"Kusini Alkebu-lan, year 5753, the war between the Khoi and the Fynbos Kipepeo is raging. The Hoerikwaggo is stained red in the blood of Kipepeo and that of the Khoi. Countless bodies of small butterfly winged men cover the battlefield alongside the bodies of the Khoi soldiers. Standing atop this pile of bodies with blood dripping from his head to his feet and onto the soil. The man atop those bodies is our Chief and your father Osinhkimma Goringhaiqua. As his oldest daughter, my child, you must ensure that you marry a man who is as great a warrior as you father was." - said Ntombizodwa.
"Yes mother." - responded Nomvula begrudgingly.
Nomvula is the daughter of Osinhkimma and Ntombizodwa. She was born a year after the incident her mother told her of in year 5754 (1750 A.D.). She is the eldest of the chiefs 8 daughters and the eldest of the chiefs 8 children. Being the eldest of the children of a Chief with no sons, Nomvula admired her father's skills on the battlefield.
She would often watch her father spar with his but because she was a girl she was not allowed to join or even watch these sparring sessions hence she would often be forced out by the first person to find her watching.
Nomvula still found ways to sneak into and watch the sparring sessions. She would often try to repeat the techniques she saw her father use against his generals on unsuspecting children she would be "playing" with and especially the unsuspecting people who would force her out.
Her attacks became so frequent and her techniques so refined that the girls she was "playing" with stopped playing with her as they refused to be in the same place as that brute and this forced her father to allow for her to hang around the young boys who were soldiers in training as if she were left alone in the house she would assault her younger sisters but she was not allowed to engage with training, she was only allowed to watch.
At a certain point the guards stopped forcing her out of watching the sparring sessions. They said that it was not because of the Chief's orders but because she had beat one of the guards so brutally that they themselves decided to leave her alone and leave her punishment up to the Chief if he ever saw her watching.
She was punished brutally by the chief every time he caught her watching but that didnt stop her from watching and her punishments only became worse as time went on.
After one of these punishments her mother took her to her hut to treat her wounds.
"I say all this because you're of marrying age my child." - said Ntombizodwa as she was covering Nomvula's wounds,
"You're father is already looking for suitors from other clans for yo-"
"I do not want to marry a man who is weaker than me mother" - said Nomvula as she pushed her mother's hand away from her,
"and all the man in this village are weaker than me."
"Bold words from a girl, especially one of your age who isn't even allowed to train with the boys let alone the men." - said Ntombizodwa as she slapped Nomvula's hand that was pushing hers away.
"Well if I was allowed to I could prove that I'm right. Every time I watch those boys fight they keep themselves COMPLETELY open and their trainers purposefully don't take advantage of those openings to make them feel good about themselves but in real war - in real combat situations like the kind that Baba puts himself and he's generals through; those boys will die in seconds." - said Nomvula as she tried standing up but her mother forcefully pushed her down.
Ntombizodwa sighed, " What am I going to do with you, hmmmm, Nomvula?" - she asked.
"Why can you not be like your other sisters? Staying at home, gathering and cooking food, cleaning the house but you want to be out there fighting with the men."
"I'm sorry mother." - said Nomvula sadly.
"NO!" - exclaimed Ntombizodwa as she squeezed her daughter's cheeks between her hands,
"Do not apologise for who you are Nomvula. I love you regardless. In fact, if you were any different you would not have been the Nomvula I know and love today....but you have to stop bullying your sisters, just change that and you would be perfect." - she said as she slapped her at the end of her statement.
"Ahhhh! You didn't have to slap me" - exclaimed Nomvula as she lightly pressed on her cheek.
"Yes, yes I did." - responded Ntombizodwa
Nomvula looked at her sternly for a little while and said,
"I know that, I really do. Its just that every time I've asked Baba to let me go out to war with him he refuses and it frustrates me but I know I shouldn't take out that frustration on my siblings."
Ntombizodwa looks sadly at her child sulking in front of her.
"I can not bare to see you this sad my child." - she said,
"I did not want to tell you this because I knew you would immediately jump at the opportunity without even thinking but I simply can not bare to see you like this so I guess I have no choice but to tell you. I may have a way for you to go to the next battle at Hoerikwaggo..."
"REALLY?HOW?" - exclaimed Nomvula as she stood up in excitement.
"Hey, hey calm down ,calm down. I said 'might' for a reason." - she said
Nomvula quickly sat down again excitedly anticipating what her mother had to say.
"Okay then. I heard from a mother of one of the boys in military training and she says that he is getting cold feet." - said Ntombizodwa as she watched he daughter's excitement grow exponentially.
"So I told her that I know a little brat that would be more than willing to take his place."
"So I can go!" - exclaimed Nomvula as she lunges towards her mother.
"She said she will speak to him and get back to me as soon as possible." - responded Ntombizodwa as she embraces Nomvula who was jumping at her.
Three days later the soldiers had gathered at the bottom of Hoerikwaggo and amongst them in disguise as Onothando the son of Jongikhaya was Nomvula the daughter of Osinhkimma, who was rallying the men ahead of the battle whilst his daughter was silently beaming in the crowd.
"Men! Today we set out on another endeavour to win and finally put an end to this war that has been fought by even our forefathers!" - exclaimed Osinhkimma
"We all know of the guile and evil nature of those Kipepeo they have murdered many of our men as well as our innocent women and children. They can no longer be allowed to do as they please any longer." - he continued
"No-"
Osinhkimma was interrupted by a strong wind blowing against them.
"They're here!" - exclaimed one of Osinhkimma's commanders
Suddenly a there was a thunderous sound of buzzing wings heading towards the men.
"Take cover!" - exclaimed Osinhkimma.
Hundreds of winged men flew over the Khoi army and began their assault. The brave Khoi men fought well but the powers of the kipepeo gave them an advantage: They could change the size of the bodies at will which made them nigh impossible to critically hit on the battlefield but centuries of battle with them meant that the Khoi had time to develop their own ways of fighting against those powers. By developing their bodies in order to sharpen their reflexes as well as their peripheral vision the Khoi are able to keep track of most of the kipepeo's movements in order to kill as many of them as they kill humans. This meant that the battle between the Khoi and the Kipepeo fairly even. That was until a freak of nature in the context of both Tribes and that freak was Osinhkimma. He was able to tear down the Kipepeo as though he were a tornado tearing downing buildings.
As he fought the Kipepeo; the men who were fighting alongside him were as awestruck as usual.
"Look at him." - said one of the young warriors
"He is absolu-"
"You do not have time to admire the Chief young one!" - exclaimed the commander interrupting the warrior
"Follow the example of Onothando and only focus on the battle at hand."
Nomvula disguises as was tearing down Kipepeo left and right.
"Finally! Finally!" - she thought to herself with a smile on her face
"Is he smiling?" - asked the young warrior
"Yes he is!" - responded the commander
"Like a true warrior he smiles at the defeat of his enemies."
The young warrior stared at Nomvula as she cut down her enemies. She looked over at him and a chill went down his spine. She ran towards him and stabbed the Kipepeo behind him whilst he stood there still. They glanced at each other once more as he saw her stern stare and she ran off.
"Did Onothando always look like a girl." - he thought
"Wake up boy!" - exclaimed the commander as he shielded the boy from enemy attack.
The Kipepeo that Nomvula had stabbed was fleeing and she was chasing it down when it suddenly shrunk and reappeared behind he but she had already swung her spear towards it. The Kipepeo managed to kick the spear out of her hand and attempted to follow through that kick with its other leg but she blocked the follow through and uppercut the Kipepeo. The Kipepeo ate the punch and hit her with a left hook. The fight between these two was so vicious that most man on the battlefield stopped for a second to witness the fight. It even caught the attention of Osinhkimma.
Nomvula's brutality overpowered the Kipepeo in the end as it attempted to flee once more but she picked up a spear and chased it into the thick bushes of the Fynbos.
The chase did not last long as Nomvula found herself looking down at the Kipepeo.
"Please.....please..." - it begged as Nomvula growled angrily.
Nomvula stared at the Kipepeo angrily but as she continued to stare she began to hesitate and her killing intent lessened and she did not understand why.
"What are you doing to me!?" - she asked in anger but the Kipepeo said nothing in response.
"Hey what are you doing!" - she exclaimed as the Kipepeo attempted to stand up.
The Kipepeo stood up and attempted to touch Nomvula.
"Don't touch me!" - she exclaimed but as the Kipepeo seemed to get closer to her she began to let her guard down.
This allowed for the Kipepeo to touch her. It smiled and the smile brought Nomvula back to her senses but it was too late. The Kipepeo touched her forehead with its right index and middle fingers and suddenly...they both disappeared....