The Ancient Lands: Warrior Quest, Search for the Ifa Scepter by Jason McCammon

water.
    “What is it?” she asked.
    Bomani was silent, only pointing into the
water. A herd of hippo-whales sat almost entirely submerged in the
water, only their eyes and their blowholes peeking over the top.
With walrus – like feet, these animals were slow on land, but no
doubt swift and agile in the water. They cautiously glared at the
strange boat that passed by them. The largest one submerged
entirely, its where-abouts only came to be known when it butted its
head against the boat from underneath. The boat shook violently as
Farra and Bomani rocked with it trying to keep their balance.
    The boat settled, and then once again they
were hit! Bomani caught Farra as she nearly fell over the side.
    “This is no good!” Farra shouted. “No good
at all! We have to paddle away from here.”
    “Sshhh,” Bomani said. “I know animals. He’s
just testing us. We don’t want to provoke any more of them. I’ll
paddle, slowly. Just try to keep your balance if we get hit again.
You don’t want to fall in there, with them!”
    Bomani guided the small boat, cautiously and
precisely through the herd; tip-toeing through the lion’s den. It
seemed that just when he had them all counted, another would
emerge, clearing its blowhole with a violent sound, meant to scare.
The eyes of twenty hippo-whales were locked firmly on them, just
waiting for the slightest reason to all attack at once. Farra
looked on cautiously, rubbing Pupa gently behind his ears to keep
him calm.
    After they passed the herd, Farra kept
watch, making sure that none of the hippo-whales were following,
while Bomani stayed at the bow of the boat, looking ahead
attentively for danger. He wanted to be ready for anything that
might come their way.
    “We’ve been on this river almost a whole
day, how much further do you think we have to go?” Farra asked. It
had become his practice during this journey to ignore her.
    “I said, how much further do you think we
should go?” Farra repeated.
    “I don’t know,” Bomani replied. “Hagga
wasn’t too specific.”
    Another ten minutes of silence passed until
Farra spoke again. “So, what does your name mean?”
    “Why?” he replied.
    “I don’t know. I was just making
conversation.”
    “Does it really matter?”
    “No, but if I had to guess, I’d say it
meant, mean little boy .”
    “And if I had to guess, yours means, girl
who talks too much .”
    “Well, if you would speak sometimes, I
wouldn’t have to do all the talking. You just sit there not saying
anything, like I’m not even here. Like you’re alone. Well, you are
not alone, you have company.”
    “I’m paying attention to where we are going.
Keeping an eye out.”
    “Cheerful one.”
    “What?”
    “My name, it means cheerful one.”
    Bomani rolled his eyes and then refocused
ahead. “It figures. Why are you so happy all the time anyway?”
    “It feels better to be cheerful than to be
sad or mad all the time. If I had my pick, I’d rather be
happy.”
    “Humph”
    “I mean what’s the point of being angry and
tough all the time?”
    “Warrior.”
    “Huh?”
    “You asked what my name meant. It means, warrior . My father gave it to me. He too is a great
warrior.”
    “My father gave me this trinket around my
head. But I haven’t…
    The arrow that missed her by inches pierced
into the side of the boat, cutting her sentence short. She fell
back, and screamed. Bomani looked back to see two boats carrying
five ogres in each, aggressively pursuing them. He quickly grabbed
his shield and spear. “Ogres!” he yelled to Farra, “Get down!”
    Bomani blocked arrow after arrow with his
wide shield, as he stepped over Farra and Pupa toward the rear of
the boat.
    “Row the boat. Hurry!” he yelled.
    Farra grabbed the oars and thrust them in
position to cut through the water as fast as she could. The ogres’
boats began to close in on them.
    “Faster!” Bomani yelled. “Paddle
faster!”
    “I’m paddling as hard as I can!”