It was a foggy night and mist covered most of the forest, but his sharp eye sight could still capture the movement of the wildebeest in front of him. He kept his sight keenly on the creature that was going to be dinner for him and his sister, and was going be part of their meal for the next few days.
His sister had hidden at the top of a tree while he had followed the wildebeest, she would be safe if she stayed where he had asked her to stay and Amy did what her brother told her to, as if she doted on him, sometime the way she looked at him made him feel like her father and in those times he knew he had to protect her with all he had.
The beast grazed unaware of the hunter that stalked him. Max waited enjoying the view, he had done this so many times and it had become a part of him. Hunting was one of things you had to know if you were to survive in the present world. You had to hunt for your food or sometimes buy from traders who could ask for outrageous things in return. Their favourite was gold because of its value and many uses, any metal is also valuable because they could be melted and used to forge weapons.
Weapons were very valuable, the more powerful the weapon the more valuable it was. From swords to guns- laser guns, revolvers, guns that could create black holes, time guns, essence guns and one of the most powerful were soul guns that could suck the soul out of any living creature, how it was made still confounded me. There were also magical artefacts and objects, potions and cloaks of different use. That was the kind of world they were living in, and to live till the next day was to be skilled at using a weapon, to possess magic or to be very smart, without any of these surviving to the next day was almost a myth.
He readied his spear as the beast grazed on. This was going to be a onetime kill, 'steady big man.' He suddenly felt coldness around his neck and he knew what it was immediately. Now was not the time he needed a distraction from his chief purpose and that was dinner. He slowly slipped out his dagger and in one swift move he sliced the snake that was crawling on him into two, severing the reptiles head from its long slimy body. The wildebeest alerted by the sudden movement looked up and saw him while the decapitated body of the snake writhed on the grass beneath him.
The wildebeest stared at him for a few seconds as if deciding what to do with this human that he was sure was about to attack him. As if drawing him into a 'catch me if you can' challenge, the beast dashed towards his direction jumping over him as he lost his balance and fell to the ground. He cited the beast at a distance as it dashed ahead; with utmost strength and speed, Max dashed after the beast cutting through branches and fallen logs, through ponds and intertwined trees, he maintained a close proximity to what was going to be dinner.
The wildebeest seemed to increase its speed but was shocked to look back and still site the human following its trail and following it very closely. To Max, it was fun and an opportunity to work on his speed, there was no way he was going to allow dinner to escape.
He suddenly felt the ground vibrating and he immediately understood what the beast was trying to do. At a distant was a herd of wildebeests and the chase seemed to increase in speed as the wildebeest hurried in an effort to join the herd. The beast kept running but Max stopped and aimed his spear; the beast never reached its destination. Just before it reached its goal, it was impaled by the spear; one thrust was all Max needed and dinner was served.
He dragged the beast back to where his sister was waiting, she was excited as she saw him approach; she quickly scampered down the tree she had been hiding in and ran towards him jumping at him and giving him a hug. The excitement in her was as if he had been away for years. They both laughed as he hugged her back.
'I brought dinner,' he said excitedly, the glow in her eyes was indescribable.
'What is it?' she asked probingly.
'It's a wildebeest and I'm going to roast it and make some stew to go with it,' he gesticulated as if he was slicing ingredients for a stew.
'But you killed it,' she said sadly, squeezing her face.
'But…' he scratched his head, there was no clear answer he could give her, 'hum…you see…hum…there are some things around us that we can make a stew out of, and this wildebeest is one of them, because we have to eat and grow and be healthy,' he smiled stretching his arm out wide, but the look on Amy's face hardly changed.
'It probably has a brother too,' she said trying to drive her point.
'Yes, but I doubt if they'll miss him,' Max brought out a knife to start skinning the beast.
'Max…that's not nice,' she said pointing a finger at him, as she sat opposite her brother.
Max paused and stared at his sister, 'sometimes I wonder if you are really nine,' he nodded his head laughing.
'When will dinner be done,' she came behind him and jumped on his back.
'Now you are interested in dinner, I thought you didn't want dinner to become dinner,' he gave her a sarcastic look.
'Well…now I just want dinner. My tummy is beginning to make funny sounds,' they both laughed.
'Dinner will be served in a bit ma lady,' Max had started making the fire.
Max roasted the wildebeest, and kept the rest. He then made a stew with some spice and vegetables he had. It wasn't the best tasting meal but it filled their stomachs.
'Thanks Max,' Amy smiled at him after finishing her meal.
Max smiled back at his sister; sometimes he wondered what went on in her head. Even though she was young he eyes carried an understanding Max could not place. When their father died she was just five and she would cry every night asking when dad was coming back, and every night he would give her the same answer, 'dad is not coming back, but he's in a better place and we'll see him someday.' As the years passed she understood that their father had passed on and they would probably not see him again.
They hardly spoke about him, but they both had memories of him and they kept it to themselves. They were all they had now, she had him and he had her, and he would do anything to protect that.
After the meal they made a little tent to pass the night in, he was never sure if they would spend more than a day in a certain location, but for now this place was comfortable and it seemed safe. The only creatures they had seen so far were herbivores, harmless, gentle, and potential meals.
He stared at his sister as she slept. She slept so peacefully, and she seemed at peace, without fear. It was as if she trusted him to protect her, and he had promised himself that he would do just that.
He came out of the tent and surveyed the area. The air was still a bit misty but the fog was clearing and visibility was improving. He sat on the grass in front of the tent and looked up at the sky. He missed his dad so much. Sometimes he had this strange feeling that he was around watching him, then he realized it was just his imagination.
'If you are there and you can see me, please help me,' he sighed and lowered his head. He knew his father wasn't there. As each day passed he knew what he had to do; his main aim was to protect Amy and find Celestia so she would be safe. His father had told him it existed and it was the only place safe enough for both of them.
His father once told him a story about Celestia; that it was a city with majestic gates and buildings guarded by the finest warriors. It had the best fruits and everyday was a banquet. There were lovely gardens and warm springs, the sky was sunny and bright and everyone wore a smile. His father told him about the beauty and the music that was played every evening and the dancing and merriment.
Sometime he wondered if it truly existed or whether it was just a story passed on from one person to the other, but his father had assured him that Celestia existed and had made him promise that he would find it and take Amy there. That was exactly what he was going to do, find Celestia.
He unsheathed his sword and dug it in the ground. He thought about the journey ahead and he knew it wasn't going to be easy. The place they were was comfortable for the moment but he knew they had to keep moving even if they faced dangers on the way. They would continue their journey by noon the next day, he thought to himself.
He wasn't sure which direction to go or where Celestia was or how to find the place, but he knew he had to find it. A sad thought suddenly came to his head; his father never found it yet he was sure it existed. He believed his father and he believed he was going to find it; that was all he had to hold on to, without that there was no hope.
He looked into the tent and Amy was fast asleep, gentle and harmless.
Tomorrow they head for Celestia, he thought.
*
Amy opened her eyes and saw Max outside the tent. She wondered why he was not sleeping; he was probably watching out for any possible danger. She loved her brother so much and he was all she had now. Since their father had gone he had always been there for her. At first she could not understand what had happened to their father but as she grew older she understood that he was not going to be around anymore and sometimes she was afraid her brother would go too, but he had promised he always protect her.
The world was a dark place and she didn't like it. They had met horrible monsters and really bad people on their journey but Max was a very brave warrior and he had defeated anything that came their way. He even thought her how to use the sword and maybe one day she would be able to use the sword like Max.
Max had told her about where they were going to and how beautiful it was. He said Celestia had angels and lots of happy children playing in beautiful gardens. Celestia also had fairies and beautiful houses, not the tent they usually slept in that was most times very uncomfortable.
She hoped that one day they would find Celestia and help other children get there. They had seen a group of children once, all orphaned and angry and sad. The children had tried to steal what they had but Max fended them off, she eventually asked Max to share some things with them, but with the little they had Max could only give them little food.
Since then she would still see the sad faces of the children in her mind and had decided she would try not to be sad. She would think of Celestia and Max and the good memories she had about her father; things that would keep her happy.
Sometimes she would dream about been in a light and the light would move through her and sometimes it would carry her into the skies and then into the stars. She would see the stars glowing and burning with energy, it was usually beautiful and also very powerful because the stars she thought were tiny little dots where large flaming balls of fire; at the end it was all a dream and she was not sure what to make out of it.
She would wake up and would still feel a bit of the light moving in her but she was sure it was all her imagination. She could not wait to get to Celestia and meet other happy kids she could play with. She had tried to play with the kids she met, but they were not interested in playing. They had told her that they were lost and she was also lost' that everyone was lost and there was no way out. There was no hope, they had said, so there was no use being happy.
She had tried to tell them about Celestia and that they could come with Max and her, but the kids were not interested. 'There is no such place,' one of the kids had said, 'it's only a fairy tale and the only real thing is here and now and survival and food and protecting ourselves and living till the next day, that is the reality.'
Max had fallen asleep in front of the tent and the sun was beginning to rise. The beams of the Sun pierced through the thinned mist and each beam bounced on the rocks and leaves and illuminated the dark trees and she saw that even in this dark world, there was a little beauty; she smiled and went back to sleep.
They would keep going, she thought, and they would find that happy place; it was where she wanted to be, the happy place.