Felipe couldn't make it any longer. He was hungry, tired and his inner thighs hurt like crazy. Without even realizing it, his riding pace had slowed down a lot. And suddenly he saw them. Round, fat and juicy. Raspberries! A whole bush of them was right in front of him. He looked back, nobody was approaching, so he started picking a few, then a handful,, then he dismounted, hid Tornado and ate berries until his stomach was full again. Suddenly he heard hoof beats. Scared he hid behind a bush that was slightly far away form where he had been eating. He saw the posse nearing and he saw Gray Wing examining the raspberry bush. And when he talked, Felipe's heart skipped a beat. 'The one who helps Zorro is a young man. He ate many berries. An older man would be more careful of his stomach.' Felipe immediately ran away. He mounted Tornado and he started galloping as fast as he could, regardless of the pain in his legs.
Diego's heart skipped a beat too. He had underestimated this man, and he had overestimated Felipe's ability to stay on task. 'For God's sake, Felipe. You knew what was at stake!', thought Diego angrily for a mere second. Then he realized that he had expected too much of Felipe. He, a grown, strong man riding an average sized mare was exhausted. Poor Felipe, with his shorter and less strong legs had been riding a stallion for hours now. And because of the man who had sworn to protect him, he was now at risk of hanging. Diego felt stupid and selfish.
Felipe was no longer able to ride fast. Suddenly he saw a cave in the mountain. Someone had placed bars on its entrance, bt he didn't mind. Afraid and exhausted, Felipe looked back and saw the cloud of dust of the posse. It was not far. Surely, they were going to reach him in no time at all. He had no way out, except, maybe one. He dismounted, slapped Tornado's hide and ran towards the cave. He didn't even stopped to read the signs on the boards. Right at the entrance he stopped. He knew the De la Vegas had always told him not to enter caves he didn't know, but he could already hear the hoof beats of the search party. If he were caught, his life would end anyway, and Diego's too, so he entered the cave anyway. He went along the tunnel, even though it was getting darker and darker. Weird beasts and bugs swarmed by and frightened him, but he kept going, driven by the fear he felt. His heart was pounding so hard that it hurt his chest. His eyes stung, but he was too scared to actually let tears flow. The cave was hot and humid and he was sweating, but he felt cold. A cold that penetrated his bones. He felt stupid for getting himself into this situation. He had not been good enough. He hadn't ridden fast enough, he ahd tired far more easily than he should have had.
