Night Jackal
A story about encountering a wild spirit by South African artist Jeremy Van der want.
I had been walking for hours, tracking back and forth across the mountain slope. The grass was thick and grew in clumps around loose rock making it difficult to avoid using my hands to steady myself. I had yet to see the creatures I was hoping to find. I am not a.particarly gifted bush tracker, but I do my best and this evening, as I turned down towards a narrow ravine shaded by very old and intricately shaped kiepersol trees that clambered and struggled across the boulders that built the sides of the kloof I got what I had come for. Ahead of me, about ten metres distant, was a jackal. That tingle of excitement when I encounter a wild spirit on my own and empty handed sharpened my eyes and brought a quickened breath to my throat. The canid was upwind of me and my posture, half squatting in my efforts to descend the steep dry watercourse, confused her. She bobbed her sharp eared head to and fro, trying to figure me out. Not able to smell me yet, not sure what I was. I almost thought she might choose aggression, which would be very unusual, but not impossible, and as I said, I do not walk with a weapon, but leave my hands empty. I do not wish to harm any of the wild things. I stood, and for an electric second, the yellow eyes assessed me before the universal fear these creatures feel when confronted by humanity was palpable. She shot off, back down the way she had come and I was left with a darkening after image of her grace. Lingering in the deep shadow of the place beneath the kiepersols where I had been blessed with her presence. Beautiful and wild. I cannot understand why I am so touched by these encounters, feeling a sad regret at having even so much as disturbed her evening, while others will simply shoot her dead and celebrate her corpse. Go well my little night spirit friend, I thought to myself before continuing to slide gracelessly down the ravine in my denim clad rear end. Stopping my slide with boots and hands as I made my way toward more level ground to begin the trek home. I knew my hip would be giving me trouble once I reached the road, I knew I wanted coffee. I knew I had a good painting to make.
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