I finished eating from the stone made like dish, '' Head to the river, rinse yourself, come wear something and join the others.'' Mama said as she laid back on her mat. I knew better to tell her that I can't go especially when she bashed me. So, after a struggle due to the pain, I finally stood up and went at the back of our bone home, where there is a stream of flowing water to the east, I got in, the water was knee length as I started to clean myself, I was done instantly and I went back inside my shelter, I wore the black skin of jaguar, it covered all the female sites including the backside. Mama had not said anything when I said I am leaving.
I walked to the east side, following the stream of water,
''you okey,'' Kane asked as he catches up.
'' What does it look like to you,'' I asked rolling my eyes.
''C'mon, is queen Patella that bad as the rumours say,'' he nudged me with his elbow, the pain jotted me in a way that I wince and I almost lost my balance but Kane saved me in time before I hit the ground.
I yanked myself away from his grip, '' keep experimenting with me, one day she will Patella you,'' I said forming a feast and punching the air to demonstrate but then the typical Kane I know, finds it amusing. ''Are you ready for your first-time training?'' he asked his voice becoming soft.
'' No,'' I said honestly.
'' Me too.'' he added.
I sighed '' We don't have a choice, but we got each other, right?'' I asked as I stop in my tracks. He nodded his head but his eyes showed uncertainty.
''Let's go.'' I spoke.
As we walked, I could not help but to think about our training, everyone knows me as Patina the daughter of Patella queen and the missing king named Erix. It's been too long, I lost count how long he has been gone, my mom said he was on quest and he had been gone for far too long. My mother was a warrior guard of our village, no one came and left, accept a few trusted warriors and my father Erix. Their quests were always short, brutal and rewarding. This quest had been too long it makes me wonder how brutal can it get and the only reward I am expecting since he had been gone too long, is for him to come back breathing and that is all.
I could hear the distant screams, groans and sticks clashing. It was clear as day light that we close to arriving at the training. I can imagine its own torture that is mentally sending me back home and just plead to my mom that I do not want all this. I know Patella will drag me herself once she hits me.
We finally entered a field, that had a lot of apparatus made of woods, joined and all. Some were sharp and tall. I started panicking with the aid of my beating hard so harshly. ''Stop!!!" Shouted the commander of the training. He was grey haired and bushy beard with light skin than of Kane's. Everybody stopped, the commander turned to me so did the rest of the trainers. ''finally, you decided to join us,'' he greeted us, ''Now that you eighteen years today, Patina, you get to work to take your mothers place, well as the elders we believe you strong enough to be stronger than Patella.'' He spoke. Then he looked at Kane, ''Kane, son of Azur and Anakin weren't you supposed to be here a long time ago," the commander asked, Kane rubbed the back of his neck, as he struggled to find an answer. Kane is the son of Azur which is his mother and Anakin is his father, Azur mother of Kane was trusted enough to join this quest with my father and the rest of the warriors, so Azur is not back too. Anakin has been scarce but Kane doesn't talk much about him and how they feel with the absence of Azur.
'' Well never mind, let us begin with the train, Kane join the boys and Patina join your girls. Pick up the sticks and supposed to find yourself with those sticks, will do this longer, until I see fit for you to move on. Go!'' the training proceeded, well it was the worst day, I did not have the heart to hit anybody, I did not have the balance to take a blow, the beating is painful, my screams meant nothing to these girls, they such wild dogs, anything I did was sloppy enough to conclude the rest of my day as accepting myself as a failure. We all walked back home, slowly as the sky is being engulfed by darkness and stars being born. I was walking with Kane as usual,
'' I am not coming back tomorrow,'' Kane whispered. I hummed in agreement.
***************
The next day, my painful body was ignored, just as we talked with Kane on our way home from the practice that we would not be going back, I was dragged out of my shelter, no one else but Patella, my Patella had less words to speak but more power and action to make her words heard.
'' Mama!'' I protested, as she dragged me to training, I kept falling, and she would help me up quickly like I weighed nothing. I even cried, which was not part of the plan, but the way she is handling me was bruising my pride too much and the thought of not being able to withstand her was making me feel worse.
By the time I reached the training field it felt like a toss when she pushed me to ground and I ended up kissing the ground Patella once trained out. How do I make this woman understand that I do not want to train, I forced myself to stand up but by the time I was about to utter something, my fellow trainers were already on their one knee, bowing their heads, I was shocked to find Kane among the trainers, he was bruised but I am not sure if Anakin gave me a hell of beating or is it because of the training? Not only I seem to be bruised, there were other peers bruised too. I mean why would you come back for more thrashing. They wired but not me. I do not want to be here and that is finale.
I was the only one standing facing mam head on,
''You will come to training every day, like it or not. Kill me if you don't want too. Remember who I am to you, I am your mother, the queen and the warrior I am the whole package and you the sack that needs to be filled. Axa! Let it not be easy on her.'' Those were the last words as my mother disappeared to the path she came from.