A Secret of the Lebombo

The story opens in a sun‑blazed valley where the red river carves a dark line through golden grass, and the air hums with the calls of birds and the distant crowing of roosters. Wyvern, a solitary shepherd, watches from a perch as two Kafirs butcher a sheep from his own flock, their laughter ringing against the rustling reeds. The scene erupts into a tense showdown as the thieves notice him, forcing Wyvern to decide between flight and a desperate fight.

Unarmed and outnumbered, Wyvern weighs the cost of a reckless charge against the slow grind of a trap he could set later. In a flash of instinct he grabs two heavy stones, hurling one at the nearer attacker and watching blood and thorns splatter across the bank. The clash leaves both men wounded and the valley’s peace shattered, hinting at a longer struggle for survival and justice.