It had been ten years since that impossible day; the day of first bloodshed when Zillah had come to the action of allowing blood to drip away from some other animal's body. The day she saved her father when cutting off the Carthaginian's ear. Ten years had passed and the war that was thought to be had never come. Since then Zillah had grown accustomed and very much more compatible to her new home in the village. The small village ran along a great river; The Nile. It was only about two miles from the shore of the river. The village was still persecuted from the Carthaginians despite it's location. It was not far up north like Egypt, but instead their town was down south surrounded by great hills and one large mountain. There was also a cataract nearby sheltering them from enemy naval ships. The area was sandy, but you could find fertile soil from the river and along the bottom of some of the mountains.
Today nineteen year old Zillah rested upon a large glacial rock on the sides of the great mountain. It was early August so the cool stone surface felt good on her hot simmering skin. She lay there many nights after warrior training classes. It was a great mental relief for she was the only girl in the school. The boys teased, poked, and proded at her nerves in the season early on, but once she showed them what she could do with a mere knife they quieted in awe. She was an artist of any weapon gracefully keeping her paintbrush on its toes as she twirled a dance of blood and honor. The men started to warm up to her, and started to treat her like a soldier and friend than a small girl to flirt and joke with. The village girls her age had other thoughts about Zillah.
They spent most of their days of gossiping snickering about her. About how she dressed in battle armor. Of how Zillah was such a tiny warrior the guys were only taking pity on her. They snitched about her dirty dreadful looking skin and how she would never get any man to mate with looking like an old beaten rug. Only few though were brave enough to slander her in front of her face. Most of the girls worried about her muscular tone clobbering them like some wild animal. Others thought she was a Carthaginian in disguise ready to attack. Most of thought she was an old regretful man ready to pounce every time she could. The worst one was that Zillah had scythes for hands and that she covered them with her sleek charcoal gray gloves; that was how she supposedly took on ten Carthaginians with only her "hands". But the talk was all rumor and no one except the girls her age seemed to believe it. Some only believed it in fear if they didn't they would not be prepared for when Zillah attacked them.
"Where are you going to?" spatted one of the girls to Zillah. Zillah raised her eyebrows in surprise. Where else would she be going beside combat training.
"Oh, you know, I'm out to get my filling of blood." Zillah bared her teeth which were stained with blood from the lamb she was eating. The girl screamed and fled yelling for her father. Zillah giggled at the little joke as she lay on the rocks now looking into the dusk sky. Of course she had to explain to her father and the girl's, but it worried her no more than the thought of death by now. Beautiful pinks, crimson red, and radiant oranges were drowning the sky at this time as the golden sun made its decent down to Earth. Clouds whisked away from the beautiful scene blending into the colors until they were no more. Zillah propped herself up and jumped to her feet. It was time to go home. She brushed up against the little green hairs poking from the Earth and thought to herself: The world isn't growing better, yet it is not growing worse; it's just turning as usual. She thought of the girl, then she thought of how the war never came. Thoughts were always spiraling in Zillah's mind. What she lacked in size she covered up with skill and speed. Her train of thought made her a skilled soldier and a quick learner. She then jogged home.
The house was dimly lit upon arrival. Her brothers were at the entrance waiting for Zillah. One leaned against the wall and one sat cross legged on the dirt floor. Zillah was confused but she dared not speak and interrupt the disturbing silence. One of the brothers took her hand and led her away. Past the common room and to the hall they went. The older boy cocked his head to the door of their parent's bedroom. The door was slightly parted open. Cautiously Zillah peered in. What she saw both horrified and befuddled her. It was her father and her mother. Tembo was crouched down cradling their mother in his arms. She didn't seem hurt or dead. She wasn't bloody or bruised. Her eyes shifted to the state of the room. It was in shambles. Cloth torn and stripped from its place. Furniture thrashed around; small chunks of splintered wood scattered like someone had robbed only that room. Zillah reluctantly pulled her gaze from the scene. She stepped back into the common room where her brothers were waiting.
"What's going on?" she whispered to the two of them. They themselves looked confused and shocked, but they were home before she was so they must know something.
"Mom went berserk." the younger one spoke up after a long silence. "Well..." he was unsure about his wording. All of them knew that their mother was a calm woman. There had to be some sort of enraging motive to drive her, as Zillah's brother said berserk.
"Don't listen to him." her eldest brother told her.
"Why are you two here?" asked Zillah. Both her brothers were married and the eldest with kids.
"We saw sis in the streets running." Then youngest said. 'She was running like she was escaping and we couldn't keep up with her." Zillah didn't even know her older sister wasn't here. Well she wasn't that much older; only by one year. Her older sister was always causing trouble in the family. Getting into fights with their parents, stealing, she hadn't even moved out yet. The only reason Zillah was here was because she was in warrior training and her father was helping her along with that.
"Well." started the eldest brother. " Sissy was just sitting around the house,"
"Like normal." the other one interrupted.
"Hush." scorned the older one. "Mom was nagging her about how she never did anything and to be more like you; active."
"More like me!" Zillah was astounded. Her mother hated her tom boy attitude and combat training.
"Like you because yo do things." he continued. "Well that was exactly how sis responded that you were nothing but a wretched warrior boy." Zillah's lifted her eyebrows." Mother agreed and began rambling on about you and your traing and how you always bring your dirty weapons in at dinner time. Sis always was looking to pick a fight and switched sides defending you. She called mother some pretty foul names." Zillah giggled. It was just like sis to do so. But her brothers were not laughing.
"She moved the fight into our parent's room where she screamed and threw. The fight was now about you. Sis knew she was losing so she stormed out of the house running. That was when we saw her running in the outskirts of town by my house. Father told us the first part of the story."
"The fight was about me? She left because of me?" Zillah didn't know what to say. It was a foolish decision. Her sister was gone because of her and her mother traumatized. She stormed into her parent's room. Her mother was no longer in the arms of Tembo, but in her bed resting. Her father leaned against a wall still looking down as Zillah barged in.
"Father." Zillah called out to him in a low voice. Tembo looked up and went to his daughter. Zillah explained what her brothers told her. "Is it true? All of it?" she needed to be sure.
"Yes." Tembo confirmed "And your mother does not want you to fight anymore." Zillah took a step back in amazement and dissapointment. She could not believe it. This was a quarrel between her mother and sister. It was selfish that her passion could be taken away when she had done nothing. Tembo had a tendency to read minds some way.
"I don't approve of her choice and she will probably forget once your sister comes home." he assured her, but it wasn't good enough.
"So we can still train?" Zillah asked. Her father smiled and nodded.
"How about in a week, next Sunday we can practice by the river you and me." Zillah nodded. It was comforting that her family was still one with so many different decisions. She needed to keep going she couldn't go back now.
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The house awoke with mournful cries that reached the heavens and back. One funeral was held for both of them. Zillah's mother died in her sleep; peacefully. Her sister was drowned in the river with an arrow in her back. Everyone cried inside and out. Zillah shed no tears yet was full of sadness deep within that was reluctant to come out for various reasons. The whole village showed for the procession. Old couples, single young girls, little boys, cripples, blind, people who hid their hatred, but were forced to show. They all cried fake tears nothing but water. Zillah cried no tears, but the ones on the inside. Blood tears; the ones when a greatly loved one passes but you must be storng so their soul cannot be sad. Cold eyes watched as two wooden boxes were lowered deeper and deeper with nothing but a slab of stone to cover them up. It was all fake, but their deaths were real.
Zillah came then went to her mind. she watched as leaves fell from a shriveled black tree. It was once a tree that bore fruit. Maybe the tree would have lived longer if people didn't nail into it or hang the burdens of a body on it. Zillah was brought up in a land of both Gods and monsters. She believed everything did happen for a reason. But that tree, for it to die, was uncalled for and could have been prevented. She didn't in a sense though care that the tree was dead, in her sadness she was happy. In her happiness she would become sad. Tat was just life though; the yin-yang of the world that never stopped circling. She needed to be more than tough. She already stopped fearing death, but now she could not be scared of life either and the scary pattern of good and evil. How strangers become friends can easily tell how friends become strangers. She was no longer scared, she was ready to battle whatever life threw at her and she would kill it.