Chapter Seven

The lives of Taiwo and Keyinde became nothing to write home about after the demise of their mother. They wandered deeper into the woods like a lost hunter. They walked for many days with little or no food and water to satiate their thirst and hunger.

Keyinde: Taiwo please let's have a rest here. We've been walking all day with no food and water and no animal came our way because we're already lost in this part of the forest and no animal can come here except for the big snakes. Please let's take a rest before we fall out of weakness and hit our heads on hard rocks.

He sighed as he heeded his sister's advice.

Taiwo: Let's rest on that tree trunk and maybe sleep there for the night.

Keyinde: Okay....... what are we going to eat? We've not eaten anything for days now.

Taiwo: Wait here let me go find some fruits for us.

Keyinde: Okay!! Please be quick oooo I can't bear to loose you too

He kissed her on her forehead.

Taiwo: I'm going to come back soon to get that back, okay?

Keyinde: Okay.

He left. Keyinde squeezed herself where she sat soliloquizing.

Keyinde: God please watch him for me. Make him return to me safely.

About an hour later, she was already tired of waiting for her brother. She stood up and was about to go and look for him when she saw him carrying something in a sack he found around. The content in the sack turned out to be a very big bushmeat and some coconuts. She ran with the little strength in her immediately she saw him looking like someone stabbed from the back with the load on his back to help him with the load. She collected the load from him and he fell down Immediately. Keyinde dropped the sack immediately and carried her brother.

Keyinde: Ègbón mi what has happened to you again?

She checked his body and saw bruises all over his body then she started shedding tears.

Keyinde: What happened to you? Talk to me please!!

She looked up into the heavens with tears running down her cheeks.

Keyinde: Iya mi Olufunke!! You're wherever you are now looking at your children suffer like this. Please!!! Don't just watch us, show us the way out of this suffering, we're just ten years old.

She picked some insects and put it on the bruises. These insects served as medicines to seal the wound.

Keyinde (in tears): Just be cool, okay? I'll make sure you're well again and we'll keep on moving.

Taiwo was already relieved of his body pain and was able to walk again the next morning. His little mother took good care of him very well. He stood up, stretched and flexed his muscles while Keyinde just sat and watched him, smiling. He could have died if not for the gods hands that blessed the little angel beside him with the healing talent she got from her mother.

Keyinde: Now you're able to walk again.

Taiwo: Yes and thanks to you for that.

He replied smiling as he walked to her and gave her a warm hug.

Keyinde: You should go make the weapons now, I'll get our breakfast ready.

He left into the woods and came back with sharp wooden spears. She had already prepared their bushmeat as she await his arrival. They ate, packed the rest of their roasted meat into a sack and Taiwo led the way to the wolves' den. On their way, they came across a flowing water. The lads didn't have their bath since when they lost their mother. They stopped and started looking at the flowing water.

Taiwo: Keyinde!! Are you also thinking what I'm thinking too?

Keyinde: Ohh i think I am.

They undressed themselves and jumped happily into the water. Nakedness to them meant nothing. They played in it for a lot of minutes before getting out to continue their journey.

Taiwo: It's been a while since I saw you play like that.

Keyinde: Me too. We've been facing difficult things in this forest and there is more difficult things we still must overcome.

Taiwo: I didn't even notice that you're already growing breasts!! Look at your chest!! I must admit they look so beautiful to the eyes.

Keyinde: well, it's a sign that I'll be a woman one day. We'll be eleven years old in the next full moon.

Taiwo: Ohhh!! I wasn't even keeping count of that. Soon we'll become conquerers.

Keyinde: yes... like mother used to say "the persevering one, your bravery will take you forward. You'll leap higher and higher, firm, stable and determined".

Taiwo: That's why I'm never going to stop loving you. Let's move faster.

Minutes later, they stopped walking.

Taiwo: Stop.

He said silently to his sister's hearing.

Keyinde: Why should.....

He interrupted her.

Taiwo: Shhhhhh!!!! I think we're there. Look at that place, that was where I fought with the wolf. Can you hear the rustling of the bushes??

Keyinde: Oh yes I can.

They grabbed their spears immediately, ready for attack and defense. Just then five big wolves came out of the bushes, surrounding them as they grinned.

Taiwo: Calm down and look well for the alpha.

He said to her silently. They stood there as the hungry looking wolves moved closer to them bit by bit.

Taiwo: Grab your spear well but look for the alpha.

Keyinde: I think it's this one. It's moving closer to me than the others.

Taiwo: Yes it is. Now, drop your spear slowly, raise your hand slowly and move closer to touch the face. It will understand that we're not here to fight them in their den.

The scared Keyinde talked against that.

Keyinde: What!!!! What if it pounces on me??

Taiwo: Remember mother's words, we have to stay firm to survive. So, do as I've just told you.

She dropped her spear slowly and slowly did she walk towards the alpha wolf. It grinned for her to backoff but she didn't. She touched the face and even rubbed her hands on its neck. That was how they gained the interest of the wolves and soon, they learnt the animal language and their ways.

A month passed, the twins were now eleven years old. They've learnt many things about the wolves, how they hunt, communicate with themselves and many other things but they still were not satisfied with that because Taiwo wanted to become the alpha and Keyinde the beta after which they plan to become the king and queen of the jungle. Both of them sat together on a tree branch not far from the wolves' den one evening, watching the alpha as controlled his subjects.

Keyinde: I know what you're thinking the way you watch the alpha. You want to become the alpha.

Taiwo: Yes

Keyinde: How do you intend to do that?

Taiwo: I don't know, maybe kill it.

Keyinde: Killing it won't make you the alpha. They'll just come together and send us away and we'll be left with nothing again just like we were a month ago.

He thought for a moment.

Taiwo: Maybe i still need to watch them very closely to know how the alpha can be overtaken from his position.

Keyinde: The gods will show us a way. Look at them, it's time to hunt. Let's go hunt.

They went hunting, killed a very big deer. After dinner, Taiwo communicated with one of the wolves'asking him the rules of the pack and from there, he got to know that the day the alpha misses his kill, he'll have to fight the whole pack and anyone who beats him first will become the alpha and the female he loves most will become his beta. The next day, on the same tree, Taiwo and Keyinde talked again. They watched the wolves from the tree

Taiwo: The alpha must miss his kill before anyone that beats him will become the alpha.

Keyinde: So??

Taiwo: He'd have to miss his kill before I have the chance to fight him.

She looked at her brother.

Keyinde: I know you are already hatching something within you.

Taiwo: Yes!! I'll play an unseen foul. All my "running with the wolves race" practice everyday must be put to action on the next hunt. I'll run very fast beside the alpha when he's pursuing the prey. I'll watch closely as I run for the time he'll leap upon the prey and before he pounces on it, I'll thrust my spear into it's stomach. It will fall before the alpha reaches it's neck and by that, it will miss it's kill

Keyinde: What if one of the wolves sees you? You'll be the one in trouble.

Taiwo: Like I said, it's an unseen foul because somehow, the animal will run into my spear.

Keyinde: How will you do that?

Taiwo: Don't worry about that.

She sighed!!

Keyinde: I hope we won't get in trouble with the wolves.

Taiwo: Trust me we won't.

Keyinde: What if another wolf beats the alpha before it's your turn? That....

He interrupted her.

Taiwo: I've seen them fight before. None of them is capable of beating the alpha and if anyone of them does, I'll make it miss it's kill again.

The next hunting time arrived, the time came for Taiwo to execute his plan. His plan worked out well, the alpha missed it's kill and it had to fight all the wolves in the pack according to their rules. Taiwo and Keyinde were not left out because they were already seen as one them. The alpha fought valiantly, beat all the wolves that confronted without sustaining any bruises until it was Taiwo's turn. He looked at his sister afar off from the fighting ground and she gave him a "you can beat him" look. Then he faced his opponent.

Taiwo(soliloquizing silently): I haven't used my strength in a while. Gods please grant me the strength to win this fight.

The gods answered his prayers. They both fought valiantly, injured themselves. That was the first time the alpha wolf was beaten by anyone in his pack. At last, Taiwo won the fight and automatically became the alpha, almost throwing the wolf over a Clif. As usual, Keyinde had to take care of her brother's wounds until they healed. Brother and sister walked around the den, talking.

Keyinde: Now that you're the alpha, who will be the beta?

He smiled.

Taiwo: Who else? You of course!! I've got no one else except you.

Keyinde: No!! You have the wolves now....

He interrupted her

Taiwo: They are animals and you're human so you're the only human I have with me.

He caught her looking at something behind him

Taiwo: What are you looking at?

She didn't respond so he looked back and saw the former alpha wolf, sad.

Keyinde: You have to make him happy again. Go meet him.

Taiwo: Are you sure?

She nodded positively and Taiwo went to meet him. At first, the wolf grinned but Taiwo calmed him down. He told him his plan to become the king of the jungle and he told him he'll be leader of the wolf pack in his absence. Wolves became very happy and proud when Taiwo communicated his plan to be king and the former alpha(wolverine) will take his place in his absence.

She treated him with the insects and prepared the bushmeat for eating.