Claire's Prayer by Yvonne Cloete

eland,” Seth informed her softly, “the largest of the antelopes. See the short horns?”
    Claire nodded again, and Seth continued. “Both the males and females have horns. Eland can become quite tame in captivity, but I prefer to see them wild and free.”
    Claire breathed out softly. “What a magnificent animal. Do they always grow so large?”
    Starting to drive on again, Seth answered. “That one was a good specimen – they usually grow to stand about six foot at the shoulder.”
    “Wow…” Claire enthused, still looking impressed. Then she flashed an excited smile. “Let’s look for something else!”
    Seth laughed and drove on, but observed her covertly out of the corner of his eye. He found her enthusiasm contagious. For reasons he did not care to explore, he wanted her to love his country, his ranch. They drove on in silence, both intent on spotting the next animal.
    Pointing frantically, Claire gasped, “There, Seth, over there!” In her excitement, she grabbed his forearm. Slowing down and looking in the general direction of her flapping hand, Seth saw a herd of sable.
    “Okay, I see them – calm down!” he smiled. “Those are sable and, in my opinion, the most magnificent antelope. Notice their scimitar-shaped horns, and their stately bearing?”
    Claire stared in fascination at the inky-black animals. There were about twenty in the herd. The adults had mostly black coats but, while the young bulls and cows also had horns, they were a rich brown colour. Commenting on the difference in the colours, Claire learned that the immature sable would attain darker coats as they matured. As they prepared to drive off, a herd of small buck ran swiftly across the dirt road.
    “Oh, Seth, those are lovely too! What are they called?” Claire still had hold of Seth’s arm, not realizing that, as her excitement mounted, her grip tightened.
    Turning to catch a glimpse of the disappearing herd, Seth’s large hand covered her slight fingers. As he leaned towards her, looking after the bucks, Claire felt the electricity of his touch tingle through to her toes.
    Still watching the bushline, Seth answered, “They’re duiker.”
    Before he could continue his explanation, Claire cut in. “I know about duiker! Naomi told me about Sebastian and Sarah. So they’re ‘impunzi’? What a lovely little buck to name the ranch after!”
    Claire’s delighted eyes met Seth’s intense gaze for a moment, before she eased her hand out from under his and turned decisively away, towards her window. Engaging the gear, Seth drove on; only now the tension was back, flowing between them. Instead of looking for game, Claire now watched Seth covertly. His hair was windblown and a lock flopped onto his forehead. Her fingers itched to brush it back. His hands, large, square, and tanned brown, became intensely interesting to her. She wondered what they would feel like holding her… Jerking her eyes off him and cutting her thoughts short, she decided that studying the bush was a safer thing to do.
    Ahead and to the left, Claire noticed large black birds rising and swooping above the grassland. “Seth, what are those birds doing?”
    Seth also saw the ominous scavengers. “Oh – vultures. They’re always around where there’s a carcass… that’s not good news.” Stopping the Land Rover, he continued, “I’m going to have a look. Do you want to come? It may not be a pretty sight – vultures are ugly, ungainly scavengers. But they’re part of the natural cycle of nature, out here.”
    Deciding she’d rather not stay on her own, Claire jumped down and fell into step beside him. They didn’t need to go far. The carcass of an antelope, or what was left of it, lay stiff and lifeless under a tree. Claire stepped back, almost gagging. The ungainly vultures had gorged themselves on its flesh, leaving a mass of loose skin and bones; bits of drying meat hung from the ribcage, and the stomach cavity was shiny with congealed blood. The