, but being him is completely different. Under bare feet, prickly plant debris came across every now and then, I had to carefully touch the ground, and only then step with all my weight. The sensations at each step, almost painfully sharp, beat the stretched nerves to the limit, and Yaati intensely listened to every sound. If there was silence around... but no. Every now and then some strange rustles flew to him, seemingly distant steps, sometimes some kind of chatter. Each time he froze, as if getting into a prickly, scorching cold fear - and each time something seemed to drag him further. All this seemed to happen in a dream.