Perchance to Dream

by Lyssa Chiavari

  “No, he doesn’t!” Elu argued. “He wants a wife that wouldn’t pain him to look upon each day, with beauty as deep as the raging river, but as soft as the wings of a butterfly.”

  “Such a woman’s looks will fade like the falling star, leaving Wakiza with nothing but a fool for a wife!” Eyota retorted.

  “He doesn’t want either of you!” Etenia screamed. “He wants the woman who has a little bit of everything—ME!”

  “Now, now,” a gentle voice interrupted, much to Wakiza’s relief. “This will all be decided later on. It’s story time now.” Ituha smiled at Wakiza, who grinned and let out an exasperated sigh. “I know what you mean,” she laughed, then motioned for everyone to gather around her.

  “What story is it tonight, Mama?” Etenia asked, sitting cross-legged in front of Wakiza and leaning her back against his knees, as if trying to ensure that he would be unable to get up and leave without her noticing.

  “In light of recent events, I’ve decided to tell you all the tale of Kajika, the Beast Who Walks Without Sound.”

  “Now, Ituha, are you sure you want to…” Chief Taima interrupted.

  “Yes, my dear. I think it’s time our people knew about the creature that’s been tormenting us. Now, Kajika lives deep in the forest, beyond the areas where we all know well not to venture, slumbering in his lair as he awaits his perfect opportunity to strike the innocent. He lived in this forest long before we came along, and will reside here long after we are all gone. Nobody knows if he is a being of flesh and blood, like us, or an entity, sent here from the underworld to torture the living for all their wrongdoing upon this earth. Some say he may even be an elemental, a creature once good but turned away from the positive to live an existence of evil.

  “Kajika resembles a lizard, though he is far more enormous than any other animal that we know of within this forest. He has sharp, jagged teeth and pointed horns upon his wretched head. His claws are massive, and able to slice through skin and flesh with ease. All those who have dared to face Kajika never lived to tell of his wicked glory, and I urge you—all of you—to avoid looking into the Beast’s eyes if you are ever unfortunate enough to come upon him while walking in the forest.”

  “Why?” Etenia asked inquisitively.

  “Why, because his eyes will freeze you in place, of course,” Ituha, whose name meant ‘sturdy oak’, replied, her eyes wide. “And then it will be all the easier for him to feast upon your body while you’re still alive. He starts at your legs, and works his way up, munching on every bone and muscle as if it were a delicacy. Then once you’re at the brink of consciousness, he finishes you off, slicing off your head and saving it for his last bite.”

  “Oh, come on,” Wakiza groaned, rolling his eyes. “Surely you can’t believe that’s true.”

  “Then what about all the people who have gone missing?” Eyota argued. “No trace of them has ever been found.”

  “We’re at war with the Sun tribe,” Wakiza reasoned. “Isn’t it more logical to assume that they were taken as prisoners of war, or possibly killed?”

  “The Sun tribe has made no secret of their attacks on us in the past,” Eyota remarked. “And wouldn’t they use the hostages as a bargaining tool? Seems more logical to me that the Sun tribe allied with the Beast in an attempt to destroy our tribe.”

  Wakiza sighed loudly. “You’re probably right, Eyota,” he replied, standing up abruptly and nearly knocking the chief’s three daughters over in the process. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. Nature calls.”

  “Watch out for the Kajika!” Taima’s three daughters taunted in unison, but Wakiza ignored them and sauntered off into the forest.

  Wakiza walked a good distance away from his village, close enough that he could still see the glow of the fire and hear the muffled chatter of his people, but still far enough that the silence of the forest, occasionally disrupted by an owl’s hoot or a cricket’s chirp, overpowered the human sounds. When he reached a towering oak tree drooped over a cluster of blackberry brambles, he stopped, and waited. He cleared his mind of all the matters of the day—the stress of the hunt, his aching feet from his travels, the incessant attention from the chief’s three daughters. He then ran his fingers delicately over a carving in the trunk of the tree, and closed his eyes until a serene and pleasant sound glided through his ears.

  “Wakiza?”

  He opened his eyes, and felt his heart begin to race. His whole body flushed pink, and his hands started to tremble. “Aiyana…” he whispered. “I’ve missed you.”

  A stunning woman stepped into a glimmer of moonlight, and graced forward to embrace Wakiza. His lips found hers, and the two grasped on to each other as tightly as they could. Aiyana’s tongue melted into his mouth, her lips soft and smooth. Wakiza had waited so long for this moment, had dreamed of those perfect lips for days, maybe weeks, since he’d last seen her. Now he wanted nothing more than for this tight hold upon her to never come to an end.

  Finally, she pulled away from him. Strands of her long black hair had fallen loose from her braid and drifted across her face, as her bewitching copper-colored eyes met his.

  “Wakiza,” she said, “I didn’t know if you’d come. I saw the fire in the distance, I thought it might be hard for you to escape.”

  “Of course I’d come,” the warrior replied. “I’d never miss a chance to see you.” He paused. “But what about you? Aren’t you afraid to venture out of your village alone like this, with that Beast lurking in the shadows?” He growled, and grabbed around Aiyana’s waist playfully.

  “I wouldn’t joke about that if I were you,” Aiyana scolded. “You’re asking for trouble.”

  “My only trouble is you, my love!” Wakiza beamed, and stole another kiss before she teasingly pulled away from him once again.

  Aiyana looked up longingly at Wakiza, her eyes dilating as she focused on his chiseled face illuminated by the moonlight. She was a petite woman, lean and athletic, but curved in all the right places. Her name, meaning ‘eternal blossom’, was, like Wakiza, a nomination that seemed to perfectly suit her in the present despite it being given at birth. Though, as a child, her name didn’t always suit her so well. Like the budding flowers of the spring, it had taken many seasons before Aiyana looked the way she did currently. She often wondered if Wakiza would have noticed her in the way he did now if he’d known her in her youth.

  “Oh, Aiyana,” Wakiza scoffed, “don’t tell me you believe all those ridiculous tales about the Kajika. You’re smarter than that. The biggest danger to the forest is the war between our tribes.”

  “I know. It’s horrible. I just wish this could be resolved so we could finally be together.”

  “If only it were that simple.”

  “Wakiza?”

  “Yes?”

  “I… I should probably tell you something. But if I do, you have to promise me that you’ll keep it to yourself and not tell anybody. Because if you do, everyone will wonder how you knew, and it might give us away.”

  “Of course I’ll keep it a secret. Why, what is it?”

  Aiyana paused, and took a deep breath. “My tribe is planning an attack on yours. Tomorrow. Just before dawn. My father is hoping to catch Taima off guard.”

  “Are you serious? I must warn my people, Aiyana!”

  “You can’t! Please, Wakiza, you said you wouldn’t tell anyone!”

  Wakiza sighed, then grabbed Aiyana’s hand and squeezed it tightly. “Well, maybe I can try to ‘accidentally’ make some noise tomorrow morning and at least ensure that everyone is awake.”

  “I think that’s all you can do,” Aiyana replied softly. “I just keep praying to the Raven that you’re protected, and nobody from my tribe can harm you.”

  “I’ll ask the Mountain Lion for help tonight before I go to sleep as well.”

  Aiyana smiled. “I should go. You should get some sleep, so you will be well-rested in the morning.” She tried to hide her face so as not to show Wakiza the tears that were now well
ing up in her eyes, but he noticed and embraced her tightly. “I guess this is goodbye then.”

  “It’s never ‘goodbye’. It’s ‘until the next time we meet’,” Wakiza whispered softly in her ear. “I will dream of you every night until then.”

  “As will I,” Aiyana replied, and the two kissed one more time before reluctantly turning away from each other and walking off in opposite directions.

  As Wakiza ventured back to his village, his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Aiyana, the impending attack, and the pointless war with the Sun tribe. He wished more than anything that the situation between the two tribes were different. He longed for time spent with his love that could span beyond just a few brief moments.

  He was so distracted by his internal fantasies that he didn’t even notice a large, dark shadow looming behind a cluster of trees in the short distance. It was only when he heard a raspy groan, followed by what sounded like a deep growl, that Wakiza’s senses perked up.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a slight yellowish reflection of the moonlight. He froze and squinted, desperately trying to discern the sounds and shadow, but even the most practical of thoughts could not shake the chills his body now felt, and the hopeless, taunting feeling of being watched. The small hairs on the back of his arms stood upright. Just when it appeared as though the shadow was beginning to slowly—yet menacingly—grow larger, rising further above him, Wakiza took off running. He didn’t stop until he had safely reached his home.

  ❦

  Wakiza had difficulty sleeping that night. Whether it be because of the impending attack on his tribe, the strange, shadow-like anomaly that loomed toward him on his walk home, or the aching desire for Aiyana that welled up in his heart every time he was forced to leave her side, he could not say. But for whatever reason, he found himself wide awake well before dawn, and took that time as an opportunity to plan his defense against the inevitable battle he was soon to face.

  Just before sunrise, Wakiza took a deep breath and prayed to his spirit animal totem, the Mountain Lion, before stepping out of his house and gazing around the camp. He noticed several large clay pots outside of some neighboring homes, and—though he knew he might have to face the wrath of Eyota—began picking them up and violently slamming them down upon the ground, one by one. With each pot that shattered as loudly as a thundering storm, more and more people emerged from their houses, rubbing their eyes and scolding Wakiza for making such a ruckus so early in the morning.

  “Oh, no! Sorry, it was an accident,” Wakiza said nonchalantly, prompting his people to look at him strangely and mutter that they were going back to bed. But before they could return to the warmth and safety of their homes, a harrowing war cry rang out and echoed through the trees. The sound of pounding drums and darting footsteps thrummed, quickly drawing nearer.

  Chief Taima burst out of his house and briefly glanced at Wakiza, confused. “Women and children get into my house, quick! Men, ready your weapons and prepare to fight!”

  Just over the peak of the small hill on the brink of the Thunder tribe’s camp, intricately painted warriors of the Sun tribe started to emerge and impose upon the village, tearing through homes and breaking everything they could within. The sounds of gasps, then screams, mixed with war cries, echoed through the village and imprinted the pain and desperation of the people deeply into the Thunder tribe’s land.

  Wakiza drew his bow and positioned himself behind a large rock, peering around at the men who were quickly approaching his hiding spot. When one grew close, Wakiza wasted no time whizzing an arrow his way, slicing through several breastbones and causing quite a few warriors to fall to their knees in pain. Some perished from their wounds, while others desperately tried to drag their ailing bodies away before Wakiza could strike again. But since so many were coming at a time, Wakiza only had an opportunity to shoot each adversary once before another noticed him and headed his way.

  Wakiza had knocked down at least ten warriors of the Sun tribe when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his father in a hand to hand combat with a man he vaguely recognized. He assumed both his father and the Sun warrior had run out of arrows, and as he ventured closer he was able to make out the familiarity of Siwili’s opponent.

  Wakiza had only seen him once—and, granted, it was from afar—but he was sure he knew the man to be Aiyana’s older brother, Akano. Akano, whose name meant ‘worthy of trust’, surely had much to prove in this battle, as he was set to become the Sun tribe’s next chief, and as Wakiza pondered this thought he realized that because of this, under no circumstances would Akano allow Siwili to walk away from their fight alive. Without thinking, Wakiza rushed to his father’s side and threw a swift punch to Akano’s face. Dazed, Akano staggered backward, stumbling to the ground.

  “Run, Father! I’ve got this!” Wakiza shouted, only to find his father hesitate and stare back at him blankly.

  “This is not your fight, son,” Siwili replied, out of breath.

  “If you continue fighting him, he will kill you,” Wakiza hissed. “Please, Father. He’s stronger than you!”

  Siwili paused for a moment, eying his son carefully. Then he reluctantly nodded his head, and, though he appeared somewhat defeated, rushed away to find an opponent to fight who was more suited for his age. Though exhausted, he could not stop fighting altogether, as it would bring a horrible dishonor upon his family, and it would be more appropriate for him to have died in battle than given up completely.

  Wakiza glanced at his father as he darted away, but was quickly brought back to reality when he felt a tremendous blow to the back of his head. He turned around and was quickly punched again by Akano. Wakiza gathered himself and vigorously swung at Aiyana’s brother, landing a forcible jab across his cheek. Akano struck again, this time missing Wakiza and slightly losing his footing, offering Wakiza the opportunity to swiftly thrust his leg under his, forcefully knocking him to the ground. But Akano was quick to stand up again and sprinted at Wakiza, tackling him in his midsection, and the two warriors plummeted to the ground.

  Wakiza and Akano rolled around in the dirt, landing blows here and there, but mainly wearing each other out as they continued their fight. Then, out of nowhere, Akano pulled a long, razor-sharp piece of obsidian from the strap of his loin cloth, previously hidden by a perfectly sized pouch that Aiyana had no doubt sewn for him. Wakiza and Akano rose to their feet once more, and Akano loomed over the warrior, wielding the obsidian around as if it were a blade. Wakiza stared at Akano in disbelief, but though he kept his own blade tightly secured to his waist, he did not draw it.

  Wakiza felt his heart nearly pounding out of his chest. This is it, he thought to himself. This is how I will die. At the hands of the brother of the woman I love. Seems oddly fitting, I suppose, for a desperate warrior like myself.

  Akano shot forward, swinging the blade across Wakiza’s stomach. Luckily, Wakiza leaped backward, narrowly avoiding the slash of the blade and sparing himself the sight of his own entrails being spilled across his feet. Akano struck again, this time aiming for his throat, but a quick movement again from Wakiza resulted only in a slight graze through his left bicep. Wakiza winced in pain, but readied himself for another attack.

  Akano lurched forward, and took a quick step in his direction. Wakiza thought fast, and leaned backward while thrusting his arm forward, causing a severe blow to Akano’s head. As Akano recovered from the hit, Wakiza swung his other arm around, swiftly chopping his wrist into Akano’s arm, and successfully knocking the blade from his hands and away onto the forest floor.

  Akano tried to hurdle over Wakiza in an attempt to retrieve the blade, but Wakiza thrust his body upward and tossed him to the ground once more. Then Wakiza bounded over to the blade and hurriedly picked it up, pointing it in his adversary’s direction. Akano put his hands up, then lowered his eyes and fell to his knees, admitting his defeat. Wakiza stepped forward, hovering over him, but he did not make the final strike.

  Akano knelt
, tense, and waited for the blow. When it did not come, he looked up into Wakiza’s eyes.

  “Aren’t you going to kill me?” Akano asked, breathing heavily, his voice shaking slightly.

  Wakiza took a deep breath, and looked around to his right and left. Then his eyes met Akano’s once more, and he noticed a hint of Aiyana looking back at him through her brother’s eyes.

  “Get out of here,” he hissed. “Go, before someone sees us.”

  Akano rose, confused, and began to slowly back away, maintaining eye contact. Then he turned his body, looking at Wakiza gratefully just one more time before sprinting away as fast as he could. Wakiza dropped the obsidian blade, and, upon feeling his knees buckle beneath him, gave in and fell to the ground. But before relief could overtake him, he heard a familiar voice from behind.

  “I cannot believe you, Wakiza.” Wakiza felt his blood run cold. He turned around, only to find Chief Taima approaching him. “I cannot believe you would let Akano live and just leave like that. Don’t you know who he is?”

  Wakiza thought carefully before answering. “No, who is he, Chief?”

  “Don’t play with me. We both know that’s a load of bear crap. You know just as well as I do who that man was, who he was destined to become. You had him in your grasp, Wakiza, and you let him go. Why?”

  “He said his wife had just had a baby, and I just couldn’t…”

  “You lie again. That’s twice now you’ve lied to me, Wakiza. I saw the whole thing. Akano was one of the last men still fighting. The rest were either killed or driven away, back to the Sun tribe. All thanks to you and your commotion this morning. Awfully fishy, if you ask me. One might think you knew something was going to happen. And after witnessing this, well, I’m very inclined to think that.”

  “How much did you see?” Wakiza asked, a lump forming in the back of his throat.

  “I saw your father running away, so I came to investigate what had happened. I’d seen him fighting with Akano, so I was surprised to see he survived that battle. I wondered how he could have defeated such a strong, viable warrior. Then I came over here and saw you, my prized Wakiza, one of the most honored warriors in the tribe become a traitor to our people. And to think I actually believed that one day you would take over as the leader of our tribe. You’ve made a fool out of me, Wakiza. You’ve made a fool out of all the Thunder people.”