The Balogun's Return
The Balogun spent a few more hours in her sleeping mat, wondering how the Adegunju was able to bring her back home into her sleeping mat without her knowledge; the journey began as usual; they both left Ọyọ at the same time, and they travelled for three hours. They had a quick stop at a small hamlet for the night, and the next thing, she found herself awake in her own home back at Ilu-ina village, or at least that was how she remembered it. The Adegunju secret is proving to be a mystery that's going to give her many sleepless nights. The servant didn't use the trans-location chant. She would have sensed it, but he did use a chant to keep her asleep for 4 hours, so how can any man travel over a long distance within a short time? Better not to give herself a headache over it. The Adegunju were a tribe filled with a lot of surprises. The only way for her to find answers to her questions was to wait; time and patience always answer all questions.
"Balogun!" her Iwofia said as she walked into the sleeping chambers. "You're back"
"How did you know about my early arrival?" the Balogun inquired
"We're all Ẹṣọs, the stronger ones amongst us would have sensed your presence," she replied.
"I see," she said "I'm still third, so I'm going to rest till midday before I resume my duties as Balogun" She was about to tuck herself in but stopped in her tracks when she noticed the worried look in the young girl's face "What's wrong" she inquired.
"It's nothing, ma," Ṣade said in a tone that betrayed her intention to hide whatever the information was from the Balogun.
At first, Ogunlara wanted to press the issue but then taught better of it, better to be fully rested and ready for the next political or social problem than to tackle it now and exhaust herself unnecessarily.
"The Ọba told me to summon you the moment you got back," Ṣade said sadly "but I can tell him that when you arrived you were so exhausted that you fainted"
"Thank you Ṣade" she said in appreciation, then she turned over to get some extra sleep.
"Balogun Ooooo, Balogun Ooooo!! There is a fire in this village," one of the Market women screamed, "Ṣeyi is going to kill all of us. Ooooooo!" this is how those two boys decided to welcome her back to the village, despite how heavy her stressed body was she still forced herself off her sleeping mat.
The Balogun cursed beneath her breath; there was no rest for the person in charge of a village with Ọmọ Ale (Problem Children) like Ṣeyi and Akin; this situation required her personal intervention. She was going to make sure that those boys suffer for interrupting her beauty sleep; oh! She is going to make them pay.
**************
Oluseyi, the number one troublemaker of the village, stood boldly before all the warriors and, most especially, his close friends; he stood tall and proudly dressed in his usual yellow Buba and Sokoto, the number 11 tribal mark upon his face (on each chick) and the most dubious smile. From the way he walked about and the way he moved his hands, you could tell that he was up to one mischief or another; that was the kind of thing he's famous for, 'Public disturbance'. A lot had happened since the time he managed to reach the rank of Ẹṣọ; despite all odds, he managed to get recruited to the new warrior group, the eagle team, and then he managed to save his best friend from certain doom. In all, he measured his success as a stepping stone to greater achievements in future, but all future endeavours are filled with obstacles which can become far more challenging the further you go, so the best way to overcome such obstacles is to continue acquiring more power.
His achievements had earned him the respect of some of the top brass warriors of the village including the Akogun who was the most difficult man to impress, the mission he went on as a punishment before the assassination attempt on Akin's life earned a little bit of field experience even though he still can't remember what exactly happened at the end of the mission. Those are all in the past; the footpath of a Ẹṣọ does not dwell on past glory. It dwells on the warrior overcoming all the obstacles that wait in the future. The Ẹṣọs training plan for warriors of Ilu-ina dictates that every higher ranking Ẹṣọ must master certain legacy chants before they are allowed to ascend to the mid-rank so the struggle continues.
The training for all those within Ṣeyi's rank began 3 market days after the incision ceremony, an hour before sunrise; the Otun-Balogun used a special chant to summon the recruits. The Otun's training was a lot more tedious than that of the Osi; he had them going through serious exercise and combat training 3 times every 6 days. He taught them fighting styles like Kadegbo, Dambe, Monkey stance, The Fist of Ṣango and Gedegbo. At mid-day, the young warriors would then gather in front of the Akọgun's hut for basic, complex and legacy chant practice. Once every market day each warrior would attend their disciplined society for training in their chosen vocation, Ṣeyi joined the hunters (Ẹgbẹ awon Ọlọdẹ) and the scouts knowing that he had a little skill in both disciplines while Akin joined the Warriors and the Badas; Kenny joined the Scouts left it at that Modupẹ along with Bọlaji joined the Herbal healers and Kayode joined the shadow gates (the summoners group). Then, by sunset on market day, the latest recruit would gather around the great tree of the Ẹṣọs garden to meet the palace chanter. Who would teach them some of the major Yoruba chants and stories put together? Ṣeyi's daily schedule was much tighter than before. He didn't even have enough time for mischief. On free days like this one Ṣeyi and his friends had more time to seek out better ways to get stronger.
"They say" he began as his face of mischief had the usual sinister smile. "that when a woman is running she grabs a hold of her breasts but when she is running the race of her life she forgets she has breasts, therefore" Ṣeyi gestured towards a grazing Rhino minding its own business, the toughness of its skin protected it from major attacks both physical and chants and its fully developed muscles gave it the appearance of a wild beast out for war.
"As you can see" Ṣeyi continued "The Rhino is right here ready to assist us"
"How far are we going to run?" Niyi inquired if he was also on good terms with Ṣeyi and his friend.
"Otun-Balogun usually forces us to run a distance between here and the nearest river, we will double that distance" Ṣeyi replied
"Meaning we are going to run from here close to 3 village districts without passing through the villages, the seed of perseverance might be planted too deep within the ground," Bọlaji said critically.
"Agba Bọlaji," Ṣeyi said respectfully, "I thought you would support this race?"
"I'm just being honest in my observation" Bọlaji replied "This seed you are planting will be quite plentiful but not many will be harvested"
At first, Ṣeyi didn't understand Bọlaji's metaphor of the seed plant and practically found it annoying, but later realized that it was Bọlaji's unique way of seeing the world; plus once one gets used to the proverbs, one can gain a lot of wisdom within.
"Very good observation," Ṣeyi said grasping the meaning of the proverb, "Which is why only the strong will survive this obstacle course"
"Can we just begin already?" Lakan growled with impatience,
"The Otun-Balogun usually forces us to a very far distance so doubling the distance will force us to go beyond our limits" Ṣeyi called with a smile,
"So, who's running with us?" Lakan growled,
In response to his inquiry, several boys step forth, ready to try out the limits of their ability. Most of them were members of the other Ẹṣọ squads, and they were more than willing to humble the Eagle team and force them to disband.
"10 cowries gate fee," Ṣeyi said with a sinister smile on his face.
"What!!!" most of the boys cried indignantly,
"Winner takes all" Ṣeyi concluded
"I thought you said this is extra training" Kenny complained,
"It is, but where's the fun when there's no money involved? Gbabe!" he replied with a smile,
"Is everyone ready?" Lakan snapped, "We should have started already"
"Just one last thing to do," Ṣeyi said "Inawole the chant if you please"
Inawole is a large boy in terms of height though not as physically built as Lakan and a fierce look in his eyes; his look gave the impression of someone with a short temper. Inawole hardly ever smiled, but he had a good sense of humour. The only problem was expressing it.
"Remember," Inawole began firmly, "the fire I'm going to use is only an illusion, a shadow that covers the truth. The eyes might perceive a burning bush, but it is all false…"
"Stop telling stories" Lakan snapped, "Start the chant, I'm getting bored with all this talking"
"Burn!" Inawole grouched, "I was getting to the incinerated point" laughter written in his eyes but not in his actions, "If the Rhino gets too close or you are out of strength, chant the words Otọ (Truth) it will cancel the illusion"
"Now we can begin," Ṣeyi said with a smile
All those participating in the race arranged themselves in an orderly fashion in preparation for the endurance exercise; all the participants had given the bid money to Bolaji, whom everyone seemed to trust.
"Ready," Bolaji said in preparation for the race
"Go" Inawole cried affecting his chant
In an instant, every single runner burst into flames, and the Rhino responded in kind and gave chase with a grunt of vengeance. The beast pursued the object of its rage undauntedly, knowing that it would never know peace until the fire was put out; the rage was not an aspect of its personality. The rage was an aspect of its instincts. An innate action placed there by Oluwa-ọrun Himself "Agbanrere," the beast's Yoruba title given to it by Oduduwa.
It was created as a beast of war by Oluwa-ọrun, and Ogun, the god of iron fire and war, blessed it with the divine armour of organic iron, thus making it invincible. The only problem was its unpredictability and wild but foolish nature. The Rhino was much too stupid to obey orders. Ogun, the god of iron fire and war, who had the intention of adding it to the roll call of his arsenal, failed to achieve this. Not even the great Oriṣa of war could control this wild animal. Most of the animal's previous masters tried to use the whip but failed to make a dent in its formidable armour; the god of war finally decided to release the beast after so much effort to tame it. The importance of the Rhino was later discovered many years later when some fools among men carelessly set the enchanted forest ablaze; before the flames could do much damage, the Rhino rushed into action. The beast attacked the flames with a vengeance in a matter of moments the fire was killed and the men who started the fire managed to escape with minor wounds, Ifa the highest of the Oriṣa was pleased with the Rhino's actions and Oṣaoko (forest god) blessed the beast and named it the guardian of the forest (Olugbejagbo) because Oluwa-ọrun had commanded it to protect the forest.
The boys ran frantically along the chosen path while being tailed by the infuriated beast; the Rhino puffed wildly with its eyes focused on its goal; the instinct to protect the forest was its major driving force. 'The forest must be saved, the forest must be freed', the thought of the beast echoed resoundingly 'The fire must be stamped out'. Ṣeyi ran with all the strength he could muster he could feel the limits of his body, the strain of his muscles and the weight of his weakening determination. They were able to keep the beast at a distance, thankful that the footpath wasn't in a straight line. The curves and sharp turns made it difficult for the contestants to navigate, but it was twice as difficult for the Rhino to keep up, especially around the sharp bends. The Ẹṣọs who did not take part in the race followed their colleagues from above, jumping from one tree to another. They were tasked with the duty of preventing a collision of any kind. They would warn innocent bystanders and unsuspecting travellers about the rampaging Rhino.
The time of the competition had elapsed by an hour, and judging from the distance they had covered, they would be on the road for another hour; Ṣeyi could feel his muscles ache and from the reduced speed, almost everyone had reached his limit, the Rhino, though steadfast still obeyed its instincts and followed persistently. The combined exhaustion was apparent. They had all reached their limits; the only person who seemed like he was enjoying himself was Lakan; he had the usual smirk on his face and a nonchalant attitude.
"Hope you're enjoying yourself," he said as he ran past the stumbling form of Ṣeyi.
"Leave me alone, can't you see I'm trying to concentrate?" Ṣeyi replied grumpily, regretting that he was the one who came up with the idea for the race. When Ṣeyi taught that there is no way for him to endure, that was when he heard the words that made him sign in relief.
"Look Ṣeyi the end of the race" Lakan announced
With those few words of encouragement, all those running managed to reinforce their efforts; the race, though a training session, remains a competition with high stakes and none of the runners intended to finish this race without any rewards. The price was, after all, 'Winner takes all' Akin the hunchback waited patiently at the finish line, waiting eagerly for the winner's prize in hand; a majority of the higher ranking Ẹṣọs stood by his side as well, each in support of members of their warrior squad. Ṣeyi closed his eyes and attempted to draw out some of his reserved strength in a last desperate attempt to win the race, but deep down, he knew the race was as good as lost, especially if Lakan was the one participating. He cursed himself for making the no-cheating rule cause now he couldn't use his trump card to win the race. There was a sudden breeze from his right side, and as he turned his head by reflex, he was only able to see a blur wiz past with alarming speed; the next thing the boys noticed, Lakan had won the race. Lakan had a haughty smile on his face and not a single drop of sweat on his brow; it seemed like the race was nothing but a warm-up for him.
"Otọ!" the boys shouted as they passed the finish line; the moment the chant was voiced, the illusion of fire faded away. The wearier ones fell flat on their faces from exhaustion; others simply fell panting. The moment Ṣeyi crossed the finish line, he felt the relief of finishing a strenuous race and stopped to catch his breath. Unfortunately, he forgot to utter the chant that erased the illusion of fire. The Rhino charged at Ṣeyi with a vengeance.
"Ṣeyi!" Bọlaji shouted "MOVE"
As though by reflex, Ṣeyi responded immediately; he took to his heels once more, speeding off into any direction that promised him a safe haven. He wondered why he was running desperately for his life and almost decided to stop in his tracts but the chill in his spine told him otherwise, there is a proverb that states that when a man is running the race of his life and he's running out of stamina the only way to reinforce his speed is to look back and Ṣeyi did just that. He looked back and saw a bloodthirsty Rhino. The foolish boy screamed in terror and kept on running with far more vigour than he had used during the race; what was worse was the fact that he didn't know which way to go.
"Ṣeyi chant 'Otọ' now!" Inawole commanded from a vantage point. His words fell on deaf ears, Ṣeyi was too terrified to pay attention to anything anybody had to say.
"Balogun!!" Ṣeyi screamed in despair; the truth was he never had parents and never knew his mother's love. Ṣeyi calling out for the Balogun is equal to him calling out to the one person who was like a mother to him; Ogunlara was the one person who made him feel like a normal child. She was the only one unafraid to put him in place.
Ṣeyi ran for dear life all the way into the market square with the beast in hot pursuit; the chaos caused by the two of them, coupled with the damage, was immeasurable. A lot of the trading stalls and hawkers' spots got destroyed in the Rhino's wake and there was nothing Lakan and the others could do.
"Ṣeyi" Lakan called "Use your chant"
Ṣeyi remained deaf to everything about him, including the words of his close friends crying out at the top of his lungs for the Balogun of the village even though he knew that she was presently not in the village. He ran amongst some market women and then amongst some innocent girls carrying heavy pots of water. The collision almost had the girls wounded, and four of the clay pots got shattered, spilling the water within. The moment he felt his strength lessen, all he needed to do was look back. That's all the encouragement he needed, "Balogun", he cried in despair and to his relief, there she stood about 15 feet away with a frown on her face. He felt the joy flush through his entire body as he sighted the ray of hope, Ṣeyi ran towards the Balogun and hid behind her like a pup would hide behind its mother.
The commotion had not only alerted the Balogun, but the other ranking warriors had also been alerted to the problems as well. The Akọgun, the Otun the Osi Balogun, and all the Jagunas were alerted.
"Ọlẹla (reveal)", the Akọgun chanted; in an instant, the illusion surrounding Ṣeyi vanished along with a lot of his confidence. The Balogun used her peaceful aura to calm the rampaging beast; she whispered the chant straight into the beast's soul. Her goal is to calm the beast, not to kill it.
"Be Calm Great descendant of the gods
We are not your enemies
Great guardian of the forest calm yourself
Your enemy is the fire
There are no flames amongst us
Calm your fury
Unless you become that which you desire to destroy
Calm great forest protector
Be calm"
The Rhino became silent once more it quietly moved towards the nearest bush and as its instincts dictate started to graze on the nearest shrub like nothing had happened moments earlier, Ṣeyi finally regained his wits after hours of running aimlessly. The gravity of his indecision had finally dawned on him: 'I'm in big trouble' The only option he had was to start plotting his escape; he would have made a clean getaway, but for the Balogun's sharp rebuke.
"Ṣeyi, if you dare vanish from this place, I will suspend you as an Ẹṣọ indefinitely", Ṣeyi responded meekly and stood still without voicing a word. "Where is Akin?" He wandered
"Where is Akin?" the Balogun demanded "And the rest of your troublesome friends"
"Well," Ṣeyi said, looking around to see if there was anyone present to back him up in his time of need. Shockingly, all the boys following since the beginning of the chaotic event had vanished, abandoning him to his painful fate. Ṣeyi chuckled in bitterness, so this is what it's like drinking the same Agbo that he enjoys shoving down the throats of others; the friends he placed his trust in have deserted him, including Akin, so sad.
"You're coming with me," the Balogun growled as she pulled Ṣeyi away by his ear, no doubt her mind was filled with different ways to punish him.