Everything seemed to come to a standstill as if time had been stopped.
Nobody moved.
It was as if everyone was afraid that any movement would break that thin line of life that separated Hawa from the bull. The cattles in the shade all stopped chewing cud and those lying down stood up waiting. Only Nyundo's huffing and puffing and Hawa's innocent giggling could be heard. Simba, Eris pet dog came down from the granary as it started growling lowly as fur stood up on it's end as if waiting for the minute to intervene if necessary.
ta!ta!ta!.
Hawa's tiny footsteps echoed in everyone's eardrum. At this point they were sounded so loud.
At one point of the shed, one of the bulls bellowed and moved at lightning speed, head low horns upwards as it moved towards Hawa who by then stopped as she stared at the incoming danger. Everyone's attention moved again at the turn of events as they held their breaths which they had already held.
"Nooo…my daughter!"Sella Hawa's Mother screamed in terror as she held her stomach. she could feel her intestines churning and her uterus walls contracting.
The young bull was only trying to curry some favors with the King of the shed by helping him deal with the insignificant problem.
"huff!"
Nyundo turned and looked at the intruder. Then like a bullet fired from a riffle Nyundo moved to intercept the bull, only leaving dust in his wake.It only took a minute or a second but the whole scene was like a flash. The earth shook as the two gigantic flesh met seemingly like an earthquake.
puuuh!
the younger bull was sent flying for almost two hundred metres as it landed outside the pen. As the dust settled, everybody saw the bull frothing as it lay on its own pool of blood. after some minutes it stopped struggling and it breathed its final breath and laid stil.dead.
After that Nyundo became once more the center of attention. every one of Nyundo's movement seemed enchanted.
Nyundo turned and huffed as if scoffing at how naive, stupid and weak that bull was. It turned and looked at the other bulls only for them to lower their heads in submission. At the same time Hawa who was earlier frightened,now giggled as she clapped her tiny hands as if the whole scene was an amusement to her.
Nyundo turned and looked at her , so did everyone else. Then Nyundo moved slowly with his head lowered and as calm as cat, stood in front of the girl.The liitle girl giggled once more as she moved and started playing and caressing the head and the bloody horns of the bull. Slowly the bull lowered its mountainous body and laid down while the girl continued to play with it. She even climbed onto its back as Nyundo closed its eyes and started to chew cuds while flapping its big ears.
Hawa wasn't afraid and she seemed intrigued by the beast by her side as she took her time exploring every part of the bull. Sella wanted her husband to fetch her daughter but he signaled her to let her be since the bull seemed not to mind.
Nwu Windo could only sigh and say" surely young calves aren't afraid of tigers".
after some time Hawa fell asleep on top of the bull that's when her father went and picked her up and took her to bed.
That day, there was plenty of meat, even the neighbors came soon they came out of the homestead with meat and a heroic story to accompany the food. Thus Nyundo's legacy burned even more like bush fire during dry season.