Gray Fox Encounter and Memory of Foolish Phyton
At Àjùrá valley, Lémpe, and Ìgbín Ríngíndín (a.k.a. Ìgbín) looked at each other and busted into laughter. "Kàá ... kàá .... kàá .... kàá ..." Àrèmọ-Ọ̀fọ́n (a.k.a. Arẹmọ) looked at them askancely and shook his head in displeasure. He said, "Kids, time is wealth, let's not waste it in playing around. We used time to work in our Galaxy." He stood up and adjusted his clothes.
There was no doubt they were frequent co-travellers to this place. "Whom did you called your kids, Arẹmọ? Have you knocked your head on bamboo tree or you've taken too much wine?" Lémpe frowned. "Bastard .... that jabbing was unique, you know. What's the scores now?" Ìgbín interjected. They all busted into laughter again.
"Don't let's wasted any more time, I will meet up with you people at the Blacksmith place, our usual point." Arẹmọ said as he walked away from them. A few yards away, he disappeared into thin air then reappeared later as a big gray Fox, walking majestically into the forest path. "Bastard... he liked posturing too much." The remaining people busted into another round of laughter.
They have not stopped laughing when they heard the sound of gun shot .... "Kooobbaaa ...!!!" followed by shouting, "Ògún yèè...!" Both Lémpe and Ìgbín jumped up from where they sat on the boulders and looked around. They too disappeared immediately as they watched from a safe distance within their invisible states. They could see the votex of big rings of smoke where Arẹmọ was last seen. They were surprised and waited to see what had happened to him.
Before the smoke cleared, there were sounds of hurried footsteps. Jua ... jua ... jua ... as someone ran in their direction.
Soon a hunter appeared from the other side of the forest. "Ògún yèè ...!" The hunter shouted again as he approached the place with a sharp matchet raised up in his hand. By the time he reached the place, the smoke had cleared.
The Fox was looking at him disdainfully. The hunter halted his step with the matchet hand raised, unable to bring it down. He was shaking like someone who had catched severe cold. He was sweating profusely.
The fox continued to look at him without moving from the spot.
The animal shook it's head and galloped away majestically. The hunter could not move , he was just shaking on the same spot. The other people who were watching this dreadful situation released the breath that they did not know they had being holding, in relief.
They were also surprised that Arẹmọ did not caused the hunter for his stupidity. That was Arẹmọ they were talking about. Those who knows him never encountered him; those that encountered him did not know him.
It was for the best of course. It could be troublesome should Arẹmọ flared up in anger. They took the advantage and disappeared from the place. They had being planning to visit some secret places to look for certain missing treasures that was said to be in those places, but now they have to abandon their intentions.
It was over thirty minutes before the hunter came back to his senses. He shuddered in fear. He searched through his hunter's side pad and removed a gourd (Àdó) from it. He poured out small powdered substance onto his left palm to lick. "Ha ....! I thank God for His grace today. That's supposed to be the renowned Gray Fox that the Elders talked about."
"Why can't I be more attentive today? I shouldn't have aim at him at all....!"
"They were not exaggerating at all. The thing is notorious. I must go quickly to see Bàbál'oko." Ògúndépò was talking to himself as he went back to collect his gun.
"Mystery of ....." He was lost in thought. Lifting up his head, he shouted suddenly "Eríwo yàà ...!" and immediately disappeared.
Gija ....!
He reappeared beside the Whip trees (Àtòrì) at his backyard. His gun was slung on the left hand shoulder. Today's encounter in the forest was frightening and needed Elders' attention.
This was the second time he would encountered such magical phenomenal in his life. The first time, it was Bàbál'oko who bailed him out from an angry Phyton he had killed. He nearly lost his soul to the foolish Phyton....!
"I must visit Bàbá without delay." He rushed inside and did not even wait to exchange greetings with those inside. "Abikẹ .... tell Gbàbẹẹ to wait for me when he's back, I'm going to visit Bàbál'oko as a matter of urgency."
"I will ..... Won't you at least eat something before you go? You hadn't eaten anything since morning?"
Abikẹ replied. " Eat something .....? Your husband dare not waste a second... goes beyond eating right now. I will be back soon." He said as he went out.
"Eating something is beyond me right now! I hope I haven't offended the King of the Demons this time." Ogundepo was talking to himself as he rushed off on his way to Bàbál'oko's house really frightened, despite being one of the extraordinary hunters respected even by some elders. He inherited most of the powers.
His last encounter with a foolish Phyton replayed in his mind.
It was a joint hunting expedition, in honour of a member who called for hunting assistance for bush meats, to celebrate his chieftancy ceremony.
Six friendly hunters were at the Igbónlá Forest for the hunting expedition on that fateful day. They were in the forest from morning till afternoon without seeing any animal, bird or rodent.
"This was unusual." Everyone of them agreed on this point. As a result, everyone started to use their known magical means (juju) to open the hunt expedition, even if it is a bird or small animal.
He remembered a particular juju thought him by a stranger during one of his solo hunting expedition. What was his name again? I've tried to remember ever since that day without success. Ha this world is full of mysteries.
He laughed at his stupid behavior on that day. Hahaha.... I thought I had met a transmogrified Spirit until I realized he was a real human.
He looked around and found the plant shown to him by that person. He put some alligator pepper into his mouth, plucked some of the plants and rubbed it on his palm while he recited the incantations. After completing the incantations he sprayed the shewed alligator pepper into it on his palm and robbed his hands together before blowing on it.
Few minutes after, l located a hole and called onto others to hunt what was inside.
"This should be the hole of a big rat (òkété). Let's look around for it's other entrances". Kòró said. "You are right. The thing might escaped from the other entrances." Another hunter answered. They started searching for the other entrances to the hole. In no time they located three other entrances and blocked two of the minor exits with big stones found around. Kòró then started a fire in the third one, living the only major exit.
" 'Depo, you are the one who saw this thing. You should man the major exit and enture we captured it." Kòró told me on that unforgettable day.
"Leave it to me. It can't escape me." I had replied him then, not knowing it will cause me a big problem later. I had checked my cutlass and other hunting gears. I hosted my gun on my back and secured it well. I then removed my traditional cap (gọbi) ready to cover the hole as we sometimes used to do when catching such big rat. We made all the preparations while Kòró was fanning the fire. As smoke gathered inside the hole became more intense, the thing inside started to be uncomfortable and tried to come out through other exits but could not. It could not come out through the fire, therefore it turned to my area. Others warned me of it's attempt and I got ready with the cap placed tightly on the hole.
Gbàbẹẹ, one of the hunters, warned me to be careful in case it's a snake. "Don't worry, even if it's a snake, it can't pass through me. It will be dead for sure."
This was how the trouble started. In no time we sensed that something was actually struggling inside. "It's coming your way 'Dépò. You should be careful." Gbàbẹẹ warned me again.
Gburu ! Gburu .... !!
Suddenly the thing's head knocked at my hands through inside the cap and I tightened my hands on it. In the next moment I felt my whole body tingling in goosebumps and my head swelled up in frightful sensations. It was really a phyton.
I shouted, "it's a phyton ... It's a phyton .....!!! Everyone come over...." I did not release my tight hold on it as I dragged the thing out of the hole. What came out was beyond our imaginations!
The fight then started properly. It was a big fight. In a short while, I could see that the snake was more powerful than me. All the efforts of my mates weren't making any impact on it. They could not use their gun or cutlass as the thing struggled to free itself and twined around me. As big as it was, I was confident it can't squeeze me to death because of certain juju in my body. My hunter's clothes itself was not ordinary.
The phyton was now becoming more dangerous any mistake would spell my doom unless I found a way to kill the thing. I warned everybody to be ready for the worst. I prepared myself, with a renewed fighting spirit and strength, and managed to remove the dagger at my waist and beheaded the snake in one stroke .....!
Gbẹn ... Gbẹn ... Gbẹn ....!!!
The whole forest turned dark with lightening and thunder. The whole place was trembling, and shaking. My survival instinct turned in as everyone turned tails to survive this situation. It's too big ....! How I managed to handle it was beyond my thoughts too!
The hunting session of the day came to an end like that. Everyone ran for their life. We don't even knew how each of us reached our houses on that bloody day.
It was later in the late evening that we assembled at Olúodẹ's house to discuss the incidents.
On the following day, we took the hunting dogs and more hunters to the forest in search of the snake.
What we saw was frightening. Some of the trees had uprooted. The forest floor had been cleared smooth by the snake, in it's last moment of struggle before it's death.
We located it eventually. My cap was drenched in it's blood with the head inside. The head was extraordinary with some strange things on it, resembling a crown adorned with magical items.
What I faced thereafter on the third day nearly took my Soul away. I don't want to remember such indescribable gruesome feeling again in my life!
It was Bàbál'oko who bailed me out, through huge rituals, performed at the innermost hunters shrine, from the clutches of death and restored my Soul from that foolish Phyton!
If there is someone I could turn to, for spiritual guidance, at this moment, It would be him. He was gifted with a wealth of knowledge, wisdom, magical and medicinal abilities. I must see him.
" Ògúndépò ...! You looked frightened. What happened to a great hunter like you to look so."
Bàbál'oko said from his reclining sofa when I entered his compound. "Bàbá, it was the mysterious Fox you told me about ....!"
Gbẹn ẹn ....! Gbẹn ...!
Bàbál'oko stood up abruptly. "What did you do? Hope you didn't kill that bastard?!" It seemed he was very shaken and frightened at the same time.
I recounted what happened in the forest. It was then that he heaved a big sigh of relief. "You this kid, you are really Destined Child in truth, as Ológbojò had said."
"Who is Ológbojò, Bàbá?" I asked in fear. Something that could made this old man behave as such must really be scary.
He looked at me with vacant eyes for a long time before speaking. "Ológbojò .....! He is the real King of all Hunters in this Kingdom and beyond. You are not qualified to hear about him before, that was why you did not know him. we have to go on a long journey together. It seemed the time has come. We must also visit Ancestor Alárúgbóiṣu at Aiyétẹ, this time. Go now and make preparations for the journey. I will be ready by the time you are back ...."