Two Years ago
Darkness had already fallen on the bustling city that is Philadelphia, a brisk autumn wind chilling all those without jackets and providing the jungle of concrete and steel with an ominous aura about it. Walking along one of the sidewalks near 49th street, a 14 year old Darweshi Brown walked with a trio of other youths, all of them satisfied from their weekly late night trip towards the river where they had indulged at Pat's King of Steaks just minutes before. The four were laughing and joking on their way back, having just hopped off the Market-Frankfurt subway line and heading for their neighborhood.
"Yo dog! I just got this kick-ass MP3 player a little while ago by the way." The tallest and skinniest of the four said, holding up the small device.
"Nice! Who'd you swipe that from Dwayne?" The biggest, at least in width, Scottie, asked. He was Dwayne's opposite in many ways. Scottie had a large afro where Dwayne kept his hair in tight cornrolls, and was much fatter than Dwayne could ever be. The group always joked to Scottie about the "dozen of cheesesteaks" he'd order in one sitting. Dwayne smiled and replied back.
"Yeah, someone left this thing sittin' out on their porch about two days ago. Hell, if they were just gonna leave it out there, then they obviously didn't want it. Had wipe out all that Boy Band trash that was on it though." This brought about a laugh from both Darweshi and Scottie, who both had a taste and desire for the opposite side of the law.
"Not bad dog, whatcha got on that thing anyways? Do you even have a computer to put shit on there?" Dar asked, shrugging his shoulders to adjust the beat up hoodie he wore. Dar was a lot different than what he would become. He was of average size and build, but still muscular under everything. Hard slabs of muscle, brought about by fierce labor his father put him through, underlaid his skin like thick bands of steel.
"Nah, I just snuck into the computer lab at school and used some of those." Dwayne replied lackadaisically, waving his hand about. Streetlights flickered on and off, bathing the streets in a faint orange glow that cast wicked shadows about the street.
"Man, those things are slow as hell, did ya stay there for a week or some shit like that?" Scottie snapped with a laugh, holding onto his large belly as it bounced.
"Ha! I'm just doin' it a lil' at a time."
"Don't you feel bad about stealin' the iPod?" The fourth member of the group asked. His name was Charles and he was Scottie's geeky cousin, although you'd never be able to tell the family resemblance. If anything, Charles looked more like Dwayne, only with brighter, purer eyes.
"Shut up ya pussy." Dwayne mumbled, annoyed at Charles' self-appointed "conscience" of the group.
"Hey! Don't you be callin' my blood a pussy!" Scottie retorted.
"Then tell him to stop bein' one!" Dwayne roared back.
"Would you two dicks stop it?" Dar sneered over his shoulder. The two quieted, but still glared at one another. Suddenly, a loud screech broke the silence as down the street from them, a van roared up to a pawnshop, opening up to three masked men holding small black boxes in their hands. Dar and company couldn't see the pawnshop owner, but the furious roar of a shotgun and the gout of flame that shot out the door of the pawnshop told them that shit was going down.
"The hell with this! I'm outta here!" Scottie yelled, sprinting in the other direction with Charles running after him, trying to get his cousin under control. Dwayne looked at Dar and shook his head.
"I ain't stayin' around for the cops to come. Gunshots and black men don't mix well with the Police."
"Hell with that, I want a closer look. I'll leave when I hear the sirens." Dar replied, a small grin on his face. Dwayne shook his head.
"You're a crazy ass !@#$%!@. Ya know that?" Dwayne said before leaving slowly, making sure he didn't look suspicious. More gunfire roared from the pawnshop battle. The shotgun fired twice more, shooting sparks out from the van followed by the typewriter-like snapping sound of a mini-uzi. The pawnshop owner screamed and the three robbers charged in, starting to ransack the place. Creeping closer, sticking to the shadows and alleyways, Darweshi moved closer. Three large men were tearing through the pawnshop, looting some things, but not everything. It was more as if they were looking for something.
"Where the f@*! is it?!" One of the robbers yelled, shooting one of the glass cases that held various wares.
"Forget it asshole! We got 30 seconds!" A second replied. The third, looking nervous and jittery, stood watch at the door, visibly swallowing and shaking as he did so.
"Damn..this shit's real..." Darweshi mumbled, watching the robbery happen. Police would come, but out here, the response time was far lower than what they said it was. He had a few minutes to watch, and possibly grab anything the robbers left. Hell, he'd profit and the robbers would be blamed. Win-win.
That was when things went wrong. The nervous doorman glanced over, wide-eyed through the ski-mask he wore, towards where Dar was hiding.
"SHIT! They're here!" He cried in a high-pitched, panicked voice. Dar watched as things went in slow motion, the barrel of the uzi rising as the gunman raised his hand. In the next instant, Dar saw flame spew forth from the muzzle of the gun but didn't hear the actual shot. Dull thuds of intense pressure hit him hard. There was no pain, but his left side went numb, heavy, and didn't respond. Shakily, Dar's right hand raised up, sliding across his neck, which was feeling cold and bare. Blood pumped out weakly against his hand, soaking it in an instant. Dar's mind couldn't register what had happened to him as his lifeblood poured out of three gunshot wounds to his body. His knees gave out, letting the numb boy slump to the ground weakly, landing with a sick thump. The last thing Dar remembered was a faint, dull whisper in his ear, which sounded like rocks grinding together...and then darkness.
The Birth of the Angavu
Moderator: Student Council
The Birth of the Angavu
Meishaa elukunya nabo eng'eno.
One head cannot contain all knowledge.
One head cannot contain all knowledge.
Re: The Birth of the Angavu
Darkness.
A deep, impenetrable darkness which enveloped everything that was within its reach, and Dar was in the middle of it. A bizarre weightlessness held him as his body drifted, unable to see, hear, or feel. With what mental faculties he still had at his disposal, Dar tried to wonder where he was and how long he had been here. It seemed to take way too long to get the answer from himself that he was seeking and when it did come, it appeared so fast that he couldn't make heads or tails of it. Time and rationality had no meaning here.
For what seemed an eternity, Darweshi drifted down a senseless and weightless black void until in one flash of light, Darweshi awoke.
Sweat covered the boy's brow as he sat upright, his hands shaking and pushing into hard sun-baked dirt to keep himself upright. Unable to focus on his surroundings, Darweshi took some time to calm himself and get his breathing under control, closing his eyes to help focus. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in the furthest possible place from the slums of Philly. Long golden grass stretched on for miles, rising up like wheat fields and brushing against an almost painted orange/purple sky. The sun hung on the horizon, unmoving and casting long shadows about the savanna he was in. He couldn't put his finger on it, but this place, it was no place in America...this was Africa. The boy stood shakily, his legs betraying him and causing him to stumble more than once. Tall golden grass stretched out for miles in any direction like a fiery sea, broken only by an enormous tree off to Dar's left. From this far away, Dar could tell that the tree was huge...easily upwards of seventy feet tall, branched and knotted so awkwardly that it hardly seemed natural. Dar was only even more impressed as he got closer to the massive plant, its trunk wide enough to force him to take two full minutes to just walk around it. There were no leaves on the tree, only gnarled branches that swayed softly in a phantom breeze.
"Where the hell am I?" Darweshi asked the tree, looking about the savanna again. No one responded. Groaning, the boy sank to the ground, his back resting against the great tree trunk and closed his eyes. What the hell had happened? The last thing Dar remembered was that he was in Philly with his friends...and then...and then there was the robbery...
Dar's stomach fell out and his hands instantly jumped to his left side. He felt a thick, wet fluid coat his hand. It was his blood. Dar jumped into the air and stared wide-eyed down at his body, which was still bleeding heavily, but wasn't staining the grass or the clothes he wore. If anything, it looked more as if blood was being washed over him, but springing up from tiny wells in his skin.
"Oh God no...Oh nononono...I can't die..."
"And you will not die Angavu." A deep voice called from his side. It sounded like a man's basso but with the added feeling of a landslide. Dar's frightened eyes whipped around to the source of the voice and saw one of the strangest things ever. A man stood in front of him, having walked around the side of the tree, or maybe emerged from it, Dar had no idea. The man was dressed in fierce animal furs that seemed more a second skin rather than a layer of clothing. Two male lion heads adorned his shoulders, mouths open in an eternal roar and manes fusing into his side like body hair. A cape of lion fur draped off of his back, falling down to the grass and shifting in the wind that Darweshi could not feel. He wore a loincloth made from lion skin as well, draping down almost to his knees, accentuating the powerful runner's muscle that rippled under the man's skin. The skin was even darker than Darweshi's and shone against the setting sun, especially off of the bald head, but not nearly as much as his spear and shield. In his right hand, a long spear that was about two heads taller than he, shaped out of dark brown wood and topped with a sharp ivory point that seemed to positively shine a white light. The shield looked to be a gigantic turtle shell that was covered with rhino skin, also emitting a white light. "You will not die here Angavu, not in the realm of your ancestors. Not before the great Tree of Life."
"The hell are you?! The hell am I?! What the f&*@ is going on!?" Darweshi yelled, pushing himself against the tree as best he could to get some distance between him and the freakish looking man, who, upon closer inspection, towered almost a full two feet taller than Darweshi.
The man walked forward calmly, picking up his spear and with blinding speed, thrust the butt end of the weapon to Darweshi's forehead. Suddenly, all of the fear seemed to drain away and replaced with a cool, rational, and steady will. "Calm yourself Angavu. We cannot have you in the throes of insanity now. While you will not die here, your life is still in peril." Feeling somehow bolstered by the strange gesture, Darweshi stopped trying to run and stood, facing the man before him but still shaking.
"Who...who are you?"
"I am a servant of the great Creator Spirit Ngai. I am the guardian spirit of your ancestors. I am known by many names; the Spearbringer. The Lionheart. The Great Hunter. I am the Spirit of Courage. I am Hodari the Brave."
A deep, impenetrable darkness which enveloped everything that was within its reach, and Dar was in the middle of it. A bizarre weightlessness held him as his body drifted, unable to see, hear, or feel. With what mental faculties he still had at his disposal, Dar tried to wonder where he was and how long he had been here. It seemed to take way too long to get the answer from himself that he was seeking and when it did come, it appeared so fast that he couldn't make heads or tails of it. Time and rationality had no meaning here.
For what seemed an eternity, Darweshi drifted down a senseless and weightless black void until in one flash of light, Darweshi awoke.
Sweat covered the boy's brow as he sat upright, his hands shaking and pushing into hard sun-baked dirt to keep himself upright. Unable to focus on his surroundings, Darweshi took some time to calm himself and get his breathing under control, closing his eyes to help focus. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in the furthest possible place from the slums of Philly. Long golden grass stretched on for miles, rising up like wheat fields and brushing against an almost painted orange/purple sky. The sun hung on the horizon, unmoving and casting long shadows about the savanna he was in. He couldn't put his finger on it, but this place, it was no place in America...this was Africa. The boy stood shakily, his legs betraying him and causing him to stumble more than once. Tall golden grass stretched out for miles in any direction like a fiery sea, broken only by an enormous tree off to Dar's left. From this far away, Dar could tell that the tree was huge...easily upwards of seventy feet tall, branched and knotted so awkwardly that it hardly seemed natural. Dar was only even more impressed as he got closer to the massive plant, its trunk wide enough to force him to take two full minutes to just walk around it. There were no leaves on the tree, only gnarled branches that swayed softly in a phantom breeze.
"Where the hell am I?" Darweshi asked the tree, looking about the savanna again. No one responded. Groaning, the boy sank to the ground, his back resting against the great tree trunk and closed his eyes. What the hell had happened? The last thing Dar remembered was that he was in Philly with his friends...and then...and then there was the robbery...
Dar's stomach fell out and his hands instantly jumped to his left side. He felt a thick, wet fluid coat his hand. It was his blood. Dar jumped into the air and stared wide-eyed down at his body, which was still bleeding heavily, but wasn't staining the grass or the clothes he wore. If anything, it looked more as if blood was being washed over him, but springing up from tiny wells in his skin.
"Oh God no...Oh nononono...I can't die..."
"And you will not die Angavu." A deep voice called from his side. It sounded like a man's basso but with the added feeling of a landslide. Dar's frightened eyes whipped around to the source of the voice and saw one of the strangest things ever. A man stood in front of him, having walked around the side of the tree, or maybe emerged from it, Dar had no idea. The man was dressed in fierce animal furs that seemed more a second skin rather than a layer of clothing. Two male lion heads adorned his shoulders, mouths open in an eternal roar and manes fusing into his side like body hair. A cape of lion fur draped off of his back, falling down to the grass and shifting in the wind that Darweshi could not feel. He wore a loincloth made from lion skin as well, draping down almost to his knees, accentuating the powerful runner's muscle that rippled under the man's skin. The skin was even darker than Darweshi's and shone against the setting sun, especially off of the bald head, but not nearly as much as his spear and shield. In his right hand, a long spear that was about two heads taller than he, shaped out of dark brown wood and topped with a sharp ivory point that seemed to positively shine a white light. The shield looked to be a gigantic turtle shell that was covered with rhino skin, also emitting a white light. "You will not die here Angavu, not in the realm of your ancestors. Not before the great Tree of Life."
"The hell are you?! The hell am I?! What the f&*@ is going on!?" Darweshi yelled, pushing himself against the tree as best he could to get some distance between him and the freakish looking man, who, upon closer inspection, towered almost a full two feet taller than Darweshi.
The man walked forward calmly, picking up his spear and with blinding speed, thrust the butt end of the weapon to Darweshi's forehead. Suddenly, all of the fear seemed to drain away and replaced with a cool, rational, and steady will. "Calm yourself Angavu. We cannot have you in the throes of insanity now. While you will not die here, your life is still in peril." Feeling somehow bolstered by the strange gesture, Darweshi stopped trying to run and stood, facing the man before him but still shaking.
"Who...who are you?"
"I am a servant of the great Creator Spirit Ngai. I am the guardian spirit of your ancestors. I am known by many names; the Spearbringer. The Lionheart. The Great Hunter. I am the Spirit of Courage. I am Hodari the Brave."
Meishaa elukunya nabo eng'eno.
One head cannot contain all knowledge.
One head cannot contain all knowledge.
Re: The Birth of the Angavu
"Hodari? The hell? What's going on, and why the hell are you calling me 'Angavu'?" Darweshi asked, his fear and confusion being suppressed only by Hodari's presence. The towering warrior-spirit blinked slowly, turning to face the tree.
"Angavu is your title. It is your new identity. It is you." Hodari responded simply, reaching up and touching one of the long, crooked branches of the Tree. Darweshi scowled, moving up to the spirit and pushing Hodari's shoulder roughly. Hodari barely moved, but it did bring the spirit's attention back to Dar. "Are you quite done?"
Cursing, Dar slammed a fist into the tree. The blood still on Darweshi's body flicked off, sprinkling the tree in a shower of scarlet. "Fuck no! I'm standing here bleeding to death and you're playin' nature lover! If whatever the fuck you are is gonna help me, then fuckin' help me already!"
"You cannot be helped so long as you resist the help being offered Angavu." A voice, sounding like something coming from a bubbling spring with no specific gender connotation, drifted from the top canopy of the tree. From the top branches, an odd creature descended.
It was translucent, except for its skeleton which was mostly serpentine. The clear and fluid skin bubbled and shifted with no clear form, however the most simple description of it was that of a double-headed cobra with hundreds of translucent cillia writhing about its skin. The tendrils stretched and shrank randomly, waving frantically as the creature swam through the very air out of the branches.
"Janja." Hodari said calmly, nodding his head in greeting to the new arrival. "You are late...as are the others." The serpentine spirit gave a low hiss, coiling in on itself as it floated above the both Hodari and Darweshi.
"Ya know what...fuck this shit...I don't give a damn anymore, just let me die. Death has to be better than sitting through this Lord of the Rings bullshit." Dar mused, sitting down with his back to the tree, eyes closed.
"Hodari, have you angered the Angavu already?" Janja's fluid, unisex voice cooed with a hint of amusement. Hodari sighed, looking towards the frustrated Darweshi who was busy trying to wipe away the blood from his body to no avail. "Angavu." Janja said softly, slithering through the air and sliding up next to the young boy. "You are confused, but do not despair. All things shall be made clear presently." Darweshi looked up at the freakish snake spirit and normally would have either fainted, tried to punch it, or something. Yet it was Hodari's unknown manipulation of Dar's mind that allowed him, or maybe even forced him, to accept the odd, supernatural event as if it were normality.
"Let me guess...Ghost of the Present right? Old Man Africa over there is the Past, and the future is gonna be this cybernetic Mr. T with flashlight eyes." Janja did not respond immediately, but gave a whispered hiss which could have meant a lot of different things.
"No Angavu, I am not the Spirit of Time. I am the Webweaver, I am the Trapper, I am the One Who Sees Ahead. I am the Spirit of Trickery. I am Janja the Cunning."
Darweshi only shrugged, looking away from the spirit and off into the strange colored sky. "Of course you are. And I'm Johnny Cochran here to bring reparations to all the good little boys and girls. Look, now either fix me, tell me what the hell is going on, or get the hell out of the way and let me die in peace."
"I must say...I am disappointed in this Angavu." Janja said, more to itself than anyone else as it rose up, back into the sky. A burning voice, rimmed with hatred and fury lit the air, loud and powerful.
"Fah! This Angavu isn't a disappointment, he is an embarrassment! A coward and weakling! We should not bother saving a fool like him."
The comment by the unknown entity sent a flash of anger through the boy, who looked up to yell at the newcomer who seemed to appear out of nowhere. However, once Dar laid eyes upon the creature, all words failed him. Except for two.
"Holy Shit."
"Ghadhabu. Meet the Angavu."
"Angavu is your title. It is your new identity. It is you." Hodari responded simply, reaching up and touching one of the long, crooked branches of the Tree. Darweshi scowled, moving up to the spirit and pushing Hodari's shoulder roughly. Hodari barely moved, but it did bring the spirit's attention back to Dar. "Are you quite done?"
Cursing, Dar slammed a fist into the tree. The blood still on Darweshi's body flicked off, sprinkling the tree in a shower of scarlet. "Fuck no! I'm standing here bleeding to death and you're playin' nature lover! If whatever the fuck you are is gonna help me, then fuckin' help me already!"
"You cannot be helped so long as you resist the help being offered Angavu." A voice, sounding like something coming from a bubbling spring with no specific gender connotation, drifted from the top canopy of the tree. From the top branches, an odd creature descended.
It was translucent, except for its skeleton which was mostly serpentine. The clear and fluid skin bubbled and shifted with no clear form, however the most simple description of it was that of a double-headed cobra with hundreds of translucent cillia writhing about its skin. The tendrils stretched and shrank randomly, waving frantically as the creature swam through the very air out of the branches.
"Janja." Hodari said calmly, nodding his head in greeting to the new arrival. "You are late...as are the others." The serpentine spirit gave a low hiss, coiling in on itself as it floated above the both Hodari and Darweshi.
"Ya know what...fuck this shit...I don't give a damn anymore, just let me die. Death has to be better than sitting through this Lord of the Rings bullshit." Dar mused, sitting down with his back to the tree, eyes closed.
"Hodari, have you angered the Angavu already?" Janja's fluid, unisex voice cooed with a hint of amusement. Hodari sighed, looking towards the frustrated Darweshi who was busy trying to wipe away the blood from his body to no avail. "Angavu." Janja said softly, slithering through the air and sliding up next to the young boy. "You are confused, but do not despair. All things shall be made clear presently." Darweshi looked up at the freakish snake spirit and normally would have either fainted, tried to punch it, or something. Yet it was Hodari's unknown manipulation of Dar's mind that allowed him, or maybe even forced him, to accept the odd, supernatural event as if it were normality.
"Let me guess...Ghost of the Present right? Old Man Africa over there is the Past, and the future is gonna be this cybernetic Mr. T with flashlight eyes." Janja did not respond immediately, but gave a whispered hiss which could have meant a lot of different things.
"No Angavu, I am not the Spirit of Time. I am the Webweaver, I am the Trapper, I am the One Who Sees Ahead. I am the Spirit of Trickery. I am Janja the Cunning."
Darweshi only shrugged, looking away from the spirit and off into the strange colored sky. "Of course you are. And I'm Johnny Cochran here to bring reparations to all the good little boys and girls. Look, now either fix me, tell me what the hell is going on, or get the hell out of the way and let me die in peace."
"I must say...I am disappointed in this Angavu." Janja said, more to itself than anyone else as it rose up, back into the sky. A burning voice, rimmed with hatred and fury lit the air, loud and powerful.
"Fah! This Angavu isn't a disappointment, he is an embarrassment! A coward and weakling! We should not bother saving a fool like him."
The comment by the unknown entity sent a flash of anger through the boy, who looked up to yell at the newcomer who seemed to appear out of nowhere. However, once Dar laid eyes upon the creature, all words failed him. Except for two.
"Holy Shit."
"Ghadhabu. Meet the Angavu."
Meishaa elukunya nabo eng'eno.
One head cannot contain all knowledge.
One head cannot contain all knowledge.
Re: The Birth of the Angavu
The monstrous creature that rose before Darweshi was unlike anything he had ever seen before. For a long few seconds, shock and fear were the only things that registered in his mind as the third spirit clawed its way out of the ground itself. Easily standing two or three feet taller than Hodari, and outweighing the thin Warrior Spirit by a good two tons of solid muscle and chitinous armor, the beast was a walking tank. Its feet were bent backwards like a cat's or a goat's, thick as small trees and ending in powerful three short toed feet. If anything, the term bipedal rhinoceros defined it better than anything else. The chest was massive and wide, defined with corded muscles over its chest, abs, and arms. The hands ended in three wicked claws, scythed in appearance and nearly touching the ground, so long were its arms. The change between shoulders, neck, and head were never clearly established as it had a slightly hunchbacked appearance with its shoulders seemingly fusing into the head. The head itself was very rhinoceros-like with a mouth that had rows upon rows of sharp teeth, much like a shark, and three wicked horns starting from the nose and working back over the bridge between the burning red eyes. Heavy plates of chitinous armor overlaid the rough gray skin of the beast, covering any soft spots it might have had and making the monster look even larger. To top it off, curved spikes, no more than three inches long, penetrated the skin all over its body, adding to the deadly look it had.
"Holy shit...holy shit..." Dar said, backing up against the tree, eyes wide and fear controlling his body despite Hodari's assistance at quelling the emotion.
"Fear....A pitiful choice for the Angavu if the whelp can only wet itself from seeing me." Ghadhabu's incredibly loud and incredibly angry voice rumbled. Janja seemed to laugh, body quivering in the light while it made wheezing sounds. Hodari, on the other hand, stood stoic in the un-felt breeze.
"Now is not the time to be picky on our Angavu, Ghadhabu. We have little time to waste while we wait on Busaru."
Ghadhabu's monstrous body shuddered, muscles rippling under armored plates. "Fine." The beast's upper body swiveled until the head focused on Darweshi, as the head itself could not move from its location on the body. "What makes you think you are suitable for our blessing?"
Darweshi, still backed up against the tree swallowed hard. "I...I just...I don't want to die..." He said shakily, one hand pressed against the still bleeding wound on his neck. The beast huffed in disgust. "Pathetic. Truly pathetic. To think that I, the Ragescreamer, the Firestarter, the One who Rests in Darkness, the Spirit of Anger, Ghadhabu the Wrathful. That I would help a weakling such as you..." The burning gaze of the beast rested on Darweshi's eyes uncomfortably, causing the boy to look away, eyes wide in fear. Hodari, meanwhile was discussing something with Janja, looking up to the skies with a worried look on his face.
"Time is short. If Busaru does not arrive, the Angavu's life is forfeit."
"Holy shit...holy shit..." Dar said, backing up against the tree, eyes wide and fear controlling his body despite Hodari's assistance at quelling the emotion.
"Fear....A pitiful choice for the Angavu if the whelp can only wet itself from seeing me." Ghadhabu's incredibly loud and incredibly angry voice rumbled. Janja seemed to laugh, body quivering in the light while it made wheezing sounds. Hodari, on the other hand, stood stoic in the un-felt breeze.
"Now is not the time to be picky on our Angavu, Ghadhabu. We have little time to waste while we wait on Busaru."
Ghadhabu's monstrous body shuddered, muscles rippling under armored plates. "Fine." The beast's upper body swiveled until the head focused on Darweshi, as the head itself could not move from its location on the body. "What makes you think you are suitable for our blessing?"
Darweshi, still backed up against the tree swallowed hard. "I...I just...I don't want to die..." He said shakily, one hand pressed against the still bleeding wound on his neck. The beast huffed in disgust. "Pathetic. Truly pathetic. To think that I, the Ragescreamer, the Firestarter, the One who Rests in Darkness, the Spirit of Anger, Ghadhabu the Wrathful. That I would help a weakling such as you..." The burning gaze of the beast rested on Darweshi's eyes uncomfortably, causing the boy to look away, eyes wide in fear. Hodari, meanwhile was discussing something with Janja, looking up to the skies with a worried look on his face.
"Time is short. If Busaru does not arrive, the Angavu's life is forfeit."
Last edited by Angavu on Sun Nov 09, 2008 8:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Meishaa elukunya nabo eng'eno.
One head cannot contain all knowledge.
One head cannot contain all knowledge.
Re: The Birth of the Angavu
Surrounded by creatures Darweshi had never seen before, in way over his head in whatever the hell they were talking about, and still bleeding out from his spectral wounds, even the mental bolstering given to him by Hodari began to wear thin. Dar's face became paler and he found it harder and harder to breathe as time went on. Eventually, his legs gave way, too weak to hold him up and the boy slumped to a seat at the base of the Tree of Life, his back resting against it and spectral blood draining down onto the roots of the great tree, soaking into them as fast as water does a fresh sheet of paper towel.
Meanwhile, the Spirit known as Hodari looked upon the boy with a worried expression, fingers adjusting their grip on his spear's shaft and occasionally popping. The two-headed skeletal snake known as Janja writhed about in the air, not seeming to be giving Darweshi that much attention, but instead, keeping its gaze towards the sky, looking for the still absent fourth spirit, Busaru. Ghadhabu, the lumbering warbeast of a creature that probably could take Godzilla in a straight fight and looked just as bad crouched down on his reverse-joint legs, massive forearms resting on the ground in a strange mole-like fashion.
"Fuck it...just fuck it. I don't give a damn anymore, just let me die in peace if I'm gonna die." Darweshi mumbled, mind growing foggy as time went on. This drew a disproving stare from Hodari's cat-slitted eyes.
"Do not give up hope so soon Angavu, there is still life in you."
"Yea? Well don't feel like it..." Dar sighed, feeling his strength ebb from his limbs. "Hell, if dying is going to get me out of here and away from you freaks...then take me already..." The ground rumbled suddenly as Ghadhabu's forearms rose and crashed into the ground violently. The shockwave knocked Dar over on his side with a groan and caused Hodari to jump. Even Janja snaked one of its slippery heads towards the beast.
"Then why are we wasting time with this failure of an Angavu!? If he is so weak, he doesn't even deserve the title of Laiboni! The beast stood, lumbering towards Dar, whose eyes had widened, but he found himself unable to sit up from his position on his side. "If you are going to lie down and die, then not only do you not deserve your heritage, but you dishonor and shame all who came before you! To think that the great Kagunda would be succeeded by him..." Ghadhabu rumbled and slammed his fist down near Dar's head, but the boy was so distant by this point that he didn't even register it.
"He comes!" Janja's watery voice called suddenly, as the Spirit slithered and wiggled its way through the air to a spot to Darweshi's left. Hodari nodded, mouth curling into a grin and moved behind the boy. Ghadhabu growled irritatedly but moved to Dar's right. At first, nothing could be seen, but from the horizon, a light, indistinct shape floated in.
It had the consistency of steam, or some similar smokey vapor that was dense in some areas and sparse in others. However, at best, the smokey Spirit coalesced into a form that appeared to be a large, docile steer with curling horns that looked like they belonged on an elk more than a steer. Other than that, the spirit was fairly indistinct and simple. The gaseous steer slowly walked its way forward in front of Darweshi, lowering its head down so that the glowing silver eyes could peer at the boy. All in all, up close, this final Spirit was probably only four feet to the shoulder, and the horns adding another foot on top of that. Lengthwise, the steer was perhaps seven feet total.
"Art thou aware Angavu?" The Spirit said in a whispy, aged voice. The Spirit's voice shook slightly as if he were an old man who could barely stand, yet the other Spirits seemed to regard him with great respect, reverence, and possibly even fear. Including Ghadhabu. "Dost thee know that thou shalt die?"
Dar's vision began to tunnel, making this Spirit the only thing in his sight. "W...wha..."
"Thou shalt die, yes? Have thine soul naught to say?" Even if Dar had been fully aware of his surroundings, there was doubt that he would've understood the strange Spirit's questions. "Yes, yes...art thou afraid? Art thou afraid of thine Death Angavu? Or mayhap thee fear Life? Thou art conflicted, as all men yes? Perhaps thou art the most challenged of the Angavu no? Indeed, mayhap even the others be not aware of thine destiny yet?" There was a light grunt from Ghadhabu, but none of the other Spirits spoke. The steer's head rose slowly to look at Ghadhabu before returning to Darweshi. "Dost thou wish thine chance Angavu?"
Dar's head rose faintly before falling to the ground, his body rolling on his back and pain lancing through his wounds, the first real sensation he had felt ever since coming here.
"I can see thine heart Angavu, dost thou? Shalt we save this creature?"
Hodari spoke up immediately, staring straight at the fourth Spirit with fire in his eyes; "I, Hodari the Brave, the Spearbringer, the Lionheart, the Great Hunter, the Spirit of Courage, shall consent to saving the Angavu.
"I, Janja the Cunning, the Webweaver, the Trapper, the One Who Sees Ahead, the Spirit of Trickery, consents to saving the life of the Angavu. Janja hissed out after Hodari, keeping one head focused on the fourth Spirit, the other on the form of Darweshi. For a moment, there was silence.
"Dost thou consent Spirit of Anger?" The fourth Spirit asked softly. Ghadhabu said nothing, staring intently at the fourth Spirit before glancing once at Darweshi, then closing his eyes and rocking back into his awkward crouch.
"I consent....I, Ghadhabu the Wrathful, the Ragescreamer, the Firestarter, the One who Rests in Darkness, the Spirit of Anger...I consent to saving the Angavu's life." The fourth Spirit nodded solemnly, focusing back on Darweshi.
"Thus dost I, Busaru the Wise, the Elderwind, the Archive, the Celestial Voice, the Spirit of the Soul consents to saving the Angavu's life. Busaru's snout lightly touched Darweshi's forehead as Hodari's speartip laid upon Dar's heart, one of Janja's writhing tentacles laid upon the nape of his neck, and a curved talon of Ghadhabu's fist laid upon his stomach. Instantly silver light lanced from each point of contact, blinding bright as Dar's body convulsed in silver flame. Dar's world flashed in pain, sound, light, and furious pressure as everything bled away into darkness.
=============================================================================
"Dear God! We got a survivor over here!" A tall, lanky man dressed in an EMS paramedic jumpsuit yelled, kneeling down next to a young boy covered in blood. "Hawkins! Grab the stretcher, now!"
The front of the pawn shop was crowded with police, medical crews, and even a news van, all trying to make out what had happened. The three robbers who had tried to stick up the pawn shop were now in various states of trouble. One was smashed head first through the glass of a large door, his head bleeding severely and body unmoving. Another was charred as if roasted in a fire, laying in a pit of his own charcoaled bones on the floor while the third was simply ripped in half. Even the pawnshop owner hadn't escaped the devastation. His own shotgun had been shoved down his throat, and then both triggers to the gun had been pulled to add to the torso riddled with uzi-bullets. Something had happened here. Something big, something bad. As the stretcher came forward, the paramedics carefully lifted the bloodsoaked boy onto it, tearing off his shirt to look for the wounds. However, the only thing they saw, after clearing off the blood, were three fresh puckered scars where the bullets had struck him.
Meanwhile, the Spirit known as Hodari looked upon the boy with a worried expression, fingers adjusting their grip on his spear's shaft and occasionally popping. The two-headed skeletal snake known as Janja writhed about in the air, not seeming to be giving Darweshi that much attention, but instead, keeping its gaze towards the sky, looking for the still absent fourth spirit, Busaru. Ghadhabu, the lumbering warbeast of a creature that probably could take Godzilla in a straight fight and looked just as bad crouched down on his reverse-joint legs, massive forearms resting on the ground in a strange mole-like fashion.
"Fuck it...just fuck it. I don't give a damn anymore, just let me die in peace if I'm gonna die." Darweshi mumbled, mind growing foggy as time went on. This drew a disproving stare from Hodari's cat-slitted eyes.
"Do not give up hope so soon Angavu, there is still life in you."
"Yea? Well don't feel like it..." Dar sighed, feeling his strength ebb from his limbs. "Hell, if dying is going to get me out of here and away from you freaks...then take me already..." The ground rumbled suddenly as Ghadhabu's forearms rose and crashed into the ground violently. The shockwave knocked Dar over on his side with a groan and caused Hodari to jump. Even Janja snaked one of its slippery heads towards the beast.
"Then why are we wasting time with this failure of an Angavu!? If he is so weak, he doesn't even deserve the title of Laiboni! The beast stood, lumbering towards Dar, whose eyes had widened, but he found himself unable to sit up from his position on his side. "If you are going to lie down and die, then not only do you not deserve your heritage, but you dishonor and shame all who came before you! To think that the great Kagunda would be succeeded by him..." Ghadhabu rumbled and slammed his fist down near Dar's head, but the boy was so distant by this point that he didn't even register it.
"He comes!" Janja's watery voice called suddenly, as the Spirit slithered and wiggled its way through the air to a spot to Darweshi's left. Hodari nodded, mouth curling into a grin and moved behind the boy. Ghadhabu growled irritatedly but moved to Dar's right. At first, nothing could be seen, but from the horizon, a light, indistinct shape floated in.
It had the consistency of steam, or some similar smokey vapor that was dense in some areas and sparse in others. However, at best, the smokey Spirit coalesced into a form that appeared to be a large, docile steer with curling horns that looked like they belonged on an elk more than a steer. Other than that, the spirit was fairly indistinct and simple. The gaseous steer slowly walked its way forward in front of Darweshi, lowering its head down so that the glowing silver eyes could peer at the boy. All in all, up close, this final Spirit was probably only four feet to the shoulder, and the horns adding another foot on top of that. Lengthwise, the steer was perhaps seven feet total.
"Art thou aware Angavu?" The Spirit said in a whispy, aged voice. The Spirit's voice shook slightly as if he were an old man who could barely stand, yet the other Spirits seemed to regard him with great respect, reverence, and possibly even fear. Including Ghadhabu. "Dost thee know that thou shalt die?"
Dar's vision began to tunnel, making this Spirit the only thing in his sight. "W...wha..."
"Thou shalt die, yes? Have thine soul naught to say?" Even if Dar had been fully aware of his surroundings, there was doubt that he would've understood the strange Spirit's questions. "Yes, yes...art thou afraid? Art thou afraid of thine Death Angavu? Or mayhap thee fear Life? Thou art conflicted, as all men yes? Perhaps thou art the most challenged of the Angavu no? Indeed, mayhap even the others be not aware of thine destiny yet?" There was a light grunt from Ghadhabu, but none of the other Spirits spoke. The steer's head rose slowly to look at Ghadhabu before returning to Darweshi. "Dost thou wish thine chance Angavu?"
Dar's head rose faintly before falling to the ground, his body rolling on his back and pain lancing through his wounds, the first real sensation he had felt ever since coming here.
"I can see thine heart Angavu, dost thou? Shalt we save this creature?"
Hodari spoke up immediately, staring straight at the fourth Spirit with fire in his eyes; "I, Hodari the Brave, the Spearbringer, the Lionheart, the Great Hunter, the Spirit of Courage, shall consent to saving the Angavu.
"I, Janja the Cunning, the Webweaver, the Trapper, the One Who Sees Ahead, the Spirit of Trickery, consents to saving the life of the Angavu. Janja hissed out after Hodari, keeping one head focused on the fourth Spirit, the other on the form of Darweshi. For a moment, there was silence.
"Dost thou consent Spirit of Anger?" The fourth Spirit asked softly. Ghadhabu said nothing, staring intently at the fourth Spirit before glancing once at Darweshi, then closing his eyes and rocking back into his awkward crouch.
"I consent....I, Ghadhabu the Wrathful, the Ragescreamer, the Firestarter, the One who Rests in Darkness, the Spirit of Anger...I consent to saving the Angavu's life." The fourth Spirit nodded solemnly, focusing back on Darweshi.
"Thus dost I, Busaru the Wise, the Elderwind, the Archive, the Celestial Voice, the Spirit of the Soul consents to saving the Angavu's life. Busaru's snout lightly touched Darweshi's forehead as Hodari's speartip laid upon Dar's heart, one of Janja's writhing tentacles laid upon the nape of his neck, and a curved talon of Ghadhabu's fist laid upon his stomach. Instantly silver light lanced from each point of contact, blinding bright as Dar's body convulsed in silver flame. Dar's world flashed in pain, sound, light, and furious pressure as everything bled away into darkness.
=============================================================================
"Dear God! We got a survivor over here!" A tall, lanky man dressed in an EMS paramedic jumpsuit yelled, kneeling down next to a young boy covered in blood. "Hawkins! Grab the stretcher, now!"
The front of the pawn shop was crowded with police, medical crews, and even a news van, all trying to make out what had happened. The three robbers who had tried to stick up the pawn shop were now in various states of trouble. One was smashed head first through the glass of a large door, his head bleeding severely and body unmoving. Another was charred as if roasted in a fire, laying in a pit of his own charcoaled bones on the floor while the third was simply ripped in half. Even the pawnshop owner hadn't escaped the devastation. His own shotgun had been shoved down his throat, and then both triggers to the gun had been pulled to add to the torso riddled with uzi-bullets. Something had happened here. Something big, something bad. As the stretcher came forward, the paramedics carefully lifted the bloodsoaked boy onto it, tearing off his shirt to look for the wounds. However, the only thing they saw, after clearing off the blood, were three fresh puckered scars where the bullets had struck him.
Meishaa elukunya nabo eng'eno.
One head cannot contain all knowledge.
One head cannot contain all knowledge.
Re: The Birth of the Angavu
It was unknown what had happened at the pawnshop that night. The youth, Darweshi Brown, confessed to having observed the three assailants rob the pawn shop but had no memory after witnessing one of the gunmen open fire. While the youth reports being hit by the bullets, there were no wounds on his body, yet three puncture scars were found on his body but must have been months old at the time of the incident. Observers who, while did not see the event, witnessed and acclaim to explosions and flashes of silver and purple light at the pawnshop along with a fourth assailant who fled the scene faster than, as reports claim, "humanly possible". The location of this fourth assailant is unknown and details about him/her are likewise, unknown. The death of the pawnshop owner was attributed to the three assailants and the cause of death for the assailants are unknown, but believed to be the work of the fourth assailant. The youth was alleviated of suspicion due to lack of evidence and the unlikelihood of being able to lift a 215 lbs man and throw him through a door as well as incinerating a man and ripping a third in two. The youth seemed to go into post-traumatic stress disorder claiming to hear voices in his head. Psychological examination was recommended and deferred to his parents. Parents and child elected to move to Rhode Island to attend a school for troubled and gifted youth, although the youth seemed to recover well on his own.
A second instance happened two months after the child's departure where a museum was attacked at roughly 2:00 AM in which a single unknown assailant struck a Kenyan History exhibit in which a few artifacts were stolen. Cameras and guards claim witness to violet colored explosions and a large African-American man in his early 30's to be the perpetrator. Whether or not this instance was related to the instance in which Darweshi Brown was involved in is unknown.
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"Dost thou understand? Canst thou comprehend the path which thou tread? Dost thou see thine destiny? Canst thou realize that thou art the Angavu? Dost thou know that thou art the Shining One of the Masai?
A second instance happened two months after the child's departure where a museum was attacked at roughly 2:00 AM in which a single unknown assailant struck a Kenyan History exhibit in which a few artifacts were stolen. Cameras and guards claim witness to violet colored explosions and a large African-American man in his early 30's to be the perpetrator. Whether or not this instance was related to the instance in which Darweshi Brown was involved in is unknown.
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"Dost thou understand? Canst thou comprehend the path which thou tread? Dost thou see thine destiny? Canst thou realize that thou art the Angavu? Dost thou know that thou art the Shining One of the Masai?
Meishaa elukunya nabo eng'eno.
One head cannot contain all knowledge.
One head cannot contain all knowledge.