26 - The Kurotandi games

Chapter 26 (The Kurotandi games.)

The village horn sounded in the morning and when the king arrived in the village, everyone had to move out from their shelters. The king would be crossing the bridge and every one had to stand in front of their shelters with a significant sign in honor of the king’s arrival.

The king’s procession was led through the household’s past Thalko’s shelter to his tent. Every one waited until the king was in his tent to get back to what they were doing. The guards were shifted to posts closer to the king is tenting. And then the games would begin with a warrior dance around the games field. Hundreds of warriors stood in three lines on four side of the field and when the drams began there was a chanting. The shift of bodies and the pounding of feet that caused the dust to rise. Elephants moved and wildebeest raced through in a war like manner.

The sun was beginning to set when the games begin. The five teams Chenkui, Felushia. Abamba, the Ishanka and the Tiwele lined up on one side of the field in a pause. The king and Thalko watched. The king was looking for Prince Mozia O’mondo but his team was confused and disorganized. The young man wasn’t present. There was no time to waste cause the game went was played for five rounds. And a team was dropped every after a round. Each round went for a period of thirty minutes. 

Renso was master of the games but he was not around today for some strong reasons. In his absenture, his assistant and very own sister Sakitha N’meru was delegated by the elders to command the games this year. She looked a bit confused because Renso has never missed commanding the Kurotandi games for the last nine years.

Thalko watched. The Abamba team was composed of nine players whose backgrounds were linked down to rich and very powerful top official Yakunko family backgrounds. For that case they enjoyed a great deal of support from high profile and low profile families. 

Joining the Abamba team was M’boguku’s whole time childhood dream and aspiration. And Renso, master of the training and the games alone could recommend him or even convince his father Thalko that he was capable of joining the Abamba team. It was the reason he tried his best to train to be better than everyone else in Marakusha did while behaving a little unfriendly to several of his teammates. Whatsoever, his father Thalko deemed his son’s desire and aspiration such a form of greed and so a hopeless dream and was never going to let him go! Thalko looked where his son was meant to be as captain of the Marakusha team and saw him. 

The son looked in his direction with dissatisfaction and bitterness but his father looked away after some time. He remembered what his father told Renso when Renso accepted to go with him to his father for the first time about the idea of joining the Abamba team.

“You are the best player in Marakusha and the Ishanka team needs someone like you as its representative captain in the coming Kurotandi games. The best shot we got this year to rise above the Abamba for the first time in history and we cannot put this chance to waste! Don’t waste him Renso.” Thalko once told the trainer. 

This is when he turns to the guards with instructions to find the Abamba team captain, Prince Mozia O’mondo. Thalko made his way down to Sakitha. Sakitha cut the second last of the team captain’s fingertips and let a drop of their blood drip in the calabash. She thrust the stone blade into the earth tip pointed into the earth at her side and took her bow in her hands. The commander walked up to her. She held the bow and arrow out to him with a little bow.

Having done that, he took the arrow and dipped it into the blood. He turned taking good aim at the M’zowa tree at the center of the field. The moment the arrow hit the tree’s trunk at a spot that resembled an eye; the five trees started waking with creaking sounds! The moment they moved, the players went low in their lines. 

Every teammate wore a strange helmet on their heads and on their shoulders wore shoulder guards curved out of different materials for symbolism. They all possessed a scar on their lower right hands to symbolize fellowship. Once the trees moved, Thalko stepped back from the teams handing Sakitha her bow.

Drums began thumping again with the pace of a heartbeat. This is when the crowds roared and the teams got ready to move. Hardly had they started out when Prince Prince Mozia O’mondo appeared running through the guards, almost knocking the commander. The sky was grey and fire burned the whole night until past sunset set in five positions left and right of the teams lining the edge of the field.

Renso was not around and so Sakitha had the honors of commanding the games after Thalko who always made the start shot as chief in command of the king’s armies. The moment Prince Mozia O’mondo appeared, the crowds went up on their feet in support. They were screaming the team name even though they were fond of the Prince’s arrogant character. The team represented them well. And without Prince Mozia O’mondo, they saw no hope. The moment he arrived, Sakitha blew the horn and the teammates started forwards. 

The trees sensed them and like giants alive in these trees, they turned setting their arm like branches down with a blow that shook up the dust. They too seemed to bend down in a position ready to attack!

Finally, everyone started their whole form transforming into their Kurota. The crowds roared again as they clashed with the dust caused by the trees branches and roots moving within the earth. Their view was obscured for a few seconds. Before they started seeing what they knew from training. 

Prince Mozia O’mondo continued into the dust unchanged. Everyone looked confused. There was a moment of silence as the teammates rose dodging through the branches. The trees waved at them like giant men. They were stamping down at those who fell but no teammate allowed a friend touch the ground because the trees would tear them apart. They had to rush in and assist in case a teammate lost their footing. 

First phase of the game, the teammates had to make it through the waving branches to the other side and return with the tail of a wilder beast which hairs were dipped in different team colors. They had to pass the tail around and work together so that they returned the tail home where they began. This was difficult because the first team that lost their tail would be dropped from the games. Whatever fell to the ground was crushed or dragged away into the ground by the trees roots. Without a tail, a team had no more significance in the games.

The teammates would have to return and play this game another time the next year. And so the fall of the team tails was very rare in the games. Team mates did the best they could to ensure the tail did not touch the ground. This made every game long.

What surprised the teammates was Prince Mozia O’mondo who was swinging through the trees without having turned Kurota. He ran down and up wavy branches. He was the last to get to his team tail. However, the moment he took hold of the tail, he started back without attracting the trees. He did not wear his Kurota and so the trees too noticed less of him. He started back without ever passing the tail. However, he almost fell when a teammate rushed up and saved him. He asked him to pass the tail but he ignored them and continued back home! He placed the tail down first before any other team mates did. They were still struggling against the trees.

The moment the teams got their tails back to the stop, the last team to lost credits. Next thing, every teammate had to cross to the other end of the field, fetch back a fire torch and line it the torches up back home. Smoke and the heat emitted by the torches attracted the trees and the trees did their best to burn them out! When a teammate lost their torch, he had to run back and relight it. If he dropped it, he did not take another. 

The teams were each made nine player in number, the torches were nine too which handles were dipped in different team colors. When a team collected all their team torches back home, the second phase, a horn would sound and the phase ended. Preparations for the third phase would begin immediately!

They dropped their torches at a signal from the other end of the field where some Yakunko warrior blew a little horn and the drums followed. This time Mozia O’mondo arrived second. The teammates were however worried about his failure to turn Kurota. The moment the game ended, they started on him…

“Ignore them…” came a voice in his mind. Mozia O’mondo did not give the teammates attention either. He only moved through to the start point and repositioned himself. The rest looked at him in confusion…

Mozia O’mondo took his position in front of the team for the third phase… this time the teammates had to use bows and arrows of fire to light a wooden hollow spot around the tip of an obelisk rock. However, the fire only burned to the base of the obelisk when eleven arrows hit the wooden spot! The M’zowa tree always hit the archers out of target. Every player had even arrow at his disposal. 

A player kept shooting until they hit their team’s bull’s eye. When they did, they withdrew from the game. Others had to do the same. If one completed their arrows without having hit the bull’s eye, he returned and took the other teammate’s remaining arrows and continued until he made his shot.

The target was not easy. This phase took longer than the others did. Moreover, each phase to the fifth would last longer than the one before due to the complication. And when an obelisk went up in flames, the phase had to end. They started forwards. This time, Mozia O’mondo was in lead. He upgraded with every phase of the games. The king looked unimpressed by his sons’ failure to exhibit his Kurota in these games for they required it. 

And his team mates needed him to let it out. When they started off, they had to cut away branches grabbing them with stone blades around their waists while they wore the bow over their neck and one shoulder to the other side where they could make their best shots. It was thrice difficult compared to the very first challenge. This time Mozia O’mondo was the first to hit the target. 

Mozia O’mondo returned to his team home. His team did not win this phase though. They were second but almost simultaneously after the Marakusha and Nyathiku team lit up their Obelisk. The Obelisk would burn to the end of the fourth phase of the games. After the third stage, the two loser teams were dropped and led away to meet the military grading tent for lower military grading. The best three players in the best three teams would be selected to finalize the games through a surprise challenge none of the players ever trained for.

Some players were shortlisted from the three final teams due to having been wounded or spotted limping. In the end, each of the three remained with around six or seven players! There was mini long-range spear throw challenge meant to reduce the number of the players to three. Every player had three spears. And when the challenge began, most of the players hardly got the second spear through the target ring situated on the other side of the field. Those that did included Tsote whose talent at this mesmerized everyone including even though they all still though him for the Prince. There was cheering from the royals. 

But he knew the truth that he couldn’t have made it to the finals had he not been in possession his mother’s Olko beads. Next to him was another boy whose name he did not know until later. The boy had thrown two of his spears through the rings and the third hardly made it through the trees branches. 

The third winner was M’boguku, Tsote’s worst village mate. He had the first of his three spears fallen mistakenly out of his grip at the very first swing causing a murmur among the people from Marakusha. His second spear fell straight through the ring followed by the second, which fell right in front of the ring by one foot, making him the third.

Immediately after, M’boguku gave the prince a quire look but also a simple bow which Tsote did not respond to causing M’boguku question with a slight frown. Sakitha came past from the rare and gave the prince a pat on the shoulders. She walked a few feet ahead and turned to face the remaining three. All this time, Tsote could feel M’boguku’s constant gazes as though he had realized it was not the prince under the captain’s player Uniform! Tsote felt a shiver rush down his spine but kept his calm. 

“Master?” Came the voice in his heads. The beads were talking. “-you need to play this to the end. Stay calm and stick to the plan…”

Sakitha instructed the rest of the shortlisted players to draw back while the remaining three players got into straight lines ten feet apart. She nodded her head and this is when two strong Yakunko warriors dragged three cages forwards! The cages were covered by animal hide to keep day light out. Nevertheless, the moment the hide was thrown off the animals started snorting deeply!

They were three huge white dog, which breed none of the player ever seen before. They were the only animals untouched by the imbalance of time and nature from the ancient.  And the reason we are yet to find out.

 Tsote spun at the sound of the snarling. His eyes landed on a huge white dog inside a cage come to stop right on his right and the other on his left for the player at the center. “Don’t fright from this because the greatest challenge is yours to accomplish…!” came Sakitha as the warriors loosened the trap doors and stepped back. 

These dogs were the size of wildebeests but a lot like cats. They were white and marked with deep red colors at the center of their fore heads. These dogs were legendary but whatever the legend was, many had long forgotten it! Yes, there was a legend about these Basha dogs but best we go with what their purpose is in this game’s final phase first.

This would be the fourth phase of the games and in this, every player would be chained to one of the white Basha dogs. During this phase, the players would ride to the peak of the M’zowa tree where the overall leaders of the remaining three teams would be expected to recover the first fruit the tree produces every after the final challenges, once every year. These that took this fruit first would become commanders of the kings’ young Yakunko warrior classes of this year.

It is believed that in the past before even mortal men came to live on land, the animals had kingdoms and such great conscience about leadership and rule. Mama Erusa said all wild animals were as intelligent we men until the fall of the balance if you do remember.

The kings acted as guardians of the animal kingdoms and they rode on white Basha dogs. What made them greater in intelligence as well as life were the fruits they ate from these M’zowa trees. Why? These trees grew from seeds scattered from the sacred Untu tree. The trees had faces; they moved and communicated unlike other trees! In addition, they defended themselves from other dangerous forms of life in such unique spectacular ways. 

Each of these trees grew this fruit but once a year and but locating these trees was as difficulty as looking for a pin in a field of straw. The purpose of these white Basha dogs was to locate these trees because the trees camouflaged with the rest of the jungle trees making it difficult to locate for miles and months.

Reaching a tree of this kind was one thing and picking the fruit was another difficulty even for the kingdom of the birds because the guardians normally clashed to get to the peak! However, the white Basha dogs were the swiftest and fittest climbers of those times even though they were a rare Cat-like dog species to come by!

That is why guardians of the animal kingdoms in possession of white Basha dogs had greater chance in finding the M’zowa fruits before others guardians. 

The more M’zowa fruits one guardian consumed of these trees, the greater their level of intelligence as well as lesser their aging speed. The imbalance was already there and it was affecting the rest of the animals and robbing them of their intelligence.

The M’zowa trees sprouted from the scatter of the Untu seeds resulting into living trees and the guardians ensured they consumed these fruits to keep their level of intelligence above the rest of the other animals.

The Yakunko used the same idea and fruit to select commanding captains for the year’s young Yakunko warriors. It was become a custom. The fruit was symbolic for power.

Tsote looked puzzled. He did not know what to expect because ridding a white Bashan dog was not a fit any of the teammates were taught. Finally, Sakitha, mistress of the Kurotandi games this year started forward only to stand before them. She turned and faced them.

“This will be the final phase of the games. How you persevere through it will determine who you become in the Yakunko ranks. As I speak, Yakunko power wavers in the winds of existence and time. The balance of ancient has begun tearing us apart from our inner selves and the king… is…” she spoke hesitating. She looked towards Thalko whose face went into a frown.

She told them and the elders shifted on their stools. The players looked at each other and she continued. “Things are changing and you all are so young to understand why? And the reason behind our struggle to live above every other tribe. Yes, we are not the best we once were and many of you have felt that. However, we cannot help it lest we look elsewhere and have our focus where our fore fathers saw no need to.” 

It is now that Tsote began to understand. The Yakunko knew what a threat they were towards the rest of the tribes. Well. They must have come to learn over the ages. Nevertheless, it was obvious they worried the response of nature around them lest they dared withdraw from supremacy or dared to seek reconciliation. He heard Sakitha Continue.

“The elders worry that we have lost our way. They say our fore fathers chose a difficult and very dark path we cannot deny… They however did not seek to know where the path led or what the destination would be! However, this being the only path there was for the refurbishment of the glory of the ancient tribes, dominance would remain our reward to the end of our time…”

“The end our time. Do we have an end time…?” M’boguku asked quietly. 

A horn sounded and the elders started moving and murmuring. There was some disorganization. Someone yelled from the section of mortal elders.

“There is an end to everything.”

“-the secret of the Halfling child! Say it…” a voice called from the elders on the king’s left hand. Thalko heard. He was closest to the elders from the other tribes.

“We want to hear about that…!” Another elder yelled to Thalko pointing from another row behind Thalko. The players looked puzzled when the elders got out of control.

“What’s wrong…?” the commander next to Thalko asked.

Thalko looked towards the King. The King gave him such a burning gaze as if to ask. What did he do? A few other murmurs rose from the rest of the Yakunko watching the games when they heard something about the Halfling child.

Sakitha dropped her head to look down at her feet. Tsote was the major point here. And what brought a great number of elders from the rest of the other tribes this day was rumors about the king’s madness and the secret about the birth of a Halfling child. They needed this mentioned. The council of the Yakunko elders next to the king on the right glanced towards the king. Thalko saw what was happening.

“The end of our reign they say and believe began fourteen years ago with the birth of a Halfling child…” Came Sakitha pausing a bit. 

Thalko remained calm and with a down cast gaze at Sakitha. Most of the elders from the other tribes sprung to their feet waiting to hear what was to come next from her lips. Now Sakitha glanced directly at Mozia O’mondo, captain of the team on the right. She did not move her gaze from him for a long while! Tsote worried. His hand clenched around the spear in his hand a bit more tightly! 

He was the Halfling child but how was he the reason for the beginning of the end of the Yakunko reign? This was insane. His heart beat a little abnormally. He could not tell if it was fear, worry or anger and hate for what was going on about him!

However, it was obvious she was referring to him. Well, Could she see him through Prince Mozia O’mondo’s Abamba team helmet? Did she know he was here, dressed in Prince Mozia O’mondo’s captain clothes?

“Calm down boy. You are safe!” There came a response in his head.

“Does she know it’s me…?” He asked in a whisper.

“Not yet but she will-“

“But what…?” Tsote spoke fidgeting and looking left and right like he would sprint any minute from now.

“But you need to compose yourself. You are shivering all over like a chicken that has just crossed River Ulewo. Wet and cold…”

“Now that’s an insult…” Tsote said to the beads.

“-you know it isn’t…” the beads replied.

“Shut up now because you are distracting me…” 

The beads were quiet once again and this is when he heard Sakitha add. “… but it’s all a lie. There is no such thing as a Halfling child among us. No!” The master of Games concluded yelling at the young men with great conviction in her tone. “…its ideology meant to break us… the Yakunko! And we cannot let this become our stumbling block.”

She concluded looking towards Thalko who nodded once and so lightly, for what she just said. The King looked towards Thalko who intentionally ignored. However, Sakitha looked confused and unimpressed. They thought their arms out with total dissatisfaction with the mistress of the games just said. Someone yelled Renso’s name but he was nowhere