Land of the Unknown

Bonding

Luke was in the horse stables preparing his meeting with Emiliano. He packed two pistols, bullets, and cooking materials, among other things. As he finished putting the materials on the horse's saddle, he felt someone watching him. Behind him, Charles stood with his arms crossed. "Goin' somewhere, Pa?"

"It's none of yer business," the older man said as he slowly looked at Charles. Dolan and Murphey arrived today. You know well that I don't want those men in this house! They are nothing but trouble!"

Charles bit his lower lip but looked him in the eye. "Ma and I notice that ya leave more than ever. Ma wants to know where ya goin'." 

Luke got onto his horse, his eyes never leaving Charles. "If your Mother wanted to know, then she should have been the one to ask me. You and your Mother are much alike than I thought; you depend on one another to do the other's dirty work." He rode off while Charles watched in silence. Moments later, Luke arrived at the path that led to the cabin and river. He noticed light from afar; he knew that Emiliano arrived. 

When he arrived, Emiliano was seen sitting by the fire; he put his backpack beside him. He looked up and smiled. "You're late; I thought you weren't coming."

"Don't get cocky, chap. You knew that I was going to arrive." Luke got off his horse while getting the packed objects off his horse's saddle. Emiliano noticed that the older man took out some pots, pans, pistols, and spices, among other things, except food. Luke noticed his confused expression, and he smirked. "You're probably thinking about the food. I brought the materials; now you must hunt for our food."

The young man was caught off guard. "You're joking."

"There are fishes and rabbits here. What do you prefer?"

Emiliano couldn't believe what he heard; Luke wanted him to hunt for their food. He looked around until he saw the river. He sighed while standing. "Well, I guess fish will have to do." He opened his backpack and took a few knives while walking toward the river.

Curiosity was evident in Luke. "You sure are confident; it just got dark here." Deep down, Luke was proud of Emiliano. He was proud that Emiliano held so much confidence and common sense. Emiliano removed his shoes and socks and entered the river's water. He closed his eyes and loosened the tension throughout his body; he waited. Then, he felt something hard hitting his legs. One became two; two became five, and more; fishes surrounded him. Emiliano slowly opened his eyes, seeing some figures around his feet. Slowly, he held two knives in each hand and, without hesitation, threw the knives into the water. The fishes underwater were swimming around like crazy. Luke was amused and watched Emiliano get his knives where four were stabbed. "Gazoos! You do have skill with those knives! Now we're able to eat." 

Emiliano got off the river and put on his socks and shoes. "You doubted me?" asked in an almost challenging tone.

"Can you blame me? I was worried that I wouldn't eat," he teased. He was given the fish and began to shed off the scales; Emiliano also helped. When done, Emiliano got sticks and impaled the fish on different stakes; the fish were put close to the fire. The two men sat silently as they watched the fish being cooked. Emiliano noticed Luke getting a hold of one of the knives and looked at it for a long time. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What was your Mother like? Everything you are doing is for her."

Emiliano was silent. "She was a very strong woman who taught me so many things. However, my Mother wasn't alone. We had friends from the tribes who helped us. I learned many things from the Apache men too."

"Why do you think your Mother hid the truth for so long?"

"I think the memories were too painful for her. At first, she told me that my Father died before I was born, but she eventually told me he was alive." Two fish finished cooking; Emiliano got one while he gave the other to Luke. 

Luke took a bite from his fish and thought about how much Laureana suffered because of him. "Your Mother did live such a hard life. She was strong in raising you to be the man you are today. I forgot to mention that Dolan and Murphey came by and visited me."

Emiliano was caught by surprise. "They did?"

"I have a hunch that they will try to use Charles to get to me and my land. Charles will do anything to get in their good graces. They also hired gangs of outlaws. Tell John that one of them is led by Jesse Evans."

"I never heard of them."

"Well, he and his gang are very dangerous and have a reputation for being ruthless to their victims, which is why I want you to practice shooting."

Emiliano looked dumbfounded. "You can't be serious."

"I don't play around, chap. If you stick knives on fish, you can at least shoot bottles." Luke took out two pistols from his bag and stood up. A couple of empty glass bottles were also taken out. He handed one pistol to Emiliano that was filled with bullets. "I want you to try to shoot the bottles as I toss them up." Luke motioned the young man to stand, and he eventually did so. "Are you ready?" An annoyed groan escaped Emiliano's lips as he got the pistol ready. Luke walked back to put distance between them and threw the first bottle. The pistol was shot, but the bullet missed the bottle; Luke threw the other one, which was the same outcome. The men stood silently as they heard crickets in the background. "I guess you're right; you're not quite talented with a gun."

"It's too dark to practice shooting, that's why!"

"He has Laureana's temper," Luke smirked at the memory when he first met her. "Ha, don't use excuses, chap. It was dark when you stabbed those fishes."

"I could sense them, that's why!"

Luke shrugged his shoulders and retrieved the bottles. "Joking aside, it's still no excuse. Throwing knives is a good skill, but you can't always depend on them. You have to better your skills with a gun too."

Emiliano sighed as he calmed himself down. He knew that Luke was trying to help him, but he felt his ego being threatened. "I know."

The bottles were then handed to Emiliano. "Now, I will show you how it's done. Throw them. It can be one or both at a time."

"You seem confident." A smirk came across the older man's lips as he got his pistol ready; he put his left hand behind his back. The two empty bottles were thrown mid-air. Without looking at the targets, Luke shot his pistol twice, shattering the bottles into pieces. "Show off; you just got lucky." Emiliano was impressed with Luke's skills but was too proud to admit it. 

"It's all about practice, Emiliano. With my teachings, I know that you will be good as me. When you get back, practice more. You and I will keep on meeting here every night. Do you agree with it?"

The young man nodded as he returned the pistol. "It would be nice to get advice from an expert. Anyway, thanks for everything." He didn't notice Luke's expression softened. "Let's eat the rest of the fish; we don't want them to go to waste." 

They sat by the fire and ate the rest of the fish while conversing. Eventually, they got tired and decided to sleep by the fire since the cabin was too humid. Blankets and ponchos were taken out and used as cots. They lay on the opposite side of the fire. Emiliano eventually fell asleep first while Luke lay on his side as he watched him sleep. "Good night, hijo (son)," he whispered as sleep overtook him.