The Journey Around The World, In Order To Save Spring

Sorry, but That Ship has Sailed

Amaruq remembered his conversation with Taggak last week, when they were waiting for the train in Juárez. He had asked the elder where the secret temple's location was. The elder had said that it was supposed to be in Costa Rica. 'But what if it wasn't in Costa Rica?' He had asked, to which the wolf replied that they'd cross that bridge when they came to it. "Well, looks like your worries that day were true. The temple isn't here. What were the other options you had?" The man asked his elder of eight years. "... China." He answered after a pregnant pause. "China? Freaking China?" Amaruq asked reproachfully.  "Well, Yunnan is in China, isn't it?" The black said annoyedly.

"China? Where's that?" A certain teenager asked. The two elders looked at him. "Oh, that's right. You don't know that many locations," Amaruq said. He was really straightforward, which made the youngest blushed. "Well, it's in the Old World, 14700 kilometres across the Pacific Ocean," he answered. Atsuguk looked extremely shocked. "14000 kilometres?! That's crazy!" He exclaimed. Amaruq had to agree with him. Even as of now, they had only travelled 7200 km from Tuktut Nogait to Costa Rica. This was going to be well over twice that distance. Would their respective families still be alive then? He hoped so, or this would all be for naught. "Come on! We can do this," he said positively anyway. "We didn't come this far only to turn tail!"

"Amaruq... you don't even have a tail," Atsuguk said neutrally, which was responded by Amaruq with an unamused face. "Let's just get to Punta Arenas. There should be a port there," Taggak stepped in. They could bicker later. "There is, in fact, one. It's called Puerto Puntarenas. Clever, isn't it?" Amaruq informed. "Great. Let's get going then," Taggak insisted. Amaruq could never tell if the black wolf was sarcastic or not. He could be hard to read sometimes. "Right now? But isn't it nighttime?" Amaruq asked. Taggak looked around. It was, indeed, night. "So?" He asked simply. "Shouldn't we... I don't know, get some sleep?"

"That does seem like a very inticing idea," Taggak weighed three options down. His team could use the rest, but they had plenty rest already. Besides, the port town wasn't very far. About 85 kilometres. The trio's track record wasn't too shabby. They could make it by dawn. "Nope. I believe nighttime is the best time to travel in a tropical environment," Taggak put off the other's suggestion. They can save time, too. "Awww..." Amaruq pouted. Atsuguk could only offer his condolences. The trio packed their things and got ready. It was around 6 pm. They could make it there in 10-11 hours, give or take. No sweat. Amaruq had to agree on the 'travelling when it wasn't hot' part. He did not want to sweat anymore.

Once they were done, they swiftly took off into the night. They trekked under the brilliant night sky, free from pollution. The Milky Way was easily visible as it was a clear night. The waning gibbous reflected the rays of the Sun over its surface, giving an illumination illusion. Amaruq wondered if there were aliens on the natural satellite. He was an alien, so others must exist, right? Although, he probably didn't come from the moon. It looked way too barren to be hospitable. And he read that it had no atmosphere. He had to wonder, how exactly did Boscovich discover that the moon had no atmosphere? He must have been a very smart astronomer and physicist to make that theory. Even Amaruq had never thought of that, though it seemed logical now.

Before long, they had arrived in Puntarenas, or 'sand point'. It was named so by some pirate because of its needle-like area. They scurried through the empty streets like rats, before arriving at the port. Caldera was only recently built, due to the increase in coffee production in the highlands. The Costa Ricans were smart enough to export it, you see, and the port was made a duty-free one. They reached the docks just before dawn. The orange light not yet visible, but would be so shortly. The two juniors stood on the docks, awaiting further instruction. "Now what?" Amaruq asked. Taggak thought for a moment, his chin on his hand. What was he thinking? Why was it so hard to read the black wolf's face?