The Lost Tribe: Maliha the Wanderer (Book 1)

Goodbye's

Goodbye's were always the hardest thing for Maliha. Even though she had loved the past few years if her life moving from one goodbye to another, the bittersweet feeling still caught her off guard.

Rajal's weary face stared back at her, those ancient eyes telling her of the words his stubborn mouth would never mutter.

"I'll miss you Rajal," Maliha whispered as she pulled his bony body into her tight clasp, "but I know we will see each other again."

"Yes, we will my daughter," Rajal croaked, squeezing Maliha tightly before releasing her.

She turned to Tobi and embraced him tightly, quickly pecking his cheek. "I think I was always meant to return to you."

"Of course. Who else would tell you to face your fears, if not me?"

Maliha merely chuckled at his comment. Everyone had been telling her to face her fears but hearing it from Tobi had made something inside her click. She was resolved to find out her heritage. All her life she had been waiting for this moment and she wouldn't let her fear stop her from finally learning her truth.

They said their final goodbye just as the sun slowly crept over the tree line. The beautiful orange hues signified the beginning of a new chapter. Their journey ahead would be long and hard but Maliha was mentally and physically prepared for it.

She chucked her bag to Nkechi and then Swung Enzo onto her back. Maliha smiled at the faces of the few Feri tribespeoples who had come to wish them a safe journey before gripping a few vines in her hands and swinging their bodies to the ground. Enzo clung to her neck as she slid down the large tree until her feet were firmly on the ground. Sinking to her knees, she let Enzo climb down before gripping her back from Nkechi.

"Let's go, we have a long journey ahead."

Nkechi tilted her head in acquiescence before leading the way.

Their journey through the jungle was a lot smoother than their journey out of the Der Surjaz Land. Though the weather was unpredictable and often had wild storms late at night, Maliha found that the land they traversed through was much easier to navigate. The ground was flatter, and the heat of the day was not so stifling due to the high tree's that made it hard to decipher morning from the night. Instead of depending on the sunrise and nightfall, the small travelling party listened to their bodies. They had two intervals for respite during their waking hours and only slept when Enzo's yawning could be heard every other minute.

The further they travelled the smaller trees grew allowing for small peels of light to arm their skin. On their ninth day of travelling, they woke to a pink sunrise that had Enzo's mood brightened for the whole day. They could see clearly now and what a beautiful land it was, the plants were foreign to Maliha, growing in colours and shapes that she had never seen in all of her life. When she told Nkechi this her friend pointed to the mountains in the distance.

"You started your journey on those mountains and instead of heading Northwards I am assuming you headed south. You have only seen a small part of this world."

"How do you know so much?" Enzo queried, giggling as a small pink flower licked his finger.

"My nation has explored many lands as Dahara and we have drawn them down on maps."

"Maps? What are maps?" Maliha questioned, her brow knitting as she tried to pronounce the foreign word.

"They are drawings of the world as we know it. It holds all the tribes and where they are situated. That is how I know where the Nah Barros lands are."