For hours, the boy had been listening to the crooked, groaning wheels of the moving wagon roll harshly among jagged rocks and grainy sand. From what his eyes had told him, their travel had started in the midafternoon under a blazing sun, and was continuing under the watchful beams of soothing moonlight. It had been a blessing to feel the welcoming evening air upon his smooth tan skin. Pressed against so many others under sweltering heat had threatened sickness in his stomach on more than one occasion, though gradually it had died down with the welcoming appearance of the starry sky.
"Jouno, where are we going? Are they going to feed us soon?" He sincerely doubted his nearby friend had any knowledge to their situation, but had found the question comforting nevertheless.
Watching brown eyes settle upon his own wearily, the young boy scooted closer, waiting anxiously for a comforting response. If the other chose to lie, Heba would undoubtedly feel hesitant on trying to hold it against him. In fact, he was openly welcome to believing anything; as long as it held a potential hope for freedom.
"Of course they're gonna feed us soon, Heba. What'd be the point of dragging us this far if they were just planning on letting us starve?"
As usual, his blonde companion's answers remained hopeful and confident. He had been hearing the same thing for hours, but it brought peace to his heart with each and every repetition. The truth was… nobody knew when they would be allowed to eat. Nobody knew when they would be allowed to stand to stretch their legs. It was all left to hope and desperate prayers.
Meekly nodding to the words of his friend, Heba reluctantly tore his eyes away from the one alongside him; instead, he chose to focus his attention on the feminine figure slumped heavily against his aching shoulder. Among all the captives held within the rolling wagon, the brunette curled against him seemed to be the only one willingly choosing to bundle close to his tiny frame. Carefully observing the crumpled form of his female friend, Heba shifted to the best of his ability in the crowded wagon, occasionally bumping the restricting bars caging them within. It had not taken him long to realize that movement was limited within their cramped space, due to their captors' cruel decision to compact them all within the same confining caravan. In addition, their ultimate decision to withhold food from them had been that much more despicable too. Hour after hour during the sunlight hours, Heba had been forced to watch in longing agony as the men directing the travels filled their stomachs with cool water and mouthwatering bread. They made no attempt to hide their pleasure in consumption, often dipping their heads back insensitively, allowing the clear water to trickle down their chins and onto the sandy desert floor.
"Teana… are you still awake?" Whispering gently into her ear, Heba continued to shift his body harshly to the right for better contact with his female friend. Clumsily placing a small hand to the resting girl's forehead, he worked on brushing sweat and matted brown locks from her face. The brutal travel through the sweltering desert had taken a toll upon them all, but it was Teana who seemed to have fared the worst. Hours into the scorching sun, the girl had gone quiet, choosing to desperately bury her face into the tattered rags upon Heba's shoulder.
"They've gotta be giving us something soon. If…If you're asleep, they might not offer you some." It was a poor excuse, but the boy was determined to rouse her. Just to hear her speak a few words would ease his mind. After all, she had always been the one among the three of them to offer support and encouragement. Where would they be without her usual reassurance?
Watching weakened blue eyes partially open to meet his concerned gaze, Heba forced a small smile onto his lips. Considering how miserable the lot of them felt, it was a relief to see that both his friends still had just enough energy to continue to respond to his words and repetitive questions.
"Where are they even taking us? Are they eventually going to let us go?" Teana murmured.
Heba seemed to not be the only one filled with desperate questions. After all, it was not as though any within the tiny wagon were actual willing travelers. Each and every one of them had likely fought and struggled against their captors to keep ahold of their freedom. It was a strong probability that they all questioned their destination and eventual fate.
"W-Well, it can't be too much longer now, right? We've been moving all day long. They have to eventually let us out from here," Heba reasoned. If they refused, he feared his slightly cramped legs would lock up permanently. However, presently due to his small size, he was fortunate enough to obtain a generous amount of room for his body to spread out. Regrettably, Teana and Jouno did not receive the same ample room for their particular height.
"Oh, look who's becoming our little spark of hope. Would you just pipe down already? Those guys out there aren't going to give us anything if you keep up all your stupid questions and constant whining."
Within the crowd of young prisoners, one had eventually grown tired of Heba's attempts at keeping the conversation going. Judging by the young man's appearance, the small one had determined that they were most likely from a different village. Aside from Teana and Jouno, he could pinpoint only two other familiar faces amongst them, though he had spoken to them very little in the past.
"Hey, back off. He's not hurtin anyone by tryin to keep everyone positive. It's probably more than you could ever do, ya jerk," Muttering in annoyance, Jouno lifted his head, eyes narrowing in the general direction of the cranky youth in the corner.
"In fact, the lot of ya have been nothing but negative ever since we've been in this wagon."
Pointing a finger towards a restless boy twisted in front of him, he grumbled.
"Like you! You've been kickin me for at least an entire hour!" Redirecting his pointing finger, Jouno's attention soon landed on a bundled figure of a girl located in the center.
"And you've been hiccupping ever since we were all stuffed in here! If you ask me, I'd say Heba has been the least of all of our problems!"
Truth be told, the heat and lack of movement had been getting to everyone in the barred wagon. Teana appeared ill, Jouno was becoming impatient and angry, and Heba fought to control the paralyzing fear that threatened to seize his heart. Surely their captors cared enough to eventually restore them all to full health. Surely they wouldn't push them to very edge of their life. Would they? The fact that Heba could not confidently give himself an answer worried him.
Turning from the rising argument that began to bubble within the old carriage, Heba lowered his amethyst eyes towards the resting Teana. Without a sound, she had again fallen back into a faint sleep once more, her head tipped forward into the crook of his shoulder for comfort. He had been tempted to awaken her yet again to inquire on her condition, but had eventually decided against it. She likely needed the extra sleep to distract her from their current situation. He himself had been considering doing the same. Yet after much thought, he instead chose to focus his thoughts and attention to the glimmering stars. Forcing his head to turn and rest against the hard, splintering bars of the cage, Heba glanced towards the sky in fearful silence. Unable to stop the questions from forming in his mind, the boy resisted the urge to whimper. Would he ever see his family again? Were they worried about him? Had they any idea where to search for him?
Lifting a hand to brush an unexpected dribbling tear from his dirty cheek, the boy worked to curl his scraped knees close to his chest. While doing so, Heba curiously began his examination to each and every sparkling star above. Inwardly, he wondered just how many decorated the evening sky. Unlike reading and writing, he had taught himself the basics of counting. Of course, he had enough common sense to understand that the possibility of numbering each and every star was quite slim. Even if it were possible, he'd likely get lost and distracted along the way.
Drowning out the sounds of the continued heated argument within the confines of the rickety wagon, Heba felt his eyes grow heavy from exhaustion. The rocking movement due to their travels was at last lulling him into an uneasy sleep. Leaning his body wearily into that of the slumbering Teana, he continued to idly watch the passing night sky. In the far distance whence they had come, Heba squinted at the faint sight of forming black clouds rising steadily into the air. Perhaps… it was merely the work of his spiraling imagination. If not, it reflected the massive destruction of a far off violent fire.
'Someone's in trouble out there… Just like us. I hope…someone is there to save them. Maybe after…they'll come here to save us too…' Allowing his mind to fully drift, young Heba welcomed the coming of sleep as it tenderly blanketed his shaken form. Perhaps when he awakened, he would find it all to have been just a terrible nightmare.
So, that's it. I'd greatly appreciate reviews, please! It would make my day! Thank you!
Side note- I chose to spell Jono as 'Jouno' to remain closer to the spelling of Jounouchi.