"The man bowed his head, and spit on the ground at Kaushal’s feet.

The Irula snake hunters gathered death. Some saw them as evil spirits, some saw them as gods. It was obvious what this man thought."

 

Kaushal hunted the viper alone. His father was falling deeper into illness every day. And his brother, Jeevan, had forsaken the way of their people, the Irula.

Kaushal was sure this was why his father was dying; the man’s heart had broken. Pride remained thick in the men of his tribe. They did not forgive, they did not forget. And now with Jeeven gone far away, only Kaushal could continue the tradition of his people. He wished to have honor in this, but his father would not let him. A fourth son should have no honor.

But the hunt drove him; discovering danger and holding death in your fist, so easily crushed. He could lose himself in it.

Kaushal looked to the tamarinds. The swaying boughs creaked with the weight of chattering macaque monkeys. The beasts could be a snake hunter’s best tool. Vipers were easily spotted in the underbrush by the macaque.

Soon a screech sounded in the branches, and was swiftly echoed back by the other monkeys.
Kaushal watched where the macaques turned their attention. Branches shook in the monkeys’ frenzy, and screams filled the air. Look, they called, it is a viper slithering in the brush. The song all Irula longed to hear.

Kaushal bowed his head, honoring the rhythm of this dance, then he slunk along the brush, heading for where the macaque pointed. He stopped to listen, clearly hearing the sound of movement in the grass: a steady hiss as the snake’s body pushed over the dry blades.

He slunk closer and saw a tail pass only a few feet away. The snake would be aware of him now, sensing his vibrations on the ground.

Kaushal took three quick strides to the viper’s side. The snake jerked, but he snatched at the neck, lifting the body from the grass without hesitation.

The thick body writhed, and tried to twist up and around his forearm. The mouth opened with a hiss, and sharp fangs sprang out to kill. But Kaushal’s fist clenched the snake with assurance as he pulled the sack from his belt.

Though he’d been bitten many times, he’d never gotten sick. His people held to the covenant of the jungle, only taking what they needed to survive. This kept them safe from the spirits of the viper and the sting of the bee.