Amasa

Chapter Twenty Six- Arbitrament Preparations

After bidding a due to Bule and kissing her son Zuva for the first and last time, I began walking away from my The Shintu settlement. I was walking away from the heritage and the ties that refuted me to float when others were swimming. I had to go.

The walk to Pokoda was extremely painful and difficult. Menhe would encourage me when we got to difficult terrain to push forward and remember the greater outcome that was to be anticipated. Narufu offered no aiding of a carriage or a team of shintu men for protection, he continued to refute my acknowledgement. The nights were extremely painful, the cold burrowed deep into my bones, unbearable even near the fire.

 Menhe did not spare much time to hunt, we ate enough to gather strength. The meals weren't the most memorable, having to leave the remainders for the wildlife to devour so that we did not get weighed down by baggage.

Menhe and I only spoke during meals. He focused on our protection and coverage of distance during most of the day... having little time to spare for small talk. He unintentionally reclined into his quiet nature when he wasn't probed by Bule to interact.

Approaching the Tiramu river bank in the early morn, Menhe asked me if I wanted to sit down and take a break. Pokoda was near. I sat down and he sat next to me. I had missed water. I scooted closer to the water edge and let the cool liquid seep in between my toes as I wiggled them.

"You shouldn't be too comfortable near the water, crocodiles would have found easy prey."

"This water if fresh Menhe, don't worry."

Staying alert, Menhe's body tensed as he sat up straight, scanning the water for the slightest form of movement."

"Relax Menhe, nothing will happen to me, I promise."

Looking at Menhe, I smiled as I translated his over protection as anxiety of my return to Pokoda.

"I will be fine near the water... I will also be fine back in Pokoda, you will be fine too."

"I have no guarantee of that. We can go back my Princess, I will raise you as my own with Zuva. We can be your family."

I didn't feel emotional however, I felt my eyes dampen and my eyelids start to flicker, holding back the tears.

"You will always be my family Menhe. I am only doing this to find who I am. I have to do that alone."

"That is not true, community is there to guide you, no matter how small your community is. Mine was of one person."

Menhe replied.

"I agree with you to some extent, but do realize that my life was all about community and it cost me my individuality in the tribe...tribes."

Embracing Menhe as I laid my hand on top of his, I smiled.

"I am ready to lead a path of my own, hopefully it will be as legendary as yours."

Menhe smirked as his eyes glimmered.

"Let me not hold you back to the greatness that I know you are destined for, let us go."

Walking into the village was surprisingly easy, there were no warriors to grant the villagers protection from external dangers, disconcerted from two people walking into Pokoda territory as they were dressed in Shintu attire. It was quite puzzling. It had only been a few seasons, however the village wall looked tired and ram shackled, cracked granite blocks were not renewed and climbers were growing freely at their will.

 Making our way to Runesu's abandoned hut on the outskirt of the village, Menhe helped me to push the wooden door open and begin to clean the hut back to a livable condition. That evening I was quiet from confusion... the village was so different, no one seemed to care what took place, only receiving suspicious glances as we walked in and nothing more, I replayed my return back into Pokoda over and over again in my mind as I lay down on the hut's ground floor with my head on my fur shawl for support.