Stories      
Even Royals have Remorse
by Jai Jui

Nawab Razak Sultan on the back of his steed was riding through his forest as he usually did on weekends. Proudly he gazed upon the pristine wilderness which for a hundred square miles had belonged to his Nawab family. He now owned it. It would be left alone untouched by human habitat or dwelling as long as he was alive, to be passed onto the National Wildlife Trust upon his demise.  

But it was not always so. His father and grandfather before him had wiped out the tigers, leopards, gaurs and most wild animals, just for the pleasure of killing them all. After all that's what Maharajahs and Nawabs did for a pastime.

He, Razak would have followed suit were it not for a strange quirk of fate.

Many years ago coming back home from College his father had challenged him to kill and bring home a big game from their forest lands.
The young Razak spent hours on horseback but there was no game to be found.

Almost about to return he saw in the distance a grazing family of deer - big stag with 8 pronged horns, a large female and two tiny little baby deer or fawns.

As he put his gun to his shoulder the big stag chanced to stroll behind some trees.
Damn! Thought Razak cursing his luck hoping the others would stay in place.

He aimed at the large female and with a single shot which was a tribute to his marksmanship. Jubilantly he watched the big animal go down.

With the adrenaline racing in his blood he rode his horse to his fallen prey and dismounted.
As he walked to the fallen female deer the two baby deer had reached their mother at the same time.

They did not understand what had happened and were trying to wake up their mother nudging her body with their head and making soft mewing sounds.

A terrible remorse dawned in young Razak's heart. Was this what hunting was all about? There was no sense of victory or pleasure in the game. He had committed cold blooded murder and orphaned two little fawns. It was doubtful if they would live too long on their own.

Razak bent towards the prostrate deer, his head bowed in sorrow and tears began pouring out of his eyes. Some of them fell on the head of the deer.

Suddenly there was a movement beneath him. The deer opened its eyes to gaze upwards. Hunter and hunted looked into each other's gaze for a few seconds and then the deer staggered to its feet. The young Nawab looked at his prey realized that his bullet had merely grazed the skull of the animal as evidenced by a bloody gash temporarily stunning the deer.

He could have easily shot it again but he threw his gun to the ground, swore never to use it again. The mother deer took off with its babies much to the hunter's joy. A great weight seemed to be lifted off his mind.

Soon after, his father died. Razak was now the new Nawab. He wasted no time in making his entire estate a wild life sanctuary. He hoped that in a short time the old wild life would return some day to its original home for he had ensured its safety. 

October 4, 2009

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