It had started out well at first. The plans were simple. Create
a distraction; steal a couple of fish, run like hell, and live long enough
to eat. Of course the distraction wasn't good enough and they were caught.
Now (for the millionth time) Tulio, Miguel, and Chel were running for their
lives from the guards.
They seemed to have lost them, so the collapsed next to a tree and tried to catch their breath.
"Did you manage to get the fish?" Tulio panted.
"No, I dropped them while we escaped." Miguel said.
Tulio let out a growl in frustration. "Great! All that work for nothing! How could you drop them?!"
Miguel frowned. "Hey, don't blame me! Chel's distraction was pitiful. If you would have gone with my idea, we could be eating right now!"
"I will not flash my breasts to get food, Miguel!" Chel said defensively.
"Well what's wrong with that? It benefits for everyone!" Miguel smiled.
Tulio glared at Miguel. "How's this then? I will not let my wife expose herself for your pleasure." Miguel's smile faded into a scowl.
"I was just kidding." he muttered, crossing his arms and pouting. "So what do we do now, genius one?"
"We stay out here for a few days. I guess we can hunt. Maybe catch a few squirrels or something-. What?!" Tulio snapped at Miguel, who let out a loud snort.
"Hunt?! You can't hunt if your life depended on it, which is-uh- NOW! So how do you suppose we hunt with you as our leader?"
Tulio smiled. "Hmm, you make a good point. So why don't you go hunt?"
Miguel's smile vanished. "Wha-me? But I-I-I. What if I get lost, o-or I get caught and taken to prison?"
"Well then that proves to me that you're not as manly as you think you are. Now go catch us a nice, fat rabbit or a couple of trout. Chel and I will stay right here so you'll know where to find us." Tulio sat down next to Chel, put his arm around her, and smirked. Miguel felt angry and embarrassed, but put on his macho façade.
"Well fine then! I will!" And with that, he marched off into the forest, muttering the whole way.
"Humph. 'Catch us a nice, fat rabbit". Puh!. I'll do better than that. I'll catch a bear and bring it to them alive. Heh. 'Time to eat. ROWR!!!'. Yeah, that'll show them."
An hour had past, and no luck had come. A few times he caught a glimpse of a squirrel or a rabbit, but as soon as he took a step, it scampered off.
Miguel swore to himself. The truth was that he was no better hunter than Tulio and no better a distracter than Chel. But he seemed to have taken a liking at making fun of Tulio and Chel. It wasn't because it was funny to him. It was because, deep down, he was insanely jealous of them. He was jealous of Tulio because he got her first (Miguel was always extremely attracted to her), and he was jealous of Chel because Tulio gave her more respect than he ever got. He was also jealous of their love. That was one thing he had never had in his whole life and wanted. A lover. But, alas, he was a sort of errand boy for the group and didn't have time for any romance. Just work.
But his pondering of love came to a sudden halt, for the ground seemed to stop. He had walked all the way to a giant waterfall.
"Great." He muttered. "A dead end. Might as well go back empty handed." He turned around and started to walk, but stopped. Ahead of him were trees. No path, Just trees. He was lost. Miguel growled in anger. "I knew it! I KNEW IT!!! I knew I'd get lost! Fine. I'll just sit right here and wait for them to come find me." He sat on the ground, cross-legged and stared into the waterfall.
The sky around him grew darker and darker. The sound of the thousands of waves lapping against the rocks made a very peaceful lullaby. Miguel's eyelids grew heavier until, at last, he curled up into a little ball and fell asleep.
* * * * *
"Miguel."
A soft voice tried to break into Miguel's dreams. He closed his lids tighter, trying to ignore the sound. But the voice grew louder and more frantic. Miguel popped his eyes open but his name was still being screamed out. He sat up and listened as the voice grew louder. Suddenly, a figure jumped out from the trees. It was Chel.
"Miguel! Thank goodness I found you! The guards are back!"
"What?" Miguel asked, still dazed from waking up.
"They've captured Tulio and I escaped, but they're right behind me. Hurry, get up! We have to go and save-"
"Halt!"
Chel squealed and started to run again, but one of the guards grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and yanked her to the ground. The other stood in front of Miguel.
"You are Senor Miguel Cervantes, is that correct?" he asked.
"Yes." Miguel said, trying to control his trembling.
"By the order of his majesty King Charles the First, I am here to arrest you on accounts of robbery, rioting, and disrupting the peace. Do not try to run. We have your friends so if you do not want them harmed, come quietly."
Miguel looked over the guard's shoulder to see a third guard holding an unconscious Tulio. He smiled. "It seems that you have already hurt one of my friends so it seems that your proposition contains no matter to me." He punched the man as hard as he could in the face and ran.
"Stop where you are or I'll shoot!" the other guard said, reaching for the musket on his back. But Miguel did not here him. The waterfall was too loud as was the pounding of his heart.
"Miguel, no!" Chel screamed. But it was too late. The musket gave a loud bang, stopping Miguel in his tracks.
Horrible pain swept over him. He let out a howl as tears streamed down his cheeks. The pain was so intense that nausea settled in. Then dizziness. Miguel could not stand any longer. He fell face first. But instead of hitting the ground, he fell further and further. Finally, Miguel was engulfed in something wet and freezing. He struggled to reach the surface, but the power of the water was too great. When he thought he couldn't hold his breath any longer, he collided against a rock, knocking him senseless.
The river carried him along, leaving Chel and the guards in shock.
They seemed to have lost them, so the collapsed next to a tree and tried to catch their breath.
"Did you manage to get the fish?" Tulio panted.
"No, I dropped them while we escaped." Miguel said.
Tulio let out a growl in frustration. "Great! All that work for nothing! How could you drop them?!"
Miguel frowned. "Hey, don't blame me! Chel's distraction was pitiful. If you would have gone with my idea, we could be eating right now!"
"I will not flash my breasts to get food, Miguel!" Chel said defensively.
"Well what's wrong with that? It benefits for everyone!" Miguel smiled.
Tulio glared at Miguel. "How's this then? I will not let my wife expose herself for your pleasure." Miguel's smile faded into a scowl.
"I was just kidding." he muttered, crossing his arms and pouting. "So what do we do now, genius one?"
"We stay out here for a few days. I guess we can hunt. Maybe catch a few squirrels or something-. What?!" Tulio snapped at Miguel, who let out a loud snort.
"Hunt?! You can't hunt if your life depended on it, which is-uh- NOW! So how do you suppose we hunt with you as our leader?"
Tulio smiled. "Hmm, you make a good point. So why don't you go hunt?"
Miguel's smile vanished. "Wha-me? But I-I-I. What if I get lost, o-or I get caught and taken to prison?"
"Well then that proves to me that you're not as manly as you think you are. Now go catch us a nice, fat rabbit or a couple of trout. Chel and I will stay right here so you'll know where to find us." Tulio sat down next to Chel, put his arm around her, and smirked. Miguel felt angry and embarrassed, but put on his macho façade.
"Well fine then! I will!" And with that, he marched off into the forest, muttering the whole way.
"Humph. 'Catch us a nice, fat rabbit". Puh!. I'll do better than that. I'll catch a bear and bring it to them alive. Heh. 'Time to eat. ROWR!!!'. Yeah, that'll show them."
An hour had past, and no luck had come. A few times he caught a glimpse of a squirrel or a rabbit, but as soon as he took a step, it scampered off.
Miguel swore to himself. The truth was that he was no better hunter than Tulio and no better a distracter than Chel. But he seemed to have taken a liking at making fun of Tulio and Chel. It wasn't because it was funny to him. It was because, deep down, he was insanely jealous of them. He was jealous of Tulio because he got her first (Miguel was always extremely attracted to her), and he was jealous of Chel because Tulio gave her more respect than he ever got. He was also jealous of their love. That was one thing he had never had in his whole life and wanted. A lover. But, alas, he was a sort of errand boy for the group and didn't have time for any romance. Just work.
But his pondering of love came to a sudden halt, for the ground seemed to stop. He had walked all the way to a giant waterfall.
"Great." He muttered. "A dead end. Might as well go back empty handed." He turned around and started to walk, but stopped. Ahead of him were trees. No path, Just trees. He was lost. Miguel growled in anger. "I knew it! I KNEW IT!!! I knew I'd get lost! Fine. I'll just sit right here and wait for them to come find me." He sat on the ground, cross-legged and stared into the waterfall.
The sky around him grew darker and darker. The sound of the thousands of waves lapping against the rocks made a very peaceful lullaby. Miguel's eyelids grew heavier until, at last, he curled up into a little ball and fell asleep.
* * * * *
"Miguel."
A soft voice tried to break into Miguel's dreams. He closed his lids tighter, trying to ignore the sound. But the voice grew louder and more frantic. Miguel popped his eyes open but his name was still being screamed out. He sat up and listened as the voice grew louder. Suddenly, a figure jumped out from the trees. It was Chel.
"Miguel! Thank goodness I found you! The guards are back!"
"What?" Miguel asked, still dazed from waking up.
"They've captured Tulio and I escaped, but they're right behind me. Hurry, get up! We have to go and save-"
"Halt!"
Chel squealed and started to run again, but one of the guards grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and yanked her to the ground. The other stood in front of Miguel.
"You are Senor Miguel Cervantes, is that correct?" he asked.
"Yes." Miguel said, trying to control his trembling.
"By the order of his majesty King Charles the First, I am here to arrest you on accounts of robbery, rioting, and disrupting the peace. Do not try to run. We have your friends so if you do not want them harmed, come quietly."
Miguel looked over the guard's shoulder to see a third guard holding an unconscious Tulio. He smiled. "It seems that you have already hurt one of my friends so it seems that your proposition contains no matter to me." He punched the man as hard as he could in the face and ran.
"Stop where you are or I'll shoot!" the other guard said, reaching for the musket on his back. But Miguel did not here him. The waterfall was too loud as was the pounding of his heart.
"Miguel, no!" Chel screamed. But it was too late. The musket gave a loud bang, stopping Miguel in his tracks.
Horrible pain swept over him. He let out a howl as tears streamed down his cheeks. The pain was so intense that nausea settled in. Then dizziness. Miguel could not stand any longer. He fell face first. But instead of hitting the ground, he fell further and further. Finally, Miguel was engulfed in something wet and freezing. He struggled to reach the surface, but the power of the water was too great. When he thought he couldn't hold his breath any longer, he collided against a rock, knocking him senseless.
The river carried him along, leaving Chel and the guards in shock.