Chapter 2: Every choice has a consequence

Most of her life she was the sheltered chick. The one girl who has it all in the village beauty, power, friends, respect you name it but, without knowing it, ever so gracefully she witnessed it all wither away in time.

She was the reason why her parents died. They never held her accountable for imprisoning them but, she knew she was a shitty daughter.

She never knew how to love another person until Jika and even with him some days were too had to end. Did she really deserve her children and what would she ever do to make them not hate her?

Funny how by being around Kirri that much made her thick skinned. She didn't care when the women in the village would break her water pot, ruin her crafts, refuse her of the communal meat. She didn't care that nobody bothers to call for her presence whenever there's a meeting. She was just being outcasted by her own people.

"Mother!" Cried Rena when she saw Kirri with a bundle of woods coming from the deep side of the forest with fruits and a happy, childlike giggle when she saw Rena.

"I found it!" Said Kirri practically jumping from joy.

"You have found what?" Asked Rena as she put down her baby girl to help Kirri out of her misery, "This is a lot to last us eternity"

"The waterfalls!" Replied Kirri after they placed the wood in its shed.

"They exist?" Asked Rena excitedly. She only heard it from Jika but, with just a day of wishing to see one, Kirri went to search for it. She was touched.

"Heal my child and I'll take you with me" Said Kirri before she put the fruits on a bark of a tree and went on to start a fire since it was already evening and she didn't eat a thing the whole day.

"How was they today?" Asked Kirri while preparing a cooking pot with yams and cassava.

"Getting used to me I'd say but, they still prefer you" Said Rena with a sad smile before adding, "I prefer you"

"You flatter me my child but, I may not be here come tomorrow... what would you all do then?" Questioned Kirri with a small voice looking at the moon. Sometimes Kirri frightens her since she never let her emotions show.

"Mourn" Replied Rena with a sigh making her chuckle but, it wasn't a happy one.

"And that's all I would need" Replied Kirri before went on about her discoveries of the day, "You heard about foreigners?"

"It's what everyone is talking about. Did they do anything?" Replied Rena curiously

"Why? Do you want them to do something?" Countered Kirri eyeing Rena who just shrugged. She became bitter about her village and if they asked her? She wished pain on them.

"It's just weird. They are so different from us on everything but, they still stayed! Did they say why they are here?" Replied Rena thoughtfully.

"Not here yet but, they are under Ngamaya. The land over the lake? I heard they can't speak any of our languages and they hide their skins!" Said Kirri making a disgusted face making Rena laugh aloud.

"Then why are they here? Trading you'd think?" Asked Rena curiously.

"I would hope so but, they would have done so since the day they arrived. Why wait it out?" Thought Kirri out loud

"Why are we even trying to understand them this hard?" Questioned Rena frustrated. She only wished for Kirri to be telling her stories of her younger days. They are just so full of life.

"Are they friends?"

"No. But, they are not our enemies either"

"That's when you need to guard your hut!" Said Kirri so, seriously that made Rena feel scared for whoever that would wish to be her enemy, "It's precisely because they are foreigners and close to your home" Said Kirri gesturing to the twins glowing under the moonlight, "Protecting those two is our duty so, whatever is going on whether big or small, we should be very mindful. Even the smallest drop of rain can make a sea react"

"You are thinking too much! I don't think Femi would ever let anything in before Muso's approval and he hates changes" Explained Rena relaxing on the mat while cutting the mangoes.

"That's exactly why we should be sharp for their sakes" Said Kirri coming to sit beside her on the mat, "Muso is just a greedy selfish bastard"

They stayed silent for some time before Rena spoke up with caution, "You were right"

"On what?"

"Hida... she... she really can't hear a thing"

"Are you okay?"

"What am I going to do? I can't lose her not after losing their father just because I had two on a moon! His sacrifice_" Trailed off Rena when she saw the side eye from Kirri.

"That's what I told you to never do!" Said Kirri vividly disappointed making Rena distressed, "What?"

"You are blaming HER now!" Clarified Kirri with force on her words. She was upset.

"I didn't_" Trailed off Rena once again but, this time because she was interrupted.

"You did! If you want something to blame? Blame it all on him! On Muso! On this land but, never blame THEM! They came when you called" Said Kirri before walking to add on another wood in the fire.

"Okay now, what am I to do to protect her?" Asked Rena at last feeling so stupid and worst for ever speaking like that. She still didn't know what she did but, she felt wrong and that was enough she guessed.

"We make sure she lives on" Said Kirri simply before she sat down next to her once more.

"And how do we do that?" Rena pressed on making Kirri giggle a little as she replied, "Whatever it takes!"

"You don't have a plan do you?" Questioned Rena as she chuckled at the realization. She was Kirri! The only woman with knowledge on everything!

"Plans fail. Time never stops for anybody. Scenarios change. People are fickle since early days. Situations fluctuates... Pick a reasonable reason on why we should play this by ear?"

"How come you know so much"

"Because, I was and still am hurting a lot" Said Kirri casually, "Life would never be life if it doesn't make you earn your living"

"That's sad" Said Rena sincerely.

"Don't worry. We are really not that different. You choose to put up a fight and I choose to bury it inside" Said Kirri looking up at the moon sadly.