"I don't think so if I am that girl you've known," Mindaza stated after Khallel gave her a cursory glance.
"You're not what I expected," Khallel continued in a cryptic response. He pulled himself away from the wall and said, "Then it is you I have come to see. There is something you should have to know,"
The mood abruptly changed from attention and mild enjoyment to anxiety and, in Mindaza's opinion, terror.
Sulaya seemed to realize that Mindaza was scrutinizing the man's nakedness with undisguised curiosity and said, "Leave out of here, Mindaza. You are still too young."
"But I am nineteen years old," Mindaza insisted.
"Oh, just let the girl see," Granny Juana said with a chuckle. "It won't hurt her to see what a male looks like, say the experts."
Khallel remarked, "It is not about what she sees; it is about what she can hear."
Mindaza followed Granny Juana's cackling into the other room.
"Leaders, come over. Lito let's talk about this." Sulaya urged everyone to follow her. They all go to the outside of the house with her husband. In the backyard there is a cottage where they can have their short meetings and so, most of the elders have joined them. But Mindaza keeps her distance from them.
As the adults talked, Mindaza positioned herself as near the door as she could. Starring on the group of people talking in the cottage. She heard voices murmuring.
Later on, there was a brief silence. And Mindaza heard her mother saying,
"Mindaza! Pack your belongings, we're going to leave tomorrow before the sun is up"
"But Sulaya, she's still young!" Lito urgently responded. Hearing those words surprised him at the sudden decision. His face shows more concerned as much as a father.
"She will be fine, Lito, trust me. We will be right back here to live the way we have here. The sooner, the better." Sulaya explained. Lito turned to his daughter in deepest thoughts.
"Mother is right. I will be fine. Also this is my dream to step my feet into the ground of that big Island. This is my chance father."
Mindaza told him. She was settled in the house she had known her entire life. But by that moment, she and her mother had decided to move from this place. Lito nod. He knows that even he insists there are no possibilities that Sulaya can change her mind.
"This is it?" Mindaza said. After tossing a sack-bag on her back containing her personal belongings. She asks herself who has a dream. Wishing that they all have a safe and happy journey and that she will share it with her father on her returns.
Khallel opened the door and stroked Mindaza's shoulder, saying, "Just don't ask; you will see what lies beyond your future."
Sulaya walked away from the cottage and said, "You've always wanted to travel since you were a kid, you always wanted to see what lies beyond the confines of our small island.Well, sweety, now you are going to do just that," Sulaya said. Her smile lacked humor as her hazel eyes seemed to drive into Mindaza's soul.
"Does she mean I am going to have a little adventure?" Mindaza asked herself. But deep inside she was excited about it.
Granny Juana pointed out the window and said, "Mindaza heard the stern shout, Your friend is back,"
After what Mindaza heard, she noticed there was a huge bird flying in the sky. An eagle landed on the gnarled, stunted avocado tree outside their home. The bird sat still, rotating its head until it was staring directly through the cottage window.
"Mindaza, open the window," Khallel requested, even though he spoke softly.
The legendary eagle entered, sat on top of the bed, glanced about the space, and then leaped onto Khallel's extended arm.
"Matang Lawin, welcome back," Khallel said as she stroked the bird's throat. Mindaza shook her head and made a glance at her mother. Khallel had left the room, taking the eagle with him, and Mindaza followed him.
"This bird is my favorite animal, having piercing eyes, large wings that can soar to the top of the sky, and claws that are like the point of a sword. So, despite being far above, he has a good vantage point over the ground below." Khallel said, her voice hushed as she spoke.
"So his name is "Matang Lawin" or the hawk's eye," Khallel added to say.
"Hawk eye is the root word given by your name "Mindaza", and this bird is yours." Keep an eye out for that bird and take his cues. This bird will lead you in the right direction." Khallel explained it well.
Mindaza felt amazed hearing those meaningful connections.
After Sulaya and Mindaza finish packing their things, Sulaya tells something first to Lito, and Mindaza bids her goodbye to her father.
Khallel, on the other hand, had discovered clothing, so he stood in the far end of the house wearing linen, the ubiquitous shirt that everyone, male and female, wore. Khallel's shirt strained to cover his chest, and his loose tartan pants barely reached his knees.
"We need a boat," Khallel said.
"We don't have a boat," Mindaza replied, until Granny Juana put a hand on her shoulder.
"There are many things you don't know yet," Granny Juana said quietly.
Mindaza shook her head as she did not understand what granny meant. "Are we going to mainland Mindanao?"
"We're going to see the king," Khallel told her.
"The king? Do you mean the Lord of that big Island?"
"No!" Khallel's tones had cracked like granite.
"Not the Lord of the Island. We are going to see the king himself!"
Granny Juana watched Mindaza go. She said, "The time of your journey has come, I wish you a great flight like an eagle, Mindaza." Her eyes were opaque.
Khallel moved on a straight path eastward together with Sulaya, over the rising moorland toward the mid-morning light as eagle shrieked a harsh welcome as she left the cottage where Mindaza had lived her entire life. Mindaza went after them, unsure.
On their walks, Khallel looked to her right, where the huge eagle was flying above circling. A westerly breeze rustled across the soggy heather.
"We are moving near the Forbidden Cave, Mother," Mindaza said as she noticed the nearby area.
With each step, a gulley that had formed from a dip in the moor became deeper until they were descending through a little cut that had rocky walls on both sides. Up ahead, a ten-foot-high, slippery and dark tunnel loomed.
Mindaza had received several warnings throughout her childhood not to visit this area, but her mother just walked right in without turning to the left or right. Mindaza hesitated, having previously been compelled to investigate the Forbidden Cave. She inhaled deeply before moving forward.
Deep within the cavern, Mindaza found herself enveloped in a tangy, invigorating shroud of darkness. Peering ahead, she focused on the distinct sound of Khallel's heavy footfalls and the confident, rhythmic steps of her mother. With each echoing step, she could easily distinguish between the two familiar patterns, guiding her through the obsidian depths of the cave.
Even in the dark, Khallel appeared to be aware of her whereabouts, saying, "Here we are."
Sulaya reached for three rush torches as she halted beside a wall niche. With a swift motion, she lit the rushes by striking two flint pieces together, causing a spark to ignite the torches. The flickering flames cast eerie shadows on the ancient stone walls, illuminating the hidden passageway ahead.
She gave Khallel one, "Hold that, we can start here by walking that far."
As Mindaza cautiously made her way across the rocky ledge, she suddenly became aware of the bubbling water below when the sound of rushing water reached her ears and the torchlight flickered off the walls to her left. The noise of the waves grew louder, echoing through the cave and creating an eerie atmosphere as she continued on her journey.