NKOPANG(OUR LAND)

Chapter 1

The road got closer to home,and evening was drawing closer to night . The big sun subsiding the ilkamasia horizons painted the hills orange with elegance.From a distance bleats and moos could be heard as the livestock communicated in arrival.He and his brother had marked the end of  chores and now it was their mother's, sisters and younger siblings who took it from there.
He met his mother on his way to the boma,"Serian eiyo? He greated her.."Oye ilmurani ai." She replied softly while headed to the Sum to milk the cows.Naitoti was a calm woman,had respectful,a woman with Paucity and Wisdom,the major qualities her husband Ole Mada had acknowledged of her.All those years they had got married,Lemayana had not noticed Cavils between his parents.Maybe they had some but they tried their best to hide it from their children.
Ole Mada was an affluent man, most of the times he arrived late due to business arrangements, his hard work had earned him one of the most beutiful bomas in Enkare engiro.He was regarded due to his wealth and no nonsense attitude.He didn't chary the forum or the venue, he only knew how to speak his mind truth and if doing this entailed quarrel he sure knew how to serve it well and hot.Enkai had blessed him with a beautiful family too Fiveboys;Lemayana,Leresi,Lengima,Lesepei and the last born boy Ledison.He also begot three gorgeous girls;Nacheruan,Nachoo and Maam.He loved his family alot ensuring they never lacked but his belligerent tone and questioning of everything made them think otherwise.Very quick to anger but also quick to forget about whatever it was that made him angry. His agemets nicknamed him loworu mara a leopard.Due to his agility not forgetting his blood shot.Those good days at cultural events like esayare no layeni (uncircumcised boy).Dared cut him short by his opposing ilmongoo.But if this happened a fight bechanced,whips, lashes as dust rose in awe of the strikes on a layeni's bare skin leaving lifetime scars and bravery marks.The wooer would only be determined if one layeni fled the fighting scene but if no one surrendered that meant more scars for them.This cultural event was to convince your mpirons(men of your fathers age-set) that you wanted that nkalem(knife)so bad.This was a brave home and his son's inherited that too
Lemayana and Leresi had a strong connection because they had grown up together they had known their family when it was still crumbling in debts,when their father had an acerbity of temper due to disappointments and poverty.He used to throw his frustrations at them every time he had set-backs.They reminisced how inadequate their father was that they used sometimes to sleep on a devoided belly.So when they heard their small siblings say father was harsh now,they shrugged at the Innocent little creatures Utterances ,truly had no clue about the past.They had now grown sharing a hut where they used to relax in the evenings and do a recap of the day.Today they were relaxed and the room was pervaded with silence, Leresi initiated a conversation."Today your quite.".."Oh not really brother it's just that the day was tiresome and the sun was scorching alot.."Yes sincerely speaking am also tired,just waiting for food and sleep like a baby." "By the way you said ilpayen sold the big Ram.How much did he sell it?..."Ah you know father,won't let you know unless you are there and then "..."Oh i thought you were there!..."Nop but ledison was and he knows nothing about money."...Yeah Ledison,I was thinking it would be good if the ilmerekechi could still be here to crossbreed the flock,it is quite a good breed."..But if anything is breeding, it is Father's money...They laughed to Lemayana's joke then a silence hit the room once more.Crickets could be heard from outside injecting life to the dark night .Lemayana felt like he could tell Leresi about Naresi but it was too early and he had not yet secured her for himself.He can wait until tommorow ,am sure i will convince the ntito.Suddenly there was a soft knock on the door,it was Nacheruan the biggest of their sisters,She had brought food alongside Maam the small sister,the Apple of Ole Mada's eyes.They handed them the food from the door,a properly simmering ugali with a calabash full of fermented milk.After receiving the meal Nacheruan looked at Lemayana and said that she knew about her new girlfriend..What?.Before he could speak she had already hurried away.He leaped out but they had already dissapeared to the kitchen."How does she know about her" Questions filled his mind.He returned to the hut,Leresi was there waiting for the story.He didn't have to ask,his eyebrows showed clearly that he wanted a share of the story."Ah come on you beleive her now."..."Ofcourse i beleive her,she is our sister and the last time i checked she never lies to us,so if you dont mind. . ."It's nothing it's just a girl i met today when i left you watching over the flock.But things are yet to be ripe .." ..So how did Nacheruan know about it if things are not ripe,she was not with us at ilmaine?.."I'm also shocked Leresi how she knew is puzzling me."
"Maybe a name? He continued extracting more information." I'll tell you when we finish eating..Leresi was patient.They ate to their fill,ofcourse their sisters never disappointed with the cooking always on point.It was bedtime and after the delicious meal they felt lazy and sleepy.Leresi was the first one to go to bed,Lemayana was still fantasizing about the ntito of his dreams her eyes fixed to the top of the hut.
The lamp was still burning bright before Leresi woke up and blew it off with alot of breath , "Whew!..A silence preceded then he remembered, "what's her name?..."Naresi he replied.."She must be beautiful,he commented..."She is a queen.".He agreed before both of them drowned to sleep.

The sun bounced out of the far Laikipia ridges,hurling spears and beams of light to Nkopang. Lemayana was still in deep sleep.His sleep tended to intensify when mornings came.His snore was loud and could be heard from an aloof, loud enough to wake him up.This sweet sleep got interrupted by A loud shrill,he immediately dashed out, recognizing the voice,that was his Sister Nacheruan.But what had happened this early,he ran with his red Maa Shuka wrapped around him.He saw the family gathered around just outside the main house trying to comfort her.She let out another pain-racked stride.Her mother was there worrying almost joining her in the cry.He arrived at the Scene"Nyoo rei enkanachei?.(what is wrong my sister)..Nkuupaa!!Nkuupaa!! She cried pointing at a treaded lifeless scorpion besides Leresi's feet,Just then Ole Mada came out of the main house,rushing to solve what had happened.
Typical of everyday,Lemayana and his father were heavy sleepers it was as if they shared the same source of sleep.He examined the situation and frained! "Have you engaged Grandma?!..No not yet my husband!Naitoti replied.."What are you waiting for!!Do u want her to be crippled.Hurry,he barked at the Ledison who stared at his sister as she rolled in agony.
The ilayeni sprinted through the small gate positioned at the left corner of the boma,flew past some thorny vegetation and arrived at Ole Sepei's homestead it was a beeline from their home. "Eiyo Eiyo!!Ledison called out..Eiyo meant mother but they called their Grandma that too..Maybe it was her love for them that earned her the name..She was inside the smoky hut preparing tea for her ilpayen who was sitting outside."'Yooo!she retorted to her grandsons yells."What is it Ledison!.."Eiyo Eiyo Nacheruan has been bitten by a Scorpion."He said expelling air heavily from his tiny lungs forthy run..She knew that a horse that arrives early scores good drinking water,immediately she sprang out like she could have done twenty years ago when her knees were still full of grease and ran for his son's home.Luckily it was a rock throw away arriving faster than a minnow could swim a dipper.Everybody made way on sighting her leaving her to do her transformation.She gripped the stung leg which was now sombre dark with venom.She then coalesced it with her other hand which was shaking due to aging.She spoke some words as she massaged it gently then alaas!!Nacheruan stopped sobbing.The Contagion pigment was now vanishing, the family watched in incredulity. "Where is the ngwesi that bit her ?..She inquired?..Lemayana pointed at the lifeless Nkuupa with his Sere(a stick one carries around either for protection or to reorient disturbant livestock)She told Nacheruan to spit at it,"Ptuu!!She did so then Eiyo went on and talked to his son at a safe distant.You could not hear what they said but only see nods of agreement from Ole Mada every two lapses.Eiyo was a renowned medicine woman in Enkare Ngiro including its immediate neighbour, Naruk.She perfomed alot of tasks ,some they knew of and others they knew utterly not.She was also a midwife having channeled most of her grandchildren not obliviating nearby neighbours and relatives.Her husband Olesepei was getting old and was loosing his vision and hearing ability.But this did not reprieve him being the Liblary of Enkare Ngiro's .He was constantly consulted in matters culture,traditional dilemmas and village disputes.He attained the high-chair during functions.Eiyo had taken care of the situation and went back to her home.She niffed an unpleasant odour suspended in the air ,it was the smell of a burning thing,what could it be ?she increased her pace to the hut ,to her awe she had been caught up in the fuzz ,forgetting that she was preparing tea for her aged husband and when Ledison called her ,she overlooked it on the fire.The Sufuria had turned tar-black sooting the whole hut,it made her cough the panic off her spine.She quickly tuffed it off the three stone fire cooking spot then flinched off for a respiratory break "Wheew and another cough only that this time in was accompanied with some bitter salivary-mucus !why is the day commencing this chaotic!...when she tried thinking off all this occurences,behind her a hawk clutched a chick from its mother Fwuuuu!!then flyed its majestic feathers back to the blue skies.Eiyo tried to cover her grey head incase it mistaked it with food.Too afraid to notice it was gone ,She slowly uncovered her arms back and stared at her husband who sitted slothfully probably waiting for the tea which had evaporated to the thin air of the grass thatched hut.Probably unaware of the Nkuupa incident,the hawk robbery and the sooty hut.So now he lost smell to? I adore that level of peace."She said to herself before starting allover again.

Meanwhile at Ole Mada's homestead,tea had been served.The hubbub had ceised and calm had been restored.They were just preparing to kickstart the day's activities.Lemayana was sipping quickly through the lave of his tea as he planned to travel to ilmaine with the livestock.Forthwith after separating the going from the youngb they embarked on the long journey,the sun was stoke despite the premature day burning their heads to flames .They traversed the dust filled paths as the herbivores dragged their hooves leaving clouds of dust for the Murans.