Chapter 3

Walking towards my fifth house of the day, I breathe out a sigh of relief.

I'm lucky I didn't encounter any mishaps on the way.

It's not every day a girl like me walks the wood *I do everything possible to avoid judging humans* without encountering any wild hungry animals on the way.

In my case, I don't worry about the animals; am mostly worried about the humans in wolf clothing.

Their deadly words make threading on human paths more dangerous than the woods, which is the abode of all things dangerous.

“Ubochi Oma (good day)Mrs. Onog”, I smile at the hundred moon's cycled female.

She's the oldest of everyone in Mabudazou. She knows how the werewolf wars started.

A war that wipes out most of the towns that made up Mabudazou, a war that ended with them taking their part and us taking ours.

Scoffing, the said woman turns towards the forest, muttering under her breath.

I won't be surprised if she's muttering an Afa *it's like a protective ward against the evil one* One that's against me, based on how she crosses and uncrosses her arms.

“How is your health, Mama?” I've yearned to call someone that name for a long time, and so far, my yearnings haven't been sated.

“God, Ijala cut off that tongue you called me Mama with. A witch that kills her mother while in her stomach isn't worthy of calling anyone Mama,” she spits out on the floor beside her.

All the while she was talking, she didn't turn towards me at least to acknowledge the presence of her healer.

“Despite all you do, you will still be who you are; a curse to your mother. Changing of hair color won't make you less of whom you're” she says, with her back still turned on me.

Touching my now silky black hair; I don't think to reply to her words, it's okay if I don't add more if I tell her the reason I changed the colours.

“How is your health improving?” she's plagued with Mgowaukwu * a sickness for the old* but with my help, she's been battling the said sickness.

“Will you give me the medicine or do you intend on asking unnecessary questions?” she spits out in anger.

This is one of the reasons I hate visiting my patient's houses whenever they're around, it's far easier dropping the medicine on their doorstep.

Dropping the last medicine on my back, I turn towards her, “I will be leaving now; make sure to add a little Ugu to the mix, it will aid in thorough digestion.” I smile, although she can't see it," I wish you long life and good health.” 

She didn't turn until I was far from her house * I'm aware that because I hid to watch·, taking the medicine with tears in her eyes, she walks into her house.

A house I'm afraid to will one day cave in on her.

She's my Ima* a pet name we call our grandmas·, she's my mom's mother; the only relative I have left * at least that's what I know.*

Most of my relatives might be hiding their relationships with me to avoid the persecution of the villagers.

Ima might not acknowledge my presence when around, but I know her at least feels something for me; even if it's a little drop of love.

Fosy Snickers beside me to get my attention,

“oh guy, I never did see you,” which is like a blow to me on how invested I was in thinking about my strange relationship with my Ima.

He snickers again, as if to tell me how he feels about me forgetting all about him.

“Am sorry Fosy I was just lost in Ima land.” I smile at my stupid joke.

Fosy is a hybrid; his Mma was a donkey, while his Mpa is a horse.

I never would have believed it possible if I wasn't there when he was birthed.

The cute little Fozy coming out to the world with strange combinations in his body.

He was like none I've ever seen, or hope to see.

His Mma died while giving birth to him, I guess that makes us two individuals with almost the same sad story.

Fosy is white and black striped; his hooves which are like that of a horse are too red one will mistake it as blood.

The hooves, height, and fastness in running are all he inherited from his Mpa; the others he got from his Mma.

I adopted Fosy on the day he was birthed, since the Mma died while giving birth to him, and the Mpa left after she died.

He must have loved her dearly because moons after, I saw his corpse lying beside my house.

He must have come this far to die beside his son.

Carrying his heavy self, I buried him closer to where I buried his Lover, that way he can be closer to her even in death.

I never made Fosy aware of his father's demise, but I can tell he somehow knew of it.

For twos, Izu Uka wasn't as bright and bubbly as he used to be.

It got me worried then, but eventually, he snapped out of his mourning and resumed his bright bubbly ways.

Foxy stayed with me until he was of age to find his path, leaving me made me sad, but it was a blessing to him.

“Hi Chika”, I smile at his Partner; a fiery red horse, she's a proud one, that Chika.

Flicking her tail, she gave me a friendly snicker.

“I miss you too Chika, I missed you”, I smile as she nuzzles her head with mine.

Foxy found her two Ubochi after he left me, and since then, the two have been inseparable.

Watching the two leaves a pang in my heart, a hole am afraid won't be filled until I die.

Will I be able to find true love as Rosy did? Or will I die in misery from the harsh words of the villagers? How will my life end?

I know the answers to those questions, but I was hoping the answers will somehow change.

Living alone for almost six complete moon cycles without a human company is enough to make any sane person insane, but you all know how insane I am.

Chika nuzzles my hair this time as if to ask why the change of hair color.

“I decided to dye it black; isn't that great?” I twirl around, showing her the wonder of my hair.

She snickers as if she doesn't like the idea of my dark hair either, just like Soso complained earlier.

“I want to blend in, Chika; my white hair made me stand out. I aim to be able to blend in if not completely but partially with the others.”

You can easily find me in a place filled with people with my white hair, but with my hair as black as it is now; I can easily blend in with the multitude *although we don't have that much population·.

She snickers, but otherwise didn't make any move to touch my hair again; I guess she isn't happy with my change of hair.

I walk in comfortable silence with my two friends walking beside me.

Aside from the occasional chuckle now and then, our walk to my house was filled with silence.

My house isn't built like the villager's, you can credit that to my father being the richest of all when he was alive.

The stone building contains five rooms, a Mposi * you know what that is, right? If you've forgotten; it's a place we relieve ourselves from the call of nature* and Ebe Nri *it's like a kitchen, but without the essentials in their*.

My Ebe Nri is filled to the brim with potions, each brewing more than the other.

Leaves and plants I dried are all kept in a place; each with the ones that have the same properties or almost the same properties as it.

One might wonder how I got to know most of these things without being at the learning center, you can say am a girl gifted or cursed by her creator.

I don't know if it's to call my powers a gift or if a curse fits it properly.

It might be regarded as a gift based on how many people I've healed, and how many I've saved from death.

You might also regard it as a curse, based on the ghostly white hair and the shunning of the villagers.

White hair I dyed black to avoid standing out.

It took me more than three complete moon cycles to find an Uhi that makes my hair black.

The ones I applied earlier before I found the Uhi wasn't succeeding in giving me the exact dark shade of hair I want.

The Uhi makes my hair shine as black as the night; a sharp contrast to the whiteness of the hair.