Soul Lovers

Fire on the Mountain.

Meanwhile at the Inhumane village. Peirce’s Grandma, holding a wooden bowl in her hand, in it was all sort of herbs in various colors, she brought it outside from her hut to treat the sick who were at her door step, each one with one relative or friend, she greeted them with a smile then began her treatment as she was treating, they heard noises coming from the village entrance, she turned to check, noticed many teenagers coming towards her looking sad and trembling while most of them were quietly sobbing behind as four of the teenaged boys in front carried a wrapped body on their shoulders walking towards Peirce’s Grandma.

“Lola. Where is the Youth leader and Vanilla… ?" Peirce’s Grandma asked, gently, glanced at the wrapped body on the teenaged boys shoulders, “Is that my Grandson?” she dropped everything and went to them staring at the wrapped body.

“I… We… couldn’t… ” Lola stammered, before she could finish, everyone, young and old ran to them especially ech parents asking what was going on.

“Where did you guys ran off to? You got us worried!!” one of the Elders said, “where is the Youth leader?! And I don't see Vanilla.”

Lola couldn’t say anything including the remaining teenagers that went on that frightful journey.

Vanilla's Father and Mother ran to them breathing heavily,

“We ran here as soon as we heard you guys were back. What took you so long? The guards are out looking for you in the woods as we speak.”

“Bolu?!” Vanilla’s mother called, he turned looking at his wife.

“Yes? Taiye?”

“Our daughter. She… is… not here with them!”

“What?!” Bolu shouted staring at the teenagers who were shivering and sobbing as they stared at the ground.

“Lola? Where is my daughter?” Bolu asked in a low tone, Lola blinked trying to hold herself together, she swallowed. “Where is my daughter?!” Bolu yelled.

Immediately, Lola flinched including the teenagers. He looked at the wrapped body. The teenaged boys that were carrying it, gently and slowly laid it on the floor in front of everyone. “What is all these?!” Bolu yelled again.

“Elder Bolu. Please calm down, the children could have seen something or know something about were your daughter is, let's hear them out.” One of the Elders said.

Bolu walked to Vanilla’s wrapped body and observed it.

No blood stains. Nothing?! Bolu thought, Taiye went to were her husband was, glanced at Vanilla’s body too.

Immediately, she reached there her eyes went round.

“Vanilla?!” she gasped, Bolu shuddered looking at his wife.

“What do you mean, Vanilla?” he asked, hunched and slowly removed the cloth wrapped around Vanilla’s face. Seeing Vanilla’s face he shrank back as Bolu rushed to her daughter crying. “W… what… how come?!” he asked breathing heavily as he looked at his daughter's pale face, trying to see what had happened to her. Vanilla’s face was unscratched, with no bruises on her body and no blood stains on the clothes wrapped around her. He couldn’t believe her daughter was at his front laying motionlessly and not breathing.

This was the moment when everything around him went dark and numb the only thing he could hear was the sound of his own heart beats, racing increasingly fast wondering if he was having a nightmare. The sound of her daughter's voice and laughter played in his mind, he rubbed his face, Taiye immediately, unwrapped her while weeping. After that, she survey her daughter's face to her legs, saw no injuries, blood or stressed on her but spotted her cloth torn out in circle shape on her belly, she turned to Lola.

“What happened to my daughter? She has no… ”

Lola immediately, interrupted her as she clasped her hands on her clothes.

“We were attack!” She knelt down. Everyone was horror struck.

“This has never happened before. We were attack? By who?” one of the Elders asked,

Lola gasped,

“He saved us. The Youth leader saved us all right before putting me in charge... he fought one of them as he sacrificed himself to let us escape then they took him away, we couldn't see them clearly from afar but we are sure they took Sniffia also along with a strange man fighting for their sake and… Peirce... ”

“Peirce?!” they all shouted except Peirce’s Grandma and the frightened teenagers. Bolu stood up walked to Lola, she turned her head to the ground with her eyes tightly shut as she couldn't looked at the face of Vanilla's Father or any other faces around, shivering and about to cry.

“You mean he followed you guys? Who ordered it?!” He turned to one of the Elders, “he caused it. We know he is always unlucky! We knew he was never one of us! We know he is never an Inhu… ”

“Elder Bolu! Stop this nonsense at once! We first need to know what happened to your daughter before jumping to conclusions. It's not always his fault. Look! his Grandma is right in front of you… I'm truly sorry for your loss but please think this through!!” one of the Elders interrupted.

“And so?!” he raved, he glanced at Lola. “You! Who took them?!”

“... They behave and sniffs like the kinds of people we read in the books... I think they are from the Beast Kingdom!!” she answered.

Immediately, Everyone widened there eyes including Bolu's then the people murmured to each other except from Peirce’s Grandma who just stood still looking at Taiye crying on Vanilla’s lifeless body on the ground. Suddenly, Lola eyes widened as thoughts filled her mind, grabbing on to the sands on the floor while she kneeled.

Wait a minute, I saw Sniffia did the same thing, because I was the one behind them, I saw her sniffed the air before running off from the group, huh?... is she one of them... ? Is she the reason why they came...? she shook head as she said to herself. No that can't be I saw her in the night of Naming, she also glowed... then what just...

“Enough!” someone said from behind, they all looked back. “Calm down, everyone.”

A bald old man with a long white moustache commanded, carefully walking towards them with a wooden staff on his hand aiding his stability. He stopped at the center looked at Bolu and his wife.

“Am really sorry about your daughter. We will look for a way to report everything that has happened today to the Emperor.” He looked at Peirce’s Grandma. “Elder Folasade. What do you think happened to her?” He said talking about Vanilla’s body.

“I don't know for now. Chief Elder. But I will have to check what’s wrong with her internally.”

“Internally. What do you mean internally?! Isn't it enough. I know you are our healer but on doing it to our daughter I. I. Decline.” Bolu denied.

“No. Bolu! I need to know what happened to my daughter. I need to know… what happened to my dear Vanilla! What should I tell her brother? What should I tell my son?!” Taiye gasped as she cried on her daughter’s body.

The Chief Elder sighed.

“This is strange. Indeed.” Chief Elder whispered, "what could possibly happened to them? Why did they attack one of us? Why now?"

.

.

.

Six years ago at the Inhumane village, it was rainy. In Vanilla’s home. Vanilla, her Father and Mother were all chatting and laughing at each other while they were eating.

“Daughter when are you going to side your Father on this matter. Huh?” He laughed.

Young Vanilla shook her head.

“Because Mothers are always right.” Young Vanilla answered with a smile.

Taiye chortled softly, holding a small pebble in her left hand.

Bolu smiled to her direction.

“Well. I don’t blame any of you yet. Because am the only man around.” He said as he laughed once again then looked at Bolu as she gently rubbed her belly revealing a small bulge underneath her gown.

Looking outside, it rained heavily as the heavy drops outside beat the small window facing where they were then young Vanilla stared straight at the small window and noticed someone outside near the swamp. She focused her eyes but she was unable to see clearly then she looked at her parents who were talking and giggling, suddenly, the pebble from Taiye’s left hand dropped and rolled away,

“The pebble!” Bolu said and rushed down with his wife searching for it.

Young Vanilla looked at the small window once again, then she decided to go outside to check who could be the person near the swamp under the heavy rain at this time of the night.

After staring at her parents searching for the pebble on the floor for a while, she quietly went outside to personally see who the person was.