It's now getting to dusk, Atsu lights a torch as he makes his way towards a thick palm grove. The trees are so pressed together such that, their branches were all locked in thick embraces. Making the grove a region of pure undiluted blackness. Err... light passes through them somewhat so maybe not that dark.
The student Boko has refused to talk after the initial introduction and dramatic entry, complaining of having to chew palm kernels on his way there. Since Atsu was a renowned "teen hunter" and one of the few teens who actually played the respected role of fathers even though he wasn't one himself, the student Boko who introduced himself as Abeiku used the influence of his mentor Bokor Sadiku to get the broken boy to go hunting. Insisting on food for strength to be able to relay his message more rationally.
Atsu is angry in the beginning because he intended to continue lamenting the loss of his sister to the skies until Sogbladza sends down lightening.The forest contained many fruits and edible roots. All the bokor had to do was look. He wasn't going to stop wailing now just to satisfy the young wizard's taste buds.Plus he was just a boy after all, what would make Sadiku send his staff to him for anyways. It's not like he was the regent who could have put the sorcerer's words to work. And speaking of the Boko... Where the hell was he if he was still alive ? or has he forgotten about Zewu's current situation? The discerning student Boko must have seen through this line of interrogatory thoughts thus slyly getting him to hunt by giving a direct order through his mentor's staff.
This was when he also realized that if Abeiku was hungry, (that was if he really was)he could have gotten bush meat without any trouble since he was able to conjure a whole swarm of bees to break his camouflage skill. This was what cooled him down a bit. Maybe the bokor was simply trying to help his pitiful condition. That help might be Atsu's own hunt. " After all the Boko is right. One must eat to make more rational petitions to Mawu Sogbolisa. Or ... is he just pretending to be responsible to gain my trust? People fast sometimes when they make petitions right?"
Atsu considered going back, but whew... the staff of Sadiku is nothing to scoff at and disobeying it's bearer would be the last thing he wants to do in a lifetime he prays never come. He waves his torch frantically for squirrel tracks as he curses inwardly. An order given directly with a boko's staff is rarely broken, otherwise Atsu would have abandoned the crazy mission long ago. The night was coming fast and night hunting was something he really doesn't want to get himself involved in. All of the animals had seemingly abandoned the forest which was why he was coming to this grove, known specially to hunters as a haven for squirrels in order to try his luck. His grandfather had told him stories about his trials as a night hunter and they were not stuff the "pretty" locks on his head would like to behold before they get to grey. To Atsu,the night hunting profession didn't sound any different from the task of undertaking that Bokos usually do. A mere sixteen year old like him still had a huge world awaiting his exploration. But nevertheless, he would rather sit idle in the house rather than meeting some skull crushing spirit beings from the myths. Hunting in itself wasn't something Atsu was fond of from the start but because the family profession needed to be passed down, he agreed to do it anyways for the family's legacy to live on. For a kid his age, he has come across many heartrending scenes even in the daytime hunting routine that would probably leave his age mates in a coma that very moment. The sight of suicides still in their last position was one of the many bizarre sights hunters have grown immune against. The others are sights of spirit beings that could either put the hunter in an attack stance or leave him drooling and lusting like a mentally broken man over the figure his eye beholds.
An unfortunate bush mouse becomes the recipient of Atsu's hunger muffled anger as his well polished spearhead drills into it's spine. He fancied making a fire and roasting it then , but he didn't dare. Eating bush mice was a taboo for the great glinwu clan and though he wasn't sure whether to call it great anymore ,he wouldn't look down on custom now just because of the times. He saved the meat in his thick calico sack , planning to use it as bait if need be. He finds the squirrel tracks a while later just as he was about to give up the task but also discovered a rather mind boggling anomaly that sprayed his heart with a pinch of panic.
By now the world was slowly turning dull, and the lines of his sweating palm were barely visible without the aid of his torch. Just beside the squirrel track which seems to be making it's way to the core of the palm grove, another track which looked similar to a human's also printed the black soil beneath. Now the scary part of this whole ordeal was that while the squirrel tracks seemed to be marching forward, the human shaped foot print seemed to be moving the opposite direction. Atsu followed the tracks expecting to see one cross the other so as to calm his fears but as far ahead as his eyes could reach, the two distinct footprints moved in parallel. One facing backwards and the other facing forward. It was as though the human and the squirrel were two happy couples taking an evening stroll . He stopped to examine the foot prints more closely, unsure whether it was the squirrel that was going psycho or the human prints were made by a mad man. Because one seemed to be moving backwards the whole time. "Or was it a master and pet stroll?... Why would the pet move backwards anyways?... You know what , f**k this sh*t".
Atsu decided to follow the direction the squirrel went, after all that's what he entered the grove for. It was as though the animals had also heard of the raid and abandoned their homes for fear of Deku's gang.
Because Atsu seldom entered this grove , he wasn't sure whether to call this a normality. His heart was beating fast that he could even hear it himself. His faint outline of moustache was sporting little drops of sweat and his tummy rumbled all the more. He licked his dirtied lips, allowing the taste of the salty dirt and sweat to cool him down a bit.
He traced the odd pair of tracks for what seemed like eternity, traversing stony paths and irregular grounds that usually made him lose track. The wind did it's best to clean what it could. But a little search was all it took to bring him back on track. The prints eventually led to an unusual water body that was running uphill. He cut the tip of his left hand ring finger with his machete to make sure he wasn't in a trance , the sharp wave of agony that washed through his body gave him the answer he was seeking... he was still conscious. He looked up and saw the faint constellations of Togbui Tsali the unbreakable appearing in the sky ,an indication that the night was approaching ... " So I'm a night hunter now? At least it serves that annoying wizard right ,he might leave if he grows tired of waiting." Atsu shakes his head as he drops his gaze to the live riddle a few feet from his position. For some unknown reason, his feet was ignoring his incessant pleas to make the run. Now his heart was pounding so fast he could almost feel the blood rushing through his veins. Despite the red signals his brain was emitting, his feet stubbornly moved forward. He finally got to the water and looked inside.
It seemed to be sparkling in the last rays of the setting sun and the blaze of his torch, radiating a presence almost as soothing as a boko's reassuring aura. He washed his bleeding finger and his face, almost forgetting the whole oddity of the situation. Taking his bag off his shoulder, he stabbed the earth with his spear and adjusted the machete on his waist. His tattered skirt was waving graciously in the evening breeze . These were the only things Atsu could name as his belongings at the moment. The raid had taken away all of his fancy clothes and equipment. He really missed his bow. He preferred it to the spear in making long range attacks. " I'll just make do with what I have now. So long as there is tomorrow, there's sure to be more cowries decorating my hair soon. Equipment won't be a problem."
The water felt cool on his legs as he waded through the abnormality. Gathering a handful of courage, he took a dip. After all , he hasn't taken his bath for the last two days. When he finally got out of the water, his mind was thrown into a state of panic. He wanted to shout but it seemed that the words were afraid of coming out. "Spirit beings?" At that moment, his heart desired nothing more than to be buried immediately.
On the other side of the unusual creek, his eyes beheld what he believed were the owners of the odd pair of foot prints.
Atsu was shocked to see more than a dozen eyes staring at him. A few of the eyes had short bodies which hosted strange pairs of legs with feet that were turned backwards. Odd Illustrations and patterns stretched across their chests and other body parts and all the while they jealousy eyed his feet which were still planted firmly in the water. The rest were actually his main aim for entering the grove, though they looked a bit off the chart at the moment. They were peculiar looking squirrels, sporting a lot of scarlet fur on the tail end and upper body , clutching and nibbling on blood red palm nuts. Their eyes gave off a feeling that made it seem as though they were about to witness an execution they have long desired to spectate. Atsu felt his mask of bravery giving way to the large puddle of fear in his heart that continued to grow every second. The sight had triggered memories of the tales his old man tells often about his hunting routine at night,which were often filled with unusual sightings of spirit beings. Atsu always thought his old man, Togbui Atama filled his stories with these characters just to give him the chills and put him on the alert during hunting operations . As the case is now however ,he is beginning to doubt his previous judgement.
His vision became shaky instantaneously as he drew his machete when he thought he saw one of the short beings lunge at him as a lion does a stuck prey. It had rows of menacing teeth and bushy hair, with an ugly variant of a man's face which perfectly fit the description of the tricky beings his grandfather had told numerous tales of in his lifetime. He managed to hold back his fears and fished out a name before he felt the rows of threatening teeth on his arm. " Dwarfs?".
For some reason, Atsu was unable to wield his machete on time. A great amount of pressure fell on his shoulders the moment his opponent's feet left the ground. His mind searched for clues to relieve the situation but there seemed to be none. He found it hard to move his hands and his feet felt like lead. " This is getting bad"... Atsu could only curse as the dreaded teeth approached him. But thinking of the young Boko actually brought some relief.
Abeiku had given him a one use teleport charm for dire situations as this. But the fast paced events and panic prevented him from remembering it earlier. He silently prayed for a chance and awaited the inevitable.