Ten years ago...

"Faster!" Ruku barks the command, his voice cutting through the chaos. His workers obey, loosing arrows and hurling axes with frantic precision. The boar moves like a shadow, a blur of muscle and rage.

No one anticipated this---the sheer size, the unrelenting speed. It is not just a hunt. The hunted has become the hunter.

Ruku’s arrows sail over its head, useless against its charge. The boar's eyes lock onto him, its snout flaring with fury. It charges forward. Ruku falters, stepping back.

Suddenly, Ruku stops. His hands, his body, stay frozen, staring into the beast's relentless advance.

With a deep breath, Ruku closes his eyes. His face is strangely peaceful.

The worker beside him acts before the boar's rage consumes Ruku. He grabs Ruku by the arm and pulls him away, their steps pounding against the earth. "It’s too fast, it’ll catch us!" the worker yells, his voice sharp with panic. His breath comes hard and fast. "You shouldn’t have come to this hunt!"

He starts running away carrying Ruku.

An arrow finds its mark, sinking into the boar’s leg. The beast stumbles, but the wound only feeds its rage. It turns on the archer, roaring with pain and fury.

"Stop! It’s not after us!" Ruku shouts, his voice breaking through the worker's fear.

But the worker doesn’t stop. "I need to get you out of the danger zone!" he insists, his grip tight.

Ruku yells again, louder this time, commanding. "I said stop!"

The worker obeys, finally. He stays silent for a moment.

"I’m going back," The worker says, his voice firm now. "Stay here."

The boar, wounded and frightened, seems smaller now, its strength ebbing with every step. An arrow ends its suffering.

---

In Ruku’s house...

"I’m sorry I got angry with you yesterday," Ruku says, his voice softer now.

The worker waves it off. "No need to apologize. I was just..."

"Enough," Ruku interrupts. He studies the man, looking at his eyes. "What’s your name? Are you new here?"

The worker smiles, almost nervous. "Yes, I am Vimi, son of Vini."

The colour drains from Ruku's face. The name hangs in the air, sharp and heavy. He remembers, his taste.

Vimi notices the change. "Is something wrong?" he asks, curiosity tinged with concern.

"Your father," Ruku says, his voice faltering. "Is he...?"

Vimi shakes his head, the smile fading. "He’s not here anymore. He went missing when I was a kid."

Ruku knows. He knows where Vini is.

---

Now...

Nimina’s hands tremble as she draws the bowstring, the arrow aimed on Ulubu. "What are you doing here?" she demands, her voice cracking under the weight of anger and fear. Her eyes are wet, her breaths uneven.

Ulubu stands motionless, staring at her.

"Answer me!" she shouts, her voice rising. "Do you know what happens to..."

"I know, Mother," Ulubu says, his voice calm, steady.

Before she can react, Crimza bursts from the shadows, a force of nature. He grabs her wrists, his grip ironclad. The bow and the arrow clatter to the ground. She screams, but Crimza silences her with a hand over her mouth.

Ulubu steps closer, his face a mask of cold determination. "Aren’t you a rejected villager until I’m purified?" he asks, his words cutting. "Listen to me, Mother. This suffering, can end. Help us, and no more children will die."

His voice wavers, but only slightly. He steps closer, his eyes staring into hers. "That night," he begins, his tone heavy with sharp memories, "I was going to run away with her. But you stopped me."

Nimina breaks. Tears stream down her face, her cries quiet but piercing.

Ulubu watches her, his voice softening. "I don’t blame you, Mother. You were doing what you thought was right. But I know," his gaze unrelenting. "You’ve always regretted it." He says exhaling his pain.

Nimina's cries were always quiet, and Ulubu always ignored the sounds. But this time he can't.

Her cries stay silent, raw and unfiltered. But for the first time, Ulubu listens all  her pain.

---

Ilubu is on top of a tree, tied to a branch.