Black Leopard, Red Wolf

Leopard, the other title character and Tracker’s primary romantic partner, is the driving force of much of the narrative. As Tracker himself says, “I will give you a story. It begins with a Leopard” (4), though this is not actually the case. Leopard is the one to convince Tracker to join the search for the boy, an offer Tracker at first refuses. This fulfills the call to adventure and refusal of the call for Tracker, and Leopard’s death occurs at the very end of the novel, after the denouement of the first search for the boy. 

“Nobody loves no one” (62), Leopard often declares, and his role as constant object of jealousy proves it, in his case. Kava betrays Tracker and the mingi children out of jealousy for Tracker and Leopard, despite nothing untoward happening between the two, while Kava sleeps with both of them. Fumeli’s jealous love of Leopard splits the party in an attempt to keep Leopard for himself. Much later, the narrative implies that Leopard participated in the murder of the mingi children as well, for which Tracker swears vengeance, completing the loop of vengeance with Leopard’s death at the hands of Sogolon.  

Sogolon acts as the leader of the party, and a primary source of most of the lies told to Tracker. Her subversive presence, acting against the orders of the slaver and his ally, Belekun the Big, receives foreshadowing by her refusal of all orders in “What a day when a man tell me what to do” (250). While she appears to be a Merlin/Gandalf figure in the party, she is actually closer to Morgan le Fay, attempting to overthrow the king. In this, she is an anti-villain, the rare character that is a direct antagonist, but fulfils the literary requirements of heroic action. The attempt to restore the true king, the subversion of the tyranny of slavers and mad monarchs, and the use of illusion and wisdom, rather than brute force, are all characteristics of a traditional hero. 

Her nature as a “Moon Witch” (446) makes her a feminine foil for Tracker’s masculinity. She is the most frequent target of his misogynistic rants, and contrasts with the friendly “antiwitch” (xiii) Sangoma, who taught Tracker the fragmentary magic he knows. Sangoma’s protection makes Tracker immune to Sogolon’s magic, while Bunshi’s protection keeps Sogolon safe from Tracker’s axes. This dangerous entity leads them to battle with words, often returning to their genders as fundamental points of contention.  

The Buffalo is “a very smart buffalo,” (xiii) with absolutely no other explanation. His curious integration into the party as an altogether vital member, protecting Tracker, guiding the possessed Sadogo, and accompanying the party all the way to the confrontation with the first Ipundulu, receives no rationale. Despite this, Tracker says the “Buffalo was the greatest of companions” (269), being the only companion not full of both wit and viciousness. 

The Buffalo acts as a bizarrely comedic character, never saying a word, in an otherwise bleak narrative. At times, the “ingenious buffalo” (274) is interrogated over his mysterious origins, such as “who knew which god was working mischief through him” (308), but, being without voice, the surprising void of information actually brings levity to the novel. Animal friends are a common trope of epics, even dark epics, but they usually act as an identifier of a specific human character. The Buffalo, standing alone, thwarts the expectation that he might be a witch’s familiar or a transformed human and subverts a classic element of fantasy stories. 

Mossi is most defined by being Tracker’s true love, the only match for him in terms of wit, while far outstripping him in kindness and empathy. To Mossi, a traveler from “North, then east” (325) who has taken up a role in the King’s army, the whole magical world of the novel is strange, resulting in him taking practically all the mystery of the setting in stride, unlike the confrontational Tracker. As both a foil and love interest to Tracker, he is more obviously bisexual, but unlike Tracker, both men and women actively pursue him. His epithet is ‘smelling of myrrh,’ with Tracker (who too often thinks with his nose) declaring “women might like your myrrh musk” (410).

Myrrh is a foreign scent, adding exotic flare to Mossi, augmented by his pale and tanning skin. Mossi is a constant object of attention in a group of witches, witchmen, and shapeshifters because of his complexion, even drawing the unwanted attentions of the Queen of Dolingo. His homeland, a monotheistic slave economy to the north and east, and his curved sword, whose use resembles dervish dancing, evoke heroic Arthurian figures such as Feirefiz, the Saracen knight who comes to Percival’s aid after meeting him in friendly antagonism. Despite initially appearing to oppose Tracker in the library, Mossi is the most clearly heroic character in the book, remaining morally uncompromised and faithful until his traumatic death.