Ain Ghazal: Accounts of a Gazelle-man
By Son Rhandi
Chapter 01: "Enkidu: Son of a Chôjin"
The little gazelle ran as fast as his tiny legs could carry him, the tall, savannah grasses whipping his body as he stampeded through them. Frantically, he called out for his father with tears in his eyes, the cheetah closing in and closing in fast. He suddenly felt himself tripped up and tumbling in the grass. The cheetah had taken a swipe at his foot and was coming around for another pass. Little Enkidu wailed. Why didn't he listen to his father and stay out of the tall grasses?
"Antler Fist!"
Two long spikes invaded the cheetah's skull and the cat dropped dead on the spot. The assailant looked over the predator thoughtfully, then turned his gaze to the small child, who was quivering in the dirt. He knelt to the small child. "Are you all right, Enkidu?"
The gazelle child look up. "Daddy..!" He leapt into his father's arms.
Daggerhorn returned the embrace. "Well, you seem all right. But, Enkidu…" He pulled the boy away from him. "Didn't Daddy tell you time and time again not to play in the tall grasses? Do you understand why now?"
The fawn nodded, tears still rolling down his reddened cheeks. "Daddy didn't tell you that to be mean," Daggerhorn continued. "There are lots of predators that hide in the grass. You can't see them, but they can definitely see you, so that's why you need to stay away from there. If something bad happened to you, it would make Daddy very sad."
"Are you mad..?" He sniffled, little ears drooping.
"No. I'm just glad you're safe…" He took a large thumb and wiped away his son's tears. "Daddy's right here, so you don't have to cry anymore. When you're a grown-up, you can play in the grass all you want, but until then, be a good boy and listen to Daddy, okay?" He hoisted Enkidu onto his shoulder, eliciting a giggle from the child. "Now, let's be on our way. We're supposed to meet Uncle Lionardo at the village, remember?"
He remembered. Lionardo wasn't really his uncle, but a good friend of his father's. He was a bit of a grump, but that was what he found funny about him. At a fresh five years of age, Enkidu was a genuinely happy child. Everyday as a day to learn something new. His father taught him many things: how they were related to the gazelles on the grasslands, when to expect rain, how to tie his shoes (a thing he was still working on)… In his little mind, his father was the greatest in the galaxy. No, in the universe!
Daggerhorn's ears shifted. Cattle mooing, chickens clucking, and what sounded like Swahili dialect… They were coming up on the village. Little Enkidu could hear it, too. "We're getting closer, Daddy," he chirped.
"That's right, son," his father replied, finding humor in Enkidu's statement of the obvious. The reception was always a warm one upon entering Norongdo Village, one of the many small villages dotted throughout the grasslands. Its ebony-skinned people threw out their greetings, welcoming one of Tanzania's most famous Chôjin wrestlers into their borders.
Daggerhorn's ears shifted again, this time to a deep, resonating voice toward the back of the village near the cattle pens.
"There now, keep those cattle filed straight..!" A masculine voice boomed. "It's a long trek through the Masai Mara, so we don't need any of the animals wandering off..!"
"Lionardo! Hello!"
The fellow turned around. A wide grin overtook his lion's face. "Daggerhorn and little Enkidu…" Lionardo plucked Dagger's fawn from his shoulder and licked his cheek in a cat kiss. Enkidu giggled wildly. Uncle Lionardo's tongue tickled quite a bit despite its sandpaper-like roughness.
"It's good to see you two again," said Lionardo. "But what's this? You look as though you've been crying, Enkidu."
"Little man was almost gobbled up by a cheetah earlier." Daggerhorn folded his arms. "He was playing in the tall grasses just like he wasn't supposed to…"
"Oh, now, Enkidu… Even I've told you how dangerous it is to play in the tall grasses…" He sat the child in the crook of his arm. "There are lots of animals just waiting for a chance to have a cute little guy like you for dinner. Even your ol' uncle might if he got hungry enough…"
Enkidu covered his uncle's cold, wet nose with his tiny, white hand. Lionardo snapped his equally white teeth playfully in response. "The other children were asking about you earlier. Go play, and be sure to stay in the village."
Lionardo set the child down gently and sent him on his way. Enkidu waved a goodbye to his father and uncle before dashing off to find his playmates. "I see you've been busy this morning," said Daggerhorn, watching the cattle as they passed by.
Lionardo nodded. "Yes. These cattle are going to market. I'm just helping with the start of the drive."
"Well, they seem fat enough, so fetching a good price for each of them should be too difficult."
The lion smoothed out his mane. "Cattle aside, I wanted to speak with you about Enkidu."
Dagger's ears perked up. "What about him?"
"I wanted to know if you'd begun training him yet."
The buck looked back at his friend quizzically. "Training? For what?"
Lionardo smacked his forehead. "For what?! For Chôjin wrestling, of course!"
"No, none. I doubt the boy has even heard the word 'Chôjin' before. I haven't told him anything about you or myself regarding that. I don't know if I ever will."
"Heavens, man! Why not?! If he were my son, I'd do nothing but go on about how we were the most famous tag team in the country!"
"Well, he isn't your son," Daggerhorn kindly reminded him. "…I don't want him getting involved in Chôjin wrestling. I'm afraid that if he finds out that part of my history, he'll want to become a wrestler. As you and I well know, it's far from just regular competition. I don't want that sort of dangerous life for him."
"I can appreciate your concern for the boy, Dagger," Lionardo began, stroking his whiskers. "But things are getting worse in our home of Tanzania. The government and its people can't see eye to eye on certain hot topics, so there have been rebel factions popping up left and right in the larger cities. We both know that a Justice Chôjin's place is with the people, but innocent civilians are dying because of these scuffles. Because there's no end in sight for this, we need as many in the Guard as possible to quell the uprisings. …It's been hard since you left to raise Enkidu, but I understand entirely."
"…I just don't want to lose my son. He's all I have left of…" The buck trailed off, turning his back to the lion. "But anyway, I want the decision to be Enkidu's. I won't force him into it."
"Well, if Enkidu does decide to become a Chôjin wrestler, I already have his paperwork ready at the Chôjin All-Boys Academy. All you have to do is sign the papers and he's in. When he's older, that is."
Daggerhorn nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Django."
"Hey now… I told you before not to call me by my real name. It just isn't as cool at 'Lionardo'."
The crimson stag released a hearty chuckle. "Fine, then. Thank you, Lionardo."
"Better! Better! But I see now where your son gets his ability to do as he's told..!"
Daggerhorn punched the lions shoulder half playfully and bid his farewell to his former partner. Lionardo hadn't expressed it before, but he was a little annoyed with his friend. He could understand having to leave the Tanzania Chôjin Guard to raise his son after the death of his wife, but it was his duty as a Justice Chôjin to protect humanity. How long was he going to ignore it?
