Chapter 23

The following day they continued their way to the city of Neshala in silence; Oliver played with a branch, throwing it to the pet that accompanied them; Chrystal also participated in the game sometimes. She enjoyed watching how Oliver was having fun in a space full of nature; he seemed to be calmer in this environment than in the city, and she agreed with him as most of her childhood was spent in the woods with her parents learning to hunt and survive in that environment, it was fun, and now she was grateful for all those days.

They stopped at a river to try to catch some fish that were around.

"All right, this should work for piercing the body; watch how I do it so you can try it later."

The redhead gave instructions, sharpening a large branch, putting her feet in the river, waiting for the right moment to catch the fish.

"You must stay focused, the water pressure is not very strong, and you must be steady, so you don't fall in. Watch how fast the fish moves, from right to left, and when it's close... bang! You stick the spike in so it doesn't escape."

Chrystal showed the fish writhing on the branch; Oliver looked at the girl with astonishment; he didn't think he could eat that animal, even if it were dead.

"Isn't that cruel?" he asked, watching as the fish finished squirming.

"Huh?" Chrystal looked at the food and then at the brunette; she had forgotten to explain that detail to him -It's part of the food chain.

She comes out of the water explaining to the boy in front of her, who was motionless, concentrating on that fish.

"Living things need other living things to survive. Plants need soil to live, worms eat plants, birds eat worms, and we eat birds. The same thing happens with fish, they eat algae which are marine plants, and bigger fish like sharks eat these fish, and we eat fish too. It's a cycle."

They were silent; Oliver was processing the information, and Chrystal thought she was a horrible teacher.

"The fish didn't suffer; my parents and I used to go hunting in the woods a lot; my dad always said we should only take what we needed and give the prey a quick end. Not to end its life soon, to let it agonize, that's cruel."

She didn't know if they were the right words; it never seemed strange to them when they went hunting with the triplets; they were excited about how many birds they would pursue. With Oliver, everything was different; his brothers, at the age of five, already knew the role of every living thing in the world; they were used to watching birds and squirrels before cooking them; it was part of a family tradition. Oliver, at the age of five, still took breast as his only food.

The boy sighed and nodded; in those days, he had seen how small animals devoured others; that's how this world worked. He wondered if his mother had ever killed an animal for food; if they lived like ordinary people, would she have taught him to hunt too, like Chrystal's parents?

"Mother liked to eat meat; she always ordered big chunks for both of us...but I never imagined that meat would come from any animal."

He couldn't take Chrystal's action as wrong or horrible; Oliver knew that they would die if they didn't ingest food; he had seen too many cases to forget.

If they died, someone would eat them, and dying was not part of the plan. If he was now going to live in that vast world, he had to follow its rules, starting with understanding that food chain.

He looked at the light blue-eyed girl and nodded again, taking the rod she had made for him. It could be fun... couldn't it?

Chrystal let out her breath and smiled slightly; maybe what she said did help. When she turned to place the fish somewhere to gather more, she was shocked to see the dog finish devouring it. Oliver also saw the same thing.

"Now we'll have to start from scratch, thanks, buddy" Chrystal picked up her branch again and returned to the river with Oliver.

"We're not going to eat Doggy, are we?" he asked shyly.

"Doggy? Is that his name? " She smiles with a raised eyebrow.

"I think it's better than stinky," he shrugs, making the redhead laugh.

"I called him that just once- she denies, giving the green-eyed boy a slight smile- but if you're convinced by doggy, then doggy will be."

They spent long hours trying to collect as many fish as possible for the next few days; it was funnier than Oliver had imagined. Now his stomach was growling loudly, and he took it upon himself to light a fire while Chrystal finished counting the food.

"That's twenty fish in all, not counting the four we'll eat today... I hope it won't take more than two days," she muttered the last.

Chrystal taught Oliver how to grill the raw fish while watching the sky turn orange; not far from where they were, she had spotted a waterfall and thought she could climb up the rocky side to locate better the place where they were.

"It tastes delicious," exclaimed Oliver next to her with his eyes wide open, fascinated by the taste of the animal he thought he would never be able to eat. He took another bite in desperation and then another. The food in that world was driving Oliver crazy.

When they were both satisfied, Chrystal looked up at the sky again; she calculated that it was seven o'clock at night; if they started walking now, they could reach the waterfall with the last rays of sunlight.

Arriving at their destination, they both admired the large waterfall and its fall, which was beginning to freeze and therefore was not making as much noise as usual. They started a campfire again, and Chrystal left the motorcycle and the fish backpack nearby to climb.

When was the last time she felt like doing risky activities?

"Would you like to come up with me," she asked, tying her hair back, "You'll love the view."

Oliver looked at the top of the rock, but he didn't let himself be cowed and nodded; he would take every opportunity to get to know more of the world his mother had told him so much about.

"It's called a waterfall, it contains large amounts of water, and if you fall... you're not very likely to survive," explained the redhead.

Oliver's breath went out of him.

"But don't worry, I won't let you fall. You trust me, don't you?"

She smiled at him again, and Oliver calmed down, nodding. He answered her question. Of course, he trusted the redhead.

Very carefully, Oliver stepped into the holes that Chrystal Daly stepped in; the sound of falling water reminded him that if he didn't pay attention, his life would be over in an instant. Minutes later, Oliver made it to the top and looked up at the sky, seeing how the stars seemed closer. He lifts his left arm wanting to reach for them but stops halfway, thinking that no matter how hard he tried, he would never be able to get one, not until his life was over.

"I told you the view was amazing. "

He turns his face to Chrystal, walks over to her, and sits down by her side, looking at the spiky silhouettes.

"See those mountains? The peaks?" she points, and Oliver looks to where her finger points, nodding, "The city of Neshala is characterized by mountains that are shaped like Viking cases. They're kind of like hats with horns.

The girl made gestures to make it easier for the chestnut to understand what she was talking about.

"Are they the ones who fought dragons?" he asks, recognizing the name.

"Exactly, that's them."

The icy air whipped in their faces, stirring their hair. A small silence enveloped them, bringing them tranquility and happiness at the same time. Oliver was stunned by so much beauty, and if the road alone had surprised and enchanted him, he couldn't wait to get to the land of new opportunities.

Would it be more beautiful?

More terrifying?

"When I see Jack, I'll thank him for encouraging me to escape."