A BLESSING IN DISGUISE-HUNT AMID DROUGHT

Days turned into weeks, and in three months, a huge drought hit the country.Enkanasa village was no exception.The initially green Grass had turned brown, and the sun was scorching every small twig that held still.Trees had shed their leaves, and the sun would scare to burn the ground below, getting unusually hot, even early in the morning.

Leina and moseka had learnt the tricks over the years to ensure their cows had eaten enough even in such drought,but this one was threatening their wit and shaking their confidence in facing each day.It moved from taking the cows more deeper into the forest,to cutting down shrubs for cows to eat,and they were  almost running out of options.Each day,they would ensure cows drank water twice,to hold their stomachs as grass and shrubs were becoming more and more scarce.The cows started getting thinner  each day,and milking became easier as each cow would only be milked for few drops,to ensure the calves had enough to sustain them as well as the family.Milk being a part of their meal on a daily basis,and options running bleak on each day,The men had to find a solution.

Kalwan,thought for a long time,and felt it was time he took the initiative.He got up one morning,and went into the Lepore homestead.Distress held his emotions like a backbone!He suggested that all the old men should meet that day to agree on where the cows would be taken lest the whole village would be devoid of cows in few days.The men trickled in one by one,and a discussion ensued.It was agreed that there was need to move into a better area,before the cows would begin dying.Lemian who had come to visit his friend Lepore from Morijo,a village far away in the west of Enkanasa, told the old men that there was some rain in the Loita plains,and some in the hills there.This was music to the old men’s ears.

On coming home in the evening,Kalwan found his sons seated round the fire,their faces looked pale and they were hopelessly staring into the flame that threw its tongue above the three stones and back in turns.They all seemed to be questioning their fate for the evening,and the nights had started becoming longer too.Napolos had gone to milk the cows for at least that days meal.Kalwan looked wryly at the boys’ legs,displaying scratches they got from the days herding,and he felt a huge responsibility to restore hope weighing down on him.He took a deep breath in and out successively.He then looked up from staring into the fire.

“My sons,you have been a great pillar in this homestead.You have made all of us proud,and you will grow into real men.That is what warriors do”.He paused and looked at both Leina and Moseka,who were staring agape,none making any movement,they had reduced interruption safe for blinking their eyes. “We must get a place to take these animals before they all die and we become the laughing stock of this village”

“I have been told there’s rain in the plains and down into the surrounding hills.We must move in haste,before all the other men start trickling there.”

Leina took a deep breath,and asked his father, “so are we moving tomorrow?” , his father shook his bald head back and forth in confident affirmation. A radiant smile cut through the boys faces like a blanket of light through  a dark room.Dinner,though in a rather small quantity,was prepared and served,and all went to bed early in readiness for the next day.Kalwan was thinking all night long,feeling that free-floating anxiety.He had his cows well sorted in mind,so that those that had small calves would remain behind,and only the strong ones would be driven to the far plains.Water in the river had gone down,with hope of the river ever flowing becoming scarce.It was turning green due to long use by many flocks of animals,and had worsened by being stagnant.Humans were finding it hard to find drinking water,and the effects of the drought were now evident in the community,as they were affecting both women and children as intensely as they affected cows.

After a long thoughtful night,Kalwan could no longer wait!The day had taken too long to show up,he sat up on his bed,pulled a small cloth used to close the small hole that acts as a window at the front of the bed.He peeped through and saw the sky was clear.That was a sign that morning was not far away.He stepped down,patted Leina on the back,and whispered to him to awake moseka.The two sons followed the man out of the hut,this time moving the skin slowly to avoid waking Napolos and Leyian.The early morning cold cut through their skin like a sword.It bit their small bodies with a piercing feel.Leina and Moseka knew this was a chance to show their brevity and indeed if they were ready to become worriors Their father towered behind them,pointing each cow,and giving orders on where they would go.He mumbled hurriedly,“.A man’s strength is tested by his ability to persevere through pain and hardship”The boys braved the cold,ran in gusto to pull off the shrub-lased gate,and started pushing cows out.Darkness was still in plenty,and cows found this strange.They had never been moved out in darkness before Some were still lying eyes closed, and slowly chewing cud.The boys and their father had to hit them gently so they could stand and start moving towards the exit.Leina and Moseka knew the tricks as well as their father, and in a bit, all cows were on their legs. They quickly separated those with calves and drove them to one corner. The rest were moved out, and they started the long journey across pulung’a all the way to the Loita plains.A cloud of dust emanated from the cows feet,choking the boys into alternating coughs,as their father struggled to keep pace,a few strides behind.Age would not allow him to keep up,but he had an unwavering resolve to encourage the boys,and save the day.

It was no mean feat for the boys who had to brave the morning cold, the scorching sun, and hunger, in a journey that took them from dawn to dusk.Shortly after darkness had creeped in, They arrived at a huge homestead that had not less than nineteen houses, all surrounding a huge cattle shed. The homestead was covered by a deep smell of smoke and cowdung,owing to the recent rains that had turned the air fresh, you could smell a bull from a kilometer away! A sigh of relief would be seen on the two boys’ faces, dangling behind a dry blanket of hunger and tediousness. A wide smile characterized Kalwan’s face, though the long walk and age desperately showed he was struggling to put it on.

The cows were very happy and were jumping from place to place,cutting on the grass.Leina remembered the smell of fresh grass which he had smelt few months before they moved.They both looked at each other,and they both were feeling like a moment in a long time ago had just reincarnated.Kalwan came towards them,and instructed that they should let the cows to graze slowly around the homestead,as he went in to look for Otuma, an age-mate,old time friend and partner in warrior hood!Kalwan sprang towards the gate to the homestead,and cleared his throat as a sign to alert the residents.He then stood besides one of the huts and called out, ‘Inopeny?’ (“Anybody in?’), a sharp voice answered from inside ‘Eew!’ which means “Yes”.

A huff of smoke accompanied the lady from the hut,and she pulled her upper shuka to wipe tears off her eyes.As she looked up,Kalwan was holding his spear like a giant towering over the hut.She extended her hand in greeting which Kalwan responded to by touching the tips of her fingers.It was customary that men don’t fully touch the hands of women in a greeting.After exchanging talks on wellbeing and events in both homesteads since when they were living together in Nairobi before they were pushed off to allow for the construction of a city,Kalwan requested that Nooloiretu who is the eldest of  Otuma’s five wives,alerts the husband that he had visitors.He then moved out of the homestead,and stood at the entrance,looking at the cows graze.Darkness was tripping in slowly,and cows were coming more closer to the homestead.

Otuma who had gone to his eldest son’s hut,was alerted and he quickly walked towards the entrance to the homestead,where he saw Kalwan standing outside,with his spear by his side,and cows grazing in a rather fast way.There was a hint of inexpressible weariness in the stoop of Kalwan’s shoulders.Otuma’s  face shone in excitement,and he started laughing heartily. His pace towards his friend increased considerably, and he could not hold back tears of joy. Kalwan looked at him, shook his balding head, in awe and started walking towards Otuma.Kalwan’s fiercely intelligent eyes seemed to be gazing at something momentuous.They both met at halfway towards each other,shook their hands in an electrifying handshake, tears of joy making rivulets down their cheeks. It was a moment of great happiness, their hearts were overwhelmed with joy, and thousands of pleasant memories wandered in their minds. They both tried to capture over twenty years ago in that moment.

Otuma looked into Kalwan’s eyes,now watery,and well guarded by his bulging cage of the forehead.In his mind,one thing led to another,in quick succession.He remembered when they were warriors almost thirty years back, and they fought in a bid to check who was stronger. He looked at  a mark on his thigh, which Kalwan had instilled using a sword. He strongly hugged Kalwan, and told him ‘’I know you are a warrior!’’.Otuma held Kalwan’s right hand, and led the way towards the homestead, as they tried to catch up in haste. There was a lot of things to talk about and to catch up on, but priority was to ensure both the cows and the boys got into the homestead and settled. A long talk ensued, as they all asked about old time friends, and long time stories. Kalwan informed Otuma of how hard he was working to ensure their legacy as warriors held on,by ensuring he had a big herd of cows, to command respect in the community. Otuma was quick to point out that his cows had deteriorated in last few years,due to drought,but he was working towards growing them as well.

Darkness had started covering the earth like a blanket,and the calves were running up and down in the homestead,after suckling.It was a busy time of the day,as everyone ran to ensure the animals were all sorted into their different resting places.Otuma pointed out that the big bulls were to be separated to avoid fights over the night.The two men drove Otumas bull into a small pen at the far end of the cow shed,and locked it up using twigs,and posts.They then sprung in an almost running pace,and helped Leina and Moseka to drive the cows into the homestead.After they all got in,they put back the shrub used to lock the gate. The boys were shown into Namerae’ who was Kalwans second wife’s house.They were guided by Leipa,Otuma’s fourth son.

Otuma and Kalwan kept on chatting off the evening at Napolos’house,as they patiently waited for dinner.Their conversation was so profound,and momentarily broken by deep hearty laughs.They were both overwhelmed at such an opportunity,after almost three decades.It seemed like forever to both,and nothing would stop their jovial memories.As Napolos made dinner,she would stop at instances and look at the men as they chatted.She could almost touch the hype and the charisma that the men had at each point of their conversation.She shared in the laughter,after each narration,as the men recalled their cunning moments in worriorhood,to when they were young newlyweds.At this time,the boys were busy introducing themselves to the rest of the family,and were very happy that they were making new friends.Unlike Leina,Moseka was always easy to get along,since he was always open minded,and loved people easily.Leina though having a good heart,had a huge wall of ice that he would break after a long while.It would take him a day or two to get close to people,both young and adults.He kept mum most of the evening.

As the night creeped in,children would run from one hut to the other,in excitement of meeting new friends,the urge to introduce them to night hunting pushing Kalwan’s young boys to keep asking Leina and Moseka out into the dark fields.After everyone had taken dinner,the two old men went into a small hut within the cow shed,removed their machetes,and placed their clubs at the side of the bed,before spreading themselves on the small traditional bed.The skin on the bed produced a cracking sound as the huge men kept on chatting deep into the night.The boys were given a fill of milk,along a few bites of “Orketutu”,a mixture of maize flour and water that is cooked until it becomes crumbly.As Leina and Moseka wiped their mouths,a wave of satisfaction lit their faces.The tediousness of the journey slipped off their backs like water off a ducks back.Leipa and Lerionka,who had patiently waited for their new friends to finish eating,were now ready to take them on a hunting adventure.Leipa murmured into Moseka’s ear,and they both moved out of the hut.Leina and Lerionka followed them closely,not exactly knowing where they were going,but Lerionka was guessing it was the usual night adventure of hunting.From a small corner of the hut,the boys sat to strategize.Moseka and Lerionka who were a bit elderly to the others,were to lead the group.Lerionka adviced that all would stay silent,and follow him from behind.He would be followed by Leina,and then the rest.Lerionka had a small torch which he was given by his father,to use to scare away wild animals,from Hyenas that at times roamed around the homestead,to small porcupines that would once in a while stray into the homestead trying to eat chicken.

The moon had started shining,though not as bright as during midnight.The boys would see their shadows closely knit to their feet, and they all walked in careful strides to avoid toppling from the close steps. Shadows of trees and shrubs characterized the fields, and a soft wind swept over the land, making the boys stop at some instances, to listen for sounds of animals,and to confirm any movements around them.He strides hastened with distance, and they moved from yards away from the homestead,to a kilometer away.Lerionka stopped.All the other boys bent over to listen to what he had to say.Their heartbeats could be heard in between pants for breath.’We shall not go very far,lest we find danger”Lerionka uttered,as the boys keenly listened,then shook their heads in affirmation.He asked all of them to squat and be still,as they watch out for any movements around them.They were awaiting small wild rabbits,gazelles,and dikdiks that always come off the bush to feed in the fields.Lerionka squatted besides Leina,and Moseka was patiently squatting besides Leipa.They all held their small clubs,and Lerionka had the torch on standby,and his sword was tightly gripped in the left hand.They could take moments staring deeply into the field,and occasionally they would look at each other.

After about half an hour,Lerionka spotted a huge shadow that moved in small round circles,though very slowly.He opened his eyes wider,and stared more vividly.The shadow looked like a curved mountain from his squatting position.He tapped Moseka on the knee,and pointed towards the shadow using the torch.Moseka went a bit lower to the ground on his stomach,and looked in that direction.He spotted the shadow and stopped moving.He stared glaringly,until he noticed the circular motions,and occasionally he would look at the others who were now staring in his direction too.Lerionka patted Leipa and pointed behind them.Leipa slowly went behind his friends,and gave way for action to begin.Lerionka lit the torch pointing to the shadow’s direction.A quick upward motion was noticed,as all the boys watched agape.Two balls of bright green round eyes met the light,almost reflecting it back.Lerionka started moving slowly while bending and holding the torch straight into the still green eyes.The rest of the boys spread out in a circle around him,ready to attack from different angles.Leina was scared to the knuckles!He had never gone for night hunting,and he was not sure what would happen.He kept panting in between shivers from the cold of the night.Moseka was quickly adapting to the adventure,and was confident he would be a great hunter.As the boys closed in towards the staring green eyes,they noticed that as close as they got,the animal grew bigger and bigger.There was deep silence,safe for the whistling wind that was brushing through shrubs and trees,and a few chirps of birds and bats as they sped above the bare fields.Lerionka came to a halt,and kept the torch strongly held towards the targets eyes.All the other boys stopped too.There was a huge belch,then a big leap towards where Lerionka was pointing the torch.A big gazelle had jumped and turned after noticing the boys movement.’Run guys run!its a gazelle!’Lerionka shouted as he led the boys fast behind the gazelle.They sprinted above shrubs,and circled the gazelle which leaped over tall shrubs like an arrow.

With the torch still held on the target,Lerionka ran as fast as a deer,but he could hardly keep the gazelles pace.All the boys were shouting at the top of their voices to confuse the gazelle.Up from one shrub to the next,and off onto a ditch,up onto another plain,the boys followed the gazelle.Lerionka switched the torch and the sword,and shot up his sword towards the back of the gazelle.The sword whistled through the wind as it turned in successive circles,until it fell on the gazelles right shoulder.The pain cut the gazelles conscience like a shock from an electric fence.It came to a slower springing speed,and started leaping over the field.’I Have hit it!I have hit it!’Lerionka shouted as he signaled the boys to run faster.Moseka took his club,pushed his left leg behind,and raised the club behind,almost below his shoulder.With all his strength,he threw the club towards the gazelle.The club swiftly cut through a shrub,throwing leaves in all directions,and landed on the gazelles horns with a shuttering thud!The gazelle had become weak,and the pain was becoming excess.It had bled from the knives wound,and it slowed down after every leap.Leina and Leipa were still holding on to their clubs,running behind their brothers.Lerionka took Leipas small club,and pulled Leinas sword from his sheath,as they still kept running.Their mouths and throats had become so dry,that their mouths tasted blood from their hearts.

The gazelle was overwhelmed after a few strides,and it fell down on its side,with blood still oozing from its leg and horns.Lerionka ran up to it,held its legs and Moseka arrived on time.They tied the front and back legs before waiting patiently,until it died.They raised it on a tree,and hid the meat up on a branch.The night had passed slowly into midnight.The moon was very bright and they could see their way clearly.Lerionka led as Moseka happily held his hand.Leipa and Leina were chatting in little sharp voices behind.The air was filled with loud barking as they approached the homestead,but as the boys got closer,the dogs wagged their tails in anxiety,and growls of happiness would be heard as the boys entered the homestead.They all went to Napolos’house,jumped onto one bed,and slept.The adventure was a success.A mixed feeling of tediousness and the anxiety carried the boys away into dreamland.They got deep sleep,between dreams that made them laugh,others shouted amidst the snores that rendered the air.