The Shattered Plains (Aphrika #1)

Prologue

Mist engulfed the whole savanna, creating the perfect cover. A lonely Kudu wandered through an unfamiliar forest. It was constantly on guard, you could never be to sure what you could meet. A sudden noise cracked the air and the Kudu jumped. It then realized it was the call of the Hadada Ibis, a bird that summoned an important meeting.

The Kudu made its way to the watering hole. A few animals joined him as he neared. In the center there was an Impala. Its horns reached towards the stars. Above her hovered a stone with a Hadada Ibis perched on it. It was natural for stones to float. Some even say the red soil is magical.

"We will start now." The Impala said. Everyone gathered around. All wanting to hear what it had to say.

"What is the meaning of this meeting? It is in the middle of the night." Asked a zebra.

The Impala sighed, "The evil has come. It spread from the leaves of the acacia into the red soil of the ground."

Chaos spread through the animals. They all looked at each other with the same expression. They all started to talk in panicked voices. They all talked in their own language. Some of them talked in the language shared by all the creatures that lived here. The Impala interrupted and said, "I have thought about this and have decided that every able animal will come and train to fight in a battle."

A wildebeest cut in and asked. "How is prey supposed to fight against predators? We're helpless. Unless we run away we will be killed."

Other animals nodded in agreement. Clearly they didn't want to fight.

A wild dog stood up and walked forwards. "I think they don't need to fight."

"What do you mean?" The Impala asked.

"They can be messengers, spies, or anything else." The dog barked.

All of the creatures looked up at the Impala. The prey seemed to like the idea of that.

The Impala took a little while to think then she said, "I guess that will work. I will send out messengers to get some able animals to come and train. You may all leave."

The group slowly split apart. Everyone went back to their homes. The Kudu turned around and trotted away. It got back to its herd. They were a sleeping mass of horns and fur.

He still couldn't imagine his herd being part of a war. With that thought in his head he drifted off to sleep.