The Elephants of Old Oyo

The Alaafin’s Decree

In the grand halls of Oyo-Ile, where the scent of burning oils lingered and the air was thick with the weight of history, the Alaafin Obatunde sat upon his throne of ivory and bronze. His face was lined with the burdens of kingship, his eyes sharp with the wisdom of his forebears.

He listened intently as his messengers knelt before him, their faces streaked with sweat, their voices trembling.

“O great Alaafin,” one of them spoke, his breath coming in ragged gasps, “the elephants… they are gone.”

The court, once filled with murmurs of politics and trade, fell deathly silent.

The Alaafin’s grip tightened on the carved armrest of his throne. “Gone?” His voice was deep, steady, but behind it lurked something else. Something dangerous.

“Vanished, my lord. Not a single one remains in the forests. No tracks, no signs. The hunters searched for days—there is nothing.”

A low murmur rose among the chiefs and warlords gathered in the great hall. The elephants were not mere animals; they were the soul of Oyo. Without them, the kingdom’s favor with the gods was uncertain. Without them, the kingdom itself felt… vulnerable.

Obatunde rose slowly, his robes of deep blue cascading around him like flowing water. “Find them,” he commanded. “Send the best hunters. Search the rivers, the forests, the hills. Bring them back.”

The order was given. The kingdom’s fate now rested in the hands of its hunters.

The Hunters’ Quest

Among the chosen hunters was Adigun, a man whose name carried the weight of a hundred victories. His bow had felled more beasts than he could count, his spear had tasted the blood of warriors and animals alike.

With him was Olaolu, a tracker known for his sharp eyes and even sharper wit. He could read the ground as if it were a parchment of the gods, each footprint a word, each broken branch a sentence in a language only he could decipher.

For seven moons, they ventured across the lands of Oyo, following the faintest of trails. They crossed the Igbo-Oba forests, where the trees whispered secrets in the wind, and the Osun River, where crocodiles lurked like shadows beneath the water’s surface.

They found signs of the great beasts—trampled grass, distant calls carried by the wind—but never the creatures themselves. It was as if they had been swallowed by the earth itself.

Then, one night, as the men sat by a dwindling fire, an old woman appeared before them. She was bent with age, her fingers curled like gnarled roots, her eyes clouded with the wisdom of years.

“You seek the lost ones,” she said. Her voice was barely more than a whisper, yet it cut through the night like a blade.

Adigun and Olaolu exchanged wary glances before nodding.

“The elephants have fled,” she continued, “for they have seen what man has become. Hunters from beyond our lands have come, seeking their ivory. They know that if they stay, they will die.”

A silence fell over the camp. The hunters from beyond… foreigners. Those who came from across the deserts, from lands unknown. It was said they cared not for the gods, nor for the balance of life, only for wealth and power.

“Where did they go?” Olaolu asked.

The woman’s lips curled into a knowing smile. “They now dwell where no man dares to walk. The forbidden valley of Ajanaku.”

Ajanaku. The name alone made the men stiffen. It was a place of legend, whispered about in hushed tones. A place where the spirits of the old world still walked.

But if the elephants were there, that was where they would go.

The Forbidden Valley

The journey to Ajanaku was not an easy one.

The valley was hidden beyond a range of cliffs that loomed like silent gods, their jagged peaks piercing the sky. The path was treacherous—thick vines choked the narrow trails, unseen creatures slithered in the undergrowth, and every step felt like a challenge issued by the gods themselves.

When they finally reached the entrance, they found themselves standing before an ancient stone arch, its surface etched with symbols older than the kingdom of Oyo itself.

As they stepped inside, a strange hush fell over them. The air was thick, heavy with something unseen but felt in the bones. The trees here grew taller than any they had seen before, their trunks wide enough to swallow a man whole.

And then, they saw them.

The elephants.

A herd—dozens of them, their massive forms moving like shadows in the moonlight. Some were old, their tusks long and curved like crescent moons. Others were young, their eyes filled with the curiosity of the world.

A deep, powerful trumpet rang out, shaking the very ground beneath their feet.

From the shadows, a man emerged.

He was tall, his robes dyed the color of ochre, beads circling his neck like the rings of a great tree. His eyes burned like embers.

“I am Olowu,” he said, voice rich with power. “Keeper of this valley.”

Adigun stepped forward. “The Alaafin commands the return of the elephants.”

Olowu shook his head. “They will not return.”

The Betrayal

Back in Oyo-Ile, the Bashorun, the kingdom’s warlord, heard of Adigun’s failure. His face darkened with rage.

“The Alaafin is weak,” he spat. “If he cannot bring back the elephants, then we shall take them by force.”

And so, in the dead of night, the warriors of Oyo rode out—swords drawn, hearts hardened, ready to claim what they believed was theirs.

They arrived at Ajanaku as the first light of dawn crept over the horizon. But the valley was awake.

The elephants stood, their eyes watchful. Olowu stood before them, unshaken.

The battle was brutal. Swords clashed, spears flew, and the earth trembled beneath the fury of gods and men.

In the midst of it all, Olowu fell—his blood staining the sacred ground. With his last breath, he whispered, “They will never be yours.”

And then, the elephants charged.

The Fall of Oyo

Without the elephants, without their blessing, Old Oyo began to wither.

The kingdom crumbled. Enemies struck from the north, the rivers ran red with battle, and within a generation, Oyo-Ile was nothing more than ruins beneath the sun.

But the elephants?

They remained.

Forever hidden in the valley of Ajanaku, beyond the reach of men, forever free.

THE END.