Chapter Twenty-Three: The Fox and the Snake (Part 5)
A coyote howl rang in the air as dusk changed into evening, the stars hidden behind thick clouds. The full moon glowed eerily, its light shining down on the ledge of the mountain as two figures hid in a nearby cavern. Lolita shivered as the night air became cooler, hunger gnawing inside of her stomach. She had been here for hours, with Riviera keeping vigilant watch over her. It was a terrifying idea being trapped here at night with him, but she fought to keep her hopes high. Diego would come for her…he wouldn't let her down.
"The past…is a damned thing," Riviera spoke, his harsh voice startling her. He continued to stare out into the night sky, his back towards the girl. "It haunts you, no matter how far you run from it…and it is relentless. I often tried to be like that…but it seems I have failed." Turning slowly, he could see her body become tense, though her eyes blazed in the moonlight…the same eyes that Tia had. "I should like to pluck your eyes out, señorita…they're much too painful for me…they vividly remind me of someone in the past," he scowled.
Lolita did not dare to open her mouth for fear that she may anger him, even if she was curious as to what he was talking about. Her eyes strayed from Riviera to see if there was any way she would be able to sneak past him…and that was when she saw the familiar outline of a figure in black, his eyes the only thing she could see in the darkness. Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth, only to stop herself. She had to distract Riviera to all her hero to help her, it was the only way. "Who was she?" she forced herself to ask, fighting the grimace off her face as the former commandante stared at her.
"…just an Indian servant…Tia," he said, his voice strained as he confessed.
"Did you really hate her that much?" she asked, watching as Zorro tiptoed closer to them.
"Hate her? Only for being of such low class…she was a temptress, with that innocent smile of hers. The moment I found out she was pregnant-"
"Pregnant?!" she gasped, covering her mouth in horror. "You didn't-!"
"I did!" he snapped, his eyes bloodshot. "She was nothing more to me than a way to relieve my anger, my stress from my work! It would disgrace me if anyone knew I had impregnated her whilst on duty in Mexico City…she said she would keep the child, as if this wasn't enough, name it Rodrigo if it was a boy…it was all her fault, for bewitching me!" His head snapped back up to glare at Lolita as he took a menacing step towards her. "Your eyes…they look like hers…you were always so defiant…"
Lolita felt her blood freeze in her veins as she realized what he wanted out of her. Her heart was practically stuck in her throat as she felt her mouth go dry. "No…stay away from me-!" she cried out, raising her arms to defend herself.
Riviera gave a mad cry as he lunged for her in the darkness, suddenly choking as he felt a thick cord appear around his neck, a man's hold from behind him tightening dramatically. "You keep away from her," a low growl menaced him in his ear as the attacker forced him to turn around and stumble out of the cave. With the vice hold on him, Riviera clawed at the rope, realizing it was a bullwhip that was cutting off his air supply.
"Zorro!" Rage fueled him once more as he reached down for his belt and took out the pistol he had stolen. Twisting his arm around, he prepared to pull the trigger.
"Zorro, look out!" Lolita screamed, scrambling to her feet as she saw the two struggling.
Releasing his hold on the villain, Zorro watched as Riviera toppled over, unbalanced, and readied his whip once more. Thrusting his weapon out, the whip curled around the man's arm and cut into his skin. Hissing in pain, Riviera snarled and tugged hard on the weapon, not noticing how close to the ledge he was. The two men fell, rolling down the slope until they collapsed onto the plateau of the mountain.
"Zorro!" Lolita cried, running to find him when the sound of footsteps caught her attention. Spinning around, she prepared herself for the worst.
"Señorita Lolita!" Sergeant Garcia's chubby form came into view, his voice a great comfort to the girl. He nearly toppled over when she attacked him with a hug, but he embraced her nevertheless, thankful she was all right. "Thank goodness," he murmured.
"Lolita, are you hurt?" Jorge Fernandez asked, touching her shoulder.
"No…no, I'm all right," she responded, pointing down to the slope as she added, "Zorro needs help!"
"Zorro? It looks like you were right, Capitan!" Garcia noted.
"Yes…I suppose so," he muttered, his eyes scanning for his friend in the dim light.
Below on the plateau, the two men wrestled mano a mano, gripping onto one another fiercely. His lips curled into a snarl, Riviera was oblivious to the sets of eyes upon him, slowly emerging from their hiding places with their tongues flicking into the air. Zorro stiffened upon hearing an ill-fated sound – the ominous rattle that came with a particular predator. Lolita paled upon hearing this noise also, gasping in fear as she clung to her brother-in-law. "The rattlesnakes…they've fallen into the rattlesnake territory!" she cried, her heart beating wildly with this knowledge.
"Shall I call the troop?" Garcia asked.
"What good will they do? By the time they reach it, it may be too late!" Fernandez frowned, looking around anxiously. "Perhaps I can lower myself-"
"You'll get killed!" Lolita protested. Looking down, she noticed slim figures slithering slowly towards the men as they continued to wrestle towards the plateau's edge that would only lead to the deep ravine. "Diego…oh, Diego, get out of there!"
Riviera grunted, grinning madly as he noticed how the masked hero glanced back to see the perilous depths below. Darting his hand out, he grasped a hold of the mask and yanked it down just as the moon broke through the cloudbank, its pale light shining down on them. "Don Diego?!" Riviera gasped, his eyes widening in shock as Diego de la Vega's narrowed eyes stared him down.
A sharp yip caught Diego's attention at this moment, making him tilt his head. A pair of glittering brown eyes looked at him seriously, its dark black ears poking out on its head. "A fox…what is a fox doing here?"
"Zorro!" Lolita's voice rang out, snapping his attention back when the horrid rattle sounded off once more.
Diego's eyes moved to see a coiled creature arching behind Riviera's leg, making his eyes widen. "Look out!" he ordered the enemy, only to feel his hands on his chest as he roughly shoved him off the ledge. The commandante laughed as Diego slipped and vanished from sight, Lolita's scream of anguish filling the air. He had very little time to enjoy his victory however, for his brows furrowed as he finally registered the sounds of hisses and consistent rattles. Two sharp points penetrated his skin, a burning pain shooting up through his leg as twisted around to see that he had been bitten, and there was more to come as another handful of the venous snakes surrounded him. "No…NO!" he screamed, running from them as hey advanced at him for intruding on their territory.
Diego meanwhile, had heard another bark from the fox, as if it was urging him to move. Once he had been tossed off the edge of the cliff, he quickly tossed out his whip, holding his breath as he hung onto the stubborn, dried branch that grew from the rock wall. Reaching out, he gripped onto a thin ledge upon which the branch grew. The persistent fox yippee at him from this ledge, clearly discarding all thoughts of safety just to guide this human back to the main plateau. Staring into the creature's eyes, he felt a strange sense of calm wash over him, tugging his whip free and placing it between his teeth before attempting to scale the rocky wall. He steadily followed his furry leader, his eyes widening as he heard a horrified scream. Turning his head, he saw Riviera fly from the plateau with t least three snakes still biting into his legs. Squeezing his eyes shut, he looked away and prayed for the man's soul before returning his attention to the stubborn fox, who waited patiently for him to continue.
Slowly, carefully, Diego continued on his way, taking cautious steps as he moved along until the ledge became wider. He soon found that it sloped back up, allowing him to release his hold on the rocky wall and tread after the bushytailed animal. Keeping a wary eye out for any more snakes, he tiptoed up the slope until he found he had to claw at the ground to keep from rolling back down. Again, the fox yipped at him, crawling up with minimal difficulty until it disappeared over the top of the ledge. "Wait," he grunted, reaching for the ledge. His feet kept slipping despite his best efforts, and he was sure he would fall to his death, or perhaps attract more snakes.
A gloved hand seized his wrist, making him lift his face in surprise, only to realize too late that his mask was hanging around his neck, his face exposed in the moonlight. Diego found himself staring into the dark blue eyes of Capitan Fernandez, a wave of surprise passing over the man's face before a smirk appeared. "You may want to tug up that mask, Zorro, if you don't want the good Sergeant to turn you in for the reward."
Diego blinked before a wide grin grew on his face, accepting Fernandez's help as the capitan tugged him back onto solid ground. Taking the soldier's advice, he quickly tugged his mask into place as he heard footsteps approaching. Twisting his body, he saw the chubby sergeant waving at them, hollering as the young señorita to slow down. Opening his arms, Zorro embraced the girl as she tackled him, sobbing into his chest.
"You're alive," she wept. "You're alive!"
"I'm all right, Lolita…don't cry," he whispered, stroking her hair as he kissed her head. Raising his gaze, he looked the captain in the eye and asked, "How did you find me?"
"We started heading down the trail when he saw you had fallen. I had hoped you had found a way to hang on, but we weren't sure how to help you and avoid the snakes…and then, a vixen came running towards us with a cub in her mouth. She led us this way and vanished…that's when I saw you climbing up," Fernandez explained.
Zorro's eyebrows furrowed under his mask. "That's strange…when I fell off, there was a fox waiting for me that guided me back across to the slopes…" A familiar high-pitched bark earned everyone's attention, making the group turn around to see a fox and his vixen standing several feet away from them, with several cubs surrounding them in the dry shrubbery. The fox's ears flickered as he seemed to wink at Zorro, licking his mate's ear before leading his family off into the cover of night. "Gracias, amigo," Zorro whispered, a small smile on his lips. "I'll never forget you."
"I must say, Señor Zorro, we thought you were longer with us," Garcia admitted, heaving a sigh of exhaustion and relief. Offering his hand to the man, he beamed and shook the outlaw's gloved hand heartily. "You have saved the Señorita Lolita and outfoxed death itself, Zorro…and I am every glad. What would we do without you?"
"The question is, Sergeant, what would I do without you?" Zorro winked, reminding Garcia of the helpful fox he had seen vanish just seconds before. "Capitan, with your permission, I would like to take the señorita home."
"As you wish, my friend," Fernandez grinned, giving Zorro great relief. His secret was safe, of that he was certain. Saluting the capitan, he whistled for his horse, surprised to see both the midnight stallion and pure white steed ride up to him. "I haven't seen him in a very long time…how did you find Phantom?"
"He saved me and Yolanda on our way to Monterey," Fernandez replied, petting both horses' noses. "He's stuck with me since…I don't suppose you'll want him back?"
Lolita cocked her head as she watched Zorro's face. He smiled wistfully at the white horse, whispering something into the stallion's ear before chuckling. "I believe he's taken a liking to you, Fernandez…and I'm certain he'll be much happier in your company. Will you care for him for me?"
Jorge Fernandez grinned, accepting the reins as Zorro offered them. "It would be my honor."
Whisking Lolita off of her feet, Zorro placed her on Tornado's back before swinging himself into the saddle, saluting his friends. "Adios, muchachos!" Tornardo reared magnificently before galloping into the night, leaving behind a cloud of dust as he ran away.
"What a noble friend, eh, Capitan?" Garcia smiled.
"Sí, Sergeant…he certainly is," Fernandez nodded, watching his friend leave with great admiration.
~Z~
"Stop pacing, Bernardo, he'll be back shortly," Alejandro said as he drank his sherry by the fireplace. He heaved a sigh as Bernardo stopped, glanced up at the ceiling, and bolted away. "Ay caramba," he sighed, setting his drink down before chasing after the manservant. Exiting the sala and entering the courtyard, he chased after Bernardo up the outdoors stairs, panting once he arrived at the second floor. "I'm not as young as I used to be," he muttered, growling in frustration as he followed Bernardo into Diego's room. "Bernardo, slow down for goodness sake-!" His eyes widened as he saw his son dressed only in a loose shirt and a pair of fine pants, kissing Lolita as he held her in his arms. Bernardo smirked at the two, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched them. A laugh of mirth came from Don Alejandro, startling the couple for a moment. "I must offer you my apologies, Bernardo, it appears I'm the one going deaf. I didn't realize Diego had come home already!"
"I just needed a change of clothes, Father. I must take Lolita home, it's been a trying day for her," Diego said bashfully, scratching the back of his neck.
"And for you, too," Lolita reminded him, resting her head against his shoulder. "You could have been killed…I couldn't bear the thought of losing you."
"Don't fret about it, Lolita…it's over now," he said softly, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead. "We're safe now." He would have liked to have bent down on one knee and ask her then and there to be his, but he was exhausted, and he was sure she was, too. No, the proposal could wait at least until morning, or a more joyous occasion when everyone was rested both physically and mentally.
"What happened to Riviera?" Alejandro asked.
Bernardo acted out his assumption, pretending he was Zorro and had sliced the villain in half. "No, Bernardo. Riviera and I fought on the mountain side, on the edge of Rattlesnake Ravine. He managed to yank my mask off and shoved me off the edge, but he was attacked by the snakes in the area and he himself fell off." He shook his head, his brows knitting together tightly. "If only I could have done something-"
"Diego, there was no saving that man. He was already losing his mind," Lolita insisted, embracing him once more. "Zorro cannot save everyone, especially those who choose not to be saved."
"Lolita is right, Diego. He was a wicked man, and he fell victim to wicked creatures. I'd say that's God's justice taking place," Alejandro commented, placing his fists on his hips. Bernardo nodded tartly in agreement, crossing his arms over his chest and frowning. He had never liked the man, especially after what he said to Consuela when Lolita had been taken by Juarez. "Well, as you said, Diego, it's over. Now, perhaps, we can finally rest and have a moment of peace."
Diego nodded, accepting his coat as Bernardo offered it to him. "We'll speak more later, Father. First I want to get Lolita home – her family must be worried."
"Of course…buenas noches, Lolita," Alejandro smiled, accepting a warm embrace and kiss on the cheek from the beautiful girl.
"Buenas noches, Don Alejandro…Bernardo, won't you come with us?" she asked, laughing as he nodded his head vigorously and went running out to prepare the carriage.
"I'll take that as a yes," Diego chuckled, clapping his hand on his father's shoulder. "I'll be back later, Father."
"Take care, you two." He waved as they exited the room and it was not until then that he realized Zorro must have brought Lolita in through the secret hideout and revealed the secret passages before changing into Diego de la Vega. "Now she has to marry him – she knows too much," he grinned, shaking his head as he glanced up to the ceiling. Envisioning his beautiful wife, he murmured, "Ah, Isabella, I'm sure you can see our son now…and I know you must be as proud of him as I am…rest well, mi amor, and rest assured that we will be receiving grandchildren very soon."