Where Mountains Blossom

Chapter 11

Rokiayahs POV

The next morning, I woke early to witness the sun as it began to rise. Silently leaving the tipi, I ventured to another hill, seeking solace in prayer and beseeching divine guidance from God for my current predicament.

Carrying my old clothes with me,as I planned to change into them once I had finished my prayers, desiring to maintain my usual morning routine. Upon reaching the hill, I sat down, closed my eyes, and engaged in earnest prayer.

I implored the Lord, acknowledging that He alone knows the paths I should tread, and asked Him to guide me and reveal His desired course of action for the situation that currently perplexed me. Admitting my fear and uncertainty, I requested a word of instruction, promising my unwavering compliance.

Standing up from the grass, I removed the dress that Makawee had given me and returned to my tattered old clothes. Then, I proceeded with my usual warm-up exercises, stretching my body as part of my morning routine.

In a tranquil setting, I dedicated myself to the practice of both kickboxing and knife fighting techniques. The atmosphere was serene as I honed my skills in complete silence, until a subtle presence caught my attention. Reacting swiftly and instinctively, I hastily brought down my opponent, assuming a dominant position and holding my knife near their jugular.

However, as I focused on my triumph, I suddenly recognized my adversary—it could only be Weayaya. Much to my surprise, he mirrored my quick reflexes, swiftly countering my move. We tussled like that for a few more minutes and found ourselves locked in a standoff, gazing intently into each other's eyes. The tension in the air was palpable, generating a unfamiliar scorching heat that coursed through my body.

A faint smirk appeared on Weayaya's face as we looked at each other.

"Could you please move away from me ?"

I demanded, growing weary of his smug expression and rolling my eyes. Without delay, he promptly moved away, a smile still lingering on his face as he did, seemingly oblivious to the gravity of his actions. A musing expression settled upon his features.

"You're truly a warrior," he remarked.

I responded, "Indeed, my father raised me to be one, ensuring my survival".

Curiosity piqued, Weayaya inquired further, "Was your father also a warrior?"

I nodded and shared that my father served as a sergeant, training others in the art of warfare. Weayaya, perplexed by the unfamiliar term, sought clarification. I promptly explained the role of a sergeant, drawing parallels to his own position as a chief. Essentially, they performed similar duties, guiding and instructing others in their respective realm's.

He inquired, "What are you doing up here?"

I replied that I came to pray, seeking answers from my God, and to train my body. He seemed puzzled by the mention of "my God" and asked if we served the same deity. I clarified that my God had called me and filled me with what He would refer to as the Holy Spirit, which is why his Medicine man said my spirit was of pure light since His divine presence resides in me.

He found it intriguing and inquired if my God had responded to my prayers. I informed him that, as of now, my God hadn't responded, but I believed that he would answer when he deemed the time was right. He expressed curiosity about my God's response and asked me to inform him when it happened.

Perplexed by his interest, I questioned his reasons for wanting to know. He replied that he wanted to know if I would stay or leave, though he admitted he didn't know me. I was taken aback by this, but he persisted, saying he felt a connection between us and believed I could sense it too.

I neither confirmed nor denied his claim, deciding to walk away from the situation to avoid addressing the matter directly. However, he followed me, prompting me to ask why he was doing so. He countered by asking where I was going, and I responded that I was headed back to the tipi where his sister and grandparents were.

He seemed surprised by my reply and questioned my intentions further. I reiterated that I was indeed leaving, but he refused to let me go, insisting that I join him on a hunt to test my skills. He wanted to witness everything I could do, as the medicine man and other elders were interested as well.

"Why should I?" I asked.

He simply replied, "Because I'm asking you to come with me," emphasizing the eagerness of the medicine man and the elders to see my abilities.

Rolling my eyes but complying I followed him to where he said we would start the hunt. He tried to hand me a horse. A beautiful one at that with its deep black fur, that shined in the light. It had a very strong and muscular body that seemed to have experience fighting in wars.

But what really drew me into the horse was a white patch at the top of its eyes. The patch emphasized the horse's electric blue eyes. The horse had the bluest eyes I had ever seen on a horse. Truly the horse was a sight to see. But what could I do with it if I couldn't ride a horse.

Weayaya looked at me confused saying "you're a warrior yet you don't know how to ride a horse"?

"No, of course I don't know how to ride a horse where I came from.

"We don't ride horses unless you're a cowboy or you do it for sports".

"What a strange land you came from", he told me.

Nodding my head in agreement I asked, "so what now"?

"Well since you don't know how to ride a horse you will ride with me", he said.

"No way", I exclaimed "I would rather walk".

"Ok", he said "suit yourself, an offer like that won't come twice".

"I don't expect it to", I said looking at him with a determined look in my eyes.

Smiling at me he got on his horse tossing me a bow and a couple of arrows.

"Please tell me you at least know how to use those".

"Yes", I said "I know how to use a bow and arrow"

"Good, he said, you're gonna need it".

"Since you would rather walk then you're going to walk beside me and help me and the tribe hunt for food".

And we were off on our journey.