Kalikwikwiti (Completed)

Chapter 27

Salifya

Okhwa took me, Pempho and mother to go find the pygmies while everyone else held the reinforcements back. Whenever someone saw us Okhwa would throw a pynthon's fang at them. "Dipped it in funya." She told us.

"Causes gradual paralysis." Mother extrapolated. I needed me one of those. We reached two huts we thought they were in. I checked in the first hut, there were pygmies but none was Ipy. Pempho led them to safety. We checked in the next hut. There was a man choking Ipyana while pushing her head against the floor. Mother immediately threw a dagger that landed in the man's head and he died.

"Let's go." I said to Ipyana.

Okhwa hugged her daughter.

"I knew you would come." Ekari said to her mother.

I wish that Ipyana had that faith in me. But I had not earned that. An arrow had hit Mother's arm as we ran through the Vukutu guards. We made it out alive; some wounded more than others but none dead.

"Thank Chauta they are wicked but have no skills." Uncle said, when we had lost them.

We were in the hut of Pempho. Pempho was a son of healer so he dressed and wrapped the wounded people with the help of his wife and the rest of us. It was only after we finished I noticed that Ipy had dried blood all over her.

"Are you hurt?" I asked.

"No, this isn't my blood. It is one of the soldier's blood." She said slowly. "One of the soldiers decided to have his 'fun' with Ekari. I could not just watch." Her eyes looked frozen I could tell she was reliving it. "So I stabbed him in his neck with a porcupine's spike that fell out of Ekari's hair. He kept bleeding and shaking."

"You did the right thing." Lindi patted Ipy's shoulder.

"I know that must have been difficult for you," Anyazgambo said.

"You are brave." I told to her. I knew that this would haunt her in her dreams and thoughts. Her innocence was gone. "Don't let the guilt get to you."

"I took a life. I have to live with that." She spoke slowly. She must have been reliving it still.

"You stopped a rape." Uncle said. "Be proud."

"The contaminated world, it's safer for pygmies right?" Nohakiwa asked.

"Parts of it are. Like where we stay." Asikwese said. My eyes mindlessly gazed at the walls of the hut. I thought Utawaleza was a utopia. Only Kaulimi was safe for pygmies.

"But other parts are just like the Vukuto territories." Ipyana replied. I took another bite of the roasted monkey drumstick.

"If your realm is not safe, why return?" Uncle asked glancing at Ipyana.

"Because I am working to make it safe, Uncle." She replied.

"You have a home here,you know that right?" Mother said looking at both me and Ipyana.

"Yes I know." Ipy smiled.

I nodded my head. My eyes fell on Xo, he seemed to be enjoying the simian meat too.

"We should keep going tomorrow." Uncle suggested.

"Ambele isn't fully healed yet." Pempho objected glancing at Mother.

"There will be after us. We are safer if we leave." Uncle said.

"Can you manage?" Anyazga asked, her eyes moved downwards to the matt Mother was lying on.