Day 39

Churchill Downs Day 39: I awoke to the smell of something being cooked at the fire. Whatever it was, it was delightful. It seemed my company was already in the front of the cave crowded around what smelled like cooked wolf. I had forgotten what it was like to wake up to a meal being cooked. Mitri yelled down the cave in my direction, "Are you coming or what? Cause if you're not, I'm eating yours." I stood with a hint of stiffness in my bones, got to my feet, and stretched from the slumber my brothers and I had be denied of since our journey had started. "Don't you even think about it!" I yelled back to Mitri. I had a feeling that morning that I hadn't gotten since I came here. The cave felt like home, and I had family here.

          I walked over to the still hot wolf meat and fixed myself a plate. I sat and just looked around at all of the faces that before were all but lost to me. My company didn't speak a word, mostly because of the food they were shoving down their throats like it was their last meal. For all we knew it could be. I glanced over at Nate who looked the exact same as I did though. It was nice to have friends by our sides in the worst situation imaginable. Our eyes met for a second, and I could see the moisture build in his eyes. I smiled back connecting with the same thoughts he was having. We both thought we would die here, and never be thought of again, and through all odds we accomplished something that even defied all logic in our situation. We made the best of the worst times. We struggled for survival and came out on top. But even more importantly than all of that, we found family.

          We stripped the wolf to its bone. We ate until we could eat no more. It was lovely. We gave all of our plates to Emma and Sam who were more than happy to receive them, and they put them in what seemed to be a small crater of the cave filled with water to wash them. "When will we get back on the trail brother?" Asked an almost impatient Andy. I looked at him and spoke, "As soon as Emma and Sam decide they want to go and find the exit. We will leave soon enough Andy. For now enjoy the warmth of the fire, and your first time to sit down since we started walking from your camp." He simply nodded in agreement. Casey looked at Emma and Sam collectively, and pondered, "If you don't mind me asking, why help us in the first place? For all you know we could have been bandits or thieves with Nate and Wes held captive." Emma and Sam answered the question while staring at Nate and myself. "We knew that wasn't the case because of how we saw you all walk together, and besides, we used to do this kind of thing for Nate and Wes all the time, so why stop now?" Casey sat back down and had a look on his face like he was impressed. Obviously Sam and Emma learned much faster than we did from this place. 

          Emma motioned for me to get up and come over where she was. I walked and stood beside her by the small crater. "Sam and I are almost ready to leave to look for the exit, but I wanted to ask you about something first." Her tone lowered so no one could hear but us. "If something happens to one of you, or one of us, this whole effort will be good for nothing. We're all scared of this thing Wes, how do you plan to keep anything from going wro..." I stopped her and looked at her calmly as I could. "Nothing will happen. You and Sam will go find the exit, and my brothers and I will go destroy the heart. It's as simple as that. Everything will be ok. I promise." She looked at me and her worried face turned into smile. She didn't have to speak for me to understand that she believed me. I meant what I said too. Everything would be ok, one way or another.

          Casey picked up his bow along with his other gear, and the rest of us followed suit. He would lead us to where we needed to go. He could smell it. Mitri picked up his massive sword and slung it over his shoulder. Andy was already outside and growing impatient. They all started out of the cave entrance and waited on Nate and myself. We hung back to say our goodbyes when Emma and Sam readied their equipment to go. I looked at Nate and said, "Did you really ever think we would have seen them again?" Nate looked back to calmly exclaim, "Shit yes." We both chuckled a little while we waited. Emma and Sam stepped out from the darkness of the cave ready to leave. Emma was covered in what looked like war paint, and so was Sam. "You've got to be kidding me" I giggled. Emma and Sam stared daggers at me. "Helps scare the wolves" Emma said like she was my mother. "Yes ma'm" I said as I looked down at my boots. "You ready?" Asked Nate. "As ready as we'll ever be" answered Sam.

          We all gathered outside of the cave looking at one another. My group all seemed to say at once, "Be safe!" and both of them nodded. The real start of our journey was about to begin, and for some reason I was more ready than I had ever been in my life. Sam and Emma both approached Nate and I. They both gave us hugs as tightly as they could manage. Emma walked over to me once more and hugged me again. I wrapped my arms around her and spoke in the side of her face. "We'll come back Emma." She only replied with a soft "I know." Just like that we were parting ways, waving to the party behind us. We all looked at the mountain trail once more in front of us, and started up it. We were ready. We would put a stop to this evil place. The five brave souls that had come together to begin this journey were going to end it.