Munyu Misodzi had a fairly pleasant life. In her life, there had been as many good moments as there had been bad moments. The world needed balance and apparently, her life was not the exception. Of course, she knew of other’s lives; some that harbored more unfortunate things than good. More good than bad. Some who would bring upon misfortune to others and some who devote their life to good feelings. She didn’t know many others, only those her dad had known, but even still he educated her on balance, on the cruelties of the world, and on the beauty.

Munyu was called by her dad “miracle”. Munyu didn’t quite feel like a miracle though the petname always soothed her. Her mother had died during childbirth and had only managed to give birth to one live cub. Her. Her father had mourned, of course. He loved his mother and he had loved the prospect of a bundle of tiny cubs. Munyu had claimed that he was left with just her, one time. ”No,” he had replied with a warm smile. ”I was fortunate to have at least you.” Munyu thought he still must be disappointed to only have her for family but he was too kind and gentle to say so.

Munyu’s father had taught her a great many things. How to hunt, how to swim. How to catch fish. How to track. He taught her how to tell time by the sun and the moon and directions by stars. He educated her on certain plants, on certain woods, and all the benefits. He showed her different fruits, some of which were deadly until heated over a fire. There were a great many things he taught her, so that she could be independent, so that she wouldn’t need to rely on anyone. She was free to choose whoever without depending on necessity.

When she was deemed old enough to survive on her own, her father called to her from outside of their den. Happily, she went to answer his summons and was greeted with the sight of fireflies and her father’s soft smile. Beside him, something twinkled on the ground. A necklace, Munyu thought it was. He was giving it to her. From what she told him that night, it had been her mother’s necklace. And it was the only keepsake he had of hers. It was now Munyu’s, for she had become a woman that her mother would have been proud of.

She treasured the necklace, sleeping next to it and admiring it at any passing moment. She wondered how her mother must have looked like, wearing it. Where she must have gotten it. What it meant to her. It lead to other thoughts about her mother and soon, her days were spent in a dreamy daze as she wondered just what kind of lady her mother was. Would she love Munyu? Be proud of her? The idea made her warm inside.

It was a few weeks after receiving the necklace when her father went on a hunting trip and never came back. Munyu had waited for him. She was just an adolescent then and still lived with him. She still relied on him even though she was well informed enough to live on her own. It had been a full day before she finally went to go search for him. He was never gone longer than a day, unless he gave her notice in advance. She searched high and low for him around their hope, inching out further and further from their home by the hour.

She had finally found him on the second day of searching. At the bottom of a cliff. With a cry of anguish, she quickly made her way down to him, trying to be careful on the steep decline. She still ended up with bruises and scrapes. By the time she reached his body, her fur was a mess of twigs and scratches. ”Daddy,” she cried, nudging her nose at him. His body was cold and stiff. He had been dead for at least a day. He had been gone before she even knew he was.

With a sob, she collapsed on the ground next to his body, grief overcoming her and making her unable to stand. She roared to the sky, uncaring of who would hear. IT took quite a while for her to calm down and even then, sniffles and choked sobs came out. But now she was able to observe him. There were… claw marks. She blinked. Had he been pushed? Or was some scavenger trying to consume him? Regardless of which, anger swelled within her. This was her father! How dare they! If he was pushed, the danger could still be present for her as well. But she couldn’t just leave his body here.

Determined behind teary eyes, Munyu sniffled and moved to a small little hill. Finding a good spot, she began to dig into the earth. She needed it to be deep enough, to prevent scavengers from finding his body. Tears mixed on the dirt, making small spots of mud. She couldn’t stop crying. But she needed to, she need to focus on the task at hand. The sun had gone down and the moon had risen by the time she had dug a big enough hole. She went over to her father’s body and slowly began dragging him to the hole. Once he was settled in the whole, in a comfortable position, she began to cover his body with dirt.

Once she was finished, she laid on top of the dirt mound, eyes closed and tears mixing in to the dirt on her face. She was exhausted. Mentally, physically, and emotionally, she was worn out. Curling up, she cried. Tomorrow, she’ll move on. Tomorrow, she’ll begin her life on her own. But just for that night… just for one more night, she wanted to stay with her dear father. Oh gods, how she missed him. A sob escaped her throat as memories of him floated into her mind, mingling with the sight of his stiff body.

[w.c.: 1,020]