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April 29th, 1965

                                            MEL
                                   Spears & Arrows

It was my last training to be a warrior; I had learned to hunt, crawl through razor sharp plants, and free dive in most rivers that are known to be cold and full of snakes. All that to protect our lands, and tribe. Our soils were fertile and caught foreigners's attention although that was the last thing we wanted. We heard about them stealing other tribes's resources and taking advantage of some of the women. We, in our village, made sure to keep such atrocities from happening ever again in history. Never would we let an outsider among us.

"Sheba, they're here," Said Prince Aike, one of the warrior chiefs. "There are two of our targets right by the baobab tree. They're on a horse."

I shifted my gaze where he was pointing at, along with the soldiers in the group. I was the only girl. It was the last test, but never have I been told my hunts would be two outsiders outside our camp. I reached for my arrow, short but sharp as a blade, hesitant to shoot it. We stayed among the corns observing from afar what the outsiders were doing. Then we realized, one was from our tribe. Aku, a young boy in the village.
"Traitor!" Aike said, heading towards the horse they were on. He gave us the orders to follow him, and we ran after the outsider and Aku. The outsider's skin was as white as snow, yet his hair was dark, so were his nicely shaped eyebrows, contrasting with his gray eyes. Yet I couldn't see him close; we were running after him, trying to take down the horse. He didn't seem dangerous, and from the way he was leading the horse, I could tell he was lost.
I stopped on my tracks and shot my arrow, hitting his leading hand. He fell from the horse, and Aike caught him as the soldiers took Aku.

Aike commanded us to tie up the outsider and Aku to bring to the village for sentencing. I did not think any of it as necessary, yet I said nothing. It was strange that I never felt any remorse before for hunting our animals, for they served as food for our folks. And still, I couldn't help feeling like a monster for attacking Aku, an orphan boy who's from our own, and a man who barely seemed to know his right from his left despite him looking opposite from us.

"Good job Sheba. You did great!" Aike said, crossing his arms over his heart, showing his tender care for me. This was a gesture of honor and deep admiration. I never thought he'd do that in front of his soldiers and be that vulnerable. I smiled, forgetting where I was for a second.

Aike was tall, muscular, wearing his warrior garment, revealing his strong legs and thighs. His skin was the epitome of copper glowing in the bright sun. But my eyes were stuck on his onyx beads, depicting his fierceness, strength, and courage. Aike also treated the women of our village with utmost respect, especially the elderly. Being in his presence at every training always made me feel protected and empowered, believing that there was nothing I could not achieve as a woman. "Your father will be proud of you."

"He's right," agreed the soldiers, bringing a smile on my face. "You're one of our best, Princess."

"Thanks to Aike," I said, recalling the main person whose all that praise was owed to. "I would've never been able to be here unless he convinced my father to let me."

"And I'd do it again, Sheba," Aike added, "as long as it's for you, Princess."
His voice traveled the deepest chambers of my soul making it tickle. My heart was happy, proud to be chosen by him out of all other eligible noble women of the village. And out of all of them, I was the only warrior, risking my life every time I'm out of the camp. Yet, it didn't seem to matter, for it also meant to spend most of my days and evenings with him. I admired him. I loved Aike.

"C'mon," Aike said, dragging our outsider along the corn fields, the plant razors cutting through his skin and lightly grazing his cheeks. Although it raised some of my pride knowing I took a man captive, it made me wonder if we took it too far. However, me knocking him off that horse saved his life. Aike and the soldiers wouldn't have hesitated to kill him and would care less about captivity. Their rule was catch and kill. Nothing escaped from their hands, ever.

"That's-That's a long walk," said the outsider, "do you have some water?"
Aike ignored him, but I looked back at him, his face looking dull in the sun. No wonder he looked lost before on that horse. He should've known there's no drinkable water around here. In the village, we filter the river's and drink in sizable amounts. "What's your name? And where are you from?"

The outsider looked at me, melting from the dry heat. He didn't seem being used to it, neither had the gut to last another hour standing. "James. James Dawe Shun. And..." he paused, gathering his thoughts together, yet in pure fright, intimidated by the soldiers keeping close eyes on him. "I'm from Europe. England to be precise."
His accent was particular, making him look innocent and naive. He wasn't a threat. I felt it, but it'd take more than words to convince the elders of the village that he wasn't. Hopefully when we would reach the camp, he could find a way to save his soul. No outsiders taken captive have ever made it alive of our camps.
"Save your energy," Aike warned him, as we were about to enter the camp. "It's not to us you owe answers to. But our people. They will decide!"
Entering the camp, the soldiers dragged our two captives in front of the elders' tents. There were 4 of them. They had the responsibility to judge and transmit reports to the Chief King. That way, small matters could be handled in an easy and effective way without pestering the King.
The white man fell on his knees, dust getting into his eyes, too dehydrated to speak at considerate volume.
The elders came out, examining and questioning him. But the outsiders had no weapons on him. If he was such a threat, how come he was so easily found around our village? Surely, he'd known not to get close and been aware of the dangers ahead.

"Tell us, why are you here?" One of the elders asked.

"I-I was on a boat," James explained, his voice weak and shaky. "Me and my crew were lost."

"And?" Aike urged, impatient with James taking so long to speak.

"We embarked, but we ended up in the forest,"
James added. "It was the 3 of us."

"Where are the other ones who were with you?" The other elders questioned. They were the most rigid of the group. One lift of their fingers would indicate an order to kill. And usually, they never allowed any foreigner set foot out alive of our camps.

"They died. They didn't make it," James replied, his throat clogged with a sob. "But this young boy saved my life."

The elders heads shifted toward the village boy from their tribe, and hissed at him. "Traitor. Why help an outsider? That's forbidden."

"He was about to die!" Aku said in his defense. But Aike slapped him and pinned his head to the ground. Sometimes I forgot how he could be merciless and ruthless. Meanwhile I was invested to know how one of our own could ever be moved to save a foreigner's life. Aku reminded me of one thing our people have forgotten, including me: mercy. Although I itched to say something, I didn't dare. That'd showed disrespect towards the elders and Aike whom I desperately hoped to be paired with. I looked up to him. He was strong and I worshipped the idea of being his wife one day.

"I don't know why I saved him. I could not bear the idea of watching him getting eaten alive," Aku explained as he panted on the ground. "A panther was about to attack him."

"That's Nature's way to protect us! Our forests are made to keep the foreigners out of our lands and you still have led them to us. You have disappointed us," the elders said. Yet I was afraid that this was their last verdict. Aku had no one to mourn him, not even a sibling. My eyes traveled around for one family member but there was none. Although our people's faces were faint with sadness, none said anything. We sadly couldn't intervene. "Tomorrow, we'll decide your fate. Today, you go to the dungeon along with the foreigner. He'll stay there with you."

At those last words, the soldiers took James and Aku away to lock them up. The dungeon was a cage in the sun, where the prisoners would be locked and exposed to the intense heat until they'd pass out. It was one of our punishment systems yet the less brutal ones.

"Let's go Sheba," Aike said, as he realized that my eyes could not let go of the dungeon, watching Aku chained with the outsider. I was wondering what was going to happen to them by the next day, and I hoped it'd be nothing unfortunate. "We have to tell your father how well your performance has been. And we wouldn't have captured that foreigner alive if it wasn't for you."
I didn't know how to feel. Yes, I captured him but at what costs? What would the elders decide? Would it result into a death sentence? Or a hope for redemption?