Matriarch Simika

A man wearing dark flowing robes that mostly covered his face ran full speed in the middle of the night. His steps made shallow recesses in the desert sand as he moved.

The man was so fast that the wind whooshed and howled in his wake as his robes flailed about in the breeze. He left a sand storm in his wake as he approached a small building away from everything else.

After arriving at a small hut, he banged loudly and quickly on an ornately crafted door until a curved black blade materialized under his chin wielded by a robed figure from behind. The hand of his assailant was steady and unflinching.

He raised his arms with his palms open to signify surrender and tried to speak but the blade was too close to his neck and any small motion would mean his death especially if the blade is poisoned so he just pointed at the sky.

A single star was so bright that it dwarfed the light coming from the two moons and the rest of the stars put together.

The hooded figure retrieved her blade so fast, the man could not see where she kept it. It just seemed to vanish into her robe.

They lowered the hoods of their robes and the man turned to face her. They both had dark -almost black- oily skin and white hair. They also had pointy ears and sharp noses but that was where the similarities ended.

The man was tall with firm skin while the woman was short with loose skin and heavy bags underneath her eyes. Compared to the dull eyes and dopey look the man had, the woman had a ferocious demeanour despite her obvious age.

"What are you pointing at?" the woman said unaware of the sky.

"The sky. Have you not noticed the bright star in the sky?" the man asked. "It is that of the fox."

"How many times have I warned you not to run towards my home like an Larkin set on fire?" she asked.

"Too many times, Matriarch Simika," the man said with a bow. "Please accept my apologies."

"If I forgive, you'll just do it again," she said. "I need to take a toe or two so that you learn your lesson."

The man took a step back and gulped. He let out a nervous laugh but the matriarch only stared.

"Honourable Matriarch… Uduak's wife, Dina, has given birth," he said.

"That is great news but I still need you to hold still while I sever your toes and fingers," she said menacingly. "Maybe I should take a leg instead and solve this problem once and for all."

He took another step back and started shaking visibly.

"The babies… um … cry…," he said unable to speak coherently. "It did… that," he said gesturing at the unnaturally bright star.

It took a few moments for Matron to understand the implications. When she did, her eyes widened in disbelief. She just about managed to regain her composure before speaking again.

"Take me to Uduak's hut."

***

The young man ran through the desert until he began to breathe heavily while the Matriarch Simika barely broke a sweat. Ignoring her rapidly moving legs and looking only at her face, it would've seemed that she was on a leisurely walk.

The dessert sand quickly gave way to red brick structures and ufoda trees. They were long desert trees with umbrella-like leaves.

"Matriarch... we have... arrived," the young man said as he ran out of breath.

In front of a small house, a crowd had gathered. People climbed over each other at every window to see inside. One by one, people carrying small parcels would go in and a few minutes later would come out without the parcels. The ones outside would ask them questions and chatter excitedly.

The throng fell silent and parted like waves of sand under a sand boat.

The matriarch entered the house and after recognizing her everyone bowed as they approached her.

The crowd inside came closer to kiss the matriarch's ring and touch their foreheads to the back of her hand as a ritual to show their respect.

Matriarch Simika nearly stumbled on stacks of gift parcels that had been piled up on the ground in the middle of the room.

"I apologize matriarch," a bearded man said. "We have been receiving gifts of the dark ore from quite a number of people. This much will make blades for an entire army."

"It's quite alright," the matriarch said. "With this amount of dark metal ore, you could build a spaceship. Is it a boy or girl?"

"A tiny spaceship perhaps. Its a boy, your grace," he replied.

"Then he is a blessing, regardless of whether he is or isn't the desert fox returning to us," she replied.

Still saddled in his mother's arms, the baby was sleeping peacefully. The matriarch sat on the bed beside the mother and stretched her arms to receive him. The boy was not the biggest she had ever seen. She held him for a few moments, stroking his head and then began to cry.

"Uduak, come here," she said.

The father dutifully came to her side.

"Tell me what he looks like," she said. "I'm afraid my sight has left me."

"He's a beautiful boy matriarch," he said. "He has his mother's eyes and his father's chin."

"I thought you said he was beautiful?" she said and the mother laughed.

"I love the chin. I could not love anyone who did not have that chin," the mother said.

"He has a warrior's aura for one so small," she said. "Can you also sense his power?"

"I am not gifted in the ways of the spirit but I feel it too," Uduak said. "My boy will defeat armies by himself."

"I am sensitive to the spirit arts and it feels like I'm staring into the sun," his mother said before she took him back from the matriarch's arms. "What does this mean, your grace?"

"There is no doubt about it, he is the dessert fox that was prophesied a thousand years ago," the matriarch said. "I feel overwhelmed that he was born into my clan."

She wiped her tears before struggling to kneel and needed help from Uduak.

Matriarch Simika kissed the fingers of the baby and then touched the back of his hand with her forehead in reverence.

"The clan leaders must meet to discuss all this, I will summon the other matriarchs immediately," she said tearfully. "I can't wait to stick it to that bitch."