They were on their way to a better life. He was thinking about the past, and what had happened. No good things. The laws would clearly be against what he did, but his follower didn’t complain. In fact, he never spoke a word. He just rid on his horse next to him, so he called him the silent.
The speaker said, where they would ride to and why. The men travelled west. Both had these things in mind, but it was no longer important. In the evening, the speaker always asked his companion about how he felt. No answer, just some guttural sounds. It were strange nights, always hoping, the next day would be a better, than the last. They had been riding for two months now in a land of loneliness. Silence surrounded them, in each of the miles and miles they had passed. They rid next to huge pinnacles of sand and dust, praying not to feel the wrath of the native god’s who reigned these landscapes. Sometimes they crossed deep forest, aware of the unknown creatures lurking in the bushes and behind the trees gasping and struggling with their instincts versus their brain, which recognized the danger of the speaker, not to dash out of their hiding to rip the silent.
They were passing a river, with a beach of gravel, greater stones and big rocks. The water was split up in two streams with a sandbank between them. The horses shivered because of the cold water which flew fast around their legs. Large fish sprang up the stream to reach the source of the water. The speaker warned to care for the bear who was not far from the riders’ path, but the big animal was focused on the fish to catch it. They passed the first stream and rested a moment on the small place of stoned security in the middle of nowhere. The silent was getting weaker. Sometimes he was about to fall off his horse, but his escorting friend managed to catch him every time. The speaker was in sorrow. It still was a long way to go to the next town with a doctor while his companion was getting weaker every day. After they passed the river and the forest, the dusk slowly covered the land in a mysterious light.
They had to find a place for an encampment. It was getting darker while the speaker set up a fire.“How do you feel?” he asked the silent, who laid down on his bed which the speaker had built of some blankets for him. He gulped. Some blood ran out of his wounds. The fire finally spent some warmth and soon he fell asleep. The speaker was tired, exhausted by the long and hard travel. He made his own bed, but he didn’t sleep. He had to stay awake to take care of his friend. With his head in his hands he observed the wilderness around them. Some owls sang their nightly song. A wolf howled far away.
He got sleepy and thoughtful. He had doubts about if they’d make it.
Just one or two days of travel left, but the silent laid in front of him and already looked pale like a dead man, thus he was still breathing.
Hope, he thought, hope is barely to support…