Quest for Vengeance

When the coals burned out and the ashes settled at Katas’s funeral Tagunban found himself alone in the night air per his own free will. The new moon sky was a variable kaleidoscope of purples, blues, whites, and yellows as Tagunban stared up at it in thought. Tagunban’s mind raced with both questions and doubt: how was he going to avenge his father's death? could he even beat that warrior in a battle? what was going to happen to his mother Mayumi? who was going to train him now or give him advice? can he really stop the warchief all by himself? All this and more flooded his mind as he paced and stared up at the sky, the racing of it all keeping him from even attempting sleep. Before long out came Mayumi to check on Tagunban face twisted and contorted by long held grief and worry. “Son you need to come get some sleep, it's been days since I've seen you in the hut last.” worried Mayumi as she went to Tagunban's side. “I'm not tired… I can't sleep in the same building he died in.” responded Tagunban wearily. Mayumi in turn simply hugged Tagunban and began to cry. “Please son, I just want us all to be a family again for another night. I…I can't bear the thought of losing both of you at the same time.” cried Mayumi in sorrow. It would be at that moment that really cemented Mayumi in Tagunban's mind as his mother. While Kagetora's mother, the one he first died trying to help, would always occupy his mind. This was when Tagunban/Kagetora realized that with two lives meant he could have room in his soul’s heart for two mothers. Tagunban then simply wrapped his tiger skin cloak around the two of them and let his mother cry for as long as she wished. “You know, I think you're right mom. I don't think I can avenge Dad's death when I'm lacking sleep.” Tagunban assured her as the pair walked to their hut. When Tagunban sat upon his bed of animal hides and straw he couldn't help but sit there and think of his father, who would normally be sleeping with one of his wives for the night on the other side of a buffalo hide door flap. Then Tagunban began to meditate focusing on his breathing and clearing his mind before visualizing the feeling of his eyelids getting heavy, the weariness in his eyes, and then the slow and unknowing drift into oblivion. For the first time in days Tagunban managed to get some sleep even if he had to force himself to do it. Going to bed late meant he woke up late and when he got out of bed and exited his father's old hut he would be greeted by the hoots and whistles of a small village war party. Two dozen armed men stood outside his hut all holding their axes up in greeting, a massive brute of man whose extensive tattoos barely covered his bulky frame stepped forward. “Katas once saved my life in battle, I'll be damned if I won't help avenge him!” boldly proclaimed the giant man before being interrupted by an elderly warrior missing an eye. “Such slow acting and insidious poisons are unforgivable in a duel, your father's killer must be slain in restitution.” proclaimed the elderly warrior as a veiled and long haired stepped forward in front of him. “Katas was worth more than one dishonorable coward's death. I say we raid them again and kill them all!’ barked the veiled warrior as the small party began to cheer and whip into a frenzy. “No!” Tagunban shouted above the crowd in fury. “I vowed to do it myself and I will not dishonor his spirit by breaking that vow!” Tagunban finished as the crowd for a moment all voiced a cacophony of concerns and disagreements before dying down. Katsu then with Katas’s axe in hand strides forward and places it in Tagunban’s hands. “Well said little brother, but you’ll need a weapon to do that.” approved Katsu as he placed a hand on Tagunban’s shoulder. “Dad’s axe? No… no I haven’t earned this.” Tagunban argued as he attempted to hand the axe back. “Then take it and go earn that worthiness, father would want you to have it anyways. Bongao and I already have our own axes but I have things to tend to as head of the family and Bongao is off courting a woman; that was his vow to our father before he died.” Katsu ordered Tagunban firmly placing the axe in his hands this time. “I… I don’t know what to say.” Katsu in response lightly tapped Tagunban on the forehead with his fist. “Say you’ll do it as boldly as possible like he would. With that jet of flame after your vow at his funeral he clearly loved that.” responded Katsu as Tagunban once again donned the toothy grin he did with vow. Then Tagunban stepped forward, holding his father’s axe in one hand and beating his chest with another roared out to the crowd. “I will not stop until the jungle runs red with blood and everyone howls my name in fear!” The crowd’s passion then exploded again in response to Tagunban’s continued boldness and burning passion. “Now who among you speaks the Jungle Tribe language? I need a translator to properly call that coward out to duel!” Tagunban asked with burning conviction in his voice to the crowd. The crowd in turn murmured and looked to each other in wanton confusion before one name was heard above the others in the muddle of conversion, Banyaga the Merchant. A name Tagunban had heard around the village but never in a positive context, the man was an infamous trickster and swindler in and outside the Axe Clan; only really being kept around because for the clan he mostly does more good than harm. “Where is the little trickster then, if he wont help me I’ll take his head first.” Tagunban barked with conviction, getting a laugh out of many of the warriors. “He went to trade with the Buffalo Tribe, if no one has taken his head first he will be back in a few weeks I heard.” answered the veiled warrior. “Then I train until that day, when he returns I'll make him an offer he can't refuse.” proclaimed Tagunban before the warriors cheered in agreement.

Tagunban would spend the next few weeks fixated upon the training of his left arm, the one that while now long healed was broken by the tiger and stuck in a splint for a couple years; to where the muscles had weakened over time. Stone lifting and holding, one handed push ups, one handed pull ups, stretches, and exercises with the rock weighted stick; by the time Banyaga returned with his water buffalo caravan Tagunban’s arm quickly regained its lost strength and then some. Tagunban did allow the man a day's rest as courtesy before he would walk over to his hut and kick the stick door open. Banyaga jumped in surprise as did the braids in his brown hair. Overall the man was short and skinny sharing the same tan skin as the rest of the tribe but with minuscule tattooing on his body showing a lack of achievement and valor. As he settled his shifty snake-like eyes locked onto Tagunban. “Gahh! Oh wait you're Katas’s youngest son aren't you. I heard about your dad and I don't really care so don't come to me expecting any sort of gifts or favors.” Banyaga stated with a venom in his voice. “I heard you’re a man who loves to gamble, I demand to make a wager.” Tagunban responded boldly, looking down on Banyaga. “What kind of wager? You better not be here to waste my time, cocky brat.” Banyaga asked as he stood up. “Simple I need you to translate for me while I go to the Jungle Tribe and demand a duel from the man who poisoned my father. The man is a veteran warrior that made my father go all out, if I duel him and die you get my share of my father’s water buffalo herd. If I win, you be my translator for free.” Tagunban elaborated. “Deal, but you have to tell your family of our little deal beforehand.” Banyaga agreed. “They already know and you can go ask them and the chieftain for proof.” Tagunban responded as he walked out the door. “By the way we leave tomorrow morning or you’ll only get half my share of buffalo.” Tagunban finished as he left for his hut while Banyaga cursed under his breath. The next morning Tagunban met Banyaga outside his hut where Banyaga waited with two water buffalo packed with supplies. “Alright I’m awake like I said, now tell me where we’re going.” Banyaga yawned to Tagunban hand over mouth. “We’re going to Jungle Tribe village a week’s walk from the Sword Clan village, if he’s not there then we search for a warrior who look likes he’s from the Ancients Tribe but wears Jungle Tribe clothes and tattoos.” answered Tagunban as he took one of the ropes tied to a water buffalo’s nose ring. “Sounds like your man is a Wuakim Clansman. We should start there if he isn't at that village.” Banyaga elaborated as he started walking, giving his buffalo’s rope a quick tug to get the beast moving. “Wuakim? So there’s a whole clan of Ancient Tribesmen in the Jungle Tribe?” asked Tagunban as he did the same. “Clan’s like that are all over even our tribe has some Ancient Tribesmen look alikes, though they are really short around four to five feet tall. The Diwata, they’re only a minor clan but they do still pledge loyalty to our tribe and the warchief; moot and all.” Banyaga explained as they walked out of the village. “Do you know why?” asked Tagunban one part, making conversation the other part genuinely curious. “From what I heard from a shaman was that the Diwata weren’t really respected by the rest of the Ancients Tribe so when our ancestors first invaded the highlands they decided to jump ship and join our tribe. As for the Wuakim, one of their elders I used to trade with said they used to be slaves under some ancient kingdom. They revolted and fled to the jungle where the Jungle Tribe took them in, in exchange for telling them how to fight off the ancient kingdom they fled. Eventually they all coalesced with the remaining Ancient Tribesmen who still lived in the jungle and became the Wuakim.” answered Banyaga, willing to entertain Tagunban out of boredom. “Wait, so they used to live in the jungle too?” asked Tagunban again. “From what they say they were the first people to live on this island, and I personally don't doubt that; it really makes their name make sense knowing that.” answered Banyaga as they walked. “You really seem to know a lot, unless you’re just lying.” Tagunban stated. “Use your head, kid. How would I benefit from lying about that kind of stuff? I don’t lie and trick people just to be a jerk. You get to know this stuff when you travel as much as I have; I’ve been all over this island a couple times over.” Banyaga responded in annoyance. “So why do you trick people then? Tagunban asked in return. “Why do you raid, go to war, hunt heads? To get ahead in life that’s why, and that's why I lie and trick people. Because I’m no good in a fight, I can't see as well as everyone else can, everything is all blurry when it gets too far away; and that makes me lousy for skirmishing.” answered Banyaga as they walked. “I guess that kinda makes sense.” Tagunban responded as they kept walking, in his mind he thought once again of what the warchief said. How someone like Banyaga on Earth could be helped with glasses and wouldn't have to trick people for a living. Until his mind turned to his late father’s wisdom, about how things weren't worth giving up your humanity for.