The setting sun lit the sky over the dry savannah of the Senguni Empire. The cattle and domesticated mhofu – large, muscular antelopes with spiral-shaped horns grazed on the dry grass. An impi of Senguni soldiers patrolled the area and guarded the livestock from the savannah's numerous predators, animal or human. Not that most predators would dare to try to hunt the livestock of the Empire. Most of the animals, predator and prey alike, gave the livestock a wide berth.

“Another boring day over and done with,” said one of the sentries. “Why do I have to be on guard duty.” A tall, slim fellow with a paunch. Reddish-brown skin, small hooded dark brown eyes and 'peppercorn' textured hair were courtesy of the Khoisan blood running through his veins. He'd just reached adulthood.

“Do you ever stop complaining?” asked another sentry, rhetorically. A squat, short-legged Xhosa man in his early thirties. Slightly lighter hued than the previous person, yet had similar hair and facial features. Something about his face looked like he'd experienced terrible events. “All you've done since you arrived is complain about the situation.”

“Come on, Mlungisi. I just want to be where the action is. Out on the frontline. Fighting the Zamutapans.”

Mlungisi and most of the other soldiers roared with laughter. One of the soldiers looked northwest to see a gathering of dark grey clouds in the sunset sky.

“Okay fellows, that's enough laughing at omusha/newcomer, he's still young and naïve,” said Mlungisi.

“That's enough out of all of you,” said a commanding voice. The man attached to the voice wasn't particularly imposing physically yet his demeanour screamed battle-hardened soldier. Multiple battle scars marked the commander's face and one of his arms. He was also dressed slightly differently from the rest of his men. He wore the typical attire of a Senguni soldier – The leather loincloth, a headdress, a small Basotho blanket wrapped around the neck and shoulder like a shawl, with the pattern and colour designating rank and regiment and a regimental cowhide shield. The commander wore a Bornu styled steel cuirass while his men were bare-chested.

Immediately all the soldiers stood to attention. “Yes, Mlawuli/Commander Sibusiso,” the men shouted in unison.

The mlawuli walked along side each soldier, running his eagle brown eyes across each of them. He stopped at the young sentry.

“What's your name, young'un?”

“Thabiso, mlawuli,” the young sentry replied with some bass in his voice.

“How long have you been conscripted?”

“Not long mlawuli, about four small moons.”

Sibusiso gave a small nod. “Only been in his imperial majesty's service for a little while and already looking for death.”

The young soldier resisted retorting. He knew the price of insubordination and it wasn't very pleasant.

Sibusiso's demeanour softened slightly. “Listen to me, youngster. I know that livestock guard duty is boring as hell and you think you want to be where the action is. But trust me, you don't want to be on the frontline. I hope that you never have to fight for your life against a foe that is fighting for his life. My sword and ilkwa have tasted the blood of many Zamutapans. I've raided and set villages ablaze. Sure, it brought honour to me and my family. However, honour doesn't bring back my dead comrades. Honour doesn't get rid of the faces of the men I've killed and still see in my sleep every night. Honour doesn't silence the screams of the death cries.”

The older soldiers nodded their heads in agreement.

“Take it from me, boy. After you've been to the frontline, you'll wish that you could guard the livestock for the rest of your days.”

The Mlawuli looked at the gathering grey clouds getting closer. “Okay men, let's round up the livestock before it gets dark and starts to rain.”

“Yes, Mlawuli,” the soldiers acknowledged in unison.

While the soldiers started to round up the livestock, one of them looked at the oncoming storm clouds on the horizon.

“What's wrong?” Asked one of the guards.

“I don't like the look of those clouds,” he replied without taking his eyes away from the storm clouds. “A storm at this time of year?”

“So? Just help us with the rounding up or we'll all get caught in that storm.”

Yet the soldier couldn't look away. It wasn't just the storm clouds that were getting closer there was also something else moving with the storm. Something headed directly towards the soldiers with blistering speed. The soldier only had a few minutes to warn the rest of his cohorts about that 'something else'.

“What are you doing standing there like some gormless idiot?” Shouted the mlawuli. “Help us out.”

“Mlawuli, there appear to be persons unknown headed towards us with the coming storm clouds.”

The commander gave his subordinate a puzzled look. “Who would be foolish enough to travel within the storm?”

“Maybe bandit raiders, sir? Using the storm in an attempt to cover themselves.”

“How many of them are headin' this way?”

“Three, sir”

“Only three of them?” Sibusiso exclaimed, “By Qamata (Xhosa head deity), they must be crazy.”

“They're also moving very fast.”

The commander began to bark out orders to his men. They ran to their weapons and cowhide shields, grasped them, then stood in formation. Protocol dictated that any living creatures that approached the livestock of the Senguni Empire must be treated as a threat until properly assessed. Man or beast. Child or adult. Friend or foe.

What had finally approached them was something... different.

The Senguni soldier's mouths were agape, a mix of shock, fear and arousal showed across their faces as all they could do was look up at the gigantic feminine forms that approached them.

The three entities stood over three meters tall, with milk chocolate coloured skin and very much humanoid in appearance. The faces of each one could only be described as beautiful feminine men... or handsome masculine women. Large, almond-shaped brown eyes were set under extremely heavy brow ridges and thick, full jet black afro-textured hairstyles. A small mouth with full button lips placed on a heavy robust jaw with a feminine pointy chin. A small dainty nose between small but sharp projecting cheekbones.

Their bodies also reflected both masculine and mostly feminine. Broad shoulders, long muscular arms and ripped abs were softened by their large breasts and buttocks, wide hips, narrow waist, long legs and wearing very little clothing that barely covered the nether regions.

Sibusiso walked a couple of steps towards them with his sword and shield ready. “Who are you? State your business.”

No answer came from their mouths, one of the giantesses looked at the soldiers like excrement while the other two looked around, surveying their surroundings.

“Didn't you hear what I asked? I said who are you and state yo-”

“Silence, bug,” commanded one giantess who wore her hair in a large fluffy afro and wielded a spear slightly longer than her height.

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One of the soldiers jumped from the intensity of the giantess' voice.

“Sister,” said the second giantess who wore her hair in cornrows and carried a large sword. “I can sense we're getting closer.”

“How far are we?” asked the third giantess who wore her hair in long flowing dreadlocks and carried a large heavy axe.

“Not too far.”

“Good. Then we should get going.”

The soldiers looked puzzled at the giantesses.

“You aren't going anywhere,” said the commander. “I will ask one more time. Who are you and state your business?”

The spear-wielding giantess made a sound of a mix of derisive snort and laughter.

“Look at that, sisters. This walking sperm sack demands to know about us and our intentions. Demands of us queens?”

The other giantess snickered a little while the spear wielder bent down and leaned into the face of Sibusiso, seductively. She continued.

“Fine, 'seed squirters', I'll tell you about us and our intentions. We are the true rulers of this land and as for our intentions... Let's just say that most of you men are no longer needed.”

“And you think we'll let you go any further?” Said the mlawuli.

One of the giantesses rolled their eyes, while another tittered with a surprisingly cute giggle.

“Silly little man,” replied the lead giantess. The storm clouds gathered above everybody's heads. Bursts of thunder rumbled over their heads, through the soldiers' bodies and throughout the grassland. “You think you can slay the coming storms?”

If their size wasn't a clear indicator that these women weren't human then their eyes flashing with tendrils of lightning in unison would certainly settle it. A menacing grin sprung upon their faces, revealing large, jagged teeth as the lead giantess pointed at one of the soldiers with one hand on her hips. Lightning shot forth from the cloudy heavens and pierced one of the soldiers through the throat. The poor soldier didn't even make a death cry as the lightning burned and tore through his voice box. The rest of the soldiers could only look on in dread as their cohort lay dead, the smell of burning flesh rushing up their nostrils.

“Monsters,” shouted the commander, rage contorted on his face. “Attack.”

“For the emperor,” the soldiers shouted in unison.

Sibusiso's sword met the lead giantess' spear with a wood-chopping thud. The other three soldiers were left with the sword and axe wielding giantesses.

Sibusiso blocked the oncoming spear thrust with his shield. The giantess' blows rang through the length of his shield arm. In all his years of fighting numerous battles, Sibusiso had never felt an attack as powerful as that.

The sword-wielding giantess seemed to toy with her soldier opponent, effortlessly evading his ilkwa thrusts.

“Come on little man,” she teased. “Is that all you and your little weapon can do?”

The time had come to end this charade. With one mighty swing of her powerful sword, she cut through not only the soldier's shield but also cut his thigh, straight through to the bone. The soldier gave a short sharp scream as he fell to his knees. Blood trickled from his ghastly wound. The giantess followed with a front kick to the soldier's face which knocked him onto his back. The soldier struggled as he was pinned to the ground with the giantess' foot on his face.

“This is where vermin like you belong. Under a queen's heel,” said the cornrowed giantess. Her eyes flashed with lightning once again then with one swift stomp, the soldier's head was nothing more than a bloody, pulpy goo. Chunks of what was a human head splattered over the dry grass. The giantess' face contorted into disgust as she wiped the remains from her foot on the grass.

The axe-wielding giantess faced off with the remaining two soldiers, Thabiso and Mlungisi. If the omusha/newcomer wanted a taste of battle, then it certainly came to him.

The sound of the soldiers' spears and swords clashing with the giantess' large axe echoed throughout the plains. The giantess moved with a certain grace, agility and flexibility that didn't match her large yet feminine frame as she weaved, flipped and spun as a form of attack and defence. Mlungisi's and the giantess' weapons clashed and caught in a bind (a prolonged weapon clash).

“You're very strong... for a bug,” teased the warrior 'queen'.

The soldier felt like he was pushing against a bull elephant. It took all of his strength just to make sure he wasn't overwhelmed by that mean-looking axe.

Thabiso was fired up from seeing his cohort struggling and ran to their aid. Rather than his spear tasting giantess blood, Thabiso's head met with her foot, as she whipped out a back kick so fast that the young soldier had no time to react. Thabiso hit the ground, hard. Sprawled out and out of the battle.

“Wait your turn, filth,” shouted the giantess. “Now, where was I?”

Slowly, the giantess overwhelmed Mlungisi's valiant display of strength. A blank expression stayed on her face as her axe carved into her opponent's body from collar bone to belly, going through the rib cage as easy as a tailor threading cloth.

Blood poured like a waterfall onto the dried grass. Mlungisi fell to his knees, clutching his hideous wound. His body burned with pain, his mind barely remaining conscious. The warrior that had spent most of his adult life battling against the Zamutapans for the Emperor and country, now awaited death and to be with his ancestors.

“Vermin. At least you die by a queen's hand.”

The giantess delivered the finishing blow. A swift upward kick under the chin... that sent the soldier's head flying into the air then landing several meters away from his body.

Sibusiso fought hard against the lead giantess, his years of fighting experience serving him well. Yet the more he fought, the more the fight was taking its toll on his body. Sweat covered his body, while fatigue and lactic acid coursed through his muscles. The lead giantess, on the other hand, showed no sign of strenuous effort. It was as if this was just a practice match for her. Boredom displayed on her face. Sibusiso knew that the longer the fight went on, the less likely he'd come out of this fight, alive.

The giantess lunged her spear through Sibusiso's shield, glancing and shearing off part of his metal cuirass. That moment was all he needed to counter. He ran her through with his sword, from belly to back. No scream came from the giantess' mouth, only a face painted with shock as she looked down to see her blood escaping from her wound. Finally, she reacted... with laughter.

“Well done, warrior,” she praised. “There does seem to be a few capable men in this land.”

She pulled out the sword and flung it aside. The lightning glint in her eyes crackled. With near blinding speed the giantess wrapped her surprisingly soft hand around the commander's throat then lifted him high off of the ground.

“If you attack a queen, make sure you kill her.”

Her sisters gathered around their leader looking at Sibusiso struggling to get free. Thabiso slowly regained consciousness, his head felt like a zebra kicked him. He could only watch and listen with blurred vision and distorted hearing of what the giantesses had in store for Sibusiso.

“It's so cute when then they struggle and squirm,” giggled the spear wielder.

“Can we keep him? After all, he does have some potential,” asked the sword giantess.

“Keep him? No way. He tried to kill a queen and for that, he must pay the price,” said the axe wielder.

“I suppose you're right,” sighed the leader, “besides, the younger one is much cuter.”

The lead queen placed her other hand on Sibusiso's 'bulge', rubbing and feeling it. She clamped on his 'never regions' then with a swift pull, tore his organ from his groin.

His scream echoed throughout the savannah. His screaming stopped abruptly as she shoved his own 'contents' in his mouth and down his throat. He struggled and struggled until he struggled no longer.

“Unkulunkulu,” Thabiso thought while partially praying to the Zulu chief deity, “I'm fucking next. Unkulunkulu, if I survive this, I will never complain about livestock duty.”

“Stay where you are, boy. And don't do anything stupid like attacking us,” ordered one of the giantesses. They walked over to him, with a predator's look in their eyes.

He dare not move as they stood over him like ebony goddess statues.

“You belong to us now, pet,” said the leader in a weirdly seductive tone. “You've seen what we can do. Go tell your false leaders about what happened here. Tell them the time of men is over in this land. Tell them the Modjadjis, the rightful rulers of this land are back to reclaim what's ours. Got it?”

Thabiso flinched as all three giantesses leaned into him...with each one planting a kiss on both his cheeks and lips.

“Now, run along.”

The young soldier didn't need to be told twice as the Modjadjis waved him off.