HIS HUNT

Self blame

“I am fine.” Even though I wasn’t fine, at that moment I wanted to ease her worries. “Where are Anu and Dada?” As if my question brought back bitter memories tears instantly filled her eyes once more. Her

reaction increased the fear in my heart, why is it so miserable when I mention Dada and Anu. No, they

can’t be dead, Anu promised me that they will return safely.

“Your dada was, protecting the Mus, then they he” She broke down and sobbed. Her cries made my

heart aches uncontrollably. I turned to the group of women and children she had escaped with searching my eyes through them but saw no shadow of my brother. This increased the heart ache in my heart.

“Mama were is Anu?”

“Anu” She repeated the name like she was to remember something important. “ Anu he went with the

other warriors to chase after the Saik (the invading tribe).”The Saik were a neighboring tribe to us. The

nature has always been brutal so our tribe doesn’t associate with them. We only see them during the

hunting competition held for all the eastern tribes once a year. They held a contempt towards our

warriors who have won the competition for two conservativetimes.Their tribe is very competitive

that’s why other tribes avoid hunting in the same grounds as them. Did they decide to attack us and

waken our warriors just before the hunting competition next month?

As we waited for the situation to settle, the sound of the victory drums sounded from the village.

Though we had grief of losing some of our loved ones, this sound brought peace to all our hearts.My

mother stood up and led me back to the village with hurried footsteps. I knew why she was in such a

hurry, she was in the self-denial about Dada’s death. Maybe she thought he was still alive and she saw it badly, I

couldn’t deny the fact that I also hope for that but reality has always been cruel.

Wars always bring nothing but grief, even after winning no one had a smile on their faces. Many had lost their loved ones to this unexpected event. But even if our deceased were important the death of

the Mus brought more grief. Dada and the Mus were dead,I broke down in tears knowing Dada would

never come back. This was my first time losing a loved one and I wished I would never have to experience this overwhelming grief again in my life.

After the war the Mus was sent to Guo first. The altar was prepared the next day and everyone

was grieving as the Mus’s body was brought forth and placed on a stack of wood. Endreta stood on the

altar in front of the stacks of wood and he started to chant the fare well prayer for those who are headed to Guo’s embrace. The Mus’s eldest son set the stack of wood on fire when the Endreta lifted his hands

in the air to show the spirit of the Mus the way to Guo’s domain. He had to remain in that position until

the whole body is burnt to ashes. The ceremony ended in the evening and the rest of the deceased was sent to Guo the following day.

Though I had grief for my Dada’s death the death of the Mus didn’t have much impact on me. He was a

violent man that was to marry, now that I think about it today was meant to be my marriage ceremony

but it instead turned into a burial for my to be husband. It’s really ironic, I didn’t want this marriage and had prayed for Guo to save me from it but the consequences of my request is the loss of my Dada. When I

thought about it this way, I felt the blame of my Dada’s death way in my heart.