As I stare across the horizon, my eyes fixated on the orange ball of gas, illuminating everything that it dares to touch, I feel my hair dance between the wind's fingers. I am home. I smell the robust fire as it prepares the game the hunters caught during high noon. I'd admit, my inner contents have now turned their attention to the meal that awaits them.
My name is called by my love, how his words speak deep devotion into the air. How enamored I am with his tongue. I walk across the plains following his bellow, hand to my heart as we gather by the pit to eat. I sit in the corner by my lone, as I am known to shy away from the outburst of laughter. The night sky is filled with cheer and celebration from our victory, and as bright as the stars twinkle in the night it matches the comradery of my brothers and sisters. How we all needed a night like this.
Hours later, as the darkness from the absence of the nvda, the tribe retires to their huts, as my love and I stroll across the plain. We each feel the energy of the earth's breaths beneath our feet. With him, I feel at peace, I feel protected. We sit at the edge of the world, he caresses my long black hair between his fingers. When I'm with him, my soul becomes engulfed in flames, full of longing and desire. When I look into his deep brown eyes, I float amongst the stars of the universe.
"Elu" he calls me. To him I am Elu and to myself I am Elu. "My spirits tell me to wait no longer, so I must ask you my love." What will he say to me? What have the spirits told him? "Elu, I wish to spend the rest of my life with you, I may not get another chance to say this, but will you be forever mine?" I'm taken aback, as I thought we already belonged to each other. "Hototo, what do you mean by this?" I shakenly ask. He explains, "I mean let our souls become entwined, as I will love you not only in this life but every life we are in both past and future. We will always find a way back to each other, you will always be mine, and I yours."
"Yes!" I said with no hesitation "Of course!"
That night we made love, so passionate and so sweet. Our bodies melting into one, our souls becoming entwined with one another. As we slept on Elohi, I glanced over to him as he stared into my eyes. We would not know that this was our last night occupying these bodies..
Chapter Two
I wake up to the smell of fire, however this time the energy is unlike the pleasant aroma of last night. Hototo is nowhere to be seen, and immediately I felt my soul in peril. My feet trample the grass, waking every underground dweller below me. Just over the hill, I am in anguish as I witness my village, our home, set ablaze. I see my brothers and sisters being slaughtered in mere seconds as if they were nothing but mere cattle. Their bodies turn cold by the hands of the savages.
They wore fantastical armor, never seen before, but warned by the grandmothers of the village. I hide behind a pillar as I feel a soft tear roll down my redden cheek. I do not know what to do, I will stay and fight but with what weapons, what will? I saw the shaman being battered just in front of me. His hardened face looks at me in sorrow, and as I move to help, he raises his hand and shakes his head. That's when I realized, I have no power here.
Where is Hototo? I quickly move to the northwest part of our village where our chieftain resided. Where is Hototo? I hear him. My eyes dart to the direction of the sound but are soon overcome by the smoke from the fire. In the opposite direction, the women's screams are heard from inside the hut, but they intensify as the savages laugh and moan. It did nothing but reinforce my disgust for these vile animals, no longer able to retain the name of human.
I finally make my way to the inner sanctum, where all our rewards and fruit of our labor was stored to never be touched. I heard Hototo again but this time backed with the voices of children and elders. I knock in a pattern that only our people know, to be greeted with a warm hug from his bleeding arm. "I'm glad you're okay, Elu." He whispered into my ear. "I am too." I whisper back.
Minutes later, we heard pounding at the door, but not with the distinct pattern we all know. They're here. We quickly usher the children into the underground cavern where they would follow the trail out to safety. As we move onto our few elders, the door finally gives in and two wicked soldiers come into view. Hototo and I stood our ground, giving enough time for the rest to have another chance at their lives. However for us, our clock was coming to an end. We looked into each other's eyes and found solace in sorrow. The savages dropped their weapons and took off their armor to our surprise. He gave out an evil chuckle, "with you two, I think we'll just take our anger out." Hototo charged at one of the soldiers with only his bare fists, while I armed myself with a sturdy rock from the base of the pillar. I lock eyes with the second man. His eyes are full of lust just the same as they are full of murder. I evaded his first pursuit and managed to get a power attack to the back of his knee. As he fell on the other, he turned and swung his hard fist into my stomach, I grimaced with pain. But my courage overpowered what I felt to be a temporary emotion, and I struck the man in the back of his head. As he fell to the ground the small area became painted red from the blood of his skull. I turn my attention to Hototo and the brute man. His physical appearance overstood Hototo by miles, almost a behemoth of sorts, but Hototo did not care. He plowed on and went for his stomach, chipping away at it with his bare fists, as one chips away at thick sheets of ice.
I climb the ladder to gain a height advantage, and from the ledge I struck the tall man with my rock, bringing him down to his knees. Why didn't he die as the other did? Next thing I feel, is a sharp pain in the chest. When I look down, I see a bloodied knife inside of me. I begin to feel airy as my body collapses to the ground. I look over to see Hototo give the man one last struck with the rock, but not before Hototo is as also plunged with the sharp end of a branch. The wicked man finally dies just before he crawled out of the sanctum. Hototo falls to ground, mere inches beside me, as he says "You did good, Elu." I muster up the strength to respond, "No one could've taught me better." He smiles and warmth encapsulates me all over again. As both of our breaths become labored and as the orange sky becomes darker and darker, Hototo says to me, "we will always.. find a way.. back to each other.. you will always be mine, and I yours."
Our hands grip one another as our blood joins and fills the battled floor of the inner sanctum. May I see you again in another life, my love.
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