The Tshamari's Might.
1000 Words
As he looked at the strange woman in front of him, Moseti could not detect any traces of fear. Her whole face was still, emotionless. Her followers never once moved or looked up. Only the little girl who looked to be in her early teens seemed to be scared stiff.
Moseti scrutinized her. She wasn't someone he recognized, so most probably she was from Mariani. Who were this women? Why had they taken a daughter of their neighboring village?
He looked at his opponents face again. She was smiling.
"Ah, and thus the cub shall roar." the tshamari talked for the first time.
Her voice was cool, no it was cold and Moseti sensed something immensely sinister in it. This woman wasn't his prey.
The tshamari took a step forward, stepping on the arrows that fenced her in. She slowly raised her left hand.
Out of instinct Moseti took a step back and his right hand reached for his swords hilt. What was she trying to do unarmed and that far away?
In his head he quickly went through his options and he settled for a harsh warning first, then a brief show of intent through one of her followers if she proved stubborn.
"Do not take ano...th...." he did not get to finish his warning as a sudden vicious grip grabbed his throat.
Startled Moseti dropped his bow and arrow, unsheathed his sword and stabbed backwards then sideways at his surprise assailants. But he saw no one when he turned around. The grip tightened and his chest was starting to burn for lack of air.
Beyond bewildered he looked at the strange woman. Her left hand that she'd raised was now held in a tight grip, her eyes murderous. Only her lips moved ever so slightly as she muttered to herself .
How in the blue heavens was this happening? Moseti looked out to his fellow mates in a feeble cry for help, but all were in the same vile predicament. They were all being choked to death by an invisible force!
His eyes were beginning to get hazy, this was bad. As he struggled in vain to free his neck, Moseti looked down and he could not believe what he saw on the ground.
The shadow from the mysterious woman's outstretched arm had elongated and split to reach his and all his mates shadows where they stood.
Like dark vicious tentacles, it was this shadow that held them. Thinking quickly Moseti raised his sword and with both hands stabbed the ground at the 'dark hand' with all his might.
He felt the grip weaken at once and did not waste a second. Moseti lunged forward closing the gap, his sword now a blur of steel aimed at the accursed woman's arm.
The tshamari seemed surprised and amused at his quick wit. Not many warriors who had witnessed her shadow manipulation lived to tell the story, they usually died frantic confused deaths but this boy actually discovered it's weakness and countered.
She tightened her grip even more and another shadow hand gripped Moseti's arm just centimeters from slicing off her arm. Two new shadow hands shot to his neck once more.
"Not yet, not yet..." He told himself as he exerted every ounce of strength he had. But his muscles became lethargic, his lungs were on fire. He could not move. Moseti fell down to his knees at her feet.
"The Great Warrior Chief Moseti Kalibari, I must say you look more fierce in person." the tshamari addressed him as she fondly touched his face with her cold long fingers.
"Sadly our paths are not yet one little warrior, when the time comes we shall meet again."
She gestured to her followers and the procession started moving again.
Moseti felt the invisible grip slowly receding and he finally breathed in deeply and fell down in a sorry heap.
"Wait .. wa... " he tried to speak out but he could only cough. He slumped down overwhelmed by the entire ordeal.
When he regained his senses , Moseti got up slowly. He reached for his neck rueing the strange defeat. His mates walked up to him, they were also in deep thought. He was glad they were all okay.
"She called you warrior chief," Kimono blurted out what they were all thinking.
Moseti too was trying to piece together what they had just encountered and the strange woman's words.
"During the historical lessons that my father arranges for me i remember the elders had talked of a clan of spirit mediums. No one knows where they came from but they have inhabited the lands since time immemorial. They used to be consulted in times of famine, scourge, war. But they had disappeared for so long. They became a mere rumor."
"Well rumor they are no more." Kibuti spoke out for the first time.
"wait, you said famines, scourges and war."
"What does that say of the times ahead," Kobe mulled
"Definitely not a good sign, something big is coming. Something bad."
Moseti got up and sheathed his sword.
"I don't know Kobe, maybe maybe not. Many men have ruined their lives thinking too much of the future that they forget the present."
"What I know is this. Ask yourselves why us? why now? how does this affect us? we may have a crucial role to play brothers. And it's a good omen that we know what we know now."
"Its most likely that our generation will experience something life-changing. Whether good or bad we must be prepared. Our entire villages continued existence may very well depend on it."
And thus on that evening the hunting band made a pact of brotherhood. Their vow, they would be the best warriors of their generation. Together they pledged their lives to their village.
"Not a word to anyone of what we witnessed here today.," Moseti warned as they approached the Lekuta gates, looking rugged, beaten up and with no catch for the day.
- Writer
