Chapter 12

I heard voices around me as I tried to open my eyes. Everything was a big blur and I felt the earth sway below me. I was lying on a bamboo bed, my head propped against something soft. An elderly lady was tending to me.

Suddenly, the door across the room opened. It revealed a young man carrying some wild animal.

"She's awake", the woman told him.

I tried to focus on the man's face but I couldn't remember who he was.

"Where am I?", I asked. "Who are you?"

The young warrior just stared in my general direction without uttering a word. It was the older lady who answered me.

"I'm Dalisay. This is my son Mabuti. You're in Dakuta land. My son found you unconscious along the river. At first he thought you were dead. But you still had a pulse so he brought you home."

This explained their odd accent and vocabulary. I understood what they said but there was something different with the way they talked. I couldn't pinpoint it at first but that explained it.

"How long have I been here?", I inquired further.

"It must have been a month or so. You've been drifting in and out of consciousness. You had a terrible fever for several days. I thought you wouldn't make it but you survived", she explained.

"What's your name? Where are you from?", Dalisay asked.

I thought hard for a while. Me falling off the waterfall, my dagger on my hand. The warrior bleeding his life out as I sank to the bottom.

"I don't remember", I whispered. "But I had a dagger. Where is it?"

Mabuti left the room. He must have lost interest of my drama. He didn't seem like the frivolous and friendly type.

I cradled my head as I felt a sudden surge of headache. Dalisay assisted me to lay down once again.

I just managed a more comfortable position when Mabuti returned with my dagger in his hand. He turned it over in his palm, trying to decipher the symbols engraved onto its handle. Finally, he gave up and handed it to me.

I reached for the weapon and surveyed the blade. It was chipped along the blade. I probably hit it against a rock when I fell into the river. Overall, it was still functional. Just in need of sharpening.

"Did you find its sheath?", I asked him. It would provide clues as to who I was. Most sheaths were decorated with family emblems. They were passed on from one generation to another as an heirloom.

"No", he said. The first word he said in front of me. Just one word, but it brought along sadness, confusion and a sudden fear of the unknown.

He was looking at his feet, as if ashamed of a huge mistake that he did. Such a huge man, strong enough to single-handedly kill a wild boar. Yet he seemed so small as he hung his head in defeat.

"It's ok", I assured him. "It's not your fault".

I was still examining the dagger when it slipped from my hand and fell on the ground. The house had a dirt floor and it caused the blade to stand when it buried itself in the soil. This simple blunder gave me a vital insight into who I possibly was. Carved on the bottom of the hilt was a small eagle, almost indistinguishable if you didn't know where to look.

I reached for it with my right hand and brought it closer for inspection. True enough, it was an eagle with outstretched wings as if in flight.

"Lawin", I uttered. "I think that's my name.