The Rhino Story

Sipho

The silence was broken by a nearby owl. It was as though the whole bush was waiting on tenterhooks for a signal to tell them what was happening. Dark beings were creeping through the darkness, not as quietly as a lot of animals yet with a deliberate firmness that was unusual to any but predators. One man in particular seemed grimly determined as he ever neared his target. He could smell the fear of every living creature around him and it did nothing to lighten his mood, in fact his mood was further worsened by the twinges of guilt and shame that now returned to him. He pulled a face that nothing but the black night could see. His hands tightened round the cold metal of his weapon as he carefully took aim.

A single shot broke through the darkness, shattering the stillness that had been. A radio crackled and a big vehicle started to move as the bush life around it suddenly sprang to life. Animals big and small were running as fast as they could to get away from the terrible happenings and reach safety before they too went down. In their haste, several smaller animals fell to the ground, trapped and caught in traps and snares, some set up by angry villagers and others more professional looking that weren't made for the meat.

The man took his money and faded into the dark, his job was done and he would be gone long before the dawn saw the scene of the crime. He had a long walk ahead of him but even in the dark his feet were sure. The path was familiar and the air was his own. A small part of him, part of his heart to be precise, was gone forever as far as he could see. He had left it back with the fallen beast when every part of his mind and soul had screamed at him to run away yet he had stayed for the money because of those he loved.

***

Matt Levy walked into his office bright and early, he was in a good mood because the sun was shining, his coffee had finally been made just right and he had been given an excellent painting the day before which now stood in his lounge looking highly grand indeed. Nothing seemed to be going wrong, the traffic had been good and his salary had come on time. He whistled to himself as he sat down at his desk, even his intray was nearly empty.

Then it came, that fateful call, a call that could have turned any man sour but was even worse news for Matt. Mr Levy was head of the rangers for the nearby national park, in other words he was head of security and a very important man. He had one day a week in the office and a day off every week. The rest of the time, both day and night, he was either on duty or on standby. Matt Levy loved his job, he loved the bush that he worked in and he loved the animals that he worked with. On this fine morning when the dreaded call came, he had been busy putting up a new photo of his young son who was about to start preschool. You couldn't have found a prouder father anywhere on earth. Matt spent every free moment he had with his family and Mrs Levy even accompanied him into the bush on occasion.

He picked up the ringing phone and said a cheery hello to his friend and trusted ranger Scott. They had known each other for years and so Matt realised quickly that something was wrong. Scotts reply made Matt's blood boil for the news was worse than bad. He had handled the torrential rain. When the park fence had broken he'd fixed it. He dealt with problem animals fearlessly. Yet this news was hard to hear. A rhino had died. More precisely it had been killed, murdered! The rangers always had problems with simple snares because the villagers nearby were poor and hungry, but this was no simple need for meat because the rhino was still there. This had been carefully planned and set up, according to Scott there had been a diversion at the other end of the park and the entire squad had been led astray. The horn was gone, brutally hacked off the rhino's beautiful face in an uncivilised manner.

Matt was out of his office and into his car before he'd even finished his coffee. Already radioing the head of the National Parks to let them know what had happened. He didn't get an answer but left a message with the maid. Matt was determined to catch the culprits and to do this he had asked for a quad bike for his best tracker. Matt had passed this request on to the head of national parks 3 months ago and they still didn't have one. Matt was passionate about the wildlife and this led to a blind determination to protect it at all costs.