19 Jakony (1/2)

”You came at last, I really waited for you.” She said emotionally and fell into his embrace.

They both had a feeling of warmth that came from their bosom while in each other's embracement. None of them had been close to someone of opposite sex, especially for Apeleka who's father never even considered as a family member, because she was a woman.

Women in the society were a sign of wealth to a man. The more a man had them the more wealthy he was. First, was the number of heads of cattle the man had to give to each of his women's family as portion. Secondly, it was the likelihood of having many children who were signs of wealth too. Female children brought cattle to the family when they were old enough to get married, males led to the continuity of the clan.

The only person who knew her was her mother. It was her mother who could walk out to protect her when she was in trouble. It was her mother who was ready to be punished for her sake. When she needed something, her mother got it for her. Her mother meant everything to her. She was pathetic to other men because they were a nuisance.

The feeling they were getting from this was extremely gratifying. They hugged for over ten minutes. The three animals looked at them with protuberant eyes. They at that moment felt like being humans to experience what the two were experiencing that made them shade tears but don't stop.

After the long hugs, They wanted to kiss but the bird could not allow them. It had taken enough.

Biiiiiaaaoooo!

It produced a course sound that made the two love birds recede a little. It immediately stopped the moment it saw them apart. 'Do that near me next time and you will know who I am'. The bird scolded inside itself. Apeleka looked at it and shook her head bitterly, she knew it was her doing.

”Apeleka, I have a few questions for you.” He said a short time after they left each other's arms.

”Go ahead.”

”Actually, I have been speculative how you knew me. How can you speak in Lu language yet you're from the Lang tribe? How were you communicating with me?”

She signaled him to sit down first. She started her story after that, ”I was left in this land to meet my death twelve seasons ago. It was a place I only heard in stories but had never been to. A day passed after I was left on the tree without food and water. I knew I would die here. The next day a beast arrived. It exactly resembled the hyenas I saw back at home except for its large size. It was as big as a fully grown bull. I was surprised when it talked to me. It is then that I realized that everything I had heard about the forbidden land was true.”

”When it opened its mouth to eat me up, I heard a very beautiful song from a nearby tree. The moment the song started, instead of devouring me, the hyena untied me and cleaned me up. After doing the cleaning, it walked away and when it came back, it produced a pile of different fruits before me. Being hungry, I shoveled most of them immediately. After I was full, it took me to a nearby rock, laid a beast's skin on the floor. It then laid and covered me on the skin. It then got out of the cave quietly.”