Harmony of Lady Shadow Moon - DhNAi Divine (books for 8th graders txt) 📗

Track 1: Blood of the Canine

1998:Town of Nkosia (Nuh-co-juh): Demon Lair

The night shivered as he woke, fresh from the daze of the sun. This entity was angry and there was Al on the other end to receive its fury. Alahuti (Al-luh-hue-tee)Azaigh (Uh-zigh) was his name. A friendly, but foolishly brave elderly man, who decided to face him alone. Al stood in the mouth of the frigid and damp cave. A harsh blow of air pushed him deeper inside, forcing Al's body to freeze, because he knew it to be the hand of the entity.

The small natural hollow reeked of death and men's despair. “Come Alahuti Azaigh, come closer,” whispers echoing in the cave. A small blaze of the dimming sunlight entered the cave, revealing only the empty stone wall and the stalactite covered ceiling. A shadow began to form, taking the body shape of a lanky well sculpted man, but the head of a jackal. Al squinted his eyes, searching in the darkness for a physical body to match the shadow, but found none.

“You were brave to respond to my message,” whispers echoing once again throughout the cave, never giving away the position of the entity.

He responds in a huff, “Did I have a choice?”

“No, not at all.”

There was brief silence and a pause in time. Time enough for Al's beady brown eyes to search the cave for anything he could use as a weapon, but all he saw was bones and flesh, freshly killed bodies of distraught men from the big city; Midwave. The putrid smell of weeks old flesh was scattered all around in the cave and none of it skipped Al's notice.

“Don't be foolish Alahuti,” his voice slithered in Al's ear. “You cannot possibly kill me. For I am your superior.”

Al's voice bellowed, throwing caution in the wind, “What you want from me then?!”

The jackal faced entity smiled in the darkness. “I want the child, she's mine.”

Al's eyes glanced from side to side, making it clear he knew exactly what child he was referring to. But Al's question feigned ignorance, “What child?”

“Don't play dumb with me,” he said in a flurry. “You know what child I speak of. Her seventh birthday just passed. She's ready to come back home with me,” the entity spoke his next statement word for word, “and...you...will...bring...her...to me.”

“No,” Al whispered, “I ain't sacrificin' my own. Not even to a god. This ain't her curse and will never be, the cycle ends here. I'm ready to die.” Alahuti stood tall, straightening his back and looked ahead in the darkness of the cave.

After a moment of quiet the entity spoke, “And you will—a slow and tortuous death.” The entity growled low in his throat, Al braced himself for the strike. His growl grew louder, until it eclipsed all sounds in the night. And all had changed.

 

Fourteen Years Later:

She lays on her belly at the bottom of her wide bed, kicking her legs about in the air. Her sun kissed fingers fingered her freshly single twisted, auburn kinky hair, enjoying the feel of the soft texture and long length. She was Aanujah (Aah-new-juh).

“Gurl!” She shouted through her cell phone. “You crazy!” Aanujah laughed out loud at her silly friend, then posed a question, “You on yo way?” Aanujah smacked her lips at her best friend's reply, then told her, “Well, you betta hurrup, 'cause we 'bout to roll out.”

“Aanu,” her mother Alanah called from the bottom of the steps, “come on. Y'all go mess around and miss y'all flight.”

Aanujah finishes up her conversation and hops off her bed, whirling around her clean room. Ever since she was a kid her room always seemed happy—cute as a child—annoying as a teen. Her room was dressed up in the colors of a newborn baby girl. Aanujah's wardrobe choice of the day and the clothes in her closet did not match her happy room. Aanujah swiped her last suitcase from the floor and strolled out the door.

Aanujah, her older brother Aaron, and her best friend S'hkmanyu (Sahk-mahn-yuh) were on their way to the Dirty South. The kids were leaving behind their gentle ghetto known as Nyjer, Nyjerhood, or Aanu's favorite Red Ridah Hood for their summer break. Located in some little old place in the Midwest. A flight waiting with their names on it was taking them away. The two twenty-year-old ladies and twenty-three year old fella was going to see grand-mama.

 

 

“Shoot!” Aniyla (Uh-ny-luh) angrily shouted as she watched her favorite bowl of sugar break on the tile floor. She knelt in her flowery patterned house dress to look closer at the broken glass. None of the glass scattered, the pieces sat oddly in the sugar, that feeling came back. A vibe she'd been feeling since she woke that morning. Filthy bugs of slime felt as though they were climbing on her skin, violating all of her.

Tears streaked down her ebony hued face and fear rose in her chest. He was happy, the wolf. If any mood worried her the most, it was his happiness. Because then he would celebrate, which meant he'd be visiting town soon. A soft sob ran through the old woman as she thought of her dead husband and his demise.

Aniyla departed her roomy kitchen, leaving behind her broken bowl of sugar. She needed space from this madness and the thoughts that surfaced in her head, but was cut short once her doorbell rang. Her aged feet slid across the floor, moving her to the door. Aniyla squinted her round forest green eyes, and caught the sight of four figures on her porch. “Nai-Nai (Nah-Nah)!” Greeted Aniyla as she pulled open her front door.

Her grand-kids Aaron, Aanujah and her best friend S'hkmanyu all in a circle behind Ol' Shaimps.

“Aye Miss Niyla!” He smiled a toothy grin, none of which was lost on the kids. “I saw these wide-eyed puppies wanderin' 'round the town—thought dey was lost. Knew dey belong to ya, 'cause dey almost as cute as my Niyla. Hey!” He burst out excitedly, laughing.

Granny Niyla laughed from her belly, her first true laugh of the whole week. “Thank you Shaimps, I do 'preciate it. Why don't you stop by for dinner tonight? I'll make you a plate.”

“You know I will,” his southern accent ringing through his words, he winked, then left to go on his way.

Aniyla smiled at the youngsters in her presence, relieved to see they made it safely. “My babies!” She spread her arms wide and the three rushed to embrace her. “Get y'all butts in this house and tell Nai-Nai what's the word.”

The kids grinned, grabbed their bags and came inside. “Your mama really ain't comin'?” She looked at Aanujah.

“Naw Nai-Nai. She had to work, but she should make it for my birthday party.”

Aniyla sighed, then shook off the feeling, not wanting it to spread like a virus to her grandchildren. “Y'all go 'head get settled. Dinner won't be ready for another few.” Aniyla left her kids in the hallway, while she scurried over to the kitchen. She wanted to clean her mess before one of the kids see it.

 

 

The doorbell rang out only a half hour later from the kid's arrival, knocking Aniyla from her cooking trance. She hesitated to go to the door, in her mind there wasn't a need to open the door. All who needed to be in her house, was in. One of her babies beat her to the punch. All she heard was, “I'll get it Gran-Nai (Gran-Nuh)!”

Aaron rushed down the hall, zooming pass the kitchen, reaching for the door. “Tim!” He happily barked out. Timothy Barnis, a native of the town and a friend to the kids ever since their first visit.

“When did my main homie get in town? An' why I'm just knowin' about it?”

Aaron smiled, giving dap to Tim. “You ain't too late nigga. We flew in about thirty minutes ago.”

“Boy! Who at my door?”

Aaron shouted back his reply, “Its just Timothy B Nai-Nai!” Timothy warmly greeted Aniyla, and she to he, then the boys went to chill in the living room. Before the boys could get comfortable the ladies came down the staircase. Timothy jumped to his feet as he watched Aanujah saunter down the steps in slow motion. Aaron looked over and waved his hands in front of Tim's face, saying, “He's going, he's going, he's gone.”

“Whatsup Aaron,” Aanu asked, throwing her hands up, “we still rollin' in town or what?”

Aaron could only get a nod in, because Tim took over the conversation. He strolled towards Aanujah, his mellow brown eyes peaking over his glasses. “Mm, sexy, sexy Aanu. How you do what you do! Ooh. How are you my wife to be?”

Aanujah smirked, turning to her best friend who was shaking her head, holding back giggles. “Uh Tim, honey,” Aanu said, leaning her head back on his shoulder, since he decided to get so close.

“Yes, yes wifey,” he murmured in her ear.

“I really like your glasses Timothy.”

He licked his lips and said, “Well thank you baby.”

“But, uh...if your body frame don't find its way up off me you go be pickin' them glasses back up in a hundred pieces. An' wit' yo eyesight its go look like a thousand pieces. Back up off me Tim.” Aanu elbowed him away, Tim went back to Aaron's side.

“It's okay,” Tim said to Aaron who was cracking up at his friend's embarrassment. “Oh, whatsup sock it to me, or sock it to you.” Tim looked to Aanu's friend.

She rolled her onyx eyes. “S'hkmanyu or Saki for short Timothy the corny nerd.”

“Yeah, whatever Saki.” Timothy turned his attention to the two siblings. “Where y'all goin'?”

Saki turned up her nose and answered, “A place that doesn't concern you.”

Timothy put his big hand in Saki's face. “I don't believe I was talkin' to you. Damn A, I see what you mean by annoying.” Saki slapped his hand out her face and instead got in his face with a dare in her gaze.

“Hey, hey,” Aanu said, breaking the near fight apart, “we takin' the bus to the mall Tim. You rollin' wit'?”

“Takin' the bus?” Tim questioned, looking between Aaron and Aanujah.

“You got a better way to get there?”

“As a matter a fact Saki, I do. Maybe it'll shut ya mouth.” He pulled keys from his back pocket, dangling them in his friend's faces. “I got wheels baby! Let's be out.”

“Bet!” Aanu said, giving a pound to Aaron and Saki. “Come on Saki, we'll tell Gran-Nai we leavin'.”

 

 

“What was that about?” Saki asked as she opened the car door.

“I have no idea Manyu,” Aanu replied, sinking into the backseat.

Both Aaron and Tim turned to the ladies in the backseat. “What granny say? She say no and it took y'all all that time to sneak out.”

“Naw Aaron. She said we can go,” Aanu replied, trying to say as little as possible.

Tim probed, “What took y'all so long then?”

“Uh,” Aanu looked to S'hkmanyu, attempting to make up a lie, “uh I ran upstairs to get my money.”

“Oh.” The boys settled.

The girls only settled into their seats once the car moved. The truth was Aanujah and S'hkmanyu had to deal with Gran-Nai's fussing. Once Aanu announced the kids were driving to the mall it took ten minutes to calm Gran-Nai's hysteria down. Aniyla didn't want the kids out her sight, had hoped they'd stay in or around the town for their visit. But nothing changed, because ever since they were allowed to leave without parental eyes, they were gone.

Aniyla tried to inform the girls about the wolf, but to the girls it was more like babbling about the wolf. Aniyla attempted to explain the feeling of terror that washed over her. Something awful of the grandest magnitude was about to go down and the last thing she wanted was the kids gallivanting around the big city. Aanu stood