Dark and Bright

Chapter Seven

Juliet's POV

I was still smiling even after Afi had escorted me back to the fort. He was the opposite of Amo as I couldn't even picture Amo saying ten words without a kill in them. Afi after dancing with him and ensuring that Amo was nowhere to be seen took me to a place where we could watch the dancing that was going on. He told me much about the tribe which I didn't know about. He told me the traditions and customs of the tribe and even taught me the greetings of the tribe. As we were walking towards the fort, he told me about Amo and why he was what he was. I still remembered what he said.

"Amo is what he is today because of what he has passed through in his life." Afi started and I sensed that he was serious and not the usual happy joking mood of his.

"What do you mean?!" I asked. Honestly, I didn't want to hear anything about Amo as he had even threatened my life. And that was when he was not angry.

"Amo is what he is today because he is passed through a lot in life. Do you know that his mother ed in child birth while delivering him?!" Afi asked concerned. He was really concerned for his brother.

"I didn't know. That must have hurt him when he learnt about it." I said and even though I hated him, I felt sorry for him.

"The problem is he didn't know. The first wife of the chief took him and raised him and his sister as if they were her own. He grew up calling her mother." Afi stopped and I stopped walking to. I could sense that it was getting deep.

"What about his sister?" I asked wondering about her.

"Her sister was old enough but she never told him." He said as he shifted his legs uncomfortably.

"Then who did?"

"Our father. The problem was how he told him." Afi said making me realise that there was more to the story between the two.

"How did he tell him?!" I asked curiously.

"Amo is a natural trouble maker which I only blame his curious mind. It was when he was seven years old and somehow, Amo had opened the cattle's shed. The cattle then brought a havoc and the chief was angry especially when he learnt Amo had caused it. He shouted at the young Amo and blamed him for his mother's death. At that moment, he realised that his mother died and she died because of him. That was the beginning of the Amo we know today." Afi said as he supported himself with his spear.

"He used to be like you,I guess." I said and Afi chuckled as he remembered.

"Yeah, him,his sister and I were quite the group. He used to be always smiling and happy. But that wasn't the end of the torture."

"There was more?!" I asked.

"Yes. He was the first student of father Sam and he was quite devoted in his studies especially science. Everyone started criticizing him and hated him and his sister and I had to join him in his studies so that we could at least share his pain. But Amo had changed. If he wasn't in his studies or with father Sam, he was hunting in the forest. Sometimes he would be gone for over a week in the forest. After his initiation, he went to hunt and that is when he ran into our enemy tribe." Afi seemed to be worried.

"Wow,that is too much even for Amo. I feel sorry for him." I said.

"They tortured him for weeks until he escaped after he deceived the guards. When he came back, even the little hope we had on him was gone. He was full of hatred and anger. Immediately he returned, he led the warriors back to his captors. He captured the whole tribe hoping he would be relieved but it didn't work. He continued hunting and science until another blow came into his life." Afi stopped and was silent for a while.