Tales of the Mother Land

Chapter 3

Olivia sped through the town with great precision. She maneuvered around the bustling crowds without mistake. Aurelio was glad she held onto him now. This walk was proving to be overwhelming. After a few moments of silence, Aurelio worried. The medic set them on this trip with no water or hunting equipment. No coin either, which he supposed may be useful.

"Olivia," he said, slowing his pace so that she would follow. Olivia stopped after a few moments and turned to him. Aurelio noticed her eyes were wide, prodding him to continue. "We don't have a plan. Did you even bring your equipment?"

"We are going into the woods, boy. I can craft tools from the trees. We must hurry, we have to take shelter before nightfall." She turns back around as to continue her path to the woods. Aurelio has no choice but to follow.

"Aurelio." He tells her as they begin to once again increase their pace. "That is my name."

It does not take much longer to reach the entrance of the woods. The dry dirt roads were replaced with the crunch of fallen leaves and the sounds were of birds chirping. Aurelio felt like he had returned home, though he was miles from it. He looked over to Olivia, who was eyeing a tree branch, likely to craft something with it.

She moved further into the woods and Aurelio thought of the best way to ask about their plan without irritating the medic's daughter.

"Let's collect palm leaves and use them to create a shelter. Then we can talk about finding food and making a plan." Olivia spoke, ending Aurelio's internal conflict. He got started quickly, happy to have a clear set of directions.

A few hours later, the two had collected enough palm trees to weave together and create a makeshift hut. Olivia taught Aurelio the braiding pattern, and she wondered how he did not know this. He grew up in the woods, after all.

"For a boy who grew so close to nature you cannot manipulate it." Olivia stated as she picked up another palm leaf.

Aurelio knew this discussion was approaching. He could sense her agitation with his little skill in this area. "Yes, my grandfather taught me other tricks. We did not need to build huts, we have our home."

"What can you do then?" Olivia looked at him. She could see he was clearly trying. Maybe she would be nicer to him. That seemed unlikely now, though. She still hadn't eaten supper.

"I can fish. I love to fish, in fact. That's almost all I eat." Aurelio could taste the fish in that moment if he focused enough. The hunger had settled into him too. "I also make maps. Well, I am still learning. My grandfather makes the most exquisite maps for the sailors that visit the town."

"Perhaps you can find us dinner then." Olivia stopped and listened. "Actually, there is no water here. I will find it."

After they built the shelter, Olivia set out to find something to eat, marking the trees with mud as she went. Aurelio busied himself with the mapmaking. He knew from the sun beaming on his neck as it went down in the sky that they had been moving east. Aurelio was only a novice at understanding the surrounding country, where things were relative to his location, but his expertise was all they had. He drew a map of his best assumptions of the locations around him and gathered wood for a fire.

Olivia had found it much harder than she remembered to catch prey. The animals ran swiftly, but Olivia speared a wild chicken and brought it back for supper. She found Aurelio on the ground, drawing an intricate map of Havana. As they roasted the chicken, they talked about the plan for the rest of their voyage.

First, they would spend the next day foraging and crafting weapons. Then they would travel to a small village on the way and finally reach the mountain within two weeks. Finally, they would voyage back and go their separate ways. That seemed to be the one thing the two looked forward to most.