The Hunter's Moon

The air crackled with an unseen energy as Thandi knelt on Signal Hill, performing her morning ritual. The impepho smoke spiraled horizontally, defying logic. Small stones danced at her knees. Her grandmother, Gogo, watched with narrowed eyes.

Suddenly, the world froze. A presence unlike any she'd known appeared - a man whose feet bloomed stars, his form flickering with the essence of an eland. "Thandi Nkosi," he said, his voice echoing in her soul. "I am Kai."

Gogo gasped, dropping into a bow. "The Great Eland."

Kai revealed the veil between worlds was weakening, which was why he had come. He saw Thandi's unique ability to perceive both his forms, a mark of her deep connection to the threshold. Before he could explain more, Uncle Sizwe's horn blasted from the compound below, breaking the spell. Kai transformed into the eland and vanished, his voice echoing in her mind: "Find me where the stars touch earth at moonrise. Come alone. There isn't much time."

Gogo, grave-faced, warned Thandi not to tell her uncle, saying her gift marked her for a greater purpose.