We stayed in the woods for some time, working together and chattering like we always do. We would have probably finished earlier had Hyats'i not stopped every couple moment for a water break. I swear, its like he'd never worked a hard day in his life, complaining as he huffed and puffed after me as I darted back and forth between trees, leaping over logs and hastily pulling at the long strips of bark. Though, i suppose the skills he'd use to fish are much different than this, so it was obvious he wasn't cut out for something so rough and strenuous.

Once I finally filled my quota we swiftly gathered up all of our gear and raced each other down the narrow dirt path, bumping and tripping along the way and pushing each other as much as we could without dropping anything. A warm feeling bloomed in my chest. Maybe I would go, maybe I wouldn't. But as of the moment, it didn't bother me, Hyats'i just gave me the words I needed and my decision was mine. 

It felt good knowing he had that effect. But the longer we walk along the trail the stronger the feeling got.

We passed through some older trees, the ground beneath our feet is scattered with loose gravel and large tree roots, making our trek slow and troublesome as Hyats'i attempted and failed to find even footing on the unsteady surface. The poor boy stumbled about, carrying everything on him to the point where he was bent over and awkwardly stooped. I suppose the fisherman's son wasn't built for much other than hauling around nets or baskets. He glanced at me, as though wanting to complain about the whole thing, his dark eyes shining from his pink flushed face. A look I'd been seeing ever since I knew him. It seemed to say, hey, don't you feel sorry for me now?

Well, that won't work on me, not if I turn away and focus my attention elsewhere. Or if I refuse to look him in the eye, so I kept my own gaze wandering and searching for anything else. But every now and again I'd fold and finally glance over at the poor guy, just to see that childish pout of his. You could only imagine how freaked out I was to see him already glancing my way, waiting patiently.

And right then, all I saw was those eyes.

A big, tender and pleading set. Hyats'i could get anyone to pity him, his eyes are just too big, too kind. Too round and too wide open. I just can't get used to them. My heart skipped a beat and I broke off the gaze, whirling back around to hide the tingling in my cheeks.

The birds chitter and chatter somewhere behind us, singing happily on some treetops and enjoying the heat of the afternoon sun. Every now and again we passed a farmer, each one trudging heavily through the narrow forest pathways, weighed down with all manner of goods, including bushels of vegetables, baskets piled high with produce and even heavy clay pots. Their expressions are as strained and haggard as their workload. We stepped off the beaten path in order to let these villagers pass. 

"Thämfri." We'd tell them respectfully. Then, when they were gone, I'd wipe at my face and smooth away some stray hairs that got caught on my skin, as if trying to wipe away a lingering itch. I lazily stretch my limbs as far as I could without dropping the supplies. There was a painful tightness in my arms and shoulders. And as my hand rubbed my aching neck and scratched at my stiff arms, I realized how stiff and tired I really was.

My poor friend continued to struggle with his descent through the slopes and hillsides, huffing and wheezing his way from behind me. A pained groan escapes his lips. I snorted, pulling back and falling in step with him once more, our shoulders nearly knocking. Even that close contact was enough for the big oaf to take a wrong step, losing his balance on the rocks and slipping backwards, nearly dropping all of his weight upon me. I just barely held him up before he went toppling over and falling flat on his ass.

"Graceful. Very graceful." I dryly said, helping him onto his feet.

"Shut up." He grunted, leaning a majority of his weight against me as he righted himself, legs wobbling. "Hands off! I can walk myself."

 And he proceeded to show me just that, carefully taking cautious steps back in order to make room. It didn't take long for me to realize how pathetic he looked, wobbling like that. It took a great deal more strength not to burst out laughing and Hyats'i quickly threw me a dirty look.

"Just let me help you or we'll be walking late at night at this rate."

The idiot gave a pout, his lower lip jutted out slightly but said nothing else, not even muttering a word. He seemed to almost sulk as he handed me his basket of wood. Once his load was alleviated he stretched his back with a loud yawn and walked with a more relaxed, jaunty attitude, unphased by the rocky ground below or the mud caking his feet and calves.

"Remember how i said I'll follow wherever you go?"

I blink. That was sudden. Why bring it up all of a sudden??

I nod my head at him, prompting him to continue.

"When you make your decision I will still be here. I'll follow wherever you go. Well, not wherever, wherever. I'm not sure if my family will let me." He scratched his face in a manner that's anything but charming and awkwardly glanced away.

"You get the idea, right?" He urged, his gaze settling upon my own once more, silently seeking validation or agreement. I understood but I stayed silent and simply let him blabber, lost in my own thoughts and ideas as they filtered in, the new knowledge taking root in my mind and burning bright. The prospect of him tagging along wasn't...something I couldn't accept.

There were quite a few pros and cons in the idea. It wasn't as though I didn't want him around but his personality, coupled with the idea of the looming future scared me. It wasn't going to end well and we were both bound to suffer but I was strangely eager to accept. I wonder why? Why is that? Was it simply because the lug-head's optimism infected me? I've spent most of the time we've been friends being annoyed, or, more than usual at least, but I really think I'm starting to get used to having him around. I'm growing comfortable with him and that scares me the most. I've grown weak, letting an idiot affect me like this. I swear, there must be a curse involved. The man doesn't know better, always getting in trouble because of this optimistic disposition, always acting on what his emotions tell him without giving proper thought or thought process.

What a fool this one was. What an utter simpleton. I pressed the heel of my palm into my forehead to somehow get a sense of calm. To figure something, anything out. A sigh escaped my lips and I bit it, glancing away from the teenager by my side and focused instead on the sloping ground underfoot, focusing intently on the plants and vines we were walking on. This was absurd, he was playing a joke on me. 

Ah. The sound of the stream. If my senses hadn't been clouded, perhaps I would have picked up on that smell a bit earlier. But then again, we've always known where we were going since we first got going. There were few turns, so the path was all the more easy to recognize.

"We're nearing the stream." Hyats'i piped in excitedly, wiping some sweat from his brow, no doubt already picturing in his mind the icy-cold water flowing through his system as a means of refreshment. He'd jump in there without thinking if he could, as reckless as he was, if I left him unsupervised, of course.

He grabbed my free hand as I lead the way, lacing our fingers together. His palm was clammy and slick, and it slid over mine so smoothly i was afraid he would lose a grasp. He kept his fingers tightened however, securing my hand within his, letting me tug him along.

I still had trouble keeping a steady grip upon my belongings, his basket swaying in my arms as I stumbled over my own footing. The closer we got to the river, the more muddy and slippery the path got. It seemed as if each stone we passed had grown even more slippery over the course of our trek.

Hyats'i only responded with a cheeky grin and his dark eyes lit up, glancing over at the water and smiling to himself. With a lighthearted chuckle he carried on, his eyes shining even brighter now than before. "I wonder how cold it'll be." He wonders aloud. 

His free hand was extended in front of him, trying to grab whatever droplets of the cool stream he could. Of course, we were still at a considerable distance to the stream itself, and the humidity did nothing to give him any true sense of fresh water, but Hyats'i seemed quite unconcerned and happy with the lack of accuracy in the gesture. I allowed him his silly moments, just happy that there were no complaints of sore limbs and exhaustion for the time being, and continued dragging him onward.

"Finally! The river. Let's hurry." The oaf next to me chirped with an eager gleam, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. There was no doubt in my mind that he'd been dreaming of jumping in that river from the very moment the words left his lips.

He didn't release my hand however and as I glanced over my shoulder he flashed me another toothy smile, squeezing tighter to emphasize that. His grip was growing unbearably tight but I couldn't bring myself to chide him for that. 

"Go on then. Only for a bit otherwise we'll get back to the village too late." I huffed, disengaging my palm and rubbing some life into my numb wrist. Hyats'i smiled then gave a sheepish giggle and nodded enthusiastically, shedding his supplies onto the banks.

The moment he finished dropping his things he untied his sandals, kicking off his footwear and setting it neatly out of reach of the flowing waters, and stepped forward eagerly.

I took a couple of steps further on, finding a dry spot for our things before stopping to look back at my friend. It didn't take long after he rushed in to see him going for a bellyflop and making the water splash and roll like a waterfall. He floated on his back, and a loud laugh echoed throughout the area, followed shortly after by a playful "Yolotl!".

He sat upright, grinning ear-to-ear. The dimpled youth tossed some water towards me with a chuckle.

The scene was just too surreal, and suddenly, I just couldn't hold myself back any longer. Laughter racked my chest. Just for the moment there was no work, no stupid decisions, no worrying. It was just me and him, and there wasn't even any need to be so hesitant around one another. We're just having a good time in each other's company, the only way we knew. The two of us together, talking, laughing, swimming, everything else...

No wonder this place always felt so peaceful and perfect, and why it brought my spirits high. After such hard labor, getting soaked would certainly bring about a welcome break. As for him, his antics are simply endearing, I couldn't get annoyed when he had an actual genuine smile. How could i ever leave? How could i ever walk away?

'Freedom' The others called it. A chance to escape this small, close-knit village of farmers, fishers, merchants and paper-makers. To explore new horizons beyond what little knowledge we were able to obtain. But freedom didn't have anything to do with the future, did it? Because in truth it's simply just the idea of going wherever I like, being whomever I wish to be. No preconceived obligations, no expectations or anything of the sort, just me. It sounded nice in the moment, but without family or friends to stand behind me, would the idea be much the same? It wouldn't, it'd only mean being alone, completely and absolutely, isolated and lost in this world. No connections or ties or anything. So how could freedom exist with all the feelings that came along with it? I couldn't bear to think it, this life of uncertainty.

A rare chance for 'freedom' was sitting right here on my fingertips, my calloused and dirt covered fingers. The air tasted bitter, sour. I forced my eyes back open, bringing myself back to the present and focused on Hyats'i splashing around. In and out of the waters he bobbed along happily like a duck. His taller frame made ripples and waves in the waters, lapping at the sides and distorting the reflection of the surrounding foliage and trees. I couldn't look away.

Perhaps this was it, freedom. There's nothing quite like coming back to the stream we had always come and gone, and letting everything fall away for a brief moment, to clear one's head and reconnect oneself to nature. Perhaps 'freedom', then, is less of a question of choice, and more of the ability to focus solely on that moment and forget about everything else. Yes, that must be it. This has to be what freedom was! That must be it! This couldn't just be an idea, not anymore. This moment here is my very own idea of true, real freedom.

And I'd have it. That much was for sure. For the sake of my mom, for everyone I loved, and especially this foolish fool and his contagious laughter and sparkling smiles and...

Ugh, I'm rambling again. This damn air is messing with my thoughts.

So I jumped in. And like all those summers before, all thoughts ceased in that instant, and all that was left to me was here and now. The sound of his laughter ringing in my ears, the warmth of his presence and lips, how his gaze lingered upon me, even through the water and ripples, despite the sun blazing overhead.  I'd have this, and him. This is what 'freedom' would be, it would have to.

Then everything else would fall into place.