Revolutions

12 - Inuxeq

With the sun descending upon the horizon and time slipping through my grasp, I press on, running with a fierce determination along the road. Every passing moment means exposure to peril, urging me to reach safety as quickly as I can. The village, potentially threatened by the savage beast that assailed me, must wait — I cannot afford delaying a pursuit of Sianchu. Allowing the traitorous Tapeu champion, who treacherously imperiled some of the greatest warriors in Tuatiu, to go free while he may be holding our leader, Haluiqa, captive would be unforgivable.

My understanding was that the warrior party was headed to Pachil's capital, Qapauma, to receive instructions from the Arbiter himself, Achutli. From my recollection, there's a trading post located on the Maiu Qoli, the river that divides the Tuatiu and Achope territories. From there, a road carving through the jungles and weaving through the valley between the mountains leads to Qapauma — the road on which I'm running.

This seems simple enough, except the road is frequently used; despite the Tuatiu's best efforts to remain secluded and independent, Haluiqa insists on making us available for trade with the nearby factions, for some reason. Therefore, picking up on their tracks, assuming they used the road because it was supposed to be a simple journey to the capital city, will be a challenge. It has already been difficult to find a band of warriors on this route, which I happened to discover by accident with a clearing near a stream while I had decided to rest and refresh my supply of water. How am I supposed to find two men (although hopefully more) who are likely trying not to be found by ferocious creatures wanting to devour them?

I allow myself to feel a brief moment of despair and hopelessness before snapping out of it to focus and think.

Long, slow breath in. Long, slow breath out.

If you were trying to lose rabid brutes that have likely caught your scent and wanted to rip you to shreds, what would you do? Avoid the roads, since mixing my sandal prints with others won't do me any good, as I might assume the creatures can probably smell me from extremely far away. Plus, that could endanger any unsuspecting merchants or travelers. So you stick to the stream to simultaneously mask your scent and stay close to a source of hydration. Let's start there.

Standing still and closing my eyes, I hear burbling close by and locate a nearby stream. Judging by the time of day and focusing on the direction of the water's flow, I deduce it's heading south toward Maiu Qoli. I'm thankful nobody is around to witness my embarrassing, subtle celebratory outburst, punching the air with a slight jab. I move alongside it, keeping the stream between me and the setting sun to help identify any possible tracks.

As if I wasn't facing a difficult task to begin with, another problem is trusting that my assumptions are correct. What if those I'm tracking aren't wading through the water? Or what if their exit point from the stream was further back, and now they have taken a different route entirely? What if they went back to Iantana to regroup? Or, worse, they have already been caught by the creatures and I'm heading further away from them? I have to remove any doubt from my mind, and as if that can be achieved physically, I briskly shake my head and focus on the matter at hand. I have to trust my instincts, and I have to believe Haluiqa wouldn't want to endanger the people in Iantana by returning and luring the creatures that attacked him to the village. I won't know I'm correct until I stumble upon a clue, but I have to press on.

The trees and bank of the stream are hardly varied in appearance, so it's difficult for me to determine how far I've traveled. By now, the low sun barely pokes through the spaces between leaves, shading the floor of the jungle more and more. The daunting task of finding our leader weighs more heavily on me with each fruitless step, and self-doubt grows while daylight fades.

Casting my eyes down, I spot what I've been longing for: Footsteps emerge from the water and follow along the bed of the stream. I observe that it's only a single pair of footsteps. Perhaps the person had enough with their feet getting soaked, or they slipped in the water and wanted to take a moment to regain their composure on land? It's hard for me to say, but I am grateful for the change in fortune and follow the footprints in the track trap of the muddy banks.