They'd pushed far enough into the trees that the town's lights were only a rumor behind them. Ore sat on a low boulder, catching her breath; Tolu lay on the leaf-strewn ground, chest rising and falling in quick, shallow pulls. Overhead, dark clouds were gathering, blotting the late light.
"We've done enough for today," Ore said, watching the sky. "Let's leave before the rain starts."
Tolu rolled onto his side, squinting up at her. "Okay. If I'd known training meant breaking my fingers so they heal faster each time, I wouldn't have come so willingly." He tried for a laugh but it came out a little raw.
Ore smiled—small, amused. "That'll be good for you. A hunt every now and then keeps the body honest."
A cold shiver ran down Tolu's spine. He pushed himself up, joints protesting, and they started back along the narrow path.
After a few quiet steps he asked, voice low, "This war—who are we even fighting?"
Ore's face hardened a fraction. "A rival pack. I don't know all the details, but it's serious. They want to wipe us out or force us to leave." She looked past him toward the trees. "I don't know why they picked this town. There are big cities—places worth more. But whatever it is, they want what this town hides. The only way to get it is to make us disappear."
Tolu let that sit between them, the forest swallowing the words. "And we're just supposed to—stay?"
"We don't give up," she said simply. "Not here. Not ever."
They moved on, boots soft on the path, the first fat drops of rain beginning to fall. The town lay ahead: small, ordinary, and suddenly worth dying for.
The small restaurant hummed with low chatter and the clinking of cutlery. Leke sat across from Amaka, halfway through his plate of jollof rice and chicken when his phone buzzed. He picked it up lazily, thumb swiping across the screen.
A message from Tolu.
Tolu: How did your date go?
Leke smirked, glancing at Amaka before typing back.
Leke: Great, but I bet not as good as yours.
Almost instantly, his phone lit again.
Tolu: You'll be shocked.
Leke raised a brow. "Shocked, he says…" he muttered under his breath. Then another ping.
Tolu: I'm on my way home. Don't want the rain to start before I get there.
That made Leke glance toward the wide restaurant windows. Sure enough, the sky outside had grown heavy with storm clouds, dark gray rolling low and fast. The air itself looked charged, like the heavens were holding their breath.
Leke sighed, sliding his phone face-down on the table. "We should get going before the rain starts," he said, turning to Amaka.
Amaka followed his gaze to the windows, then nodded. "Yeah, I don't want to get drenched on the way back."
They both leaned back over their plates, fork and spoon working quickly now, less savoring and more just trying to finish. The restaurant's cozy atmosphere dimmed with the sudden crack of distant thunder.
"Eat faster," Leke urged with a grin, though his eyes kept drifting back to the darkening skies.
Amaka chuckled, but she hurried too, the storm pressing its weight on both of them as they tried to finish up before the heavens opened.
Perfect, I see the angle you're going for. Here's the scene written out in full detail:
Tolu pedaled hard, the wheels of his bike crunching against the dirt road as the air grew thick with the smell of rain. The clouds above were now swollen, gray and threatening to burst at any moment. By the time he reached the front of the house, the first low rumble of thunder rolled across the sky.
He slipped inside just as fat drops of rain began pattering against the roof. The cool relief of being indoors washed over him. He leaned his bike against the wall, kicked off his shoes, and stepped into the sitting room.
His mother was there, seated on the sofa with her Bible open across her lap, glasses perched low on her nose. She didn't look up at first, only asked in a calm but pointed voice, "Where have you been?"
Tolu hesitated, scratching the back of his head. "With Leke," he replied.
That made her glance up, eyes sharp. "I saw Leke on my way back from work." She adjusted her glasses, the weight of her gaze steady on him. "He said you were with a girl. A girl named Ore."
Tolu's chest tightened for a second, but he forced a casual shrug. "She's… a friend."
"Really?" His mother's tone carried doubt, but she didn't push. She only closed her Bible gently, thumb marking her place. "I'm not going to say anything more. Just—know what you're doing." Her voice softened but carried weight. "And don't come home so late."
She gestured toward the kitchen without looking at him again. "Your food is on the counter."
Tolu nodded, murmuring, "Yes, ma." He slipped away quickly, the tension in his shoulders easing only once he reached the kitchen.
The smell of fried plantain and stew greeted him, and his stomach growled. He pulled out the chair, set his food on the table, and began eating in silence.
Back in the sitting room, his mother sighed quietly, reopening her Bible. Her lips moved faintly, whispering a prayer as the rain began to beat steadily against the windows.
Tolu sat at the kitchen table, the clink of his spoon against the plate the only sound cutting through the rhythm of the rain outside. He ate quickly, hunger gnawing at him, but his mind wasn't quiet.
Why didn't she scold me? he thought, glancing toward the sitting room where his mother's faint murmurs of prayer drifted in. Normally, she'd question him until he cracked. Now she just… let it go. Too easily.
The thought lingered like a shadow, but he shook it off, scooping another spoonful of rice. Maybe she's just tired… or maybe she trusts me more now. Either way, he decided not to dwell. He was starving, and the food was too good to waste on worry.
---
Across town, Ore pushed open the door to her family's house, shaking off the rain from her shoulders. She had expected the place to be empty, quiet as always. Instead, the familiar scent of her father filled her senses even before she saw him.
"Dad?" she asked, stepping into the living room, surprised. "When did you get back?"
Chief Ajibade sat in his armchair, a newspaper folded neatly on the table beside him. His presence was commanding even in silence, his sharp eyes lifting to meet hers.
"Today," he said simply, voice steady but edged with something heavier. He leaned back, studying her. "What's this I've been hearing… about you marking someone?"
Ore froze where she stood, rainwater still dripping from her hair.
---