Chapter 9 - Reunion

'The Hibiki wolf is almost impossible to kill. I have only heard of gods and demigods defeating them. Just who was that woman?' Senza asked Dingii who was still shaken by his brush against death.

'Regardless, she saved our lives. Let's get out of here before we meet any of those beasts again.' Dingii picked up his sword, took one look at what was left of horse and walked away.

As they walked beside the surviving horse, Dingii couldn't help but think about the seconds he spent looking at the woman. She was clearly not of Maviki but of Elionis. He couldn't fathom how a mortal was able to kill a Hibiki wolf in mere seconds without breaking a sweat.

Dingii also wondered what an Elionis subject would be doing on Maviki territory and worse off, save their lives. Weren't they supposed to be enemies? Was she in league with their mother? All these questions troubled Dingii.

'She was of Elionis.' Dingii voiced out.

'What? Why would an Elionis subject save us?' Senza shared his skepticism.

'I don't know.' Dingii drank out of his water sack, 'Let's just find mother and get out of this forest that was forsaken by the gods generations before the birth of our ancestors.'

The brothers walked for a while before they stopped to rest. They sat down and took out fruits-eating them in silence. The distant sound of twigs breaking alarmed them. Senza swallowed at the birds flying away in fright. Dingii and Senza dived behind bushes and listened to several feet heading their way.

'Could it be more Elionis people?' Senza whispered but Dingii shushed him.

When the people got closer, the brothers could not believe that they were of their people. Hundreds of Maviki warriors marched and rode by them. It edges for all of them to get past them. As soon as the coast was clear, they got out of their hiding spot and looked at each other in panic.

'What do you think they are doing here?' Senza asked Dingii who shook his head at him.

'Must be something to do with that Elionis woman we saw earlier. We have to make sure they don't see us. The last thing we need is to lead them to mother.' Dingii said with seriousness.

Senza nodded his head, 'I agree,'

'Come on, let's go.'

They trekked on in another direction-hoping that it is the right one. Senza faced up to the sky and wiped the sweat off his face. He drank from his water sack and frowned at its emptiness. Dingii read his thoughts and pointed to the river. Senza pulled his horse to the river and it immediately started to quench its thirst.

Dingii stood guard and as he waited for Senza to fill in both their water sacks. Senza closed up the last sack when they heard a little girl's singing. The both of them rushed to the side of the river where the singing was coming from. They dropped their jaws at Martina who sang happily with her feet in the water. What puzzled them even more were the snakes crawling all around her.

'That's her,' Senza whispered but got no response.

'Martina!' A sudden yell followed.

Dingii and Senza could not believe it when they saw Eclipse approaching Martina. Senza's eyes watered, and he flashed a look at Dingii whose eye already had a teardrop. They smiled at each other merrily. At long last, their dearest mother was before their eyes.

Senza got up to go to her and Dingii did not stop him. He stood still as Senza exposed himself. Eclipse paused in her tracks with her hand on her heart. She flashed a timid look at Martina and brought her eyes back at Senza.

'Do not be afraid, mother, it is I... Senza.' Senza croaked.

Eclipse covered her mouth with both her hands in disbelief, 'My son?' she whispered and gasped when Dingii got out of hiding too. 'Dingii?'

'Mother,' Dingii sniffed.

Eclipse ran to them and embraced Senza with a big hug-weeping profusely. Martina looked on puzzled as Eclipse hugged Dingii too. All three of them could not speak but cry and laugh at the same time. Martina had never seen such a reaction in Eclipse.

Martina sensed Breenis' presence and her heart skipped a beat. She whipped her hair back and parted her lips at Breenis in the form of a child scowling at Eclipse. Eclipse widened her eyes upon seeing Breenis. She shielded her sons and they looked on stunned.

'Well, well, well, what do we have here?' Breenis grinned darkly, 'If I had known that there was going to be a family reunion, I would have picked out a better wrapper.'

'Breenis, please, it is not what you think.' Eclipse stammered in fear.

'And to think that I trusted you.' Breenis shook her head disappointed.

'Mother, who is this child?' Senza asked Eclipse.

Breenis held her hand up and Senza was forced hard to a tree. He groaned in pain on the ground and Eclipse cried after him. He hadn't yet fully recovered from the first beating Breenis gave him.

Dingii glared at Breenis and went after her but Eclipse pulled his wrist hard and pushed him away. Dingii looked at her stunned at the scowl on her face. Eclipse peeled her eyes off him and got down on her knees.

'Please spare the lives of my sons. They came this far looking for me. I am not the one who told them to come here.'

'There's no room for them here. They will bring nothing but trouble.' Breenis said and her eyes beamed yellow. She opened her mouth of fangs and licked them. 'I will make it as painless as I can.'

'No!' Martina added her voice and Breenis raised her brow at her, 'Please do not hurt them, Breenis. I know it is my fault that they are here.'

Eclipse looked at Martina stunned, 'What are you saying?'

Breenis cracked up laughing, 'I guess she didn't tell you that she went back to your village.' she said to Eclipse's shock. 'Don't be too surprised, Eclipse. You yourself said that she was asking too many questions.' Breenis glanced at Dingii helping Senza up his feet, 'Regardless, I have to eliminate these two.'

Eclipse brought her hands together, 'I beg of you, do not harm my boys. My children are all I have in this world.'

Breenis closed her eyes and stretched her lips as though sympathetically. Nodding her head, she said, 'Okay,'

Breenis walked away whistling and disappeared in the shadows of the trees. Eclipse ran to Dingii's aid and together, they helped Senza up the hill and into the cave. Martina closed the door behind them as they put Senza on the bed. He groaned with every movement.

Eclipse cupped the side of his face and smiled at him then at Dingii. 'I still think that I am dreaming.'

Dingii took her hand with both of his and kissed it, 'We are truly here, mother. I can't tell you how much we have missed you. Life without you has been difficult.'

'I have missed you too, my sons. How is your father?' Eclipse inquired and Dingii tucked his lips in thought.

Dingii could feel Senza staring at him. Judging by how Eclipse asked about Mbesu, it was clear to them that she still had feelings for him. It was for this reason that neither of them had the courage to tell her that he remarried and had been living his life happily without her.

Eclipse sensed the tension and her body tensed alarmed, 'What's the matter? Did he die?'

'No,' Dingii assured Eclipse and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, 'he is all right.'

'I'm glad to hear that.' Eclipse smiled and caught Martina staring at them. 'Come here and meet your older brothers.'

Martina nervously approached them. When she was close enough, Senza was already smiling at her. She smiled faintly back at him—feeling so awkward because she never thought that he was her brother when they first met in the woods that night. Martina flashed a look at Dingii, but he only nodded at her with a straight face.

'It's nice to meet you.' Martina locked her fingers together.

'I am more than happy that I have seen you again, Martina.' Senza cheerfully replied.

'You named her after grandmother.' Dingii added without looking at Martina.

'Yes, it was my way of bringing a part of your grandmother back to life.' Eclipse explained with the brightest of smiles.

'Mother, who was that outside?' Dingii asked Eclipsed.

Eclipse sighed and dropped her gaze, 'She is the marine caretaker., Breenis' she faced up to Martina and pursed her lips in thought, 'She found me the night I was banished to the evil forest and demanded that I handed Martina as her successor.'

The boys listened in shock as Eclipse told them everything. It was very much different from the story they grew up with. Dingii stole looks at Martina now and then and shook his head in pity.

'That must have been hard for you.' Senza sympathized with a frown.

'It had to be done.' Eclipse got up, 'Look at the bright side though, we survived all these years and your sister will take up an important role one day. It's all right.' Eclipse picked up a pot, 'Enough of this, let me cook you a delicious meal, and we can catch up on everything.'

The family chatted merrily and ate to their fill. They laughed and talked about their lives-it was a moment of bliss. When lunch was over, Martina picked up all the dirty dishes and loaded them into a basin. She picked up an empty bucket and opened the door. Martina was on her way out when she spotted Breenis.

Breenis had her back turned to the cave. Martina looked forward and tilted her head at the cloak covered woman whose golden hair danced in the wind. Martina looked over her shoulder and furrowed at Eclipse.

Both Eclipse and Dingii got up alarmed. They followed Martina and looked out the door. Dingii gasped upon recognizing the strange woman. He shot a flustered look at Senza who was already struggling to get up.

'She's here,' he announced to Senza and Eclipse looked at him stunned.

Breenis couldn't wipe the smirk off her face. The woman on the other hand maintained a straight face underneath the shadow of her cloak. She spread her arms apart and two swords appeared in them; a red sword and a blue sword.

'I have been waiting for you... darkas god.' Breenis said with a devious smile.

The darkas god smiled and brought her face up to the light. Her sharp pink eyes looked right into Breenis' 'Then I'm sure you know what comes next.' she replied and Breenis scoffed.