Chapter 3: The Hunt

The next morning Anarungu got ready early. He couldn’t sleep, and as the sun rose, he painted his eyes red. In the village, men were gathering to head to the woods. The goal was to bring back 2 carcasses to sustain the village for the next 15 days.

Hunters knew they had to go after the lynx, and not all of them would come back.

He heard his mother’s footsteps.

“I didn’t know you were up,” he said, still gazing out the window.

Anarungu heard her heavy sigh make her bosom shake, slamming against the body. “Anarungu, my dear, think carefully. Are you absolutely sure about this? Have you considered the consequences of winning the Great Hunt? You shouldn’t become my husband; it’s not possible to take your Father’s place in that way. You can’t be your Mama’s husband. I raised you, cared for you, fed you. A nestling cannot mate with a nursing Mother bird. That’s not how nature works! Withdraw, Anarungu! We must avoid this outcome. If you genuinely care for me, you must make the choice to step back from this path.”

She didn’t come any closer this time. She wondered if Anarungu had been sent by the spirits as an answer to her prayers. No, she could not accept such a gift. She could not allow the tribe’s fertility to be restored at such a cost, the cost of their relationship.

He could hear her strained, frightened breathing. “You’ve always been the most beautiful woman in the tribe. I have thought of you ever since I was a boy, and sometimes I imagined myself in my father’s place when you were-.”

Footsteps approached and Anarungu turned around. Gnelsey appeared before him in all her glory. Her black dreadlocks hung femininely over her full, large breasts with bulging nipples. Her thigh-high cape barely concealed the black triangle that matched her hair.

“Don’t say it. I don’t want to hear it. Don’t break my heart even more. Do you really think you can become chief? Even if you can surpass Naragasa and other hunters, do you think you’re ready to meet your Mama’s needs?” She traced her finger on his chest. “Do you believe you have the strength to satisfy me?”

He lifted his hands and suddenly gripped Mama’s breasts, squeezing them with all his might. She squeaked.

“You won’t be ready for my fervor, Mother,” he said.

Gnelsey bit her lip and drew out her ceremonial dagger, bringing the point sharply to the neck of Anarungu, whose hands were still painfully squeezing her soft lush breasts and hard nipples.

“Filthy child. I’m not going to silently let my own son between my legs. You think I’m stupid enough to give myself to you? I’ll kill you if you turn out to be our new chief, but before I do, I’ll cut off your cock. I gave it to you, I’ll take it back!”

He looked quietly into her eyes, sensing the chilly stone blade on his neck. Her hand and lip trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes, shining in the dim morning light. It was tough for her to hear such unsettling words from her own son, and even tougher to threaten to kill him.

“Maybe the lynx will get me first,” he said, holding her hand and gently moving the dagger from his neck. “Let’s talk about it when I come back.” Anarungu took a step back, quickly putting on his bow, arrow-filled belt, and some healing ointment, and grabbing his jagged spear. A small drop of blood from his neck cut landed on his gear, but he ignored it, only wiping the wound.

Gnelsey lowered her head, her breasts bearing the marks of his bold and forceful touch.

“Pray to the spirits for my return, or pray for my demise.” With those words, he walked out, heading towards the gathering.

Scar, adorned in red hunter’s drawings, sarcastically remarked, “Took you long; Mama was holding you up?”

Tat, frustrated, adjusted his head-woven tail, “Enough! Our enemy is in the jungle, not here. We share a common goal.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Tat. There is no common goal; there can only be one Chief. It’s every man for himself, and I would do anything to become the chief.”

“Anything?” asked Peacock fearfully, taking a step back from Scar.

But Scar didn’t answer as the Elder’s shout rang out like thunder over the crowd of men.

“This morning, the future leader of the Blood Bird tribe is among us. But who he is, only the Great Tribal Hunt will decide! May the Spirits help you in your quest and protect your souls. I remind you of the rules. The future chief must bring two carcasses. Whose carcasses are not important, but there must be enough meat for the next 15 days for the whole tribe. You have time until the dawn! Whoever delivers the heaviest carcasses wins. He will be our new Great Ara chief.”

The men listened in silence. In the background, women and elderly observers peeked out from their huts, curious about the impending event.

“Let the Great Tribal Hunt begin!” thundered the Elder.

Anarungu witnessed the giant Naragasa swiftly vanish into the dense vegetation of lianas and bushes in the jungle, being the first to do so. The men and youths scattered in different directions.

“I will be the new chief!” said Scar and headed into the jungle with his huge spear. Peacock cowardly headed after him, nearly dropping his bow and spear.

Anarungu watched Scar and Peacock disappear into the foliage.

“It’s time, An,” Tat said, giving him a clap on the shoulder. “We have a better chance of killing the lynx if we team up.”

“You’re a good friend, Tat, but right now I have to kill Naragasa.”

The village slowly cleared out as all the men ventured into the dense jungle, leaving only Tat and An at the edge. “This fight is mine alone.”

Tat nodded in understanding, saying, “May the Spirits be with you then, friend.” With that, he ventured into the jungle, leaving Anarungu standing alone.

An glanced back at his Mother’s hut, savoring one last look and feeling the hot touch of her breasts on his fingers. He thought he noticed her watching. Does she hate him for his words and actions? It doesn’t matter. She will have to obey if he is to be the new chief.

Anarungu gripped his spear tighter and headed into the jungle.

“Hunting humans is different from hunting beasts,” he climbed through a liana up a tree, clearly hearing his father’s voice as if he were speaking the words right above his ear. “Beasts smell with their nose, they listen with their ears, and prepare to be attacked always. Humans, like you and me, have an important weakness—we think we own the jungle. We are not as fearful of attack as beasts; we watch with our eyes and rarely listen. And even more rarely do we look up.”

He walked on, listening to the hooting of the forest and noticing human footprints below. Three or four men had passed by, but there wasn’t a single footprint of Naragasa. His large foot is immediately recognizable. The broken branches here are due to the inexperience of hunters, not their size.

He walked on, and after a while, he detected the distinct odor of blood. There, by the tree, lay one of the hunters—a tall and sizable man, slightly smaller than Naragasa. This man was part of the group that had set fire to the chief’s body during the funeral. His name was Atolis Crimson Eye, and he had a chest wound—he had been stabbed with a spear and left to die. “Naragasa did it. Only he would have had the strength for that,” he concluded. He was heading in the right direction.

He nearly fell a couple of times, stepping on stray branches or slipping. Faltering, he listened to the forest, trying to determine if he had been spotted.

“Did you hear it?” he recognized Peacock’s voice. “It was a lynx, I’m sure.”

“Then keep an eye out, Lazy Peacock. I don’t want the lynx sneaking up from behind,” Scar said.

“Whatever you say. I’d rather have stayed in the village.”

“And be known as a coward? Don’t talk. Let’s go.”

Anarungu climbed up and quietly moved towards the voices, holding his bow. Peacock and Scar were sitting directly below him, examining the ground.

“The lynx is nearby,” whispered Scar. “Here’s the trail.”

Peacock tightened his grip on his spear, took out some berries, and ate them, trying to suppress his growing fear. On the other side, the bushes rustled, and Peacock and Scar stood up, aiming their spears.