Neba

Neba lashed her whip into the gentle breeze as she thought of her next prize. A loud thud jolted her back to reality. She quickly spun around, and her eyes caught the sand.

"Oh no! What have I done?"

What was once a tattered wooden box was scattered along with the precious cargo inside.

"The ostrich eggs! The eggs!" Neba screamed inside her head as she tried to pick up one that seemed okay gently.

Once inside her hands, it cracked. Broken Neba is what her family called her. What will they call her now? Neba, the tax killer? Those eggs were all her family possessed to pay this year's taxes, which had doubled.

Neba paced back and forth and repeatedly knelled down to the sand before screaming to the gods.

"Why Have You Made Me This Way?"

Tears welled in her green eyes, but she had stalled long enough. It was time for her to break the news to her family.

The winds began to pick up, and the sands spiraled. It was too early in the season for a storm. Neba took her scarf from her tan sandals to use as a shield. In the distance, she could see a figure, and she heard a screeching sound from the sky. Dark clouds rolled in as the sands began to engulf her. She was shaken violently up and down, right and left, before her feet no longer touched the earth beneath her.

The sands whipped Neba's mahogany skin, and her course onyx braids wrapped around her neck. She gagged and struggled to no avail. Then she remembered her training. In a storm, let go of all you know and see the beginning, middle, and end with each labored breath taken.

Neba felt wet and cold as she opened her eyes. A rush of water engulfed her. She kicked and kicked and then took a deep breath before she sunk completely. Suddenly, she was struck on her head by a hard object, and everything went black.

"Am I dead?" She asked because brightness beyond the Osha sun illuminated around her.

"No. My Pebble. You are not dead." A voice sweetly and gently spoke.

Only one person has ever called Neba Pebble, and that person was taken by the gods long ago.

"Mother." She whispered to the air as she felt a hot nudge and smelled rotten fish.

Neba gradually opened her eyes to see gigantic red eyes glaring at her. She screamed; then this thing turned its head toward the heavens and let out the most god-awful sound imaginable. It turned back and began nudging Neba with its hot nostrils. Then the worst thing that could happen did happen. It stuck out its long bumpy tongue and licked Neba's face. Her face now dripped with slime and ash.

She wailed and wailed, so the beast rose and moved away. The strides were enormous and vibrated the stone beneath her. Neba tried to get her footing but fell backward; she had not realized she had stood. Patting the back of her head, she felt warm dampness. It was not until she looked at her hands that she saw red. With the sight of it, she began to feel discomfort all over.

She rose from the ground and began whooping. She crossed her arms over her chest for strength because the pain nearly floored her again. The beast turned its head towards her, laying down, making a grating noise.

Neba noticed it began licking its black leather wing with golden membranes. She saw a large gaping oozing wound. Gazing upon the beast, she began to forget her anguish. Before her was something from Ruba legend, this was not possible. This thing could not be real. Her eyes beheld its onyx scales with golden hues and white protruding horns. Could she be in the presence of the mighty Drakea. The dragon. But how? Drakeas were sea snakes. This beast had four limbs and two wings.

Either way, Neba didn't care. She needed to find out how far the storm and river had carried her from home. Even the thought of home could not numb the pain she felt. She was indeed broken. Every inch of her legs had scrapes, bumps, bruises, and cuts. A deep gash ran from her chest to her stomach, and there was a puncture in her head. Not to mention the thoughts of her father and brother not knowing where she was.

"The ostrich eggs! Oh no! I have to get home!"

Then it hit her like a shebanear cat. Whatever this beast was, it did not want to hurt her because it would have already. Maybe it could take her home.

She slowly approached it then its eyes met hers again.

"I don't know if you can understand me. I don't know where you came from but thank you for saving me. I have wounds like you. I need your help, or I might die. I need to go home. Can you take me?"

The beast stood and looked directly below, gazing at the ground. With a limp, Neba tried to get a closer look, and she rubbed her eyes and then widened them. She beheld something more remarkable than the beast. She beheld four white scaled stones, and the scales had golden hues scattered in different sections. Looking upon the beast, she realized those were not stones but eggs.

The closer she got, the louder the beast growled, but she tiptoed forward with both arms stretched out in front of her. Suddenly, it raised and took in a breath. Neba could not move fast enough to take cover, so she fell to the ground in a fetal position with her head tucked into her chest and her heart running laps around her; she anticipated a painful but quick death by fire. At least, she believed it was going to roast her alive.

After several minutes, Neba looked up to find the beast warming the eggs. She tried to stand, but it was more difficult. Nearly up, Neba lost her balance. Her instinct was to brace for her fall, but she did not have a chance to. The beast caught her with its tail.

"Thank you." She said with hesitation.

"For a moment, I thought you would roast and then eat me. Ha. Ha."

The beast stared at her as she wondered what it must have been thinking. Perhaps it had never seen a Dumbadare before. Dumbadare tribes were hidden from the outside kingdoms. Only the royals knew of their existence for two reasons. One, to keep them from communing with their old gods, and two, to fill their coffers with gold by way of taxes.

Regardless of what the beast may have been thinking, Neba needed to get home, and she needed to replace the broken eggs. Abruptly her thoughts changed.

"That's it. You and I can help one another. You can help me find my way home, and I will help you care for your eggs. Maybe you don't need my help, but we are both wounded. I bet you need to do more for those eggs than heat them with your blue flames. Right?"

Perhaps not, but Neba knew she would not locate an ostrich in time. What is an ostrich egg compared to a Drakea? These eggs would not only pay this year's taxes, but it would ensure the family would have all basic needs and more in the future. They surely would not call her Broken Neba any longer.

"I am Neba. My name." She said, pointing to herself as her gaping wound began to gush.

The Drakea pounded the stone with its horned tail cracking and vibrating the earth below. Its claw drilled into the ground. Then the beast put its magnificent head inside.

Neba had fallen to the ground in excruciating pain. As quick as she fell, the mighty beast pulled its head from the earth and approached her. Neba could barely make out something shiny in its mouth before all was black.

"Ahh." Neba moaned as she slowly lifted her head and rubbed her chest to her stomach.

"What?" Neba questioned herself.

Not only had the bleeding stopped, but she could not feel the wound. She rubbed at her chest and stomach and only felt scabs. Her injury was healed, but how? She could hear the beast snoring; it had fallen asleep without securing the eggs. Her moment had arrived. Neba could take the eggs, but to where? She still had no idea where she was and in which direction was home. In her heart, she knew the beast had healed her; would she still betray it?

She owed the beast her life twice, but she loved her family. She is the reason the ostrich eggs are gone. The king would have his guards slaughter her father and brother, and the solution lay right in front of her.

"Take the eggs and figure out a way home. It is nearly your life day. You will be ten and six, and you can do this!" She coached herself.

Without warning, a band of Jucars jumped from higher ground in front of her. Jucars were blind, deaf, and nonverbal. They communicated with their sticks so they would not have known the beast was there, but they risked their lives for a smell.

Before their sticks came upon Neba, the dragon awakened and rumbled. The Jucars were harmless; they were looking for food scraps, so Neba jumped in to take the dragon's wrath. It opened its mouth so wide that a gust of wind forced Neba and the Jucars to the ground. The dragon then approached and sniffed them as they began to sob. It smelled their fear and knew they were harmless.

Neba had learned one Jucar rhythm, which was the tree knock. The knock meant friend. She knocked on their sticks, and they rose to their feet one by one. She smiled at the dragon and decided it was time to name it.

"I will call you Black Tear."

Neba remembered her mother's stories about the sea snakes. They were once land dwellers before devolving because they spent most of their time in the sea and rivers. Mother promised to tell Neba more when she grew older, but that time would never come for Mother.

Mother had beautiful smooth charcoal skin, and though rivers would fall from her coffee bean eyes, she was steadfast. Neba called her mother Black Tear, and so shall this beast be named.

"Surly, you are a lady; you laid eggs."

The Black Tear snarled and nudged Neba.

"So you do understand me."

Neba felt terrible that she wanted to steal the eggs to sell them.

"I still don't understand how you healed me."

Neba swore she saw a smile on Black Tear's face.

The Jucars waved their sticks in a forward motion repeatedly. That's it. Neba just knew she could follow them to locate her home.

She grabbed some nearby twigs and slowly approached the eggs. Black Tear's red eyes welcomed Neba to the eggs this time. She tied knots into the twigs, secured the eggs, and tied them to her waist. She then grabbed the hand of one Jucar, who caught the hand of another. Before long, they all held on to each other and moved north.

Black Tear followed at first, then abruptly stopped. Neba turned to see she lowered her noninjured wing. She stared briefly, realizing Black Tear wanted Neba to mount her.

"But your other wing? What if we are too heavy?"

The dragon huffed and gestured them forward with her head. Neba climbed first and then guided the Jucars with one of the sticks. They screamed at once when they felt the lumpy warm scales but trusted Neba.

Neba grabbed the two horns above the neck, and the first Jucar grabbed her waist while the others held the next boy's core in front. Black Tear let out the same screech Neba heard before she was swept into the sand storm. The dragon began to run, slow at first, faster, and up into the clouds.

Neba used the horns to guide Black Tear. For the most part, they traveled north and then abruptly east. The boy pointed the stick down, so Neba lifted her hands to the top of the horns and then curved. Black Tear descended from the clouds. As she did, Neba saw numerous guards burning Dumbadare huts.

Black Tear roared, taking in a breath and releasing a liquid that extinguished the flames. Once they smashed into the ground, her claws gripped the sand, stopping them. Neba hurried the Jucars down the wing as the guards approached.

The guards readied their weapons, but their hands shook, and their eyes widened. Neba scanned in the distance for her father and brother. The smell of burnt flesh agitated Black Tear, and the wails of the tribe riled Neba.

Black Tear lifted her head, and Neba knew what would come next; then, as a puff of smoke cleared, she saw her father and brother. They were hurt but alive. Neba then remembered what Father always said about Mother.

She laid her hand gently on the tenoned chest of Black Tear. The dragon lowered her head and looked into Neba's eyes. Then she looked upon the village and snarled at the guards. Neba continued to rub her. Suddenly, the girl who stuttered and dropped everything found her courage.

"Look upon my face and the face of the old God. My God. Tell the king he has two choices. He can leave the kingdom he stole from us or remain and die. Either way, his reign has ended."

The guards quivered and lowered their weapons. Black Tear thundered, and they scattered in all directions.

Neba sighed and then raced to her father and brother. Their embrace was long and hard.

"We thought you were dead," Father whispered.

"No, Father. I am here."

"How did. Nevermind." Her brother spoke.

"What did you break now?"

Neba quickly looked at the eggs. They were safe and sound.

"Nothing this time. But I have to tell you something about the ostrich eggs."

"No need, little sister." Her brother said as he looked at the damaged village.

"No need."

Black Tear approached, and to Neba's surprise, the villagers had no fear. It was as if they had never forgotten their old God.

"What now, Father?"

"We bury the dead, and we mourn them. We rebuild and wake the powers of our ancestors."

Just then, Neba remembered. Drakea eggs only hatch through magic, and the power bestowed upon the ancestors by their God will bring hatchlings.

She looked up into the eyes of Black Tear and smiled. Black Tear smiled back.