22* Lands and Secrets

'Many,many moons ago,before the mountains were pebbles,and the great rivers were just drops of rain. There was a time the gods lived peacefully among the men and the other species.

There was harmony amongst the greater gods,lesser gods and the men.

There was peace,far beyond comprehension. The peace kept all together as one, growing and striving to make a beautiful world.

However,a god got greedy and wanted to have the world under his palms.

Driven by his greed and thirst for power, Amadioha the god of thunder,a sky god, made a deal with Oziojor,the goddess of the underworld.

He wanted more power to rule the sky and the earth.

He promised that if she helped him,she could rule by him.

Together,they could rule the sky,earth and the underworld.

It was a deadly and dangerous task,and many died during that time. The world had never experienced so much suffering,both man and gods.

As the last resort to end the reign of terror,the gods decided to join their power to create a being which could stand against Amadioha and Oziojor.

This being was given power from all the other gods to make them stronger. The being was going to lead the other gods to the worst war in the history of life.

The war dragged on for many many moons, leaving an unbelievable amount of destruction in its path.

Thankfully, the being was able to lead the gods to victory, driving Amadioha and Oziojor to the deepest and darkest place of hell.

However,there has been stories carried through the winds, that a child formed between Amadioha and Oziojor would one day rise again to begin another great destruction .'

There was a great moment of silence before the loud cackles of men's laughter filled the pub as the old woman finished telling the tale.

The woman looked frustrated.

This was not the first time she was telling this tale,but the ewus would not believe her.

"You must be more drunk than us, Nne...it is only children who believe in such tales!"

The man's words were slurred as he struggled to stand to his feet,only to fall back to his buttocks on the decaying wooden floor.

The woman tightened her wrapper firmly around her chest

"Tufia!"

She spat out a swear as she refilled the calabash of another man who looked like he was about to pass out.

"The gods are getting worried."

She continued with more seriousness.

"There would soon be a very bloody war. Amam ofuma...I know what I am talking about!"

Suddenly the whole room filled with laughter again.

But now, was to something else a man said about his wife.

Obinna tied the wrapper firmly around his face as he slipped out from behind the decaying pub.

The humans were already finding out.

Panic would soon ensue!

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"How is Dinma doing? Has her body temperature reduced?"

Achi shook his head slightly.

"Mama is keeping her stable at the moment but her energy is going down... she...she may not make it."

He said sadly, before practically entered into Ozo's body,enjoying his embrace.

Honestly,Aira was getting irritated with the constant display of affection. But that was the least of her worries now.

Aira looked to Ozo to ask if he was doing well,but the big man hardly ever spoke to her.

She had a feeling that he did not like her too well. After all,she had caused nothing but trouble since she arrived.

She entered into the hut,or what remained of it.

Cha-cha sat there,bent over Dinma,with her blue magic swirling around her and to keep her from dying.

"She is truly a fighter, this girl."

Cha-Cha said without opening her eyes.

Aira noticed how Cha-Cha's white hair seemed glow in the dark blue hue of the room.

"She has always been sickly. She is an Obanje. The poor girl has to suffer for her sins of the past."

Aira said calmly, tracing the black birth mark which covered half of the girl's face.

Cha-Cha hummed a reply before asking the question which was prominent on her mind.

"What about Jarube Nonso? Has he gone?"

"He and his warriors are mourning their losses."

Cha-Cha gave a sad smile.

"He is a Jarube...he is not just a pack leader,he is spiritual father to his pack. He would definitely be more broken."

Why then does he want a truce after all the pain I caused. It does not seem to make sense.

"Then why is he determined to take me to the border pack of Ara? He says that there is something he wants me to do for him."

Cha-Cha opened her eyes immediately and got up from her spot,next to Dinma.

"Then we need to leave! If we can get to his pack,I can get the herbs needed to treat this child!"

"He can not be trusted,Cha-Cha! He and his warriors just tried to kill us!"

Aira could not believe that Cha-Cha would want to go to Ara.

For all they knew,it could be a death trap. They would be entering into enemy territory,and anything could happen.

Cha-Cha held the face of the scarred girl in her small wrinkly hands.

"In war,an enemy could be an ally. It just depends on what the greater goal is. I know that Nonso may seem like the enemy,but I have a feeling that you two may have a greater enemy!"

Aira glanced out of the hut through its crumbling rafia curtains.

Jarube Nonso sat next to the flames built up for the wake keeping, looking as mysterious as ever in his all white regalia and his black mask.

Aira was genuinely confused.

It was obvious that they were all pained by their loss but instead of wanting the head of the one who had killed them,he wanted a truce with her.

Something did not seem right,but Aira knew she would not rest till she found out what.

They needed to go to Ara.

She turned to the old woman and nodded once.

"Let us go!"

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The Aranian wolves were very dramatic with their burial rites.

Aira sat on the branches of one of the trees, watching a group of women shave their hair and roll on the floor, weeping and screaming.

Some naked dancers,painted in red,were acting and dancing while telling stories about the lives of the warriors who had died_ the ones whom she had killed.

The night was lit up with giant flames of fire,and for a moment,the thought of what she could do with a flick of her finger,crossed her mind.

She could spot Jarube Nonso,seated on the ground in front of graves of the dead,still as rock. His white regalia replaced with a red one and his black mask, replaced with a white.

Throughout the journey to Ara,he did not say a word.

The mourning process was becoming a bit too much and very annoying.

She had tried to get him to tell her why he was bringing her to Ara,but all efforts fell on deaf ears. Her unease was increasing by the day.

When she brought it up to Cha-Cha,the old woman gave her a not so helpful advice.

"Werey ndidi, e buzina onyeara"

Telling her to have patience,that she was not a mad person,before pushing her out of Dinma's healing hut.

Aira regretted asking.

"What do you think about the rites?"

The sound of another person's voice in the trees almost threw her off balance.

She turned to see a young bald-headed boy, probably a few moons younger than her,seated on the branch above her.

The boy's aura felt very familiar.

Like the creature whose prescence had been following her since the beginning.

"Who are you?"

She asked suspiciously.

The boy smiled what could have been a toothy smile if most of his teeth were not missing.

"I am Nnanna... do you not recognize me? Mother has been waiting for you to come all these while! What do you think about the burial rites? Do you think..."

Aira shot the boy a look that shut him up.

"Why should I recognize you... have we met before? And...and who is 'mother'?

Without answering,the boy jumped down from the branch in one swift move and disappeared into the bushes behind the tree.

Aira followed closely behind him, noticing that apart from his teeth,most of his facial parts were also missing_an eye,an ear and one of his nostrils which was sewn shut.

"I would answer your questions,but firstly you must tell me what you think about the burial rites!"

His voice was soothing,as though he spoke with an air spirit in his mouth.

Aira sighed exasperatedly.

She had a feeling that the boy was not going to give her any information if she did not answer his questions.

"Oya...I would answer you...I believe that the rites are exaggerated."

She answered honestly.

"Back in Black Silver Pack, death was such a regular occurrence,it did not really bother any body.

If rites like these were to be held every time some body had died,there would not be time to breathe."

The boy turned to Aira and gave her a bright smile.

"Mother would love you!"

He screamed before breaking into a sprint.

"Boy...Nna...WAIT!!"

She screamed, pursuing after him

"Come on, keep up! Ba oso! Ba oso! Run...run!"

The run continued for a long while until they got to a large valley close to the mountains.

The place looked secluded and abandoned, with unkept bushes and stumps scattered all over.

Aira noticed that some people sat,clustered around a small fire under the silver moon.

They looked different...sick even.

But they looked happy.

The boy stopped and begun to look around,searching for somebody.

"Nna...where have you been?"

A motherly voice asked from behind them.

Aira turned to the direction of the voice to see a woman crawling with her bottom on the floor. Her fingers and toes were eaten up,and her skin was pale white.

She is a leper!

Aira tried hard not to show her worry.

"Mother! Ogadinma!"

Nnanna shouted before bending down to place a kiss on the woman's head.

She smiled warmly at him before turning to Aira with a serious face.

"I have been expecting you."

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***Author's Note***

Hello everyone!

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