Gipiir and Labongo #15

By Ashley 

“ He must think he’s something, huh!” Adeke muttered through gritted teeth, “ All those stories are just getting to his head. Giant slayer my left eyeball! “ She spat out. “ Just a few days ago, he was raving like a lunatic about a ghost tormenting him in the forest. What a joke.”

Adeke suddenly stopped walking and gave a loud sigh. What was he thinking? He barely made it alive out of that cursed forest and he was going back? Who was he kidding? He surely must have lost it. Adeke yanked at the hem of her cloth, pulling it above her knees . She furiously kicked at a pebble, hurling silent insults at the foolish Gipiir.

“Why should I be worried?” She scoffed, “ If anything happens to that lunatic, I won’t feel sorry, I tell you! He is calling trouble to his own abode.”

                                                                                                     ***

Deep in the forest, a muffled growl was heard. It was a very low growl filled with misery and pain. As the forest trees danced in the wind and the flowers on every branch rustled, the cry did not cease, it only turned lower then went higher and shriller every passing second.

Katabani slowly walked around the dead creature. He had lost any sign of life in his eyes and as he lay in a pool of his own blood, Katabani could not help but feel proud of his creation. Yes, he had slit the throat of the USELESS monster, sealing it rather than watching it writhe in pain from the spear wound. This beast was meant to seal the deal, dead or alive. Katabani couldn’t care less. 

“You failed. The plan was simple and perfect and yet you failed!” He whispered, widening his eyes, making them pop out of their sockets. 

The body of the elephant was already starting to wither and wear away. The atmosphere around them filled with the stench of a decomposing body.  Had this beast thought he would never find it? Eying it with squinted eyes, he let out a low growl again. 

“This was meant to be perfect and you ruined it. How could you be so weak? He could not even wield a dagger!” shouted Katabani, slapping the body of the elephant with his fist.

He slowly lowered his body, leaning against the dead creature. The spear still stood tall, glistening as the rays of the sun struck it. Katabani let out a low chuckle that slowly turned into a hideous laugh. His shoulders shook along with his entire body . His mind traveled back to the time he followed the blood trace of this lousy beast. He had spent sleepless nights following its trail. The wound only enraged the beast with each passing minute and it turned wilder and wilder. 

Katabani had come face to face with this useless beast. His only aim was not to finish off the rogue but to retrieve what was most important to the crude and idiotic Labongo. As he had anticipated, the fears of the coward turned hero Gipiir came to pass and he was pushed into the middle of nowhere by his jealous brother just for a useless Spear. What kind of fool would believe that a decorated spear makes him King? 

“I am running insane here. I spent every single day and night right in this jungle, making the lousy Gipiir’s life a living hell,”  Katabani said, turning to look at the lifeless creature. His eyes traveled to the spear, his mouth twisting into a crooked grin. 

Laughing like a maniac, he thrust his body to the ground as he continuously thumped the ground with a fist.  He kept on rolling in the dirt, clutching his stomach which had begun to hurt from all the laughing.

“Did you hear him shouting his throat dry about a demon?” Katabani said in between his laughter, looking at the lifeless creature.

Gipiir was bound to return, not only for the spear but also for something Katabani had learned was way too important to Gipiir.  Looking at the small sling bag falling to his side, he quickly picked it up, sitting straight like a hunter that had spotted its prey. He opened it up with renewed eagerness and pulled out the bead. 

“There you are.” Katabani said as he raised the bead up above his head, his eyes following it with a renewed determination. He gave a ferocious laugh, wriggling on the ground like a worm trying to create its path into the underworld. His eyes gleamed with mischief as he sat right back up, tilting his head to one side, still smiling

“He will return. The fool will return for you.” He said, looking from the spear to the bead and back. 

Katabani stretched his body and gave one final nod before he stood on his limbs. He had to be ready for the return of the fool. This time, he had to finish this tribe off and leave every single one of them lifeless just like their greed had left his precious Nessi.

TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEDNESDAY