Five minutes passed. Hours passed. The sun set. Darkness fell. The fires around had died down to just embers, the wet jungle unscathed. The cool air had settled down along the ground, but the heat was still there. The stars shone brightly, so clear, and over the clearing of the village the moon began to rise, coloring the earth white. A dark hand lifted towards it, reaching for the luminescent globe, fingers spreading to catch it. Dark eyes reflected its face looking at it, beyond it, to the stars.

Her hand lowered, laying down in her lap. She knelt on the dry grass ritual mat, laid down on the mud. She lowered her gaze back down to the earth, the same color as her skin, reaching towards it and running her hand against the moist earth. Bright red lights flickered in the corners of her vision, feeding off of the remains of her village.

Her fingers dug into the earth, making a tight fist. She opened her hand in front of her, looking at the small bit of compressed dirt, she spread her fingers and let it fall away, tilting her hand. She did not clean away the grains of black that stuck to her palm. This was her home, the place of her ancestors, the place where all hunts would come to an end with joyous celebrations and feasting, where an unbreakable bond had been formed between each member of the village, the earth, and the Payas. Nothing had shaken them from their roots, they stood strong against any tempest the world could throw at them.

And now, it was over.

Diwizama looked up to the trees as a figure, glowing white, stepped out of the dark jungle. He stood tall, shoulders square, head held high. Like any good hunter, he had returned to where he had last seen his prey. He paused where the moonlight met the shadow and watched her as she moved. Her hand reached behind her moving her tresses from the back of her neck, the ornaments chiming sweetly as the flesh was exposed. She put her hands flat against her legs, fingers pointing inwards, and she leaned forward, head bowed.

She did not look up as he approached, keeping her head down and her eyes closed. She heard his wristblades extend, but didn't flinch. Cold metal touched against her chin and she looked up, eyes opening. She looked up at the gleaming mask of the Paya. He tilted his head slightly and rattled in confusion, taking his blades away. She moved her hands, looking down just long enough to see what she was grabbing, and extended towards him a wrist device.

He clicked in a mixture of emotions, and she watched him look from one side to the others. All around were the black cases, open to reveal the many gifts of the Payas; the masks, weapons, armor and the trophies. What the invaders had not found, she had on grass mats like her own, to keep them away from the earth.

He looked back to her, her arms already shaking from holding the mere weight of the device.

"Take… it…," her voice strained to be strong. He reached forward, and she withdrew it out of his reach, shaking her head. She extended her hands again tightening her jaw to prevent her lip from quivering. He stood for a moment looking down at her, then turning to look down the path, at the ruined village. He turned back to her, head tilting as his weight shifted.

"Honor-able death," she lifted the device a little higher, brushing it just barely against the back of his fingers. His claws on the device, rattling in understanding. He flipped open the shield of the device, and the face of his mask glowed with a mixture of white and red. Small noises came from the device as he ran his claws against it. It then began to bark repetitively and he bent, setting the device on the ground in front of Diwizama.

She bowed again in the same submissive fashion, the back of her neck exposed, offering her head as his at any time he wished. He stepped back and retracted his blades and she straightened up, back straight, head held high. He moved towards the forest, moonlight gleaming off of his armored shoulders, casting dark shadows in the movements of his back. His ornaments gleamed gold. He stopped at the threshold to the dark, hesitating, the silence only broken by the warning of the device. His fingers moved then curled. His head turned sharply, his shoulder turning as he looked back at Diwizama, standing tall among the destruction of her home, no fear of her fate.

He gazed at her a long while and she at him, unsure of why he was hesitating. His muscles relaxed, and he looked to the jungle again then at her, rattling with conviction. Her breath caught in her throat.

"Come," his voice reached her and her eyes widened. He turned towards the dark again and stepped towards it. She stood still in the light, watching the darkness consume him. She leaned forward, taking one step from her mat, then the other hit the ground hard. She ran after Torodondodondo who began to also run when she caught up to his side. Over the threes and through the bushes they ran, side by side. Flashes of white gleamed off of flesh where the moon flowed through the leaves.

Her heart sang with elation as they ran silently through the bush, pain was long forgotten, as she wove and danced across the jungle floor, her god mirroring her grace. Her eyes sparkled. She smiled.

The device went silent with the disappearance of the final symbol. It erupted into an orb of bright blue. Bolts of blue rippled through the trees and leaves as a wave went across the ground. The orb grew, engulfing the gifts of the Payas, consuming the homes of the Kure Iradandaanya, embracing the desperate embers and lighting them anew. The world around was silent as the gleaming light grew, taking miles of the Congo into its fold.

Then, it vanished, leaving blackened earth for new life to grow upon, to feed off of the end of one people, to allow for the earth to take over once more. And in the sky, a bright orange star streaked through the darkness, silently returning to the stars.

Special Thanks

Leah "Fire Redhead" Wood for the use of her character, and for inspiring me to take up writing again.

Farmer Jim and TheRYU for their reviews and support while this was being written.

The countless visitors to this small story of mine. I hope to see you all again in my future works.