The book of the Wild Child

Prologue

It was a perfect day, bright, warm. The light made the leaves sparkle, dancing in the sunlight beautifully. The perfect day to go out swimming, playing, or fishing. Instead, that day was waisted with tears, anger, pity..

Not waisted by one, but by the whole tribe. A disease was spreading, killing many. They must remain strong or they risk the attack of another tribe. The tribal members were gathered around a fire pit, bowing and praying to their gods and godesses. It was summer, yet the fire sizzled, sending up all prayers to the high heavens hoping to be answered. Suddenly it burned out, relieving the tribe members from the heat. The Chief gathered his staff and slowly walked gracfully to the stone that rests behind the fire pit. This stone was used for the high ranks and giving messages to the crowd. It hushed them all in an instant. As soon as his bare feet burn into the hot stone, he showed no signs of pain. His black hair, which was tied in a pony tail, was covered by a newly skinned wolf coat, draping past his knees. He slammed his staff on the burning rock, sending his troops up from their bowing position. The Chief's hazal eyes opened at the sign of the rising people. He smiled as he began his speech, "This disease will not conquer us! We are strong, men and women. We were born strong, born to jump all obsticals, even the highest of them all. We are all Godess Diana's children. She will protect us through all costs. If we stop fighting now, she will be greatly disappointed as I," he stopped to take a breath before smiling again with confidence. "We are the warriors of this tribe! Men, Women, Children! We won't be taken down like an antelope with a bow!" Suddenly a cheer went up from inspired pupils. "If we stop now were will we go? Not back to the crib in your mothers arms? Where will YOU go?!" Suddenly different answers sprung up from the crowd, so many it was too hard to distinguish one. "We--" Then there was silence as the Wise Woman waddled up to the Chief. "I'm sorry to interrupt, Chief Honan, but your baby has been born!"

The Chief's eyes began to glow and he began racing to the birthing teepee. This was his moment. This was a sign. As he withdrew the flaps to the teepee the Chief revealed a beautiful woman, hair as long as the rivers themselves, dark brown just like her eyes. She looked up and smiled, a glint shimmered in her right eye with happiness. "Well don't be afraid, dear. Our daughter is waiting for you," the woman spoke with a voice that sounded like sweet sweet honey.

"Daughter?" Honan gasped with surprise. A daughter.. oh how I always wanted to have a daddy's little girl.. He smiled at the thought of a small child giggling and climbing a tree to hide from her big pa.

He displayed his arms ready to recieve his new shining star. But as the child was given he had noticed a scar. It ran from her armpit down to the palm of her hand. She was just born so this couldn't be a fresh scar, it was hold. She wasn't harmed. "What happened to her?" he asked.

"What do you mean, dear? Isn't she a beauty?" his wife sounded confused and disappointed with his reaction.

He looked down, trying to ignore the radiation of the beauty that surrounded her. Her hair was a shining charcoal black, already starting to grow. Her eyes... oh her eyes... they were a very bright hazel green. He shook his thoughts away and held up her arm gently revealing the scar to his wife.

"This, Layamba, this scar," He announced, concerned.

Layamba's eyebrows drew together as she inspected the scar. Her hands flew to her mouth and she looked up into Honan's eyes. "What does it mean?" she mummbled through her fingers.

Honan shook his head slowly as he looked back down at his new child.

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5 years later

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"Oh Ka'Tana! Come here!" a voice called from a hut deep in the village.

Ka'Tana waved bye to her straw-sculpted ball, whom was her only friend. Ka'Tana was now 5 and very lonely. The other children call her strange. They say she is a curse because of her scar that still remains on her arm, and the fact she growls when she's mad.. But her mother and father still treated her as if she were a normal child, playing with her, feeding her, laughing with her. Infact they were her best friends now. A smiled stretched from ear to ear as she leaped from patch of mud to patch of mud until she reached her hut.

"Mommy!" Ka'Tana called as she entered the hut with a squeel of happiness. Suddenly a scent of vegetable soup hit her nose, making it wrinkle up like a raisen. "Oeeuu! Nop Sop again!"

Her mother laughed at the way she would say 'Soup' and 'Not'. Ka'Tana's english was terrible and very few people of the tribe could understand her. "SOUP is good for you. What are you talking about? You love my vegetable soup!"

"Uhh uh.." Ka'Tana responded with a slow shake of her head that matched her words.

Her mother shook her head, gathering a bowl to pour the soup in. She slid the wooden bowl infront of Ka'Tana only to be disappointed. Ka'Tana refused, pushing the bowl back. "No."

Layamba sighed and pushed it forward again, "Please. Eat. I know you hate vegetab--"

She was cut off when Ka'Tana slapped the bowl off of the table. "No!"

"Ka'Tana! You are going to clean this up, now!" Layamba shrieked with frustration.

"No no no! I dun wanna!"

Suddenly a slap to the face knocked her sturbborness away. Instead, it was now anger. Ka'Tana leaped onto the table, her face still red hot, and she leaned forward and bit her mother on the arm. Her teeth dug deeply into her mother's flesh, so deep blood began to ooze. Ka'Tana didn't want to do it, it was a reaction. Simply reaction. As soon as she realised that blood was pouring onto the ground and her mother was screaming she released. Layamba looked at her in disbelief, then back at her arm where bloody teeth marks was made. Ka'Tana rubbed her mouth revealing to her, her mothers blood. She screamed too. Three men started into the home looking for the cause of the screams. One analysed the situation looking at the marks on Layamba's arm and at the blood on the mouth of the cursed child. His reaction startled Ka'Tana, sending tears down her face. He pushed her down and ran to her mother and began tending to her wound.

This is my fault. Yes it is. I am cursed. Of course you are. Where am I going to go? Not here. I hurt her, I hurt her badly. Merely on your own breath, what will your old pa think? No! He's going to hate me! Just like your mother... Tears began bursting along with muffled breaths. I must run. And never come back. I can't face my father like this. I just can't.

Her legs knew exactly what her plans were as if they knew this would happen. And they let it. She was running, leaping over rocks, crashing into people, crying... crying... crying... She passed by her straw friend, stopping and looking back at it. She would take it. They won't want any items left from her pathetic existance, they would just burn it. Ka'Tana reached over and grabbed her straw ball and started back up again, bounding through leaves and branches. And then.... she was gone.