On The Trail We Blaze

Chapter 3 - LAND!!!

When day dawned, it hadn't gotten any easier for the band of misfits. The men rowed on while (Y/N) sat and petted Altivo, all holding out hope that they were headed in the right direction and that it wouldn't be much longer until they saw the sandy shores of Spain.

...

Thunder roared and the sea raged. Huge waves knocked the boat around and both Miguel and Tulio tried their best to keep it steady and moving forward.

As for (Y/N), she held on tightly to Altivo. Making sure the animal didn't get swept away as well as herself, screaming as the boat continued to be assaulted by the furious sea.

...

Who knew how long it had been. A day? Maybe more. Neither of them could tell. They were exhausted and weary, unable to think of anything but their empty stomachs.

A seagull sounded from above and they watched as it glided down towards them. It landed gracefully on one of the oars but, in a surprise twist, let out two painful coughs before dropping dead.

Neither cared in that moment about what had killed the creature nor what had ailed it before its death. They all licked their lips and wiped away their drool as they all reached out to grab it. Even Altivo was salivating.

But, as their terrible luck would have it, a shark sprung out of the water and chomped down on the gull. It broke off the end of the oar, swallowing it all down, as it descended back into the depths.

Altivo whimpered as the humans cried, (Y/N) weeping despairingly into Miguel's shirt as they all wondered how they were going to survive.

...

A lot of time had passed. The exact amount none of them were sure of. The men sat back-to-back while (Y/N) rested her head and arms sorrowfully on the side of the boat. Even Altivo had laid down, his face haunted by the realization that it was probably the end. 

They all shared the same thought.

"Guys, did you ever imagine it would end like this?" Miguel weakly asked.

"The horse is a surprise." Tulio admitted.

(Y/N) gave a small laugh as she tried to joke, "Honestly, I had my money pegged on rotting in jail or at least one of you getting stabbed during a game."

Somehow, the men mustered a few chuckles and (Y/N) smiled at the sentiment. Even now, when they were facing death - terrible death - they could still manage to laugh. She sort of admired that.

"Any...regrets?" Miguel questioned.

"Besides dying?" (Y/N) mumbled.

"Yeah." Tulio chimed in. "I never...had enough...gold."

They all nodded at his admission, not really surprised. In fact, if (Y/N) wasn't so dehydrated or tired, she would have rolled her eyes at him.

"My regret..." (Y/N) started but decided to stop last second.

"What?"

"Nothing... You'll both think it's silly."

"Come on. We're partners. Best friends." Miguel urged.

"Besides, we're all dying together, might as well get it out now." Tulio bluntly added.

"Well...I never found someone to...share my life with. Granted, we were thieves and I think everyone hated us. But I always wanted to have someone special like that in my life."

"That was beautiful." Miguel sniffled, trying his best not to cry.

"Your turn, Miguel."

"My regret, besides dying, is...our greatest adventure is over before it began, and no one will even remember us."