. . .
Despite being in the middle of nowhere, Zeirenne started walking and the two men walked behind. "We're not going to eat?" Andrei asked.
"No. That's why I told you to buy from the vendors earlier. But you said you were not hungry right?"
She opened her backpack and it had 5 rice cakes inside which she bought from one of the passenger-vendor who was carrying a small basket.
The two hungry men watched her eat as they all trekked their way up the mountain. Their stomachs made crumbling noises but Zeirenne was heartless enough to ignore everything.
"I told you not to come, didn't I." Her whole aura exuded.
After a few hours, being the magnanimous person that she was, Zeirenne decided that they should take a break; and the two men were fast to slump down on the tree sides.
She opened her backpack, downing a bottled water in one gulp as the two men watched, looking parched and thirsty.
Jin, who was used to mountains, climbed fruit trees and managed to collect some fruits for himself. But Andrei who grew up in great comfort was not someone you'd find exploring the wild—being a part of an influential family never gave him the chance to do so.
Jin took pity on him as he threw a guava for Andrei's grumbling stomach. He didn't have the energy to refuse and he raised the fruit with a "thank you" to which Jin only nodded his welcome.
After a brief minute, Zeirenne was all good to go, not minding her company as she started walking once again. Still exhausted, the two men followed her with no choice.
Half way up, they stopped again when they arrived in a river. It was a sight to behold with the fresh water clear enough to put various fish on display.
Settling by the river bend, Zeirenne took a match from her wonder backpack and started to make fire with Jin's help.
As she set the cooking stick up, he asked the two men to catch some fish. Jin managed to catch a bunch in no time but Andrei had to run around, chasing fish without catching anything.
"We'll rest for today." She said in front of the camp fire before smoking all the fish they caught. The gathered around the fire and prayed their thanks before dinner.
"How did you find the trip?" She asked them.
"Interesting." Jin said and Andrei could only second. "Yeah. Interesting."
After dinner, Zeirenne pulled a tent out of nowhere and started building her own shelter but this time, she let both men give her a hand.
"Thanks for helping me with my tent, Good night and I hope you both rest well. You'll need a lot of energy for tomorrow's itinerary." She winked before zipping her tent shut.
It was an awkward silence for the two men and so they decided to guard different directions, their backs facing each other.
About 20 meters away from Andrei, the bush moved. He picked a stone and used it to strike what was moving. A shriek echoed around the entire mountain and upon closer look, he found a dead boar with the stone he threw still lodged in its head.
He went back to his spot and Jin was the next one to step away. He walked a far distance and climbed a tree before grabbing a venomous snake in its mouth. He moved its fangs along the wind's direction, making the snake spit all the venom before letting it go.
Before morning came, dozens of animals within the tent's 100-meter radius either lost their tooth or died a horrible death.
At sunrise, Zeirenne came out of her tent to see the two men covered in grime and dirt. There were even tears in their suits and she could only dream about what really happened during the night.
They started clearing the place up by putting out the camp fire to prevent forest fires. The river became a refreshment corner with its waters safe for drinking. Just a few sips and splash and they were good to go.
After clearing everything, they started their journey once again. They followed Zeirenne and before lunch came, they finally reached their destination.
On the top of the mountain, there was a village with lots of bamboo houses. They had straw roofs with smoke rising from different spots as people prepared their lunch.
There were small kids running around playing with a rattan ball. The women weaved baskets and some was either hanging their laundry on a clothing line or breastfeeding an infant while talking with neighbors.
As they stepped on the plain, all eyes were darted on them. The residents who were all busy with their chores stopped on their work to watch the trio walking closer to the center.
Everyone watched in silence before Zeirenne stepped forward with a warm smile on her face. The two men almost scoffed from the instant transformation. She's been terrifying for hours but now she looked all soft and caring. What a contrast.
"Miss Beautiful? You're back!" An older lady exclaimed and everyone cheered. The children came running towards her, hugging her thighs as a form of greeting.
The two men watched her get flocked by people as they both got shoved around. People started asking different regards about how she was doing, where she's been, before asking who the men were.
"Uhm... they're my friends... right friends." She told them and everyone nodded unsure.
To change where the topic was leading, Zeirenne opened her bag and brought out different snacks and a few toys for all the kids. It also had different stuff for the mothers and a few clothes for babies. Everyone seemed happy with the things she brought and when lunch came, the elder chief decided to hold a celebration by their circle.
Every family started bringing their own share of food. Different crops and harvest were laid on the table. There were all sorts of meat from boars, pigs, birds, snakes, chicken, etc. There were even variety of fish still fresh from catch.
Jin and Andrei watched Zeirenne's face getting brighter and brighter. Both of them subconsciously smiled on their own before catching each other's gaze. That's when the electrical wiring issues started again—an obvious rivalry about to break out.
. . .