A Short Story: Raksha Green Peaks

Under the muggy fog cover of dawn, Raksha ventured out to the grasslands to meet Zuber. Patiently Raksha waited for Zuber, but he never came as they had agreed the day before. The next morning Raksha went back to the grasslands, but again Zuber was not there to greet her when she arrived, nor did he come within the hours she waited for him. Three weeks went by, and Zuber was nowhere to be found. Each day that passed Raksha rattled her brain with where he could be, and if he were all right. Zuber was the first friend Raksha had ever had, and to band together with him so quickly in folly and jest and then to lose him so quickly was heart-wrenching. Raksha knew not when she would see Zuber again, all she knew was that he had left her in the same manner as he had found her.

One day the lookout guard of Wahala Alps saw and heard in the distance an assembly of people marching towards Wahala Alps and alerted the chief and warriors. As the torches were lit to signal to the tribespeople to seek refuge within the caverns of the mountains the tribespeople fell into a panic, it had been before everyone's generation since another tribe had ventured to the mountains unannounced, and thus all assumed war. "Take courage and heart" Shami shouted to the people to calm their nerves as they stumbled through the caverns. Shami instructed the women, young, and elderly to seek refuge deep within the caverns and to take the back passageways out of the mountains away from Wahala Alps should the north beacon go out. Raksha desired to stay with her father, but he urged her to take refuge. "Come now Raksha" Raya said, "your time will come" Raya continued as she placed her arms around Raksha and led her into the caverns.

Huddled within the safety of the caverns, the tribespeople listened intently. Raksha ventured away from the people to one of her private corners which had a hollow spot so that she could hear and see what was happening on the battlefield. Raksha watched as the tribe marched on Wahala Alps and sounded the horn of war to which her father responded with drums and horns of war. A single arrow flew slicing through the last moment of silence before war and havoc rained down over Wahala Alps. The warriors stained their swords, spears, arrows, and clubs in the blood of their enemies and the rich soil of the mountain range received the souls of the fallen warriors.

As the war waged on the tribespeople grew restless in fear and began to murmur and gossip. Soon word spread that Raksha had led a foreigner into the land and that the foreign boy's tribe was responsible for the assault they were all under. The tribespeople began to demand Raksha's blood for the blood of their fallen husbands, brothers, uncles, and cousins who because of Raksha's carelessness had brought death and war to them. Raya and the elders attempted to calm the people, but they were insufferable. Overhearing the murmuring Raksha came from her place of solitude and stepped into the main cavern where the tribespeople had gathered.

"I am who you seek," Raksha said confidently as she took to the center of the floor. "Is it my blood you want?" Raksha asked and then pulled a knife from her waist, slit her wrist, and allowed the blood to drop to the ground for all to see. "You have brought war and damnation to us all" a woman yelled out, "I have brought none of these things to you nor has my friend, for we are but children," Raksha said, and then a messenger came into the cavern and informed them that they were under attack by the Saber Tribe and to begin to make way to the back passageways as they were losing ground and unsure of how much longer they could hold them back. The people began to mumble and go into a frenzy. "Silence," Raksha said with the same tone cadence as her pater. "My pater, your chief, the great leader and warrior Shami told us not to leave the caverns as long as the north beacon still burns," Raksha said as she walked to a small cavern hollow and looked through it. "The north beacon still burns," Raksha said as she pulled away from the hollow. Unmoved by her words, the people continued to whisper and mutter amongst themselves.

"Silence" Raksha shouted again, and the people looked at her with disgust, beckoned for her to be quiet, and urged Raya to muzzle her less they cut out her tongue for the evil deed she had done against the tribe by bringing a foreigner to the land. Relentlessly Raksha continued to speak to the people and as their murmurs began to shake the cavern just as the war outside sent trembles through the cavern walls the spirit of the mammoth burst through Raksha and the tribespeople stood in awe and amazement. "I foretold to you the spirit of the mammoth would return to us. God promised no gift would bring sorrow but spoke not of war and suffering. On this day we have been met with war, but Wahala Alps will not fall on this day for God stands with us… and them" Raya said and then the people gasped at her final words, that God stood with their enemies. "Go my little one, the time has come," Raya said and then signed a prayer over Raksha and sent her out of the cavern.

The moment Raksha stepped onto the battlefield all the warriors paused at the sight of the mammoth spirit, which had morphed from a bright light in the cavern into the essence of a fully formed woolly mammoth. After stepping onto the battlefield Raksha began to employ the power of the mammoth spirit to push back the Saber Tribe to increase the Mammoth Tribe's positioning on the mountain range. Raksha willed the spirit of the mammoth with the same vengeance and grace of God as her elders had during The Frigid. Chief Shami and the other warriors rallied around Raksha to keep her protected on all sides. The bloody battle continued as the Mammoth Tribe warriors proceeded to advance against the Saber Tribe emboldened by the might of the woolly mammoth Raksha wielded. In the heat of the battle one of the warriors to Raksha's left fell leaving her open to the enemy. In the same instant, the warrior fell to Raksha's left side a single arrow aimed directly at Raksha was sent soaring through the sky. Zuber, who had been making his way to Wahala Alps after escaping the guarded hut his tribe elders had put him in to ensure he would not intervene in their plans to attack Wahala Alps, saw the arrow flying towards Raksha and quickly dashed across enemy lines to protect her. The spirit of the saber tooth tiger burst forth from Zuber and protected Raksha from the arrow. The saber-tooth tiger and woolly mammoth stood beside Raksha and Zuber poised to protect and attack at the command of their will. Astonished by the presence of both spirits the warriors paused amid the glory before them, unbelieving their own eyes.

"Why wage war against each other when we can work together? This land belongs to God let us share in it as He intended" Zuber said taking advantage of the moment of silence, "these spirit animals stand together, but in life stood opposed to one another, let us not be as these beasts not knowing harmony until death let us be one people" Raksha pleaded to the warriors alongside Zuber. Chief Shami was moved by the words of his daughter and seeing the spirits together as a sign from God lowered his spear. Slowly thereafter every warrior lowered their weapon. Following, Shami sought out the leader of the Saber Tribe. Shami spoke with the Saber Tribe leader, Ayaan. Shami and Ayaan reached an agreement and forged The Wahala Alps and Grasslands Treaty in which they agreed to share the bounty of the grasslands and mountains as well as work together to build and forge the land for the good of both tribes.

After the signing of the treaty peace returned to Wahala Alps. The Saber and Mammoth tribespeople became one under the shared leadership of Chief Shami and Chief Ayaan. Raksha and Zuber continued to be great friends and explore the vast land together and no longer had to worry about the scrutinous eyes of the elders, they could just be children enjoying the wonder and splendor of the mountain range, grasslands, and territories beyond.

~ The End