The Unfulfilled Quest

Chapter 1 " My King, you can't do this to me!" I heard Lypha's voice echo through my eardrums. It felt surreal. I could swear I was there when my father, King Manda of Kumanga Pack threw her out of the palace. She cried! She wailed! She wept! But then, no one came to rescue her. The one man she had believed in all her life had turned his back on her. I wouldn't blame her. If I was in her shoes, I would have passed out. Lypha rushed to the king's throne and slumped to the ground. She held his feet as she cried. " Manda, you love me so much and will not allow a fly to hurt me. I can't believe you're doing this. I'm carrying your child, Manda, you can't do this..." Lypha was cut short by the heavy hands of the bodyguards which landed on her feeble shoulders. They dragged her away but she kept resisting. I began to see how cruel King Manda was. Does he have any conscience at all? Why will he allow a pregnant woman and not just any pregnant woman but one that is heavy with his child to wallow in self pity? To wallow in pain like this? I was disappointed. If I were King Manda, I wouldn't have been so cruel to my beloved. Lypha raised her voice even louder. I bet she was all the members of the pack could hear at the time. I could feel the sorrow that draped the woman. I could see the sadness that soaked those beautiful eyes that had swollen into boils. King Manda's face was backed to Lypha. I am pretty sure he couldn't face her because of the guilt that welled in his stomach. I mean, why would you wake up one morning and banish your beloved? King Manda turned around slowly and his eyes fell on two pairs of eyes soaked in tears. I could see King Manda cry his heart out but he had to do what mattered the most at the moment. " Lypha, that child must not be birthed here in Kumanga Pack. I love you", he said and paused. Lypha's hopes stood on their toes. Oh! How lovely it felt to hear your beloved pronouncing his feelings before everyone. But then, her hope was short-lived. " I love Kumanga even more" That statement changed everything. Lypha thought she had not only found love when Manda met her but also family. But then, he had proven her wrong. " Please, don't do this", Lypha pleaded. Of course! It was the only option she had. If not King Manda, who would salvage her? The King called one of the guards and whispered something into his ears. Then, the broad-chested fellow bowed and rushed back to where Lypha was. She kept wailing but it fell on deaf ears. The King, in an outburst of anger rose to his feet, walked to Lypha and let his hands fall on her face without mercy. For a second, she couldn't hear anything as she did not want to believe that her husband slapped her for the first time in their entire ten years of a beautiful marriage. Lypha passed out. I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. I saw myself in Kumanga Pack right there with Lypha, the King and his palace officials. I had travelled to ten years ago. It was quite unbelievable but it happened. Lypha was carried away by the palace guards on King Manda's orders. She was soaked in blood. I got scared. What if she dies? Where are they taking her to? I was grateful enough for my presence was unnoticed and I couldn't do anything. I followed patiently as they took Lypha away. They passed through several forests and villages. Still, she was unconscious. I was tempted to touch her but the instructions came to live in my memory and I erased any traces of thought as such. Soon, they arrived at a town which looked exactly like the one I lived before traveling to ten years ago. The buildings; skyscrapers and storeys, fountains beautifully situated on the roads, street lights... It was just New York! Wow! I exclaimed. The guards laid Lypha down and zoomed off. They were prolly scared of this town which they had never seen before. I hurried over to Lypha but held my self from touching her. She was so pretty, though. It was getting late and I had to return home but a huge part of my heart wanted to know what will happen next. So, I decided to leave out the thought of home and see what happens to Lypha. I sat down close to the woman and buried my face into my arms. Deep down, I wish I could do something, just anything to make her conscious. Just then, a car pulled over and a woman in her thirties stepped out of the car. She looked familiar but the one I know wasn't as pretty as the one who just stepped out of the car. As she moved closer, my heart beat faster. I thought she had seen me. Just when I was about to pass out, she knelt before Lypha. There and then, her full face formed in my mind. That was my mother! Good heavens! Why didn't she tell me anything about this? I was struck with amazement. I saw her dip her hand into her bag and pull out a cell phone. She dialed some numbers and put it right back into the bag. In an interval of about five minutes, I heard the blaring sound of the ambulance approaching us. I rose to my feet and took a few steps backward. Lypha was placed on a stretcher and put in the ambulance. My mother followed suit. What are you waiting for? A voice spoke in my head. I rushed into the ambulance just before it was closed and it drove to the hospital. I was perplexed because my mother cried throughout the journey to the hospital. Does she know Lypha? Is she her sister? Thoughts like that swirled through my mind. The ambulance pulled over and Lypha was rushed to the Operation Room immediately. As I was about to enter, the door was shut. So I drew back. My mother sat outside waiting for reports from the Operation Room. I was as worried as she was and so I sat beside her. But then, she couldn't see me. We waited; my mother and I for over two hours. Until, the Operation Room was opened and two nurses stepped out. My mother rose to her feet and so did I. But, the nurses ignored us and walked away. I peeped into the Operation Room to see Lypha lying lifelessly on the bed. My eyes traveled round the room and I saw how her heart beat in the heart monitoring machine. It read slowly... I was relieved for Lypha was well. As I was about to turn around, my eyes caught sight of something. There was a cradle bed beside Lypha and I began to wonder what could be inside. I walked into the room and the nurse shut the door behind me. My feet were cold as I lifted each drawing closer to the cradle bed. Then, I took a halt and peeped into it. Tiny eyes sparkled and illuminated the whole room. Trust me, it was none I had ever seen before. The tiny fingers that barely moved melted my heart and tears shimmered in my eyes. The tiny feet were so perfect and I yearned to touch but nay! I still want to go home. I saw a shapeful mouth so pink and fresh curve into a terrific smile. I couldn't help it, my lips curved into a smile as well. It was infectious! I held out my hand to touch the tiny thing. Like a whirlwind, something electrified my body and weakened my hand. It dropped dead. Just then, my mother stepped into the room and rushed to Lypha's bed. She touched her head as she sat on a chair beside her. I moved a little away from the duo trying my best not to make a sound as I forgot for a second that I was invincible to them. My mother turned around and her eyes landed on the cradle bed as well. I could tell from the tears that rolled down her cheeks that she was beyond excited. She stretched out her hand and placed on the beautiful creature's hair. She was careful enough not to be hard on it. " Hey, darling", she said in that sweet voice she put up whenever she was over the moon. I stood there, admiring the gracious smile from the little creature until I felt water on my body. How the hell is this happening? Then, I heard that sweet voice again... " Travis!" It dawned on me that my adventure was over.