BABY WITH THE GOOD BACK

BABY WITH THE GOOD BACK

“Don’t you think we should stop now?” asked Tochi as he watched his father sharpen his arrow in preparation for another episode of hunting. They already have three rabbits, a pheasant and one deer. He knew it was enough to trade on and live off until the next hunting in four days. Besides, it was getting dark.

“This deer has a family that’s nearby. If we search for just a while, we will find one of them,” Avor said to his eldest and only son. The boy did not know the importance of persistence hard work yet. He would eventually learn that it is always nice to have a little extra and be more comfortable. If he is able to secure one more deer, maybe a mature one, he might even afford not to hunt in a fortnight, then no one would notice that his eyesight wasn’t what it used to be. Not to mention that the hunting season would come to an end with the arrival of winter in less than three moons. This was the time to save for the cold days. Avor was a little annoyed his son of 10 and 6 years did not know this.

Tochi mumbled something under his breath and started sharpening his knife. What was the point? He was never going to use it. He already told his father he didn’t want to be a hunter but his father had insisted, saying it was the only noble profession in their village. Tochi didn’t even believe in hunting for survival. He would rather spend the day with his mother and sister, tending to the garden or with the local shaman, mixing herbs and hearing wonderful tales about the hidden worlds around them.

Germa, the old lady knew a lot of tales and she told them with such conviction that Tochi knew she believed them to be true. One of her stories that stock out to him was about eagle people that lived high in the mountain where no human has ever been. She described them as noble descendants of the mighty Griffin. A very long time ago, she told, Griffin, who no one knew where he came from had fallen in love with a human who had taken care of him while he was injured. Even though he was not human, it was said that his love was great that he had used all his magic to visit her in her dream and made love to her. Because his love was true and his desire was so great that he got her with child. For a long time, the descendants of the eagle were feared and respected because the humans thought that Griffin would hunt them down if they should hurt his family but hundreds of years later, it was said that Griffin had angered the gods and was struck down as a result so he wouldn’t be there to protect his family anymore.

This was when the humans started hunting the eagle people for everything about them was magic, especially their eyes. It is said that having their eyes with you protected one from any possible death and many hunters and warriors wanted to have the eagle’s child’s eyes. Tochi always thought theirs was terrible and took solace in the fact that it wasn’t real. He couldn’t imagine living a life where everyone took a dangerous fancy to his eyes, believing it would bring them good luck. Such hideous tales are better left to the fantasy for entertainment and merriment.

“Are you woolgathering again? You must always have your little head in the game, Tochi. A hunter must always be aware of his surroundings and be prepared for anything. He must not be taken by surprise,” Avor told his son as he started to put his belonging together. One more day of hunting and he could finally go back to his beautiful wife. He was used to doing nights of hunting but he was making it three with the hope he would get a better game. He knew his son did not like hunting. Tochi was a gentle soul but like his father, knowing how the world ran, that soul would be the death of him.

“I am paying attention but there is nothing here. Can’t we just go…?” Tochi stopped because his father placed a finger over his lips. It was a sign for him to shut the hell up and he did. His father was a great hunter with even greater hearing and aim. He must have heard something above Tochi’s rambling.

Avor motioned for his son to hide behind the big sycamore tree away from the direction the sound was coming from. Tochi could hear the sound of approaching horses. He wondered why anyone would take their horses through this rough terrine. They usually left their horse with the Ozo who lived close to the hunting ground by the mountain base. It sounded like they have a cart. Tochi and his father hide from view and watched as the travelling party came within their view and what Tochi saw rendered him speechless.

It was the eagle people. To be precise, the eagle people in captive. That was the only way Tochi could describe the three people in the iron-barred cage on top of the cart being pulled by two horses. There was a total of three horses. Two were pulling the car while the other horse was ridden by a man who seemed to be the leader. He had a caged black and white barn owl placed between his tight on top of the house and tied behind the horse was a woman who was tied up and made to keep up pace with the horse or risk being dragged along. She was just as Germa had described. Her face was small and covered with long golden hair that framed her face and he eyes were all white with a golden rim in the middle. Her mouth was shaped like a bow and as red as could be. Her ears, however, were on the top of her head, sticking between the heavy curtains that were her hair. She looked haggard and defeated as she tried to keep up with the horse dragging her.

Avor motioned for him not to move as the group drew closer. The two men walking on foot and the skinnier one controlling the horse were mighty proud of themselves. Tochi and his father could now hear their conversation.

“We got lucky today. I had my doubts about the tip, Gregory but I must say, this is our finest find so far. How much do you reckon we will get for them?” asked the skinny man leading the cart-pulling horses?

“Something hefty I imagine. Ours is a rare find. Eight pairs of eagle eyes alone is enough to make a man comfortable for the rest of his life,” replied one of the two men. He was a tall one with a heavy bag slung over his shoulder. It was either a heavy bag or he was hunched backed. He must be Gregory.

Tochi has gotten over his surprise at finding that the eagle people were real and was now reeling from the fact that these men seemed to be dragging a whole family aware to be slathered and sold for parts. The woman being dragged was clearly the mother as her eyes were glued to the three beings inside the cage. As the party drew closer, Tochi saw that one of them was injured very badly and that the other two could be more than nine years and twelve years respectively. They were cramped into the cage. The twelve years old boy had his hand pressed against the belly of the man who remained unmoving?

“You lot are animals!” screamed the woman in captivity.

“Says the one with ears on top her head and eyes like a bewitched wolf,” returned one of the men. They all laughed like he had something witty but she was right. Tochi wasn’t sure animals would even behave like those men.

He decided to move out from behind the tree and confront the men. He couldn’t allow such cruelty. Before he could make a move, his father stopped him. It was as if he could read his mind. He grabbed his hand and shook his head with his eyes closed emphatically. He pulled him to the other side of the tree so the men would catch a glimpse of them as they continued on their part.

“We have to put her in the cage now. We can’t go dragging her like this. It will be taunting death,” said the leader.

“About time,” replied another one.

“There is no space in the cage for another one,” correctly observed the second man walking.

“I don’t care Jeff. Break her in two if you have to but fit her in there so we can cover the cage,” the leader replied as he stopped and got down from the horse.

“We should go help them,” Tochi whispered to his father. Avor shook his head again.

“You will do no such thing unless you want to make your mother a widow,” replied his father.

“But that would make us cowards,” he said, straining to take a better look at what the men were doing. They were trying to shove the woman into the cart with the rest of her family.

After they moved on were out of sight, Tochi and his father stepped out from behind the tree. Avor could not believe his son wanted to go confront those hardened criminal hunters. He has heard about the eagle people and how they were hunted into extinction but he paid as much attention as he paid to stories about unicorns and flying dragons but there was no denying he had just seen a family of human eagles in captive. He wished there was something he could do but he knew trying anything would be foolhardy as those bands of criminals were known for their ruthlessness and ability to hold a grudge.

“There was nothing we could have done son. We were outnumbered and not strong enough,” he told his son. Tochi should have known that.

“Let’s call it was it was. We were cowards,” he replied, looking away from his father and walking love to go sit on a mossy log.

“You think so? Well, I am glad I am alive to be a coward. You think those men would think twice before killing both of us?”

“They are going to kill that family. We might have been able to help them escape,” he insisted.

“We were outnumbered,” Avor informed him again.

“I want to do it,” Tochi suddenly said, surging to his feet with a stern look of determination.

“Do what?”

“Okanga. I want to do Okanga,” Tochi said.

“Don’t be stupid. No one knows if that actually works. You have been listening too much to Germa. That’s not real,” Avor said, referring to the self-ritual called Okanga.

It was said that a long time ago, men who were not brave enough to go into battle would scar their bodies and pray to their gods to recognize them by that scar in their next life and grant them courage and make them brave so they might fight in wars and serve their nations. It was called Okanga. Using a knife, arrow or whatever the person may wish, they would cut a part of their body, deep enough to leave a deep scar that would appear in their next life. That was what Tochi wanted to do.

“I want to be brave and able to defend myself and those in danger, even if I am out-numbered. I am going to do the Okanga now while my resolve is strong. If you won’t do it, I will do it myself,” Tochi said and drew out his newly sharpened knife from the scabbard.

“you are foolish,” his father, already resigned to the fact that he would have to carve up his son in the hope that if by chance he was reincarnated, he would be brave enough to stand up to evil and injustice and probably get himself killed at a young age. He did not want to do it but he also did not believe in reincarnation. If he didn’t do the cut for Tochi, he might recklessly hurt himself or cut himself too deep to recover.

Avor robbed his head in frustration before pulling out his knife. He knew Tochi, he was as stubborn as they came. He thought about the best place to make the cut. He decided to place it on his back where it wouldn’t mar his handsome face. It was better to cut him where he wouldn’t even be able to see it,

“Take off your shirt and turn your back to me. Your mother is going to kill me for this and it would be your fault,” he told him plainly. When Tochi did as instructed, Avor wiped his blade. This cut would make his heart bleed at the very least.

“Where will you place it? I thought you would go for my arm,” Tochi said.

“I don’t want to put where you will see it. I am just going to make a deep but small curve behind your shoulder. You are doing this for your next life so there is no point looking at it during this lifetime, now is there?”

“I guess not. Ok then.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to wait until we get home?”

“No, dad. I don’t want to lose my liver with time.

“I hear you.”

And so Avor started to make a deep cut on the back of Tochi’s right shoulder. Tochi flinched and balled his fist in pain. His whole body was strung like a strung-out bow.

“Make it quick,” Tochi said and couldn’t help the small jerky move his body made.

“By god, stay still,” Avor swore.

Tochi swore.

It didn’t come out the way Avor had intended because when Tochi moved, his knife had gone up making it look like a checkmark.

Tochi could not see the cut but he was glad he had the courage to go through with it. He almost backed out when his father had pulled his knife out. If the tales about Okanga were true, then in his next, he would not be hiding behind a tree in the presence of evil and wickedness like he had just done minutes ago. He would be as brave as could be and his body would know no fear.

And that is the story of the baby with the good back. Hope you enjoyed it.