Undefeatable Courage

To my mother Phelis Naisiae ene Munke who gave me the best in life loving me unconditionally

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter One: Stopping the Lion

Chapter Two: Thieves in the Night

Chapter Three: The Cattle Raid in the Land Of Pusi Keek

Chapter Four: Grave Danger

Chapter Five: Your Sins Will Find You Out

Chapter Six: The Battle of the Lions

Chapter Seven: Surprise Attack!

Chapter Eight: Who First Speared The Lion?

Chapter Nine: A Journey to Nowhere

Chapter Ten: The Buffaloes Will Tell the Truth

Chapter Eleven: The Deadly Grip

Chapter Twelve: The Trickery of the Lions

Chapter Thirteen: Daring the Lions

Chapter Fourteen: Escapade with Wild Dogs

Chapter Fifteen: The Girl is Mine

Chapter Sixteen: The Priceof Innocence

Chapter Seventeen: The Ultimate Battle

Chapter Eighteen: The Buffalo Bull

Chapter Nineteen: The Fulfillment of True Love

Chapter One: Stopping the Lion

Senteu standing slightly less than six feet tall looked rather short and stocky for his build. With thick strong arms, broad shoulders and a powerful chest he cut the figure of a no nonsense burly man. Senteu was lean with not an ounce of fat visible on his strong muscular body.

Because of his high level of physical fitness and strong body, he looked like he could win a pull and push contest with a rhino any day. Carrying all his weapons together, he could run in full flight for several hours without stopping even once to catch his breath.

Masheri his brother was almost his complete opposite. Tall, thin and slender with long legs that looked like they could out run a giraffe, he had a lightweight body that looked like it could be blown up and about by the strong wind gales that often blew across the plains in Kitet. The powerful wind would move round and round in circles before finally disappearing into the horizon.

Senteu and Masheri had just brought their four hundred and eighty seven cows’ back home to their large enclosure. It was late in the evening and they were both feeling tired and worn out. They had been out grazing the animals the whole day in the Northern plains of Kitet driving the animals all the way to Olorroito hills to find good pasture.

Their father, Ole Rumas, immediately noticed the absence of Kujuka their big, long horned white bull. Young men, where is Kujuka? He asked urgently a worried look on his face.Hasn’t it made it back home today or is it my eyes playing games on me?

The startled young men were jolted back to full alertness by the new information. They hurried round the gathered animals looking frantically, trying to locate what they knew to be their father’s most favorite cow. They two understood how much he loved the bull and hoped against hope that they will find it among the gathered animals now standing silently in their wide enclosure. The bull had a special place in their father’s heart being the undisputed king of his herd. It was usually the first cow he checked on when the animals streamed into their enclosure in the evening.

It is not there, we can’t seem to find it! The young men shouted back not finding the big animal among the cattle despite repeatedly checking for it. Hurry and go look for it now before the sun sets!, The old man spoke to them urgently, Take the crossing through Olorroito River and make sure to comb the bushes near Shimelok before advancing to Olorroito hills. Hurry up before darkness sets in. For the lions may soon be out to make an evening meal out of my precious bull, God forbid! the old man said as he spat out.

Half running and half trotting, the two young men rushed out of the homestead holding their spears firmly in their hands. They both understood the urgency of their mission moving in a race against time. They covered ground with speed, prancing over the bushes, scanning the ground for the foot prints of a solitary cow.

They kept their heads low and their eyes wide open to pick out any signs of a solitary white animal roving alone in the plains. It was getting late and the setting sun cast long shadows on the silent pair moving fast across the plain.

They stopped occasionally to change direction each time they noticed a fresh foot imprint of a cow in the dusty plain. I truly hope we find the bull before the lions make a quick meal of it fat ribs! Senteu said looking at his brother in jest. Breathing hard, he stopped briefly to wipe away sweat from his brow with the back of his hand."

They rounded a bend and entered a small bush on the edge of Nareruk forest. The sudden laughter of a hyena nearby rang out and the two stopped to look around wondering where it was. They thought it must either be watching them or had seen something of interest. Slowing down, they walked into a small clearing that had an eerie silence.

Something did not just feel right about the place and the young men moved slowly. They walked in measured steps almost tiptoeing hardly able to breathe. In foreboding their bodies tensed up and the two men shuddered. Senteu bend his head low and held his spear up in his powerful arms not knowing what and where he was preparing to attack. He brought the spear to level at shoulder height holding it tightly in his right hand. He instinctively moved his left hand to feel for his sword strapped to his waist as if to assure himself that it was still there.

Just then the pair came face to face with a giant python that had swallowed a large male impala. The snake had not completely managed to swallow the animal and part of it was still in its mouth. It was spread huddled under a tree with the long horns of the impala protruding out of its mouth. They stuck out of the mouth of the now lethargic snake like sore thumbs facing the sky. The snake lay straight facing the direction of the oncoming young men. Mmhe! Senteu shouted as he spat out taking aim with his spear. Masheri quickly restrained him holding his hand.

The Impala is already dead so why bother? Let us not waste our time here getting distracted with such non issues as this was not part of our mission. Let’s us try to hurry and see whether we can find the bull when there is still a bit of light. For in a short while, our best efforts may soon come to naught.

He led him away pulling him by the hand as they made their way out of the clearing towards some bushes on the far end of the plain. As they walked, Senteu remarked, That python would bid its time by that tree for days. It will wait until the head of the impala begins to decompose. Because of the poison in its mouth the horns will fall off by themselves and then the snake will finally swallow the animal completely.

They had not moved far when they noticed a pride of lions creeping out of the bushes moving out spreading into an adjacent clearing. The big cats moved slowly looking regal as they trooped out from the woods into the open ground. Without saying a word the two men held their spears at the ready and moved away from the lions taking the opposite direction.

They moved quickly up to the edge of the forest aware that time was running out on them of ever finding their father’s beloved bull alive. The wild animals beginning to come out of their day time hibernation into the open meant trouble for a lone bull still loitering about unattended.

The two brothers knew this was the perfect time for the big predators to begin hunting. The cool evening breeze provided them with almost perfect conditions to run and leap on prey. A group of Grant’s Gazelles that were hiding under some bushes nearby broke into a run as the two men approached. I wouldn’t know how to face that old man today if we do not find Kujuka alive my brother, Senteu remarked. I don’t think I can face him at all empty handed.

They rounded a sharp bend and entered a small thicket and stood transfixed to the spot shocked by what they saw. For there before them was a lion spreading its front legs on top of a struggling Kujuka as it fought to get away from the vicious grip of the big cat.

The lion held the bull firmly at the back struggling to get to its neck as Kujuka kicked frantically trying to break loose from the grip of the lion letting out a cry of distress. "Moooohrgg!" the bull moaned pitifully with its mouth wide open obviously losing out the battle to its more powerful adversary.

It seemed the two men had arrived just in the nick of the time before the lion finally had its way. Without pausing to think Senteu leapt into the air and powerfully sent his black spear in a straight trajectory towards the lion. He almost hit target, the head of the lion but the weapon grazed through its left shoulder cutting through its flesh.

Because of the high velocity of the weapon, it would have made the head of the lion to explode if Senteu had hit perfectly. The weapon did not make sufficient penetration of the shoulder managing to only injure the left shoulder of the lion.

The Lion gave a painful shriek blood oozing from its shoulder and letting go of the bull. It looked straight at Senteu growling at him, sizing him up ready to face him. It jumped at him and hit him with its right paw in a vicious blow that send him sprawling flat on the ground.

Masheri took aim and send his spear towards the animal. He narrowly missed the right shoulder of the lion which stood up jolted by the new wave of attack as Senteu rose up from the ground. The lion leapt towards Senteu seeming more interested with him than his brother. It pounced knocking him to the ground once more sitting on his chest. The beast opened its mouth wide ready to swallow him whole.

Senteu lifted up his hand and courageously thrust it deep inside the mouth of the big cat. It moved to close its mouth to sever the young man’s limp and separate it from the rest of his body but to its utter dismay could not. However much it tried it could not get its jaws back together.

For unknown to the lion, Senteu’s hand held a short stick that he expertly placed inside the mouth of the lion to keep the jaws apart; the upper jaw up and the lower one down so that it could not get its jaws back together again. As the lion struggled with the stick in its mouth, Senteu took advantage of the beast’s momentary lapse in concentration to reach out for his spear one last time.

With his right hand, he powerfully drove the weapon through the right side of the animal in a move that shocked the lion. The sharp missile made deep penetration completely neutralizing the beast. The massive animal came down throwing its legs up and down falling on its side. Shortly after, it laid still eyes half closed completely motionless. For Senteu’s second blow had snuffed its life out completely.

It was long after dark with the moon shining bright in the horizon when they finally got home to their father. The children were busy playing, chasing each other noisily all over the compound laughing and screaming as they played in the moonlight.

The two were glad to have managed to bring the limping Kujuka home to their relieved father. The old man’s happiness knew no bounds when he set his eyes again on his beloved bull. The two were happy to have accomplished their mission successfully. They were glad to have won the race against time and saved their father’s bull from what seemed like an almost certain loss and delivering it back safely to him.

The old man began promptly attending to the wounds of his beloved bull as it lay by the entrance to Senteu mother’s house. He washed its wounds and applied a concoction of an open healing regimen of Oleparmunyo tree herbs mixed with pure oil from Empaleiki seeds. When he was done, the old man sat with the animal till late into the night gently stroking its neck talking to it, whispering words of encouragement to its ears. The moon continued to shine brightly in the cloudless sky illuminating the friendly pair completely oblivious of time. The two kept each other company as the night gradually wore on.

Chapter Two: Thieves in the Night

On the night of the second day after the encounter with the lion, Senteu and Masheri were asleep in their makeshift tent by the sheep pen. In the middle of the night; Senteu was awoken by creepy movements inside the sheep enclosure. He was certain that there were people inside the wide enclosure by the sound of moving feet he heard.

He held his breath and brought his ear down to listen keenly. He peeped inside and surmised that the men were quietly moving about obviously with ill intent. Senteu shook his brother Masheri sleeping next to him trying to wake him up.

Masheri was unmoving and continued snoring loudly and he squeezed him even harder to wake him up. He knew his brother to be a heavy sleeper and wanted to urgently alert him of the grave situation unfolding among the sheep. Senteu could clearly make out from his bed several shadowy figures moving slowly among the sheep. Their tent shared a common wall with the sheep pen. It was easy for him to peep through to look inside through the open crevices of the wood. Senteu craned his neck to get a better view to assess what was going on inside the wide enclosure.

He counted the people walking among the sheep and from his bed could see at least three people. They were walking in a ghostly, slow motion style like the spirits of the dead.

Masheri finally awoke startled and