Chapter 6.18 Conversations

A jolt spiraled through Kalani when she sees her Shaman, Mist Mountain, walking into the living room. “Dearest Creator Kalani, it is with great honor I’ve arrived home. Finally.”

Without another word, Kalani embraces Mist, squeezing her, thanking the Maker for her return. Without the woman’s sage advice, Kalani has felt lost having to make decisions without the experience only a shaman can give. “You have been sorely missed, my tribal sister. Please, tell me how things are. How are Dilabi and her Tribe Cisneris. Is her mate, Mattias, well?” Kalani last heard he was on the brink of death at the hands of the evil Simon Le Boeff.

Mist stayed on to take care of the ailing slave.

But that was suns ago and since she hadn’t heard back, Kalani thought maybe Mist wanted to join Tribe Cisneris.

“All is very well, my Creator,” Mist answered. “In fact, Dilabi is expecting her second child. I’m very sorry for my delay, but the budding tribe needed me and I felt I couldn’t leave until we found a proper replacement.”

“Of course. My mother told me not to expect you back. So having you here even after all these suns, is a blessing!” Kalani waves toward the bar. “Come. Let us chat for a bit before you settle into your room. We’ve changed things around here since you were last home.”

Mist laughs. “I can very well see that this tribe has the full blessing of the Maker. I will be lost. The grounds are vast indeed.”

“We are doing well, but we’ve had a few bumps. Still, that treacherous Simon Le Boeff, has not been captured and there is talk of war. But all in all, we’re managing. With only three slaves to clean and take care of our extensive grounds, we’re in desperate need of more. But I’m too busy to go to the slave hold to buy a new one.”

At this, Ina sits down after she gives Mist a warm welcome hug. “My dearest Creator, we don’t need more slaves. We need more babies. If we fetch another slave, he must be a breeding slave. He will do his duty, then we must cast him out. We cannot have undue meddling with our tribal daughters here. Our Tribe Wahine compound is too big.”

“Very well,” Kalani agrees. “Mist, why don’t you fetch the new slave for us. He will be your mate as you haven’t produced an offspring. As Ina says, our tribe needs new members. I’d love for little Hoku to have another playmate in addition to baby Britta.”

Mist’s stomach clenches at the thought of having a child at her late middle age. She always thought the duty of child bearing would be left for the other younger women of the tribe. But with so few sisters left in the group, she knows she cannot refuse.

She swallows and says, “Yes, of course. I’ll…leave straight away and bring back a mate.”

*****

“Does that feel good, my queen?” Jozka’s cool fingers soothingly dig into Leia’s tense shoulders, sending ripples of relaxation throughout her body.

“Mmm…yes, dear Jozka. I’ve never had such a nice massage. Tonai’s hands are always too rough.”

“That’s because he’s a man. Men have no place doing things of this nature.” She suddenly slows the pressure. “My queen, may I ask a question?”

Arching an eyebrow, Leia answers, “Of course. You’re always welcome to speak freely with me, Jozka.”

“Why do you have a slave as a mate who stays with you? Is that not against our ways? I believe your mother has cursed your tribe in giving slaves too many rights. In the end, if you’re not careful, his influence will rule over you. That is against everything we’re about to fight for.”

Leia has never thought about this. Her tribal sisters have always loved their slaves, always been attached to them. It’s the way she’s known. But history dictates that it wasn’t always this way. In fact, in the histories of Tribe Wahine, Abra Wahine, the first creator, left the tribe to stay with her love, Kai Pakala, a woman. And any bond between a slave and an amazon was strictly forbidden. Jozka speaks truth. Has she been living wrongly this whole time? But…Leia loves Tonai. How could she give him up? “I…um…know no other way, Jozka. An amazon rules, yes, but…men are a part of our tribe just like family.”

Leia thinks about how her own son, Kanui, would have been sacrificed with the old laws. Is it not good that this law has been abolished? Plus, in her mother’s rule, any partner, no matter the gender, was not forbidden. Leia is conflicted. How far would she go, embracing the ancient ways?

Moving toward Leia, Jozka says in a sultry voice, “You must follow the true Amazon ways now, Leia. Without men.”

Leia’s heart flutters as she gazes into Jozka’s light eyes. Her lashes are so long, and her face so near, she can almost feel them. Her skin prickles at the thought of being with Jozka like this. “What are you suggesting?” Leia whispers.

“Be with me. I will make that slave leave your mind for good.”

*****

Betrayal. Anger. Fury. Heartbreak. Misery. These are just a few of the emotions running through Makana after the unjust treatment of her uncle by her mother. He is her mother’s brother! How could she throw him away like an old toy? He isn’t some slave they bought at the hold who has no manners and only wants to breed–he is blood. Royalty. Grandson of the queen!

Makana is so furious she’d spit venom if she could.

Hearing the dinner bell ring throughout the compound, Makana storms down the steps, each footfall an exclamation point on how she feels.

The one person she desperately doesn’t want to see strides over to her. “Ah, there you are, Makana. Time for supper. Everyone is looking for you.”

Makana glares. “I was already on my way.”

Kalani lurches her head back. “Makana…is something the matter?”

The cauldron that is building inside Makana blows. “OF COURSE something’s the matter. My uncle. My FAVORITE uncle is gone! You tricked me into telling you. You lied! And now I’ll never see him again!”

“Oh, Makana…we really need to talk this out. You cannot bluster about in a fit. Come. Let us chat. Okay?”

Makana doesn’t want to chat. But she follows her mother into the gardens anyway. She’d get into a lot of trouble if she disobeyed. “Yeah,” Makana thinks. “She’d probably cast me out, too, and make Hoku the next Creator.”

“Makana…this anger you’re feeling…it’s not right to hold it in. You don’t understand that sometimes as a Creator, we must make hard decisions. Decisions that go against our own wishes. I didn’t want to cast out Newlin. It grieved me abominably. I want him back with us with all my heart, but…”

“But what?” Makana interrupted. “You are the Creator. You can do what you want. Why did you have to do it, Mother? He did nothing wrong!”

“You’re wrong, Makana, and it’s a prudent thing you learn now. Slaves and amazons are not allowed to have children until the woman comes of age. This is to protect the amazon. It is only a woman’s choice whether or not it’s time for breeding. It is a strict thing. If I allowed Newlin to get away with breaking our laws, then slaves as well as tribal sisters would not abide by my rule. There would be no end to it. Rules are there for protection. You will understand this more as you mature.”

“I don’t understand. It’s a dumb rule. I’ll make it change when I’m Creator.”

Kalani sighs. She feels she has failed as a mother to Makana. Maybe she’s been too lax on rules with her. But how can she train her better? Maybe Mist could help in this.

Eyeing Makana, Kalani says, “When a woman and a slave mate, it is a special time, done in ceremony with the blessing of the Maker. There are rituals we must follow or the tribe will fall under a curse. Do you want our Tribe to suffer?”

Narrowing her eyes, Makana says, “I don’t believe in curses.”

“They’re real, Makana. You better believe it or you’ll anger the Maker.”

Waving her arms, Makana says, “The Maker wouldn’t care if Newlin stayed with us. It would be better! He loves babies. He could help take care of his baby, too. He used to help all the time in watching Hoku and Britta. I think you cursed us by making him leave.”

This conversation is going nowhere. Makana is too young to understand. “I’m done discussing this with you. One day, you will understand the wisdom in my decision. Until then, I’ll hear no more about it or you will be punished. Do you understand, Makana?”

Defeated, Makana simply nods even though in her heart she doesn’t wish to.

“Good.” Her mother stands, brushing out the wrinkles in her dress. “Now it’s time for supper. I’m sure your father is not happy that we are going to be late for the meal he’s worked very hard on for everyone.”

Tears pool in Makana’s eyes for she knows she’ll never see her uncle again and there’s nothing she can do about it.

Hey, Amazons!

I’m having a casting call for new slaves for this story for when Makana takes over. If you want to participate, please read the instructions on the sims forum. If you want to submit but don’t belong to the forum, please join my discord server and you can submit them there.

Click here for submission guidelines: TRIBE WAHINE GEN 6 CASTING CALL

You may follow this story on Discord, Twitter, Tumblr, and Sims Forum.