35

A R Y A

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Of course I wasn't very keen on facing my father and if it were up to me I would just sneak into the elders' tents and gather whatever information I needed. But first of all, I had Reah in tow and it would be the complete opposite of nobility and pride to act covertly to avoid the chief.

So I approached the rock face that jutted out in the dense, stinging green jungle and was overgrown with a number of creepers and weeds. With a gesture all too familiar to me, I brushed aside the curtain of growth and stepped through the hidden opening, Reah close on my heels.

I stared at the large clearing in front of me. Thousands of times I had imagined standing here and enjoying the sun's rays on my skin, which stole through the individual leaves of the supernaturally gigantic trees, looking at the small settlement in front of me. I had imagined sucking the fresh, slightly humid air into my lungs while tasting the warm feeling of home on my tongue.

But I was wrong.

The feeling of happiness had actually given way to a pang of loss. Not because I'd lost all of that, but because it wasn't my home anymore—didn't feel like home. I no longer belonged here, was no longer a “Retani”, was no longer the “first arrow te Retani,” nor was I “Arya daughter of Honaw. “

I didn't even know who I was anymore.

A hand on my shoulder. "Come on, let's get this over with."

I didn't blame her for not trying to cheer me up. Because I didn't want to hear any comforting words, it wouldn't help anyway. And the only one who could have done something about the feeling wasn't here.

I felt for the knife holstered around my thigh and nodded. Hopefully I wouldn't have to use it. "Let's go."

We stepped onto the trodden path ahead and followed the torch-sticks, which were not lighted at this time of the day, as the morning sun afforded enough light.

"I thought you were dead."

Chatima had emerged from between the wooden houses standing close together and now stood in front of us. Like mine, his white paint stood out against his brown skin.

I stopped. "I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye." No lie, I meant it.

A face that had once enjoyed such cheerful features was now set in stone. “I understood that you ran away. So would I be if I were you.”

I didn't know what to say to that, so I said nothing, hoping he would speak again. But instead, he did something completely different. He threw his spear aside and hugged me tightly. "I'm so glad you're alive."

I returned his hug tightly and closed my eyes. 'I wanted to come back. Honestly.” I really wanted to, but I wasn't expecting a certain werewolf.

"What happened?"

"A lot." Too much to put into casual words. I freed myself from his arms and we all three continued on the way to the core of the settlement.

"Rowtag's gone," Chatima said, clearing his throat, his serious expression back in full swing.

"I know."

Chatima stumbled. "What? Did you see him?"

"“Aee”." I gave him a piercing look and grabbed his arm. “Listen, Rowtag, like many other missing warriors, was captured. I've seen him in the dungeons in the caves of the Skihlafels Walls."

I left him and continued on my way.

"You just have to trust me with this," I added anyway, when I had the feeling that he had digested my words so far. We came to the empty place of the great fire, which at the moment looked no more than an insignificant pyre. "I can ..."

"Arya?" I was roughly interrupted.

My father had always not been of considerable height. I believed that was also the reason why he put such great emphasis on his ornate headdress. His long black braid hung over his bare shoulder, partially covering his white body paint.

We didn't look much alike aside from hair color and dark eyes. I had the same slightly curved, fine nose as my mother and I had also inherited her rosy lips. If my tribe was to be believed, I even had her stature.

"“Seetohu”." I clasped my hands behind my back and lifted my chin. “Don't show weakness, Arya.”

"Look. You're not dead like we all thought.' He approached me slowly, in short, jerky steps, being too small and unfit for anything else, and stopped a good ten feet in front of me. He looked me up from head to toe. "What are you doing here, “Kurekza”?" “Exiles”.

I refused to flinch. What was I expecting? That he would greet me with open arms? That he cried for joy for his missing daughter? For telling me how much he missed me? It was called naivety.

Still looking at my father, I said to Chatima, "Take Reah away, she'll tell you what she needs."

Now alerted to my companionship, he whispered, "Reah, “Ahivi te Songa." “Father looked at her with a slight smile and nodded to her. “"“Feel welcome to the tribe of “Retani”."

Reah didn't even return a greeting and silently followed Chatima. At least that gave me a little satisfaction, but it wasn't nearly enough to stop the tearing, bleeding wound.

"So, what foolish stupidity has once again possessed you to cross the forbidden line?"

Now his face was deadly serious again. An expression he reserved only for me. “How lovely.”

"Or have you forgotten that after your disrespectful actions you no longer belong to the “Retani” tribe, “Kurekza”?"

I skimmed his last question. "I found the monster threatening the jungle."

"Oh yes? Did “you”?” He crossed his arms over his bare, fat stomach and narrowed his eyes at me. Several people had already clustered around him, but now it seemed the whole tribe was scurrying behind him, like little ants attracted to sweet treats.

I almost choked. It wasn't just my tribe. Some unknown Gis also scurried around my father. Gis painted red; “Akarer”.

"How dare you lie to “Chief te Retani”?" my father spat at me. 'Come Nzuak, my son. Tell her who killed this beast here."

Drumbeats pounded, footsteps shook the ground, and a crowd split to let the burly, hulking warrior pass.

"Arya, “Thank Gaia” you are alive!" Nzuak came to stand next to my father and pressed his palms together as if in prayer. A hypocritically sad face. I wish I could have scratched his eyes out. "I found you dead and all alone in the middle of the forest, with the horrid, huge monster behind you."

How dare he! "Liar!" I yelled at him, anger seething through my body. “Nzuak sneaked up on me! He stabbed me and poisoned me!”

In all seriousness, Nzuak had the nerve to laugh in my face. There he stood, head thrown back, uninhibited roar that made his body tremble as if I'd told the joke of the century. And my father got in.

““Seetohu”, you have to believe me! Everything Nzuak said is not true.”

His laughter stopped. "You lost the right to my trust the moment you turned against me and my tribe."

"“I”" I slapped my chest angrily, "I did everything for the tribe! “I”... and not Nzuak!'

"Wrong." Father's tone was like smooth, clinking ice. 'Nzuak came to our aid when you ran away like a frightened little girl. Nzuak protected us from those “Rouges” when the first arrow wasn't here!'

“I left to save the tribe. To find the monster that still threatens our entire country, kidnapping countless innocent gis and werewolves.”

Father clicked his tongue. "Nzuak, tell this “Kurekza” of your noble deed."

"I killed the wolf beast!" he cried, spreading his arms and spinning in a circle. The two tribes hooted and whistled at him. "When I found Arya dead, as it seemed to me then, I met him in the deep, cold pine forests of those “dogs”." He spat out the last word as if it were grubby maggots. “Clothed only with my spear, bow and arrow, I faced this beast alone. It attacked me and I fought for my life, raining arrows down on him. And at the last moment, with the beast looming over me, I impaled it with my spear!'

"“Eelelelele!" “The screams of my former tribesmen were deafening.

"STOP!" I screamed as loud as I could. I couldn't bear to listen to this beast any longer. "Lie! This is all a lie! I am not dead, nor did Nzuak fight that beast!'

"That monster of a wolf is dead. We're safe, otherwise why wouldn't we be attacked anymore?"

"Werewolf soldiers are on the borders, “therefore” you will be spared," I corrected firmly.

Father looked at me in shock. "After everything that's happened, do you stand by these mutts?"

"Is that the only thing you heard from my words right now?!" “By Gaia's will”, that couldn't be true! I threw my arms in the air. Sparrow brains all! “Echinda, the wife of Hades, lives, and she will not rest until she binds all living souls to herself! Because that's what she's up to. She kidnaps gis and werewolves to bind them to her and subject them to her power and control.”

But as I continued vociferously, he took no credit for my words and there was not a shred of doubt in his stern features, just steely hardness. And then suddenly his eyes spotted something. He froze. "You got involved with one of those barbarians?"

I stopped in the middle of my rant. "What?"

"You let one of those beasts touch you." He shook his head slowly, his jewelry wiggling a little. My father backed away from me in dismay. "Admit it."

"Listen to me at least “once”!" I denied desperately. "We are in danger!"

But he didn't give up. "Admit it!"

"There's no thumbs up!"

"ADMIT IT!"

"Listen to me!"

"ADMIT IT!"

Full of defiance, I yelled: “”AEE!”“

A murmur went through the crowd. I saw the scum on their faces, read the disgust. I then tossed my hair back and bared the back of my neck. Everyone should see the bruise! I wouldn't be ashamed of Xenos for a second. “Never”.

““Aee”, I have. And I would do it all over again!” I called out to the tribe I once counted as part of the family. "He's the best thing that's ever happened to me! So don't you dare drag him through the mud or you'll regret it!"

"Look at you. Former “Ahivi te Honaw” used threats against “Gi te Retani”.”

This, the man in front of me, wasn't my father. This man, looking at me with a coldness befitting the worst enemy, was not the man who, as a child, patted my shoulders and encouraged me to get up when I scraped my knee. This man was not the man who once told me tales of ancient warrior deeds and then tucked me in. He wasn't the man who once loved me.

“You've brought me nothing but shame, Arya. First your assisting a lycan in battle, then your pathetic disappearance from honorable union, and now “this?” He pointed to my mark and backed away even further, as if he couldn't put enough distance between us. Like I'm a disease you don't smell bad to contract. “No “Ahivi” do their “Seetohu” such humiliation. And I will not endure a “coward” and “weakling” as “Ahivi”.' There was such disdain and contempt in those words. so much hate

““Vosheea ehsa, feyen”. I didn't want that.” The tears just poured out of my eyes, I had no control over them. My wound was torn deeper. “Believe me, “feyen!” Echinda is real. She's rowtaged."

Dad made a face as if he couldn't take me anymore. As if he were the devilspawn myself. "“Get out”." He spat on the floor. "I never want to see you again."

That hurt. "You don't mean it like that."

“Take this painting off your skin, you are no longer allowed to do it. That honor is no longer yours.”

Sobbing, I put my hand over my mouth and backed away.

The earth shook under my feet as my father stamped his foot on the floor and set the pace. "“Shame!”" Boom. "“Shame!" “Bum.” "Shame!" “Bum.” "Shame!”"

Both tribes joined in the roar, raised their fists in the air, spat at my feet and glared at me with hateful, contemptuous eyes. “... “Shame! ... shame! ... shame! ...” “

I winced and flinched even more, crying. It was by far the worst moment of my life. So humiliating.

"Come on, let's go." Reah pulled me with her and I saw out of sight Chatima, who was calling out to me sadly, but I didn't hear it over all the yelling, which was all for me.

Again I ran away from the tribe “Retani”. But this time I didn't want to go back. “Never again”.

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