Trapped

Chapter 4

"We've finished breakfast, you lazy ass! Food is all gone!" Cornelius aimed a hard kick at the rear of the soundly sleeping Galen.

"Holy Mother of a..." Galen cursed as he instinctively swung a dagger backwards, narrowly missing a mud-caked boot. He caught himself, glared at the guffawing pair and continued hurling a slew of profanities at them.

"Damn it, you two!" Galen rubbed his rear and he squinted into the bright sun. "The sun's overhead already?"

"Time to get going, you pig!" Cruzio choked out between gasps, his violet and lilac curls flapping with the hard thumps Cornelius delivered onto his back as they laughed.

One of these days, they are going to get it from me. Galen promised. He stretched his stiff back and ruffled his hair to remove any sand that had found its way in during the night. He trudged towards the open sea for a quick wash up. The sound of dried leaves crunching with each step was a silent reminder of a fast-approaching winter.

They should be reaching the heart of Mount Betel hopefully before sunset. Temperatures had dropped rapidly over the last week. The thought of camping in the wild in the cold for even one more night was not at all appealing, though he appreciated sounds of the sea – something that reminded him of his home in Aquila.

He missed Aquila. The smell of salt in the air, the tang of shellfish, the slippery feel of seaweed and the taste of salt. He even missed the heavy humidity and the insanely suffocating temperatures when the sun beat down on them.

He had had a disturbed sleep. One that was filled with disconnected flashes of fighting and running. What was he running from again? He could not recall. Scattered dreams from the past few months had been different variations of the same thing. It had begun just before he embarked on this journey. He shook his head and washed away the remnants of his fuzzy thoughts with a splash of cold sea water, cringing at the sudden change in temperature.

He returned to the camp shortly and grabbed whatever food was left. The supposed bread and cheese from yesterday was meant for breakfast. He raised the piece of buckwheat bread to his mouth and...

A hole?

Slowly, he lifted the unappetizing grub to eye-level and stared through the gaping hole right in the middle of the flimsy piece, at the two figures standing amongst the trees a distance away. A horrific thought struck him as he flicked his gaze down to the remaining slices.

THE TWINS!!! THEY HAD TAKEN A BITE OUT OF EVERY PIECE OF BREAD?!

Another howl of laughter pealed, scattering roosting birds into the air. Galen was torn between rage and amusement as he violently tore off a chunk of the bread with his teeth.

The pair scooted off into the forest with their hunting gear, leaving Galen munching alone in silence. He peered over his shoulders at the mess they had created and began packing up as he ate, occasionally leaving the bread to dangle off his teeth while he worked with his hands. Messy pricks. These idiots never bothered with neatness. Forever contented with stuffing rolled balls of clothes into whatever space they could find. Or better yet, clumps of them worked too. It was such an ineffective use of space.

Galen eyed the charred remnants of burnt wood scattered on the sand. The firewood they had gathered yesterday had all been depleted in the night. They'd definitely needed more of it on their final hike to the heart of Mount Betel. Just for one more meal. He weighed the effort between gathering wood or using his fire power for a sustained prolonged period of time.

Gathering wood then. Lower effort required if he threw in some dried leaves.

~*~*~

By the time the twins returned to the beach, the sun was hanging directly overhead. Cornelius was sporting a blooming bruise that was partially obscured by his side-swept fringe that fell just below his cheekbones. Feathers stuck out from his dripping wet tunic at various places. Galen's gaze trailed down to the handful of fruits gathered in his arms. No fowl.