Revolutions

16 - Inuxeq

If I ever feared being attacked by predators in the night, I needn't worry. Mexqutli's snoring is so obnoxiously loud, any nearby creature could easily mistake it for vicious growling and be warded away from our campsite. I'd find it amusing if I wasn't suspicious of the man's intentions.

Throughout the night, watching him slumber undisturbed and unfazed

by the surroundings—likely due to the copious amount of oxtli he consumed—I reflected on our conversation the moments before. He says he's Auilqa, which isn't convincing to me, though I don't have any evidence to prove otherwise. I have only briefly interacted with an Auilqa warrior on the battlefield, and they could hardly be considered representative of an entire faction.

Mexqutli's mannerisms are also too relaxed, never fearing he's in any danger. This could be a personality trait of his, or more of the influence of the oxtli, and I wonder why he's so loose when there's an act of war taking place on his people's land. A member of the Auilqa traveling all this way feels out of place, having to go through the lands of the Achope. In fact, there's no need for him to have traveled this far north to get to Qapauma, as he claims is his quest; there is an Achope trading post on the other side of the Maiu Qoli, with a large road leading from there to the capital city. So why is he really in Tuatiu?

That could be explained from his claim about hunting a Tapeu war band, who could have traveled up our way. But this raises further questions: Why would a Tapeu war band be in our lands, which would be something we may need to be concerned about? Could he be referring to Sianchu and the Tuatiu warriors? Did they make it that far south so quickly, before I was able to find them? Perhaps they reached a point where they encountered the gray creatures, and after fighting them, retreated back north toward Iantana, only to be chased down and hunted, which would be where I found them. If that's so, did Mexqutli encounter the gray beasts, too?

There's too much to ponder, on top of my concern for our leader, Haluiqa, and his safety. I still haven't found any sign of him, or if there are other Tuatiu warriors alive, and I'm starting to worry they may all be dead, led to their doom by that lying Tapeu snake, Sianchu.

As the sun makes its climb and pokes its light through the trees, all the creatures of the jungle begin to stir and spring to life. Surprisingly, so does Mexqutli, who stretches and groans on his bedroll before reaching for one of the pouches and taking a long swig. Disappointed when he finds it empty, he grabs the other pouch and trickles the last remaining drops into his opened mouth, like a baby chick eagerly awaiting food from its mother.

"This is going to be a long day," he sighs, frustratedly tossing the empty pouch to the ground near the pile of his belongings. "I knew I should have brought a third pouch."

"It's a long way from Auilqa," I say, "and with the way you drink, you thought twopouches would be enough?"

"Slight oversight," he says in that garbled accent. "Perhaps that trading post might contain some supplies."

"You mention the trading post," I say. "You should have passed one on the way to Tuatiu lands. If you were going to Qapauma, why did you not head east from there, instead heading north?"

"The interrogation is beginning so early in the morning?" Mexqutli says. I can tell he's trying to alleviate the situation, and hopefully get me to stop with my questioning. But he must see that my face signals I am unrelenting in getting an answer, and he lets out another sigh. He gets up from his bedroll and starts packing his belongings, clumsily gathering them in no organized manner and tossing them into a large sack.

"I will be happy to explain on the way," he says, "although I suppose we should determine which way that will be. What is your plan to search for your leader? Are you heading back to your village, or will you continue looking in the Tuatiu jungles?"