Chapter 4
The sun had barely touched the sky by the time Kaiden and Gabriel set off. Neither of them willing to stick around long enough to see the early morning risers, they didn't want to hear about their visit to the seer, they were done with it. They didn’t even want to see the pity in the other villager’s eyes, they both just wanted to forget it but their own broken hearts were not going to let them forget anytime soon.
They walked for hours without a word and when they finally spoke, they talked about hunting and the different food sources they passed as the moved through the forest. They were surrounded by so much, yet neither of them payed much attention to anything other than food. Although they both knew what laid heavily on the others mind.
By the time they made camp, the tension that had surrounded them had almost disappeared and both men felt like a weight had been lifted from their shoulders. No one was around to remind them of their uncertain fates and what they should do about it.
“You know while I was on my solo hunt I toyed with the idea of not returning” Kaiden said, as they sat by the fire eating. “I don’t think I remember ever feeling so free.”
“So why did you return?” Gabriel asked curiously.
“I thought I’d be returning to a partner or at least the knowledge of one” Kaiden answered, staring into the dancing flames in front of him. “I know we have to return to let the others know what we find but I’m not sure if I can stay, there just doesn’t seem like there’s anything there for me anymore.”
“I've been contemplating that very idea all day but I think that’s something we need to decide once we get back” Gabriel admitted, hoping to make a decision once they knew what was in the south. “Maybe mum is right, maybe we won’t live long enough to have a partner. I wouldn’t want my partner ended up like Ava, I don’t wish that on anyone.”
“Speaking of Ava, what happen with you two yesterday?” Kaiden asked, with a cheeky grin.
“She’s all talk but I’m sure she enjoyed herself” Gabriel answered, not caring if Kaiden knew. “But the scary thing is, I didn’t feel a thing, not even guilt.”
“That would be dangerous if you had a partner” Kaiden said, looking at his brother. “But you don’t, neither of us do, so I say we should blow caution to the wind and do whatever we want.”
“We will have partners one day” Gabriel pointed out, recalling that the seer did mention that he would recognize her. “And we will need to find them.”
“Yeah that maybe true but in the mean time, I’m going to have some fun” Kaiden said, wanting to forget the fact that the seer couldn’t even give him a name. “I’m sick of doing the right thing, look where that got us.”
“Well no one’s going to stop you” Gabriel said, liking the idea of having some fun. “Just don’t hurt anyone in the process.”
Kaiden nodded and laughed, he had no intension of hurting anyone, he had been raised better than that. “Respectful fun it is then” Kaiden laughed and playfully nudged Gabriel.
As they both laughed and joked, the two brothers relaxed more and more. By the time they went to sleep, they had both pushed their problems aside and were ready to make an attempt on a new life, one neither of them had ever thought they could live.
Having said what they needed to, both men spent the next day traveling in relative peace. There wasn’t much more either of them could say about their lack of partners and no amount of talking was going to fix their problem anyway.
They made camp just inside the mountains pass and with the side of two mountains on either side of them, they both felt small and insignificant in comparison, yet somehow safe. There seemed to be a comfort that the mountains provided and neither of them could explain it or even guess why they felt this way.
A small river passed by their camp site and in one direction the river disappeared into the forest, while in the other direction, it appeared to weave through the narrow valley. While the water looked fresh, there was little room for life and all they could see in the water was a sandy bottom and small fish swimming around, nothing worth wasting their energy on catching.
The evening was spent discussing what they planned on doing. Gabriel wanted to make his way up to the top of the mountain and see what was on the other side from a height, while Kaiden didn't think that would be safe, especially when neither of them had the slightest clue what was out there. In the end Gabriel argued the point that it was because they didn’t know what was out there that they should use the mountains height and by the time we went to sleep, they had decided to climb the mountain in the morning.
The higher the two men climbed, the stronger the wind became and the thinner the air was, making it difficult to keep moving. It was sheer determination and Gabriel's stubbornness that had them at the top by mid afternoon.
The view from the top was spectacular, it was like nothing either of then had seen, they could see their village in the distance and beyond. The river that ran passed the village snaked its way through the forest and eventually out of sight. Flowering trees spread out across the green forest, creating beautiful patterns, making the scene that much more special. Although neither of them had any use for flowers anymore, they provided the forest with fruit and that was it. There was no one that either of them wanted to give a pretty blossom to and they certainly were not interesting in keeping flowers for themselves.
Exhausted they both decided they would rest and keep moving in the morning. They set up in an area where the ground curved in and protected them from the majority of the harsh wind. It wasn’t comfortable but comfort was something they had left behind, along with judgment and pity.
The sun didn’t rise the next morning, instead the sky opened up and poured cool rain down the backs of the brothers. Because of the rocky surface they travelled on, the rain didn’t effect their ability to keep moving. It wasn’t muddy and the uneven surface of the rock enabled them to retain their grip, in fact the rain only made it easier since it kept them cool.
It took them three days to navigate their way along the crest of the mountain and the moment they were able to see what was on the other side, they were both surprised. A lush green forest stretched out from the base of the mountains to the ocean and while neither of them had ever seen the ocean they both knew what it was, although Gabriel knew from his dreams.
The beauty of it all excited them but it was getting dark and they knew it would be to dangerous to head down, even though this disappointed both of them. They both told themselves that it would give them a much needed rest and an excuse to try and get to know the area better, as well as develop a plan.
Gabriel’s heart raced out of control as he stared at the ocean, he wanted nothing more than to quickly make his way to the ocean. If he was on his own he probably would have but he wasn’t about to risk his brothers life.
As he stood there he wondered if he would see the girl he had been dreaming about. Deep down he knew it was not likely, the seer had told him she hadn’t been given a name, which meant that she probably hadn’t been born but he still hung onto the hope that she might be there.
By the time the sun rose in the morning, Gabriel and Kaiden had already started their journey down the side of the mountain. Gabriel hadn’t slept much that night, he had laid awake thinking about the girl from the beach. He wanted to know more about her, what her name was, what colour her eyes were and what her skin felt like but anything more than just a shadow would do.
The mountains slope made it easier to climb down and while they had to be careful not to slip, they used less energy, giving them the ability to keep moving. Once they had reached the bottom, they continued to the river and used it to guide them toward the ocean. They had seen where the river had met the ocean and Gabriel was keen to get there, so he pushed forward.
The sun had well and truly set by the time they reached the ocean, they had made the decision to keep going but this was mostly fuelled by Gabriel's hopes in seeing her. The moon was full and lit th
eir path but the thickness of the forest made it difficult to navigate through its thickness but they were both relieved to see the ocean and marvelled at its beauty.
Finding the ocean meant that they could relax the next day. They had enough food to last them another couple of days and would have to start hunting but they both needed the rest, they could hunt later.
There wasn’t a cloud in the sky when they woke up, they had slept longer than they normally would have but they needed it. They were both physically and mentally exhausted but while Gabriel rested his body, he couldn't rest his mind. He couldn’t stop staring at the ocean, waiting for her to step out of the waves but he did wonder why she would be in the ocean to began with.
“We're going to have to check the area out, so we might be staying a while” Gabriel told Kaiden, as they sat on the beach.
“I'm not going to complain, just look around” Kaiden said, gesturing to the surrounding area. “I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.”
“Yeah, I could get use to this” Gabriel sighed happily. “But if there is no food in the area, it won't be viable.”
“I bet there's plenty of fish in the ocean” Kaiden laughed, watching the waves gently roll in and out.
“True” Gabriel agreed. “But we still need to look at other food sources but saying that, I could live on fish if I had to.”
“I think on that basis alone, that this place is viable but do we want to share this secret?” Kaiden questioned, pushing his feet further into the sand.
“The village needs this” Gabriel said, shaking his head at Kaiden but his brother did have a point. “We could always see what's further south.”
“I do like the sound of that” Kaiden said, with a grin.
“We need to explore this area first” Gabriel told Kaiden. “But if we get time, we should have a look at what's further south.”
“Okay” Kaiden said before dropping onto his back. If he could help it, he was going to make time to head south, with or without Gabriel.
Gabriel stared at his brother for a moment before getting up. Kaiden was right about the fish in the ocean and he wanted to see if he catch one. He knew that there was probably plenty of other things to eat in there to but he figured he could just start with fish before trying for anything else.
After locating some line amongst his belongings, Gabriel hooked some dried meat onto the hook and cast his line into ocean before sitting down beside Kaiden again. He knew fishing was going to take minimal effort and figured if he caught something, they would have fresh fish for dinner. He had fished in the rivers with his brothers from a young age and figured it couldn’t be much different to fish in the ocean.
They relaxed on the beach for hours before Gabriel noticed his line moving. Gabriel was quick to jump to his feet and grab the line at his feet. He then pulled it in to find a reasonably sized fish on the other end of his line. As he looked at the fish, he couldn’t help but smile at it and held it up for Kaiden to see.
“Told you there would be plenty of fish in the sea” Kaiden boosted, with a wide grin. “Some wine would go nicely with that.”
“Have you got any wine?” Gabriel asked, as he dropped placed the fish on the sand and stabbed it with his knife.
“No” Kaiden answered, raising his eyebrows at Gabriel. “Did you bring any?”
“No” Gabriel said, knowing that it wasn’t a necessity.
“Well we should make some” Kaiden declared, moving over to help Gabriel with the fish. “At least that way we will have some for next time.”
“Wine requires more time than we probably have” Gabriel pointed out, knowing that he would rather head south before they headed back than make wine.
“So no wine for winter” Kaiden groaned, looking disappointed. “I don’t think I could survive winter without a large stash of wine, especially if mum is going to be around.”
“Fine, we’ll make some wine, we can hide it in the mountains until we come back” Gabriel gave in, he figured that if they were going to stay with the villagers for the winter, they were going to need something to dull their mothers demands or chatter about their lack of partners.
After preparing the fish, Kaiden and Gabriel started a fire on the beach and cooked the fish. They then watched as the sun set behind them, the golden colours sprayed across the forest and out toward the darkening horizon across the ocean.
Disappointment filled Gabriel's heart as the sun’s light was replaced with the moon’s, he didn’t expect to see her but he desperately wanted to. She was the only hope he had left of not spending the rest of his life alone but he did feel a small comfort in the fact that Kaiden was in the same boat.
Weeks passed as the brothers explored the area and built themselves a hut in the forest near the beach. They found the area to be quite fruitful and were able to easily hunt for food, they even started a small garden near their hut. Life seemed good for them and they wondered if the villagers would consider moving to the area permanently. Not that either of them were planning on staying with the village, they were now enjoying themselves to much.
Every evening, Gabriel would make sure he was at the beach watching for her but she never came. She didn’t even come to him in his dreams and he felt a hole in his heart burning for her, it was a hole he knew only she could fill and he desperately wanted to ease his pain.
By mid summer the brothers had made the decision to head south and spend a couple of weeks exploring whatever they found. They only packed what they deemed necessary, leaving everything else in their new hut. It was becoming more and more obvious that neither of them wanted to stay with their village and while neither of them said anything, they both had been privately making plans for their permanent departure.
They spend most of their time following the coast line but when the terrain became difficult, they would move in land. They came across several rivers and were able to gather food only when necessary. Even in the south, the lands were fruitful and both men began forgetting what it felt like to feel hungry.
“We should head back in the morning” Gabriel said, as they relaxed on the beach by their fire. “There is a lot of work to be done before winter and we have no idea what winter will be like here, so we need to make sure we are ready for anything.”
“You know I thought that by now I would have missed our village but I don’t” Kaiden sighed, as he watched the flames dance around in front of him. “I will return to tell them what’s south of the mountains but I’m not staying. I’m going to come back here and prepare for winter, what they do with the information is up to them.”
“They will need help to prepare for winter if they stay in the north or not” Gabriel pointed out, not sure if he could neglect the village.
“While I still love our family and I am looking forward to meeting Tiria’s child, I don’t think I could stay with the tribe, even if it was for the best” Kaiden told Gabriel. “I’ve grown to like this life.”
“As much as it pains me to say this, I feel the same” Gabriel sighed. “But we did this to help them and we need to do that before we head out on our own. We could head out on our own in the spring.”
“I thought I was going to be alone in this but I’m glad to have you with me” Kaiden said, broadly smiling at Gabriel. “As for when we leave, let’s just make the decision once we’ve delivered out findings.”
Smiling at his brother, Gabriel couldn’t help but feel responsible for Kaiden. Kaiden was younger and more free spirited, and Gabriel knew that if he left Kaiden alone, he was bound to get himself into more trouble than he could handle. Gabriel only hoped that he could handle the trouble Kaiden got into because he would have to be the one to deal with it.
The trip down the coast took more time then their trip back. They knew the terrain and were able to navigate their way with much more ease. They were also not out to explore new grounds, which meant that they could just concentrate on getting back.
Once they returned to their beach hut, the br
others reorganised their belongings and ensured they only took what they needed to trek north. They both planned on returning and deep down knew they would leave before the people of their village, although they did ensure to leave everything they had in the hut packed so they could easily pick it up on their way through.