Chapter 12: The Search

"I understand you are experiencing dark times just like us but I have to leave. My people need me in these dark times. I hope they find your daughter and bring her home safe," Mambo Tenda of the Karanga kingdom said to Changamire Zama.

They were sitting together on a wooden bench as they watched some men in the king's compound preparing to go and search for Princess Ruva. The decree had caused some men to make a choice of risking their lives to find the Princess.

"Safe travels my friend. I am sure when they return they will tell us about Mutapa's dwelling place. We will attack him once he has been exposed," Changamire Zama said.

Changamire Zama sat on the bench as Mambo Tenda and his people prepared to return to their kingdom. Mukono of the Zezuru kingdom sent his men with word about the visit whilst he partook of the search for Princess Ruva.

The king went to the hut where the Queen was still mourning the loss of their daughter. He wanted to comfort her with the word that some men were going to look for her. He felt responsible for everything that happened to his family.

Mhare went to his home and took an axe, a club, a bow and a quiver of arrows. The others had decided to look for the king's daughter together but he preferred a solo mission.

He waited until everyone looking for the Princess went out of the kingdom. He rose and climbed to the top of a mountain. He scanned the landscape from east to west and then from north to south.

The pastures where their cattle were attacked were on the east side of the kingdom. He studied the east side and saw that it had a dense forest which was a long distance away from the kingdom. He decided to search in the east first and he hoped his instincts were right.

He climbed down into the pasturelands and followed a path that led straight into the forests. He then decided to walk through the forest when he noticed that a number of pairs of footprints were on the path. He guessed that it was the other ambitious men searching for Princess Ruva.

When the sun was about to go down, Mhare sought a place to rest. Since he did not trust the area, he began setting a few traps around his camp. During the process, he noticed a muzhanje tree with ripe mazhanje fruits.

He gathered enough for him to eat before he slept and finished off setting his traps. In his quiver of arrows were a few sticks of biltong so he ate them first and finished off with the wild fruits.

On the other hand, Mukono of the Zezuru kingdom was accompanied by a handful of brave Bantu warriors who had hopes of fighting the queen. They had also decided to camp in the forest for the night. Among these warriors was Gora who also felt the need to make the Princess his wife.

"When I find the princess, I will kill Mutapa with my bare hands and bring his head before the king," a young warrior said.

The other warriors laughed at him and he quickly lost his confidence. "You think you can kill Mutapa? Just look at yourself," one of the warriors said and they laughed.

"I am the one who's going to find the Princess. I have fought men in battles and none of them has ever defeated me. I can dislocate your jaw with a single punch. And you think you can bring Mutapa's head to the king?" A muscular man among the warriors said.

Another warrior stretched his bow and released an arrow. The arrow flew and landed between the muscular man's legs. The archer chuckled and said, "My aim is very good. With one arrow I can hit Mutapa's head. Or I will just aim for his heart and then cut his head off later."

Mukono of the Zezuru kingdom placed his head on a bag made of goat skin as he watched these man arguing about who was going to get the Princess. A warrior sitting next to him slapped his thigh and said, "And you? Why would you risk your life to search for the Princess whom you don't know? You betrayed your people."

"Yes. You are the only stranger here. Why is the Princess so important to you?" Another warrior questioned.

Mukono ignored them as he adjusted his body to get some sleep. The warrior sitting next to him slapped his thigh again and said, "Hey, don't you have ears?"

"I have nothing to explain to you," Mukono said and closed his eyes as he searched for some sleep.

The warrior next to him began provoking him by pocking his belly with his index finger. Mukono just reached for his short spear and thrust it into the warrior's throat. He held the spear deep into the man's throat as he gurgled the blood filled in his throat.

Mukono kept pressing the spear until the man breathed his last. He looked at the other shocked warriors and said, "Anymore questions?"

None of them responded and he dragged the lifeless body to a nearby bush. When he returned everyone looked at him without saying a word and he put his head on his bag.

His actions had completely cut off the chirpy mood which was around the camp. Soon, other warriors with followed suit. Mukono woke up the next day when he heard men someone shouting.

He rose to his feet and found the warriors gathered around two lifeless bodies. He squatted near the two dead warriors and scanned their bodies for any injury. He noticed two small round bites and said, "Snake bite. Probably a black mamba." He finished as he noticed that their bodies had turned black.

They all packed their goods and began walking in the jungle again. They spread out in the jungle and walked aimlessly whilst expecting anything.

Mhare had a peaceful night and he rose from his place and walked due east. He left his traps set and marked some places he had set traps.

In the afternoon, he stopped to rest whilst thinking if he had made the right call. He had not come across any danger and this bothered him because he expected the mission to be his hardest.

The jungle was very quiet and he closed his eyes. That's when he heard the footsteps of something running towards where he sat. When he raised his head, he saw a man running in the bushes.

The motion of bushes behind the man who was running gave Mhare a sign that he was being chased by an animal. He climbed into one of the trees and noticed that it was Gora running away from a leopard.

He took an arrow, placed it on the bow and stretched it as much as he could. He aimed for the leopard's head and released the arrow. The arrow missed Gora by a few inches and it landed on the leopard's neck.

The leopard fell to the ground and Gora stopped. He looked at the leopard which was still moving. An arrow to the head put a final stop to its movements. Gora looked up and saw Mhare climbing down.

He sighed and said, "That was close."

"Are you alone?" Mhare questioned.

"I was with a group of other warriors but we separated when the leopard chose to follow me," Gora explained.

Mhare noticed a movement inside the bushes and stretched his bow and arrow. "It's me!" Mukono shouted when he noticed that Mhare was about to shoot.

Mhare relaxed his bow and started walking away. His plan of going on the mission alone had been jeopardized. "Where are the others?" Gora asked.

"We got separated when we encountered the leopard. I followed to help. I can see somebody did that already," Mukono said as he looked at Mhare was already a few steps ahead.

They began walking behind Mhare who was trying to find a way to slip out of their sight. When night fell, they camped near a big river and slept there. When dawn was cracking, Gora woke up to empty his bowels.

He walked a few feet from the others and saw an elderly woman walking into a nearby bush. The familiar presence of that woman filled his mind and heart. He followed the woman and found her standing behind the bush.

She turned around to face him and smiled. Gora looked at her as he tried to figure out why he had met this woman twice in different places. "My son, your time has come. Follow me," Makosi said as she began walking.