The Mark of a Hunter
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NKOSANA kneeled down on the soggy ground and tilted his chin a bit upwards to look the chieftain in the eye.
The tribe around them hummed a wordless melody and stamped on the ground in an increasing rhythm, being so powerful it made Nkosana's heart beat faster. The adrenaline rushed through his veins, it was almost impossible to keep his hands still that laid in his lap.
The chief observed his son for a moment, his eyes as unreadable as the dark rivers that ran through the jungle. Then, he took the bowl with red paint in one hand and raised his other to silence the tribe. In an instance, the song decreased and a silence fell over the village.
'Nkosana, today you have turned twenty-two,' the chieftain began, his deep voice almost mesmerizing. 'To prove yourself worthy of becoming the tribe's next chieftain, you must capture a Mรปmak. Do you accept this challenge?'
Nkosana took a deep breath to fight away the lump in his throat. 'I do,' he answered.
The chief dipped his index and middle finger in the red paint and drew a pair of lines over his son's face, from his forehead to his chin. The mark of a hunter.
Nkosana got back on his feet and called forth four of his friends, the ones he had asked to help him with this difficult task. They stepped forward and with no hesitation, they kneeled down in front of the chieftain to receive the mark as well.
'May Arom be with you,' the chief said as the five hunters grabbed their gear and made their way through the village. The huts were all built on high poles to keep most wild animals out and the roofs were made of huge leaves of ferns to protect the inside of the homes from the monsoon rains. Lianas hung between the huts, functioning as swing for the younger children.
Nkosana and his friends reached the end of the village and for a moment, the young man faltered in his pace. It had seemed unreal before, but now it really was here. In front of him, where the actual jungle started, rays of sunshine fell through the foliage, creating beautiful patterns on the ground. It looked peaceful and he'd tell himself not to worry as he had captured Mรปmakil before, but this time he was only allowed to have five hunters in stead of the usual twenty.
'Nkosana?' Nyah asked, worriedly.
'I'm alright. I just hope our plan will work.' His father had refused to tell him how he had captured a Mรปmak with limited men, as he should figure it out for himself. Nkosana had come up with an idea, but this would be the first time they'd put it to a test.
'It will work,' Nyah said with a sparkle of determination in her brown eyes. The two of them had been friends since the day she'd been born, resulting in the fact she had even more faith in him than in their chieftain.
Nkosana smiled thankfully and picked up his pace again, swinging the bag filled with thick ropes further on his back. He kept the spear in his hand and gestured to his friends they'd run from now on. They had much ground to cover as the nearest Mรปmakil herd was spotted north of the jungle. The village, however, was located in the South-East.
It took the group of hunters a few days to reach the northern part of the jungle but finding the trail of the Mรปmakil wasn't hard at all. The beasts were huge; an adult male could be fifty feet high.
Nkosana ushered the others to be quiet as he pointed towards something in the distance. For a moment, it looked like a group of tree trunks, until several moved and the illusion was broken. They had found their herd of Mรปmakil.
Each time a mud-grey coloured Mรปmak put down its foot, all of the ground vibrated and thrilled down to the very core of the Haradrim hunters. The majestic beasts strolled through the jungle as if nothing could touch them. Occasionally, the leader of the herd used its four curled tusks to bring down a small tree whenever the path wasn't broad enough. However, not even the great Mรปmak was able make its way through the ancient trees when it stood in their path, forcing them to go around it.
For a few hours, the group followed the herd as silently as possible. The Mรปmakil were widely known for their bloodlust and Nkosana didn't want to take the risk of being noticed before the circumstances were right. They wouldn't stand a chance against the herd if they decided the five Haradrim were a threat.
The sun reached her highest point in the sky and the sound of running water grew stronger. A small smile appeared on Nkosana's face, this was the opportunity they had been waiting for. The trees by the riverbed were strong.
The herd stepped on shore while the hunters stayed hidden in the jungle but the sight in front of them made them stare in awe. Before them laid a river, almost three hundred feet broad and on their right in the distance, it debouched into a waterfall; the water crashing down with much violence.
The leader of the Mรปmakil stepped into the water and slowly made its way towards the other shore, sinking until its back was under water while doing so. One by one, the Mรปmakil followed their leader.
'The gods are with you,' Nyah whispered.
Nkosana nodded reluctantly. He wouldn't thank the gods until they had actually succeeded, though.
He followed the Mรปmakil with his eyes until there were only two left standing on their side of the shore. He and Nyah each climbed into a different tree and took out the ropes in their bags, tying them around the firm looking tree trunks.
Nkosana gave the rope a few nudges to test the knot and created a lasso at the other end. Behind him he heard the splashing sound of the second to last Mรปmak entering the river and while taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he gave the three hunters who were still on the ground the signal to move forward.
His friends jumped out of the tree line of the jungle and shouted meaningless things to get the attention of the last Mรปmak on the shore. Furiously, the beast blew through his trunk and stamped on the ground, screaming one more time and then set out in pursuit.
As fast as they could, the three hunters ran back to jungle, to the exact place as to where Nkosana and Nyah were hiding in the trees.
The tramping sound of the Mรปmak closing in, thundered in Nkosana's ears and overruled the sound of his heavily pounding heart.
'Now!' he yelled when the beast was almost on the path beneath their trees. He and Nyah tossed their lassos towards the tusks. Quickly, they let go of the ropes as with a whack, it was as tightly strung as a bow string.
The Mรปmak was forced to stop, yanked back by the ropes around its tusks.
Before it was able to break lose, the other three threw their lassos as well and Nkosana grabbed his spear. He jumped down on the beast's head but when his boots made contact, the Mรปmak screamed and threw back his head, almost causing Nkosana to fall off of it. He let himself fall on the top of its head and clawed his nails in its sporting-thick skin, only barely managing to keep the spear in his hand.
'Do it, now!' Nyah commanded who had climbed down to help control the Mรปmak.
Carefully and on guard, Nkosana slipped to one side of the head and pricked with his spear a hole through the beast's ear. Without it, they would be unable to master it.
Scarlet red blood dripped down on the earth and the eyes of the Mรปmak grew a shade darker, the bloodlust unleashing. It raised itself upright on its hind legs and for a moment, the ropes seemed to hold but then a snapping sound split the air.
The Mรปmak broke lose and Nkosana let out a heartbreaking scream as his friends disappeared beneath the beast's heavy feet. It felt as if the scream had torn open his vocal cords and as the tears ran down his face, Nkosana pulled himself back on the top of the Mรปmak's head.
This monster didn't deserve to live. He lifted his spear high in the air but before he could bring it down, the beast grabbed him with its trunk. His heart missed a beat and the spear fell out of his trembling hands.
The Mรปmak squeezed his ribs together and as Nkosana gasped for air, it lifted him up and held him in front of its eyes.
The young man stared into them, the icy flames in its pupil sending shivers down his spine and making him feel smaller as ever, but then he was flying through mid-air.
In a terrifying speed, the bark of a tree came closer and closer until there was nothing else than an endless void of blackness.
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published: 12th of february, 2019
word count: 1.539
tags: GerithorDunedain Silvan_Elleth
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