7 - Take

"What are they all doing outside here?"

Vie walked briskly towards the multitude who were waiting on him. Many of them had raffia on, while some few had the skin of cats.

There eyes were worn out. He could tell that they've been waiting there since like forever expecting the two of them to arrive in vain.

He wanted to keep track of the time but he was way too weary. He thought technically that they've been away only for a day or two. He couldn't be sure.

He fastened towards them. The Monarch was standing at the front of them all. They all awaited him at the border of the village to the west.

He arrived at their front. Away from the reach of any of them. He was dirty and stinking. He was sure that he had only some rugged leaves covering his erection.

One of the men walked up to him, another two were holding back his relatives. He shouldn't be held at that moment. He could die. That was their psychology.

"What happened son, tell us what happened."

One of the women who were at the rear of the multitude tried to fight her way to the front. She seemed displeased and irritated by what was going on.

"What did you mean by tell us? At his state? He should be treated, dullard."

"Quiet, Fulan."

The Monarch said to the woman. She held unto what was bracing the skin hovering over her two flappy boobs. She retreated.

Fulan was one of the women who were upfront and courageous in the village. She never allowed herself to be intimidated. She would go for whatever she wanted.

One plain fact about the people of Curt was equality. Nobody was treated exceptionally. Equal treatment. You can tell from the gathering. Even their monarch was present.

The King turned to the man Fulan had addressed, and raised his voice for the benefits of the remaining folks,

"She is right. He should be treated firstly then questioned later."

The heavy man who was the adviser to the Monarch seemed not to be satisfied. He always wanted to have his way with things. Even if not the total, at least a part.

"Just one question, Master, and he would be treated and attended to luxuriously."

He said, fiddling with the bottom of the multicolored beards reaching from his jaw to halfway his neck.

"Let's allow him a question."

The Monarch called. He looked at the adviser again and said,

"One question."

He nodded and turned to the boy who was shaking. Obviously he was not in a good state, not after all he had gone through. Too much to ignite the motion of a psychological trauma.

He wanted to touch the boy and ask the question but that was nothing close to what he was expected to do.

He looked at the Monarch again. The Monarch's expression was ambiguous. He couldn't make an apt meaning from it.

So, he turned to the boy and asked,

"You went with Idah, where is he? What happened to him?"

The boy gasped. Like tried to swallowed some breath. His breathing pace was lagging but none of those there seemed to notice.

He opened his mouth he let the words roll,

"Idah was..."

He couldn't continue. His eyes began to dim and his body system began to pick their steps to dark rhythms even he was not familiar with.

"He can't continue. He's not conscious."

A woman, who apparently was the nurse of the folks called and rushed to the boy.

Twas point in time, the boy was already dropping, but she caught him.

He passed out.

"See who does nothing."

That was Fulan. The Monarch turned to her. He heard her but ignored.

Of course she was referring to the adviser who just stood there and couldn't assist the boy. He didn't even notice that the boy was unconscious. How daft he was.

Two of the youth group came by to carry him. They lifted him and put him to the rise of their shoulders. This hands around the neck of the juvenile at the front, his legs around the neck of the one at the back. They walked away with boy while the nurse tried to catch up with them.

She was old as fuck.

The Monarch moved closer to the adviser and touched him by the shoulder,

"Snap out of the shock. You are a man."

He breathed the words out. The adviser came back to live. He was partly shivering too.

As old as the adviser was, he was a woman within. He could proof really stubborn and upfront and crazy and all on the outside, but deep down, he was fragile. Everyone knew that except himself.

He turned to the Monarch and found his first few words,

"Did I kill him?"

The Monarch smiled and shook his head in disapproval.

The adviser sighed and put his right palm to his head. Only he could explain what he meant to do by that.

There were few clusters and thorns and twigs and climbers up ahead them towards the direction from which the boy had come.

There could be several wild cats hiding there. The chances were slim though, there was a plain too which reached from that border to the thick forest. If a cat would come, the Hunter's calls would awaken them. Lots of routines in the village.

"But be sincere, what do you think about Idah?"

The adviser removed his hand from his forehead and sniffed. Not because there was anything hurting his nostrils, but you just do somethings to ensure that you're normal again.

"The Manganis. They had him."

"I know. But do you think he was killed or thrown into the river Put?"

The adviser thought for a while. He was finding a balance for himself. There was no tree around there. Twas just a mini plain that led into their village.

He would have to persevere for a while.

"He wasn't killed. He was given to Put. If he was killed, Vie wouldn't be here."

The Monarch shook his ahead in attestation. Always thoughtful to have a brilliant adviser.

"We should send men to Put then?"

He looked at the Monarch, that was way too intense,

"That's suicidal."

The Monarch thought for a while then,

"Let's wait for his recovery. We'll knew what to do next."

"Thoughtful. "

The adviser said and turned,

"They are waiting for you."

The Monarch turned too. He was surprised. Damn! The multitude were still patiently waiting there.

"Be gone to your duties. Converge at night."

They all dispersed to their duties. The Monarch was borne home by four hefty men on a wooden mat made from Cedar.