“I led men against the ravening hordes, they called me a hero. I long again for those days.”
“I fear for you Kendra,” she touched his side, “seeing the wound you received from Cephrasi made me realise that you could easily die, you are no good to me as a spirit.”
“You worry too much Salinas
“That is one thing that does not enamour me to you Kendra, your violent nature.” She turned from him slightly.
“But that is how I met you, don’t you remember, on the road to Sikasin, you and your family were being attacked by brigands. There were thirty of them and your father and brother were falling beneath their blows. I drove them off with an ox goad, not a scratch on me.” In his minds eye he saw himself with an ox goad beating the brigands. He began to smile.
“Yes, and we were grateful, you were so strong and handsome. We were thought of as tall in our village, but you were taller and stronger.”
He grabbed her waist and pulled her towards himself, “As my father took a wife among the daughters of men, so his son took you to wife, and you made me glad. But I will not sit at peace while evil men roam the earth oppressing the innocent.”
“Very noble of you,” she smiled, “now peel the apples, tonight we are having pie for after tea. Anyway, I thought all the evil men had died in the flood?”
“Hrumph,” grunted Kendra as he picked up the apple knife.
Mankind again started to flourish on the earth. The land was green with vegetation and creatures again walked and crawled upon its surface.
There was a righteous man who loved God. He was extremely wealthy in cattle and flocks. His name was Job. He had seven sons and three daughters and was well respected in his community. When his children celebrated and partied, in case they had sinned, he would sacrifice a bull to God to atone for them.
One day Satan, who had been roaming throughout the earth, came into the presence of God. Kendra was watching while his father also presented himself. He also saw Cephras there.
“Have you seen my servant Job? There is no one more righteous than he. See how he loves me and honours me,” said God.
“He only honours you because you have blessed him. If you took away his wealth and his blessings then he would curse you,” replied Satan.
“Very well then you may take away his wealth and his blessings, but do not harm his body, or take away his life.”
Then Job, for no reason he could think of, was blighted. His children were celebrating together, there was a violent wind and the building fell down. They were killed.
Sabeans came, stole his donkeys and oxen then killed the servants watching over them. Chaldeans came and took his camels and killed his servants watching over them. Fire came from heaven killed his sheep and the servants watching over them.
Job tore his robes and he made himself bald, then fell to the floor and worshipped God. He did not say that God had done him wrong.
Kendra listened to some of the conversations between Job and his friends and wondered how the Lord could have allowed such misfortune to come upon such a godly man. Then he mused to himself, “If even a godly man is not safe from the Evil One, then how is a half angel expected to fare.”
After this time Kendra took to brooding in lonely places, away from the sight of men, but never away from those that guarded him in the spiritual realm.
Men lived in family and tribal groups and they had no sojourn against the whims of the wild beasts of the land, giant lizards, crocodiles, big cats, wolves. Some were peaceful, but others hunted and killed man. Large creatures would lean on houses and crush them.
Shem was still alive, five hundred years after the flood. He was a righteous man, the leader of his people, well respected and honoured. He would judge the people with his sons at Salem
There was a time when people were afraid to leave their houses because of the skulking pictures. So the people came to hear Shem’s pronouncement.
“We must come together,” he said, “with weapons, to drive the Leviathan and the Behemoth from our midst. Let each head of family commission weapons to be made to kill the giant beasts and drive them from our land.”
For a while the creatures were driven from their lairs, but as soon as they multiplied and outgrew their spawning grounds they hunted men again.
Similar things happened in other parts of the world. People would band together, drive the hunters away but they would eventually return.
“We need to do something else, this is an endless cycle,” said the man.
“What about asking Nimr?”
Nimr was a black man, beautiful in stature and form, but his eyes held a darkness that was more than his natural colouring. Other men enjoyed his company. He was bold and fierce and instilled loyalty in those who were held under his sway. By his side he kept a pair of leopards that he had tamed and used for the hunt.
He was resting under a willow tree when the elders came to see him. “What can we do?” asked Plebin the oldest if the elders. “We drive the beasts away but still they return and hunt us.” Looking at Nimr he was hoping for some kind of response.
Nimr continued in a restful position and spoke with his eyes closed, “We must turn the hunters into the hunted. No longer should we kill them and drive them to their homelands, but we should hunt them and destroy them completely, so they are no more.”
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