Sun Stealer. Hidden Anomaly. (7 page)

             
“Somebody made the dark beast mad” she whispered “It is cave day”.

             
“Cave day?” I asked her.

             
“Few of us will have to face the terror of the abandoned dark cave today. He chooses who will go in. Men, women, children- we’re all in danger Almas. Someone will lose his life today” she answered.

             
“Why would he do that to his own people”? I asked.

             
“he claims this is his way to train us for future battles with the civilized zone.” Daria answered.

             
I wanted to ask her so many questions, but something startled her and she rushed away from me.

             
“I believe this is your!” said the dark beast. He was standing behind me and I figured, that was what had scared Daria away.               He threw my sharp stone to the ground, covered with blood. I recognized the second man, that was hurting the little girl together with his friend. He must have told the dark beast what I did. That I took the life of a wild one.

             
“he was hurting a little girl…they both did!” I said.

             
“So you’re a killer.” dark beast said “my guest is a killer”. 

              “He deserved it!” I said firmly.

             
“Who are you to decide that?” the dark beast shouted at me.

             
“Only I am authorized to make this decision. didn’t they teach you that at Bira Amikta?” he asked me and did not wait for my response. He just turned his back to me and walked towards Shab- square together with the snitch wild one.

             
“Meet us at Shab- square.” he shouted and didn’t look back.

             
I called my cats and together with the rest of the wild women and children rushed to Shab- square.

             
Dark beast was standing in front of the crowed, waiting for a silent moment for him to lay his verdict.

             
“The dark cave. Many have walked in it, only few have walked out. The strong one will survive the danger applied by nature: snakes, bats, black demons. and those are the names…”             

             
Every name he mentioned was followed by a big cry of sorrow. A woman crying for her man, a mother crying for her child and two demons crying for their owner. My name was one of them.

             
“You can not do this” kujo jumped “she is just a guest”.

             
“Guests are part of the wild zone.” The dark beast said.

             
“I am going in too” kujo said, making his leader even more upset. He approached him with a little smile on his face:

             
“You two are getting real close… You wish to lose your life for her? Fine. You’re in.” he whispered.

             
I was not going to let kujo do that for me and I asked him to stay out.

             
“Your people need you for the real battle” I said “This is just practice. I will be fine” I whispered in his ear.

             
Nine terrified wild ones stood outside the dark cave. Nine innocents and one stealer. I was ready.

             
The big cloud of dust could not cover the big wonder everybody had on their faces, when all ten of us came out of the cave alive. I was holding two kids on my arms. We were all covered with blood, sweat and tears but it did not matter. We had survived. We had to go through the cave from it’s opening to it’s back hole. For a few moments we had to face together, what I had faced alone for years and years in Didam Valley. I did not see that as a challenge, only another obstacle in my way.

             
Everyone were embraced by their loved ones. I stood there by my self, my two demons came closer to lick my bruises. I knew they were happy to see me. I knew kujo was happy to see me. I also felt the dark beast’s eyes all over me although, I did not look up. I just gathered my demons, my strengths and prepared to move on. This was not the place for me. I had a mission and I could not waste my time on a war, that was not mine.

             
I was by the lake, when kujo ran towards me, trying to catch his breath.

             
“Almas, you can stay, dark beast wants you to stay”. he said with a smile.

             
“I have no desire to stay here” I said to him.

             
“Almas, please. We need you. The men and women told our leader about your greatness in the dark cave. He did not think there could be a great fighter coming from Bira- Amikta. After all, your village was completely destroyed. But now that he heard it from the wild ones, He was really impressed. He wants you to train us. Teach us everything you know.”

             
“So he was testing me”  I said to kujo.

             
“Dark beast is our leader. Nobody dare to question him. Not even me. Please stay. We need you” kujo held my hand.

             
“On one condition” I said “No child would be harassed or hurt by a wild elder!”             

             
“done” I heard a deep voice behind me.               It was Dark beast. Something had changed in his eyes. A sincere will replaced his constant arrogance. The truth was, I needed them more than they needed me. I could not complete my revenge without the wild ones. So I agreed to stay.

              The next days I worked with the wild ones and taught them some of the arts I practiced. I taught the children to dance with the demons cubs, just like I used to dance with Shadea. I taught men and women how to tame their cats. I also taught them how not to fight them. And how to allow them the freedom they deserve.

             
“did you know dark demons could fly?”

I
asked them as I was embracing Sapron and Narnegi with my arms, allowing them to lead the way. We were climbing a tall rock together. I was in the middle and they were my wings. That event caused the wild ones to get close to their demons and within time, all cuts and bruises on their dark skin, disappeared.

             
I also taught them how to make sharp stones that can harm a big cat or a human. I taught the younger wild ones how to hang on trees like bats. And taught the young girls the serpentine motion of the forbidden dance.

             
I used to wash myself in the lake at night time, when the wild zone was asleep. I could not allow anyone to discover who I was.               One night at the lake, I heard a big roar behind me, coming from the water. It was Sapron, he noticed kujo was in the water trying to surprise me. Only he got the surprise himself. He did not know Sapron was in the water with me. He screamed and ran out of the lake. I could not stop laughing at the look, he had on his face. My sweet demons were protecting me. Protecting my cover and my truth.

             
After washing in the lake, I used to take a walk with my cats out side the wild zone, under the full moon. I liked to feel the cool air and collect my thoughts together. One night, I got near Didam valley and noticed a dark figure walking on top of the edge. He was unsteady and rolling from side to side. I came closer. It was a man with a familiar features. It was Sag.

             
Sag was on the wild side of Didem valley. He probably chewed too many red Gat’s leaves. Gat’s leaves were chewed by men of the wild zone. Sag used to steal them on every battle to his own use. He once told me, it gave him energy but I learned from Sia, a large amount of them, could cause hallucinations. Therefore I felt safe to approach him.

             
“did you lose something?” I asked him as he was looking down the valley.

             
“what…?” he turned to me “who is there?”

             
I sensed he could barely see me because of the darkness and the red Gat’s leaves affect.

             
“it is me” I whispered. “your yellow diamond”.

             
“Yellow diamond…” he started crying “my beautiful diamond… I missed you so much… you.. You are a grown woman...” he stuttered.

             
“You are a coward!’ I yelled at him, as he almost fell into the valley.

             
I grabbed his arm. His body was hanged between sky and earth. His destiny was in my hand.

             
“How does it feel?” I whispered.

             
“Please help me” he begged me. 

             
“like you helped me?” I asked him and pulled him right back to the ground. He was too poisoned to harm anyone or even remember what happened.

             
“They sleep… I have to know when they sleep…” he mumbled.

             
“What?…Who?” I asked him

             
“The wild ones …The final battle…” he said and passed out to the ground.

             
I understood the civilized zone was planning a sudden attack on the wild zone. I was running out of time.

             
“Where have you been, you fool?” Emerdi yelled at Sag, as he was entering her room.

             
“You look like hell… go wash yourself!” she knew her man was addicted to the red poison.

             
“Emerdi… do you ever think about her?” Sag asked quietly as he was sitting down, his head facing down the ground.

             
“What are you talking about?” Emerdi asked with concern.

             
“your little sister, yellow …”

             
“don’t say her name!” Emerdi cried “We’ve agreed not to talk about her, right?!”

             
“Sometimes I think I see her… am I loosing my mind…?” he asked Emerdi.

             
“You have to stop chewing red Gat!” Emerdi said and turned quiet for a moment.

             
“Sometimes I feel her too” she said, made Sag lift his head up and look her in the eyes. “As if she was looking at me, while I was sleeping in my bed… that gives me the chill”. she whispered and started shivering.

             
Sag got up and held her:

             
“It will be fine. Everything will be fine, just as we planed. I promise.”

             
Night time. Shab square was filled with the wild ones. They were all ready for their traditional gathering. I had information, I had to deliver without getting myself exposed. How would I do that? I had to use the help of my demons.

             
“Danger is close” I said to the dark beast.

             
“What do you mean?” he asked me.

             
“We have to attack the civilized zone sooner than we planed!” I said firmly.

             
“Why would you say that Almas?” kujo asked me.

             
“My cats… they are not peaceful. They sense danger is coming” I said and pointed at my demons. They kept roaring with no rest. I asked them to act this way. I had to. There was no other way.

             
“You have to trust me” I turned to dark beast and kujo. “We are ready for the battle. It is time”.

              While the wild ones were troubled by the fact of another bloody battle coming there way. I was troubled by my conscience. I kept thinking about my father, my mother, my sister, my kingdom, all the places I knew as a child. All the places I used to play, run, dance in...

             
And Shadea. I kept thinking about Shadea. I decided, I would visit my kingdom for the last time before it was destroyed. It was the last time but not the first. I used to visit my kingdom once in a while. At night time. I used to sneak to my sister’s room and watch her, while she was sleeping in her comfortable, warm bed. I was looking for my Shadea everywhere but could not find her. This last time, I intended to succeed.

              “Aaaaaaaaaaaaa” my sister screamed at the sight of the black mud covering her clean sheets. She was washing herself when I had arrived at, what used to be my kingdom, and I decided to surprise her.

             
“Hello sister” I whispered as I was covering her mouth and pushing her to the wall. The sight of her dead sister caused her a great panic, I had to hold my hand so tight, so she would not scream again and awake the kingdom guards.

Finally
, she calmed down and I could let go of her.

             
“You are alive?” she stuttered.