28 - The M'zowa fruit

Chapter 28 (The M’zowa fruit.)

The instructions were simple. “ -take note your internal gift and bravery as well as steadiness will determine the animals strength and obedience to its rider and the first of you to retrieve the fruit of the M’zowa tree, will be ranked with the honors and title of third class commander for all this years qualified young Yakunko warriors.” She did not have to add anything else for M’boguku a lover of authority to get it right.

Sakitha blew through her horn once again and at this moment, everything seemed to slow down as the Basha dogs lunged forwards. Tsote felt a whip of wind blow against his ear lobes and dust rise on his left. Above the games field, the moved with a thick shed of grey while a drizzle began pouring down on the field at the same instant. Among the Yakunko, whenever rain happened alongside an unchanged glow of the falling or rising sun, meant bad omen or disaster.

Tsote held his breath for a second anxiously waiting for his dog to charge forwards like the other two but it did not barge!

‘-take note, your internal gift is the animal’s strength…’ Tsote repeated to himself in a whisper.

“Yes…” came another voice in his head. “Great Kuoka guardians rode on these animals. Their former riders used Olko magic to bond with the dog’s mind…”

“Okay. And so are you going to help do that or…!” Tsote spoke.

At this moment, Sakitha heard him and in confusion about the voice drew nearer! Meanwhile, the Basha dog breathed fiercely under him, snarling and digging its claws deep into the wetting earth and leaving trains on bare rock. It pounced this and that way knocking over its cage in an attempt to get him off its back.

 M’boguku Iteti and  his Basha dog did not stop. The Basha dog leaped and grabbed for a branch closest to the ground. The dog possessed claws, which allowed it to run both over and under the branch so swiftly as though they were insects.  M’boguku Iteti was not ready to lose this phase too. Not again. When he looks to his left, he realized the Prince was nowhere to be seen! He slowed down his Basha dog.

Tsote saw the others starting up the tree before he realized he was so far behind in the race… of course M’boguku couldn’t get any further, the moment he realized the prince was having a problem. From the first game, the prince hadn’t let his Kurota manifest. 

He had approached him several times trying to remind him how important it was for him not to keep his Kurota hidden in these games. Nevertheless, the prince did not seem to hear him. Whatever was wrong with him could cost him his place among the royals or even his last chance to become heir to the Yakunko throne.

At this point, Tsote came to think getting on this Basha dog was the worst decision he ever made. When Sakitha saw this, she instructed the guards to close in but not to hurt the prince. This left the guards no option but to avoid hitting the Basha dog with anything.

They however closed in with their shields raised and joined side to side and in an arc behind the dog. 

“Your highness?” Sakitha called out to the prince. “Don’t let go…its dangerous falling off…”

“What then should I -…?”

“Silence…!” Came the voice inside his head. It were the beads.

Sakitha heard the prince’s voice and her eyes went wide open. The voice that came from the rider was not that she expected but one familiar. 

“You see that gaze…!” Came the beads in a deep whisper. 

“Which… who?” just then Tsote saw Sakitha looking on in surprise. Before he could say anything else, the beads came again.

“Just be quiet child... quiet!”

“She… she know now!” he stammered and this is when she took out the whistle from her pocket. She needed to calm the animal down and allow the King’s son a chance off the Basha dogs back because his waist was linked to the Basha dog’s by chain. And this was the reason as to why the prince wasn’t letting go!

She took out some metal shakers normally used to control the animal. Thalko stood up followed by his men. They took their positions around the king’s tent and seat! He started down a few steps from the king’s side. He knew the brutality of these Basha dogs but also knew what Sakitha held was. Mama Erusa returned to Marakusha ridding one of these animals. And these metallic bells, he learned were a pain to the animals she rode on. This very specific dog! She used them to control the Basha dog and the animal knew the jingling shakers! Meaning they were going to worsen the problem.

“Yes and It’s a mess…!” 

The Basha dog heard a little clinging of one of the shakers while she removed them and fiercely turned into her direction! She immediately raised her shield in terror but it was too late. The Basha dog was twice swifter and with two well-calculated leaps, it was on her. One of its heavy paws swept across the earth midair and thrust her aside into the rest of the Yakunko warrior. Tsote lost his grip on the chain around the animal’s neck and chest. He was falling but they were warned not to fall off the Basha dog for their lives sakes!

  The King saw his son falling and about to land in the animal’s jaws. He threw aside his royal animal hide and cape. 

“Commander?” The king called to Thalko. “Slay that beast at once… and retrieve my son!” The king instructed Thalko the moment the Basha dogs hit the mistress of the games aside. 

“The Prince may get wounded in the Process my King…” Came Thalko adding. “There must be another way my king…” Came Thalko. Thalko motioned his guards forwards to defend the king and the elders while he took his position a few steps down from the kings tent. M’boguku turned his dog around. 

He was in his Kurota state and the moment he saw the Prince in a struggle, he retarded allowing his human form back on… this caused his animal to reject his control. He lost his grip and fell off its back. The animal dove for another Branch. Now  M’boguku Iteti was hanging off the animal’s back and bouncing into several branches here and there. By the time got back into his Kurota form, the chain was broken. He was falling. The other player turned and rushed back down for him. He was able to save him but the other Basha dog was rushing back to assist Tsote’s dog.

“Now what…?” Came Tsote not knowing he was speaking out loudly 

“Plan B… our plan was to have one of these animals for our use… forget winning the final phase of the game. We are going straight for the prize…” The beads spoke to him again. At this moment, Tsote felt them melting down his chest and arms as they did the very first time when he was heading up the Olko hill. The sensation was no longer burning just warm and tingling.

 “Hold on well!” Came the beads.

“I can’t hold on any lo-” he started to complain just when strength fill up his arms and whole upper body following the flow of the beads patterns “Okay!” he exclaimed pulling himself upright again.

“Listen… you will now place your hand against her head and talk to talk to her…” Came the beads once Tsote’s arms were wholly patterned and stronger than before. Tsote did not hesitate. He reached out and placed his palm on the Basha dogs’ head between its ears. 

 “Look around you…” Tsote looked puzzled. All the same, he looked to his right and left. There was confusion all around. The guards weren’t going to thrust their spears or arrows at the animal in fear of hurting the prince. Thalko had to make a decision before any harm came of the prince.

Thalko motioned to one of his closest guards to hand him his bow and an arrow. The creature did not see the high commander taking aim for its side but when Tsote did in the corners of his eyes. 

The king stepped forwards from the tent glitching between his Kurota and mortal form. The veils shielding him from direct view of the peoples on his tent’s sides started blowing in the winds. The sky rumbled and the lightning struck across the mountain horizons as though to mean Klode was aware the bad tidings. Thalko released the arrow from his bow at the very instant when the Basha dog turned his direction. Tsote saw the arrow approach slitting through rain drops as though in slow motion.

Thalko had his target at the Basha dog’s side but the moment the prince looked his direction, a strange network or exo-skeletons the likes of an unnatural shield mixed with the white fur engulfed the animal’s body to make the creature twice fierce. And by the moment the arrow reached it, was like hitting the sides of a rock causing shards of the arrow’s metallic head to splinter into pieces. The Basha dog turned towards him.

“It’s not him we need. Keep your eyes on the prize…!” the beads told Tsote.

“What have you done to the…?”

“Not I. you…”

“Okay… don’t hurt my father…”

“The king or the commander…?”

“Thalko…!”

“He isn’t your father… we both know that very well.”

“You won’t get it but he is… he is-”

“I know… you understand. Save the explanation cause after all to get to your real father…” the beads interrupted. “-you must defeat him first.

The moment the arrow left no effect, Thalko drew his spear as the Basha dog charged. He knew very well, he had to get the animal down without hurting the prince, which wasn’t going to be any easy! Rain hit down hard on Tsote’s back. He felt it flow down his face and blinding him from the movement of the rest of the guards. However, he knew his goal and so went straight for it. The Basha dog listened directly to his thoughts made possible by the power of the Olko beads.

Thalko held his shield before him and bent. He was the bravest of all the king’s men and as Tsote Approached, he wondered if this was really worth it. The sky rumbled again. He finally took courage and went straight as he caught do. Thalko did not move. Reaching ten feet from the commander the Basha dog snarled and took a mighty leap. Thalko stepped aside so lightly with a simple sidespin. He swung his shield up and slammed it onto the dog’s mane. The dog staggered but he too almost fell back but used his spear for support to gain proper landing!

 The Basha dog and its rider looked to be working together. Thalko read the situation but how calm the rider looked. He frowns and looks at the rider direct in the eyes but the rider dared not let him. He started the animal forwards. It leaped at the commander again but he dove a side and when the creature swung its powerful paw at him, he swayed his spearhead into its mane. The creature dodged by lifting its front limps of the ground and on return slamming its mane down into his shoulder so hard like a bull. 

Thalko felt the bow as it sent him tumbling back! The force was unbearable such that it sent him sliding back for thirteen feet across the stone tiled royal floor with his spear head pinned into the ground. Pieces of broken rock went flying and sparks of fires resulted from the friction.

He only came to a halt when his whole body was turned Kurota. The very first time Tsote was seeing his caretaker in his Kurota form the very first time. Twice fierce compared to the other Yakunko warriors. He did not let go of his spear when he started around on four limbs.

The caretaker split his shield into two, used jointing parts, and charged using them as blades. The dog took one in its mouth. And swung him away but he did not let go. He went along with the piece of the shield still in the Basha dog’s jaws. Unfortunately, he missed the top of the animal and so hung off the opposite side of the Basha dog with his feet pinned into its side. The animal went wild tearing into whatever stood in in its way! When he tried to push himself back onto the back next to the rider, his left arm got stuck in the chains around the Basha dog’s neck. Now his feet were touching the ground trying to give himself support out of target of the king’s high seat. His feet dug into the earth as the animal curved out of the king’s way. All this while he was struggling to tear the chain linking the king’s son to the animal. Once that was done spoke…

“Get off of there and run…!”

The prince did not seem to hear him. Nevertheless, from the gaze the rider gave him did not resemble the Prince’s! 

“Have you not heard me…?” he asked twisting around the fore side of the animal and trying to grab around its neck. The Basha dog did not let him. The dog grabbed his arm and pulled him away from its mane! The commander lost his footing! He went tumbling towards the king’s guards and musical instruments. The second he gained his balance, he charged direct back.

“Not again…!” came Tsote when he saw his the commander returning this time in human form. A few feet from the animal, he changed form and leaped direct at its face. Tsote did not expect the commander to attach direct but here he was clinging to the animal’s head and strangling the animal by the neck, it opened its jaws. The animal was no longer able to support his weight. He dug his feet into the ground leaving trails. 

The animal pushed him back into the base of some stairs leading to some pentagon shaped raised ground. Five wooden statues stood on top this platform and a pan burning with incense sat on top of three rocks at the center. Thalko saw his son tumbling from the heights of the tree and his opponent rushing in to help.

His eyes rose towards the rider in question. 

“What’s wrong with you…?”

The prince did not reply. The Basha dog attacked the more. “Okay! Whatever you need, we can talk about it. Like warriors, like men, with honor of who you are and whatever you want…” 

Thalko spoke trying his best to push a point but the prince seemed to have gone deaf or dumb. This is when Thalko judged the patterns across the Prince’s body were a major cause for the prince’s failure to cooperate. May be he was not doing all this on his own! ‘Maybe he was enchanted’

It is as if he only needed to get closest to his father and Thalko could not trust his intentions at such a moment. 

“You need to stop this nonsense and get off that dog. That an order…!” 

“Don’t fall for those words. Feeling exhausted, the commander yelled out to his men…

“Ai oku? Tibaka…! (Traps men? fire!) Hardly had he let out the last command, Thalko let go of the, leaped back onto the platform behind him knocking the fire pan over resuming his human form once again! The Basha dog drew back and leaped after him. The moment the animal landed at the center of the platform, Thalko leaped back to land in front of the king’s tent breathing hard.

He quickly dove out of the way just in time when a three arrows the size of spears shot from five directions around the base of five different watch towers. A chain was linked to the back end of each spear. The arrows shot deep into the sides of five different thick logs curved to resemble five towering warriors.

And before Tsote knew what was going on, the Basha dog was tightly held in position and unable to move back or any further closer to the king’s tents.