Chapter 12 - Child Heroes

A-ko's father had been gone for over five minutes when Princess E-ko turned to Captain Knossos.

"Captain, continue repairs to the ship. Meanwhile, order my personal guard to the drop ship. I can't take the armor corps with me, but my ground-pounders can join me in the fight!"

"I thought that alien male asked you to stay out of the fight, my Princess."

E-ko smirked and replied, "And when has any Leptonian warrior worth her salt take advice – let alone orders – from a male?"

"Even that one?" Knossos asked.

"There is a natural order in the universe, Captain. I like my men in the bedchamber taking orders, not on my command bridge giving them!"

Both women laughed at this gem. "You and me both, Your Highness," agreed Thera Knossos. "But?"

"But what, Captain?" E-ko replied.

"He does have a fine pair of shoulders on him."

"The rest of him isn't bad either," E-ko replied with a nod.

"Would you – you know?"

"Even with his insolent attitude. Especially since I don't see a tattoo on his earlobe, which is how we Cygnans like to mark our males as Taken."

"You could always issue a formal challenge to his lifemate, Your Highness."

Princess E-ko broke out into booming laughter. "I wouldn't go against that woman for all the males in the thirty-three galaxies of the Leptonian Empire! Neither would any Leptonian warrior in her right mind!"

With that, E-ko hitched up her sword belt and turned to join her personal guard in the drop ship.

As A-ko had done, E-ko laughed the whole way there. And also like A-ko, her warrior heart – her legacy from her stern and warlike grandmother Queen Caesariu – sang for joy at the chance that her sword would soon be tasting Shakanar blood.

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"Here they come!" shouted Biko as the Shakanar resumed their march down the palace corridor. It hadn't taken the red-clad troopers long to realize that the weapon their opponents had used to keep them at bay was no longer operable.

They came on then, in groups of three. The first three, with working weapons, led the way. Three more, with drawn swords, followed close behind. The last two were equally armed. They were still far enough away from the assembled young women to give them several more moments to shelter the little ones.

Biko told Akana, "Go back inside and take the kids back down the tunnel! I will do my best to slow them down; with a little luck, our friends here won't notice the trap door!"

Akana shook her head no. "I am the daughter of Aysheia Napolipolita, Captain and loyal warrior of the Queen. The House of Napolipolita has served the Empire for over a hundred generations. The blood of the great and noble Xramcrusher flows in my veins! I have no intention of bringing shame to my mother and my family by running away in the face of any enemy, most of all a Shakanar!"

"Besides," Aki concluded with a grin. "I'm the one with the sword!"

Biko rolled her eyes at her. "She's my mother, too. In fact, she is the only mother I've ever known. If she were here, she'd tell us both to protect the children!"

Akana was about to open her mouth to argue, but quickly changed her mind.. "You're right, Beekers. The kids come first."

Both young women then turned to C-ko as she stepped forward to join them. "Oh no you don't!" the little blonde huffed. "I'm staying with you two. You're not getting rid of me that easily!"

Aki shook her head in exasperation. "Dear Princess! Someone must take care of the little ones, and you've been elected!"

C-ko shook her head no.

Biko intervened. "You're my friend, C-ko, and we've had more than our share of adventures together. Because of all that, and the friendship we have shared together, I can't think of anyone I'd rather have watching over my baby brother at a time like this!"

C-ko smirked. "Except for A-ko and her parents, you liar."

Biko laughed out loud, giving her old friend a quick hug. "Oh please! You know where the trap door is, don't you?"

C-ko reluctantly nodded her head yes. "All right. I'll stay. And yes, I do." Turning, she shouted, "Hey – you two Napolipolita kids, take care of our Shakanar friend back there. I'll do my best to watch over the little ones."

With that, Biko and Aki brandished the weapons they had and looked around to find something - anything - that could be used as a barricade.

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C-ko had just entered the doorway of the back room where the children waited. She was about to tell them to get ready to hide when a massive crimson gauntlet smashed her in the face.

The small blonde never saw it coming. After crashing headfirst into a wall was an inviting sea of blackness into which she dove headfirst.

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"Admiral Chitai, the strike force commander reports that her fighter cover has been eliminated as well as most of her armor. She also reports spotting a drop ship bearing the Kollya Stragaesh, led by Princess E-ko herself!"

Admiral Chitai flew into a rage. "I want that drunken mess Napolipolita dead! She murdered my poor daughter and I have sworn before the altar of the Great Mother that I will have her head for it!"

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Shakanar shocktrooper Ratha Kodene had managed to cut through her bonds by the time the second group of her burly Sisters came marching down the corridor. She had lost one metal-covered gauntlet in her rush to free herself, but she put the remaining one to good use by smashing it into poor C- ko's face.

Ordinarily, a Leptonian soldier - - whether Shakanar or regular Space Navy - - would have been conditioned to protect, not attack, members of the Royal House. But with that conditioning broken by the old rift over Zazen'lda's leadership, Ratha Kodene now gleefully raised her armored boot to crush the small blonde head - - and the skull that lay beneath it - - lying on the Palace floor.

"Good," she thought. "Another simp dead and gone. We've never had a princess more silly and addle-pated than this one!"

The only thing that saved C-ko from her fate was the attack of a small boy with green hair. Kir dove and held on to the Shakanar's raised leg, momentarily saving C-ko's life.

Ratha Kodene was surprised. No Leptonian male, especially one so young, was so brave or aggressive. This only provided her with conclusive proof that Napolipolita had indeed whelped a freak of nature. It also proved to her the wisdom of the Magdiu Veru and the Shakanar leadership who had demanded his separation from his mother and his ultimate expulsion from the Homeworld.

"Very well. Have it your way, you little freak," Ratha Kodene told Kir, bending down and roughly seizing him by the arm. A cruel and vicious pull dislodged the young boy from her leg, breaking his arm in the process. Kir let out a scream of pain.

Instantly, small Lois and Jonathan rushed to their friend's aid. As Jonathan bent over to help his wrestling partner, Lois ran up to the big Shakanar and screamed at her, "Leave us alone, you big bully!"

Kodene laughed out loud. Here was an opportunity blessed by The Mother! She would not only destroy the green-headed abomination but The Demon's two brats as well!

Seizing Lois by her tunic, she yanked her off the ground. Lois screamed in terror as her small legs left the floor. Jon jumped up and rushed to her rescue, screaming, "Leave my sissy alone!"

When Kodene refused to release her, Jon took matters into his own hands, or - in this case - mouth. He sank his strong baby teeth into the unarmored hand of the Shakanar trooper.

Drawing blood, Jonathan succeeded in freeing his sister only to find himself yanked off the floor by his throat. "Very well, small Earther! You will be the first to die this day!" Ratha Kodene laughed at the choking five-year-old as he dangled off the floor.

Although she had been all but terrified into immobility a few seconds ago, little Lois tapped into some of her innate courage, perhaps a legacy from her namesake as well as from her superpowered parents. The Amazon blood of her mother and grandmother began to boil at this threat to her brother.

A low snarl rumbled in her small throat. Lois had a strange and determined look in her eye as she advanced to his aid.

The big Shakanar reached down casually with her armored fist to push her away. She didn't want anything to disturb the fun she was about to have in slowly killing The Demon's firstborn son.

She soon found out it was a mistake. With fire in her eyes, little Lois reached out with her small hands, and - seizing hold of the Shakanar's big hand - - all but tore it from her arm.

It is true that those who are most eager to inflict pain often lack the courage to endure it themselves. It was now the Shakanar's turn to scream in pain and fear. Ratha Kodene thought nothing of this as she stared at the ruin hanging at the end of her arm. It now more resembled a flipper than a hand. Only the skin of her arm and hand allowed the now-useless appendage to remain attached to her body.

As the Shakanar continued to scream in rage and shock, Lois took hold of her leg and, embedding her small fingers into the Shakanar's armor, used the strength she inherited from her mother to send the big woman flying across the room and into the farthest wall. It was there that the screams of the oversized Shakanar trooper ended as the black oblivion engulfed her.

Hearing their Sister's cries, the other Shakanar shocktroopers now came pounding down the hallway. As Akana and Biko continued throwing up a hasty barricade, both heard the soft whicker of an arrow in flight coming from behind them.

The first was soon followed by two more, and all three found new homes in the breasts of the pulse rifle-packing Shakanar. Even as they fell to the marble floor to bleed their life away, their killer rushed forward with a short Amazon sword in each hand. The tall and athletic redhead leaped over the pack of surprised Shakanar, landing gracefully on her feet, her knees bent low to absorb the shock.

She struck backwards without looking, stabbing one trooper in the groin. As the massive woman fell to the floor screaming in pain, one of her Sisters soon joined her.

"ARTEMIS?" exclaimed Biko under her breath as she watched the carnage that her best friend's greatest enemy was now inflicting on the storm troopers.

One Shakanar soldier was more than eager both to escape the redheaded terror now dancing amidst her Sisters, and to inflict as much pain as she could on the children of Napolipolita and the Kent family. She quickly pushed her way into the bedroom. She was met by the point of a Shakanar sword, wielded by a green haired girl who ripped out her throat with one well- placed stroke.

Wise in the ways of war, Artemis stayed close to her enemies, where her short stabbing sword was the most effective. The long two-handed Shakanar broadswords were at a great disadvantage in these close quarters. Two, and then two more, Shakanar fell at the redhead's talented hands.

But quantity has a quality all its own. Artemis knew this full well; thus it came as no surprise to her that she was finally beaten down onto the well-polished Palace floor. Wounded by a score of cuts, Artemis now found herself unarmed and lying on her back, with a red Shakanar standard-issue boot pressing down on her throat.

Grinning, the Shakanar captain told her, "If you beg extra nice, we'll kill you quick." After finishing her lie, she waited for Artemis' answer. It came quickly when Artemis spit in her face.

"Have it your way," the Shakanar captain replied, just before she and the rest of her squad began kicking and beating Artemis to death.

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Shakanar heavy weapons now forced the Amazon defenders back to the boulder behind which Napolipolita, Doctor Stellamaris, and Deesha had sought temporary refuge.

Immediately, General Phillipus saw that Dee was wounded. "How are you doing, Dee?"

"A few moments more of Doctor Stellamaris' treatment, and I will be ready to take my place on the line once more, General."

"Like Avernus you will," Doctor Stellamaris interrupted, continuing to work on Deesha's wounded leg.

Napolipolita nodded at the Amazon physician. "What she could really use is a few moments under that purple healing ray of yours."

"Sadly, the Temple of Apollo has been destroyed, and I fear the purple healing ray went with it. Your Doctor Stellamaris - - together with our own Amazon doctors - - will be needed more than ever!"

The Shakanar were bringing up some heavier cannon when a new drop ship slowly descended and landed behind the advancing Shakanar troops. The women looked up. "Just what we don't need - - more uninvited guests," Phillipus remarked.

"That's not a Shakanar ship, General!" Napolipolita declared.

She was soon proven right. The rear door suddenly dropped open and out poured a crazed horde of fighters, all members of the Kollya Stragaesh. They were led by Princess E-ko herself, who had been the first out the door as was her custom. Slashing away with her famous broadsword "Dragon Fang", she sent a score of the Shakanar Sisterhood to whatever afterlife awaited psychopaths.

Her ever-loyal "Crazy Division" needed little encouragement. Their loyalty to their Princess was stronger than ever; her mad charge had only emboldened them. And if that wasn't enough, the only thing that the Kollya Stragaesh hated more than the Shakanar were the Kirlians and Xram. And - - since there were no Kirlians nor Xram around to kill - - the Crazy Division now took great delight in taking it out on the Shakanar.

E-ko was in her natural element now. Her very reason for living was the lure and passion of the battlefield. It was what made her a great warrior and a leader of warriors. It was also the reason she could never be queen. Her mother knew it, and - - most important of all - - she knew it as well. This had been the reason why her mother had tried to bring C-ko back to be queen. Princess F-ko, the first Throne Princess, had proved herself too fractious for leadership. Alas for her, sipping soup does not inspire a Nation.

And now, E-ko's first cousin Zelda would one day be queen. E-ko herself was not a queen but a weapon, best used to serve the Empire and her mother Queen Zazen'lda. When the day came that Zelda would succeed her, E-ko would become both her shield and her sword. This would be the best way for her to serve the Empire and her friend, first cousin, and future queen. With this, she was content.

The Shakanar horde found itself in a state of near total confusion. Just as they were beginning to regain the upper hand against the Terran Amazons, the arrival of the Kollya Stragaesh threw them into panic. Shakanar commanders began to com the mother ship for more help. However, Diana and her daughter quickly disposed of the fresh reinforcements even before they could land. The few who managed to set foot on Paradise Island ran straight into a livid Amazon Queen and her bloodstained ax.

Aboard the Revenge, the communications officer reported, "Admiral, the commanding officer on the surface reports that E-ko and her Crazy Division is attacking from the rear. She is requesting more troops and fighter aircraft to deal with this new threat."

"Inform the commander that we will send her help at once," Admiral Chitai ordered.

"We can't," interrupted the Revenge's captain. "As long as that freakish Kryptonian male keeps smashing our shields, we can't send help to anyone!"

No sooner were the words out of her mouth than Superman shook the Revenge from stem to stern. Chitai grew wild-eyed. Spittle flew from her mouth as she screamed, "That drunken witch killed my poor baby! I'll have my revenge if I have to kill every living thing on that island!" She set her lantern jaw. "Prepare to fire the Omega Beam!"

The Omega Beam had been a weapon banned by nearly all intergalactic treaties. It was also the weapon that the mad Chitai intended to use to blast Paradise Island right out of the blue sea of the Bermuda Triangle.

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Biko punched a Shakanar corporal squarely in the nose, and then slashed at her with the dagger she had taken from the now-unconscious Ratha Kodene. Shiiko and Mitsuko had found their spears and were doing their best to help their big sisters in defending the doorway. However, it was her "mama's little baby" who proved herself to be the warlike Napolipolita's daughter. Akana now revealed her warrior spirit in all its glorious and terrible power. Aki had already been slashed numerous times as she fought to protect her family and friends. She felt nothing as she yanked her broadsword out of a Shakanar trooper whom she'd impaled. Whirling around, Aki spotted a prone shocktrooper and crushed the skull that lay beneath her greasy purple hair.

Despite such bravery and valor, they were nearing the end. The remaining Shakanar began driving the young women back from the doorway. Artemis still fought back, even as she lay on the ground. The captain in charge had seen enough of the tall redhead, who had taken out two more of her troopers even as they were beating her. It wasn't much fun any more.

As the Shakanar captain raised her sword to send it plunging into Artemis' breast, she gave the Amazon the finest compliment her twisted mind could engender. Holding Artemis down with a blood-red boot on her throat, she told her, "You would have made a fine Shakanar!" She sent the point plunging downward.

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"Prepare to fire," ordered Admiral Borna Chitai.

"Delay that order," Captain Regex said.

"You dare countermand one of my orders?" shouted Chitai.

"We no longer have the reserve power level to safely use the Omega Beam, Admiral."

"Calm yourself, Captain," Chitai replied, a smile on her ugly face. "Victory will soon be ours."

"Victory? What victory?" Regex screamed back. "Even if we can safely fire that damned weapon, it will destroy that island and everyone on it, taking the secret of Dakina's cure with it! In the end, all of this will be for nothing, becoming nothing more than a device for your personal revenge!"

"You're forgetting who is in charge here, Captain!"

"And you've forgotten that I am the captain of the Revenge and am responsible for my ship!" Turning her back on Chitai, Captain Regex turned to her own second-in-command. "I want that weapon locked down and deactivated!"

As Captain Regex talked to her second, Admiral Chitai removed her command dagger from her hip. As soon as Regex turned around to face her, Chitai plunged her dagger - once - - twice - - three times - - into her belly. It was close to impossible to horrify a Shakanar. However, this blatant violation of their Code, stating that a Shakanar should never kill another Shakanar, silenced all on the bridge.

No words came out of Regex's mouth, only a low moan. She staggered to the nearest wall and slowly slid down, holding her belly. Admiral Chitai turned to the second officer and announced, "Prepare to fire, Captain Bebat!"

"Aye aye, Admiral!"

Chitai turned to the view screen, and then turned back once more. "And - by the way, Captain Bebat - congratulations on your promotion!"

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Even as the Shakanar captain's sword began its death plunge toward her breast, Artemis was surprised to see a part of the ceiling come crashing down around them. She was even more surprised at the relief she felt when she saw who had done it.

After using her x-ray vision to learn what was occurring inside the Palace, A-ko had crashed down through the roof. The Shakanar had no time to react to the Fury now among them. Four of them went crashing into the nearest wall. Spotting the captain who was intent on stabbing Artemis to death, A-ko kicked her. As she bent over, Artemis plunged her own dagger into her throat.

"There," Artemis growled. "Done and done."

Meanwhile, the two Shakanar who had been forcing their way into the room spun around to face the redheaded terror. Akana took out knocked one of them cold; the hilt of her broadsword colliding with the back of her shaggy cerulean-blue head. Biko performed a surprisingly good flying crescent kick into the back of another Shakanar attacker, propelling her right into the waiting fists of her friend A-ko.

At last - - when all was quiet - - A-ko announced, "Is everyone all right?"

"Sissy! Come quick!" shouted Jon. In half a second, A-ko stood next to her little brother. There she stared at her little sister Lois, who stood over the form of the comatose Ratha Kodene.

A-ko was shocked at the sight of her baby sister. The child stood over the big Shakanar, breathing heavily and snarling with every exhalation. She was wild-eyed, and her tiny fingers were formed into claws. She stood over the big Shakanar as if she was daring her to get back up.

As a frightened Jonathan hid behind his older sister, A-ko tried to pacify the child. "Lois! Calm down! Calm down, baby! Sissy is here!"

Artemis approached, watching little Lois with envy. "Now, that is what I call a true Amazon! At least our Queen will have one grandchild she can be proud of!"

"Shut up, you sicko," A-ko snarled at her. Lois turned around quickly, still wild-eyed and snarling. For a moment, A-ko thought her baby sister was going to attack her.

She held out her arms and, in a soft and reassuring voice said, "Come on, Baby! Come to Sissy!"

Lois now appeared to listen to her older sister. Her breathing grew calmer and her features grew softer. The snarl was replaced by the beginning of a young girl's cry. In the next moment, she was in the safe and loving arms of her big sister, crying her eyes out.

Biko was the first to notice little Kir sitting in the corner next to C-ko, holding his arm in obvious pain. Biko and Akana rushed to his side. All three young women began checking him out. When Lois became calm enough to hug her twin brother tightly in her arms, Jonathan told everyone what had happened to Kir, how the little green-haired boy had saved C-ko, and what had happened to everyone else. When she was sure that her baby sister was all right, A-ko joined her friends. She gently picked up the half-Cygnan child's arm. He cried out in pain; Akana instinctively balled her fists and held them before her. "Easy!" Aki growled.

"His arm is broken," A-ko announced after a quick glance with her x-ray vision. "Thank God it's a clean break!"

Aki patted Kir's tear-streaked face. "Hey, little warrior! Don't you know that Leptonian males have never been as brave as you were today?"

As Biko fashioned a sling for his injured arm, Kir replied through his tears, "That's because I'm a half-breed Earther. Little freak."

"Don't say that, my little Sweet Gherkin!"

"Why?" the child asked, in complete innocence. "The big lady-bully said that to me."

"Don't you ever let anyone else tell you that you're any of those words, honey." Giving up the lecture, Biko gently took his small form into her arms and kissed him. Wanting to make their little brother feel better, Shiiko and Mitsuko both knelt by his side, too afraid to touch him.

"Earther or not, it looks to us like our Little Pickle-Head is the real warrior of the family!"

"How's C-ko?" Mitsuko asked, finally taking her turn in smoothing Kir's shaggy hair.

"Coming around," A-ko announced, her quick examination revealing nothing broken.

"Anybody get the number of that truck?" C-ko asked as her eyes fluttered open.

After the rest of the group filled her in on what had happened while she was unconscious, the Princess went over to little Kir. The small boy sat in Biko's lap, very brave and rather proud of the sling on his arm.

C-ko squatted down so she could look him eye-to-eye. "Hey. Kid. Do you know that you saved my life?"

The child nodded gravely, fighting the urge to suck his thumb.

"My God," Biko whispered. "We all knew about the prophecy that my Little Sweet Gherkin would be the greatest Cygnan soldier in history." The young women nodded, remembering. "And just look at this!" Biko continued. "He's already saved the life of a member of the Royal Family, and he's still in diapers!"

"NO!" Kir shot back, thrusting a pointed index finger at his big sister. "No diaper! Diapers are for babies! I have Big Boy pants!" His fourth birthday was weeks away, and everyone could hear the outrage in his voice!

The blue-haired young woman leaned forward - mindful of his hurt arm - and cupped his face. She kissed him on the nose. "I'm so proud of you, honey."

He got up and toddled over to her to enjoy C-ko's warm embrace.

"So are we," said Mitsuko and Shiiko.

"And me," added Aki.

"Not to mention me," A-ko chimed in.

"Thank you so much for what you did," C-ko said with all her heart, giving the child a final hug and kiss. Then, the little blonde straightened her back, and looked around with a look that said, 'I'm the one in charge here, people!' She nodded in the direction of the Shakanar soldiers, who lay scattered about the room like daisies. "What are we going to do with them?" C-ko inquired.

"C-ko's right! We have a problem, people. We can't leave a pack of Shakanar lying around waiting to revive," A-ko interrupted. Artemis shrugged, pulling up one of the comatose Shakanar by the hair and baring the woman's throat. With her other hand, she sent her dagger plunging into the offered throat of the stormtrooper – or would have if A-ko's strong hand hadn't stayed hers at the last possible moment.

"What do you think you're doing?" A-ko growled.

"Taking care of the problem at hand," Artemis answered in turn.

"There are better ways!"

"There is nothing better than turning your enemies into corpses," Artemis corrected her.

"Like I said before - - sicko!" A-ko replied in disgust, placing four of the Shakanar in a circle, back to back. She then seized a tall bronze lamp stand. The Daughter of Legends bent the heavy bronze brazier around the Shakanar, tying them up with solid metal.

"This is an old trick of Dad's," she explained as she did so.

While the redhead bound the rest of the shocktroopers in a similar fashion, Artemis told her in a haughty voice, "My way is quicker and far more sure!''

"I will not take a life," was A-ko's only reply.

"That's your Sire talking!" Artemis fired back, offended. "But you have your mother and grandmother's blood flowing in your veins as well. As we both know, they have more than enough blood on their hands to ensure they'll never be able to wash it completely off."

"Leave me alone," A-ko warned with a rumble in her throat.

Artemis pretended to sniff the air around her. "Is that the pungent odor of Hypocrisy that I smell coming from you?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" A-ko shouted.

"As I fought my way back to the Palace, I saw you in the sky, battling the attack craft as well as the walkers. What I didn't expect to see was how much you seemed to enjoy yourself while doing so!"

"ENJOY MYSELF?" A-ko all but screamed.

"What else would you call that smile I saw on your face as you fought today?"

"You should get your eyes checked!"

"Kakamatandula," Shiiko growled. This was a grave Cygnan insult to another woman that could only be resolved by a mortaspuk, a fight to the death – but Artemis didn't know that, and Hikaru Daitokuji's second-born certainly didn't intend to tell her.

"Mind your business. This is between those two flame-heads," Akana warned her.

Artemis shrugged her shoulders as she dragged the last of the Shakanar to where A-ko waited. "Fine. If you can't face the truth about yourself, who am I to interfere?"

"Kakamatandula," Akana growled.

As A-ko finished binding the last of the Shakanar, she heard Artemis begin to laugh.

"What's so funny?" A-ko demanded.

"I just thought that - if you'd been a moment or two slower in crashing through that ceiling - I'd have had a Shakanar sword in my breast. I would have been out of your life forever!"

A-ko's face grew solemn. "What would I have told Zoey, if I could have saved her mother's life, and didn't?"

Artemis once again laughed out loud. "Perhaps one day I will kill you, or you will kill me. I would like to think that when the winner stands over the dying body of the loser, we won't spit on one another when we do it!"

Eiko's only answer was to shake her head in bewilderment as she went to check up on her family and friends.

''Kakamatandula," little Kir whispered.