Three years before the "Mystery of the Olko beads," story, a great famine hits the Yakunko lands claiming all food crops except for the "Unnu'(sunflower) crop! A southern farmer known as Yudo Ramundo discovers the Unnu crop could survive through the...
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'Menshi Yudo, I cannot stay. It's the rules."
'I know all the Kurotandi warriors' rules and children's general homestead rules and regulations...' Menshi Yudo replied.
Tsote was quiet for a while like he was barred by extra rules or something... 'Any other rules apart from the usual homestead rules we all follow?' came Menshi Yudo.
'Because Menshi Talu D'amunsa and his party will stop at nothing to know who the two of you are... something I must protect you two against.'
'I understand but, the chief said I must...' Tsote stammered unwilling to get into the details.
'Can I ask my guardian for permission?'
'Oh. Don't you worry then? I'll send him a request...' Menshi Yudo replied calling Menshi D'amunsa's son back. He requested him to take word to Tsote's Guardian that Tsote would not return home.
Tsote liked the idea because he loved Opit. He enjoyed every moment they spent together. Today was the second time he was going to spend a night at Menshi Yudo's homestead in the past two years.
Once that was settled, Opit showed Tsote to the eating area. He would have dinner with the Yudo family which comprised no more than three people three, him included. A fourth member would be Menshi Yudo Ramundo's niece. She was in charge of mixing the sunflower bread ingredients and coming up with unique flavours because Master Yudo taught her.
She was a twenty-one-year-old and young woman with a secret admiration for the captain of the village guard, Menshi D'amunsa's son. However, the handsome man was married to another young and equally beautiful woman from a tremendous Northern village called Nyathiku. It was rumoured she couldn't have children and that he was having a hidden affair with Yudo Ramundo's Niece which wasn't yet true. And no one had proof of their secret experience.
Tsote and Opit knew better from how the two looked at each other. But that wasn't their business. Tsote glanced at the young woman several times as she served him dinner. She smiled a lot revealing a little gap between her upper set of teeth. She was dark-skinned and slender but endowed with soft and smooth rounded features.
Master Yudo raised her like she were his own because both her parents lived in Sambura, the great Yakunko tribe's royal city situated far away Up North of the Marakusha and River Ulewo.
They had crocodile meat prepared by roasting it in a pot and some sunflower bread which was a part of every homestead meal. Master Yudo spoke less. After the meal, Master Yudo asked if they wanted to hear a story...
Tsote and Opit were really excited at first, not until Master Yudo started about the origins of the sunflower crop, why it thrives and the gods who brought its seed to these lands! Opit's smile died!
'Not again Father.'
'Shhh!' Came Mensh Yudo Ramundo. 'You sure have heard my version of the story several times over. But how about our dear friend here... Have you Tsote?'
