Chapter 5: Half Beast

"Do not give a man fish, rather teach him how to fish."-African Proverb.

Changamire Zama of the Bantu kingdom sat on rock somewhere in his compound as he wondered why his messengers took long to return. Two men with long spears pointing towards the sky were standing on either side of him.

Words about the destruction of the Zezuru, Karanga and Manyika kingdoms had spread very fast. What boggled the king's mind was that the only kingdom which wasn't attacked was his. He wondered if this enemy was trying to get his attention.

People were scared and they were spreading rumors as well as myths about this new enemy. His soul was in trouble and the fact that his army commander had not returned made him more concerned. He rose to his feet as his figure towered that of his guards.

Changamire Zama sighed as he looked at his kingdom from his hilly complex. Images of huts burning and bodies of people lying around in the kingdom filled his mind.

He shook his head, trying to forget the imaginations. He started walking towards the villages, with his guards following behind. When he approached the villages people bowed when they recognized the crown on his head.

When he looked at some of his subjects he could tell that they were silently crying for answers concerning the destruction of the Bantu's sister kingdoms. He continued walking as he assessed the villages and how they could be protected.

He stopped when he heard two women discussing the same things that boggled his mind. The women were sitting together whilst preparing some meat. "I heard that the man is half beast and half human. He has the head of a lion. Someone who was in the Manyika kingdom when the man attacked saw it with his own eyes," the woman said.

"Is it true that he uses animals?" The second woman asked.

"Yes. He is half beast. That's why animals listen to him," the first woman responded.

"Can I talk to this someone and hear what he has to say?" The king said, startling the women to their feet before they bowed down.

"Please don't kill him. He is my husband," the first woman said.

"Where is your husband?" The king questioned.

"Inside his hut," the woman responded as she pointed towards the hut.

The king walked towards the hut. When he approached it, a man came out whilst holding an axe in his right hand, a spear in his left hand and a bow was hung on his left shoulder. A quiver of arrows sat on his back.

When the man saw the king he quickly bowed down. "My lord," the man said with his face still looking on the ground.

"I would like to have a word or two with you," the king said.

"How can a lowly man like me sit with the king himself? Has your son done anything wrong, my lord?" The man asked.

"I hear you were in the Manyika kingdom when it was attacked by the mysterious man," the king said.

"My apologies my king. I shouldn't have said anything at all," the man said.

"What's your name?" The king questioned.

"Tumbare is my name," the man responded.

"Tumbare, I would like to have a meal with you," the king said. In the Bantu kingdom, the king made it a tradition to visit two or three people once a year and have them prepare a meal whilst chatting with the king.

This helped the king to bond with his subjects and gain their trust. To the people, preparing and sharing a meal with the king was a lifetime dream. It gave them pride in the villages.

Tumbare quickly ran to his wife and told her to prepare a meal the meat he had brought from his hunting expedition. He sat with the king and narrated what he saw and heard in the Manyika kingdom. Tumbare had stopped by the Manyika Kingdom to rest when Mutapa attacked Manyika people.

"So he just attacked the Manyika market?" The king questioned.

"Yes. I heard what had been done to the Zezuru people by this man so I quickly left the Manyika kingdom because the man promised to return and destroy the Manyika kingdom," Tumbare responded.

"Did he ever mention our kingdom?" The king asked.

The man hesitantly nodded before saying, "He is a man seeking vengeance. I heard he said that the ancestors are angry. He said we are all stubborn."

The king nodded and remained silent for a while wondering when the man was going to visit the Bantu kingdom. Something in him told him that the Bantu kingdom was going to be Mutapa's final destination in his series of attacks.

Tumbare's wife was outside preparing food for the king whilst her husband was being questioned by the king. When she was done, she brought meat and sadza to the king. The king ate with the family as he asked some questions about their well-being.

They were happy because he was in their midst and their innocence made his heart melt. His worry was that this happy family could be separated if Mutapa was to attack his kingdom.

After eating, Tumbare brought a calabash of the traditional sour drink, maheu, to the king. He drank a little and decided to take his leave. They thanked him for stopping by their hut and Tumbare gave him some meat to take with. The king then ordered Tumbare to stop spreading rumors about Mutapa.

Changamire Zama went back to his compound and sat in his hut whilst thinking of ways to protect his people from the hands of the man whom he believed was coming for his kingdom.

Queen Chimwene, the king's wife, entered the hut and sat on the floor next to her husband. She had been observing the king and she could tell that he was not settled.

"What is troubling you my lord? I can tell that your mood is spoiled..." the Queen said.

"My people are in danger. I don't know if I can protect them. Our sister kingdoms have fallen," the king said.

"So the rumours are true? I believe you can protect your people. The enemy did not attack us first and that was his first mistake. Use this time to prepare for his coming. If he doesn't come, you go after him," the Queen said.

"Mhare hasn't returned. The warriors need his fighting spirit," the king responded.

"Remember we are stronger than our sister kingdoms. Maybe the enemy is afraid to attack us. We have the mountains as our cover and he knows it won't be easy to attack us. Worry less my lord," the Queen tried to calm the king's soul.

"I don't want to cause panic in the kingdom. If I deploy warriors to protect the villages, the people will panic. I want them to believe that they are safe," the king said.

"We are surrounded by mountains. The enemy cannot enter this kingdom unless he climbs one of these mountains. Use that to your advantage my lord," the Queen responded.

The King nodded and said, "I will make sure warriors dwell in all of those mountains."

"Is there anything I can do for you my king?" The Queen asked.

The Queen's words had managed to strengthen him. So he said, "Sit with me. Your presence has been a blessing."

The Queen blushed as she began talking other matters of their personal life with the king. Later the king ordered half of his warriors to cover the mountains whilst the other half was to stay inside the kingdom to protect it, in case the enemy was going to overpower the warriors in the mountains.

At dusk, the king stood as he watched his kingdom. The activity in the villages was decreasing as people settled in their huts. He then saw a man running along a path from the villages leading to the king's compound.

The man kept running towards the king's compound and the king knew the man as a herdsman. His heart began to pound as he wondered what news the man carried.

When the man finally made it to the king's compound, he fell with his face before the king. "My king, our cattle..." The man stopped as he gasped for air. The king knew what the man was going to say after he had had enough air to speak again.