Magua knew.
The moment he saw it he knew. There were many things reflected in both of their eyes, the boy's and the girl's. Fear, blind bravery, the will to live. But he could discern another underlying emotion. By the way they looked at one another, he could tell they belonged to each other. The boy chose Yellow Hair and she wanted to be chosen by him.
While he stumbled off the path and away from the Mohicans in his weakened state, his vision dancing and blood leaving a trail on the ground behind him, he felt resentment. With so many of his warriors dead and himself heavily wounded and defeated, he could not return to his village. His pride would not allow it. But what made him so resentful about the whole situation was the fact that he could still notice and name the subtle emotion hidden in their eyes. Because he once experienced it himself.
And ever since the time that emotion lost meaning to him, he never wanted to encounter it again. It arose memories from him too painful to remember. He longed to erase the knowledge of its existence from his mind, to not be able to see it. All those years he tried to morph his soul and insides into cold stone and fill the dark gaping abysses in his being with it.
He was quite succesful. But evidently not enough. Because for a moment he considered letting them both walk away with no sacrifice. And he would have.
Many years ago.
He shook off the memories. He was not that weak man anymore. He had to think about his own survival right now. He hoped the Mohicans were preocupied with their own wounded or possibly dead member, because if they decided to go after him, he would be awfully easy to track.
He couldn't die now. Not yet. Even though he sometimes wondered why he still wanted to live this meaningless life, he decided he couldn't die in the same meaningless way that he now lived in for years. Because he made a vow:
His life amounted to nothing but waiting for the day his lost pacing in this cruel world would come to an end. And when the void emptiness of the end came for him, he would take with him as many of the white demons who brought the seed of suffering and despair into his life as he could.
He dissapeared into the thick green of the forest, seeking shelter to recover and take care of his injury.
Author's note:
I think it's funny how I already have the last chapter's ending scene sketched out, but not the whole story leading to it. But I am determined to write the whole story no matter what.
The title of this story comes from the song Crystals by Of Monsters and Men. I think it suits this story quite well.