N'Chalo's Challenge

Chapter 6

The wind was strong throughout the desert, N'Chalo and Papa shielded their eyes as they ventured across miles of sand.
'Which creature was your challenge, Papa?' N'Chalo asked.
'Well, you might be surprised, the Mighty One chose a Groundhopper.'
'A Groundhopper?' N'Chalo expressed her surprise at Papa, a strong leader facing such a weak creature for his challenge.
'Yes, perhaps the Mighty One had little faith in me,' he answered, 'my grandmother N'Gwata VII certainly did.'
N'Gwata VII was the queen before Papa became king, and she had raised him since his parents had been killed in his youth.
'Do you think the Mighty One would have known she had little faith in you, and if he did, do you think that could have influenced his decision to choose a Groundhopper?'
'N'Chalo, the Mighty One knows a lot, he can watch us any time he wants. I've no doubt the Mighty One would decide for himself the creature one should face for their challenge.'
Flocks of birds squawked and flew in the opposite way the King and Princess walked. The birds had to be fleeing from something, they both knew that this was a sign N'Chalo was about to approach her challenge.
'This is it my child, remember your training.' Papa encouraged her.
They walked a few steps further until they heard deep footsteps in the distance.
'Papa...' N'Chalo quavered.
'Listen out, your challenge will be here any minute now.'
N'Chalo struggled to hold back her fear, she quivered with each breath.
'Listen', Papa rested his hand on her shoulder, 'It's okay to be scared, being brave is about facing up to your fears.'
The footsteps were getting closer, her challenge would face her in a matter of seconds.
'Help me,' N'Chalo trembled, she couldn't hold back her fear any longer.
'Only you can fight your challenge but I can, however, protect you.'
Her worst fears were confirmed, when a Deserthound came out from a dust cloud. It produced it's loud, menacing roar which caused the hairs on the back of N'Chalo's neck to stand up. It's eyes darted towards her and it's teeth were exposed.
'Compose yourself! As long as you have your weapon I've every confidence in you!' Papa encouraged her.
The adrenaline was high but N'Chalo decided to use it to her advantage, spurring on her warrior instincts. She tried telling herself she was ready for battle and should she fall, it was a great reassurance knowing Papa was allowed to protect her but she had it in the back of her mind that the Deserthound may be so strong that not even Papa could stop it killing her.
N'Chalo readied her spear, shouted her war cry and charged towards the Deserthound. A Deserthound's first instinct was to slash it's opponent, N'Chalo knew, she thrusted her spear and stabbed it's knee, cutting deep into the thick, scaly flesh. The Hound, squealing in pain, attempted to headbutt N'Chalo but she threw herself backwards, narrowly avoiding it's horns as she crashed into the sand.
Surprisingly the Hound continued to walk, although not without a limp, on it's injured leg. How is it so strong? N'Chalo worried as it closed in, ready to strike with its claws.
'N'Chalo!' Papa shouted as he threw his spear which struck the same leg of the Deserthound, causing it to switch focus away from N'Chalo.
The Deserthound leaped and tackled Papa to the ground, dragging him back before slashing him. Papa screamed, like he did in N'Chalo's dream. The Deserthound leaped away, hiding in a dust cloud.
'Papa?' N'Chalo was extremely worried, if it was capable of striking Papa who reassured her he'd protect her, then perhaps it was time to give up the fight. But would it be worth surviving if she became a slave?
N'Chalo rushed over to Papa who was unconscious. She checked his arm, the Hound's claws had cut deep into his flesh, she raised it to slow the bleeding.
Papa groaned as he woke up, 'Look... Look out!'
Through the air the Deserthound launched behind N'Chalo, she ran as fast as she could but even through injury, the Deserthound would not let her outrun it. She thought the behemoth would have already caught her by now, had it not been injured.
Tiny rocks crumbled and fell. N'Chalo looked beneath her foot and she stood right on the edge of a cliff. She panted frantically, desperate to regain her stamina, she had to do something quickly because she was surrounded.
'Get back!'
Her heart felt like it eroded her rib cage. N'Chalo was certain she only had seconds to live. Running away was no use as the Hound could leap and slash at her. Perhaps if she waited N'Chalo could perfectly time her next strike, kill the Deserthound then return to the city and live the rest of her life as a free Ofusa.
The Deserthound tilted back, standing on it's hind legs. N'Chalo looked at the Hound's chest, focusing on where it's heart would be. The Hound unleashed it's claws and N'Chalo's adrenaline kicked in. Now I shall strike, this is a true chance for a warrior. She couldn't do it. The Hound roared and thrusted it's claws at her. N'Chalo dodged each time. It's so angry! Or perhaps it's scared.
'I don't want to fight you,' she spoke to the hound, 'I'm only here because of my tribe. Please, I'm only fighting you because I'm scared. I'm scared of becoming a slave, that's what will happen to me if they know I don't kill you. My Papa only fought you because he was scared for me.'
The Hound growled softly as it dropped back onto it's front feet. This was it, N'Chalo had befriended a Deserthound, she had done the unthinkable.
'I need you to help me, I must somehow trick my people into thinking I've killed you.'
But how will that be possible? Wait! We're told to overcome our challenge, not to kill it.
I will succeed but what would my people think? Would I set a new precedent or would I be a coward? Cowardice or not, I'll do the right thing. I will leave the desert as a peace bringer between beasts and Ofusa.
'I will bathe you and bring you food,' She spoke to the Hound, 'and I will tend to your injuries.'
N'Chalo lifted her spear over her shoulder to place into her sheathe. The blade of her spear glistened in the sunlight, suddenly the Hound fixed it's attention to the weapon.
The Hound roared in fear, N'Chalo's plan was ruined. It slashed N'Chalo across her stomach and she fell back off the cliff.
She screamed as she kept falling and falling. Her wound pained her greatly, it stung before it turned into a burning sensation. Her body heated and her skin began to turn green. All her senses began to deteriorate and the light began to fade.
As she fell into a river, she could see nothing but darkness and all sound was drowned out by loud ringing in her ears.
She grew wearier each second, N'Chalo kicked desperately to get herself above the water but she was already too weak, the tide kept dragging her along the river bed. She held back her last gulp of air, trying so hard to stop it from escaping her throat.
She was desperate somebody would save her, she had no strength to pull herself onto land and it wasn't much longer until she'd pass out from the poison or by holding her breath for so long.

There was much talk, throughout the city, about Papa and N'Chalo's whereabouts. It had gotten so late and dark that the crowd had left before they could find out whether N'Chalo succeeded or even made it out of the desert alive. Many thought they had died and questioned who would take the throne since Papa had no other heirs.
'Your lordship...' Ma's voice trembled, she was about to cry. She waited by the platform with the Ofusa Lord, the clergy and the knights.
It had been almost three hours since Papa and N'Chalo walked into the desert, they should have been back by now. Kwende and all the other young Ofusas were desperate for the King and Princess to come back so they could get their challenges over with. At this rate the backlog of challenges was going to continue into the next day.
'Your majesty, I've every faith Princess N'Chalo will be fighting a glorious battle,' The Ofusa Lord wanted to keep his queen optimistic.
'But what about my husband?'
Only then it had really struck the Ofusa Lord that the King was supposed to be back by now otherwise the Mighty One would be so angry that he might punish the whole city.
'Knights!'
Their attention turned to the Queen as they all heard her voice.
'How may we serve, your majesty?' Tembe, the knight nearest to her, spoke.
'My husband and daughter, I must know they are safe.' Ma told her with much anxiety in her voice, 'Go now!'
The knights darted away, heading to the stables to get Sandhawks and Kralls to ride. They headed out of the city, crossed the drawbridge and went into the desert. As they charged away, the news that the King and the Princess hadn't returned spread quickly. Knights all around the city had left their duties to join the search for there hadn't been a greater moment when the nation depended on them.

Once they were all in the desert they split into groups, each heading different ways, looking over canyons and searching in between dunes.
By the time Papa was found, his skin was sickly green and he groaned in pain. 'My daughter,' he spoke weakly and pointed ahead of him, 'she went that way.'
Tembe summoned the others with her horn. Some of the knights took Papa and headed back to the city whilst others charged ahead, coming to a cliff.
'Halt!' Tembe ordered the knights and they obeyed. Tembe climbed off her Sandhawk and inspected the cliff. She overlooked the canyon and the river, it would have taken too long for them to walk down and they had to act fast, the knights assumed every minute could have brought N'Chalo closer to her death but there was another way down.
'It isn't a distance the hawks can't manage.'
The knights on Sandhawks charged and jumped into the canyon, the birds landing smoothly on their feet. The knights on Kralls went their own ways, searching the rest of the desert for the remote possibility of finding N'Chalo buried in a sand dune.
The Sandhawks dived into the river after they were dismounted, and propelled themselves along the bed whilst they searched for the princess. knights proceeded through the canyon until they entered a tiny settlement by the mouth, Ofusas called it the River Village.
Villagers collected water in their wooden buckets, they wore vests made from tiny colourful beads and had long matted hair. They cowered as the Sandhawks searched the mouth. The birds saw, with their beady eyes, N'Chalo lying on the bed and four of them swam down and each grabbed a limb as they lifted her off the bed. Another two climbed onto the surface, startling villagers who wielded their spears but they carried on as they grabbed an arm each to help lift N'Chalo onto the surface. N'Chalo was the same green colour as her father. The birds squawked to alert the knights and the villagers, who had just realised what had been going on, were forced aside as they hassled the knights with their beliefs of omens and divine interventions.
'The Princess is blessed,' a male villager carried on, 'the river has saved her, no longer will she be defiled by the poison of her foe. The river saves only those with the greatest importance, this is nothing less than a sign that a true hero will arise in her.
'Had my hawk not arrived the Princess could have drowned. Only a healer can save her,' Oba, a knight, spoke as he mounted his Sandhawk and rested N'Chalo over his shoulder as he held the bird's reins.
'Worry not,' the villager stepped in front of the Sandhawk and the knight snarled, desperate for him to leave, 'the magic of the river will drown her poison away.'
'There is no such power other than that of the Mighty One!' Oba spoke through gritted teeth, 'Talk of heresy will have you executed, now step aside!' He tugged his reins and charged away, a few others followed to accompany him back to the city.
The horn was blown for the rest to meet up. Everyone returned, some were covered in wounds, having come across various beasts.
The knights were eager to learn of the princess' survival. Having heard Papa talk so often about her being capable of slaying anything, they hoped he was right.