Chapter 1
"Erin o o ooo", The Mighty Elephant,
"Igbo lowa oo", Would be Found, In the Forest,
"Tete se Giri", Quickly Get Ready,
"Tete mu Tere", Grab Your Tools Quickly,
The Talking Drums Thundered, Its Ancient Language Known Only to The Members of The “Ayan” Fraternity, A Shadowy organization, whose members were tasked with the protection of certain “Secrets”,
Slowly, Precisely, The Masked Drummer, Sent His Message Into The Cold Night, Echoing The Same Tuned Instruction Over and Over, An Instruction which was Heard by the People it was Meant For And Immediately Complied With,
“Let The Hunt Begin”
Still Damp from the Early Morning’s Dew, Akanji Beamed as He Held his Father’s Satchel and tried to catch up with the Procession in front of Him, A Young Boy of Thirteen Years, Akanji’s Destiny was one that had been Decided for him even before he was Born,
He was the first Sign that the Marriage between Oluode Ibitoye and His Wife of 5 years Aduke wasnt Cursed, And as such was destined to shoulder responsibilities both appropriate for and well beyond his years,
So as Akanji cleaned the Early Morning Mist from his eye, He Tightened his small grip on the satchel filled with Hunting Equipment, and as he watched his father lead the Men towards the Kings Forest, he clenched his small fists and silently prayed,
Desperately hoping that maybe this time, the wounds he would sustain wouldn’t be as Painful.
The Ijebu’s Were a Tribe who embraced a Communal Form of Life, They were known to Have Some Major Traits, Two of which were; A deep want for Self-Reliance, and A fondness For Water-Yam,
And the small Village of Ilese-Ijebu was no different,
Ancient custom in Ilese dictates that Once in Every 2 Months, The Akoto Drum must be Struck, Heralding the Beginning of The Hunt, and the moment after that signal is given, every Man who is a hunter by Profession or By Birth would be led by the Oluode (Master Hunter) into the Kings Forest, in Search of game which would eventually be shared among the people of the town.
And now as last rays of sunset kissed the moss covered ground of the forest, A solitary Rabbit emerged from its Warren and slowly watched as watched the unwelcome procession Come to a sudden halt, and without warning his fellows, immediately bounded away, brown twigs crunching softly beneath its tiny paws, as it sought refuge within the darkness.
“That Does Not go There”
Akanji Thought to Himself, And immediately remembered the last time he had sought to correct his father, He had gotten a sound thrashing as reward for his troubles, and had been told over and over since then that a child’s place was not to meddle in affairs obviously beyond his station.
So he elected to meekly watch his father bellow orders to the hunters, as they began to make their camp under the watchful gaze of the full moon, their strong hands bulging beneath the weight of wood and rope as they began to conjure a small camp from nothing,
However, He Could not help but think that it would have made more sense to make camp in a more secluded area, Avoiding prime food sources like overgrown pastures and places with lots of shrubbery, Like where they were now,
Instead focusing on areas with a higher elevation that would provide them with a vantage point to start from, where they could easily survey the area around them and plan the hunt accordingly,
With those thoughts racing through his mind, Akanji smiled faintly as he felt the warmth of the crackling fire caress his small body, And watched as the stars blinked solemnly in the sky above, their soft glow tinting his round face with a soft blue hue,
And as the voices of the men who were busy drinking and telling stories faded slowly, as he gradually drifted to a place where he could be alone, A place where he could think of issues meant for people like him,
“A place where he was free”……….
Like a raging tempest, The boar galloped through the forest, Its legs diligently arching as they repeating a constant cycle of motion, its brown hooves flashing as it fought through twigs and trees that towered above it, as it darted through outstretched branches that welcomed the spill of blood, trying to outrun the men who were intent on taking its life,
From His Hideout within the trees, Akanji watched as the hunters and their dogs, relentlessly pursued their prey and stifled a cheeky chuckle, deep down he had always felt that the practice of continuously pursuing an animal over long distances, until it became to tired to run or escape was stupid,
There were obviously easier ways to track and kill animals, Firstly Having your entire group chase and expend valuable energy towards the capture of one animal wasnt particularly wise, small groups of Hunters covering different parts of the forest would obviously yield better results,
Secondly it made more sense to scout high density areas where large packs could be found early and have the Hunters set up shop at various points around the Perimeter conserving the element of surprise, instead of oafishly charging in like a bunch of barbarians and losing the kill altogether,
And as he watched his father’s legs pound persistently on the forest floor as he lead the charge, he felt sorry for the hunters who were gradually growing weary as they struggled to keep up with the prey, who running upwards towards the wind would soon gain its salvation.
“Regroup!!!”
His Lungs were engulfed in flame, as Oluode Ibitoye ordered his men to stop the chase and take some time to rest, His heart beating rapidly like it was trying to break out of his chest, Oluode Ibitoye heaved continuously, trying to keep his focus steady as his eyes pierced through the sun-stained forest floor, trying to calculate how far the were from camp and how far their prey might have gotten,
It had been a good chase he though to himself, a couple of chases like this and before the sun set they would return to camp victorious with that blasted creatures carcass, and he slowly sat down, resting his aching back against a tree, he motioned to his men to sit down and take a well-deserved breather, then
He Heard It.
“Hieeeeee!!!!”
His moment of temporary respite was interrupted by a shrill shriek that shock-waved through the air, startling the hunters, and sending the birds that had nestled within the trees into a mad panic,
Instantly, Oluode Ibitoye leapt up and motioned to his men, immediately beginning to journey towards the origin of that infernal sound.
Akanji had wisely chosen his hiding spot not just because it offered an uncontested view of the surroundings, but also because it was a place from where he could plan and co-ordinate his actions properly,
He knew that generally most animals during hot weather or after grueling physical activity usually looked for places where high winds blew from, because high winds were typically known for offering a cold front after hot weather, a cold front being a mass of air cooler than the warmer air generally found at places with lower elevations,
And as He watched the boar having escaped its assassins, trot slowly towards him, He took two deep breaths and slowly released the string he held in his left hand,
“Thunk!!”
It never saw it coming, The arrow hit it squarely between its shoulder-blades, immediately piercing both lungs, as the shaft sent splinters of wood into its vitals, as well as the tissues located within its chest-cavity, rupturing several blood vessels,
And as the boar tried to escape, with the shaft of the arrow sticking out of its body, Akanji watched and Knew that it wont get far, because the vitals of a boar are located squarely between the shoulder blades, and most times shots to that area while they may not instantly kill the animal, they would lead to intense hemorrhaging and eventually certain death.
The Intense Pounding in his chest slowly subsiding, Akanji walked calmly towards the carcass that lay on the floor, As he tried to take in the gravity of his actions, he waited for the rest of the group who were undoubtedly advancing towards his location, mainly due to the chilling shrieks the animal let out while it was in its death throes.
Oluode Ibitoye saw his son standing over the carcass of the Boar and felt a storm of rage rise within his broad chest,
The first kill of the hunt was an honor reserved for the mightiest of men, and now that honor, his honor had been stolen by his own son,
His teeth clenched and his eyes were reduced to searing slits of rage and envy, he watched as his men gathered round Akanji, Applauding both the manner and style of the kill, Obviously they said, “Ako Logidan Bi”
The son of a Tiger Would Eventually be Mightier than the Tiger, so Akanji’s Heroics were no surprise but actions expected of the son of the warrior,
And as he saw Akanji turn towards him, the boy’s face obviously craving and seeking some sort of validation, Oluode Ibitoye smiled wickedly and began to speak,
“Yes, let us see if the boy is ready”
And Oluode Ibitoye immediately pulled out his knife from within the scabbard and threw it towards Akanji, whose face had already twisted into a mask of fear and terror,
“Cut out the Heart”
Oluode Ibitoye said to his son, And as he completed that sentence the hunters exchanged puzzled glances with each other, They knew that it was customary for the person who gained to first kill to cut out the kills heart as a symbol of his victory, because it was within the heart that the essence of being, whether of man or of beast, was contained,
But it was a custom usually asked of Men who had come of age, asking a boy who had not even began to grow hair underneath to perform that rite was unthinkable,
Sadly they could not object to the Orders of their leader, and with unwavering gazes, they watched Akanji walk slowly towards the knife and reach his small hands out to pick it up.
A sickening dry metallic scent filled the air, as Akanji began the gruesome process of retrieving the dead animal’s heart, warm blood squirted from the carcass painting his face red and filling his nose with a vile pungence that suffocated his breath and blurred his vision, as he drove the sharpened tip of the knife into the Boar,
Steadily, He cut his way into the animal, until his darkened fingers could feel the faint heartbeat emanating from within the creature’s chest,
With his eyes closed he pulled hard, strings of blood and flesh clinging to his fingers, as he slowly stood up and began to stagger disjointedly towards his father,
His out-stretched hand already caked with blood, He begin to wince as a storm began to rage within his stomach, a storm which had already began to race towards the tip of his salty tongue,
“Baa Mi Ohu……….”
“Father Here it……….”
Akanji had barely completed the sentence, when several watery chunks of brown and yellow had burst out of his mouth, splashing against the ground, as Akanji retched uncontrollably, filling the air with a foul stench, the other hunters had begun to recoil, disgust filling their faces as they watched Akanji Spew chunks like an erupting volcano,
And as he turned to his father, and saw his father’s smiling face show satisfaction and victory,
Akanji turned away, and whilst holding his stomach, began to walk into the silence.
