Author's Rant: Good lord, I feel so ashamed. My deepest apologies. I'm not wholly pleased with this chapter, but I am partially please. Nonetheless please enjoy!
Adjusting
"Here is where you'll be staying. There's not much room as the main house, but here we don't have to worry about anyone bothering us. I live too far from most of the family. "
Neo gave the small bedroom a slow sweep. He wouldn't have cared if it was the size of a matchbox. There's more than enough room to maneuver and do the necessary daily activities. The ceiling resembled a woven basket flipped outward with a thick tree trunk wedged in the center.
"Was this house built around this tree?"
"Yes, it as father's idea to keep a sturdy support in case of storms. No winds are strong enough to knock over a Baobab. This one's still young too," Heba snickered. "My children's, children's children will be fully grown and have more children before it rots to nothing."
It provided adequate shading from the sunshine too. The canopy was thick and lush, peeking low enough to show the beginnings of its fruit blossoming. Somehow the rooms managed to escape the primitive structure similar to the villagers. The guest room had four walls, a single wood-frame window, and an iron frame bed with a white mattress, a sheer wrapping held up by a hook above and some thin sheets to spread around.
"The season's especially hot during the day," Heba said, folding his arms, stalling in the doorway while Neo stood in the middle of the room, quietly taking his new home. "I'll fetch some new sheets for your bed later after I show you around the ranch."
Neo, hummed to acknowledge he heard Heba speaking. He still wasn't up to speaking since the incident with Yami and Atem. It worried him, seeing the frantic panic on Yami's face, yet no one else seemed bothered by it. Neo didn't believe Atem would truly hurt Yami either, but it's hard to ignore that nagging sensation in the back of his mind wanting him to see the truth for himself.
He slung his small bag around and kneeled on the floor to unravel the tawny string keeping it closed. The few items he owned were the burnt clothing, a few white t-shirts, three floral tunics graciously donated by the hospital and some black takkie shoes for his feet. The good doctor even provided Neo with some other necessities: soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, tissue and a small mirror. It wasn't much to start live off of, but more than necessary to begin his new life.
Neo jumped when a solid weight pressed into the back of his knee and remained there. He tilted his head to the side. Heba was grinning from ear to ear, with his knee cocked up and jutted into Neo's neck.
"What's that face, Neo? Still upset about Yami, are you?"
Was it that obvious? Suppose it was. Neo sighs could kick up a dust cloud. He shifted on the balls of his feet before taking a squat on the hard floor. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful for being here. He owed his life to Heba and Ms. Desta for taking up for him to stay. But Yami was the first one to offer his hand in friendship. He's somewhere alone with Atem. Was it Neo's fault he felt nervous not knowing what was going on between them?
After receiving a long moment of silence, Heba rolled his eyes before dropping down to the balls of his feet and shoving Neo none-too-gently with his shoulder.
"Hey now, enough of that. You bring the wrath of misery in this house." Heba sniffed, scratching at his ponytail. "I told you already, Atem won't hurt Yami. It's not his way of dealing with Yami when he gets mouthy."
"Then how does he handle it?" Neo finally spoke up, staring off at the light dust stirring from the breeze blowing in from the windows. "He humiliated Yami, dragging him off that way."
"Hmm?" Heba really scratched his head this time. "I don't what my brother does to keep Yami in line. It's no different from how my father treats Mother when she acts out too. But uncle and father forbid anyone to strike a woman. Anyone who does are taken to The Block and given their just punishment."
Neo finally faced Heba with a small frown. "The Block?"
"The Kifo Kuzuia, Death Block. Their hands are chopped off and fed to the dogs."
"That's cruel!" Neo shrieked. "How could anyone stand to do something so violent?"
Heba shrugged his big shoulders. "Not my rules. Would you rather they continue to smack their wives around like cattle? Without hands that's not possible." Heba stretched his hands out and wiggled them in Neo's face, laughing.
Grimly thinning his lips, Neo gathered his belongings and stood up to go lay them out on the bed. Heba had let up on laughing at Neo's sickened expression. Neo knew it wasn't his place to criticize this land of their justice system, but to lop off someone's hands? It felt, off.
"Maybe that's not how your village handled things, Neo. That's the way my people are though."
Neo suddenly rubbed at his eyes and then his temple.
'. . . .illiterate heathens.'
'They're not illiterate heathens, Kaiba. They're a richly cultured people who go about a different way of living then we do. . .'
What—what the hell was that? The t-shirt in his left hand dropped and joined the other in massaging his temples. Flashes like the full blast of headlights blasted wildly inside Neo's head. What on earth? Why was his head hurting so much? Kaiba? Who was Kaiba? That name. . . seemed. . . familiar somehow.
His groaning brought Heba out of his laughter. Neo was swaying to and fro, on the verge of collapsing. Heba shot up to his feet. He didn't like that look on Neo's face. Like that time in the hospital when he would get headaches. The doctor said they were probably repressed memories, but of what?
Heba came up behind Neo and grabbed him, hands resting hard on his shoulders, holding him so firmly, Neo could hardly turn his head to squint his eyes. Heba reached around and flattened his large hand over the left side of Neo's chest. His heartbeat was fast in one moment and gradually slowing.
Neo sagged a bit into Heba's chest, and went short of breath.
"Neo, what ails you, man?" Heba said in a rattled tone. Was Neo's close to falling into that helpless place of no turn?
"My, my head. Hurts. Keeps—throbbing," Neo brokenly forced through clenched teeth.
Heba's hand left Neo's chest to cup over the man's forehead. A touch warm, but not feverish. Nothing out of the ordinary, but Heba couldn't be too sure. This wasn't his level of expertise. This sort of thing he left to the women of the village, particularly his auntie.
Speaking of which, "Do you want me to fetch, my auntie or my mother?"
"No, I'll be fine. Just—just need some rest."
"Alright." Heba pushed the mosquito nets back and helped Neo down on the naked mattress. Once he was comfortably laying on his shoulder, Heba left to get a chair. He returned only to pause in the doorway upon seeing Neo sleeping soundly.
Smirking relieved, Heba took the chair back to the dining room and came back to watch over Neo's face while he slept. He stayed a few moments longer in case the young man woke up, but after thirty minutes, he never stirred.
That was a major relief. Heba calmed himself and went to close the door behind him. He quietly went to the other side of the hall to his bedroom and sat heavily on his bed. He squeezed the pressure between his eyes and sighed. That'd scared him. He knew to expect those kind of episodes, but to see them first hand was a whole other story.
Neo looked like a broken doll in the face, as if he could never find his spirit again once lost in the darkness. That's what mother believes anyway, that Neo's spirit is hopelessly lost and alone in a world he knows nothing of. If he never remembers his past, it could break him.
But Heba refused to allow such a thing to occur. If Neo's memories never return, he could easily build new ones here. That'd be another task to tack on with the rest of his duties. It wouldn't be hard. There's nothing that the grandson of Zambia cannot handle. Heba vowed to help Neo in any way he could so that the young man's spirit wouldn't always feel alone.
After this nap of course. Heba flopped back on his mattress and let out a nice long sigh before easing into a deep sleep. It his and Timeaus's turn to herd the cattle to the other side of the field before sunset. There was a ton of work to do, but he'd need the rest before doing it.
That also included bringing Neo along to help him find suitable work. What a long day this was going to be.
Curse him for this devil blessed strength. Had Yami, but a fraction more he would have snatched away from Atem's vengeful grip before they reached the door. His upper arm ached, the bone protesting soundly beneath Atem's hooked fingers. The back ends of Yami's shoes were worn through from pressing flatly into the dirt and now wooden surface of Atem's house.
Two doors shut, the last one locked tight as if anyone would really bother to come in, and still Atem didn't let go until he had Yami slung on top of the bed and the curtains drawn shut.
"Oh dare you!" Yami growled, eyes sharply honed onto Atem's every move as he paced from wall to wall, fists clenched and teeth gritted tight. "You had no right to do that! Embarrassing me that way and in front of our guest no less!"
Atem whipped around, finger pointed. "Your guest not mine! I don't trust him and nor should you. The audacity of that fool to think he can come here and do as he pleases!"
"He did nothing to offend anyone, Atem!" Yami stood from the bed, clutching his sore arm, red eyes ablaze. "Not only did you humiliate your family, but you showed everyone here how much of a jealous and possessive man you are! You—you make everyone assume you control every aspect of my being. How can you expect our relationship to survive that way?"
Atem gave a wordless gurgle, too stunned to counter back with something to discard that, but he couldn't if he tried. He took a very deep breath, like pulling the wind from all directions and released it through a single breath. When he spoke again, a good amount of the anger was gone. It'd be asking too much to allow it all to free his body, but Atem's temper was legendary in the village for a reason.
"Zambia Ranch is an oasis to any man who lays eyes on it. My father and uncle worked their fingers to the bone making sure it flourished and bloomed into what it is today," Atem carefully explained. "You have to know I don't mistrust your judgment on people. You've always seen the good in everyone you meet . . ."
"Yet you refuse to let me interact with anyone. Not everyone is out to get me. I'm too different to your people for them to find interest in me."
"But I do," Atem said, "and so will someone else. You're a soft touch for anyone that looks at you without bitterness. I can't stand the idea of someone even thinking of taking you away. Especially that man."
"You leave him be," Yami hissed. "He's done nothing to harm me. You heard your mother. He's a broken spirit, so loss and alone with no memory of his past—"
"Bah! A likely trick to weasel his way into your good graces. Once he's truly won you over, it'll only be a matter of time before he shows his true colors."
"He doesn't want anything from us except security! Atem if you would just give him a chance and see for yourself—"
"No, Yami. No more on it. I don't want you near him and he's to stay away from you too!"
"Atem this once, try to be reasonable—"
"Yami!"
So . . . that was it then. Yami bit down on his bottom lip until blood welled up inside his mouth. He sighed, glaring until the emotional exhaustion drained all the fight out of him. This short spat as well as the mountain of times it's taken him to get his point across with his fiancée never failed to land him on the losing side. What was the honest point in arguing with this man? Once Atem's decision was made on a subject, it's as solid as a mountain. It'd be yet another term of their relationship Yami knew he'd have to accept. He inwardly despised his heart's loyalty to Atem because if it were up to him, he'd gladly do away with it.
"Fine, I'll leave it be." Tired and wanting nothing more to do with this discussion, Yami turned to sit down on the end of the bed. He lightly grazed his fingers along the tender skin of his upper arm, staring off toward the bits of grass and dirt tracked into the room. His still hurt, likely forming a thin bruise, but like all things, this too would heal and move on.
Footsteps rang creaks from the wood, coming nearer. He ignored the heavier weight sliding down next to him and the gentle touches pushing along the edge of his sleeve until his upper arm showed evidence of Atem's abuse.
Yami jolted a little place when warm kisses touched over his upper arm and higher to his shoulder. He moved his jaw away and closed his eyes. It wasn't fair, how easily his body submitted this way. It's the power Atem held over him. One touch, one sweet word, one lingering glance could have Yami wrapped his embrace and singing along with the summer nightingales.
The kisses grew more urgent, sweet and hot, closing in on Yami's neck. He jerked his head away, but Atem refused to be denied. He brought up his palm and cupped the side of Yami's jaw, angling his head toward him.
Yami snarled and surged up to his feet, scowling bitterly at Atem's attempt to seduce him. Why, why did he think the answer to all of their problems could be solved this way? It won't happen this time. It wasn't fair. No one was allowed to come near him. He wasn't allowed to be near anyone and now Atem wanted to forbid him the one thing Yami longed for. A genuine friend.
Just once—just once he wanted—
Atem's hand shot out, snatching Yami down on the bed again, only he would be staring up at Atem's face startled. And dare he admit, a little bit nervous of the dark glow in those violet eyes. Atem bent over Yami's body, interlocking their hands. He collapsed onto of Yami, moaning deeply in his throat.
This behavior was different, Yami thought when for a long moment, Atem didn't do anything except lay there. Yami stared up at the ceiling, breathing against Atem's chest and inhaling his scent from today's work. Sweat, the crops, the oily hides from skinning the old cattle and grassy odors.
"I'm sorry. I only do what's best for this village and you. Can you blame me for being overly cautious?"
Yami said nothing. As far as he was concerned his heart had already forgiven Atem even if his mind and spirit hadn't yet.
"If associating with that man is what you want so much. . ."
Yami sucked in. Dare he hope?
". . . then so be it."
All the air pushed from Yami's chest in one release. He nudged his temple on Atem's forehead before wrapping his arms around his shoulders. Atem brought his head up, and kept his expression away from Yami's prying eyes.
It wasn't an easy choice to make. Yami knew this. Just like he knew there was more to follow.
"But if the moment he steps out of line, I'll kill him."
He lifted his head. The violet gaze locked with his like no other being mattered. There was an unholy trust burnt inside that promise. It wasn't necessary. Atem wouldn't have a need to make such a promise. Yami trusted Neo. Nothing the man could do could ruin their blooming friendship or harm this village.
Yami nodded and pressed a kiss to Atem's cheek and hugged him close. "Thank you."
Heba felt the Gods were plotting against him when he heard a loud howl of terror explode from the guest room.
Heba's heart lunged into his throat when he recognized the scream had come from Neo. In the seconds that he rolled off the bed, smashed his toe against the floor and stubbed the hell out of his baby toe on his dresser, Heba managed to burst through Neo's door and find the most disturbing scene in his life.
Neo half dressed in loose cotton pants, mouth agape and face stalk white with shock, standing with his back flat to the wall by the window clutching his pants tight around his crotch. Heba's Aunt Charlize sat calm and collected on the corner of Neo's bed with a cool smirk and a red cloth in her palm. Her eyebrow rose toward the doorway where her nephew stood, cradling his aching foot, violet eyes switching between Neo and her accusingly.
"Auntie—ouch, ouch—what have you done here?" Heba demanded, hopping inside and settled for limping over to where Neo stood, horrified and stood protectively in front of him. "Neo what has happened?"
"S-she—she grabbed my—she touched my—and I didn't—gah!"
Heba snatched one of the folded sheets from the bed and draped it over Neo's shoulders. "What did she do? What did you do, Auntie?!" He sniffed the air and for the strangest reason, he thought caught the hint of—he gasped. "Shangazi hakuwa! (Auntie you didn't!)" He persisted, slipping into his native tongue.
Charlize lifted both eyebrows at her nephew as if he were the one in the wrong. "Kama daktari Zambia, mimi nina wajibu amefungwa kupata maji ya mwili yoyote comer mpya. Kama yeye ni kubeba magonjwa yoyote, mimi itabidi haja ya kuangalia kila inchi yake. (As Zambia's doctor, I'm duty bound to obtain any new comer's bodily fluids. If he's carry any diseases, I'll need to check every inch of him." She casually pushed her beaded hair off her shoulder. "Kuwa ni pamoja na kukusanya kidogo ya mbegu. Ssilly mtoto aliamka kabla mimi naweza kumaliza. (That includes collecting a bit of seed. The silly child woke up before I could finish)."
"Hivyo wewe tu kutembea ndani ya nyumba yangu na nadhani ni faini kwa muudhi kulala mtu? Je, wewe kijinga katika kichwa, mambo mwanamke! Mjomba itakuwa na kichwa yako! (So you just walk into my house and think it's fine to molest a sleeping man? Are you stupid in the head, crazy woman! Uncle will have your head)!"
"Akili ulimi wako, kijana (Watch your tongue, boy)." Charlize murmured something too long to hear as she stood up and lightly dusted off her dress. "Desta alitaka mimi kuangalia mtoto katika kesi yeye mara baada ya scare. (Desta wanted me to check the child in case he was having a scare)."
"Kwamba haina udhuru kutoka molesting mtu maskini, Shangazi! Angalau kuchukua yake nje kwa kula. (That doesn't excuse you from molesting the poor man, Auntie! At least take him out to eat)!"
"Hush kwamba nonsense. (Oh hush that nonsense)." Charlize waved off. "Je, Mimi kufanya, mpwa? Tu basi naye tanga mitaani amebeba Mungu mkuu anajua kwa watu wetu? (What am I do, nephew? Just let him wander the streets carrying great God knows what to our people)?"
"Mimi itabidi kuchukua yake kwa ofisi yako kesho. Unaweza kusubiri hadi basi? Mimi bado kuwa na kuonyesha naye karibu ranchi na Timeaus. (I'll take him to your office tomorrow. Can you wait until then? I still have to show him around the ranch with Timeaus)."
Charlize folded her arms across her chest. "Vizuri sana, kuwa naye wametumwa kwangu kwa ajili ya tathmini yake ya baadaye. Nilidhani yeye d kujisikia vizuri zaidi kuwa na biashara yake kuchukuliwa huduma ya hapa. (Very well, have him sent to me for his evaluation later. I thought he'd feel more comfortable having his business taken care of here)," she admitted with a small frown.
"Kuhakikisha wewe alifanya. (Sure you did)." Heba eyed her evilly as if to make sure by his glare alone she wouldn't attempt any other freakish thing to scare his house guest. He didn't believe a word from that devil woman's mouth. She's always been the sneaky one in the family. That's where Cousin Seth got it.
Charlize, never having a fear for any man, merely nodded curtly to her nephew and cast a scary wink at Neo before taking her leave.
A chill raced up Neo's spine. He'd never known should a bold woman existed, doing something so vile like that. Neo stared mortified at the door, even flinching when he heard the front door open and shut, anticipating whether she would come back. It was the same with Heba, he swallowed, left eye twitching. He glanced over his shoulder at his house guest and perhaps should count his blessings that the young wasn't scared to death.
Heba dragged a hand down his face. "I'm sorry for my auntie. Her ways can be a bit, um, colorful for our people."
Neo gawked. "A bit? A bit! She nearly choked the chicken's head clean off!" Neo shoved pasted Heba grumbling, while yanking up his pants. "A bit he says. Sheesh. The audacity of that woman."
Heba threw his head back in a loud laugh. "Don't be so touchy, Neo. Auntie means well. I guess I should have mentioned before that she's in charge of our village's medical facility. She keeps all contagious diseases from spreading throughout our people. Especially with AIDS being so bad this year. She has to keep a thorough chart on everyone's health condition." Heba stretched his arms over head and cracked the joints in his neck. Judging by the position of the sun, he couldn't have been a sleep more than an hour and thirty minutes. Maybe a little more.
Judging by the small commotion outside, everyone else was preparing for the final preparations of today's workload. Heba peered out the window. Sure enough, he was right on target. The women were gathering the children from the small school and spreading the last seeds in the field. The men have already started hauling their cart loads and weaponry to storage. That left herding the livestock back within the boundary posts. Heba hoped Timeaus had already gone and fetched his horse.
Some moments later, Heba turned to find Neo already tying on his shoes and fully dressed. Heba propped his hands on his hips, smirking. And here he thought he'd have to tell Neo to get ready to help. If it weren't already possible, Heba's personal opinion of Neo's character improved tenfold. He knew he liked something about this man.
Neo stood, tapping the end of his shoes on the floor to tighten the fit. "I heard some noise outside. Is something happening?"
"Everyone's finishing up today's work," Heba said, motioning for them to leave. "It's always noisy like this close to dusk. By nightfall it'll be like a ghost village, not a soul out except for night patrol."
"Is there anything I can do to help out?" Neo stretched his stride to keep up with Heba's long legged pace. He nearly smacked into the back of Heba when he stopped and spun around to grant Neo a toothy grin.
"Nope, just watch for today and do as I do tomorrow." Heba clapped a heavy hand on Neo's shoulder and gave it a firm shake. "No worries today, *rafiki (friend). Rest today. Tomorrow, you'll think we brought fresh hell upon your life!" Heba laughed loudly and turned on his heel to guide the rest of the way out.
Neo rubbed over his slightly sore shoulder, not moving. A whole wave of fresh hell huh? Well, he could deal with that. Hopefully anyway. There's no way he intends to stay here and not pull his own weight. Not after Ms. Desta and Heba went out of their way to make sure he had a home and everything he could ever need. No, he would do everything within his power to do what he could to help around the ranch.
"Coming, man?"
Neo snapped out of his moment and sheepishly scratched behind his head, chuckling. "Yes!" He jogged out the door.
The sun was nearing the horizon, but the full force of its warmth basked Neo's entire body in a cloak of fire. The warm was dry, tasting of dust from the traveling carts rolling by and the people shuffling between huts and their various destinations as the day wound to a close. There wasn't a single person not involved in some kind of work. Even children were helping with herding a small group of goats to a small enclosure, he smacking the back of cattle with hard sticks to keep them in a single direction.
Neo cupped a hand over his eyes to get a better look at the activities taking place around him.
Something scratchy suddenly plopped down on Neo's head. He gripped the edges and tugged it off, bringing what looked like a tattered straw hat in front of him. Heba took the hat back and put it back on his head.
"Best to keep that on, *macho mkali (bright eyes). It'll only get hotter until sunset." With a playful wink, Heba lead the way into the middle of all the hurrying villagers. Neo jogged to keep up, while smiling at yet another gift from his friend.
Moving in between the rushing men and women was a task and of in of itself. Several times Neo had to skip to keep up with Heba's fast pace and also had to dodge so many oncoming wagons full of hay and dry grass. Then there were the rows of tumbling water barrels Neo nearly knocked out of line and received a proper scolding from some of the village men for getting in the way.
Neo earned a very quick lesson in what the phrases *mjinga mjinga, (stupid fool) *hoja wajinga haramu, (move ignorant bastard) *nje ya njia nyani, (out of the way baboon) meant real fast. One woman must've screamed the first one about five times when Neo stumbled into her and accidentally waste her whole bag of corn seeds. Much of this happened in the span of five minutes and all Heba did was laugh at Neo's expense.
"It's not that funny," Neo growled, with a bright red blush streaked across his cheeks. He was so embarrassed. From the looks of how easily everyone else were able to maneuver around each other, he was the only one having trouble with mining his footing.
"You'll get used to it, man. If you think the village is all worked up, just wait till morning. That's when you should worry." Heba looked over his shoulder for the horrified expression he knew would be on Neo's face. Messing with this man was going to be the new highlight of his day.
They emerged into the center of the village divided with a wide impression of road along the orange dirt. Gently straddling the middle of the pathway was a new face Neo had yet to see. Heba greeted the approaching man with a wide wave of his arm. The stranger returned the gesture before grabbing the reins of a gorgeous mare.
But he needn't bother pulling her. As soon as her large black eyes found her master, she trotted over with a bobbing head and neighing shrill.
"Ah, Raja," Heba meant her half way. She nibbling on his hair, wagging her head back and forth, large tail flipping up and down. "Huko, kuna tamu msichana. Nimekuwa amekosa wewe pia. (There, there sweet girl. I've missed you too.) He clapped the side of her neck, stroking aside her mane. With one hard tug, Heba stalled her in place before digging his foot in the saddle and swinging up on her back. She unsteadily wobbled before adjusting to the new pressure on her back and Heba directed her to stand next to the stranger's horse.
Neo titled his head, unsure why he could get rid of this silly smile on his face. He'd likely blame it on how Heba suddenly went all soft and gentle for this horse and for some weird reason had the same expression on his face while talking lowly to this new man.
"Neo, come!" Heba waved the young man over. "This is my good friend, Timeaus."
Neo smiled. "Nice to meet you."
The one called Timeaus, looked confused, staring between the two. It wasn't until Heba translated the message that Timeaus's face brightened and he bowed his head in greeting. He spoke to Neo with a tone of interest before moving ahead to shake his hand.
Neo turned to Heba expectedly.
"He said it's good to see you walking around and hopes to see you grow comfortable in our sweet village," said Heba. He held out his hand to Neo. "We should hurry. If we don't have the herds moved, my father and brother will start bitching. That's the last thing I need."
Timeaus stirred his stallion closer to Heba's mare and leaned in to whisper something. It was too low for Neo to hear, but he caught a word or two he remember reading from the book in the hospital. Black and killed. He was caught off guard when Heba grabbed him by the wrist and swung Neo on the back of Raja with little effort.
Heba said something else in such a snappish tone that Timeaus flinched like he was struck by lightning. He stared at the ground, nodded and then went off in the opposite direction. Heba sighed, dropping his head back and sighing, long and hard.
"Is everything OK?" Neo asked, hugging Heba around the middle as he adjusted on the horse's saddle.
"Damn lion's back," Heba grumbled under his breath. He sighed again. "Makunga's been sighted near the edge of the property. I know he's stalking the cattle again. I'll have his damn head!"
"Makunga?" Neo tightened his hold. "What's a Makunga?"
Heba pulled Raja's reins to get her going toward the cattle field. "A wretched beast. He's a man killer. Just last year he's taken the lives of three of our men and one child. He and his pride keep coming back here preying on the cattle, costing this ranch money. If he's back, it means his pride are producing cubs.
"I don't understand. I thought lions steered clear of people? Why does this one stalk the village?"
"This one's different. He descends from an old line of Tsavo lions. Like his grandfathers and fathers before him, he's means to quench his thirst with my people's blood." Heba's shoulders visibly tensed. "He'll pass down the taste of human to his children and thus expect them to do the same."
Neo curled into Heba's back as a chill staggered down the middle of his back like sharpened claws. Lions purposely preying on people? What kind of place was this? Animals don't have the ability to reason as to what they considered more favorable prey over others. Heba spoke as though this Makunga lion knew exactly what he wanted and he knew many ways of achieving this goal.
"Timeaus told me there are three lionesses with Makunga. If he knows, that means it won't be long before—damn, too late. . . Ho, Raja, ho." Heba sighed, hanging his head upon seeing Atem emerging from their father's hut with a single bolt 98 rifle strapped to his back.
Heba accepted his fate. If Timeaus knew, he'd very well passed the word Akamkanon and there was a lecture awaiting Heba for sure.
Atem didn't wait an instant when spotting Heba and marched over. Heba recognized that dark look on his big brother's face and wouldn't dream of arguing with him this time around. That would only lead him into the deeper trouble he was already in. Even Raja seemed to feel Atem's wrath washing over her as he approached.
Neo, however, looked past Atem, searching out Yami's face. If Atem was here, didn't that mean Yami was around somewhere? But where?
"Ndugu kidogo! (Little brother)" Atem barked with the sharpest of a lightning strike. "Hii ni mara ya pili hii imetokea juu ya kuangalia yako! (This is the second time this has happened on your watch!)" He slipped the gun strap from off his shoulders and tossed the gun up.
Heba caught it with one hand, scowling with the same intensity as his older brother. Some nerve, that bastard had so much nerve to act all high and mighty. Heba slung the rifle on his shoulder and fired off with a quickness, "Je, si kuzungumza chini na mimi kama hii haijawahi kutokea na wewe! Mimi nilikuwa biashara nyingine ya kutunza! (Don't talk down to me like this has never happened to you! I had other business to take care of!)
"Yako ya kwanza na tu kipaumbele lazima kijiji hiki. Si kuangalia baada ya baadhi ya mtu wanyonge! Your first and only priority should be to this village. Not looking after some helpless man!"
Atem caught Neo's gaze like with one look he could fabricate a spear through Neo's heart. Neo straightened his back and narrowed his eyes right back. He couldn't under this guy's grip with him. He'd done absolutely nothing to garnish this kind of treatment.
"Badala ya amesimama hapa kumwasi mimi kwa kitu wewe huna udhibiti juu, unapaswa kuwa rounding up wanaume na viongozi Amerika! (Instead of standing here belittling me for something you have no control over, you should be rounding up the men and heading north!)" Heba snapped back. He fastened the gun strap across his shoulder, hooking his fingers around the rein. He tugged Raja back and started toward the cattle field. "Kuwaambia Baba kutarajia mimi kujiunga kuwinda baada ya mimi kukusanya kundi. Unaweza kufanya hivyo au wewe unataka mimi kusubiri hadi baada ya wewe walikuwa kumaliza bitching? (Tell Father to expect me to join the hunt after I gather the herd. Can you do that or did you want me to wait until after you were finish bitching?)"
Atem snatched his glare away from Neo to cast all of its intensity on his younger brother. The exchange between them to stimulate a thunderstorm. Atem snarled, and ticked his lips. "Tu kuhakikisha kuwa huko. Ningependa bora si kuja kupata wewe . . . (Just make sure you to be there. I'd better not have to come find you . . .)."
"Tu wasiwasi kuhusu kupata mwenyewe huko . . . (Just worry about getting yourself there . . .)
"Pole punda kitwana. (Sorry ass brat)."
"Asshole kijinga. (Stupid asshole)."
The brothers stared at each other bitterly before going their separate ways, each having heard the undertone insult the other said and daring the other to repeat it. Anyone blinded folded in the middle of a dark cave at midnight can see the thick tension between these two. It's not how siblings should be in Neo's opinion, but having to deal with someone like Atem could work a nerve.
Neo bunched his lips to the side. If he had any siblings, Neo doubted he'd treat them this way. And that's a huge if. There's no telling what kind of life he had before this.
"Hey, you went quiet on me, Neo. Is something the matter?"
Neo blinked, shook his head and offered an assuring smile. "It's nothing."
"Hmm, a face so broken says more than nothing." Heba steered Raja to the left, edging further from the hustling crowd. "What ails you, man?"
Neo thought over his words carefully. "It's just—you and Atem—you two aren't close. At all. Why is that?"
"Oh." Heba faced the front, but Neo saw the darkness shadow over his eyes before turning away. Maybe it was a subject not worth exploring so soon.
Neo touched his shoulder. "Sorry."
"No, it's not your fault," Heba said softly. "Me and my bro—me and Atem just don't see eye to eye on things. Not like we used to."
Neo wanted to ask more questions, perhaps learn if there was any chance of the two mending the rift between the brothers. Already though, he could tell it'd be a foolhardy attempt. Especially when the one brother was a difficult word for the men to call the other.
Neo remained quiet the duration of the short trip to the cattle field, simply gazing over the surrounding terrain. The sun was nothing more than a sliced sphere casting a fiery glow over the landscape. Tall trees stretched their shadows, painting the roads in skinny black stripes. Up ahead, the low murmuring groans called from the large cattle herd up ahead.
No, all around now. Raja calmly merged through an opened wooden fence. Timeaus was already stationed on the opposite end of the field with two dark skinned men from the village.
Heba trotted Raja to the center of the herd. "Hold on tight," he whispered to Neo.
Neo immediately tightened his arms around Heba's middle. Neo braced himself for the event to come just as Heba laid his two fingers on his lips and let out a shrill whistle. Barking echoed in the distance, quickly growing nearer.
Two dark shadows galloped from different corners of the village. The objects leapt over the ease and darted apart, taking a vertical corner from the other. Neo squinted his eyes. The one at the right post was a solid black dog with bushy ears, laying on the ground. The other, wagging its tail excitedly was a white and beige short haired dog and perked ears up.
Heba whistled two sharp pitches. "Oi, Lulu, kuja -bye! Ebo mbali na mimi! (Oi, Lulu, come-bye! Ebo away to me)!"
The all black dog shot up to her feet and veered down the left side of the herd while the other shot off like a rocket down the right. They didn't waste an instant bolting and barking at the wall of cattle.
"Hold onto me Neo!"
Neo did just as Raja reared back on her hind legs and the commotion began. Lulu and Ebo loudly barked to the herd men, signaling they were in position. Heba gave the gesture and started waving for everyone to fall into place. It was like something Neo had never seen.
The cattle stampeded in a winding ball, dodging the dog's nips and the smacking sticks on their hind quarters. Urging the cows and calves was easy, but persuading the few stubborn bulls took extra intimidating from the horses. Neo kept a balanced seat on Raja's bucking backside. By the end of this, he expected to feel some soreness between his thighs.
Man and animal worked as a team, communicating through action and few words. Neo did his best to remember the commands issue and the positions they started and remained on. Heba was an excellent teacher, speaking the words in Swahili as well as English for Neo's understanding.
The men managed to push the herd through the fence and down the wide dirt road. No one was out in the village, but they were observing the happenings from their windows and doorways, waving to the herd men. The rest of the job seemed easy enough. No problems occurred, and as the last cow exited through the village, Neo caught sight of the largest house in the village.
Ms. Desta emerged at the doorway, wearing a soft yellow and blue floral gown. They made eye contact, her eyes softening upon the sight of him. She lifted her hand in a light wave. Neo raised his hand to return the gesture. His excitement grew with vigor when not only Ms. Desta's kind face appeared, but Yami's coming from behind.
"It's Yami!" Neo exclaimed. What a relief. He couldn't explain this huge weight from his shoulders, after seeing his friend alright. Everyone assured him that Atem wouldn't hurt Yami, but seeing that for himself made Neo feel so much better.
Heba glanced over his shoulder. "What? Who? Oh!" He nodded toward the pair. "Shall we go see them?"
"Can we do that?" Neo wasn't entirely against the idea, but what about the mission? The herds weren't completely through the village.
Heba scoffed and lifted his arm straight up. "Timeaus can handle it from here. Ho, Raja. Kwenda juu bila mimi! Timeaus wewe ni katika malipo, mtu! (Whoa, Raja. Go on without me! Timeaus you're in charge, man)!"
Timeaus gestured back and carried on with the herd toward the open fence ahead. Heba chuckled before rearing Raja's reins back and going toward the main house. All the tension melted from his body like rainfall. No one can calm his agitated spirit like his mother's gentle smile. Seeing her limp forward always brought the protectiveness him.
It wasn't any different this time as she started to carefully walk down the steps, holding onto Yami's arm. Heba barely pulled Raja to a halt before jumping off Raja's back and crossing over to where his mother and Yami stood. He took the support of her hand and brought it up to his lips.
"Mother," he smiled, big and proud.
That kind of tone desired a private moment between son and mother. Yami granted them the moment to get his own special moment with his new friend. He crossed the space to where Neo sat straddled on Raja's back and a slightly curved line Yami assumed is a smile on his face.
He came up to Raja's left side, skating his hand along her smooth coat and then leveled it up in midair, patiently waiting. Neo blinked, looking between Yami's larger than life smile and his extended hand. He hesitated.
Yami took the pleasure of laying his palm on Yami's clenched fist. "F-Friend, yes?"
Neo gasped. "Yes, yes of course we are." He lowered his palm over Yami's and squeezed. "Yes, Yami and Neo friends."
Yami nodded. "Good."
Neo thought a moment, hoping he pronounced what he wanted to say next, correctly. "Tutaweza daima kuwa kuku, Yami."
Whatever he said had Yami's go blank for the longest. Oh dear Lord, please say he hadn't offended his friend already. Yami slowly pulled his hand back—Neo reached out to apologize, but realized Yami only pulled his hand free to cover his mouth with it. He was covering a deep laugh, one so musical, Neo's insides fluttered.
OK, maybe not offensive, but how many times was he going to be laughed at in one day? Apparently more, since it was so amusing Yami repeated what Neo say back to Heba and Desta. Heba gawked stupidly before joining in. Ms. Desta at least had more tact and discreetly covered her giggles.
Neo pouted. "What did I say?" No one understood a word he said. They just kept on laughing.
A forceful door slam severed the joyous moment. Yami's hand returned like a flat metal plate on top of Neo's hand, but Neo barely felt the pressure. Neo stared in the direction that held everyone else's sharp gaze.
Atem turned his head, parting a solitary path for only his and Neo's eyes to meet. His hand curled around the strap looped around his shoulder. With one hunch, it slipped off and dropped into his hands. Neo froze, heart galloping with the strength of three cattle herds as the gun lifted—then was switched to the other shoulder.
He understood that message all too clearly and unhedged his hand from beneath Yami's grasp. There was rough texture, like rough paper landing hard on Neo's shoulder, but Neo ignored the feeling inside him knowing that Yami didn't want their fresh friendship to already be soiled. It was such a burden . . . but Neo sighed and finally met Yami's gaze.
Fiery determination burned there, fierce and promising. Neo felt a courageous sensation scorch within his chest and so fueled the fire within himself and clapped his hands together with Yami's. He smiled and straightened his back, foully shooting a glare so lethal, Atem's own lost a bit of its flare.
Not all, but enough for him to see that Neo wouldn't be intimidated so easily. Snorting under his breath, Atem jutted his chin in Heba's direction and stalked in between the houses and disappeared.
The thickness loosened in Neo's chest and cooled. He chuckled when Yami squeezed his hand again. Neo knew now that his stay here was going to be a test to see if he could withstand the harsh discrimination against him. But knowing that he hand friends like Heba, Yami and Ms. Desta's kindness to lean on, he wouldn't allow any of it to deter his desire for a home.
Not even Atem's bitterness.
TBC: There are bound to be mistakes littered all over this story. I'm going to head back through it and try to catch as many as I can. Thanks for reading!
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