Of Sinners and Saints

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝟤

Cairo awoke the next day to the gentle hum of birdsong as a thin tendril of light snaked in from between the narrow crack in the tent flaps. He strained to hear the crackle of burning kindling, or the gentle whinny's of the horses that usually marked the telltale signs of Esteban being up. All that he was met with was the sound of woodland song. He found himself beginning to wonder if Esteban had returned at all that night. He wouldn't have blamed him for not. After all, he knew that grief portrayed itself differently in people depending on the severity of the situation. Esteban was reclusive when it came to dealing with his own feelings, and he knew that all too well. Still, it didn't stop him from worrying.

Mustering up the energy to move, he slowly sat up before finding himself standing outside. A gentle breeze rustled the overhead leaves and elicited a shiver from him as he trudged over to the long forgotten fire. There was no warmth to edge off the lingering chill of the night, but he didn't have the patience nor the energy to rekindle the flames. Instead, he sat upon the bench and listened to birdsong as he allowed himself a rare moment of reflection. Times had been tough the past few months despite them being grounded, and now with this new problem chipping away at Esteban's mood, he knew that it would only get harder from there.

His moment of serenity was shattered by thundering hoofbeats crashing through the underbrush. Esteban's horse, who had been named Soul Eater for reasons he still didn't quite understand, came galloping over to Cairo before coming to a screeching halt mere feet before him. He expected a greeting, or perhaps even an insult or so to come from atop the mare, but upon further inspection, an obvious problem became apparent.

Esteban wasn't there.

"Easy girl, hey it's alright calm down." Cairo slowly raised his hands as the labored breaths of the mare echoed through his head.

A speck of tan amongst the mare's white blaze caught his eye as he approached the horse. Attached to the noseband of the bridle was what appeared to be a folded piece of paper that had been hurriedly tucked away, marked with what appeared to be a streak of crimson across the top. His stomach lurched as he grabbed the reins, doing his best to still the horse so that he could grab the slip of paper. Even with each gentle tug of the reins and soothing words spoken softly to it, the horse didn't calm. It didn't take long before he realized that he had to change his approach. He grabbed ahold of the noseband before pulling the horse's head down, gripping the paper before yanking it out in one fluid motion.

Cairo found himself flat on his back as his previous momentum paired with the horse's head colliding with him sent him sprawling. Still, he remained victorious as he held the slip of paper up towards the sun, its golden rays catching the congealed stain atop it. When it came time to open it he found himself hesitating. It was pertinent that he read it. He knew that, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to know what was going on. After a moment, he opened the paper, holding it close to his face as he carefully studied the barely legible print scribbled onto it.

'River. Please hurry. Don't have much time. They found me.'

The pounding of his heart in his ears was deafening amidst the receding noise around him. His mouth hung slightly ajar as he allowed himself to look over the words once more, but even as he began to articulate the severity of the situation, he came to a less than optimal realization. Their camp sat perched on a cliff and it would take precious time to traverse the winding path down. At least an hour would be wasted just to get down it, and even more time would be lost trying to find Esteban. Now he had a choice to make. Leave now and try to find his friend, or stay and hope that he could fend for himself.

Cairo sat there for a while as he ran his thumb over the words etched into the paper. Wordlessly, he stood before crossing the clearing and coming to a stop beside his horse. Leaving Esteban wasn't an option. That the thought had even crossed his mind sent a pang of guilt through him. He knew that if he had been the one to go missing, Esteban would've come for him. At least he hoped that was the case. Doubts had begun to creep into his mind the past few weeks as to what his intentions truly were. He had grown more irritable and his behavior had become reckless and erratic, but he never was able to figure out why. Nothing particularly bad had happened, but now he had to wonder. Had he known that this was going to happen?