 
### Kahira's Destiny

By

### Laura Baddgor

Copyright © 2015 Laura Baddgor

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes:

Thank you for downloading this Ebook. This Ebook remains the copyrighted property of the author, Laura Baddgor, and may not be reproduced, copied and/or distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes without the permission of the authors.

If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.

The story presented here is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations are entirely coincidental.

### DEDICATION

Let me begin by saying that any errors found in this story are mine and mine alone.

I would like to dedicate this book to and give my heartfelt thanks to Glenn and Sasha Gabriel. Without their endless support, my story would never have been written. They arevery talented authors themselves who have walked me step by step through the process of writing my story in the best possible way to make it the best possible story it could be. Asbusy as they are, they have both been there for me whenever I needed advice, assistance or guidance and they didn't even know me before I wrote them to tell them how much I lovedone of their books I read. This is the first story I've written and it would never have seen the light of day without all that Glenn and Sasha have done to help me. They have become very special friends and mentors; Glenn is my "muse". I admire and respect them both tremendously and feel very blessed that they have come into my life.

I would also like to dedicate this book to my sister, Dana Bowers. Dana has given her unwavering support to me in so many ways. Thank you for believing in me.

I dedicate this book to my daughter, Meghan Holman, for her unending support of my ability to find a talent in myself like writing stories. The talent is there; I feel I am talented.

But I may have given up on trying before I got to this point if not for the support and love of these two people, as well as the rest of my family.

Thank you all for helping mold me into what I am becoming today. It gave me a new start on an old life and I am forever grateful.

### Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 01

Chapter 02

Chapter 03

Chapter 04

Chapter 05

Chapter 06

Chapter 07

Chapter 08

Chapter 09

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

### DESCRIPTION

Come to a planet a trillion miles away from Earth and watch a story become a legend. This is the story of Kahira, a young girl with an ancient and proud lineage.

Early in life, she knows love of her parents and grief at their loss. She meets strange new friends who stay with her, moving with her toward her destiny. They battle different species of deadly warriors and creatures just to survive, always protecting each other and moving forward...

Kahira is born with new abilities that she must learn to use and control as she grows. Step by step, she learns of her own destiny.

Will Kahira accept her destiny? Will her destiny reveal truths to her as she moves slowly towards it?

Come live the exciting adventures with Kahira and her friends! Learn the hidden truths of "Kahira's Destiny."

#  Prologue

In the beginning, there was a speck in space. As years went by, other specks adhered to it. Millennium passed; it became a small planet shooting through space. The planet was attracted to a huge, hot sun, falling into orbit around it. The sun nourished the planet as life began to grow. Seas filled with life as did the land. Grasses grew, plants thrived and trees flourished, pushing from the soil into the light.

Sula was the sun father who gave warmth, light, strength. The daylight sky was a variation of oranges with lavenders.

Edla was the mother spirit of all living things on the planet. Edla was much the same size as Earth but was in another galaxy, trillions of light years from Earth.

There were two moons, Rali and Raza that glowed with effervescence, the twin son and daughter of Sula and Edla. At times they would show together, other times separately, in the bright purple sky filled with stars twinkling like glitter. The night-lit sky was all shades of purple.

Eons flew by. Plants and animals sprang to life. Humanoid beings evolved. Some lived in caves; others lived in forests or plains, wherever they happened to be born. The beings were separated by great distances.

Over time, each group of beings found other Edlians. They bonded forming tribes, finding safety in numbers. The three humanoid tribes became: cave dwellers (Wasoon), forest dwellers (Felkas) and plains dwellers (Petros). They chose mates only from their own tribes, being taught that should they choose mates from other tribes, punishment was death.

The forest and plains dwellers formed a language so they could speak to each other. Their numbers grew; clans split from each tribe. Living in various places on Edla, they found strength in unity.

There was peace between the plains and forest tribes. Neither had seen cave dwellers as they were taboo because of their dark, evil ways. It had been so many years since cave dwellers had been seen that they had become a myth.

All three tribes of Edla were beautiful beings, each in their own ways. Only cave dwellers had an "evil" beauty. Plains and forest dwellers had "good" beauty which made the balance of good and evil on Edla.

All were taught from childhood how to survive. The young learned about all animals that could be tamed or used for food with skins tanned for warm clothing or blankets. They were taught about herbs, which to use in food, which to make medicines with and which were poisonous. Children learned about sea life; what was poisonous, to be avoided, and what could be eaten.

A year (amakha) was divided into four seasons; spring (gli), summer (waniyetu), fall (hinhpaya), winter (zaptan), Revolutions of the moons were counted as days but there were no months.

#  Chapter 1

A plains girl of sixteen was in the forest close to where her clan lived, picking berries (waskeka). She put them in a basket woven from tall plains grasses. She loved the bright yellow berries which were as large as walnuts! They were delicious, almost melting in her mouth! She plucked some for the basket then popped some in her mouth.

Her name was Amatola (meaning rainbow). She was born 68 days into spring. She was the only Princess of her clan, her father being the Chief. She had become a clan healer, trained in the arts of using medicinal herbs for healing and removing pain. She had a younger brother, Jaisyn, who was twelve. He was the Prince of the clan.

Amatola was beautiful with braided golden hair cascading to her thighs. Her skin was radiantly golden from living in the sunlight. She was delicately small with long arms and legs. Her fingers and toes were slender.

There were scales covering Amatola's entire body. Her scales sparkled continuously in Sula's warm glow. Her eyes were the lightest shade of gold, the irises sparkling with all the colors of the rainbow. She had a small, turned up nose with three breathing holes.

Her mouth was round with dark golden lips showing sparkling white teeth when she laughed, smiled or spoke. Amatola's face was long and heart-shaped with little bud-like ears on each side. Wearing a silver animal hide that crossed one shoulder, herdress ended at her thighs.

Amatola's birth tattoo ran up her left leg across her back. It was a long, sparkling silver stalk with plains grasses growing up each side of the stalk. It looked so real that at any moment it might begin swaying with the wind.

Unknown to her, Amatola was being watched by someone hidden in the trees!

#  Chapter 2

Ahoti (meaning restless one) was a nineteen year old forest dweller with a long dark green braid of hair down his back to his waist. His skin was luminescent green, much paler than

Amatola's, from growing up in the forest. He wore a blue skin from a forest animal, clinging to his slim waist to end at his thighs. It showed his muscular abs, bottom and thighs.

His glittering dark green eyes slanted upward. His smile lit up his face! Ahoti's nose was larger than Amatola's with four breathing holes. Tall and lean, his strength could be seen in his chest, arms and legs. Green, pointed ears were tight against his head.

He had a darker green tail that moved with his emotions. It could be used as a weapon in battle. Ahoti was the oldest Prince of his clan, his father also being the Chief.

His birth tattoo ran up his right leg across his back. It was a large blue tree with silver leaves across his back and tan roots running down the leg.

Ahoti's bow and arrows (wanzi and alintz) rested on his back. He had been out hunting when he came upon the girl picking berries. He hid, watching Amatola with his heart beating fast! She was beautiful beyond his imagination! He could not look at her enough!

When she finished picking berries, Amatola took the forest path to walk home, enjoying the sunshine on her face and shoulders. Ahoti watched her move further away. With a sigh, he turned, walking to his own home. His bed (mani) in the corner of his hut looked inviting. Laying down on it, Ahoti thought about the girl he had just seen. He could not get her out of his mind.

Ahoti went to the berry bushes about the same time each day, hoping again to see the lovely girl. His efforts were finally rewarded one day as he watched the grove from the tree he hid in; there she was!

He was so intent on watching her every move, Ahoti did not see the head of the poisonous snake (agga) creep quietly through the leaves by his legs. The serpent snapped out from the leaves, sinking its fangs into his calf. Looking down, it was already gone before Ahoti's eyes even found his leg.

He could see the bite turning dark red, already swelling up. His vision began to blur. Losing balance from the limb he was hidden on, Ahoti fell, landing unconscious on the ground almost at Amatola's feet!

Amatola whirled around at the sound of Ahoti hitting the ground. Seeing him laying there unconscious, she knelt down beside him without thinking. She checked him over from head to foot, finding the venomous bite on his calf.

She knew how deadly the bite was. Amatola also knew he was hurt from falling so far from the tree. She cut his leg open with her knife. She sucked as much venom out of his leg as she could, spitting it on the ground Amatola ran to get an armful of plains grasses, bringing them back quickly to make a bed for the boy. She dragged him over to it, putting him on it as much as she could. She made a fire pit, picking up dead leaves, sticks and branches that had fallen from the trees to use. Pulling out her fire starter, Amatola made a flame that became a nice fire as it caught.

She found the healing herbs growing close to where they were, pulling the ones she needed.

Going through a side pocket on her basket, Amatola got out a small pot. There was a lake close by where she bathed sometimes. Going there, she filled the pot with water.

Getting back, she noticed the young man had not become conscious while she was gone. She set the pot on the fire, adding herbs that would make the pain killing medicine. Amatola applied the medicinal poultice to the boy's calf. Tearing away part of the hem of her garment, she made strips of bandage, winding them around his leg to keep the medicines in place.

She felt his head, knowing already he had a fever from the poison. Amatola just hoped she had gotten to it soon enough to save his life.

She took her water bag back to the lake, filling it. She tore more of her garment's hem off and soaked it in the lake. She went to the boy, washing his sweaty face with the cool cloth then draping it over his forehead. Amatola laid her water bag beside him in case he woke up thirsty while she was gone. Amatola went home, grabbing two blankets.

Jogging to the boy again, she wrapped one of the blankets tightly around him. She knew she would have to sweat the fever out of his body. She used the other blanket herself. She was not going to leave him helpless so she could go home at night; instead, Amatola was going to stay with him. She hoped to get him past the death stage into recovering.

The boy was delirious with fever for a day and night. The morning after, Amatola was happy to note his fever had broken. He was not sweating any longer and was sleeping quietly.

She caught fish in the lake, cleaning them and boiling them in the pot. Amatola added spices, herbs and wild vegetables she found growing in the forest. Her fish stew smelled delicious, wafting around the boy's nose. Watching his face twitch, she saw him open his eyes, looking around!

#  Chapter 3

Amatola saw him looking surprised, confused. "I am Amatola. What is your name?"

"I am Ahoti. What happened?" She lowered her gaze, acknowledging his presence. Amatola briefly explained the story. They talked, laughed, got to know each other. She stayed with him for four days until she thought Ahoti was well enough to move on his own.

The couple met every day. They walked, talked; stopped to eat under a large tree. Amatola could not get Ahoti out of her head, thinking of him just before she fell asleep at night.

Ahoti and Amatola became best friends, meeting almost every day at the berry bushes. They swam together in the lake; he helped her pick medicinal plants from the forest floor; they hunted together.

The couple was sitting on a log one evening, speaking softly to one another. Ahoti gently tilted Amatola's face up so he could look into her rainbow eyes. Her lips were barely parted. He could not help himself; he was bewitched by her. He moved his lips down to brush gently over hers. His hand trembled as he put his fingers into her hair, sliding them through the silky tresses. "You are so beautiful!" He whispered.

"I think you are beautiful, too, Ahoti." She lifted her hand to the side of his face, laying it there to caress it with her thumb. And they fell in love.

When Amatola turned seventeen, the couple wed under the twin moons in a sparkling purple sky. They knew they would never be allowed to mate, joining as one, by either tribe. So they did it secretly with Edla giving her blessing.

Holding hands, looking into each others' faces, they slowly slid to the soft bed they had made with plains grasses. Amatola shivered as Ahoti put a hand behind her head, slowly pulling her into his soft kiss. They mated, becoming one under the heavenly lights.

The couple met secretly every day. They spent many nights together, trying to figure out an answer to the dilemma they were living with. Eventually, Amatola became pregnant. She did not tell Ahoti; she was terrified he would leave her. Soon other plains women could tell she was pregnant.

One night when she went to meet her beloved Ahoti in the forest, Amatola was followed by one of the clan men. He hid, watching them. Seeing enough, he ran back to the Elders, relating what he had seen!

#  Chapter 4

The plains Elders sent a message to the forest Elders telling them of Ahoti and Amatola and that she was pregnant. When she returned home early in the morning, the Elders were waiting for her.

They put her in the "captive" hut, where those awaiting criminal sentencing were held. But she was the only one there. She was frightened, not knowing what would happen to her. In her lifetime, no one had ever broken the sacred law regarding two from different tribes mating.

Meanwhile, Ahoti's Elders seized him, placing him in their captive hut! They told him Amatola was pregnant. They removed his weapons but Ahoti still had a sharp knife he kept hidden in his braided hair. He was brave with no worry for his own life. But he was terrified of what would become of Amatola and his unborn baby.

Ahoti planned an escape to free Amatola. He moved his bed a bit away from the back wall. Using his knife, he started to dig a tunnel under the wall. Ahoti spent every moment he could chopping at the ground, digging out the dirt with his hands.

When guards came to feed him or to change the guard outside, Ahoti would push his bed back over the hole and the piles of dirt which were accumulating. It was a slow process.

His fingernails broke; he received many splinters; cuts in his hands and fingers appeared from trying to break the lower bark wall. But Ahoti continued, not worrying about his sore hands or torn flesh. All he could think about was Amatola. After three days, Ahoti finally had a hole large enough for him to squeeze through.

Listening, hearing nothing in the night, he pushed himself through the hole. The jagged ends of the tree bark made long, deep gashes in his back. When he freed himself, Ahoti crept to his hut. Packing his belongings, he strapped them to his back. Slinking away from the forest village, he ran across the plains to Amatola's village.

It was a quiet night as Ahoti moved from hut to hut. Arriving at the last hut in the village which he knew was the captive hut, he crouched at the back wall. "Amatola?" He whispered. "Are you in there? Are you well?"

"Ahoti, my husband!" Her voice filled with joy. "I am frightened! The Elders will make their decision when Sula peeks over the edge of Edla! I know they will kill me as that is the law regarding mating with one from a different tribe!"

"Do not worry, beloved. I am going to get you out of here. We will run to find our own way on Edla." Ahoti crept close to the front of the hut. Squatting, he waiting for the guard to turn his back. As the guard spun to walk the other way, Ahoti snuck up behind him. Using his first finger and thumb, he carefully grabbed part of his neck, squeezing until the guard fell unconscious to the ground.

The hut was locked by a very strong rope made from a vine found in the forest. The vine, tightly braided into a rope, was left in the sun to shrink and tighten, making it quite strong. But it did not deter Ahoti.

He pulled his knife from his hair, sawing at the rope. It took time, but the rope began to shred enough to cut it in half. Pulling it from the door, opening it a crack, Amatola ran crying into in his arms.

Ahoti put his arms around her, feeling how small and delicate she was. He knew that all he wanted in life was to love and protect this woman. He pulled her closer, whispering in her ear, "Which hut is yours, beloved?"

Amatola showed Ahoti the way, leading him through the shadows. At the doorway, he watched like a hawk, surveying the area. She entered the hut, immediately letting out a small shriek.

Ahoti reacted instantly when the noise escaped her lips. In a flash, he was in the room ready to attack! Amatola was shocked! She was NOT alone!

#  Chapter 5

"Jaisyn!" She whispered, tears filling her eyes. Amatola's little brother, Jaisyn, who had been hunched down as if studying her favorite things, now stood. His face was stern, his eyes unwavering. Only the slightest tremble at his mouth indicated his distress for the situation he now found himself in.

"Amatola?" Jaisyn glanced at Ahoti then back to his sister. "What are you...?" His words were stifled by the heaviness in the air. He was torn. As the Prince, though young, he had always followed his father in important decisions and matters of law. But he knew in his heart that his sister, being the soul that she was, did not deserve death.

Ahoti, seeing no immediate threat to them, abruptly began to pack Amatola's belongings. Amatola could not move. She wanted to rush to her young brother and embrace him! But his loyalty to the Chief was undeniable. She feared he would yell out.

Jaisyn stepped toward her. His composure did not change, but she noticed a softening in his eyes. "I want to speak with you, Amatola."

"There is so much to say to you, Jaisyn." Amatola said. "I have to go! I love you. But I will not give up my life just because I am to have a child with the man I love. He is a good man! We belong together, regardless of what tribe we are each from."

"I know, Amatola." Jaisyn's eyes showed sadness as if remembering something. His face took on the anguish of a young boy about to lose his nurturing sister, his only sibling. Amatola reached out to him as he dug his face into her bosom. A few moments later, Jaisyn looked up at Amatola.

"I do not believe either Father or Ahoti's father and brothers want either of you dead!" His voice trailed off. "But even though our fathers ARE Chiefs, their hands are tied. They cannot go against the Elders."

"And our hands are tied as well. We will not stay to be murdered for what we believe in." Amatola sighed, hugging Jaisyn and kissing the top of his head. "I will never forget you, dear Jaisyn. I will always love you! Please do not forget me either?" He hugged her hard and followed her outside.

Abandoning the hut, Ahoti shouldered Amatola's belongings with his own. They hurried into what was left of the night like thieves, walking, sometimes running over the plains. They wanted to get as far away from both tribes as possible.

The couple finally could go no further. Ahoti found a ravine filled with very long grasses to sleep on. Both needed to gather their strength. They ate Amatola's dried meats the next morning while traveling. Every night they lay in a bed made of grasses; every morning, they ate dried meats and berries on the move.

The couple continued to travel on the plains. Being somewhat of a myth and taboo to both plains and forest dwellers, neither wanted to run into cave dwellers. Since plains dwellers were to the east, forest dwellers were to the southeast with cave dwellers basically to the west, they decided to go north, having no knowledge of what laid in that direction.

Ahoti and Amatola walked through spring and summer. They ate meat that Ahoti killed. When he brought down a large animal, they set up a fire circle, pulling grasses away until the area was bare. Ahoti was a good hunter; neither went hungry. Amatola had her fire rock to build fires. They held hands as they walked, so happy to have escaped, blessed with the chance of a life together.

There were now two large blankets made from the furry skins of animals Ahoti killed. Their bed now had a blanket over it, using the other blanket for warmth. Sometimes, the couple would stay several days. Ahoti killed and cleaned his prey while Amatola cooked it. They had plenty to eat plus smoked meat and jerky to carry on their journey. Neither knew where they were going nor did they care, as long as they were together.

On one such time while Ahoti was hunting, Amatola had a fire going, cooking meat he had already brought down. She heard a swishing noise coming from the plains grasses but could see nothing. Amatola stood and searched the area around her. She spotted a place not far from her where the grasses seemed to be disappearing like something invisible was moving steadily toward her.

She pulled her knife, crouching down but ready to spring if necessary. On the other side of the fire where Amatola had pulled out the grasses to make the fire pit, she watched as a white panther (ooglot) emerged. It was looking straight at her!

#  Chapter 6

This creature was a huge, muscular plains animal. Its shoulders came to the top of Amatola's head! Its two heads each had two bright emerald cat eyes. The two mouths had fangs almost a foot long; the whiskers were immediate death, if touched.

As a child, Amatola learned about the white panther. Even at that time, it was a rare endangered species. Catching sight of a white panther was considered lucky, there were so few of them left. One sad strange fact about them was they could have two cubs, only once in their lifetimes, always one male and one female.

The white panther stopped stalking, staring at the fire where the meat was cooking, then at her. It looked fierce!

Amatola crept slowly to where her sleeping herbs were bound in a bag. If she could get them into the cat's face, it would fall asleep, not being a threat any more. She grabbed a handful of powder, her hunting knife in the other hand. Her eyes never left the panther's glare. The cat suddenly leapt in the air and pounced at her, claws unsheathed.

Immediately, she threw the powder into the panther's face, lunging to the ground. The cat sailed gracefully over Amatola's body, landing close on her other side. Sinking to the ground, the affected head closed its eyes helplessly and fell asleep.

With half the body paralyzed in sleep, the second head seemed hazy, frightened. It snapped and snarled, saliva dripping from its fangs as it struggled to mobilize itself. Amatola raised herself to her feet, checking to make sure she was not hurt. She was shaking from head to toe. She felt pity for this rare creature. In any other circumstance, it would be exquisitely alluring.

Amatola took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. What had come over the animal? She alone was not a threatening presence to the powerful animal. She put her hand out to calm the large, frightened head. The cat stopped snarling, looking around in confusion.

Amatola lowered herself to the ground to be less threatening. She got as close as she could to the cat without putting herself in harm. It seemed mesmerized and watched her intently. Amatola brought her hand, palm up, to her mouth, blowing the leftover sleeping herbs there into the cat's eyes. The powder was quickly absorbed. Its head lowered, its eyes fluttering shut.

No sooner was the animal unconscious when Amatola heard a distant noise. Something more was moving in the grasses!

#  Chapter 7

Amatola cautiously moved into the grasses where the panther had emerged. She could distinctly hear the whimpering mewing of cubs! In two large paw prints pressed in the nearly flattened grasses, she found two tiny baby panthers! They were so new their eyes had not yet opened.

Their four little heads bobbled as they blindly searched for their mother. Amatola realized the white panther had only been looking for food and protecting her cubs. She gently carried the cubs to the slumbering mother, setting them down to snuggle up against her.

The cubs were too young to make it without their mother's guidance and protection. Amatola pulled the meat out of the pot and laid it on the ground next to the enormous cat.

Soon Ahoti came. He was in awe as he listened to Amatola's exciting story. He was so glad that she was not hurt! He was proud that she was able to handle the situation without killing the mother cat.

When the sleeping powder wore off, the white panther woke up with her cubs nestled closely against her body. Sniffing them, she smelled Amatola's scent. She stared at Ahoti and Amatola, sitting on the other side of the fire, as far from her as possible, showing they were not a threat to her or her family.

The two-headed cat ate the meat on the ground beside her cautiously. She was watchful of Amatola and Ahoti as she woke the cubs up, cleaning them with her tongues. She fed the cubs.

Placing them on her back, she ambled off into the grasses opposite where she had entered. Amatola and Ahoti watched the cubs settling into their mother's silky white fur, gripping her coat with tiny claws so they would not fall off.

The next morning, the couple decided to start moving again. Ahoti noticed Amatola's pregnancy was starting to show. He made sure she rested and ate well.

As the couple moved on, Amatola spotted something far ahead to the right of where they were walking! She pointed ahead to the darkened area rising from the flat plains. "Look! I want to see what is there."

"All right, Amatola." Ahoti smiled down at her. They walked all that day. At dusk it came into view. It was a forest unlike any forest either had ever seen. It started where the plains ended. Upon investigation, neither could see where it ended.

The trees were different, too. Besides pine trees, there were other trees, giant ones with huge leaves. Yet another tree grew high with vine-like stems falling from the upper parts almost to the ground. The vines were covered with small silver leaves and many colored flowers, similar to Earth's weeping willow.

Ahoti put his arm around Amatola's waist. They glanced around the forest. It was magical with the two moons shining silver shafts through the tree tops. "This is the place, Ahoti! I had a dream we would live here."

"Then this is where we will have our home." Looking into her eyes, Ahoti smiled. He felt good standing in the forest. No evil or anxiety. He saw joy swirling in Amatola's multi-colored eyes, glad he was able to give her this happiness.

Both of them cut and carried long plains grasses into the forest but they stayed close to the plains. Mixing grasses with sweet-smelling pine needles on the forest floor, the bed was covered with a strong skin so the needles could not pierce through it. They slept with a wonderful pine aroma drifting around them.

When they woke up, they walked through the forest, looking for a place to build a home.

The ground was covered with hundreds of different colored wild flowers bunched together. There were berry bushes, thick with juicy berries of various colors; yellow, red, blue, purple.

There were thick sugar roots (peji) that Amatola pulled. She pulverized the roots until they were a sweet powder used for sugar. Amatola found many healing herbs growing in clumps.

She glanced to the right of a vine tree, saying, "Ahoti, stop! This is the place in my dream where we make our home. Right there!" She pointed to an open area beside the vine tree and a large lake.

#  Chapter 8

The first thing Ahoti did was start looking for rocks! When he found the right sized rocks, Amatola carried them back to the clearing. He found one he was specifically looking for, shaped in a rough triangle. It was about eight inches long, thinner than usual rocks.

Ahoti climbed a huge boulder, sitting down on it with his legs spread. He rubbed the small rock back and forth on the large one, slowly at first then faster and faster. Soon sparks were shooting off the two rocks as they were filed against each other. Ahoti continued until he felt the small rock was sharp between the two points of the odd triangle.

Amatola cut several vines from a tree further in the forest, removing all leaves and flowers. She braided them tightly together, making several long ropes she set out to dry. Finding a tree with boughs lower to the ground than the others, Amatola picked a strong, thinner bough, sawing at it with Ahoti's knife.

Soon it was on the ground with Amatola busy cutting away all of its branches. The piece of wood was about as round as her arm and as long as from the ground to her knees. Whittling up and down the wood until all rough bark, leaves and stumps were gone, she had a very smooth, white piece of wood. That, too, was put down to dry.

Both of them were tired, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep that night. They awoke refreshed, stretching, smiling at one another. "Good morning, wife! Did you sleep well? How do you feel?"

"I slept wonderfully in your arms! I feel very well, my heart." Amatola smiled at him, eyes glittering like rainbow dewdrops in the sunshine. Both grinning, they sat together to eat.

Then Ahoti walked to the items on the ground, picking up his rock, a strand of rope and the piece of wood Amatola had whittled. Nodding his head in an approving manner, he put the end of the wood to the point of the rock, tying the rope over and around it in a pattern that made them so tight together, they were like one.

"A fine axe, wife," he said, grinning at her as she flushed with pleasure. He held his hand out to her, helping her to her feet. "Let's get started with wood for the hut." He took his new axe with two ropes. They walked into the trees.

They did not want tree stumps around the hut, spoiling the view. They went into the woods until Ahoti stopped at some large, old trees. Picking a tree, Ahoti sliced a long strand of bark from it. Moving in a circular direction around the tree, he sliced from as far up as he could reach down to the ground.

Once getting the huge piece of bark, he laid it in the sun to dry, starting to cut the next piece of bark. Ahoti continued until he had completely stripped the tree, then he set to chopping it down. When it was on the ground, he cut off the attached limbs close where they joined the tree.

He cut long, flat pieces of wood, roughly like lumber. Two branches of about the same size were whittled until they would not give splinters when held. Ahoti and Amatola lifted the largest piece of bark. Putting it between the two branches, tying them together on each side with rope, they made a sled-like platform.

All the wood left was packed onto the sled. Ahoti stood between the branches, holding one in each hand. He walked back to where they would build their hut. After eating, Ahoti rested, watching Amatola make a large square on the ground with two smaller ones on each side of it.

Taking his axe, she sat on the ground, using the axe to break the ground inside the square.

She pulled out the ground until there was a hole about five feet down. Then moving to the next place, she repeated the process.

Ahoti unloaded the sled; he traded places with Amatola. While he hewed out the square, she loaded the sled with the ground pulled up, taking it off to dump it. It took five days to finish digging the square, moving the dirt away.

Next, Ahoti took one of the pieces of wood he had split into boards. He shoved it flat into the ground. The next board was placed beside the last until the five foot square hole had a covered wood floor. The walls of the square were made with long pieces of tree bark.

Getting walls up around the floor in the ground, Ahoti used more boards to cover the underground room. He made a trap door inside the hut's front door in the main room floor. Opening it, he made steps out of boards down to the underground room.

Placing each piece of bark beside the others firmly into the ground, Ahoti built the hut's outside walls. Where the other two squares joined the larger one, he continued the walls on around the smaller squares.

Several trips had to be made to large trees in order to get what was needed to surround the hut's three rooms. Work on the hut continued through the end of summer and half of fall. But the hut was sturdy when it was finished.

The underground room was a storeroom; also a place of refuge in an emergency such as bad weather or enemies. They did not think there would be a need for that, but it was a great place to store herbs, food, medicines, drinking water, weapons, tools and anything else needing to be stored.

The main room had a wooden floor atop the storeroom. There were two windows cut roughly from the bark on two outside walls. As all the animal hides Ahoti hunted for food had been cured, two of them could be stretched around the windows to keep the cold out when it became necessary. But while the weather was nicely warm, the windows were open to look out of to see the forest around them or the lake at the hut's side.

On the back wall of the main room that connected to the two other rooms, Ahoti built a fire pit over a stone protective covering on the floor. Above the pit, the roof had a smoke hole.

The pit was centered between the three rooms. Part of it was built into each of the smaller rooms but the main part was in the main room. They could cover the doors of each room so that when it got cold, they could get heat from the fire pit.

The main room held a table with three chairs, several wall shelves with a wooden counter-top for chopping meats and vegetables. There was a tub for bathing or washing dishes. Pulling the plug drained the water out of and away from the hut.

The two smaller rooms were bedrooms. Ahoti built a fine, strong bed frame of wood. Amatola gathered armfuls of long plains grasses. She made a mattress from skins stitched together on three sides. Stuffing it with grasses until the mattress could hold no more, Amatola stitched up the last side. The mattress fit snugly in the bed frame. A large window overlooked the lake.

The other bedroom was, of course, for the baby. Ahoti made a smaller bed frame while Amatola made the mattress. It sat against a wall with a window overlooking the forest. A pelt pulled tightly across the open side of the bed assured the baby would not fall out of it. When the child got older, the side could be taken off, making a regular bed.

Ahoti made a rough bucket from leftover pieces of wood, stretching a hide around the inside to make it water-tight for when water was needed in the hut.

#  Chapter 9

One early morning, Ahoti lay in a deep contented sleep. Amatola wandered down to the lake to swim and bathe. The air was humid with the promise of crisp cleansing rains to pass later in the day.

Sula had just begun his daily journey across the sky when Amatola eased into the fresh water. A misty fog lay peacefully atop the lake but pushed away from her as water rippled around her body.

Ahoti soon woke up. Stretching lazily, he got out of bed, dressed and grabbing his axe, left the hut. He needed to cut wood to start laying it in for the wet season and upcoming winter.

He stood outside the hut, observing Amatola's fluid motions in the water as she swam. Pride filled him at the sight of her! He could not help but smile. He whistled down to his wife loudly, indicating his departure. She waved in acknowledgement. Both of them glowed with love. Amatola watched Ahoti disappear into the forest.

Later, she emerged from the water, humming to herself. She was ready to start the day.

Glancing down, she noticed a strange shaped rock on the beach. It could be held in her hand and had a very fine, sharp edge on it. She picked it up, thinking she could find some use for it.

Not far from the shore, Amatola noticed an odd scent in the breeze. She could not pinpoint exactly what it was. The hair on the back of her neck rose and her stomach turned over with unease.

Amatola heard a rustling in the leaves behind her. A peculiar growling emitted from the edge of trees close by. She whirled around! Standing on two thickly muscled back legs was an animal the like of which she'd never seen!

Towering over Amatola was a bear-like creature (guntl); a cross between a bear, a snake and a lizard. A most dreadful beast, as large as a baby elephant! It had a honey-colored pelt, furry chest and shoulders that tapered into armored reptilian scales covering its back and legs.

Its feral bright yellow eyes had large, black slit pupils, exactly like snake eyes. Two long fangs protruded from its mouth. It constantly flicked its tongue, long and forked like a serpent's, in and out of its mouth. Its claws were almost six inches long, sprouting from the ends of six huge paws.

Amatola, riveted with fear, could not move! The bear shuffled up to her, its yellow eyes paralyzing her! Her feet were fastened in place as if frozen; she knew she was in trouble!

#  Chapter 10

The beast's snake-like tongue shot from its mouth, wrapping itself around Amatola's slender neck several times. She grabbed the tongue, trying to pull it away but it began constricting around her throat! Try as she may, Amatola could not breathe!

Amatola was losing consciousness. She knew she was dying. With her last strength, she brought up the sharp edge of the rock her hand. She grabbed the part of the taut tongue reeling out of the animal's mouth. She quickly sawed through the entire tongue!

The creature roared so loud it shook the trees! Amatola fell to the ground fighting unconsciousness, desperately unwinding the bloody length of tongue still coiled around her throat.

The creature stepped to Amatola, anger and pain shooting from its serpentine eyes. Claws sprung out of the bear's four mobile paws. It reached to strike her, wanting to tear her to bloody shreds. Amatola closed her eyes, cringing. But the animal's deadly claws never touched her body. From out of nowhere, an unexpected ally appeared!

#  Chapter 11

The white panther sprang onto the creature's scaled back! Unknown to Amatola, the cat and her cubs had been on the other side of the lake drinking water when they caught the scent of Amatola's terror, along with the scent of the dangerous animal.

The two-headed panther clawed her way up to the bear's thick neck. With a head on each side of its body, she sank her foot long fangs deep into its shoulders, severing tendon and muscle used to control its upper paws.

The creature howled in pain, blood still spewing from its severed tongue! Instinctively, its arms tried to reach over its shoulders but they were not long enough to grab the agile cat.

In the meantime, two large balls of white fur flashed, attaching themselves by digging their claws deep into the bear's legs above its pawed feet. They ripped and tore skin and muscle and tendon ferociously, causing a ghastly scene.

Amatola shook herself out of the shock she was in. Racing for the hut, she grabbed her bow and arrows. She dashed back, fitting an arrow as she ran. Standing out of harm's way, Amatola sited the creature.

She waited patiently for the right moment to release her arrow. It went straight through the animal's unprotected front pelt, deep into its heart. In an instant, it crumpled to the ground.

The three white panthers carefully disengaged themselves from the dead creature. In the aftermath, Amatola began to shake and shiver. She sank to the ground.

The cats came to her. The two cubs had grown since Amatola last saw them. Nudging her with their four heads to get her attention, they eventually curled up in her lap. The white panther lay down in front of the three of them in a protective position, maintaining watch of the surroundings.

That was the scene Ahoti viewed as he sauntered out of the forest. Dropping his load of wood, he ran to Amatola. He cautiously sidestepped the panther and moved the cubs from her lap. Then he gently lifted her to her feet.

Ahoti looked her over in bewilderment. There was blood and dirt on her from the animal's tongue and the bodies of the cubs. "Amatola! Are you safe? Are you hurt?" He stammered.

"Oh, Ahoti!" She threw her arms around his neck. "It was awful! I was so frightened! But thanks to these panthers, I am fine."

Ahoti wrapped his arms tightly around Amatola, surrounding her with his love, making her feel safe. In his embrace, she found the comfort needed to slowly stop quivering. They checked the panthers for injuries, finding none.

They had to roll the creature onto its back together. It was too large for one person to roll over alone. Ahoti got his tools out. He started skinning the front of the animal. He cut huge chunks of meat that he put beside the cats, continuing to feed them until they were full.

When they were obviously content, Ahoti looked into their emerald eyes and thanked them. "I will always be in your debt for what you have done. Thank you for saving my family."

Amatola cooked the rest of the meat, storing it in the underground room for winter food. Ahoti cut out all the claws, putting them aside in the hut. He was able to skin the creature's back scales in one large pelt. The pelts were both laid out to dry. Ahoti hauled the rest of the animal into the forest, far away from the hut, leaving it for other animals and birds to devour.

The white panther and her cubs were gone when Ahoti returned. He thanked Edla for the cats. He checked on Amatola to make sure she was still alright. She was resting, regaining her energy. Ahoti cleaned all he could from the path to the lake. Neither of them wanted anything left to remind them of what almost happened to Amatola.

The next day, Ahoti used the front pelt, which was thick and strong, to make them both warm winter cloaks and boots. He covered the scaled pelt in fish oil. He continued to work oil into the scales until they sparkled in the sunlight. The pelt was strong but the scales were soft.

Ahoti made two blankets to drape over the bedroom doors. He made another blanket for their bed. He made Amatola several combs to hold her hair in place. Last, he made an arrow sheath for his baby.

"Ahoti, may I have the creature's claws?"

"Of course, Amatola. Do what you want with them. You are the one who killed the beast!"

They laughed together, hugging each other. Amatola made two spears. Instead of using arrowheads, she put claws in the ends, making them each a sharp new weapon. She made three necklaces of the remaining claws. She gave one to Ahoti, donning one herself. She kept the last one to give to her unborn child.

They still bathed in the lake because it was warm enough. When it got cold, bathing would move inside the hut. For now, they enjoyed the lake together. It was breathtakingly quiet, like a mirror showing all that lay above it.

Amatola was huge with child. She knew it would come any day now. She felt the baby so active in her! "Feel, Ahoti! The child is fighting to get out!"

"I am so proud of you, Amatola! You give me all I ever want in life!" Ahoti put his hand on her enlarged abdomen, smiling when the baby kicked or at feeling a tiny fist pushing against his palm. The child seemed to want out, to be born and live!

Amatola felt the baby's strength. She excitedly awaited the birth. She did not have long to wait.

#  Chapter 12

One evening, while bathing in the lake, Amatola felt a sharp, stabbing pain in her tummy. "Ahoti!" She screamed as she bent over, holding her stomach. Ahoti knew it was time. Picking her up, he carried her to the beach, gently setting her down on the blanket.

"I am frightened; please hold my hand," Amatola begged. She felt water rushing between her legs. She looked up at the two moons as her labor began.

A storm instantly formed in the sky above them, lightning slashing the sky, thunder shaking the very ground she lay on. Strangely, it did not rain. It just continued throwing lightning bolts with thunder roaring through the sky.

The air was thick, hot and hard to breathe. Amatola panted like a wolf. Sweat covered her forehead, face, neck, arms and legs. Her hair was soaked with sweat. Another pain shot through her stomach; she screamed, "Ahoti!" She pushed with all her might.

She could feel the baby; she wanted it out! Amatola squeezed her eyes shut, pushing as hard as she could, falling back on the blanket when it still did not come!

She had a grip on Ahoti's hand that surprised him as Amatola clenched it every time she pushed. He whispered reassuring, "You are doing so well, beloved!" He whispered other loving words to her, running his other hand over her forehead, face, hair; trying to make her feel safe.

He was kneeling on the ground shaking, so afraid of losing Amatola. Ahoti bent his head, whispering a prayer. "Please, Edla, take care of Amatola! Bring her and our baby through this ordeal alive. I beg you! I cannot live without her!"

Edla must have been listening because the next thing he heard was the smallest cry of a baby!

He looked down at Amatola, seeing the sweat dripping from her forehead into her eyes; her hair was matted all around her. She was smiling into his eyes. She looked more beautiful to him than ever before.

Glancing down, he saw the tiniest baby, trying so hard to make its crying strong; yet sounding like a baby cat (glepa) instead. At the moment of birth, the thunder and lightning ceased. All the forest wildflowers immediately bloomed. The stars became so bright that the couple could not even look at them; it was as if Sula had come to see his new grandchild.

The two moons smiled down at the three on the beach. Tears poured down Ahoti's cheeks as he picked the baby up, putting it in Amatola's arms. He took his knife, as she told him to do. Cutting the umbilical cord to separate the mother and baby, he tied off both ends.

#  Chapter 13

The baby was a girl! Next to Amatola, she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Because of the circumstances of her birth, they both knew that it was a very special child.

He watched Amatola begin to feed the baby. When it was full, mother and child fell quickly into a deep sleep. Ahoti kept vigil the entire night, making sure no harm came to his family.

The girl was a child of Edla, born on the eighty-first day of winter. Her name was Kahira (meaning strong one). She was the first child conceived from two tribes uniting as one, which had never happened before. Everything about her was different than the people of either tribe.

Kahira's beauty was unique. She had large, deep violet eyes sparkling with life, tilting upward on her face. Her ears were tiny half moons around hearing holes, pointing at the top. An upturned nose was over two breathing holes. Her mouth was longer than her mother's with plush, thick lips that were the darkest purple as her eyes.

Her skin was luminescent pale lavender. Kahira had small scales only from her chest to her belly button. The scales went across her back as well; all the scales sparkled with colors of the rainbow. Her arms, legs and body were long and slender with tiny muscles already beginning to show.

Her fingers and toes were shaped normally. Kahira had dimples in her cheeks with two dimples in her bottom as well. The soft, fuzzy hair dazzled with every hue of purple, from the lightest lavender to the darkest purple, the colors moving constantly when she was in the sun.

Kahira's birth tattoo put both parents in awe. It was a vibrant red vine that ran up her right leg, across the back... Then down the left leg also! No tattoos had ever been on both legs; only starting on one leg ending on the back.

At the bottom of Kahira's right ankle, a dark red vine began atop a dark red lightning bolt. Moving upward, on both sides of the vine, were all the wondrous flowers of the forest.

The vine growing up her thighs around her waist showed birds of all kinds and colors, even some they'd never seen before. On her back were millions of stars with the twin moons sparkling in the sky.

At the upmost end of the vine was bright orange Sula. A vine curled to the right of Sula, ending at a long, slender, black stick with a red ruby on top. The vine curling to the left of Sula ended at a gorgeous, silver, magical-looking bird with wings spread; one they had never seen.

The vine growing down her left leg showed animals. Some were known while other were not. Kahira was twice blessed of Edla as she was from two tribes of Edla.

Kahira thrived in the forest, dearly loving both her parents. Her hair began to grow. Her dress was made from a small animal (hin) living by the lake. It was round, soft, furry, blue. The dress covered both shoulders, coming down to above her knees.

As winter was over, spring came. Kahira grew fast, learning to speak early. She was very active; always curiously asking questions; always wanting to walk in the forest or swim in the lake; always wanting to help.

When she was old enough, her parents started teaching her how to survive. Amatola took Kahira with her, teaching Kahira all about herbs and flowers, especially the poisonous ones. She taught Kahira how to weave baskets and rugs from long grasses.

One day, Amatola grabbed a basket, saying, "Kahira! Get a basket; come with me. I am going to teach you how to catch fish for food." Always ready for an adventure, Kahira jumped up, running to grab her basket. They walked to the lake.

"Kahira, you have to stand quietly in the water." Amatola taught. "You cannot move around, jump or make any noise that would alarm the fish. As fish swim past your legs, you reach down, grab one and then put it in your basket."

"Mother, I cannot stand being this quiet and not moving for so long!"

"If you wish to feed yourself, maybe all there is to eat would be fish. You have to learn how to survive."

But it took so long for fish to come around! Kahira yawned, holding herself motionless. She saw many fish but they were all too far away from her to catch!

She closed her eyes, reaching out to the fish to talk to them. "I am hungry; you are here to help feed me. Come to me so I may eat, but only the largest of you. I do not want to harm the young ones. I only want the eldest that have already had their lives." As soon as Kahira finished, she was surrounded by many huge fish, all looking up at her unblinkingly.

One by one, the big fish jumped into her hands! As soon as she put one in the basket, another would jump to her. She had ten large fish in less than five minutes! Amatola was shocked, watching fish jump one by one to Kahira.

They both waded out of the water. Kahira silently thanked the fish friends for their sacrifices. That is when her proud parents learned of a unique power she was born with!

Kahira could speak with animals, birds, mammals and even fish! As far as her parents knew, nobody else ever had that power. Kahira thought nothing of it as she had been born that way.

Ahoti made Kahira as many weapons as he had. Her exquisite bow was smooth, smaller at each end with an intricate Edla carved in the middle. Her arrows were short since she was small but they would still work when she was taught how to use them. Together they would make larger arrows as she grew.

Ahoti also made her an axe. The spear he made had a sharp arrowhead at its tip. Every day her father woke Kahira up, saying, "Come, Kahira! It is time to practice your skills!"

She would jump from her bed excitedly, running to him, ready to begin. She loved learning combat survival skills from Ahoti because they were active fun, allowing her to use her energies to learn. Ahoti loved teaching her because he knew if she ever needed, she could survive on her own.

Ahoti was very proud of her skills and talents, saying "Kahira! You have learned much more than I ever could at your age! You are really good!" She would raise her head high to walk with him back home. She loved the praise he showered on her.

Kahira became a remarkable hunter! The family never wanted for food. Ahoti taught her how to skin the meat and cure the skins. Amatola taught her how to cook meats; stews she could make with other vegetables as well; jerky; smoked meats for when she traveled or had no fresh meats.

Kahira taught herself to pull beautiful feathers from the birds she brought down with her bow and arrows. She made pretty hair ties for herself and her mother. She braided intricate feathers into strings for her father to hang (as she also did) from his tools or weapons.

The years of Kahira's youth were happy ones. The family laughed together; they were close to one another, loving each other dearly. She soon passed both her parents in skills and talents.

#  Chapter 14

One night, the family had just eaten their evening meal. Amatola was at the lake cleaning up the dinner utensils. Ahoti was out cutting some extra wood as it had recently become crisply chilly in the evenings, since winter would soon be here. Kahira was in the kitchen cleaning some sugar roots.

She had the window open, enjoying the crisp, clean smell of the night when she noticed an odor underneath the night's scent. Something was not quite right, a bit foul smelling.

Ahoti ran into the hut, commanding in an urgent tone, "Kahira! Go into the underground room quickly! I am going to get your mother so we can join you. But if not, do NOT come out until you are called back out by one of us. NOW!"

He did not give her any time to think! When he pulled the rug away from the opening in the floor, Kahira quickly ran down the little steps. Her father closed the trap door, covering it with the rug. He hurried out into the cool night with his axe, rushing to the lake.

Running towards the beach, Ahoti could see Amatola lying silently on it. Her utensils were tossed around her like a tornado had just dropped them where they lay. Bent, smashed; some so torn apart he could not tell what they had been. In the middle of the disarray lay his precious Amatola.

Ahoti dashed to her, holding her in his arm. Tears began falling from his eyes. A lance had been shoved into her back, through her heart, coming out of her chest. Amatola was covered with multiple slashes. There was blood everywhere.

He closed her rainbow dead eyes, kissing her cold but still soft lips. Ahoti lay Amatola down gently on the blood-soaked beach. He stood with his arms raised in the sky, axe in his hand. He screamed a scream such as had never been heard in the land. His scream was of the pain and grief of losing his other half; of the anger; of the need to avenge this horrible deed unto death, if necessary.

Ahoti turned from Amatola's lifeless body, his heart torn to shreds. He bolted into the forest to follow the fetid odor that had been so strong around Amatola. He did not have far to go.

He was quickly surrounded by an ambush of six huge ebony warriors on giant black beasts. They dwarfed Ahoti in size; sitting on the beasts made them loom even larger. Each had his own axe, much bigger than Ahoti's, made of a shiny metal he had never seen.

Ahoti could see he was out-manned and out-numbered but he was past caring. He was filled with battle lust of grief, pain, loss and revenge. He screamed his war cry again, jumping at the closest of the towering beasts. He landed below its chin, holding with one hand to its protruding tusk while he slammed his axe into its neck. Making a strange, shrieking cry, the beast fell dead to the ground.

As the dark warrior riding it was momentarily distracted, Ahoti leapt on the warrior's back and slit his throat. Black blood drenched both of them as the fighter fell over.

Ahoti vaulted high into the air from the dead beast before the warrior hit the ground, turning in the air to face the remaining five warriors.

He noted one directly next to him on the right. As he dropped, he sliced the warrior's jugular vein. While life poured out of his neck, Ahoti shoved him off the animal and landed on it.

The enormous beasts made it impossible for anyone on them to get close enough to fight hand-to-hand. But the four remaining warriors crowded Ahoti on his beast into the middle of the pack, closing off any escape!

#  Chapter 15

One warrior threw his axe, taking Ahoti's arm, clutching his own axe, completely off just below the elbow. Blood poured from the stump. He was in shock as another enemy grabbed him. He snatched Ahoti onto his own mount, holding him in place.

The other cave dwellers towed their animals back enough to release the frightened beast Ahoti had vacated. It pushed its way through them, running into the forest. A few of the men, wild now with blood lust, pulled Ahoti down from his captor.

Dragging him by his braid, they tied him to a tree. Ahoti swam from consciousness to unconsciousness as he lost blood. He could tell from their insistent signing to him that they were in search of someone or something.

Ahoti realized with dread they wanted to know where Kahira was. With Amatola dead and the undeniable knowledge that he, too, would soon perish, there was no way they would make him tell them where his daughter was.

The fierce warriors tortured him ruthlessly with their axes, knives, sharp claw-like nails and other tools. They tore pieces of flesh from his body, peeled his skin off in places. They sliced his arms, legs and anywhere they knew would cause pain through tendon and bone.

They built a fire and then burned Ahoti all over his body, places that would not kill him but were brutally painful. One assailant put a blazing stick through each of his eyes!

Screaming, Ahoti passed out. Too soon, he awoke again, blinded and in unbearable agony. Ahoti was slipping away. He knew there was not much time before he died. He would soon be with his beloved Amatola.

He prayed to Edla for strength; for her to watch over Kahira after he was gone. The cave dwellers continued, demanding to know where the child was. But Ahoti refused to give any indication that he knew or understood what they wanted.

Even though the warriors had done their best to cause Ahoti the most severe pains imaginable, they had not broken him. They had not won. Angrily, they cut him from the tree. He fell to the ground hard on his face.

One of the brutes stood over him and swung his axe, sticking it deep into Ahoti's back between his shoulder blades. The rest of his life gushed out of that fatal wound, spilling his life's blood everywhere.

Ahoti could not be hurt any more. He had given his life protecting Kahira, displaying bravery and resilience such as a true hero and a loving, protective father would. It was the last thing Ahoti could do for her.

Kahira sat frightened in the corner of the lower room. She pulled a blanket over herself, covering it with different things stored in the room. Her axe was in her hand. She heard sounds of what was happening drifting in the air through the kitchen windows above.

It was faint but she heard her father as he screamed his pain into the night. Kahira knew her mother was dead. She didn't know exactly what had become of Ahoti as he never came back, so she waited down in the storage room as he told her to do.

The four remaining cave dwellers walked to the hut. Using their bloodied axes to break through the front door, they all entered. Kahira was terrified. In all her life, she'd never known real danger. But she could sense the ill will of these men.

She clasped her weapon to her chest and held her breath, wondering if they would find her! Kahira listened to the men stomping around, breaking things. For a brief instant she caught a glimpse of their blackness through the floorboards.

When they left, Kahira stayed down in the lower room, falling asleep in the corner under the blanket, still gripping the handle of her axe.

As Sula peeked over the mountains, Kahira awoke. She came out from under the blanket. She listened cautiously for sounds of movement but heard only calm silence. The atmosphere even smelled as it should. Kahira went up, opening the trap door, pushing the rug aside to step into the room.

What she saw was chaos. The hut's rooms had been devastated. All furniture was broken apart. Mattresses were slashed open, grasses pulled out and strewn all over the floors. Anything of worth was gone.

Kahira shuddered as she looked upon the destruction of her home. With tears streaming down her face, she turned, stepping over the door into the sunshine. She walked slowly to the beach. Kahira saw her mother lying on the sand.

She stood over her mother as tears continuously streamed down her face. Kahira would never laugh with her mother again, never know the comfort of her love again, never bask in her gentle spirit again.

With heart breaking, she turned, following the path of her father's footprints. Kahira found Ahoti lying in the leaves on the path, the large metal axe protruding from his back. She bent down, pulled it quickly out then turned him over.

Kahira screamed as never before, letting pain and grief loose as she peered upon his hollowed eyes and painful expression! They had burned out his eyes! She could never look into those beautiful, intelligent, loving eyes again!

They had cut off his arm! Never again would she feel his loving embraces. Kahira staggered back to the hut. She dropped the axe on the ground. Going inside, she brought out a broom they had made together, with some rope.

Returning to Ahoti, she stood for a long time over him. The horror of it all sent her into severe shock. Dazedly picking up her father's axe, she began cutting branches from trees.

She made them into a small tepee, working almost mechanically. She tied the ends of the top branches together, cutting them until they were even.

She dully searched until she found what she was needed. Kahira stopped at a fairly large tree. She went around the tree, cutting a long piece of bark from top to bottom, as she had often seen her father do.

When the bark was freed from the tree, Kahira approached the tepee. She placed the flat piece of wood across the top of the tepee, binding it there with the end of the rope. She turned, shuffling back to her mother.

Amatola was still lovely but covered with blood and gore like her father. Kahira pulled the spear from her mother's back, dropping it to the ground. Putting her arms under Amatola's, she dragged her to lie beside Ahoti.

She went back to the beach to get the spear, setting it down beside the large axe. Going into the hut once more, Kahira got the fire starter. She moved around, picking up dead grasses until she could hold no more.

Taking the grasses, she put them on the ground under the inside of the tepee. Picking her father up, barely able to hold his weight, Kahira laid Ahoti's body on the bark, placing his arm and his axe beside him. She then picked up her much lighter mother, gently laying Amatola in Ahoti's arms.

Kahira set the dry grasses on fire, watching them catch with glazed eyes. The flames blazed as the wooden tepee was devoured. The bark her parents laid on began to smoke and burn, growing into a huge fire of its own, burning her parents into ashes. She sat there through the night until the flames were entirely out, and the embers and ashes cooled. Memories of her parents ran through her mind all night long.

There was no trace of Ahoti or Amatola left. Their spirits had gone to the two moons; their ashes were now spread over Edla.

Kahira returned home in silence, traumatized. She was desolate without her parents, so totally alone. Never in her life had she met another humanoid. In her grief, she laid on her bedroom floor, crying herself to sleep. Oh, how she missed her parents!

#  Chapter 16

Overwhelming grief held Kahira for almost a month. She had wood in the basement for the fire; winter began shortly after her parents were killed. She put together a wooden pallet with more grasses on top of it, keeping her a bit off the cold floor.

She covered it with warm blankets for comfort. Kahira blanketed off the two small rooms, closing the windows off tight, so the heat remained in the main room. She mostly laid on the pallet, watching the flames, remembering her parents, crying in her mourning.

There was plenty to eat because Kahira was never really hungry. She did not eat much that winter. There was water from either breaking ice in the lake to melt by the fire or just sucking on snow or icicles that hung from the hut.

Her seventeenth birthday came as did spring shortly afterward. Kahira decided it was time to move on. When the flowers blossomed, she up-rooted some of them and replanted them in a bunch where her parents' tepee had been.

As she stood there, Kahira heard a sound she'd never heard before. Looking around, she feared the black warriors had returned. The scent in the air reminded her of the scent they had left behind.

Wandering around in the trees and bushes, she found what she had sensed. One of the warriors' huge dark beasts, the one Ahoti had been captured on, was in a group of bushes.

Even though it was not cold, the terrifying beast shivered. She crept up to it with her hand out, talking in a low, quiet, comforting voice, realizing it could tear her to pieces or stomp her to death in an instant.

To her surprise, the beast stood still as Kahira slowly put her hand between its eyes and ever-so-gently petting down to the end of its nose, feeling it tremor from her gentle touch.

When she touched its head, her mind seemed to shimmer in and shimmer out again. It did not hurt; the feeling just surprised her as she had never before felt it.

Kahira looked deep into the beast's large, black eyes, realizing she could mind-talk with it! It understood her; she understood it! Its mind was not dark or evil! It was kindly gentle, nothing like what one would think due to its frightening appearance.

"Who are you? Where do you come from?" Kahira asked.

"I am Tanka. My parents were captives of the cave dwellers so I was born in captivity. I have never been on top of Edla before; only underneath her. I am just one year old; although to you I have such a tremendous girth, I am still a foal, frightened and confused." Tanka continued, "The dark warriors left me behind when they returned to their caves. I am lost, lonely and frightened. I've never been alone before."

"I am Kahira. I am also young, alone, lost and lonely. You will come with me, my friend. We will grow, learning about life together."

"Thank you for this. I will protect you so you will not have to be afraid. Neither of us will be lonely any longer." She could feel warmth exuding from him.

Three weeks into spring, they were finally ready. Kahira and Tanka had become close friends. Unlike his outside appearance, Tanka was kind, considerate, thoughtful; smart for a foal. He gave himself to her, loving her as his partner.

#  Chapter 17

Kahira took the floor boards out of the hut's three rooms. She made a cart using vine ropes. The cart was flat with three sides about an arm's length high. A top made straight up curved into itself on two sides from young, flexible branches. Sewing many large pelts together, she made a canvas-type top on the cart.

On the bottom against one side, Kahira made a shelf with the front tight against it, looking like a small trough. There she put her herbs, jerky, several more ropes she made, with everything from the store room.

On the other side of the cart, using ropes, Kahira tied the weapons along with the large spear (after she had cleansed the blood off the spear and axe). She had a large water-pouch sitting in the corner by the cart's back.

Kahira made a small mattress using pieces of the other two mattresses which had been torn apart in the hut. She filled it with clean, new grasses, setting it up against the hole in front of the cart canvas. There was a large flap that could be closed, tied down, in case of rain or cold weather. A board sat in front of the opening with a smaller mattress on it for her to sit on, guiding the cart when they left.

Kahira practiced long hours using the new metal axe until she could throw it accurately every time. It had been heavy when she started practicing but now it felt good, right in her hand. She made a side belt loop. The axe handle slid smoothly into the loop, leaving her two open hands but still being close enough to pull quickly if she needed to.

When everything was taken out of the hut that she wanted to keep, she set it on fire. Kahira slept on her mattress in the cart, staying until the fire was spent. Looping ropes around him that she made so Tanka could pull the cart, then attaching the other ends to the wagon, she kept only two ropes unstrapped which she held loosely in her hands.

Kahira and Tanka mind-talked about where they would go. "Tanka, have you ever seen the lands to the north?"

"No. No mention was ever made of them in the underground caves."

"I don't want to go back, since my parents left there for their own path. I surely don't want to go west where cave dwellers are. So we will go north to see what there is to see." With that, they were ready to move forward in life.

North meant going through their forest. Sula had just crested the mountains as they began their journey. Forest smells surrounded them. Kahira inhaled as much as she could. She loved the pine smell with the scent of all of the forest flowers.

Although there was no road, the way they went seemed large enough for them to move in a fairly straight northern line. There was no hurry so they ambled along, taking in the lush greenness with scents of the forest until the day was almost gone.

Noticing that the trees had begun to thin out, Kahira decided it was time to stop for the night. Taking bread and meat from the cart, she sat on a dead log. She ate, first taking meat for herself then feeding some to Tanka, looking at their surroundings. While Tanka finished his meal with some grasses, Kahira got some berries out for dessert.

As twilight fell, a strange green mist soon filled the little hollow where they camped. "Tanka, Do you know what this thick air is?"

"I am only a foal, Kahira. There are many things I don't know about yet. We will just have to learn about them together. But no, I have never seen this thick, green air before."

"Safe night, Tanka. Wake me up if anything strange happens." Kahira had decided she would go to bed, rising early so they could leave the area. Kahira climbed into the cart, pulling the flap down. She fastened it, getting ready for bed. As soon as she lay down, she was fast asleep, tired from the long first day of their journey.

Early the next morning, Kahira dressed. She brought out some berries with bread to eat for breakfast. She opened the flap, noticing the green mist was still there but had lightened considerably. It was much easier to breathe.

Tanka already had his breakfast while she slept. She attached the wagon to him, saying, "Tanka, please walk slowly as I want to keep watch for danger." He began plodding toward the area where the trees were still growing yet further apart. They could see the green mist floating there.

When Tanka pulled into where the green mist was thicker, Kahira noticed a lake of ugly, dank, dark water that smelled horribly. It was stagnant with green, slimy mold across the top. The few trees were unhealthy with long ropes of green slime dripping from their branches. Some trees were barren of leaves and life, although a few still clung tenaciously.

It was very eerie here. She could hear strange slithering noises, small splashes of water in the lake with rustling sounds coming from somewhere. No sunlight pierced through the green haze growing from the water or from the ground around it.

Every part of Kahira felt troubled, her mind shouting danger to her. She spoke quietly to Tanka. "Do you see anything here, Tanka? I sense danger but I see nothing dangerous."

"I see nothing, but there IS something here that is not good. I just cannot see what it is."

Kahira pondered. "I think we should leave here as quickly as we can. We will have to go around the lake since there are no other ways unless we go back." Not wanting to go back, she waited until Tanka found the safest way to skirt the lake. He started moving.

She heard water bubbling; splashes ahead of them, but the green mist was so thick! Kahira could not see much past Tanka's shoulders. Reaching into the cart, she put her large axe in its belt loop, pulling her spear out also. She laid the spear across her lap.

As Tanka began moving around the lake, Kahira noticed he was moving much faster than before. Soon he was almost running! Riding on the cart whipped her back and forth on the front board. She hung onto the ropes attached to Tanka, setting her feet on notches below her to steady herself from falling off. Tanka was just curving around the bend of the lake when Kahira saw them!

#  Chapter 18

Creatures were standing in the path Tanka was trying to take around the lake, dripping green slime onto the ground! Loud sucking sounds were heard from the thick, putrid mud in the lake.

Kahira saw hundreds of the creatures slowly moving out of the lake onto the land. They were hideous! They were as large as humans with worm-like green bodies. Pestilent boils erupted all over their skin, spilling out green pus that smelled revolting. It sizzled like acid when it dripped to the ground.

They looked like giant slugs. Where the head should have been was just a huge gaping hole of a mouth with long, razor sharp fangs coming out around the entire hole. The body ended in a long tail with a tapered fang on the end.

Beginning at the top of the mouth, vertical bone-like structures lay side by side all the way down to the end of the tail. At both ends of each bone were fangs.

There were four thick arms with hands but only three thick legs ending in large stumps. The legs sucked in and out of the boggier lake mud as the creatures slowly moved to the land.

Tanka stopped short when he saw them standing in his way. When he stopped, they began moving towards him, slime dripping to the ground they slithered across. Kahira was stunned for only a moment. She screamed at Tanka, "GO! Don't stop for anything! Just run right through them! Get us OUT of here!"

Tanka didn't have to be told twice! He shot off running straight at the creatures blocking their way, shuffling towards him with maws wide open. By this time there were many more creatures in their way.

As Tanka tried to run through them, he ALMOST made it to the place where they would enter the forest to get away from the lake of the green mist. The creatures were everywhere around him.

Kahira gave a piercing scream - her war cry - and jumped onto Tanka's back end, almost falling from him as she caught a handhold in his hair. She began crawling slowly up to the middle of his gigantic back. When she got there, she straddled across his neck, seeing he was already at battle.

Tanka was lumbering as fast as he could. His open mouth was biting the creatures, tearing them apart. Tanka spit them to the ground right and left, one after another. But many of them passed him as he ran. They grabbed parts of his sides, neck and back in their mouth

holes, tearing at his flesh with sharp fangs. He was burned in several places by the acidic pus dripping from their skin blisters. He was making a concerted effort! Tanka courageously moved forward with his strength and energy flagging.

Kahira held her spear under one of her thighs tightly, facing it upward on his back to point skyward. She only used it when she saw any creature coming at Tanka that had not reached him yet. The spear had a long handle on it. Kahira thrust it deftly through as many of the creatures as she could before they reached Tanka.

She pulled her large axe from the belt loop, immediately slaying the creatures attached to Tanka's body. Cutting off the heads seemed the best way to make them release his flesh. She was slashing and hacking at both sides of his body, tearing heads and bodies asunder.

Kahira was burned many times as the acidic bodily fluids sprayed every which way. The pain was agonizing but she knew if she let up, they would both perish.

As Tanka rounded the curve, the opening into the forest flashed in front of him. Seeing their escape, Tanka put his head down. Lunging into the tree line, he began to run faster to get away from the lake.

They finally left the fading green mist, soon coming to a stop. Both were panting, sweating profusely. They moved the cart to an opening surrounded by trees that would give them some protection.

Kahira was so concerned for him! He was only a foal and she felt his pain and terror in her mind. She slid off his back. "Tanka? Are you okay?"

"I think I am. There are no broken bones. But the creatures bit pieces out of me. It is more painful than anything else I've ever felt. The cuts and slashes from their teeth are also on fire. I am so very, very tired." Immediately after saying that, Tanka dropped to the ground and was fast asleep!

#  Chapter 19

Kahira climbed into the cart. She got her sharp dagger with some medicinal herbs and bandaging which she took back to Tanka. Starting at his face, Kahira moved slowly around his entire body, medicating, bandaging. When she was done, she tended to her own bodily wounds.

Gathering her bow and arrows, Kahira went into the forest to hunt food. Tanka would need much fresh meat in order to heal from all of his wounds. She moved quietly as she searched for some animal. When she spotted a large deer (ikpi), Kahira dropped to a knee.

Pulling back the string, she sighted the deer before letting 0the arrow fly. It went straight through the deer's head. Kahira pulled her knife as she ran to where it fell to begin skinning it. When the pelt was off, she laid it out on the ground.

Kahira cut all the internal organs out, putting them in a pile. She dragged it back, putting it beside Tanka for when he woke up. They would help him heal faster and get stronger.

Returning to the meat, Kahira flayed it into large chunks. She removed the bones from half the meat. Carrying them, as well as the other half of the meat she had cut, back to Tanka, she put the bones on top of the innards.

Kahira cut two large leaves to take back to the camp. She piled the meat with bones on one of the leaves. Then she went to get the last pile of meat without bones, bringing it back to put on the other leaf.

Kahira built a fire, putting the meat full of bones directly on the fire to char for Tanka. While waiting for his meat to cook, Kahira whittled two sticks, each looking like a "Y".

She stuck them in the ground on each side of the fire. She whittled another stick until it was sharp on one end but smooth all across.

When searching for wood, Kahira found a river running through the forest. It was clean with fresh water. While the meat for Tanka was cooking, she took her largest bowl to get water for him to drink. Upon her return, Tanka looked at her expectantly. He was awake, devouring the innards of the deer. She gave him the bowl of water then got the charred meat with the bones in it for him.

She put the last pieces of boneless meat on the stick, dropping it between the two "V" sections of the other two sticks. "I am so glad you are feeling better, Tanka! I have been so worried about you!"

"I must thank you, Kahira. You have surely saved my life! I am truly grateful to you."

"What else could I have done? You are my traveling partner! We will find our way on Edla together!" She pulled meat off the stick with her knife. Kahira was extremely hungry! Exhaustion hit her all at once, knowing she could sleep now that Tanka was safe.

They stayed in the shady glen for over a month. Kahira found plenty of food to hunt. She smoked meat and made jerky to replenish what had been eaten since they left home. She cooked extra meat to eat cold so they didn't need a fire all the time.

Kahira bathed often in the river. There was always swimming or floating fun for her. She even caught a few large fish, smoking them for travel as well.

Tanka healed. He would accompany her to the river, watching over her while lounging in patches of sunlight filtering through the trees. He was able to get his own water now so Kahira did not have to haul it to him any longer.

Kahira noticed Tanka had grown considerably larger since she had first met him. Now the hair on his body was thicker, longer. She knew fall had begun with winter soon coming.

That's why Tanka's hair had grown, to keep him warm in the winter. Kahira made new blankets and clothing from her prey to keep her warm when winter came.

She was sitting on the rocks of the river beach drying from her bath, looking into the clear water as her mind wandered. She noticed a light blue glint spark from the bottom of the river.

Curious, she jumped back into the water, swimming down to move the little pebbles round on the river's bottom. Kahira saw the spark again as her hand seized an odd-looking pebble. She swam up into the fresh air gasping, gulping air into her lungs.

Again Kahira sat on the beach and opened her hand. In it was a very strange blue stone. It was smooth and shined, sparkled. It had an irregular shape to it. She unthinkingly slid her thumb across it.

A long, thin, shiny beam erupted from the pebble! In the position that she was holding it, the beam hit a strong branch in a big tree close to her. The blue light turned bright white, hurting Kahira's eyes so she shut them tight.

When she looked again, the tree was shimmering as if it was a mirage! As the light became blue again, it began to dim, shooting back into the stone. The pebble looked the same as when she retrieved it!

Kahira stared at it for a moment then looked up at the tree. Her eyes widened as big around as her mouth! There in the limbs of the tree was a hut! It was built on various limbs with a rope ladder falling to the ground!

#  Chapter 20

Kahira ran back to Tanka, screaming into his mind in a blind panic! Many confusing, scrambled thoughts ran through her mind! "Tanka, I found a stone that made a hut in a tree! It has a ladder to climb to get to it!"She breathed deep slowly until her heart slowed down.

She quieted enough to tell him the story. Tanka listened to her jumbled story, figuring out most of it. "Let us go to the hut. You can climb the ladder to check it out. That is the first thing to be done."

They loaded the cart, Tanka pulling it to the river. The hut was still there, the ladder still down. For some reason, Kahira felt no fear. She felt awed excitement but no fear or anxiety about the stone she held or the hut.

Tanka nodded his huge head, pushing her gently with his nose toward the tree trunk where the ladder was suspended. Kahira climbed the ladder, finding it could be withdrawn at the top to make her safe from anyone else climbing to get to her.

The door was thick, hard wood, solid. She looked at Tanka then opened the door, walking inside. She could not believe her eyes as they traveled through the hut. This was surely an other-worldly thing! Kahira had never seen anything like it!

She stood in a main room; the floor was wood sanded to a polished sheen. Two windows looked out at the river with some type of clear, hard things Kahira could pull down to shut against the cold; yet she could still see the river perfectly! There were thin things hanging on each side of the window. When she touched the top of them, she found she could close them to meet in the middle, which closed off the view of the river!

There was a rock fireplace running up the entire wall through the roof in a square. When Kahira pulled on a rod beside it, she could hear a lid closing on the square above the roof. There was a nice-sized square box-like area in which to put wood for a fire.

A round rug was in front of the fireplace. Wonderful regular sized chairs with really long chairs sat around the front of the fireplace. They were so pretty and comfortable!

A table sat in front of the right window with four matching chairs. They were all wooden, smooth and polished to a shine. There were gorgeous carved wood shelves of different sizes and shapes attached to the walls to put things on. They were all smooth, shining like the floor.

Kahira followed the right wall into another room also made of wood like the main one. There were wall cabinets she opened to find strange utensils, pots, pans, dishes, cups.

There was a sink with a plug to keep water in or pull out to drain water. A handle pumped up and down brought water in. It was a warm, graciously crafted room with a place to cook food. There was ample counter space.

Kahira went back into the main room, following the left wall back to another room with a wooden door. Opening it, she was in awe, her eyes wide! It was a bedroom with a carved wooden bed frame. The mattress was so comfortable, so soft as she tried it out, sinking into it blissfully.

Standing in front of two oblong-shaped doorways with two doors in each, Kahira had to take the handles of both doors to open them at the same time. One was filled with shelves topped with bed linens, sheets, pillowcases, towels, striking blankets.

On the lower shelves were many clothes made of wonderful soft materials, feeling good to touch. The bottom held shoes which Kahira figured out because they looked like feet and came in couples! Some were soft as feathers, some comfortable looking boots, some warmly fuzzy. She did not know anything these were made of but they looked fantastic to her! She closed the doors softly.

Going to the next cabinet, Kahira opened both doors. It was actually a bathroom, although Kahira had never seen one. She stared into the stool wondering what it was. Seeing the handle, she pulled it, jumping almost back through the doors as the stool flushed! It filled with water again.

Cautiously, Kahira moved back into the room. There was a big tub with a handle and a plug like the one in the kitchen. She could pump the water in for a bath or pull the plug to drain it!

On the other wall, there was a sink with a handle, a plug; soap on a crystal soap dish. The soap's scent was marvelous, filling the entire room. The sink was like the one in the kitchen.

When Kahira went to leave the room, there was a mirror on each of the door backs. If she shut the doors from the inside, the mirrors came together into one large ceiling to floor mirror, showing her entirely in it. She did not know what it was made of. It was just another thing in the hut that she had never seen.

As she climbed down the ladder, Kahira looked dumb-struck at Tanka. He had followed her thoughts the entire time she was inside the hut. She looked at him saying, "I do not understand what this thing is but I know it has something to do with the blue stone. What do you think I should do with it?"

She glanced down at the pebble. Without thinking, she turned it towards the hut, rubbing her thumb across the side of it like she had before.

A blue light shot from the stone at the hut which began to undulate like a mirage. Suddenly, as the thin blue line re-entered the stone, the hut disappeared!

#  Chapter 21

"Can you do that again?" Tanka asked. Kahira pointed the stone at the tree, passing her thumb over it. Suddenly, there was the hut back again in the tree!

The second time, Kahira noticed a tunnel running under the hut straight to the river. Upon examination, it ended in a round metal tube in the river. She figured this was how the hut had the endless supply of water.

With this knowledge came the idea that the hut should always be set up around some place where it could get water. Each time she set it up and took it down, it seemed easier to her! She became calmer until it was quickly done in a second.

Kahira made herself a "V" shaped hair comb, the "V" point coming to the top of the middle of her forehead. Putting the stone at the top of the inside of the "V", she let it drop.

She used a tool to push it down so it wouldn't fall out, attaching a wooden bar across the top of the stone, holding it firmly in place. Kahira could put the comb in her hair so it would not fall out, pulling her hair back from her face as well. In this way she knew she would always have the stone on her.

Still moving north through the never-ending forest, Kahira would set up camp every night, taking it down every morning. It became a tiring, boring ritual. She had not used the hut in the tree; she was still thinking about it and the stone.

They stopped by a pond to drink some refreshing water. There was a glade where they could set up the cart. Kahira was tired, bored; frustrated with being continually in the forest.

As she relaxed on the grass with her eyes closed, she decided to try something she had wondered about. She stood, pulling the comb from her hair. Pointing it at the ground in the glade, she thumbed across its edge.

Blue light lanced making the glade shimmer. When the light came back into the stone, Kahira smiled as she looked at the hut sitting in the glade! "I knew I could put it wherever I wanted to! I just knew it! I have a plan, Tanka. Help me get the cart near the hut!"

"Okay, Kahira. What do you plan to do?"

"I sure hope this works! If it does, it will be much less burden for you! I will not have to live in this rickety cart any longer."

Tanka pushed the cart with his massive head until it slanted in front of the hut. Kahira opened the front door of the hut, taking a small bundle of herbs into the kitchen and putting them in a cabinet.

Walking back out of the hut, closing the door, she used the stone to make the hut disappear. After a moment, she stroked the stone and the hut reappeared in the glade.

Kahira walked through the door into the kitchen. She opened the cabinet. There, where she had left them, were the herbs! Breathlessly running to Tanka, she was so excited! "Tanka! I can put everything from the cart into the hut! Then I can put the hut into the stone! It will all be there when I bring the hut out again!"

"You will not have to drag the cart around! With only me riding on your back, you will be able to move much quicker, not having to drag that cart behind you any longer!" Kahira excitedly explained.

"Kahira, do you think so?" Tanka was thrilled! "That would be wonderful! You are so smart!"

Kahira moved everything from the cart into the hut, dropping most of it on the main room floor. She disassembled the cart, taking the wood and putting it by the fireplace.

Tanka could graze on the grasses and flowers. He could hunt meat for his meal. He could go to the pond whenever he wanted fresh water. There was plenty of shade for him to sleep in.

When they moved on, all Kahira had to do was put away the hut and climb onto his back. Tanka had gotten so immense; her weight was nothing for him to carry. She loved to feel the wind through her hair, smelling the wonderful fresh air flying past her nostrils!

#  Chapter 22

Each time they stopped for the night, Kahira put as much away as she could from the main room floor. Finally, everything had its place in the hut! It felt so much like a real home.

Kahira finally figured out what the toilet was for and how to use it but was still in awe when she did. Learning to cook on the cooking box in the kitchen, she realized it was much easier than using an open fire on the ground.

She loved to soak in the tub, washing herself and her hair every day. It relaxed her, making her feel better. Kahira had been trying on different clothes in the closet, a new outfit every day as she decided what to wear when traveling.

But her favorite time was when she was climbing into her big, soft bed. Kahira could see the two moons out of the window in her room. The soft breeze entering would make her hair move gently while she fell asleep.

The day arrived when Tanka finally crossed out of the forest onto a wide expanse of flat ground! They walked all day finding no trees, green grasses or flowers. Nothing. Tanka plodded on.

Kahira looked around her in the vastness, trying to see anything they would know or anyplace they could go. Toward the end of the day, she noticed a mountain all alone on the landscape to her right. "Tanka," she began, "Let us go there and check it out. If nothing else, maybe we can find some grasses or game for food."

"I hope so. The day has been long! I am hungry and tired." Tanka changed course.

Coming to the mountain, there were grasses that were still slightly green. Kahira dismounted, letting Tanka eat what he could. They were beside a bush when she saw movement behind it. Curiously, Kahira moved the bush. A small animal jump into a big hole in the mountain!

Kahira stepped behind the bush, finding it was easy for her to enter, even for Tanka! They walked into the hole, seeing they were in a large cave! With speed that belied his large bulk, Tanka dashed to grab the animal in his teeth, eating it right there. He felt much better now!

There was a pool of water full of fish; Kahira clapped her hands. She would have fish to fill her belly this day! She set up the hut next to the pool. Walking into the water, she brought out four nice-sized fish. She carried them into the kitchen to be cleaned, cooked and eaten.

Kahira bathed, going to bed early as she was tired. Tanka was already asleep beside the pool. Waking up later, she dressed. She silently left the hut to explore the cave. Tanka

was still sleeping so she was quiet, making no noise.

There were a few glowing crystals here and there around the cave. There really was not much to see. Kahira was a bit disappointed. But as she walked to the rear of the cave, she noticed another opening like the one they had walked through into this cave.

It was glowing with a luminescent light. Kahira thought it was probably just another cave like this one with a few glowing crystals in it. She walked through the entrance into the next cave. It was colossal!

The lake was so grand she could not see the other side of it! The same for the walls; they were far apart and far away. Kahira could not see the dimensions of the cavern.

There were stalactites and stalagmites made of metal with shiny, glossy material. Each ended with a glowing crystal which lit the cavern up. In the middle of the room were two tables. One was short and round while the other was tall and slender. The short table had a large, round blue crystal lying in a hole in the center of the table. The bigger table had a crystal shaped like a flame that was reddish yellow lying in a hole in its center.

The entire place felt like an ancient, outer-worldly place. Kahira noticed that in the right corner of the cave, there were no stalactites, stalagmites, tables or crystals seen. It was pitch black. The overall effect of the cavern was incredible.

As she checked the place out with awe, Tanka came into the cavern behind her. The lake was clear, smooth as glass. They could see the bottom, noting there were no fish in it. The lake had several cave-like openings on its floor.

Kahira definitely had a strange feeling from this place. It could have been here for eternity or from the time Edla first became the mother. Its age seemed eternal and it was simply magnificent.

"Tanka, would you carry me to the far right wall back there? It is different from the rest of the cavern. I would like to check it out."

"Climb on, Kahira. Let us go!"

When they reached the corner, she pulled out her pebble. It shined a faint blue light in the dark area. There was something she could not identify in the middle of the area so she began walking toward it.

Stopping beside it, Kahira saw what looked like a giant bird's nest. Inside there was a single egg but one different than any others! The egg was as large as her fist!

#  Chapter 23

The shell was made of something unlike a bird's eggshell. It was very shiny, glistening. Not knowing what else to do but feeling an odd pull to the egg, Kahira picked it up, putting it in a pocket of her outfit.

Climbing on Tanka's neck again, they galloped back to the hut. Kahira went inside, carefully laying the egg on her bed. She piled blankets and pillows around it to assure its safety.

Tanka was acting skittish, saying, "Kahira, I hear strange sounds coming from the other cave. I do not like the way it makes me feel. Please, let's get out of here." As he finished speaking, she knew what he was talking about. She felt the same as he did.

All hell broke loose from the second cavern's opening. Humanoid beings Kahira had never seen were rushing at them through the opening! More and more kept coming.

Racing back into the hut, Kahira grabbed her bow and arrows, shoving her knife into its sheath. She put her big axe into its loop. As she grabbed her spear, she jumped out of the hut, quickly putting it away in the stone.

The sight she witnessed was horrifying! These creatures had bony fish heads with five long, pointed bone spikes running around the outsides of their heads. What looked like leather webbing attached each to the next.

Red lines ran up the face from the chin, straight out to the tip of each pointed bone spike. Grey skin melted into the red stripes. The mouths were long, extending out with fish lips.

Beside each side of the mouth was a stinger; it grew curling around the front of the mouth.

The noses were just two large holes. The red eyes looked exactly like protruding fish eyes with eyelids. These fish-like beings were definitely warriors. Females wore only silver; males wore only gold. They all wore the same things.

The fish warriors wore heavy metal necklaces. They had metal arm bands around their upper arms with heavy round blades protecting their shoulders. Tiny, thick round earrings were placed in holes drilled through their head spikes.

Round armlets were worn above the elbow with wristlets below. On each thigh was what looked like a thick metal clamp. The beings wore ankle bracelets. Each wore a thick metal waistband with a dark green loincloth hanging down to their thighs.

Their bodies were humanoid, except they all looked too skinny. All the bones showed under the skin which Kahira could almost see through, especially in the neck. A thick metal spear was held in a webbed two-fingered hand. A metal shield was held at the shoulder.

The creatures walked on the tips of their two webbed toes. They were tall, seven feet at least, frightening to look upon. And they were charging right at Tanka and Kahira!

Kahira dropped her weapons on the ground close to her. With her bow and arrows, she aimed at the first fish man running towards her. The arrow went right through his eye. He fell, not getting up. Kahira grabbed another arrow. Aiming, she shot it through the neck of the next warrior.

Meanwhile, Tanka had charged! He was running them down under his gigantic hooves, all the while biting and butting others with his head. Fish beings were falling many at a time under his brutal attack.

The attackers far in the back tried to use their spears. They never stood a chance. As Kahira's arrows reached the back of the group, one after another fell and did not get up.

Gathering her weapons, she called Tanka to her.

Kahira grabbed the long hairs on his hide, climbing onto his neck. When she got there, she let out her war yell! Tanka ran out of the cave opening, running west. Kahira whispered, "I think they will not chase us now. Slow down. Stop when you can."

Tanka, who was exhausted at that point, looked around until he found a stream, stopping to drink from it. Kahira jumped down, drinking too. She checked them out. Finding their injuries were insignificant, she let out a sigh of relief.

Kahira put up the hut, dragging her weapons inside. After taking a bath, she ate quickly; all she wanted to do was sleep. Going to bed, Kahira realized she had forgotten all about the egg there.

Wrapping it in a blanket, Kahira made a dent in the middle of the other pillow, carefully placing the egg in it. Sliding under the covers, turning her back to it, she fell instantly asleep.

When Kahira awoke the next morning, she was facing the egg. She noticed the blanket looked different. Kahira saw the eggshell was broken in half!

The two halves were empty on top of the blanket. Wondering what happened to make the eggshell break, she felt small prickles at the tip of her first finger. Looking at her finger, she opened her eyes wide!

#  Chapter 24

There, sitting on her fingernail with a little tail looped around her finger and tiny claws grasping her finger to help keep it from falling, was a most precious creature! Kahira knew it was a dragon (zuzeca) just from looking at it. She could see it was a female.

It was stunning! The body's underside was ribbed with fragile bone covered with minuscule scales. Its two front legs were used as arms to hold with; the two back legs were used as legs to stand.

Four miniature paws with three "fingers" each were hands and feet, but instead of fingers and toes, they ended in miniature claws. All four appendages were bright red with black tiger stripes across the ankles and thighs.

The tail was long, slender. From the top of its head over its back, neck and tail were small triangular scales. The undersides of the wings were leather-like, so thin Kahira could almost see through them. The tops of the wings were radiant, made of the softest rows of feathers, one row on top of the next until the last row was the longest of the feathers.

The wings looked like rainbows. Where they lay against its body, they were bright red with gold runes on them. They went from red to gold to white with black runes in the white feathers. A thin black line moved across each wing feather where the white began. The white feathers ended in black, sharp tipped points.

The head was pear-shaped, the chin being the smaller part of the pear. Two small snake-like horns exited the forehead above the eyes, the tips being very sharp. They were red against the forehead; they went from bright red to gold; a red ring, a gold ring with pointed bright red tips.

Its eyes were magical! The eyes lit up like red rubies. Two little puffs of smoke were released from the nose as it sneezed. The face and body were completely bright red. It was a most magnificent creature!

Kahira was almost afraid to touch the fragile baby dragon. She put the tip of a finger to the creature's head, touching its crown, moving the finger down, petting it.

There was a jolt in Kahira's head. Shaking it, she looked at the baby dragon. She heard a little squeak, a sneeze with two puffs of smoke coming out of the nose, then... She understood the dragon! She could mind-talk with it just like she did with Tanka!

Petting it, Kahira told the baby not to worry because she would always be there to take care of it. After consideration, Kahira named it Pheta (meaning courage). She got out of bed, still petting Pheta. She took her outside to meet Tanka.

Pheta ate a lot of food! She was always hungry, devouring whatever was offered to her. She grew at an accelerated rate; now, Kahira had to hold Pheta in her arms against her body.

Every day the baby dragon got lovelier. She was sweet, good-hearted. Both Tanka and Kahira loved her more each day.

The trio continued moving west, angling a bit north. They saw nobody; nothing of consequence happened for days. They took it easy as Tanka walked with Kahira on his back. Pheta rode in Kahira's arms. They bonded one to the other, becoming a happy little family.

Stopping where grasses started growing green again, Tanka ate fresh grasses, catching his own prey. Kahira found small animals for food, making good meals in the hut's kitchen.

Pheta loved to chase her own meals. She ate grass mice and other small animals of these new plains. The more she ate, the quicker she grew; the quicker she grew, the more she ate.

Every evening at dusk, the three would set up camp and eat. Kahira bathed after her meal. All three would go to sleep. Every night, Pheta slept with Kahira. When she was small, Pheta snuggled up under the covers in the crook of Kahira's arm. As she grew, Pheta slept at the bottom of Kahira's bed wrapped around herself like a large cat. She was never far from Kahira.

#  Chapter 25

The trio found a fresh water lake, immediate setting up camp there. They decided to stay for a few days. Kahira put the hut in a tree. A large low branch, big enough to sit on, was outside the hut. Of course, Pheta sat with Kahira. Tanka was running down his meal.

Kahira decided to teach Pheta to fly! Talking calmly, reassuring her, Kahira explained what she wanted Pheta to do. Just step off the branch with her wings spread, flapping them as she left the branch.

On Pheta's first attempt, she fell to the ground but was not hurt. Kahira made sure the branch was not so high off the ground to cause injury if she fell. Coming back to the branch, Pheta tried again.

Although she got farther than the first time, she still fell. Kahira was encouraging her, telling her she could do it. For a third time, Pheta left the large branch with her wings spread.

This time she did not fall. This time she began to soar up in the air, instinctively allowing her wings to spread! Gliding in the wind drafts, she used her wings, beating them high above her head to low under her body. Pheta could fly!

Pheta went wherever she wanted to go in the sky; up, down, in a spiral or just letting the wind take her where it would. She began to fly above Kahira's head when the other two walked, still not wanting to be far from her.

She found how much easier it was to hunt from the sky, using sharp vision from her ruby eyes. Pheta could swoop down to catch an animal in her mouth or claws in just a moment's time. She became a good hunter, like Kahira and Tanka.

Pheta soon grew too large to enter the hut. She slept on the ground, either beside Tanka or under the hut. Rarely, she found caves to sleep in... But she was always back early the next morning, ready to travel close to Kahira.

The three of them found a path going the same direction as they were. They decided to follow it. It meandered through the forest. On the other side of the forest, to their surprise, they came upon a small, odd-looking village.

The huts looked like overgrown seed pods! They were tall enough where Kahira could stand beside the 'doors' without having to bend over. The leaves at the bottom lay spread so that each led to a door in the bottom of the pod.

Being basically a round structure, the doors ran around the entire pod. They looked like poppy pods, a beautiful burgundy color. There were perhaps ten or twelve pods in the small village. The pods sat in a circle around a huge fire pit. No humanoids were seen anywhere. Beside the pod village, there was a lake beckoning them to drink their fill.

Pheta descended. They all made their way to the lake out of the trees. The water tasted deliciously cold! It had been awhile since they had had anything to drink! They drank appreciatively until their thirsts were quenched.

Kahira stood, turning towards the pod village again. She was surprised to see a humanoid standing close by, studying them carefully. She moved slowly towards it, holding her hand palm up, placing it on her other arm, signaling peace. This plant-like humanoid was strange-looking!

#  Chapter 26

It had a sensual, constantly moving body. Its velvety skin was such a pale green, it almost glowed white. The figure was covered by a sheer toga strapped over one shoulder. The filmy, ever shifting material glittered spectacularly as hundreds of lightning bugs held to the toga.

Pale green skin was mesmerizing, daring one to touch it to see if it was really that silky. It had long, slender arms and legs. They looked muscular but on closer inspection, Kahira realized the muscles were vines of dark green. They encircled each appendage, around the long, slender neck making it look strong and thickly corded with muscle.

All over these vines grew natural defensive weapons; thorns. The vines got thinner, smaller as they grew down around arms and hands, ending in tiny, vine-like fingers. The fingers rippled gently in the air as the breeze teased them along.

Two root-like feet emerged at the bottom of the legs, glowing light brown. The feet were strong, moving gracefully along the ground. They also were natural defensive weapons, growing thorns.

The long flowing hair was darker green. It was plaited into a braid that fell to the ground. It was full of beautiful red leaves of fall. Blooming flowers covered it, peeking through the braided strands.

The flowers on its head grew in the shape of a tiara but instead of metal, it was made from flowers like small cherry blossoms, rose colors blending into whites. On each side of the head, near the ears, grew an antenna through which it communicated with others.

Its face was charming, glowing greenish-white. The large eyes were like pumpkin seeds; instead of "whites" they were pink. The orange cat-like eyes had eyelashes and eyebrows of long, sweeping yellow grasses.

Its slender ears were long, looking like greenish white leaves. There didn't seem to be a nose; the mouth was long with poutish pink lips. When it smiled, there did not seem to be any teeth. Altogether, it was a truly exotic plant being!

It made some type of delightful trilling noise. Kahira shook her head, showing she did not speak the language. She continued walking cautiously toward the delightful being. When Kahira was in front of it, she gently grasped its "hand". Closing her eyes, the familiar feeling wrapped itself around her brain, letting the language in.

Then Kahira smiled, dipped her head once. "I am Kahira. These are my friends, Tanka and Pheta. We are wanderers who have traveled a long way from where we started."

"I am Willow. I feel no evil in you. You are welcome to our humble village. We seldom have strangers pass through here."

It is a day we will celebrate with a banquet to celebrate and welcome you." Willow turned toward the pod huts, trilling again. Suddenly, all the doors swung open! Others came out of the huts. An exquisite sound arose as they got the feast ready, trilling greetings, talking to each other.

They worked on the feast, making a fire in the pit and keeping the young ones safely away from it. The trio went back to the pond. They found a place to camp at the edge of the forest by the pond. Kahira set up the hut as Pheta flew up, landing on a large branch to settle. She watched what was going on curiously. Tanka went into the forest to catch his own meal. He ate early.

As Sula lowered, the twin moons rose gently from the other side. Willow trilled, telling them the feast was ready. They were very excited as they had never been to a feast! She sat on a log near the fire with Tanka lazing on the ground beside her and Pheta watching it all from under a tree close by. It was by far the most awe-inspiring thing Kahira had ever seen.

The drinks were simply clear, cold water from the lake, sweetened with dew drops that were collected every morning by the young ones for that purpose. The meal was amazingly arranged, salad-like but full of flower petals from all the different forest flowers.

Its flowery fragrance was intoxicating! There were seeds in the salad, too. The taste wrapped itself around Kahira's taste buds, bursting into hundreds of delightful flavors. At last, everyone was full!

After the meal, several sweet creatures came together beside the fire. They began to trill music like Kahira had never heard! It slid into her ears and misted around her head.

Stimulated by it beyond comprehension, Kahira began to waver and move to the trills of the music. Some others began a sensual dance, bending, seeming to glide around each other.

Leaves, flowers, vines swayed in the breeze with the dance. It was a magical blessing to Edla for the wonders that made up these special plant creatures. Suddenly, Kahira felt something was wrong. She opened her eyes, looking to where the dance was being performed.

Willow was standing perfectly still, immobilized in terror of what was in front of her!

#  Chapter 27

Unlike the forest and plains dwellers, which were good hearted peoples, cave dwellers were a malicious tribe. They lived far from the other tribes in deep caves with meandering tunnels taking them from one to another. Their tunnels also took them underneath Edla to more cavernous homes.

They were nocturnal; Sula's rays hurt their eyes. Cave dwellers were a tall race of warriors with obsidian skin covered in large, shimmering black scales. They had two long, dark red horns growing from upper foreheads and curling back to a sharp point. Each black nose had four breathing holes.

Large ears grew on each side of the face with sharply pointed lobes. Long black faces ended in pointed chins with maroon, pointy beards. Eyes and tails were maroon. Tails split into three long, pronged spikes, each having a life of its own. The cave dwellers were extremely handsome but their faces foretold of the inherent evil running in their veins.

Birth tattoos of reddish orange flames shot up a leg and across the backs. Battle images with strange, frightening animals appeared on each side of the flame designs.

A huge black beast galloped out of the forest on the other side of the feasting ground! The dark warrior riding it reached down as the beast jumped the fire pit, grabbing a long branch of burning wood!

The beast ran straight at Willow who was unable to move out of its way. As it passed her, its rider touched the fire branch to her body. She instantly caught fire! The trill that rose from her was one so painful that Kahira knew she would never forget that sound.

Not slowing down, the beast bellowed! It moved through the cluster of frightened plant beings while the warrior continued his raze of their bodies in fire. One after another they trilled their last painful trills, falling to the ground in flames.

When they were all dead, the beast trampled every pod hut in the village while the warrior set each on fire before moving to the next. Nothing in the village remained. Nobody was alive. It was over in a matter of moments.

It happened so swiftly that Kahira had no time to do anything! Tanka, hearing the loud roar of the beast just like himself, ran at it, bellowing his own huge roar.

The warrior jumped from his mount's back. As the two beasts began to battle, he ran directly at Kahira and grabbed her around the waist! At the touch of his hand, Kahira had the familiar feeling. She knew his language!

"What in the blue moons are you DOING!" she screamed at him. "Why would you do that to those special beings? How COULD you!"

The cave dweller never answered. Instead, he picked her up like she was a rag doll, sprinting back into the forest where he had emerged. Kahira tried to fight him but the way he held her made it impossible. She could not do him any damage. She did not have her weapons. All she could do was kick and use her elbows to jab him in his ribs which did not seem to faze him at all.

She was furious! Kahira could not see why anyone would destroy a village full of those vibrant creatures. It was such a waste of LIFE! As she struggled ineffectually, tears streamed down her face.

The evil predator set her down, reaching for a long, odd-shaped sheath. Bringing his hand back up, she could see he held a strange looking weapon. It had a long, slender, black marble handle with a big crimson ruby perched on its top.

Looking straight at Kahira, he mumbled some strange words, pointing the ruby stick at her. From the ruby, she watched a bolt of lightning come straight at her!

Kahira ducked as the lightning bolt sizzled past her, barely across her left ear, cutting the flesh in half. Blood began to run in a thin line down the side of her face and neck. As she watched, the assailant again pointed the weapon at her!

She ran like the wind deeper into the forest. Kahira heard the bolt sizzling towards her! When she turned toward it, it hit her right in the middle of the forehead! The bolt's strong force literally picked her completely up off the ground! She was thrown ten feet through the air, striking the trunk of a grizzled old tree and she slid to the ground!

#  Chapter 28

For a few seconds, she was unconscious; Kahira reached up to touch her forehead where the bolt had stricken her. She could feel something there. Although her entire body buzzed with the bolt's electric shock, she wasn't hurt!

The warrior watched the lightning bolt hit Kahira, throwing her completely off her feet into a tree ten feet away from her! He saw her rise to weave a bit on wobbly legs, using the tree to hold her up. "Why aren't you dead? You should have been killed by the blast of that lightning bolt's electricity!"

Angrily, he strode rapidly across the forest floor until he stood in front of her. "You WILL die this time, woman!" he screamed. Furiously, he again began his chant, pointing the weapon; this time directly at her heart! Kahira did not know why this cave dweller wanted her dead!

Without weapons or assistance, not even knowing if Pheta was safe or Tanka was dead, she was not thinking clearly. As the weapon was pointed a third time at her, this time at her heart, she felt panic and fear of death.

Not knowing what she was doing, Kahira clamped her eyes tightly shut. She held both hands out empty, palms facing the warrior as if telling him to back off or stop. She heard the litany end and the sizzle of the lightning bolt. Feeling an odd sensation in her hands as the bolt struck them, she opened her eyes wide in shock.

An electrified bolt of lightning shot from her hands straight at the warrior! The bolt hit his body which began severely shaking. Kahira watched with huge eyes as his life force was wrenched from his body! It was withdrawn into the palms of her hands! She saw it travel up her arms into her own heart!

The warrior's body disintegrated on the ground, becoming nothing but a pile of gray ash. The weapon and its sheath lay beside the ash. Her entire body began crackling and sizzling loudly.

Again, Kahira did not feel any pain. But she was totally lost. She sat down against the gnarled old tree, looking at the palms of her hands. There was nothing to see. No burns.

Nothing irregular about them. She touched the mark on her forehead. What was going on?

Rising, Kahira moved to the pile of ash. She picked up the weapon, sheathing it. Holding it in a hand, she walked back through the forest to the destroyed village.

Kahira was unable to stop thinking about what had happened, over and over in her mind. She realized it must be another unique power she was born with! This was really frightening! Kahira did not know what the power was or if it did something to her body when it was used. The warrior had been evil and her heart had drawn the evil life force into it.

If she continued to use this power, would she eventually become evil, taking all the evil life force into her heart with each use of the power? Would that change her spirit if it kept happening? How could Kahira control its power or would it end up controlling her? Once started, could she stop it? Could it eventually kill her?

#  Chapter 29

Kahira's mind filled with hundreds of unanswered questions! She could think of no way to find the truth. She walked into the pod village deep in thought.

Glancing around, she noticed the black beast lying dead on its side by the fire. Kahira walked to the tree hut, seeing Tanka lying by the tree trunk. He watched her moving toward him. "Are you okay, Kahira? He questioned with concern. "You look frightened and confused!"

"I am fine, Tanka, worn out but fine. I need to sleep. Right now I cannot think straight. It's good to see you here! Are you hurt badly? Where is Pheta?"

"I hurt my leg but it was a blessing. When I stumbled and fell, the beast almost ran over me. He was much bigger and stronger than I. Yet he could not stop quickly enough. As he passed over me, I was able to reach up under him."

"Biting down hard, I ripped his stomach out. But he fell awkwardly toward me, landing on my leg. I think it is broken. Pheta went into the forest to get meat. We are lucky she is with us and unharmed."

Tanka looked at one of his front legs. It was sitting at a strange angle. Kahira could see bone sticking out from the skin. He looked at her. Pheta appeared with a large rabbit-like animal in her mouth. Circling around Tanka, she dropped it to him. Kahira could feel the love and relief Pheta felt on seeing she was not hurt badly.

She went into the hut, bringing out the bowl. Moving to the lake, Kahira leaned over. She took a handful of fresh cold water, drinking deeply. Kahira glanced at her reflection, dropping the bowl to the ground. Letting water ripples subside until the lake was clear as glass, she looked closely at her face. In the middle of her forehead, she saw what looked like a tattoo of a bolt of electricity exactly where the bolt had struck her!

Hurriedly, Kahira filled the bowl with water, setting it close to Tanka. She climbed into the hut going into the bathroom. She closed the doors, standing in front of the mirror. It WAS a tattoo of a lightning bolt! As Kahira looked closely, she noticed it had a strange glow emanating from it that was the softest, purest white light she had ever seen! She grabbed what she needed to bandage Tanka's leg, moving down the ladder.

Kahira sat on the ground beside the broken leg, resetting it. She applied medicinal herbs to help it heal quickly and to stop the pain. She made a strong splint wrapped with thick bandages around the leg. While she worked, Kahira told her friends what transpired in the forest, about the tattoo on her forehead, about her new dangerous power. None of them knew what to think.

Kahira took a hot bath, soothing some of the afternoon's aches away. Drying off, she went straight to bed. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Although she was alive, she was not untouched by the events of that fateful day.

Kahira slept soundly for two days. Tanka began to heal with Pheta's help. Pheta stayed close under the hut, watching over them and keeping them safe. During those two days,

Kahira had a dream...

*****

It was a frosty, crisp night. Lightning flashed, thunder roared. Sheets of rain filled with quarter-sized hail poured from the dark black clouds to drench the grounds of Edla. The two moons were moving through the heavens, flashing in and out from behind ominous clouds. The sky was dark purplish black, barely allowing the moons to be seen. So much thunder and lightning!

Despite being unable to see hands in front of faces, a group of humanoids fought in the deluge. Ten evil warriors were on gigantic black beasts. The leader was large, carrying a weapon with a long black handle. A blood red ruby perched on top of its handle. He stood away from the others, watching the battle from atop his massive mount. They had come on a mission to kill a female child.

These assailants were fighting six other warriors of much smaller stature, on foot. Three were plains dwellers, three were forest dwellers, but only four were adults. The two left were a child of each couple, a young girl and boy. The parents were fighting for all their lives, especially trying to protect their young.

The battle was lost almost before it began. The cave dwellers were bigger and stronger, their ten against the other four. The four fought courageously well but simply could not win this assault.

As they were cut down, one by one, the boy grabbed the girl's hand, running away from the battle grounds. They ran fast but not fast enough as two pursuers on their raven-colored beasts rode up behind them.

One slashed the young boy to pieces as others did the same to their parents. The leader stood over the terrified little girl. Pointing his weapon at her, he mumbled words under his breath. A blast of lightning came from the ruby! It pulled her life force from her vibrating body into his own evil heart. Her body disintegrated on the ground, becoming nothing but a small pile of gray ash.

None of the four fighters ever stood a chance. They died lying on Mother Edla as sheets of pouring rain covered their bodies, mixing with their blood, seeping into the land.

*****

Kahira woke up after sleeping two days. For some reason, she had dried tear runners down her cheeks. She got up, splashing water on her face while rubbing away the sleep and tears. Scanning the new tattoo on her forehead before leaving the bathroom, she was surprised to see that her birth tattoo had changed!

#  Chapter 30

Now the vine from each of Kahira's shoulders had a smaller vine that swirled around her neck, the sides of her face and across each side of her forehead. The two vines met, encircling the new lightning bolt tattoo already there!

She went outside, drawing in a long, deep breath, letting it out slowly. Pheta sat on the ground under the hut. Kahira went to her, sitting down beside her. Studying the exquisite dragon, she realized that in the short period of time they had been together, Pheta had grown into a full-fledged adult dragon!

Kahira nuzzled Pheta with her head, petting a soft feathery wing. "I know we have never tried, Pheta, but would you mind if I tried to ride you? I would love to soar into the clouds and forget my troubled heart; to feel the air sweeping cobwebs away from my brain."

"I know I can carry you safely, without any burden of your weight." Pheta looked at the young woman she called 'mother' when she broke from her shell, which she now loved dearly. They had a bond of heart and mind that could not be broken by anything or anyone.

Pheta spread a glorious wing on the ground, motioning for Kahira to climb. She climbed the soft feather to Pheta's neck. The 'little triangular bumps' Pheta had been born with running down her head, neck, back and tail had become large, strong scales. Finding one close to Pheta's face, Kahira sat on it, wrapping her feet around it and holding to the next scale up with her hands.

Pheta swooped gracefully into the air, pumping her wings in a large range of motion. She smoothly glided into the sky, flying perpendicular to Edla. Kahira was flying!

She closed her eyes, a huge smile plastered across her face, feeling the wind move rapidly past her. Kahira's hair flew away from her face, straight back into the wind. Sula shined his warmth over her body.

She opened her eyes to look down on Edla, watching landscape race past them. The view was inspiring! She saw Edla in a way she never had, from the sky. Kahira felt awe, seeing Edla's wondrous appearance from above.

Pheta swooped and glided smoothly here and there. She turned into the wind, moving in different directions in the sky. Kahira felt joy and happiness spread through her.

Pheta flew higher, taking Kahira into clouds of white mist where she couldn't see a thing but clouds surrounding her. Just as swiftly, Pheta left the clouds, bringing Kahira sharply into the bright light again. Clarity of her surroundings changed from being unable to see a thing in the clouds to having clear focus to see everything outside of their mists.

Kahira thought about the vision. She knew in her heart the life force sucked up by the warrior had been hers. It happened eons ago when the number of humanoids could be counted exactly, as tribes were just beginning to grow. The vision's horror seeped out of her mind as if the misty clouds pulled it out on their own accord, leaving just the vision to think about. Kahira wanted to understand what it meant.

She now knew that THIS was her destiny! She would learn its meaning with new events moving in her life. Although the new unique ability Kahira learned she had still frightened her, she felt positive that in the end, it would be what she needed to fulfill her destiny, however it was preordained.

They flew through the sky for hours. Kahira motioned Pheta to land beside the hut. After Kahira disembarked, Pheta rose again to fly to the forest for meat. With his leg still mending, Tanka was unable to hunt for himself.

Pheta gladly helped in whatever ways she could to take care of her loved ones. It was easy for her to get meat! When she brought it to them, she used her flame exploding from her nostrils to char the meat to cooked perfection.

Kahira refilled Tanka's bowl with fresh cold water. She redressed his splint while Pheta hunted. Pheta made things easy with her hunting skill. Kahira moved the hut to the ground, turning its door away from the demolished village.

The mind connections the trio had with each other made them into a fine fighting squad. Practicing different battle strategies, they used certain thoughts or feelings for their different commands. Pheta learned different techniques and movements from the sky.

Kahira knew the more Pheta joined battles now, the sooner she would begin to move on her own volition, just as Tanka now did, without thinking. They forged a barrier around themselves as a group that was almost impregnable.

#  Chapter 31

When Tanka's leg completely healed so he could hunt for himself again, Kahira knew it was time to move on. She packed up the hut after filling it and the drinking container with cold lake water. She had stocked the hut with meats.

She rode on Pheta, letting Tanka to get used to walking again without any extra weight to carry. Following the lake's shoreline, the group entered the forest where Kahira had been taken by the warrior.

They moved through days, stopping in the evenings to rest, eat and sleep. There was no hurry. Kahira's intuitions let her know her destiny lay to the west.

Arriving at the far edge of the forest, the trio continued their unhurried journey. By nightfall, they arrived at a plains lake, to the left of two mountains. After camping by the lake that night, again filling up with water, they discussed their next move.

Tanka wanted to know Kahira's plans. "What do you want to do now, Kahira?" he asked.

She answered, "I want to go to the mountains. We can camp there to replenish our supplies before moving on." She turned Tanka toward the mountains. Pheta flew ahead, searching for food, checking for safety.

Close the mountains, Kahira set up the hut. After eating, Pheta told her, "We will rest together while you bathe." Kahira reappeared after her bath. She saw the other two had already fallen asleep. She decided to walk in the trees around the foot of the tall mountains.

Lost in thought, she never saw the black arm encircle her waist from behind a tree or the dark hand grip her mouth!

Kahira squirmed and wiggled, unable to break the strength of the arm holding her. Her back was pressed against a muscular chest with a hand clamped firmly over her mouth.

Lifted from the ground, she was carried into a cave opening in the mountain.

The warrior carried her through an obsidian tunnel. It was so dark that she could see nothing. Kahira struggled to pull free, to no avail. Her captor held her firmly, saying nothing. After a seemingly endless journey, the tunnel opened into a nice sized cavern with a blue glowing pond, making it all the more eerie and mysterious.

Abruptly, Kahira was dropped onto her feet. She turned to face her captor. She watched as a large black warrior tied her hands with rope, securing the other end through a belt loop at his waist. He stepped back, his gaze moving up and down her slender form. They were both curious, appraising one another for several moments.

Kahira noticed that although the man was definitely a cave dweller, he was of a lighter color than most. He had finely chiseled features with piercing dark brown eyes.

His body was in excellent physical condition. A powerful chest rode abdominal muscles showing a flat, hard stomach tapering into a slightly thinner waist. His loincloth enhanced a perfect build of muscular thighs on long legs. She could not help but appreciate his dark good looks. "Who are you? What do you want with me?" Kahira insisted.

The warrior stared at her blankly, wondering how she knew his language. He grunted, reaching for her face, but she jerked away. He roared with laughter that turned into a growl. He grabbed her chin roughly with his thumb and forefinger. Kahira could see his talon-like nails just within her vision.

"You are in no position to make demands, girl!" he spat out. "I am called Tenai (meaning strong one) by my tribe. Now tell me YOUR name!"

"I am Kahira." Her demeanor shifted. She could not deny his behavior alarmed her. Her eyes pleaded to understand why this warrior tribe was so intent upon killing her.

Tenai repeated her name, drawing out the syllables. "Kah-hee-rah... yesss." His teeth were white, sharp. His face inched close to hers, his eyes glowing. "What do I want with you?" Tenai's lips drew back in contempt as he continued.

"Eons ago, legends foretold of a young woman who would bring about the downfall of the cave dwellers. That woman is YOU. We have killed you throughout time, but you defy us by continuously rising again from the depths of the dead!"

"Reborn time and again, you persevere, moving forward to our ruination! You MUST be stopped! Or you will destroy what we cave dwellers have become! Our only hope is for your life force to die a final death without a chance to begin again!"

Tenai ran his thumb along the side of her face, the nail grazing her skin. His crimson eyes flashed angry sparks into Kahira's dark purple ones. Remembering her vision, she realized what he was talking about.

His hands went to her throat. Before he could get a tight grip, Kahira pushed him roughly away with her arms. She wrapped both hands together in a heavy fist, striking him in the stomach as hard as she could!

Tenai stumbled back a few steps. For an instant, Kahira saw a look of astonishment on his face, then of awe. In that moment, Tenai's features took on completely different characteristics. He did not look evil or angry; just surprised! But Kahira did not take time to think. She flattened her palms out with intent, straightening her arms towards him!

Kahira felt power begin to unleash within her body, swirling and spasming her as it gathered into her palms. But for some reason, she held back. Something screamed at her to stop. Something in the depths of her heart pulled at the strings of her soul.

As electricity gathered in her palms, light blinded Tenai who covered his eyes defensively. Kahira glanced down, seeing the necklace her mother made her. Time seemed to stand still; everything froze except for Kahira's consciousness, which centered her mind and energy on this gift her mother had given her.

She felt strangely detached from what was transpiring around her. Torn between her inborn instinct (from her father) to act quickly to protect herself and the inborn instinct (from her mother) to stay calm and think, Kahira focused on the familiar feel of the necklace; the weight of it against her skin.

She could envision her mother's patience in making the necklace. The care and love Amatola put into making something beautiful from something evil. Then it struck her!

As electricity began to reverberate through every pore of her body, Kahira lowered her arms to her sides, clenching her hands into rigid fists. She could not kill Tenai!

#  Chapter 32

Tightening her muscles in an attempt to calm her emotions, Kahira struggled with the mounting electrical force. Its power slowly began to dissipate. Kahira realized she had figured out how to control her strange power! Her eyes closed involuntarily and Kahira fell unconscious to the ground.

Right before she hit the ground, Tenai caught her in his strong arms. He looked at the unconscious young woman he held. He was puzzled about what exactly had just happened.

Tenai gently laid Kahira down. Striding to the lake, he removed his thick, soft floor-length cape, spreading it there. He went back to where Kahira lay unconscious. Picking her up, he carried her to his cape, wrapping her in its soft warmth.

*****

When Kahira's eyes opened, it took them a moment to adjust. She studied her surroundings. Where was she? She had never been here before. It was not so much a place but more an ethereal feeling.

Kahira found herself floating in air with no ground anywhere to be seen! Glancing around, she realized she was moving upward. The two moons were just to her right! All around her, the night sky was the most beautiful lavenders and dark purples.

The stars far, far away twinkled brightly in the sky. The closer stars, although still millions of miles away, became tiny comets and planets. Kahira was floating through the night sky in space!

She saw no one but herself - but she felt hundreds of others; thousands of beings; billions of them all around her! Who were they? Why were they here? What was going on? Why was SHE here?

As Kahira curiously continued to explore, she noticed two of the twinkling stars moving toward her! From far away, they honed in on her and flew through space separating them. It took a millisecond!

The closer they got, the brighter they appeared until it was hard for Kahira to look at the glowing orbs! The brilliant light eased to a stop directly in front of her. She had covered her eyes to keep from being blinded. Kahira felt the intensity of the light diminishing. She removed her arms from her eyes, opening them.

Standing in front of her were Amatola and Ahoti! They were luminous and shimmering but she knew who they were. Tears began to run from her eyes as she floated up to Amatola in awe.

Her mother surrounded her with a hug, holding Kahira in her arms, cheek-to-cheek. She kissed her forehead. Releasing her, Amatola eased back to look at her daughter.

Kahira turned to Ahoti, looking wondrously into his gentle eyes. He glided to her and pulled her against his chest in a loving embrace. Her arms wrapped around his waist as if she were a child again, never wanting to let go!

Her father stroked her hair like he used to when she was a little girl. Finally, Ahoti released Kahira. He moved to Amatola's side once again, taking her hand. "We need to speak with you, Kahira."

Ahoti's expression grew serious. "Like me, you have always acted with a hunter's instinct, to protect yourself and the ones you love. But you also have your mother's heart; her natural instinct of calmness and healing."

"That is true, daughter." Amatola spoke out. "Now, we need to speak with you of this cave dweller, Tenai."

"What of him, mother?"

"We know who Tenai is and what he can be. He has a good heart, even though he is a dark warrior. This may be his chance to change, to decide his own fate. You must help him choose the right path."

"I do not understand," Kahira said with a look of confusion on her face.

"Your father and I chose the right path for us," Amatola continued. "Neither felt that death was an option in the choices we made. We chose instead to live, together."

"We did not allow the old law of tribal segregation to rule our lives. We did not allow ourselves to perish because of it, either, because it was unjust and wrong. Our story will pave a way of hope for others who feel the same as we did."

"I understand that, mother," Kahira replied. "I know the love you had for one another. I felt the love you each had for me. You made the right choice. Because that, I am who I am.

I am grateful for the chances in life I now have because of the sacrifices both of you made."

Ahoti spoke now, addressing his daughter. "You must not try to change Tenai, Kahira. This is a decision he must make for himself. But by your actions, you can help him choose the right path to take. He is a significant factor in your future, either way he chooses."

Kahira absorbed her parents' words, but shook her head in dismay. "I have so many questions! What is he to me? I do not know if he is a friend or an enemy. HOW is he significant to my future?"

Amatola moved forward, taking Kahira's hands in her own. "These are things we cannot tell you. It is in the stars. Everyone has choices to make in life. The choices you make affect others; the choices they make affect more."

"I hope you decide to be calm and think, rather than to act quickly without consideration." Ahoti moved up, pulling Amatola to his side. His face softened as he looked at Kahira. "We must go now, my daughter."

Tears sprang to Kahira's eyes. "I never got to say goodbye to you! I was so alone, so lost after you were gone! I do not want to live without you! You have given me a gift, I know. I miss and love you! I want to stay here with you! Do not send me back to live without you again! Please?"

Amatola's eyes were also bright with tears. "Daughter, you cannot stay here at this time. Your destiny has not been fulfilled. Your life is not over; it has just begun. Know that we watch over you. We love you!"

"We are with you always, in spirit! You are never alone! When the time is right, we will all be together for eternity. Time is nothing here; to us, we will be together soon. But you MUST live your life and follow your destiny. Be happy! Life passes so quickly!"

Kahira cried her heart out as she watched her parents fade into bright lights and speed through the sky away from her. She did not think she could stand the pain.

*****

While Kahira was in her sleep-like trance, Tenai was trying to plan his next move. A coward would have taken this opportunity to kill her while she could not fight back. He knew that some of his tribesmen would have snatched Kahira up at this moment of helplessness and sliced her throat, simply to have the reward of completing the task.

#  Chapter 33

Tenai was no coward. He enjoyed earning his title. He enjoyed a challenge. He was curious to know what just happened when the young woman seemed to fill with energy and power, yet did not attack him! It truly bewildered him.

He looked at her, feeling a strange attraction to the unconscious girl. Kahira"s scent lingered on him. He could smell it deep in her hair. "What am I doing?" Tenai asked himself, startled by the sudden surge of uncontrollable thoughts in his mind.

The legend of the soul of Kahira sparked ill feelings among everyone in his tribe, and here he was, allowing himself to fill with desire for her! Tenai's own father was one who would give his life to see her dead.

Tenai felt strongly that it was HIS destiny to kill Kahira and rid his clan of the danger. The ancient lore kept them from pouring out and overtaking all other lands of Edla to this day.

He had envisioned many times, how it would feel to go to his father with news of his success. Maybe Tenai would finally see a look of pride and triumph in the old man's eyes.

Not once in his entire life had Tenai witnessed a positive emotion come from his father. His father had never even shown a spark of pride when he, the only son of the Chief, continuously proved to outshine others in his rank.

Tenai had made a name for himself among the cave warriors and had brought honor to his family. They all envied the Chief for the skills his son showed in battle and other activities.

And yet Tenai was plagued by his father's constant look of displeasure. Their lives were void of the normal bond and encouragement between father and son. Underneath his cold exterior, this greatly bothered Tenai.

He sat down on the cape, watching Kahira's flawless face. She was the epitome of beauty. The cave females were gorgeously obsidian, but Kahira was an exact opposite of that. She was made of cream and lavender. Her hair was a purple rainbow that never stopped moving or changing colors. It was soft as silk, scented with a tortuously haunting scent.

Tenai had an urge to touch her. He did not fight it. He ran his hand up Kahira's arm, feeling the smooth skin. His fingers moved like a breeze over her throat. How delicate she seemed! It would be so easy to choke the life from her with his strong grip!

#  Chapter 34

On impulse, Tenai sought to explore more. One finger touched the middle of Kahira's lips, softly tracing her mouth. He allowed his fingers to gently trace the outline of the tattoo on her forehead. Putting his nose to the inside of her wrist, he inhaled her scent.

Tenai's pulse began to flutter as he lowered his head and kissed the skin. He closed his eyes, enjoying all that his senses were collecting. Something urged him to touch his lips to hers. Tenai's craving baffled him! But he gave into it. Softly, and without reserve, he kissed Kahira full on the mouth.

Opening her heavy-lidded eyes, Kahira felt a shiver of pleasure course through her body. Beside her, she saw Tenai. He looked deep into her eyes. Kahira could see her reflection in his dark gaze. The kiss tingled on her mouth. Something passed between the two, whispering a promise of a magical experience.

But Tenai's lifelong desire to gain his father's respect was more powerful than his passion for a possible romance. In an instant, Tenai's demeanor changed dramatically. Kahira saw the moment when his eyes took on a shadowy black redness and he pulled out of the daze he had been in.

He looked upon her now with fierce contempt. "What did you do?" Tenai hissed, regaining his stance to hover over her. Kahira faltered but couldn't seem to form any words. She did not know how to react, given the strange vision and circumstance she had awakened to.

"I saw your sorceress power! Are you trying to bewitch me?" Tenai's words were angry accusations but Kahira did not have the energy to argue. She attempted to move but her limbs felt weighted down. Her mouth suddenly became dry.

"I...I need water." She stammered.

Tenai stopped pacing and noticed how weak Kahira seemed. He knelt down to peer into her face again, but the sensation he felt before was no longer present. He took her arm forcefully and cocked his head. "I will not be toyed with, girl!" He spat, "I will take you to the water but do not think to betray me. And once you are fit, I demand to know what is happening here!"

Tenai's expression remained intense as he swiftly lifted her up, swinging her petite form over his shoulder. Cursing to himself, he lumbered over to the water's edge and set Kahira down so hard that her feet splashed in the pond.

Kahira regained a little movement through the course of Tenai's tantrum and she swept up the cool liquid to drink. It was wonderfully fresh, so she hastily drank more. Tenai watched.

Kahira was hunched over with her back to him now. When she finished, she stared down into the reflective pool. How was she going to handle this? She was already growing tired of Tenai's ruthless manner. Kahira was afraid she did not possess the patience needed for her task.

Kahira spoke, with her back to Tenai, avoiding his angry stare. "I could have killed you, you know. You don't have to behave like an animal."

"Did I hear you clearly?" Tenai queried, stepping forward. He let out a tremendous laugh. "You? Kill me?"

"You do not know the power I have, Tenai." Kahira whispered. She sat down on the cave's dirt floor. She glanced in his direction, avoiding eye contact. She was trying hard to control her temper without being threatening. She didn't want to have Tenai react violently.

Kahira spoke, seeming to address the ground. "While defending myself from one of your brethren, I was struck with lightning. My body just... absorbed it. It took control of the energy, causing an electric power to explode from my center. It takes out everything in its wake. If I wanted you dead, you would be dead."

Tenai knew what Kahira spoke of. Eons ago, a special staff was forged to aid in the elimination of anything standing in the path of the cave dwellers" plan to overthrow the other tribes. This staff held the power of the most terrible thunder and lightning storms.

The main purpose of this dark magic was the destruction of Kahira's life force.

Had she actually come in contact with it and survived? He thought about that for a moment. Finally, Tenai addressed her again. "Well then, why did you not strike me with this power to end the threat to yourself?"

Kahira thought she heard a little more than interest in Tenai's voice, maybe awe. She took a chance meeting his eyes as if trying to stare down a vicious beast. "I honestly do not know. I just felt like your life was important to me. I think you are different from the other warriors I have come in contact with. I felt there is more to this. Did you not feel it, too?"

Tenai's eyes widened. He did not like being put on the spot or the fact that she was attempting to force him to see the situation on an emotional level. To cave dwellers, very little energy was focused on emotions, especially in the males of the tribe.

"I do not feel, girl! I react!" Tenai's voice took on a frightening growl-like tone as he seemed to get agitated. Kahira looked away long enough to get to her feet but whenshe looked back, Tenai had disappeared into the shadows of the cavern. Suddenly, Kahira was alone.

She did not know Tenai's reason for retreating. She called out to him a few times, hervoice echoing off the cave walls and through its hollow darkness. Tenai had gone swiftly, leaving her weak and confused.

Kahira suddenly felt like the cave was spinning! Its walls were closing around her! She had to sit down! She could not breathe!

#  Chapter 35

Kahira wandered to a pile of large stones and sat, hand on her chest. The anxiety she felt was almost too much to bear. "Calm down, Kahira." She assured herself, "You will make it through this."

She slowly regained control of her senses. Tenai still had not returned. Maybe he had left her here to die. That made no sense to Kahira though. Tenai was a warrior. It seemed too easy.

Regardless of the reason, Kahira had to do something. She knew that by now Tanka and Pheta would be searching for her, by land and air. She had never strayed far from them before. Not for long, anyway. How much time HAD passed? The better of a day and a half, she thought.

With another look around, Kahira sighed heavily. The way they had entered seemed the only way out. But it was pitch black! She feared walking through the tunnel in her current condition. If she was attacked in the darkness, what could she do without strength to fight or steadiness to run?

Kahira lay down across the rock slab and fell asleep. More time passed. Strange noises woke her up on several occasions. She felt like she was fighting a fever. Maybe it was the cave's atmosphere; the cool, stagnant feel of it. Or maybe it was such a deep cavern that air could not permeate its thick barrier. But she sensed something steadily withdrawing her energy.

She managed to climb down from the rock and began following the cave wall. Kahira used the wall to support herself as she moved to a spot where the lake branched out around a group of stalagmites, each housing a multitude of small stones and crystals that glowed warmly.

The stalagmites hid a shallow pool. Something had drawn her there. In her feverish mind, she heard muffled voices and chants leading her, but once she reached the spot, they suddenly stopped.

Without thought, Kahira slid into the water, allowing it to engulf her. It was cold against her hot flesh, soothing. The moment she resurfaced, Kahira realized that this spa held natural healing powers. She was grateful to Edla as the fever and disorientation left her. She felt restored!

With a renewed sense of strength and purpose, Kahira left the cleansing pool. She went to the stalagmite altar and offered gratitude for this miracle. It seemed wherever Kahira went, whatever difficulty she faced, she was protected and given guidance, and she did not take that for granted.

Kahira glanced swiftly around the cave before sprinting toward the black opening. She was ready for whatever awaited her.

#  Chapter 36

Tenai used his skills to elude Kahira and climbed up into the dark recesses of the cavern near the cave wall. He had been observing her all the time in silence, waiting for that moment when she would be well enough to challenge.

He did not like the feeling her words had on him. Silencing her was all Tenai thought he could do. In the darkness, he plotted in an attempt to rebuild his intent to kill Kahira. He argued with himself that it must be done for the future of his people.

He started to get concerned that Kahira may die as a result of succumbing to the electricity within herself. That probability was discouraging. She looked so ill, forcing his mind to whir with questions that held no answers.

When Kahira entered the water, Tenai thought she might be ending her own life. It caught him off guard when she, without warning, set to escape!

As Kahira reached the tunnel entrance, Tenai jumped down from his hiding spot, landing with a hard thud directly in front of her. She nearly slammed into him at the speed she was running by that time!

As he landed, the ground around Tenai ruptured, causing dirt and rubble to explode upward, toppling her. Kahira gasped as he lunged at her. He tackled her, pinning her to the ground.

Tenai roared from somewhere deep in his body and the intensity in his eyes bore into her. With his horns held high, he snarled down at her. Kahira knew Tenai was trying to intimidate her and she had had enough! With her renewed strength, she buckled, creating enough space between their bodies for her to knee him in the abdomen.

The shock caused Tenai to release his hold on Kahira's arms but his hands quickly encircled her throat. His expression was blazing! He was furious!

Kahira instantly brought her hands together in a tight fist. Before she started losing breath, she freed herself by ramming her arms up between his; punching him right under the chin.

Tenai keeled sideways dizzily, blood trickling from the side of his mouth.

Kahira rolled out of his reach. She jumped up into a squatting position. "You are glorious, Tenai! But I will not allow myself to be beaten down by you!"

Tenai caught his breath, springing into a stance mimicking hers. He clenched his jaw, fang-like teeth gleaming; his clawed hands open at his sides. His eyes danced angrily.

Kahira could see excitement and fury in the redness of Tenai's glare! She stood and let out her loud shrill war cry! Kahira leapt at Tenai and he charged her!

#  Chapter 37

Tenai moved with the swiftness of the panther, catching her around the waist. Her braid swung around whipping him in the back. They hit the floor, separated again by jolting maneuvers.

Kahira rushed Tenai again. When she was close enough she flipped, releasing a double force kick to his chest! She braced herself, palms to the floor as the impact forced him backwards. Tenai landed with a thud against a rock wall.

"Tenai!" Kahira roared out in a growl of her own, "I will NOT grow tired and I will NOT be defeated!" Her own expression had grown fierce. Tenai could not help but appreciate her beauty in this light. He stood again, a smirk teasing the corners of his mouth.

"I have just been playing with you, girl! I thought you would be weak since you are a woman but you please me with this defiance. You are a bold one! But I will break you yet!" As he finished speaking, Tenai charged.

Closing the distance between them, he slid to the ground in a sweeping motion and knocked Kahira to the floor! When she fell, Tenai quickly positioned himself above her, straddling her body. He bent over and grabbed her by her dress. "You are not so cunning, Pretty One."

Kahira"s face was fearless. There was an energy here, hot tempered wild and electric, but she was not afraid. This warrior was her match; she felt it deep in her soul.

Kahira braced her arms against his for support and wrapped her strong legs around his thigh. With the heel of her foot, she struck him behind the knee, knocking him off balance yet again. Tenai fell to his knees and Kahira stabilized herself.

Twisting him back by the arms, she jabbed her knee into his side. He let out a loud shout, tumbled and came to rest face down in the dirt! Kahira turned him over, her legs now on either side of his body. Pinning him as he originally pinned her, Kahira peered down into Tenai's handsome face.

A smile played on his mouth. Leaning down, Kahira firmly pressed her lips to his.

Instinctively, Tenai's hand wrapped in her hair. He flipped her to lie beside him so that he was peering at her delicate features. His hand went to the side of her face.

Tenai pulled her up so their faces met vigorously and his mouth sought hers again. Kahira returned the kiss, twining her arms around his neck.

"Kahira," he whispered in her ear, making her arms cover with goose flesh. Tenai was stroking her sleek hair. The timbre in his voice rode on waves through her mind and heart. "I need you."

"Tenai," Kahira began. He silenced the rest of her words with another kiss.

They mated as pond water splashed against rock walls and droplets fell to the cave floor from hanging stalactites. The planet seemed to stop, nothing seemed more important than these moments.

Feeling like they had each found a part of themselves, they had desperately missed, for the first time in each of their lives they both felt whole. Looking above them, Kahira noticed that their two auras had merged into one of swirling purple and black hues.

Kahira watched the riveting colors dance amongst the shadows until she fell asleep against Tenai's broad chest. By morning, their birth tattoos had changed!

Kahira's tattoo had two new crimson flames that shot from in front of each ear. Each flame ran across a cheek, down the neck, weaving across the lower throat and ending in a wondrous flash of flame surrounding her heart. A silver crown nestled inside the circle of flames.

Tenai's tattoo had two new shimmering red vines growing in front of each ear. Both vines ran down the opposite sides of the face, across the cheek, down the neck, delicately weaving across the lower throat, ending in elegant swirling vines around his heart. A gold crown adorned the inside of the circle of vines.

Awakening in each others' arms, Kahira and Tenai stood, facing one another. She scrutinized his new tattoo; he studied hers. Looking into each others' eyes, they grinned.

Kahira cuddled up against him. Tenai put his arms around her, drawing her even closer into the safety she felt there. Walking hand in hand through the dark tunnel, each pondered what this would mean in their lives.

It was silent, almost morning. Although the night was dark, there was light enough to see the way back to Kahira's hut. Tenai looked at her, filled with a need to protect. He knew she was the most precious thing he had ever wanted as his own.

#  Chapter 38

Tanka and Pheta were asleep as Kahira pulled Tenai up the rope ladder into the hut. She was so used to it; she had forgotten how overwhelming the hut really was! Tenai followed her to every room, asking what this or that was, what use things had.

Kahira got a clean set of clothes with a towel for Tenai. She showed him how to use the toilet and bath. She pulled the doors closed, leaving Tenai his privacy. She was tired, knowing he was, too. Sitting at the table with her bath things in her lap, she traded places with him as he exited the bathroom.

He had climbed into her bed and instantly fallen asleep. She did the same thing after her bath. As Kahira slept deeply, she had another vision...

*****

The night sky was different than usual. Black thick clouds were all that could be seen. The stars were invisible. The two moons were invisible. It was hard for anyone to see anything with the inky black clouds filling the sky.

Tenai and Kahira were dressed in armor with battle weapons. Tenai rode Tanka into the fray while Kahira rode Pheta to battle from the sky. The only weapon she had was her power. With Pheta's skill at flying, swooping and moving back and forth in the sky, Kahira screamed her war cry.

As Pheta darted down into the battle, Kahira would pick her target, hold her palms up and the opposing black warrior would scream as his life force was dragged out of him into her palms and up into her heart. The warrior's body would fall to the ground and explode, leaving a pile of gray ash in its place.

Kahira looked from the sky over the thousands of evil warriors. She glanced at the small group trying to fight them off. Without her power, they would have been long dead. She was absently pondering the odds of the battle and for just that moment, her focus strayed.

She heard the terrible roar from Tenai and looked at him. Kahira saw he was surrounded by dark warriors. One of them had thrown a spear, lancing through his heart. Kahira watched as in slow motion, Tenai fell from Tanka's back. "NO!" She screamed, losing all control in her furious rage and grief!

Before she could think, both her arms lifted towards the battlefield. Terrifying electric bolts shot from her palms into the battle grounds. As Pheta moved in the sky, Kahira maintained the spray of electricity, continuing to wipe out thousands of lives every second. When she finished, there were none left alive on the ground except Tanka.

*****

Kahira sat up in the bed, screaming. It woke the two of them up! Her entire body glistened with sweat. It ran in rivulets down her face and arms, dripping off her fingers onto the blanket. Instantly she was in Tenai's safe arms as they tightened around her pulling her to his chest. "What was THAT?" Tenai asked.

"I had a vision, Tenai. You died and I wiped out all of your people who were battling against us! They wanted me dead but you would not allow it. Even though you are their Prince, they would go through you to get to me. I know why your people want me dead."

"What is it? What can I do to stop or change it for us?"

"They want me dead because I will bear a child that you will father. They cannot allow this child to be born, because we are of different tribes. The child will bring about a new way on Edla."

"They will kill you just to kill me, so our child will never be conceived and born. I suppose there is nothing either of us can do." Kahira began to cry.

"We need to sleep, Kahira. We are both tired. Tomorrow will be time enough to discuss this."

She was looking at her hands in her lap with tears silently running down her cheeks. Sadly, she looked into Tenai's beautiful dark eyes. He lay back down on his side, pulling her back onto his stomach, wrapping an arm around her waist.

Kahira laid her head on his strong shoulder, closing her eyes. She quieted enough to go back to sleep. Tenai gently stroked her silky hair while thinking about how powerful she was. He knew she could use her power for the good, just, honest, and wise and the poor of Edla. Surely there was a way Kahira could use her great powers to stop this battle.

Could she keep the bloody massacre from happening? He lay awake until early morning, thinking about all she said.

#  Chapter 39

Word had spread quickly through Tenai's cavernous empire; that instead of killing Kahira, he had fallen in love with her and stayed to protect her. The small group kept on the move, trying to find a place where they felt safely secure. Finally settling in a mountain forest, they were able to set up the hut in the opening of a majestic mountainside cavern. Nobody could sneak up from the back because the cave blocked them.

Tanka and Pheta each had taken a side to guard, leaving the front for Kahira and Tenai to watch. If needed, the cabin could be taken down in seconds, leaving the cave for the four of them in case of injury or being overrun.

There was plenty of game in the forest. Tanka and Pheta did the hunting. It was safer than exposing either Kahira or Tenai. But more evil warriors found them, battling them until they no longer felt safe there.

Time moved along until the night came that Kahira and Tenai had dreaded. The night of the greatest battle fought on Edla.

As they held hands, looking into the night sky, it began just as Kahira had envisioned. Just a dark sky. No stars. No moons.

They slowly readied for this final battle, still without a plan to overcome the evil and succeed to live through it. Kahira again rode Pheta. Tenai again mounted Tanka wearing armor and carrying his battle weapons.

The vision came true as the battle was waged just as in the dream. Tenai was mortally wounded, falling from Tanka's back. This time, Kahira controlled her powers. Pheta dropped to the ground as Kahira slid down her wing. She looked down at Tenai's broken and bloody dead body.

She fell to the ground and cradled his head gently on her lap. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Kahira opened her mouth and the scream that tore from her very soul lasted an eternity, stopping the black warriors on the battlefield short. The entire battlefield fell into silence.

A brilliant green mist rose from the ground. Instead of spreading, it hovered, moving further and further up into the sky. When it towered over the battlefield higher than the tallest mountain on Edla, it stopped growing but did not dissipate.

A sublime form of a most exquisite woman was revealed in the sparkling mist. She was dazzling. Hair of waterfalls cascaded down to her knees. Eyes of aqua, brown and green could be seen, the colors constantly moved, enhancing the colors of the earth.

Eyebrows made of sea waves graced her face. Sea waves also showed as thin wrinkles in the middle of her forehead.

Above the eyebrows, her skin was a lavender sky with her husband, Sula, bright and shining there. A single sea shell lay at her throat as a necklace. Across her breasts, a rainbow ran like a Chinese fan, small at one end but widening into a magnificent rainbow at the other end. Two purple beauty marks at her belly button showed her twin children at full moon.

Stunning mountains were her hips, topped with the whitest snows ever seen. The skin of her back, bottom and below the mountainous hips, down and around legs and feet were full of everything imaginable on the ground. Animals, mammals, sea life, trees, bushes, flowers, lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, vines, forests, caves, plains, deserts, oceans; they wildly covered the bottom half of her luscious body.

The top half was covered in everything imaginable from the sky; comets, clouds, stars, birds, dragons, planets, butterflies. Millions of sparkles covered her entirely causing the colors of her body to riotously move in constant motion.

She glittered so much it was hard to look directly at her. Putting her hands on her hips, shaking her head in sorrowful anger, Mother Edla pointed a finger at the battlefield. In a deep, earthy voice, she said, "I will NOT allow this to happen to my children!"

"You have gone against the Prophecy, trying to stop what is destined to happen. It is for the GOOD of ALL! It will finally bring PEACE and UNITY to the children of my land. You are my children who need to be taught what is best for you!"

"If you value your lives, your futures and the futures of your children and your children's children, you will listen, learn and thrive." Mother Edla mumbled something in the mist, beginning to shrink in size!

#  Chapter 40

When she was about the height of Kahira, she walked to her. Kahira was on hands and knees above Tenai. She pulled the spear from his body. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she wordlessly keened her mourning song.

Mother Edla knelt, putting a hand softly to her cheek. Kahira watched, tears rolling down her cheeks, wondering how she would go on. Without the other half of her soul, she was not one. She was broken, unable to survive without Tenai beside her.

Edla held her hand over Tenai's heart and a strong light issued from her palm. Kahira could feel its warmth. She knew inside her mind it was some type of electric current. Edla pulled her hand back to rest it in her other hand, Tenai opened his eyes, looking at Kahira. "What happened?" he queried.

Kahira's eyes overflowed with joyous tears! She gave thanks to Mother Edla for this wondrous gift! Edla stood to look again at her children on the battlefield. She then slowly drifted back into the mist and it flowed down into the ground once more.

A new era began. Kahira and Tenai were the first King and Queen on Edla. They wed and soon the Princess would be born! She would be unique to the entire planet of Edla... born with the blood of all three tribes of Edla flowing in her veins!

Kahira felt the start of fulfillment of her destiny. She knew exactly what it was!

It was imperative to wipe out the ancient law regarding inbreeding and marriage only to another in the separate tribes. If two were fated to be soul mates, destiny should not be denied because of bigotry, fear or archaic boundaries.

She and Tenai had a hard road to follow to fulfill another part of their shared destiny. They had to break down the three tribes and unite them all as one on Edla.

Everyone had a right to be equal to everyone else. New species of life had just as much right as the three that first began on Edla. Edla spun around her husband, Sula, and her twins, Rali and Raza, united as one strong family force. This is what Edla wanted from her children on the ground.

Kahira was happy in the knowledge that her power of electricity was to be used to help her and Tenai form this new world of acceptance and peace. It would not harm anyone who was honest, worthy, truthful or loving.

For Kahira, there was no more fear. For no matter what the future held, she knew her powers would forever be used for the good of ALL who existed on Edla.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

EMAIL ADDRESS: laurabaddgor@mail.com

Hi! I was born in Manhattan, Kansas, but currently reside in Moline, Illinois. I am the oldest of six children and I have three children of my own and three grandsons as well. I love being able to jump into fantasy stories; am an avid fantasy and sci-fi reader. I've always wanted to write stories; I just never had the time until now. I have two grown cats that I love to death!

My name is Laura Baddgor and I am a new writer of fantasy stories. In fact, I have only finished my first story. I am going to be publishing the story here online so anyone who enjoys reading fantasy can read it if they want to. As this is my first story, I will gladly take any advice, comment or input anyone wishes to give me! Hopefully, it will help me learn and my stories will get better with knowledge. So read if you want to and please, comment on anything you wish!

