The news of Efosa hunting an antelope soon spread around the camp. He sent a portion to his grandfather and father. As his group began roasting the remaining meat, some new recruits came over to ask for a share.
Efosa and his group had no problem sharing. The evening was lively, but not everyone was happy.
"I heard your cousin killed an antelope," Akugbe, Osagie's friend, informed him.
"So? What does that have to do with me?" Osagie, who was lying on his bed, felt extremely annoyed upon hearing the news. After fighting with that person at his grandfather's hut, his entire body ached, so he had returned to his tent to rest.
After all, training would continue the next day, and he could not afford to lag behind. But how had Efosa, who had clearly also fought with that person, managed to muster the strength to go hunting?
Akugbe was surprised by his friend's reaction. He knew the cousins did not have the best relationship. Since birth, they had been destined to rival each other, but over the years, his friend had never reacted this way.
"Why are you so angry? I thought we could go over and eat some meat. Anyway, anyone can hunt an antelope. He just likes to show off," Akugbe said.
Hearing Akugbe's words only irritated Osagie more. They had both fought with the same person, yet while he was lying in bed exhausted, Efosa was out hunting. It felt like a slap in the face, as though it was proving Efosa was more skilled—a fact Osagie refused to accept.
"If you want to eat, go. Why are you bothering me?" he snapped at his friend.
What he did not know was that Iyare had been much gentler when fighting Efosa. She had deliberately thrown him in a way that minimized his pain, while she had been far more forceful with Osagie.
Akugbe decided to leave his friend alone, seeing that he was in a foul mood. This only annoyed Osagie further, especially when laughter and chatter began echoing from the other end of the camp.
Efosa had no idea about his cousin's situation, nor would he care if he did. He enjoyed being the center of attention as everyone ate. Uze, observing this, was slightly taken aback.
"Let's go down to the river for a bath," someone suggested after they had finished eating.
"Good idea! Nothing beats a good swim under the moonlight," Osifo agreed, having already forgotten about his failed hunt.
"Let's go," Efosa, in high spirits, stood up. Soon, a group of about twenty people began heading toward the river, laughing and joking along the way.
"How about we have a race?" someone suggested. Everyone agreed, figuring it would make the walk quicker. They raced to the river, laughing and arguing about who arrived first.
After bathing for a while, Osifo suggested climbing a nearby rock and diving into the river.
"I think it's too late for that," Uze objected.
"What's there to be afraid of? The moon is shining brightly, and we've climbed that rock plenty of times. As long as we're careful, it'll be fine," Osifo argued.
"Then climb it alone. Nobody wants to join your mischief tonight," Ohiomuwa firmly rejected the idea.
"Just admit you're scared," Osifo retorted and began climbing the rock.
"Osifo is crazy," Isibor commented as they watched him climb up and dive into the water.
"I'll give it a try. I won't go too high, though," Idaho said, tempted to join in.
"I'll go too," Efosa followed, not wanting to miss out on the fun.
A few others also began climbing the rock.
"This is reckless," Uze muttered, unwilling to participate.
Splash!
Efosa jumped into the water. "What's so dangerous? You're just a scared chicken," he teased.
"Call me whatever you want, but I'll never jump," Uze replied. He wasn't from an influential home and had been raised to avoid unnecessary risks.
The boys continued jumping for a while until someone suggested, "How about we climb a bit higher?" Everyone thought it was a good idea and began climbing further.
"That's a terrible idea," Uze warned, though he knew none of them would listen.
He had barely finished speaking when a shout came from above.
"Ahhh!"
"Someone's fallen!" another voice exclaimed.
"Who fell?" Uze and the others who had stayed below rushed to where the shout had come from.
"It's Efosa!" Ohiomuwa was the first to recognize him.
Efosa was lying on the ground, murmuring in pain.
"You're injured," Uze said, noticing the blood as he got closer.
"My leg!" Efosa cried, struggling to get up.
"Let's help him," Isibor said, hurrying over to support Efosa. Because the moon was shining brightly, they hadn't brought an oil lamp, making it hard to assess his condition.
"Ahh!" Efosa cried out as he tried to stand with the help of Isibor and Ohiomuwa.
"Let me carry him back to the camp," Uze offered, realizing the injury was worse than expected.
"Let's tie his leg first to stop the bleeding," Ohiomuwa said, tearing a piece of his shirt to create a makeshift bandage. He and Isibor then helped Efosa onto Uze's back.
"Let's hurry to the camp," Uze urged, noticing the bleeding wasn't stopping. At this point, no one was in the mood to continue climbing.
They hurried back to the camp and went straight to the physician's hut. Injuries were common during training, so the camp had a designated place for treatment.
"Help! Someone is injured!" Ohiomuwa shouted as they approached the hut, worried about how pale Efosa looked.
"What happened?" someone asked, stepping out of the hut after hearing the commotion.
"Someone's hurt!" Isibor answered urgently.
"Quick, bring him inside," the person directed.
They carried Efosa into the hut and laid him on a mat as instructed.
Seeing the blood-soaked cloth, the physician was shocked. Injuries were expected, but he hadn't anticipated something so serious on a rest day.
"How did this happen?" he asked while untying the makeshift bandage. His assistant quickly brought a bowl of water.
"You boys, step outside," the physician ordered, seeing how crowded the hut was.
The three of them stepped out to find the others from the river waiting anxiously.
"How is he?" Osifo asked, now feeling worried. Although he didn't like Efosa, he hadn't wanted him to get hurt.
"This is all your fault," Ohiomuwa snapped.
"How is it my fault? He's the one who chose to climb," Osifo retorted angrily.
"You—" The two were about to start a fight when the physician's voice interrupted.
"Go inform the instructors," he called out.
Ohiomuwa immediately ignored Osifo and ran to the instructors' area to notify Osaze.