Sol helped his grandfather through the forest one slow step at a time. The old man had been too stubborn to let anyone carry him, yet somehow he still managed to keep pace with the leading hunters. Surprisingly not falling behind once.
The real delays came from the brick-haulers and Cal's family. They had joined the procession to thank Marisol and to let the children see Jimena and Marisol again. Cal, in particular, caused most of the chaos—running circles around his mother, who carried his baby brother, then weaving between hunters only to leap onto his older sister. She tried, and failed, to wrangle him every time.
The whole group moved like a chaotic knot, hunters forming a protective barrier around them. Nearly half the village had decided it was the perfect time to visit Bahia Oscura, bringing with them an abundance of meat and forest goods.
With the forest finally safe from frenzied animals—and the more dangerous abomination they'd only glimpsed at now gone—Sol agreed it was a good time to visit. Even so, the situation with Jimena still felt… strange. The expectations his own village placed on her weighed heavily on his mind.
Still, he wouldn't get in the way of progress. Their two villages would grow stronger together. The vegetables the Bahia Oscura villagers cultivated were delicious and far more filling than anything Chantico grew. In return, Chantico could offer meat and the occasional tool or crafted good.
But that wasn't the only reason half of Chantico had chosen to travel today. Jimena's presence lingered in everyone's thoughts. Marisol's healing was impressive, but it was nothing compared to what Jimena represented for them now.
His grandfather had spent half the walk lecturing him, making sure Sol would "behave himself." According to the old man, if he acted like an ass, they would have to turn around and walk home in the dead of night. "Gifts don't matter if the one delivering them has a shit face," his grandfather grumbled.
His grandfather had laughed when he had reached out to feel Sol's expression—only for Sol to dodge him. That earned an even louder laugh at Sol's grumbling.
He understood, though. His grandfather wanted him to be civil with their future allies. Maybe more than allies, eventually—if he could keep the promises he'd made.
He took a steady breath as they stepped into the bustling village. Conversations quieted. Faces turned. A tense moment passed before the villagers recognized that what they carried weren't weapons at all, but deer, javelina, and a variety of other game.
The tension broke, and Chantico stepped fully into Bahia Oscura.
Jaime was the first to greet the visitors from Chantico, with Marisol arriving shortly after her return from the beach. She seemed distracted, almost drifting past the rowdy crowd without noticing them at all.
If not for Cal—who barreled into her side and latched on with his usual mischievous grin—Marisol might have walked straight past everyone. His sudden clinginess made her laugh, pulling her fully back into the moment. She bent to hug the boy and happily greeted his family, giving special attention to the small child in his mother's arms—the one she had healed. Even now, his shy nature overcame every coaxing attempt his mother made.
The air warmed immediately, but the true celebration began when Jimena emerged with the hunters. Faces lit up at her appearance, the group from Chantico nearly bursting with excitement. Marisol and Jaime exchanged a bewildered smile at their neighbors' sudden devotion.
Jimena, on the other hand, looked overwhelmed. First, they handed her a whole javelina. Then a neat stack of bricks was set before her like an offering. She stared at the gifts with wide, confused eyes—an expression that earned laughter from everyone nearby.
Jaime finally stepped in, explaining the bricks were for her new forge. Several elder smiths who had made the trip chimed in eagerly, already discussing layouts and construction as if the forge were half-built.
The crowd—buzzing with talk, laughter, and gifts—moved toward the village center. There they found Javier and Chia, newly returned from the forest with two large sacks of herbs.
Javier eyed the influx of outsiders with caution, shoulders tight and protective. But the tension slowly melted from his posture once he saw how warmly everyone treated his son and daughter. Though, he couldn't help noticing that most of their attention seemed fixed on the later.
The large crowd naturally split into smaller groups. The elders followed Javier and Chia, carrying bundles of fabric wrapped around something that clattered with each step—almost certainly tools.
Jimena and Jaime were swept away by the smiths, still deep in talk about the forge as several villagers arrived with stacks of bricks. More people looked eager to follow them, but Sol intercepted the growing cluster and redirected everyone toward the open areas to set up cooking fires. Marisol, now one of the few left without a task, allowed herself to be pulled along by a skipping Cal, his small hand warm in hers.
"What brought you all the way out here?" Marisol asked, glancing over at Sol's serious expression as they walked. She kept Cal entertained by swinging their joined arms back and forth.
Sol scanned the village for an open spot, clearly trying—and failing—to ignore the question. Several Chantico villagers gave him curious looks, forcing a reply from him.
"We were hoping to… become closer," he said reluctantly. His eyes flicked away from hers almost immediately. He led the group into a broad clearing where several pits in the earth showed where clay had recently been dug out. "The elders will decide that, though," he added at last, waving for everyone to set their bundles down.
---
Chia studied the blind old man seated across from her. His large, calloused hands—still marked with old burn scars—held the clay cup delicately. A faint tremble of his hands disturbing the surface of the herbal tea.
"What brings a master smith like yourself all the way out here?" Chia asked, leaning back in the rocking chair. The long walk with Javier had drained her more than she wanted to admit.
"Well," the elder began, voice slow and gravelly. He spoke of his village's history, of the old ties their peoples once shared, and of the hardships they had both survived. Eventually, the conversation shifted toward Jimena—what she meant to Chantico, and what her presence might mean for both villages going forward.
With villagers from both sides offering advice or chiming in, the meeting moved surprisingly fast. Mostly because the elder from Chantico seemed ready to agree to nearly everything Chia suggested—trade of tools, exchange of foodstuffs, and even movement of villagers between communities.
By the end, both villages had formally agreed to allow any who wished to relocate or court partners across the settlements to do so freely. The younger generation would be able to choose their homes, build bonds, and strengthen both communities with shared skills and families.
More arrangements would come in time. But even now, Chia felt a faint unease watching how readily the elder of Chantico accepted every proposal.
She sensed nothing overtly wrong… yet the ease of it all left her with a question she could not quite name.
Still, she let the matter rest—for now.
Javier had remained silent through the entire meeting. He chose to let Chia speak, to rely on her experience and sharp tongue. In truth, he acted more as her guard than any kind of adviser—not that anyone seemed inclined to ask his opinion anyway, he thought with a grumble.
Everything had gone smoothly until the villagers of Chantico began talking about his daughter. Their tone hadn't sounded threatening, merely reverent… but it unnerved him all the same. They spoke of Jimena as though she were some vital piece of their future, and Javier's brows had creased deeper with every passing sentence.
He had always assumed Marisol was the one who healed their people. It had confused him from the start, the way both his children received such preferential treatment. And yet he held his tongue, watching rather than reacting. He had once been a skilled hunter—he knew how to stalk, how to wait, how to see prey for what it was.
If anyone here harbored ill intent, he would find out. Sooner or later.
He moved to question Chia once the meeting ended, but the old woman only smiled at him with that mischievous, knowing way she had. She teased him about his overprotective nature, then—far too casually—mentioned a tall blacksmith Marisol had once spoken of.
A blacksmith who seemed to linger in Jimena's thoughts enough to cause the girl stress.
Javier froze, jaw tightening as her words sank in. Chia chuckled at his expression and shuffled off after the departing crowd, leaving him alone in the open hut.
The agreements she had made echoed in his mind, particularly one line that now rang like a warning:
"We will allow our youth to court each other."
The words sat in his chest like a stone.