Fate or Destiny

When born into a time and place your not fully welcomed in, but fortunate enough to be found by one with a good heart helps. Her Mother a shaman shape shifter, her father unknown.

From death comes life

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The thunder flashed as she pushed one last time. With a loud boom of resounding thunder her daughter was born. But before she could finish cleaning her off, she smelled him. He'd come to end it all. She nudged her daughter into the hole under a rock. All afternoon as the storm clouds had built up she'd dug at the hole. Now she hoped it was deep enough to keep her safe. Moving around as if dazed she pretended not to be able to find her newborn at first. A pile of bloody flesh was all she found. Hearing the maniacal laughter of the one who had followed her the past few days was proof he'd fallen for her plan. Another of the herd had given birth to a stillborn and knowing her child was in danger offered the body to her. “Sometimes from death comes life, I hope it is so in this case Tesharie. At least there is a chance for my child's death to serve a good purpose. So please take her, let her help yours live. We all need yours to live, to help all the plains dwellers. Now go, before he returns!”

She screamed as if it really was her baby she found dead. He asked her again to change to her true form an come with him. Together they could have the perfect child, not some spawns after-thought. She said in a very humanoid voice, “Never! You gene pool reject! I'd rather die!” With a sigh of disappointment he replied, “ I so wish you hadn't made that choice, what a waste.” Giving a shrug, he turned, walking away wiping the blood off onto his robe. Mid stride he stopped an listened in between cracks of thunder. Not hearing anything he strode onto his ship an took off into yet another region to locate the 'In hac habitasse vas Grande ' (The 'Living Vessel of Vast Power'). The one the prophesies foretold of, the one to end his quest for power.

Unseen by the killer a kind hand reached in an pulled out the now still form of the infant. He finished cleaning her off, breathing into her the breath of life. Letting out a squall that equaled the thunder in the storm a plainsman hunter heard the cry. The kind hand placed her on a rock that was still warm from the summer sun. Upon finding what he thought was a baby girl, he did a double-take at finding it had the shape of a human infant but the coloring and markings of a zebra. He knew he had a tough choice to make. Ones of her kind were very rare an even more so feared by many. Being a chieftains son had some pull, but would it be enough? It went against all he believed in to leave her alone to die. He would take her in as his own. To BaChak with them! He was not heartless and felt all deserved to live, even the Blood Luster's on the mountain. They had never in all his family's two-hundred years ever bit a plainsman. How they fed, he dared not think of it.

Watching from his hiding spot the kind hand watched them go with a heavy heart. He would return again in a few years. Hopefully by then it would be safe. It was not warm welcome Nkosana received upon his return with the strange infant, but his father said she could stay an no harm was to befall her while living with their tribe. His Mother and Father were the ones who had taught him: ”The feet must walk a path the heart can follow.” The Chief could not fault him, could HE have left an infant of ANY kind out there to die? No, was not the way. It brought bad magic to the tribe with choices like that. It would be a hard road to travel, but together it could be done. Nkosana would walk this path with his wife. Just married a year

“No, you may not come! It is for hunters only!Plus you are not even old enough to go, Da wont allow you!” Atsu and Adongo taunted to Tafari. They were the oldest of the brood of five, six counting Dube Awiti (meaning:Dube: zebra , Awiti: the child that has been thrown away.) . She was the same age as Masika the oldest. She had been found the same day he was born. They balanced each other , some people in the village called them the Yin-yang twins. Her white with stripes, him dark as a moonless night. She was a calm inner strength, he was like the wind whipping through the trees.

Author's Note

It a very rough draft. I have not even gone through it to revise it yet.