A Greater Lesson

Chapter 12: What's the Plan?

The jungle was thick and humid.  At one point, I had to take off my shirt to cool myself off but the baggage I was carrying was making everything worse.  Roux continued to track Riv.  I had cut Roux loose for the time being because his mission was the same as mine.  He wouldn’t run.  We’d finally been able to get along with each other.  I was glad for that.

My heart ached when Roux began to circle around himself.  I knew the trail had gone cold.  I leaned back on the tree behind me.  I thought about what had happened.  I remembered the fear she had.  I pictured her laying there with that man on her, helpless and unable to save herself.  Could I have changed things?  Was there something I could have done that would have resulted in her freedom?  Where was she now?  Was she okay, was she even still alive?  I held my head with my palm and let a tear slip down the side of my face.  Maybe it had been my fault they had taken her.  I should have gone looking for Roux alone and let her stay in the safety of the tree trunk.  I dropped my arm and took a deep breath.  If I got her into this, I had to get her back out.

I looked around at a whimpering Roux unable to pick up a scent.  They had gone through a creek and their footprints and smells drifted away with the current, but assuming they hadn’t taken some strange route, their tracks should continue on the other side.  I began to trudge through the creek.  The rocks beneath my feet were slippery and as the water came up to wading height, the current became strong.  Of course the heavy packs on my back didn’t help any.  I gripped onto vines and branches hanging from the low canopy to steady me.  I looked back at Roux.  He hadn’t entered the water yet.  I wondered if he was making sure it was crossable before he came in.  I was his test subject.  I smiled at the thought and continued to make my way to the other side.  When I spied deep footprints in the mud on the bank, I wondered how Riv had been able to cross.  I imagine her bare feet would have slipped on the rocks.  She wouldn’t have been able to grab anything to steady her, her hands were tied behind her.  Whoever was holding her when she crossed must have kept her from falling.  I climbed out of the water and turned back towards Roux. 

“C’mon Roux!”  I called.  He backed up a little, then leapt into the halfway point.  He swam quickly to meet up with me.  He climbed over the edge and shook himself of the water.  I looked down at him and put my hands on my hips.  To be honest, I was jealous of how quickly and effortlessly he had been able to cross.  I sighed and found the footprints.  I focused on the set without shoes and noticed that she had stumbled a few times after she had gotten out of the creek.  I just wanted to find her.  I just wanted her to be okay.  I wanted to save her and run away.  If I hadn’t come into the picture, she would have been safe.  No one would have known about her.  No one would have known about Roux.  No one would have found and taken her.

Why had they taken her?  The hooded man said that she was going to make him money.  What was he up to?   Whatever it was, I had to stop it from happening.

As we traveled, we approached a town.  I knew this town, it was bigger than the small village I lived in and had one of the biggest marketplaces around.  If you were looking for big money, this is where you went.  I found the end of the trail leading into a small building.  I knew I couldn’t just go in.   If she wasn’t dead already, that would make it happen.  I had to come up with a plan.  I pressed my ear against the wall.  Was she really still in there?  Had I actually found her?  I was so close to her, yet I could do nothing about it.  After hearing nothing through the thick wall, I stepped away.  I motioned to the jungle when Roux looked at me.  I decided we needed a place to hide in the jungle in the meantime.  After all, the sun was setting behind the trees.  Luckily, the further south you went, the more caves there were.

We didn’t need to go very far before we found a suitable cave.  At least it would hide Roux.  I dropped the bags off of my back once inside and arched my back.  It felt so much better.  That baggage had done a number on me.  I retied the rope on Roux.  I had to make sure he didn’t get captured after we had come all this way.  He couldn’t ruin it now.  I tied the other end onto a tall rock on the cave floor.  “I know you don’t like it, but you have to stay here.  Don’t cause trouble, okay?”  I reached into the bag I had packed and threw him a random piece of jerky.  “Be good now.”