Zhandalee And The First Metamorphosis

-- They are not my natural parents, they have adopted me, but I consider them as if they were to all intents and purposes, they are special with me—Zandi said.

--What do you remember about your natural parents?—Efia asked.

- Well, about my father nothing, about my mother, or rather what we think she was, I have just a few fragments, I was only two years old, she left me on the bank to my adoptive parents and then she turned off. I am very attached to her too, for me her spirit is in the sea, and when I want to talk to her I go to my place on the rocks and I talk to her. It is strange to say, but it seems the sea gives me an answer, and it is funny to say but I feel it inside me, and then after all that is happening to me I do not feel it anymore as a strange thing but a thing that is part of reality -- Zandi concluded by leaning the salad on the table.

- But she was not alone, there was also a child, from what they told me he was taken away, he was bigger than me and I think he knows something, Thiago is his name and he had a necklace like mine but with a red stone – Zandi continued.

--Yes Zandi, there must surely be a connection between the child who saved my mother and the child who was there with you, I'm not good at math, I can do basic things my mother taught me, and if you do some calculus, you're come back in the past, he should now be five or six years old and you two about, so if you go back to the place of the disaster, you could you see what happened, is it right? -- Efia told exactly.

--That’s right! Efia, so I must immediately know what Demetrio has to do with this story and then I have to look for a means to take me to the Mediterranean,--Zandi said, lighting up her eyes.

--Now we eat and then we will help you in all we can do – Efia proposed smiling.

Zandi hugged her and she said only:

--Thank you.--

--It’s ready, pass me the dishes, tell me how it is this time,-- Mosi said, entering the pot of clay with steaming rice.

The girls took a seat at the table and passed the dishes one by one, the old Mosi filled the dishes overflowing, then finally he filled his one and after putting the pot aside he sat with the girls and they began the lunch.

--I hope you like it, I do not know what food you usually eat, this is what we can offer you, the missionaries gave it because we do not have it every day –Efia said.

--It 'very good, you do not have to worry, in fact I'm very honoured and honestly I do not know how to repay you for everything you do for me, -- Zandi said, stroking Efia's face.

The old Mosi smiled but he said nothing and he continued to eat.

When they were about to finish their plate of rice, screams were heard from outside, these screams became clearer as they approached to them, someone shouted the name of Zandi, she got up and those voices came to the hut, Biko and Ima came from their hut, running and entering.

--What's going on, guys? Why are you running in this way? – Mosi asked with a worried face.

--I came knew from my uncle who works in the base of the invaders that General Kruken sent 20 men into the woods to find and to kill Demetrio, if they find him it's over – Biko explained panting for the run.

--We must find him first, we must save his life and I must know what he has to do with my coming here,--Zandi said.

--We have to hurry, they've already left -- Ima added.

--No, it is too dangerous because if the soldiers find you they will kill you surely, so do not go, -- Mosi said.

--Also my parents have done me objections, but I will go anyway, because I feel that the future of the village is involved,-- Biko replied.

--You can do what you're feeling, but my little Efia is better staying here at home, she is weak and it is very dangerous,-- Mosi said.

-- But dad, I want to go with them, let me go – Efia asked.

--Your father is right,-- said Zandi and Biko nodded.

--It's decided: we'll go,-- BIko said firmly.

While they are going to get out of the hut direct to the forest under the resigned gaze of Efia, Mosi grabbed the arm of Biko.

-- Wait! –Mosi pronounced.

-- Keep this, use it only if it's necessary --Mosi handed a cylindrical cloth to Biko with something inside, he took off the fabric and a scimitar was inside it, then he put a hand on Biko's shoulder saying:

--I recommend you to be careful, those people have no scruples, if you find Demetrio, bring him here at the village and we will hide him. It will be very difficult, however good luck --

--I'll do it, thank you,-- Biko said.

the three boys went out going with a fast step to the forest, while Efia and Mosi looked at them hopefully from the rudimentary window.

Biko, during the way, scrutinized the weapon received, he looked at the drawings engraved on both the blade and on the handle, they were very thin tribal designs that adorned the sword in all its parts.

--Are you able to use it? -- Zandi asked, -- looking you handling it, it seems you've never seen one before.--

--Sure, I've seen swords, when I was a kid I imagined fighting for fun, even with other children, but when things get serious, everything changes --Biko answered.

--We hope we do not have to use it and solve everything using timeliness as a weapon,-- Ima added.

Biko, walking, simulated a hypothetical fight in the wind to get familiar with the weapon.

- We hope so, but in any case I want to get ready for the unexpected, and then you see, it's not so difficult to handle it, look! -- saying so Biko started a duel but with an accidental blow he overflow the head of his sister Ima who drew down appropriately, and he cut her a small lock of hair.

--Ops! Sorry, my sister,-- Biko promptly replied.

--It is better you keep it in its scabbard, otherwise we will not arrive in three to the forest – Ima reproached with a serious face.

Zandi looked at both of them and they all laughed.

--Where exactly are we heading?-- Zandi asked.

- General Kruken's base station is located east of the forest, so his soldiers will leave from there looking for Demetrio, we would start on the west side in the hope of finding him first, and flee from the west part—Ima specified.

-- My sister is born as a strategist, she has already elaborated a plan, even when we were little she was always like that, she was the mind and I was the arm- Biko added.

--Have we some indication about Demetrio's refuge, to speed up the search?-- Zandi said

-- No, no, no one can approach him, his house is the forest, who creates damage to the forest will receive his anger, he is very suspicious to everyone, and I think he will be with us too but we have to try – Biko explained.

--So if he will attack us too, we should not be surprised, maybe he will think we are trying to catch him – Ima said.

- I do not think he listed us as bad people, because otherwise he would not have defended us against the soldiers, his instinct is with us, I think -- Zandi concluded.

--We have arrived, we must climb this clearing and there is a slide that will take us straight to the west side of the forest. Slipped sitting in balance if not we could hurt – Biko precises putting his sword with a belt behind the back and starting to climb on the clearing.

Once he reached the top he offered his hand to Zandi and quickly pulled her up next to him, then he bowed and he did the same with his sister, when all three of them climbed Biko moved some bushes and revealed a beginning of the slide that started with a curve on the left. They could not see anything else, in the background they could see the forest much lower than where the three boys were.

--Are we sure we'll live to the end?-- Zandi asked doubtfully.

--Be quiet, even if it 's very much that I do not use it, we will not get hurt, I think, we must always keep the cenrte of the slide, staying in balance sitting down, it' s not difficult – Biko reassured.

--Yes, Zandi, the bed of the slide is made of sand and a sort of moss that allows you to slide without making us ache--

- Come on, I begin, come behind me, Zandi – Ima reassured.

But when she was about to position herself seated on the slide, about twenty meters far they heard a strange little noise and a dozen small birds flew up, the three looked in that direction, then Biko took the sword he had placed behind his back and intimated:

--Who is there? Let's see if you do not want to be killed --

But no sound and no response came from the foliage, Biko advanced a few yards with his sword forward and cautiously to see if anyone was hiding, but he found nothing.

-- Maybe it has been some passing mongoose,-- Ima said.

--Perhapes your sister have reason – Zandi reinforced.

Biko returned near the two girls and he put the swords in the scabbard, he remained a few seconds on the area from which that sound had arrived and then he stood as a third recommending the girls ..

--Attention to the balance, otherwise you can hurt yourself- -

--You think about you – Ima replied and she threw herself followed by a cry of euphoria, Zandi shrugged as if to say '' What doyou want to do? '' and she follow Ima.

--Girls! – Biko pronounced and he threw himself down to the slide.

The run of the slide for Zandi and for the other two was a wonderful and incredible emotion, they slipped sitting balanced on the moss that made them slippery like soap, they passed through colourful flowers of which some petals remained on them, they grazed small animals who watched them astonished, they immersed themselves in a thick and soft green foliage where they were caressed, until Ima and Zandi arrived at the end of the slide where a soft grass allowed them to roll for many meters in a joyful and fun way. They lay smiling, looking at the blue sky, under a tree on which there were two birds watching to the girls laughing, then they both looked at each other strangely flying in the sky.

Ima abandoned her lying position sitting and shaking a little green foliage off her back, Zandi made the same thing a few seconds later.

- It 'was beautiful, I had never tried an experience so amusement, even at the most sophisticated rides, we have to do it again in the future – Zandi pronounced cheerfully.

-- But my brother, where is he? - - Ima said worried looking at the end of the slide, when immediately they heard Biko’s shout, it was not a scream shouted by the girls, it seemed a confused shout, in fact at a distance of dozen yards from where Ima and Zandi had arrived, they could see a great dustiness followed by branches and pebbles and some small animals looking surprised, from this dust the scream came falling to the ground creating a trail, after about thirty meters of pulley he stopped, the head of Biko came out from the vegetation, all dusty with dry branches in his hair and a pile of foliage in his mouth that spit out, then Biko looked at his arms and he saw some big ants starting to climb him up, he broke his eyes and screamed.

--A formicary !!!!! --

He got up and after a few hundred meters he threw himself in a small pond nearby, the girls enjoyed the whole scene smiling, then they got up, they cleaned the rest of the body walking towards the pond. As they arrived near the shore

- But where is your brother? Will he not be drowned,? -- Zandi asked.

--No, quiet, Biko is a fish, he can swim very well,-- Ima replied.

Biko emerged from the water and spitting out a fountain of water he said:

-- I've seen it ugly! --

-- Were you not the boy who made us a thousand of recommendations? -- Zandi asked ironically.

Biko coming out of the water replied:

-- It was not my fault, I slipped perfectly, the sword is caught for a moment on a bush making lose my balance, and then thanks to the luck I end up on a anthill – he ended squeezing the clothes and putting the sword back on his back.

--This area is the most west part of the forest, we have to start from here, let's distance each other so to be able to control a wider area of forest but still remaining on sight always – doing so Biko stood between the two girls and they began to scour the forest looking for Demetrio.

--Attention Girls, we must be discreet, we could run across the soldiers, so we have to observe well and make little noise – Biko précised.

- Usually he lives on the trees, you can rarely see him wandering on the ground, but we never know – Ima added.

--I have understood!-- Zandi answered, bending her head slightly forward in the direction of affirmation.

After a few hundred meters of reconnaissance Zandi glimpsed near a large trunk of a bare tree becoming gray, an animal that caught her attention.

--you’ll see that beautiful cat, very large and it seems docile -- Zandi pronounced approaching the animal.

Biko did not see it right away, so he approached it too.

--Zandi, be careful! Not to approach it, it is a wild cat and it does not go so well with the man, it could hurt you, let it go -- Biko warn.

--Biko is right, listen to him, do not approach it, I heard of people who got hurt – Ima strengthened the words of Biko, approaching calmly.

But Zandi, seeing the calm air of the animal, did not renounce her intent, and went further, coming slowly to stroke it on the head, the cat behaved like a domestic cat, letting Zandi's hands gently caress it, and it seemed happy with caresses.

--What did I tell you? It's a good cat,-- Zandi said.

Ima and BIko looked at each other in disbelief, and they approached Zandi who in the meantime had taken the cat in her arms.

--I do not believe in my eyes,-- Biko said in astonishment.

--How can you do everything? It’s clear you are a divinity – Ima said smiling.

-- I've never seen a thing like this in my life, never any of these beasts behaved like that with any of us, obviously it feels something good in you, the animals know it long, -- Biko said.

--Caress it you too, -- Zandi told Ima. -- it will not hurt you --

Ima approached the hand and she began to caress it at first with much fear but seeing the docile nature of the feline she took security stroking it with taste, the animal was happy to receive such cuddles.

--We have to continue the research, we have to find Demetrio before the soldiers, first to save his life and then to know what he can tell us about this whole story,-- Biko said.

--Big cat, I would be hours to caress you but now I must go --Zandi said jokingly to the wild cat, the cat turned its head suddenly staring at the depth of the forest, the three boys remained petrified, the animal later made a grimace showing the sharp teeth and pulling out the sharp nails.

--What is it doing? – Ima asked.

--Evidently it feels the danger coming,-- Biko said.

As soon as he finished saying, the cat suddenly jumped out of Zandi's arms and ran away disappearing through the trees, but doing so with his fingernails it scratched Zandi's arm in a showy way from which came a few drops of blood that ended to the ground.

--Let me see,-- Ima said taking Zandi's arm.

--It's nothing,-- Zandi replied.

-- It's a big wound, but now I'll beam it -- Ima proposed pulling out a handkerchief for bandaging the arm --When we will arrive at the village, we'll clean it better,-- Ima said.

Suddenly there was a shot-gun from where the wild cat had fixed.

-- Soon let's hide, they are the soldiers, the cat had heard them. Let’s go on that tree --Biko suggested running towards a thick tree to the right of where the three were, leaping up on it and reaching out his hand in ahead asking to his sister and to his friend to follow him.

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