So this story isn't going to be very long. Under 15 most likely! I have 7 chapters already finished, including these two.


Miguel turned to her and frowned, still trying to get away from the skeletons, "What do you mean it starts here?"

Reina pulled out the map and held it out so it was facing the others. Her finger was on the eagle drawing by the beach. She then pointed down the beach they landed on to where an rock sat that looked exactly like an eagle. "It starts here, because the road to El Dorado starts here." She said, grinning as Miguel's eyes lit up. Miguel turned to Altivo and grinned, hugging the horse around the neck, not noticing Tulio's shocked expression. Reina walked to the boat and began unloading the supplies they had left, "You hired a guide but you still expected it to be fake?"

Tulio looked over at her before helping, "Usually Miguel's plans don't turn out well.. I was mostly humoring him."

Reina chuckled softly as she tossed an apple to Altivo in celebration, "Well I'm hopeful it leads to something but it could just be a coincidence."

Tulio hummed as he turned to look at the eagle rock, "Very strange coincidences I must say.." First they had 'won' the map. Second Miguel had just happened to overhear talk of a guide. The guide happened to be going on an expedition to Cuba and Mexico. El Dorado was in Mexico. They just happened to wash up on the beach right where the eagle rock was?

Reina watched Tulio as he mumbled to himself curiously before going to the eagle rock, "Well if this is the first landmark the path should be close by..."

Miguel grinned and grabbed the sword from the ground, prancing up to the wall of greenery, "The trail starts here!"

Tulio frowned, "What trail?"

Miguel slashed at the wall, "The trail we blaze!" The greenery fell only to reveal a stone wall. Altivo snorted at him, finding it amusing. Miguel, ever the optimist, pointed to the next opening, "That trail that we blaze!"

Reina chuckled and grabbed Altivo's reins as she began following Miguel, "Let's see how long it takes them to ask for help?" Altivo neighed in agreement as he nuzzled her head. Reina grinned and kept walking, leaving Tulio to run to catch up to the other three.

Miguel ended up taking them back to the beach so Reina had, gently and nicely, asked if she could lead. Miguel just laughed and handed the map and the sword to her. Reina chuckled and began cutting through the jungle, expertly following the map's layout. They had walked most of the day before Tulio whined about being tired and sore. Reina looked back and up at the sky to judge the time of day. "Alright, we made a lot of progress today, we can stop for the night."

Miguel yawned and stretched, "We'll set up the camp."

Reina nodded, "I heard a stream not far from here so I'm going to wash up and see if I can't find something else to eat. Apples and dried meats get tiresome after a while." Altivo neighed at her as if to say apples would always be delicious to him. She smiled and walked off, leaving a large trail behind her so she could find her way back. She soon found the river and noticed a large pool up by a waterfall. She stripped down and placed her clothes on a rock before slipping into the water. She sighed at the cool water before she began rubbing her skin and hair. The gentle sound of the waterfall, the sounds of the birds in the trees, the warm breeze. It was heaven to her. She relaxed back against a rock and hummed to herself. She was really glad she decided to help the two men find this place. Maybe if she got enough money one day she would settle down here. It seemed like a perfect place. She began to get a little too cold and slipped out, wringing her hair out before pulling her clothes on. She began walking when she noticed an entrance to a cave. She didn't see any animal tracks to hint it was a predator's din. She slowly walked in, seeing light focused on the ground ahead of her. She walked further in only to gasp at the roof of the cave. There was a bird shape in the roof that allowed the last light of sunset into the floor of the cave. She grinned as she pulled out the map, this was the second landmark. She quickly walked back to the camp to find Miguel and Tulio sitting by a fire. She grinned as she walked up to them, "I found the next one."

Miguel jumped up, "Where!?" Tulio got up and scoffed to himself, as if these landmarks were real. Miguel grabbed Tulio's arm and dragged him behind him as they followed Reina to the landmark. By the time they had arrived it was already dark out and the moon just high enough to flood the cave floor with light. Miguel looked up and then at the map Reina was holding out for them, "You found it! Amazing!"

Reina grinned, blushing slightly from the praise. She smiled, "The river is close by so tomorrow we'll follow it till we find the next landmark. I've heard of a species of vicious fish near this area that remind me of this design. So once we find those fish I believe we will have found the third landmark."

Tulio raised an eyebrow at her, surprised at her skill before yelling as Miguel dragged him away, "You go rest Reina, we'll go fishing!"

Reina watched them in surprise before smiling. "I really do admire their relationship.." She walked back to camp and saw Altivo asleep beside the fire. She laid down her blankets beside him and relaxed as she looked up at the stars. She had been on a few expeditions before, mainly in Europe, but this was the best yet. She felt at peace here yet the idea of finding this hidden city filled her with adrenaline. It was a wonderful mix. She heard yelling and chuckled as she made out that the boys were arguing about who caught the largest fish. She knew it would never be a boring trip with them around.

That morning the four had ate the last of the fish and apples before heading out again. This time they followed the river south. Not long after they had came along a small ledge near a rock face covered in dense foliage. Reina sighed as she looked around, "Looks like we'll have to cut through here. This is going to take a while with only one sword."

She began hacking at the tough plants when Tulio rolled his eyes, "Why don't we just cross the river? It's shallow and calm!" He jumped down and began stomping through the water, irritated at the hot weather and slow pace.

Reina turned to Miguel and winced, "I wouldn't follow him if I were you." She called out to Tulio, "Be careful! We'll meet you soon!" She began hacking more furiously at the plants, "There's leeches in most waters so you have to be careful." She mumbled the last part to Miguel.

Miguel frowned worriedly at where Tulio had marched off to before offering to take over hacking through the foliage for a while. Reina smiled and nodded, letting him have a turn as she rubbed her arm, it was hard work. They took turns before they soon met up with Tulio. He was standing with his arms crossed and mumbling about his soaked pants.

Miguel patted him on the back, "It didn't take us that long!" He frowned as he felt something on his back, "What's on your back Tulio?"

Tulio tried to reach for his back, "What? What's on my back!?"

Reina forced him down on a rock and slipped his shirt up and wrinkled her nose at the sight of leeches. "Some buddies decided to stay with you from your trip. Leeches."

Tulio screamed like a little girl, "Get them off!"

Miguel squeamishly began picking them off with Reina's help, throwing them back into the water. "You could have waited you know." Tulio only grumbled to himself, wincing every time one was pulled off. They pulled the last one off and let his shirt drop back down. "Got them!"

Tulio stood up and grimaced as he rubbed at his back, "That's just gross."

Reina chuckled and tossed the last one back into the water, "You should see them when they really gorge on blood. It's disgusting." Tulio looked a bit pale at her words and shook his head to clear the mental image. Reina looked at the map and began walking ahead again, glad there was a break from the foliage cutting at least."This way guys." Miguel grinned at Tulio and began following Reina. Tulio mumbled about the leeches to himself as he walked beside Altivo.

The group had followed the river for a while till they came across another difficult path of overgrown jungle versus a river to cross. Reina looked at the water and shrugged, "I wouldn't risk it. It's quicker but these kinds of roads are never meant to be easy. It defeats the purpose of hiding something."

Tulio frowned, "But this is just silly! We can skip across this part of the river and be through in a minute versus an hour of cutting through the jungle."

Reina put her hand on her hip and held out her hand to the river, motioning for him to go. "You're welcome to repeat your mistakes Tulio. I won't however." She put the map in her pocket and cut through the jungle. Tulio gaped at her blatant attitude towards him before huffing as he started jumping from rock to rock across the river. Miguel looked between the two before looking at Altivo and shrugging. Altivo nudged Miguel after Reina before walking after her. Reina had quickly cut a small opening for them through the jungle and came out into a clear opening. They looked over to see Tulio running away from a fish biting onto his butt, yelling out. Reina laughed as she watched him, holding her stomach. She brushed back against something solid and looked behind her. There was a huge rock face but there was a fish design chiseled into the rock. "Miguel, take a look at this."

Miguel turned and ran his hand over the design and looked at her, "Isn't this the third landmark?" Reina nodded, grinning at him. Miguel pumped his fist up in the air, "Yes! We're on the right track!" He turned and ran after Tulio, "Tulio! We found it!" Reina chuckled and followed after him.

She soon found the two, Tulio sitting on a rock and rubbing his butt as Miguel was animatedly talking about how they found the third landmark.

Reina put her stuff down and patted Altivo's neck, "We should stop here for the night. I'm sure you'll enjoy that Tulio. Those fish should be good for dinner." She said grinning at Tulio's irritated expression. "You two rest, I'll try not to get my ass bit like you did." She grabbed a net from her bag and began walking back to the river.

Tulio waited till she was gone before turning to Miguel, "She thinks she's so much smarter than me!"

Miguel rolled his eyes at him, "Well you don't listen to her. She hasn't been wrong and tried to stop you from being so hasty!"

Tulio sighed and rubbed his sore butt, "I guess."

Miguel sighed and began fixing a fire, "Really you should be more excited! We're almost there. I can feel it." Miguel saw him rubbing his butt and smirked at him, "Want me to kiss it better?"

Tulio blushed slightly "Miguel.."

Miguel watched as the fire came to life before kneeling down in front of Tulio. "Please?" He gave him his cutest expression, holding his hands. When Tulio caved Miguel grinned and kissed him, gently pushing him back on the ground, ignoring Altivo's snort as he trotted away.

Reina had just laid the net in the water when she saw something moving in the brush. She held her sword and looked up to see something black move through the underbrush. She heard a low growl a split second before a large figure jumped out and tackled her to the ground. Her sword fell out of her hands from the force and she looked up to see a large black jaguar pinning her down to the ground. She gasped as it lowered its head to hers and stared into her eyes. She felt her blood run cold at the fear she felt. This thing could easily snap her neck in an instant and she couldn't do anything to stop it. The jaguar sniffed at her neck causing her to whimper slightly, tilting her head away. The thing growled softly causing Reina to freeze. The jaguar brushed it's nose against her neck before getting off of her, sitting back on its haunches beside her. Reina sat up, resting her weight on her forearms beside her as she stared at the creature. It tilted its head to the side as it stared her right in the eyes. Reina stared into its eyes, seeing how intelligent it seemed. Reina felt her head spin a little before she blacked out, falling back to the ground.

Miguel hummed softly, gently playing with Tulio's hair as he laid on his chest. Tulio was laying on one of their blankets while a second was draped over them both. Around them their clothes were scattered from their hurry, the fire still providing heat and a comfortable glow around the camp. "I must say I'm glad you got attacked by those fish."

Tulio rolled his eyes before kissing Miguel to shut him up. When he pulled back and saw the dreamy look on his face Tulio held him close. "Oh shush." Tulio looked up at the sky behind them, noticing how the sun was beginning to set. "Shouldn't we have heard from Reina by now?"

Miguel got off Tulio and sat beside him, frowning. "We should have.. What if something happened to her?"

Tulio got up and began collecting their clothes, putting on his own. He saw Miguel dressing and hopping after him. Tulio would have laughed if he wasn't worried. He began walking in the direction Reina had left earlier. "We should follow the river, surely she wouldn't be far from it." Together they followed the path Reina had cleared. They had walked for about five minutes until they saw someone laying on the ground. Miguel went to run to the figure till Tulio held him back, "Stop." Miguel turned to him to argue when they heard a low growl. They looked closer to see a large black jaguar now standing over the figure growling at them. Miguel tensed up before he held up his hands nervously. The jaguar watched them before growling one last time and dashing into the jungle. Tulio waited before rushing to the figure. They saw it was Reina, still unconscious on the ground.

Miguel gently scooped her up, laying her head in his lap as he checked her head. "There's isn't any blood or a bump." Tulio nodded and gently scooped some water from the river in his hands and splashed it on her face.

Reina gasped and sat up, looking around before seeing the two men around her. "Where did it go?"

Tulio shrugged as he watched her, looking for any sign of a concussion. "It ran off when we found you."

Miguel nodded, "It was hovering over you when we came upon you. It stared at us for a bit before running off."

Reina rubbed her head and sighed as she got up, Miguel and Tulio helping her, "I had just set the net up when it dashed out and tackled me to the floor. It sniffed me and stared at me for a while. For some reason it got off of me and just stared at me. I got dizzy and passed out.." She noticed their worried glances and smiled slightly, "I feel fine now." She ran a hand through her now messed up braid, "Would you bring in the net? I'm hungry and just want to rest."

Tulio walked over and dragged in the net that had a couple of fish still in it. "Good thing we caught some then." Miguel smiled and began walking back with her, one arm around her side just in case. Reina didn't like him being so close to her but allowed it since he was just worried about her. They sat down, Reina prepping the fish as a way to calm down as Tulio placed the fish on sticks when she finished one. Soon they had about five of them cooked.

After a few minutes Reina saw Altivo neighing at something by his feet. She walked over and saw a small armadillo and grinned softly. She gently picked him up and pet his shell as he hid from her, "Shhh... It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." She sat down and placed him in her lap. He gently uncurled and looked up at her. "You must have smelt the fish." She reached over and handed out a stick to him watching as he grabbed it off the stick and bit into it happily. She smiled and looked up to see Tulio and Miguel eating but chuckling at the small creature. She got her own fish and began eating, watching the other four happily. Soon after they had all finished eating Miguel and Tulio had wandered off saying they were going to wash up before bed, Altivo going with them. Reina knew why they needed to be alone though and it just made her laugh. After they left it was only Reina and the armadillo at the camp. Reina laid back on her blankets beside the fire when she felt something lay beside her. She saw the armadillo curled up to her side, yawning. She smiled at him, "You're welcome to stay with us little one. However you should have a name." She hummed softly as she thought of a suiting name. "How about... Manolo?" The little armadillo nodded his head excitedly. Reina smiled and nodded, "Manolo it is then." Soon the two had drifted off to sleep.

The next morning as they headed out Reina couldn't help but notice two them men scratching at themselves constantly. Reina tilted her head, "What happened?"

Miguel looked bashful before laughing softly, "When we were... umm.. bathing.. some monkeys ran off wearing our clothes. We chased after them and got them back but now we're super itchy."

Reina laughed at what they were doing and the monkeys before reaching into her bag, tossing Miguel a jar of some greenish paste. "Rub this onto the places you itch most and it will soothe the skin. I'll sit over here and let you have some privacy." She playfully winked at the two before sitting with her back to them. She pulled out the map and hummed to herself as she began calculating how far they need to go to find the next landmark, judging by how quickly they found the past three.

Miguel walked over and sat the jar beside her and sighed happily, Tulio doing the same. "So much better."

Reina placed the jar in her bag, smiling as she got up and began walking again, "There's a certain plant that grows around here that helps with burns and other things, such as itching. If you make it into a paste and keep it cool and away from the sun it will keep for a long time." She looked at the map again, "It should take about another day to find the next one. Maybe sooner if we make good time." They had kept walking till the jungle thinned out and they were surrounded by huge roots of the trees around them. Reina placed Manolo on Altivo's back as she sighed. "This is going to suck. If we stray from the path we may get lost and loose time." She sighed as she looked at the other two, "Let's keep moving shall we?"

Miguel grinned at her, "It will be worth it all though when we find El Dorado!"

Tulio raised an eyebrow, "If we do I'm going to sleep for an entire day!" Reina smiled and began climbing after Altivo. They had walked through the roots for about two hours before coming to a cliff edge. There was a waterfall splitting the half they were on and another half. There was a huge tree that was placed across the two cliffs, connecting them. Tulio paled and shook his head, "No way! We could fall off!"

Miguel looked over the edge and back at him, "Well we won't fall off." They turned to ask Reina only to see her marching across the tree. "Hey wait up!" He ran after her.

Tulio paled before he walked up to Altivo and got on his back, "Slowly Altivo, Okay?" Altivo whinnied softly before prancing after the others slowly.

Reina jumped off the tree and waited for the others, "Not that bad, see?"

Tulio slid off Altivo's back and shook his head, "No. Worse."

Miguel laughed at him and patted his back before they continued on. "At least we didn't get lost. I'm sure I would have gotten lost through that maze back there."

Reina smiled and shrugged, "It's easy to do." She looked at the map again before continuing to walk ahead. They soon came across a cliff face with small rocks spread across as stepping stones. Reina turned to the other two and handed them her stuff, "Okay, I'll go first. Then you three go across on Altivo."

Miguel went to stop her but she head already leaped across to the first one and seemed to almost dance across them to the other side. She grinned and mock bowed to them, "I've made it across worse you two. Don't worry so much, you'll be fine!"

Miguel and Tulio let out a breath they didn't know they were holding before they got on Altivo. The horse managed to hop across all of them before stopping beside Reina. She smiled and got the map again and continued walking, "it shouldn't be that far now.." They kept walking till the path ended by a large pool of water. She looked up at the rock structure by the water. She tilted her head before grinning, "It's a face." She looked at the map again, "And the fifth landmark. So the waterfall back there must have been the fourth." Miguel and Tulio got off of Altivo together, looking around them.

Miguel was the first to speak, "This place is beautiful..." Tulio nodded in amazement.

Reina smiled and sat her stuff down, "We should stop here for the night. I think it's going to rain and these trees are a good shelter. For now..." She slipped off her shoes and ran past them and jumped into the water.

Miguel watched her before laughing and took of his shirt and pants before doing the same, "Woohoo!" Tulio watched them and chuckled before doing the same.


They're almost there! Then we get to meet the sexy priest. Mmm. Reina will think so too ;)