Andrew

The path ahead stretched on to infinity. They had traded the old beaten roads of Zannidue for the greener marshes of the south. As they passed open fields, spatters of trees, and large hills, Andrew, Natalie, Flynn, and Sophie had left the sandy lands of Herbenry three days ago. Soon, the odd spotting of wild boars, deer, and sheep became a common occurrence as they continued their hard travel onwards to Aqua Falls. During downtime, it would be Andrew suggesting that they rest and hunt game. The thought of doing that now twisted Andrew's gut into knots.

Not being by his mother’s side already conjured up past regrets. Andrew felt like he would be betraying his mother again if he relaxed in her hour of need. And so, like a locked arrow, Andrew kept his heart and mind on the destination ahead.

Three days had passed. Three days of living off dried bread and meat, camping, and sleeping outside. Three full days of exerting all his efforts to reach Aqua Falls by sunrise and fighting his growing impatient so he could rest at night. Three days of feeling like they weren't moving far enough. Since hearing Natalie’s hunch about where the stars of halo lurked, any progress they made to get there felt inadequate. Natalie had sworn to him that his home would not become another Lucas village. Although he appreciated the determination he felt in her words, Andrew knew she could not keep such a promise. Although he felt conflicted about her telling him this news—for throwing his world upside down. He knew that it was not her fault. He wanted to console her by saying as much. But Andrew couldn't find it in him to reassure her yet..

He’d often stand at the very edge of their makeshift camp as the others ate and slept, his head pointed towards their destination. Andrew lay down with his eyes wide open, as if in fear of one day forgetting where he was heading. As he listened to the wolves howl upon a distant mountaintop, Andrew’s eyes gazed off towards the horizon with growing impatience. Natalie suggested he rest. The advice helped him put these priorities in some form of order. He recalled the times when the roles were reversed. He recalled a time when it was he who was advising Natalie to pace herself when chasing up a lead. That helped sober his burning urgency. When he finally laid down, all the fatigue built up from the day crashed upon him like a tidal wave, dragging Andrew down into an instant sleep. Although his body found rest easy, Andrew’s mind, however, found little peace in the reverie. He dreamed up memories from his childhood, standing by his father, Shinichi, as they faced his mother, Trisha, stood by their home cottage. Her hands tucked between her arms to fight off the approaching chills of autumn.

“Are you sure you want to go with dad?” she’d asked. Andrew recalled her standing upon the stone steps of the cottage as she posed that question. Andrew’s blood ran cold. He remembered the foolish answer he had given, and even knowing it was a dream was not enough to dispel the chill he felt. That chill only served to emphasise the gravity of the ill-considered response he had given back then. Against his will, his younger self nodded.

‘I want to be with dad,’ he had said, in a voice so young, alien to his current ears. It was a voice far too young to be making such a decision. The thought only left him feeling powerless. Helpless, he looked up at his father, a tall man with an ebony face that seemed chiselled from stone. Like a pillar of impenetrable marble, his father stood tall, silent, and majestic. His brown eyes delved into deeper emotions, ones that only the bravest dared to gaze into. Andrew yearned to understand those eyes. Often, his father would leave, disappearing for weeks at a time to take up hunting jobs, what his mother referred to as ‘mad adventures.’ Andrew remembered those days when he would stay up, waiting for his father’s return.

He was curious about his father’s whereabouts, the adventures his mother spoke of. He had never noticed that he was the reason why his mother had stopped calling them adventures. She would deflect his questions with childish distractions, blowing raspberries on his tummy until he cried tears of laughter or serving him extra portions for dinner along with a double serving of his favourite drink. Thinking back on their memories now, Andrew could see that his constant questioning must have worn her down. It had gone over his head back then, but recalling all those instances now filled him with regret. How could he have been so blind? How did he not see the hidden pain behind his mother’s eyes?

He was young and foolish. With his mother’s lack of solid answers, he had only grown more curious about his father. That curiosity had grown into an obsession. When the day came for his father to offer to take him along, Andrew jumped at the opportunity.

He understood that he would be away from his mother for a while. He would miss her, but he had missed his father even more than he had missed his mother, so in his naive mind, it made sense. His father would return with him in a few weeks, just like he always did. His mother would always be there, sitting in the cottage with her freckled face dimpled by a warm smile, a plate of hot fish patties on the table, and a glass of grape soda to wash them down. Yes, he would be gone for two weeks, a month at most, and that would be it. No more adventures for him. That’s how long his father’s jobs always took him... He never knew, he was never told, that on this day, he would leave home and never return.

Stolen story; please report.

“Why, why didn’t he tell me, why doesn’t he tell me anything?” These questions had become a meaningless mental mantra, their weight and meaning lost in the repetition.

And so, he watched helplessly as he and his father walked away from Mum, observing her and the cottage shrink away into nothing. In pain, Andrew broke from this dream and fell into another. As he opened his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of Natalie. She had often been the one keeping watch while the rest of them rested. No words were exchanged between them as he sat up; nothing needed to be said. She wanted to know whether he remembered that dream this time or not. The sag of his head told her all that she needed to know. Nodding to herself, Natalie looked away, troubled. Although she did not say it, Andrew got the feeling that her look of concern was not entirely for his sake.

Not much was said between them in those three days. Andrew and Natalie were the first ones up most mornings. This allowed Flynn or Sophie a bit more time to rest before taking over the night watch duties. Sophie often exchanged words with Natalie as they switched shifts, and Flynn would occasionally chime in with a comment or two between the girls. On occasion, Andrew had been prompted to ask Natalie what the two of them spoke about, but recollections of their destination rushed to the forefront, and just like that, all his resolve was drained. With his waking mind filled with horrifying thoughts of his home and his sleeping hours filled with dream-like memories of his last recollections of his mother, in between the quiet nights, Andrew found no peace.

This pattern of travel, eating, and hardly sleeping continued until the fourth day. They were not far from Progmanfest now, according to the map. Sophie rounded it to be around another two days’ travel to reach the river village, given their current pace. Andrew nodded to himself at the news. They were cutting a good trail. Still, Andrew felt dissatisfied. They were just not moving fast enough. Andrew felt tired, but his wish to make it to his mother’s side won over the fatigue. He knew from experience that although she was not quicker than him on foot, Natalie’s stamina recovered faster than his own. So why are they holding back? He’d been pushed to harsher brinks on one of Natalie’s desperate hunts before, and things had always worked out.

“If we push ourselves, we could cut that down to three days,” he said as he folded the map. Silence fell; Andrew frowned.

“Not without burning ourselves out first,” Natalie mumbled.

“If it means we make a good headway, then it should be fine,” Andrew said, already turning towards the direction of the village to continue his travels.

“And what happens if we run into a horde of demons?” Sophie said, as if to highlight the howling sound that broke through the mountain tops.

“Or worse,” Flynn picked up, breaking the silence. He did not need to explain what he implied by ‘worst’ – rogue hunters, mountain bandits, men whose intent was to gain from one’s own destruction.

“No point risking a fatal encounter in the state we are in now,” Sophie said. Andrew looked up, puzzled. They looked at him now, and though Andrew could not glean much from the muted stares of Flynn and Sophie, he understood the look Natalie was giving him. It puzzled her at what he was asking from them. That bothered him.

“Wild predators steer clear of civilization,” Andrew said.

“True,” Sophie said. “But we are outside of civilization.”

“All the more reason to reach Progmanfest as soon as possible.”

“But on the off chance that demons do appear, we’ll be—” Natalie said before Andrew cut in.

“We train to handle such things. We might run into a demon. Meanwhile, there is something happening in Aqua Falls, and we need to be there.”

“It’s not a guarantee; chances are we are rushing towards your mother’s house for nothing,” Natalie said.

“I can’t rest on a chance,” Andrew finished. Natalie’s lips drew into a line at that. Andrew was sure that they would understand. That Natalie, of all people would understand. So it came as a surprise to him when it took Sophie laying a hand on Natalie’s shoulder to break her incredulous gaze at him.

“It’s ok, Natalie,” Sophie said, her voice sounding strained to his ears. Natalie looked about to protest until Flynn stepped up from behind. His silver eyes met his brown ones.

“An eager one, I see,” Flynn said.

“What did you expect?! Would you not want to go back home as soon as you heard that it’s in danger?” Andrew said. Flynn regarded him for a moment before shaking his head.

“I never said that your eagerness was unfounded,” he said.

“Then what is it that you are trying to say, Flynn? Should I shut my mouth and slow down?” Andrew asked. Flynn shook his head.

“Your passion comes from a noble place. I’m just struggling to meet you there.” Patting his shoulder, Flynn gave him an approving grin before looking out at the long path ahead. There was a placid coldness to his features as they were illuminated under the moonlit sky. His silver eyes glowed with a strong, sturdy will. Sophie solemnly nodded to herself. Had Andrew not been so narrow-minded, he would have caught the signs in the words Flynn had said, clues in the way Flynn and Sophie acted. It revealed just how truly bone-tired they were.

“Let’s proceed, then,” Sophie said. “Perhaps we can gather news on what’s really happening in Aqua Falls once we reach Progmanfest. Until then, well, I’d say no news is good news.” They spent the next three hours doubling down on their pace, putting Andrew’s mind at ease. However, a different kind of tension replaced it as time wore on.

This tension, combined with his growing fatigue, made the journey drag on unlike any other, but he embraced the pain. Once they reached the village, they would be ahead of the curve. From there, they could obtain a riverboat and cut through the many farmhouses, open fields of crops, and no-man's-land that stood between here and the deep south. Yes, if they could get a boat, they could all rest up while making good time towards Aqua Falls. That way, they could be ready to face whatever awaited them on the other side. That should have been how things went, but as they discerned the dim lights of civilization on the horizon, the distant cry of wolves descended upon them from beyond the mountain.