Land of Graces | Encanto

🕯 ║ Chapter V : Search

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Bruno sweeps the tremendous leaves from the bushes, searching for any sign of his relatives. He looks for footprints, left strings of clothes, trampled bushes, anything.

Agustín, Julieta, and Dolores went ahead to look for the family, guided by the temporary trail that he had made.

The moon above is obscured by looming trees, providing little to no light to lead him through. The murky mist begins to ooze through his legs, slowly devouring his feet with its brumous waves.

God, this forest was far larger than he had expected. He was easily lost. Despite the change of paths, he always seems to find himself in the same place. He felt like he was going around in circles.

The sun had completely set, and time was passing far faster than he had anticipated.

Just where did they go?

Darkness relentlessly envelops the forest, and he has yet to find them. He was starting to panic.

"Mamá! Pepa! Félix! ¿¡Dónde están ustedes!?" He yelled out. His voice hoarse and strained. It's been a long time since he shouted.

His gravelly call echoed out into the tenebrous forest, but all that returned was the sound of crickets, and there was no sign of them.

Bruno's gut churns and his throat becomes dry. He was getting worried. This was a terrible idea. He didn't want the family to be divided, killed, or lost as a result of his pathetic visions and—

"Bruno?! We're here!"

He hears his sister shout, followed by a gust of wind blowing past him from the towering trees. With determined hope, he dashes towards his calling sister, relentlessly swatting the bushes and branches in his path.

"Bruno!" The voice calling his name progressively gets louder, and so does the storm wind.

Passing the ocean of trees, Bruno came to a stop, palms on his knees. His shoulders heaved as he panted.

He found them.

He laughs in relief before urgently hugging his sister and her partner. Félix pats his back, allowing his tense shoulders to relax. "We're okay."

"Oh, Dios! I thought we just lost you." Pepa lets go and was attempting to wind down by folding her arms to rub her elbows. Félix wraps his arm around her other shoulder, embracing it to soothe her.

The cloud above her was dark, with small beads of rain falling, and her clothes were flowing in the mild windstorm she had created.

"When we arrived, Mamà immediately fled into the woods, and we chased her out of worry."

He noticed that Alma wasn't around with the couple. Bruno's eyes darted around in dither. "Where's mamà?"

The dark-skinned man points his thumb to his left. Bruno, his brow wrinkled, looked at his thumb before diverting it to his right.

His gaze finds Alma, who is kneeling on the ground on the opposite side of the rainbow-colored river, her eyes downcast with loneliness as she dwells on her past. He carefully approaches her, his dark green eyes filled with sympathy.

Alma straightens her shoulders when she hears his footsteps. "It's been a long time since I came back here," she laments.

"I wish he would still come back."