Salvania, Phinly
04-22-20
The chilling air gradually subsided as the morning sun dried the last flakes of frost in the vast jungle of Salvania. Birds are happily singing, welcoming a new day as nature dances towards a glorious spring, with the sun manifesting a radiant hope. The budding of flowers is so magnificent; clear rivers continued flowing as the forest once again harbored its mystic appearance.
In the southwestern region of this paradise, a tribe exists. As early as it is, smoke is coming from the burning of tree branches set in the ground by the natives, who are savoring the warmth it provides.
Around them are houses made out of stones and grasses. The bases are stones, and the roof and walls were made out of a huge stack of leaves with tree roots that serve as a binder, tying everything together.
However, what stands out the most in that area are the unusual four houses made out of concrete, each of which is about a hundred square meters wide.
In the middle of a jungle with primitive people, how could this be possible?
One of those concrete houses served as a school for the children; the other one served as a community kitchen and dining area. Although most of the time, they prefer cooking and eating outside, especially on certain occasions, however, this kitchen is very convenient in times of winter and rainy seasons. It is also where foods and kitchen utensils are stored and preserved.
The other house is divided into four bedrooms: one for the elderly, one for the children, one for the adults, and the last one for the lactating mothers. The people are very open-minded, and it is their custom to sleep together regardless of gender. There were no beds, but the rooms are very clean, cozy, and filled with soft Calvin Klein cushions.
The last one serves as a hospital; it is where the sick are confined. Where people get treatments and where medicines are stored.
"Sister, sister Zula, look, spring is coming," a child said to a fair and beautiful woman dressed in a thick black coat with a bonnet and a muffler.
Fortunately, the natives' language is English.
"Yes, and it's beautiful." She said it softly, with a smile.
Soon after, 19 more children, who ranged in age from 8 to 15 years old, immediately went to see Zula.
The women of that tribe, on the other hand, are preparing food while the men are digging holes 20 meters away from the house. They were digging as deep as they could.
Later on, the chief went to see Zula. He looks over a hundred years old, clothed in new silk robes and a pair of black leather boots. He is wearing golden earrings, necklaces, and piercings. His hands and ankles are tattooed heavily, and his long hair is tied neatly in a bun. He is also wearing a crown made out of a peacock's feathers, so bright and colorful, adorned with beautiful small gems hanging up to his neck and covering his head. The chief also has a fine wooden cane with him, sculpted and designed with figures similar to his tattoos.
"Zula, dear, we would like to thank you for what you've done. The moment you came, there were no more deaths, unlike before, when almost half of us would easily die during the winter. But now you have given us a comfortable home, clothes, and delicious foods; you have healed the sick, and now you teach the children how to write and read. "There's nothing we can do to pay you back," the chief humbly said.
Zula smiled; her eyes were shining, and her cheeks were glowing as the rays of the sun shone over them.
"Chief, it's an honor to help; besides, I'm not actually the one who gave all of this to you; it's the corporations and charity centers far from here who made all of this possible. Reaching out to you is the least I could do."
"You are beautiful and so down to earth."
"Please accept this pendant as our token of gratitude."
The chief replied as he removed a black yarn around his neck, adorned with beads made out of gems with a magnificent emerald green jewel at the center. The emerald green stone was shaped sharply in a triangular manner, where each side is so sharp that it can be used as a knife. This is believed to be worn by the best hunters of their village, and only those with the greatest physical fitness can wear that pendant without it cutting or hurting their neck.
That day, after breakfast, the tribe held a ritual and buried their loved ones. These are the people who died of old age during that winter.
Winter is the most devastating season for them because that's when many of them are dying. Children and the elderly are more prone to death. However, when Zula arrived, she gave them a home and treated the sick and the wounded. She prevented countless deaths, but of course, she can't do anything to interfere with the immortality of human beings when it comes to natural deaths.
When they were done, Zula bid farewell and went back to her temporary house, which is a kilometer away from the village. The Geographic Institute and Diversity Protection actually contacted Zula about their recent discovery. When they were exploring Salvania, they made roads until they reached a flat terrain with people on it. The natives are somewhat scared at first, but later on, the institution managed to communicate with them. Just after that, they contacted foundations and companies that were willing to help, and that's how those concrete buildings and roads were fixed.
Just a kilometer from the tribe is a wide plateau. It could've been the perfect place to build a fortress for the tribe; however, the natives considered this area to be somewhat cursed.
During the construction of the houses, Zula also requested the workers to build her a small house on the plateau. She chose to stay there in order not to cause the natives any hassle by taking good care of her. They see her as a goddess who has blessed them with many things. If not for her forbidding them, they would be willing to worship her.
Zula's temporary home is an 80-square-meter apartment with a built-in balcony that serves as her bedroom.
Her house has three rooms: the kitchen, the comfort room, and a room for medical purposes. The the rest of the house is used as the living room equipped with wooden tables and chairs. This living room is where she usually does physical examinations for the tribe.
Aside from serving as a home, it also serves as a local clinic for the villagers. When Zula came into their lives, they weren't afraid to visit the plateau anymore. For so long, they considered this place a haven of wrath because it was the coldest during winter and they could hear the howling of the wind, which they considered the voice of the devil.
However, Zula made them realize that the place was actually beautiful and mesmerizing. They went there during the winter, and Zula taught them how to make a snowman. They had fun playing slides and skateboards, an experience that they had for the very first time in their lives.
Now that they've seen it as a haven of wonder, they can't get enough of it, as it serves as a play ground for the children and a natural park for the adults.
Kanxas City…
After Lt. Col. Nara had a strategic meeting with his captains, the day for departure finally arrived.
Lt. Col. Nara has five companies under him, and he decided to join the first company, headed by Captain Shane. He assigned the four remaining companies to position themselves in the north, west, east, and south regions of their target, with each company covering a 5-kilometer radius of lookout.
The first company, on the other hand, will be positioned at the center of the course with a 5-kilometer radius as well, serving as the entire battalion's base camp.
Salvania, Phinly
Today, Zula was expecting a chopper to deliver more supplies for the natives, so she was pretty excited when she heard the hovering of a jet making a landing.
Zula smiled upon her reminiscing about the priceless reactions of the natives when they first saw, touched, and rode a helicopter. However, that smile completely vanished when Zula saw dozens of military trucks and five military helicopters approaching her.
****
Lt. Col. Nara and his men saw a concrete house standing alone on a very wide plateau as they were about to land. Beside that house is a black van and a motorcycle.
Zula was stunned by the sight before her as a man in uniform approached her.
"Ma'am, we would appreciate it if you leave the premises." "This is now a military base." A soldier with an AK-47 said
"With all due respect, sir, I'm afraid this is used as a clinic for the natives of Salvania." Zula said calmly.
"I'm sorry, miss, but we have to relocate you." insisted the man.
"I'd be happy with that, sir, but I've lived here even before winter, and believe me, I couldn't find a better place other than this one." Zula explained.
"Start setting up the fences." "Follow the tactical design." Lt. Col. Nara commanded as soon as he landed.
"Yes, sir," the soldiers followed.
After that, he went towards the civilian, who is currently talking to a soldier. Captain Shane, who always has her eyes on Lt. Col. Nara, followed him when she saw that he was approaching a civilian—a woman civilian.
"What's going on?" Lt. Col. Nara asked the soldier.
"Sir, I'm sorry, but this place is used as a clinic for the natives." I can't just abandon it." Zula explained
"This is now a military base, ma'am, and whether you like it or not, you have to leave." Captain Shane burst from behind, which surprised Zula, Lt. Col. Nara, and the soldier.
"I'm proposing the idea that if possible, we can still use this place for medical purposes, and I can assure you that I won't meddle in any military activity that you do." Zula said as if nothing happened. She just looked at Captain Shane with no interest.
"Did you not hear what I said?" Shane is trembling in anger. She's the type of person who enjoys being recognized and socially complimented by others. So when a complete stranger snobbed her, her pride just couldn't take it.
"Captain Shane, go back to your post," Lt. Col. Nara commanded
"Sir, yes, sir," Shane said and gave Zula a sharp, deadly look before she left.
"Regarding your request, of course you can continue using the area; besides, it seems you've already set up a nice, cozy clinic, and I hope you could also help me and my men with our health." Zula smiled with Lt. Col. Nara's statement
"Glad to be of service, lieutenant colonel," she replied
At that moment, another helicopter landed.
"Oh, please excuse me," Zula said as she went straight towards it.
***
The men in the helicopter immediately took out a diversity of goods, including groceries, bags, and toiletries. They carried it and put it in the black van parked beside Zula's home. When they were finished putting everything in the van, they talked to Zula for a little bit, rode on the chopper, and flew.
This time, Zula went to the soldier who had talked to her earlier and is now taking out a load from a truck.
"Ahm, excuse me?" "Can you please give me a second?"
"Yes, ma'am?" "How can I help you?" he asked
"Well, just for formalities, I'm going to the village; I'll be back before it gets dark." Zula said with a bit of awkwardness, questioning herself as to why she had to report such things.
"Alright ma'am-"
"Call me Zula." Zula introduced
"Ma'am Zula, by the way, I'm Ryan; rest assured, I'll let the lieutenant colonel know." Ryan replied respectfully.
"Thank you, Ryan," Zula finally said and left.
She went to the village to distribute groceries, toiletries, clothes, and utensils. Almost 30 families live in that area. However, due to its geographical location, the village was isolated from the rest of the world. It's in the deepest of mountains, a place with unearthed historical figures and events that are yet to be explored.
Zula, who is currently on vacation, decided to spend her time doing philanthropic activities as usual. Seeing the livelihood of the people and the risk of diseases, she got the urge to help them. Aside from that, she's completely drawn to the beauty and magic of Salvania.
"I hope people won't exploit the natural resources here."Zula hoped.
The villagers lived through farming, fishing, and hunting. Women and children stay at home to do household chores while the men hunt for food.
The arrival of Zula certainly introduced a new world for them. Little by little, they learned about hygiene and cooking recipes, and more than that, Zula coordinated the situation with non-profit organizations that are geared towards helping indigenous people. Donations and funds kept coming in, and through that, they were able to build concrete houses. The organizations are also planning to assign teachers to teach in that region.
***
It was already dusk when Zula went back home. To her surprise, the once quiet and simple place literally turned into a royal military fortress. Wire fences and sacks of stones and soil are stacked all around.
She couldn't help but smile when she saw that her home was protected as well. The entrance was also guarded. Many tents are set up all around. Comfort rooms, kitchens, dining rooms, baths, water sources, everything
"What a wonderful teamwork!" she thought.
"Hi, miss Zula,"
Zula came back to her senses when Ryan called her out of nowhere.
"Ryan, I can't believe what you've done to this place in just a little amount of time; I'm impressed." Zula replied with a smile and kept looking around.
"Thank you; actually, I'm here to invite you to dinner." Ryan said
"Oh, no thanks; thank you, but I have to refuse." Zula humbly said
"I actually had the feeling that you'd say that, so I already brought some food inside." "Enjoy your dinner, ma'am," Ryan said with a smile and immediately left before Zula could say a word.
She was so touched by Ryan's concern that she immediately went inside and saw a plate filled with rice and salted beef.
"It's been a long time since I've tasted military food." She thought and finished everything down to the last grain of rice.
Zula is a 5'5 female with a slender body. Her naturally scarlet hair stands out the most, complementing her fiery beauty. She has the fiercest look in her eyes that gives off a dark aura. Zula can also give people chills down their spines with her gorgeous and badass temperament.