The rumble of the volcano could be heard early in the morning. The second rumble would wake him up even in the deepest of slumber. His village was situated at the foot of the volcano. The vibrations that reverberated through the Earth moved the whole village. He always wondered why the great heroes that defined their existence choose to settle at the base of a volcano. In the same breath, the earth was warm from the lava that brew within it. Living near a volcano was not bad. Like God, the power of the volcano was felt. But unlike God, they saw the power of the volcano. But like God too, at any moment in time, the volcano could erupt and erase them from history. About twelve minutes later, a third rumble hummed through the clear sunny skies. He knew it was time to get up.
He lived alone in this thatched hut. A modest hut for a single man who had no woman to care for him. A modest hut for a man who lived in the “middle” all his life. He was not the strongest hunter, but he was not the weakest either. He was not the richest man in the village, but he was not the poorest either. He was a middleman between success and failure. He had advised some of his friends to success and he had advised some of his friends to failure. He was the gatekeeper that led people to their heavens or to their eternal hell.
He figured that everyone has a role to play in life and that was his role. Yet in his heart, there was a void. A void that brewed like the volcano that marked their village. A void that grew with intensity each passing year. A void that boiled over from time to time, spewing out emotional outbursts and frustrations. Like the volcano, it was only a matter of time before he erupted.
Today was the Night of the Jaguar. One night that the young men of the village went into the forest south of their village. It was called the night of the jaguar because it is believed that the village’s founding father used a pack of jaguars to overcome the savages that lived in the area. The jaguar was the village’s most sacred and respected animal. It was customary that the Chief to own a jaguar. A male jaguar as a female one would breed cubs. These cubs would be stolen by uncultured men.
“Come on, let’s go,” yelled his friend as he walked past his hut. His friend was one of the elite warriors of the village. His spear was marked with eight feathers of the hawks that flew in the forest. The total number of feathers that a warrior of the village would get on his spear was ten. Each feather represented 100 deaths that a warrior had inflicted in battle. After 1000 deaths, a warrior’s spear will be remade with a light material that’s infused with bronze to give the spear a beautiful burnt orange colour. This light material was a secret to the blacksmiths that made weapons for the village. If the warrior obtains ten more feathers on his spear, his spear will be remade again. The spear will have the light material as well but will be infused with bits of pure gold. This is to mark the warrior’s feat of killing 2000 men in battle.
Only one man had surpassed 20 feathers in their modern history. It was the 68-year-old Chief of the village. His spear was made with the secret light material and infused with a special ore that is only found in the village. This special ore was available at certain pockets around the foot of the volcano. When melted into a spear, it gave a dark yet radiant shade of black. The Claw of the Jaguar was the name of the spear. It was said that only three men in the village’s long history had achieved the incredible feat of obtaining the Claw of the Jaguar. It was the founding father of the village, the son of the founding father and the current Chief.
He joined his friend as they walked to the village square. From the square, the elders would instruct them about The Night of the Jaguar. Traditionally, the young men would be led by elders who had endured the trials and tests of The Night before. However, for the past 16 years, the village had enjoyed great peace. This peace had caused the village elders to focus their efforts on other areas of their village. The elders were focused on transforming their village into a transformative and revolutionary village. It was in that transformative and revolutionary spirit that for the first time in the history of the village, women would be part of The Night of the Jaguar. About 20 minutes later, they arrived at the village square.
The pride of the village: the village square. The priests prayed over the village every week. They say that it is where the founding father stood with the head of the savage king that ruled the terrain before. The priest sacrificed a chicken every three days to maintain the blood stains that dripped from the head of the savage king. A custom that stood the test of time. The blood stains were dead in the centre of the square and were heavily guarded by 4 warriors who wielded bronze spears.
As he and his friend settled in with the rest of the group in the square, the Commander-in-chief of the Chief’s personal army took to the podium to address the young men and for the first time, young women for the night’s proceedings. Twenty of the Chief’s warriors circled the podium. They moved swiftly around the podium. The claws of hawks wrapped around their ankle clucked as they took their positions around the podium. Only the royal army could wear the hawk’s claws around their ankles.
The Commander-in-chief of the royal army took to the podium. A proud and brave man he was. He was the village’s second in command. It said that it was because of his intellect that he got to the position that he was. His spear was the same hardwood as a regular warrior’s. It had no feathers. However, the Chief said on many occasions that it was because of the Commander-in-chief’s strategic thinking that enabled the village to protect its sovereignty in the modern world.
He wondered whether that was the same fate that awaited him. Those close to the Royal House say that the Commander-in-chief was never the strongest nor was he the weakest. Even from childhood, they say that the Commander-in-chief and the Chief had a special friendship. They knew, between the two of them, who would become chief. From those days of their childhood, the Chief already had a commendable presence. He was strong, tall and feared no men. But he lacked the mental fortitude to utilise his God-given attributes wisely. And that’s where his friend, his Commander-in-chief came into play.
He looked at his friend and realised that they share a similar fate. His friend was strong, tall and feared no man. He led the army from the front along with the generals and captains. He was the one who would lead the men in their weekly hunt for wild boar. They would meet at night time when his friend would tell him about the exploits of the day. And through him, his friend would see his mistakes and learn from them. Like the Commander-in-chief and the Chief, he was a whetstone that sharpen his friend’s God-given attributes. As the thought dwelled in his mind, the booming voice of the Commander-in-chief halted him into attention.
“Today is the Night of the Jaguar. As told by the elders over millennia of our proud history, it was a pack of 18 jaguars that gave the Founding Father victory over the giant savages that ruled these lands. Those beasts of men were cannibals who eat the intestines of men they defeated. They were cruel, despicable and without reproach. The Founding Father did the world a favour to get rid of them. Only a handful remain with us today. They lack the number to rear their ugly heads in the world again. And we, the children of the Jaguar, will ensure they never do.
Today was the day that the Founding Father held the head of their King at the centre of this square. We commemorate this feat by going into the forest. We commemorate this feat by spending an entire night in the forest. The forest is home to the jaguars that gave us this land. Tonight, we spend time with them. If any of you kills a jaguar, you will suffer the Million Cut death under the hands of the Executioner. If any of you steals a jaguar, your fingers will be sliced until you bleed to death. If any of you is eaten by a jaguar, it means you had the blood of a savage and the jaguar smelt your rotten scent.
Listen to the elders as they select who’s going with whom. For the first time, we have women with us. These women have shown their strength when it came to diplomacy. What they lacked in physical strength, they compensated with oratory skills with fellow villages. They have earned the right to partake in tonight’s commemoration of what identifies us as a people.
Go to the forest with proud hearts. Remember, we are the children of the jaguar!” The Chief-in-Commander proclaimed.
The royal warriors struck their spears on the ground signalling that the Commander-in-chief has spoken. The elders emerged from the back of the podium. They were twenty of them. They were to lead a group of 10 men and women. Each elder took to the podium and announced who’ll be part of each other’s group. He stood with his friend waiting to be called. The fifth elder took to the podium and called his friend. A ping of sadness struck his heart. He wondered why he was left out. They were inseparable. Even in the hunting squads, everyone knew that they moved as pairs. He didn’t like the feeling of separating from his friend. But he understood that some journeys in life require a man to take them alone.
At last, the last elder took to the stage. He was the eldest of the elders. He was not called yet so he knew that by default, he would be part of the eldest elder’s group. The eldest elder was not the strongest of the elders. But even at his incredible age, he was not the weakest either. Perhaps this was fate talking with him for the Commander-in-chief was a student of the eldest elder. Under this man’s wisdom, he would learn what it means to be a thinker. For he knew that this was the fate that waited for him.
The eldest elder looked long and hard at his group. His group was made up of six men and four women. This seemed not to bother the elder. He told them that for the night, the women will lead the group and the men will follow. They would form pairs between women and men. He said that he wanted one man to walk with him. As an old man, he needed help in case he got attacked by a wild animal. That left one man without a partner. And that man was him. The women all went for the stronger men. The elder handpicked the strongest of the men to walk with him. It was the first time in his life that he was singled out. It was the first time in his life that he felt inferior.
“Don’t be dismayed young man,” the elder told him,” even the Commander-in-chief had to walk alone during his time when he walked the Night of the Jaguar.”
The elder walked off holding on to his cane. The strongest man in the group walked two steps behind him. It was already night-time so he knew that he did not have time to go back to his hut. He was glad that he had taken everything that he needed. He was prepared for the trip. He was upset, though, that he had packed an extra slab of boar meat for his friend. Now he wasn’t sure what to do with it. It was too hot to risk leaving the meat out. It would spoil and he was not looking forward to hunting earlier than expected. He figured perhaps he would give it to the eldest elder. However, he felt that would be disrespectful. Not that the elder would know but the fact that he would know that the gift was an afterthought made him feel guilty. He decided he’ll use it as bait if he came across a jaguar.
A jaguar. He has only seen it roaming the garden of the Royal House. What would he do if he came across one? The Command-in-chief was clear as crystal what would happen if he killed one. The death of the Executioner’s signature Million Cut death was the worst torture in the village. It said that the Executioner learnt the signature death when two savages attempted to raid the village. It would take a handful of savages to totally ransack the whole village. On that day, two of the savages entered the village. One was killed by the Chief himself and the other was captured. Even though he was taught from an early age that the 8 feet tall people who monstrous beasts who were uncultured, he never forgets the fear he saw in the captured savage’s eyes.
For a month, the captured savage was tied to a pole near the village square for the people to see. He was still a teenager, but he still remembers the fear in that savage’s eyes. All his life, he was told grotesque stories about these people. These people were fit to be called savages. But they were people nonetheless. And on that day when the savage stood tall on the pole, hungry and deprived of water for three days, fear emitted through his eyes. On the fourth day, the savage was no longer in public view. It said that for 10 days, he suffered the worst imaginable death known to man; the Executioner’s Million Cut death.
Walking from behind, he thought to himself that he should not be thinking about the savages. He should not be thinking about seeing jaguars. He realised that he should rather be thinking about the night. He tried not to think about his friend. This was a journey that he had to walk alone. Even in spirit, he had to separate himself from his friend. He understood the task at hand. He understood that only a few are selected to commemorate the village’s most important event. This event that happened once every twelve years, he knew that he was honoured to be selected. He did not know what were the merits that granted him the opportunity, but he was thankful. At that moment, he knew that he would waste the experience by thinking about anything else other than himself.
As the sun began to set, they reached the mouth of the forest. Distant roars could be heard echoing through the trees. Birds dispersed with each roar that reverberated through the forest. The volcano had seized rumbling. It was like it knew that it was time for the villagers to embrace their tradition. He noted that they were the only ones there. The other groups were nowhere to be seen. He figured perhaps they entered the forest through our points. He thought they would only venture into their separate ways only once they were in the forest. But in any case, this was his journey to take. Even though he was part of a group, he knew that he was taking the journey alone.
“Children of the jaguar, I will not be joining you. I will stay with this brute,” said the eldest elder.
He then turned to the strong man who was standing with him and said, “trust me, you do not want to enter into the forest for if you meet a jaguar, you will be tempted to overcome it with your sheer physical strength. You are safer with me.”
He looked back to the rest of the group and said, “the pairs of women and men. Trust each other. Talk with another. Work together. If not, one of you, if not both, will not survive. And you, young man. Trust in my wisdom. Trust in the fact I knew what I was doing to single you out. You walk alone. You will be okay.”
He went further to tell them how to navigate the forest. He told them about the markings on certain trees that indicated what was in certain sections of the forest. He told them that if they met another group and if their respective elder allowed it, they can join them. The same if another group came across them, he said that it was okay for them to join them. However, the elder kept singling him out.
The elder told him that he must walk the journey alone. He told him that when they come across the third tree that had the mark of the turtle, he should turn right. From there onwards, he will have to find a way out of the forest alive. He told him that if he encountered another group, he must offer something to them and continue walking alone. If another group encountered him, he should give something as well and continue walking alone. Under no circumstances should he be with another person that night. Those were his orders and he must obey them. He was baffled and confused. Again, he wondered why he was singled out. As he was contemplating his thoughts, the elder instructed them to enter the forest.
The sun had set and the night sky was littered with glimmering stars. The moon shone with a crescent illuminance. The group walked slowly into the mouth of the forest. Everyone was afraid. There was a palatable fear that thickened the air. He saw how both man and woman clutched their hands firmly together. He was alone at the back of the group. He had no hand to hold. Didn’t the elder understand that he’ll be scared too? Didn’t the elder understand that he needed someone to share the fear with? The weight of the night rested on his shoulders. He walked heavily behind the group as they entered the village.
Distant roars and screams of unseen animals echoed through the air. The tall trees formed a canopy that hid the night sky. In every direction he looked, there was a sparkle of light that was accompanied by a sound. He knew that it was shadows of trees and shrubs. But he also knew that it could be reflections of a predator on the hunt. As they continued walking, they reached the third tree. The woman walking in front of him looked at him.
She gently cupped his hands and said, ”you’ll be okay.”
She kissed his hand and continued on walking with her partner. He stood by the tree. Fear raptured his lungs as he found it difficult to breathe. He wanted to yell to the group to leave him but the apprehension of the situation choked him. He looked as the group ventured deeper into the forest. A monkey howled in the distance. Like a drop of water drizzling unexpectedly on one’s back, he turned searching for the noise. Nothing but darkness lay before him. He knew that dancing with fear will not save him. He tied his bag tighter to his back. He took his first step towards the right of the turtle marked tree.
As he walked deeper into the forest, he realised that it wasn’t as scary as he thought. The road was made smooth by those who walked it before. For some strange reason, the journey was straight and clear. He thought he would be lost or would have to resort to his navigational knowledge to walk through the forest. Instead, the path was clear. Each second tree he passed had the marking of the turtle inscribed into it. When he looked up, he realised that the trees did not form a canopy like at the entrance of the forest. And so, light shone on his path. He felt less scared. He felt less confused. He thanked the elder for instructing him to walk alone. In the solitude, we began finding meaning in his life.
He realised that he lived life in tomorrow and not in the now. And that prevented him from living life. In the hopes and dreams of tomorrow, in the present, we experience frustration and disappointment. Disappointment comes from living in the dreams we see in our minds that do not correlate with the reality we see with our eyes. Frustration comes from not fulfilling the desires of our hearts. And so, most of his life he spent living unfulfilled desires that were birthed in living in a dream that did not exist.
As he was walking, the cold breeze focused him to appreciate his existence. The cold has the power to let a person focus on the now. If the tips of your fingers are cold, your mind will focus on the tips of your fingers. You will feel the cold dance around the tips of your fingers and your mind will try to find a way to warm your fingers. Feeling the cold on the tips of your fingers focuses your mind on the present and current situation.
This was what he was feeling. At that moment, he realised that he was living in the moment. And in living in the moment, he came to appreciate that he was where he was supposed to be in life. He could not dream about being the next Chief-in-commander. The position was not predestined. If he lived life hoping to be the next Chief-in-commander, he would miss the calls of his own destiny. Destiny talks with us in subtle ways. Destiny talks to humans through their passions and loves. If he lived in the dream of being the Chief-in-commander, he could miss the passions and loves that gave him purpose in the present.
He slowly got to understand why the eldest elder instructed him to walk the journey alone. Perhaps through experience, the elder could see the problems of his mind. He realised that he would not have been able to find peace in his presence as he was. He knew that if he walked with his friend, he would be a step behind him so to take refuge in his strength and bravery. He knew that if he was walking with one of the women, he found himself gravitating toward her beauty and miss the splendour of the evening. As his heart was filling up with gratitude and appreciation for life, a rumbling growl reverberated through the trees of the forest.
Like an animal caught by a sudden trap, he quickly turned around. The colour of his skin faded into a ghostly white. Fear seized his heart as he looked at his worst nightmare. Moulded in the darkness of the night, all he saw were golden eyes staring at him. He could tell by the contrast of different shades of black that those eyes were of a black jaguar. The animal dominated the aura. The air was saturated with the fear induced by its presence. The animal stood still. He stood still too.
The jaguar growled a second time. The low baritone of the animal tore the intense fear that was in the air. He blinked and looked straight at the animal. It was like he removed the scales that clouded his vision. As he looked into the eyes of the animal, he realised that the animal was not scared. He realised that the animal looked at him with bewilderment. Like the village children that looked at the men who brought elephants to the village once a year, the animal looked at with intrigue.
The animal was not afraid. And because of this, he was not afraid too. He remembered the slab of meat that he had in his bag. Without losing sight of the animal, he careful untightened his bag to extract the slab of meat. The jaguar still looked at him with the same intrigue. He carefully grabbed the meat and threw it at the animal.
The jaguar looked at the meat. The meat landed with a loud thud as it hit the ground. The animal step backed. It looked down at the meat. Without even smelling it, the jaguar looked back at him. It gave a long yawn and turned around. It walked away without taking the meat.
Little did he know that from a distance, high up in the trees, the Chief-in-commander sat looking at the whole sequence unfold. Little did the villagers know that the forest was divided into. The jaguars were heavily guarded in the north by an army of 800 warriors with golden spears. These men protected the jaguars and prevented them from entering the south of the forest. The south of the forest they shared with other villages. The jaguar was too important an animal to ever allow another village to steal or even see. The jaguar that looked at the young man belonged to the Chief.
For the past three months, the Chief-in-commander had seen the young man guide his friend. He had seen how he would give him strategies to hunt better and avoid injury in conflict. The Chief-in-commander took interest in the young man as he saw a younger version of himself in him. And leading to The Night of the Jaguar, he asked his former mentor and teacher to take him for the night.
He noticed that the young man lacked confidence in his stride. More accurately, he noticed that the young man lacked confidence in himself. It seemed to him that the young man was preoccupied with what should instead of what was. Like gazing at the moon, the young man missed the heavenly glory around it. Before he could take him personally under his wing, he had to cultivate the young man to begin believing in himself. He had to make the young realise that where he is in his life, is where he was supposed to be. The river does not flow knowing it will reach the sea. The river merely flows where its streams lead it.
The young man had to learn to trust that his God-given gifts will lead him to the sea of abundance. But until that time, he would have to break through unexplored pastures and toughened terrain. On this night, it seemed a stream of hope began to flow in him. By offering the jaguar the piece of meat, he was beginning to understand the powers that rest in him. He looked at the Chief. The Chief merely nodded.
The young man continued walking along his path. He felt appreciation that he encountered a jaguar. He felt appreciation that he had looked into the eyes of the descendent of the animal that gave their people land to live on. He thanked the eldest elder for instructing him to walk alone. He thanked the Heavens for granting him the gift to be with a jaguar. He felt a surge of hope well in his heart. For the first time, he was not living in the purgatory of yesterday and tomorrow. He was in the moment.
He felt alive.
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