Heart Call

Lead image

During the dry season in sub-Saharan Kanem, the huge black wolves had migrated towards the stream looking for water to quench thirst.

Odewale, in search of games, trailed the pack of wolves through the footprints as they journeyed towards the stream. He has been on this journey for two nights.

He found the park resting a few meters from the stream after drinking enough water. Then, he shot his first bow and hunted one down. It was a huge male wolf. Every other wolf scamper to safety.

Silently, he walked towards the lifeless wolf to pick it. He would be given a title for single-handedly killing such a game.

Vroom!!!

A black wild wolf attacked him, injuring Odewale on his back leg and escaping into the woods. He was badly injured that he could not stand up. For several hours, he laid at that spot in pain.

Luckily, a maiden from another community, with a heap of firewood on her head, from her farmland passed through that lonely path and found Odewale in pain. She had compassion for him.

Omar's mother is a herbalist and is well known. In their hamlet, Odewale was treated but his wounds were not healing. The wild wolf bites him with a curse never to be healed except a maiden accepts to drink the juice from the sustained injury.

It was a devastating trado-medical experience for Nneoma, Omar's mother. She had not failed in her medical practice and wouldn't want to fail at Odewale's case. She summoned all the magic she could muster to change the enchantment, all to no avail.

Since Omar was in the picture, she decided to help, it was an unconditional decision she took. Nneoma does not support her decision at first but Omar insisted. She went into the hut to speak to sick Odewale:

Odewale, I have decided to do anything to make sure you are well again.

On the night of the procession, Omar and Odewale wore the same robes in the dark skies where no one could see or hear them, there she lived of the juice from his wounds.

Immediately this sacrifice was carried out, Omar could hear the thoughts of Odewale's heart, Omar too could hear whatever thoughts Odewale has in his mind.

They returned home with great joy as Odewale felt some movement around his leg region and before to could arrive home, the wounds have dried up. All he needed was the sacrifice of a maiden, and Omar did.

After a few days, Odewale decided to return to Umuderim where he came from. Omar then thought in her mind, *can't he just stay a little longer.* Odewale heard what she thought in her mind and replied her, saying:

Everyone will be worried about my absence and might have sent a search party into the forest looking for me.

He appealed to her to let him go and that he would come back to check on her.

When Odewale arrived at Umuderim, no one cared whether he is alive or not. The maiden, Aduke, who had always been around him was only interested in the games he brought home. Aduke never cared whether he survived an attack or whatever. All she just wanted was share from the booties.

How could Aduke be so callous not to care about my welfare?

He thought about Omar who had saved him from the wild. How she did what any maiden would do for a stranger like him. As these thoughts raged in Odewale's mind, Omar could hear him.

As a seer she saw that Ode would be coming back having been disappointed and that he would be in danger of some hunters who thought he was already dead but surprised to see him reappear after been declared missing for days.

Instead, Omar quickly journeyed the dangerous path to avert the ambush against Ode. She reached Umuderim and asked that Ode and her takes another exit out of the hamlet. They escaped, never to return.

The duo fell in love after being friends for a while. The exchanged marriage vows and lived happily after.