*The Love Campaign(T.L.C): DO YOU REALLY KNOW WHO YOU ARE KEEPING CLOSE TO?(PT. IV)-*

The cry from the leopard was deafening. It really scared all the courage out of me. I have never been this terrified before. Oh my God, I am going to die, I can't see any thing. The place is so dark. Where is my gun? do I have enough gun powder. Will gun shot alone kill a leopard, and how many shots.
Where is my dagger. Let me chew a few cloves of garlic. I was taught to chew garlics when in the forest. The powerful odour that comes from your breath after garlic is believed to drive away snakes, wild beasts and evil spirits. How did this animal find me. I was dead silent. How can it see in the dark.

All these questions kept running through my mind within some few seconds. Then I heard the sound come closer, closer and closer. The leopard was certainly going to eat me.
Stories of hunters who never returned home and how later their body parts were found by other hunters the next day all occupied my mind. Before I could watch out where to hide, I felt the beast jump and hit me so hard.

The leopard was literally on me. It was a fight for my life. I had no space to take out my gun and shoot. I took out my dagger. Then I felt I sharp pain in my left arm. I instantly dropped the dagger. Pointing a deep bite on his left arm to the people.

The people screamed "eiiii". The hunter had a deep bite on his left arm. The wound from the bite was still fresh. He had put a few leaves on it to stop the bleeding.
The hunter continued, I felt the sharp teeth of the beast pierce into my skin. I screamed in pain. The whole forest was dark, I know it's not good to shout in the forest. I was told this when I was a boy, shouting at night attracts evil spirits needless to say shouting in the forest at night. But this time, I was screaming for my life. I wasn't doing it for fun.

I felt life leaving my body slowly. My left arm was no more part of my body. It was virtually lifeless.
Then I heard something within me say pretend you are dead. Don't move, don't breathe. Just do this. I closed my eyes. In fact my eyes were virtually useless in the dark, stopped my breath and laid motionless. I knew I would die anyway, so let me just start the whole process.

Then to my amazement, the wild beast stopped moving. It picked my left arm in its jaws and dragged me on the moist forest floor to a place. I didn't know where we heading , but the instruction was act like you are dead. There was no other alternative. So I kept at it. The beast kept dragging me. Until we got to a place in the forest where it stopped. Then I felt the animal sniff all over me. I believed it was checking to see if I am alive. I stiffened myself the more, the strategy was working. "Wild beasts don't eat dead people", I remember what my grandfather told me when I was a little boy. Was it my grandfather who spoke to my heart. I felt hope to be alive in my body. So the more I died the more the beast will let me live. Wow, this is true. But where could I be lying, the forest is still dark. When will this beast live me to run home. flowy ethereal bridesmaid outfits of chiffon

After a while, I felt the beast abandon me on the floor. The trick has worked. I am dead. Leopards don't like dead meat, they like to eat their prey raw, or was it the odour of the garlic. What really is the reason why this beast has spared me. My mind kept wondering. I checked my side to see if I had my gun, it was there and still loaded.

Now that I have been spared, let me look to see if I can also exact revenge, but the Leopard was not there. Where could it be, is it hiding somewhere to see if I will move, are these beasts that sly. I said I won't move until I see it sleep. If the leopard is smart, I, the best village hunter is wiser. My audacity was coming back now, the hunter said. The people laughed.

The night was giving way to dawn, and morning was slowly coming, I was still dead on the floor. Then my curiosity tapped me to open my eyes and see.
There under a tree of about five feet from where I was lying was a young cab of the leopard. So the leopard was a mother, I thought. It was perhaps looking for food. It had delivered and was hungry, so I was going to be its supper. I saw the little one suck quietly on its mother's breast. The mother leopard was fast asleep. This was my chance. I can't let this pass me by.

The option was just this simple, kill or be killed, no time to show mercy. Thoughts of what will happen to the little leopard brought memories of my son into my mind. But I said, if I had not died, I would have been food for this beast and my son would have had no father.
No time to spare, so I quietly took my gun out, aimed with all my might, I could see better this time since it was dawn. I aimed to the head of the beast, then I released the trigger,..

Friend, I believe you can guess what happened to the beast, but the story still continues. Stay tuned tomorrow to catch the concluding parts of this story. The lessons are gradually unfolding, don't miss out.
God Loves You.