The Antelope's Journey

7. Jim the fire-bender

Even beneath their weight, Francina ruffled. They had been biting themselves in trying to get to her. She still had a little hope of escaping and for that reason, she started crawling out of their surrounding. They pounced on her again, burying her beneath all over again.

WEE-EE POW!

I heard a sound of a gunshot. The animals shook and stood still. In between their legs, I could see Jim standing by. He had his gun pointed in the sky and smoke was still coming off from the tip of his gun. The animals would not move, instead they stood staring at him.

Jim quickly reached into bag, ruffled a little and then pulled out two fire breathing wands, fuel and a torch. He filled his mouth and torched. The animals started backing off in seeing all that fire he swung around. Francina was now clear to get up. She went and stood behind Jim. Together, they started stepping back towards the river. The animals kept a safe distance but they were following. Immediately, when he extinguished his fire, they started crawling the water to the other side.

Kali and his team had a much safer journey. They heeded the warning signs and they had taken a much longer way away from the safari. They were still far behind. They were in the forest. They had to be extra careful from the snakes and poisonous spiders. Kali found himself a friend—a baby monkey. It looked like it had been abandoned. “You have to leave that behind,” one man said to him. “The mother might come for it. You don’t want that thing to be found on you.” However, Kali found the monkey at a brink of death by the river bank, cold and starved. He cared for it until it was much better. He had no heart to leave it behind to die this time.

The man charged at Kali, “I said you have to leave it behind!” His name was Kamo, he was the self-acclaimed leader of their group. He was brutal and domineering. He was the biggest and most intimidating in his group. They all made peace with letting him be. After careful consideration—Kali knew he couldn’t fight and win against Kamo, and he knew that if he did not do as asked, they would leave him behind—Kali put the monkey down. He took few steps away but the monkey had already grown attached to the young man. Kali took more steps away—his heart was beginning hurt just by seeing the large ‘puppy eyes’ of the monkey. He felt dared and earnestly implored by the monkey to care for it.

Kali looked up at Kamo and he saw his glaring stare, he felt coerced to make a choice. A choice between two; he chooses the monkey and stays or he leaves it behind and gets to stick with them. Kali started shooing the monkey away. His safety was important too. He could not make it out alive alone with a monkey.

“You came back for me,” said Francina in stoic tone of voice—not making a big deal out of it. She was with Jim. Jim was tending to her scratches. The group had made a pause, they were resting and taking care of each other. Some had obtained leeches from crossing the water. “You were the last person I expected to see in that position. Tell me I read you wrong, you appeared to me quite crafty and capable,” said Jim. Francina had no words for his. She had a stern glare at the man who threw her off. She was a good one to hold grudges. It stung her even more to see him moved on—he was having his meat with his friend, laughing and telling stories.

I thought I wanted those two in my team but this is how they play, huh? I know, I’ll get them. In due time. But at the moment, I do need them in my team. Their craftiness might come in handy. They are muscular than all of us here. Oh, but I must remember keep myself safe around them—

“Have some, you guys,” Mbali had brought them some meat. “We caught rabbits and birds. How are you, by the way?” Mbali was addressing Francina. “I saw you put up a vicious fight even when down on your knees. Girl, you’re something.”

Jim interrupted, “How did you learn to run like that?”

“I don’t know. It’s a gift, I guess.”

They exchanged names yet again, this time they might remember each other. “That is Alamson and his cousin is Victor. And that is Jake, Cass…” Mbali pointed them out one by one in their distance. She had already made acquaintance with all of them.

So, his name is Alamson. And the cousin is Victor. Strong names for such strong characters. I am realizing that we have decreased in number, a whole lot now. When we started, our group was 20 but now, I’m seeing 12. This is bad.

They started smelling a fire and heat was rushing in fast. This explained why the animals in the forest were restless all afternoon. “We have to move!” Jim said to everyone. They began packing and quickly they dashed. The fire ate everything it went across and, left behind carcasses and ashes.

The fire was fuming and roaring loud. It was becoming hard to breath in that dust and heat. Soon, they felt they had nowhere to hide, they were far away from the river by now. They had to think of other means. They could see a hill upfront but it was, “Too far. We won’t make it!” warned Mbali. “We must find a wide piece of land free of plantation, maybe the fire will quickly blow away from there—”

“There’s a cave!” They all started running to the cave. Francina and Jim dragged along long piles of wet grass. They cut and pulled them from the ground near the small pond. They entered the cave, “Here,” they dished out the grass. “Cover yourselves. There’s gonna be a heat in here.”

Kali and his team had been running up the hill. They were exhausted already, they had no rest earlier as they had been trying to catch-up all afternoon. Meanwhile, the fire was charging fast. They were falling off and retrieving themselves. The fire getting closer. The heat could almost smoke them alive.