A.N: I've got nothing to say, just read on, you lovely readers.

Chapter 8: The Boys

"HUEY!"

The sudden yell made Esteban look up from where he fell face-first into the ground. A deer jumped out from the treeline ahead, trotting over to the man with a big grin.

Before Esteban could figure out why the deer seemed familiar, an angry growl behind him made him look back. He had managed to jump through the gap in the vines, but the giant bat creature gotten tangled up in the mess. Its massive wings flapping about to try and break through the trap. It was still pretty close, so Esteban tried to crawl away.

But Esteban stopped when the deer came nose to nose with him. He sat up to lean back but in doing so he got a good look at the flame markings on the deer's legs. Now it made sense. It was the deer man. "Calling it close, heh, Xirafatl?"

Suddenly Esteban felt something jump on his head, but before he could shoo it away, it jumped off and hung on to the deer's left antler. It was a spider monkey with lengthy brown hair growing from its head to the small of its back and held back by a blue headband and tie. "And we were this close to not coming this far out today," the monkey said in a young male voice as he raised one long arm to show his thumb and index finger nearly touching.

A buzzing sound on Esteban's left made him slightly jump. He looked to see a green hummingbird with violet chest feathers and one on its head sticking up. Esteban didn't expect the little guy to say in a strong male voice, "And that's why you got us, the- Oh no-"

Without warning, the deer reached out and grabbed the back of Esteban's collar with his teeth to yank the man behind him. Esteban managed to keep himself on his hands and knees so that he could look back. The bat creature managed to pull at the vines with enough strength that it could have reached Esteban with its jaws. The deer man had pulled Esteban out of harm's way. But the strength of the vines forced the creature back and the momentum made it swing in the tangled mess.

"What, that's it?" The hummingbird asked surprised before flying high and bursting in glowing purple bird glyphs before coming to land on the ground as a man in his early thirties. He had his chin-length hair parted to the left so that his entire right side was completely shaved off and revealed tooth-like ear piercings. He had on a long purple loincloth with a knot tied on the middle and light gauze material wrapped around his hips. Tattoos of different symbols, pictograms, and glyphs were tattooed from the middle of his right forearm to his left shoulder along with a hummingbird tattooed on his left chest. "Come on, bring it on, big guy!" he yelled as he motioned for the bat to come forward.

Then the spider monkey jumped off the deer's antlers before blue monkey glyphs replaced it with a man in his late twenties. He wore a blue lion cloth matching his blue headband keeping his hair back tied in a ponytail. His upper body was covered in a waist-length, black netted cape with blue glyphs sewn on the thick white hem. As he stepped forward to mimic his hummingbird friend, Esteban saw the spider monkey tattooed on his left leg. "Yeah! Come and get it!" he called out before he stuck his tongue out.

Their taunting angered the creature enough for it to pull against the restraints and try to bite them. Even though they took a step back to avoid getting caught, the Maruvians still kept laughing. The deer had stepped far back enough so that he stood next to Esteban. Seeing him still sitting on the ground, the deer leaned his head down so that his antlers were right by Esteban's face. "Grab on," he said. Unsure of what the deer man was trying to do, Esteban slowly reached out and grabbed the right antler. Then the deer reared his head back and helped Esteban back on his feet. The sudden jerk upwards almost made him fall forward but the deer stayed close so that the man could lean into his side.

By then, the creature had attempted to come closer only to be pulled back once more. The hummingbird man yelled, "Nice try!"

Then, in a deep, raspy voice, the creature said, "Move aside so I can crush this human scum into the ground,"

A sudden chill made Esteban step back. But the deer stepped forward as he finally shapeshifted into his human form so that he could motion towards the ground and say, "Well you got to get to the ground first, Zotzini!" Then he and the other two men laughed once more. Esteban's mouth hung open. Moments ago this…. Zotzini tried had tried to kill him and these three were just mocking the giant

Zotzinin gave a low hiss and tried to pull against the vines again by flapping his wings. The monkey man put his hands to his hips and cocked his head to the side. "You know for someone who hangs upside down a lot you look good hanging right side up," he said which earned some giggles from the other two.

The hummingbird man added, "Wait, hold up, that's his face. And here I thought he was hanging upside down already." All three men burst into laughter again. It was enough for Esteban to finally let a small smile appear as he chuckled. That was kind of funny.

What was funny to them finally angered Zotzini to the point when he pulled against the restraints one vine wrapped around his chest snapped. The sudden release made him drop fast and low enough his face slammed into the ground. All four men winced. That had to hurt.

Zotzini shook his head off delirium as he swung back and forth on the vines once more. Pushing past his friends, the deer man went to stand face to face with the bat. "All right Zotzini," He began as he crossed his arms, "You can give it up. I'm sure you don't want to make your face any flatter than it is."

Zotzini's brow furrowed as he looked down at the Maruvian. "Not until you let me deal with that human." he hissed. "He was in the mountain."

"Look, we highly respect your duty to protect what's yours but you do realize you're in our territory now, right?" He extended his arms out. "Which means this tlakatl is for us to deal with."

Zotzini deadpanned. "For a people who try to stay out of danger, you Naguals have a bad habit of finding it."

"He's not a threat. Besides, he'll be coming to our place from time to time to learn magic, so he won't be messing with-"

"You're letting him into K'ink'uk'nal?" Zotzini interrupted with a raised brow.

"Yes, and what of it?" The hummingbird man cut in, puffing out his chest.

Zotzini looked between the Maruvians in confusion and then to Esteban with narrowed eyes. At first, Esteban thought he was looking to find another way to kill him, but then Esteban got a feeling that Zotzini was looking for more than that. Then Zotzini began to flap his wings and lean back to get out of the tangled mess of vines easier. Once he was free, he did not attempt to attack. Instead, he stayed on the other side of the vines and landed with his back to them. His talons scraped the ground as he lumbered away without another word.

"Good talk," The monkey man mumbled.

"Well, it was good to see you come out and get some sun, Zotzini!" The hummingbird man called out as the bat creature disappeared into the thick foliage.

The deer man moved his hand up and down to get his friend to settle. Then all three turned around to face Esteban. "Man, oh man, you are one lucky guy," The deer man began with a smirk.

"You could have been bat food if you hadn't been so quick on your feet," The monkey man added.

"Quick?" Esteban asked. No one had ever described him as quick before.

"Don't forget us," The hummingbird man said with a knowing smile as he nudged his monkey friend by the elbow. "We were near the stream when we heard Zotzini screeching like the maniac he is." The words got Esteban thinking of the voices by the stream earlier. These three have been helping him this whole time.

"What were you doing in Las Garras?" The deer man asked, "Aren't you from Morelos?"

Remembering that part of his cover story, Esteban straightened himself and quickly said, "Yes, that's where I'm staying. I just… took a shortcut."

"Not a bad idea," The hummingbird man almost snickered. "If the mountain wasn't home to an ancient demon lord." Esteban gulped. What the heck was Zopilote thinking of staying in the same mountain as an ancient demon lord? There's no way he was oblivious to it.

"Well, now he knows," the deer man said to his friends as he patted Esteban on the shoulder, the sudden move making the man tense up. "That's that so long as you don't go through the tunnels again. And parts of the jungle. Zotzini's got territory near the mountain."

"Wait, which parts of the jungle?" Esteban asked nervously.

"Relax, you'll learn as you go." The deer man looked down at Esteban's staff that had been on the ground the entire time. He picked up the staff with his toes then kicked it up in the air so he could skillfully grab by hand. "Speaking of learning, you've got somewhere to be."

Still processing all the new information, all Esteban could do was raise an eyebrow and say, "I do?"

"Training," the deer man answered as he held out the staff for Esteban to grab. The man slowly reached out to grab it, and then he looked down at it as he was reminded of why he was out here. But In the middle of running for his life, he was more than ready to give this all up and turn back. So should he?

"Well, aren't you coming?"

Realizing the three men had left him alone to think, Esteban looked back to see they had all shapeshifted back into their animal forms and waited at the edge of the treeline.

"What, you got something better to do?" The hummingbird asked. Esteban looked once again in the direction of Las Garras before looking back at the three Maruvians and shaking his head. "Then let's go, Xirafatl." Then they all started to make their way deeper into the jungle.

"Hold on a moment," Esteban called out as he followed after them. He tried his best to keep up but he continuously had to duck under branches or watch his feet to avoid tripping over rocks. Once he was at least next to the deer, he asked. "What is it that you keep calling me? Xirafatl? And the other. Tla… talka…"

From where he sat on the back of his deer friend, the monkey answered. "It means different things depending on context, but we're just calling you human. As for Xirafatl, it means-"

"Stretch!" The hummingbird cut in as he came to fly by Esteban's head. "And you're welcome for that one."

"Stretch?" Esteban repeated.

"There have been some tall people among us but none as tall as you," the deer explained. Esteban looked away somewhat reluctant on letting them call him that. Then again, being called tall was better than being called El Segundo. "Besides," the deer man continued, "Being named something about yourself is sometimes how it goes among us Naguals. Little Deer Brother, that's what my name translates to your language. But you can call me Mazateikautl."

"Unless you're me," the hummingbird said, puffing up his violet chest feathers "Ikikunari. I'm the Untameable."

"Unmanageable is more like it," Mazateikautl muttered with a smile.

Ikikunari heard him and flew past Esteban to be eye to eye with the deer. "Oh, you wanna go," he said with a smirk before he began poking his sharp nose on the Mazateikautl's forehead. The deer kept his stride but laughed as he shook his head to swipe at the hummingbird with his antlers.

Finally, the spider monkey spoke up. "My parents are a bit old-fashioned and named me after the date I was born on. Jun Imix, the first day of the month of Imix. And then I added Ja', which means Water. So I'm Jun Ja' Imix."

Esteban smiled. "So there isn't one way to just name yourself. Fascinating." He couldn't remember the last time he took time to learn about a different culture, especially for just the fun of it. It was a nice change in pace. As they got closer to a set of mountains, Esteban realized something Jun Ja' Imix said. "Why water?"

"Well, water makes up Rain which is my element," Jun Ja' Imix answered.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that's all he can do," Mazateikautl explained as he finally shooed Ikikunari away. "You see, Jun Ja' can raise water from the stream like you saw back there, but I can't. If you asked me to get a fire started , however…" Mazateikautl stopped and looked at Esteban dead in the eye before his antlers burst into flames. "I can surely do that." Esteban stepped back in fright but the deer shook his head to fan out the fire as he continued forward. "Each Nagual is born connected to one of five elements. Rain, Earth, Fire, Wind, and Life.

Ikikunari flew down to fly in circles around Esteban's feet. The wind around the man suddenly picked up to the point it made the ends of his coat rise. Once Ikikunari flew back to flying by Esteban's head, the wind died down. "See? And it's the same thing when it comes to shapeshifting. We can only be one animal."

"The Itz'at said you were all born magical," Esteban cut in. "What you're saying sounds limiting to me."

"Connected," Mazateikautl emphasized. "That's the key word. We're part magical creatures after all, and like any magical creature we already have an innate connection to some magic but not all forms of it. And yet, it's still more powerful than banging a drum."

"But don't worry, Xirafatl," Ikikunari assured. "We still come from a long line of Maruvian ancestors. The Itz'at has kept well in touch with how they did magic back then, so you'll be fine."

"It's only your first day, too," Mazateikautl finished as they stepped out into a clearing. "So don't feel pressure to get it right the first time."

"My first day…" Esteban whispered as he stopped at the edge of the clearing. He looked up longingly at the side of the mountain they came up to, seeing that the base of it was mostly a rocky wall with a few shrubs growing in between some stones. When Mazateikautl walked up to a part of the rock face covered in vines, he used his antlers to push the mesh aside to reveal a narrow entrance into a gulge.

Having been so confused as to where the Maruvian's were hiding in the jungle, Esteban would have celebrated the fact he finally had an idea of where their settlement was now. But even if this was most certainly the same gugle Zyanya had taken him through a few days ago, the man wasn't all too ready to go through. Would it just be more useless training, or something more?

"Overwhelmed?"

Esteban didn't realize Mazateikault and Jun Ja' Imix had shapeshifted into their human forms until he brought his focus back to the present. Ikikunari suddenly shapeshifted into a human next to Esteban and wrapped a tattooed arm around Esteban's neck. "Hey, stick with us and you'll understand magic in no time."

"You're saying you'll help me?" Esteban asked, trying to step away from the grip the hummingbird man had on him.

"Of course, we're the Xi'paals, the Boys." Ikikunari beat a fist against his chest. "And The Xi'paals help our amigos! That's how you say it, right? Amigos?"

Taken aback by those words, Esteban hastily removed Ikikunari's arm from around his neck. "Look, even if that is how you say it… why say it. We just met. And I'm what? Twice as old as you three."

"So?"

Esteban looked at them, flabbergasted. Were they for real? He wasn't planning on being here for more than a day and these three were trying to be friends with him. Mazateikautl motioned for everyone to go through the passage. "Come on, we're burning daylight." Ikikunari and Jun Ja' Imix walked through without delay. Esteban hesitated, once again looking back to where Las Garras could be in the distance. But then again, he thought, this was turning out to be an interesting experience so far. His curiosity helped him start walking through the gulge.

Even though daylight cast shadows into the narrow passage, Esteban was thankful he could finally see and not trip over his own feet. After a long while, they got to the other side where the walls of the gulge sloped down and gave way to open space. Esteban noticed the three Maruvians pass a part of the slope with a glyph carved into the side of a boulder. Each one traced their fingers along the glyph's surface before continuing forward.

When Esteban looked to where they were heading, his mouth dropped open.

A.N: Yay, another info dump, with plenty more where that came from hahah. And yes, I did reference my favorite Happy Feet scene. Though the Amigos also inspired The Boys, The Boys are less stereotypical. That I can assure you. What can I say? Happy-go-lucky people that support lost souls are my JAM!

Fun Facts:

Tlakatl and Xirafatle: Tlakatl is nahuatl for "human, person, or being". Xirafatl is nahuatl for giraffe. Even though giraffes aren't native to Mesoamerica, I couldn't find a word for tall. I chose Xirafatl because in Mexico, a slang word for tall people is "girafe", lol.

Ikikunari: I gave him a Purepecha name because the main Purepecha city was called "place of the hummingbird". The gauze hip cloth he wears was commonly worn by the Maya and his tattoos are based on how the Huastec people tattooed themselves according to archeological finds. The wind pictogram is how the Mexica (Aztecs) depicted speech in Codices and he has the Maya "wind" glyph on his right chest. The hummingbird on his left chest is drawn in the way the hummingbirds are depicted in Mexica Codices. Because of their feisty nature, Hummingbirds were considered great warriors in past lives.

Jun Ja' Imix: His net cape is a Checuentli, one of two net capes commonly worn by the Mexica. His spider monkey tattoo is based on Maya art on pottery. Both character sheets can be found on my Deviantart, the link is on my bio here.

Naming: The different ways on how people were named in Mesoamerica vary. The Mexica and other Nahua groups named themselves after animals, colors, items, ect (ex: Mazateikautl). They had a separate name based on the calendar day they were born on. If someone was born on the first day of the deer month, their Calendar name was 1 Deer. Zapotec and Mixtecs were similar though their birth name could also be a phrase or a word (Ex: Zyanya=Forever). The Maya used a different Calendar, the Haab, and implemented their Calendar name in their birth names which often got changed or added. Since Jun was born on the first day of the month of Imix and then he added a name, his name goes Jun (Maya for One) Ja' (Huastec Maya for Water) Imix (Etymology of the Imix comes from "river, lake, or sea"). The Haab was 365 day calendar with each of the 13 months made up of 20 days.

Nagual Elemental Magic: The Elements I've chosen are based on important elements in Mesoamerican culture. Rain, Earth, Fire, Wind, and Agriculture. The way they work in the story is somewhat different from other media (ex: Last Airbender). Instead of the word "bending" or "controlling" the key word is "Connected". More of how the innate ability side of magic works will be explored in the story.

Welp, I'd leave with something witty, but tbh I gotta run. I need to watch Raya and the Last Dragon ASAP. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!