THE FIRST SIGN

The rumble grew into a roar that seemed to vibrate through their bones, and the ground shook so violently that Rixile had to reach out and grab a tree trunk to keep from falling. Ntila stood frozen, his eyes fixed on the shadowy figure emerging from the depths of the forest, while Sungu stumbled backward, his face pale beneath his dark skin. The Guardian of Shadows moved with an unnatural grace, its form shifting and twisting as it came closer. One moment it looked like a massive beast, covered in scales that caught the faint light and turned it into sickly green reflections. The next, it seemed to dissolve into darkness itself, only to reform a few feet closer, its ember eyes never leaving the three young men. Above them, the Lord of Birds let out a cry that was part shriek, part song – a sound so piercing it made Rixile clamp his hands over his ears. The bird circled lower, its wings creating a wind that tore leaves from branches and sent dirt swirling through the air. “Run,” Rixile shouted, his voice barely audible over the noise. “We have to get out of here!” But Ntila didn’t move. He took a step forward instead, his hand reaching toward the shadow creature as if in recognition. “I know you,” he whispered, so softly Rixile almost didn’t hear him. “You’re what took my parents.” The Guardian of Shadows paused, and for a moment, its shifting form seemed to solidify – revealing a face that was almost human, if not for the too-large eyes and the mouth that stretched from ear to ear, filled with rows of needle-sharp teeth. It tilted its head, and a sound like grinding stone escaped its throat. Sungu grabbed Ntila’s arm and pulled him backward. “Are you mad? We have to go – now!” That was when they heard it – a voice, carried on the wind through the trees. It sounded like a woman singing, but the words were in a language none of them recognized. The song seemed to calm the trembling ground and make the Lord of Birds circle higher, away from them. The Guardian of Shadows also pulled back, its glowing eyes narrowing as it looked past them into the deeper forest. Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, it melted into the shadows between the trees and was gone. The bird above let out one last cry before spreading its massive wings and disappearing into the canopy. The silence that followed was so thick Rixile could almost taste it. He let go of the tree trunk and stumbled forward, his legs shaking with adrenaline. “What was that?” Sungu breathed, leaning against a tree and trying to catch his breath. “What are those things?” “I don’t know,” Rixile said, looking down at the stone in his hand. The glow had faded, leaving it grey and ordinary once more. “But my grandmother was right – they’re real.” Ntila was still staring in the direction where the creature had vanished, his face a mixture of fear and determination. “They knew me,” he said quietly. “I could feel it. They knew who I was – knew my parents.” The singing voice grew louder, closer now, and through the trees they saw a figure moving toward them. As she emerged into the small clearing where they stood, Rixile’s eyes widened in surprise. “Mrs Shongotelo?” The woman who stopped before them was tall and strong, with grey streaking through her dark hair and hands that were calloused from years of work. She’d been the village’s midwife and healer for as long as Rixile could remember, and she’d always been kind to him and his friends – especially to Ntila, whom she’d raised as her own son after his parents’ disappearance. “What are you three doing here?” she asked, her voice firm but not angry. Her eyes scanned the forest around them, her hand resting on a pouch at her waist. “You know the village rules – no one goes into the forbidden forest.” “We had to find out what happened to my parents,” Ntila said, stepping forward. “You were with them the day they went missing – why won’t you tell me the truth about what happened?” Mrs Shongotelo’s face softened with sadness as she looked at him. She reached out and touched his cheek, the same way Rixile’s grandmother had touched his earlier that morning. “I’ve tried to protect you from that truth, my son. I thought if you didn’t know, you’d be safe.” “Safe?” Ntila pulled away. “I’ve never felt safe not knowing. I need to understand why they never came back.” She sighed deeply, looking around at the dark trees that surrounded them. “Then let us find somewhere safer to talk. This place is not meant for long stays – even now, they could be watching us.” She led them through the forest along a path Rixile hadn’t noticed before, moving with an ease that suggested she’d walked these woods many times despite the village’s warnings. After several minutes, they came to a small clearing where a stream ran clear over smooth stones, and sunlight managed to break through the canopy in thin beams. Here, the air didn’t smell of decay and metal – instead, it smelled of water and growing things. Rixile felt some of the tension leave his body as he sat down on a flat rock beside the stream. “It was twenty years ago,” Mrs Shongotelo began, sitting across from them and pulling out a small water skin to share. “Your parents, Ntila – they were my closest friends. We’d grown up together, just like you three have. When little Thabo from the western hut fell ill with a fever that no medicine could break, we heard stories of a rare flower that grew only in the deeper parts of the forest – a flower that could cure even the worst sickness.” She paused, looking down at her hands. “We knew the stories of the creatures, but we thought they were just myths – old tales to keep people from wandering where they shouldn’t. We were young and foolish and desperate to save a child’s life. So we came into the forest, just as you did today.” “Did you find the flower?” Sungu asked quietly. She nodded. “We found it. But as we were heading back, we were set upon by those creatures – the same ones you saw today. Your father, Ntila, he tried to fight them off to give us time to run. Your mother stayed with him, refusing to leave his side. I ran with the flower, promising them I’d get it to Thabo and come back for them.” Tears streamed down Ntila’s face now, but he didn’t try to wipe them away. “You never came back.” “I couldn’t,” Mrs Shongotelo said, her voice thick with emotion. “By the time I’d gotten the flower to Thabo and gathered help from the village elders, it was too late. The creatures had claimed your parents, and the elders forbade anyone from going back in to retrieve their bodies. They said it would only anger the beasts further and bring danger to the whole village.” She looked up at Rixile, her eyes serious. “Your grandmother was there that day too, Chavani. She was one of the elders who tried to stop us from going in. When I returned without your parents, Ntila, she helped me bring you to my home and raise you as my own. She and I are the only ones left who know what really happened in this forest – until today.” Rixile thought of his grandmother’s warning, of the crystal she’d spoken of in Babangu Village. “She said there’s a way to kill them – a crystal hidden in Babangu.” Mrs Shongotelo’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. “She told you about that? She swore she’d never speak of it again after what happened. Yes – the crystal exists. It’s the only thing that can destroy the Lord of Birds and the Guardian of Shadows. But Babangu Village is days away, across rough mountains and dangerous rivers. And even if we could reach it, the crystal is hidden in a place that’s almost as dangerous as this forest.” “Then we’ll go,” Rixile said firmly. “We can’t let these creatures keep terrorizing our village, keep taking people we love.” Sungu nodded in agreement. “My family has resources – we can get supplies, hire guides if we need to. We’ll go to Babangu and find this crystal.” Ntila stood up, wiping his tears away and setting his jaw with determination. “I’m coming too. These creatures took my parents – I have to be there when we destroy them.” Mrs Shongotelo stood slowly, looking at each of them in turn. “I knew this day would come,” she said quietly. “Three nights ago, I had a dream – a vision of the crystal, glowing bright in the darkness. It showed me where to find it, how to get there. I’ve been preparing for this journey ever since, hoping I wouldn’t have to make it alone.” She reached into her pouch and pulled out a small, folded piece of leather. When she opened it, inside was a map drawn in what looked like charcoal and berry juice, showing a route from Hlaneki Village to Babangu, with strange symbols marking certain points along the way. “But first,” she said, looking toward the deeper forest where the creatures had vanished, “we need to get out of here and prepare. The beasts have been awakened now – they know we’re here, and they won’t forget. We have to be ready for whatever comes next.” As they stood to leave, Rixile felt the stone in his pocket grow warm again. He pulled it out and saw the silver streaks beginning to glow faintly once more. Looking up, he saw movement in the trees high above – a shadow that was too large to be any ordinary bird, circling and watching them as they made their way back toward the village. The journey to Babangu would be long and dangerous. But they had no choice – if they wanted to protect their village and avenge those who had been lost, they would have to find the crystal and face the creatures of Xindewula Mountain once more. And somewhere in the depths of the forbidden forest, the Lord of Birds and the Guardian of Shadows waited, knowing that the final battle was coming.