*** Chapter 17 Day 25 The Family ***

“Look!” Maira said, pointing towards the southern shores of the lake. She had spotted a small group of travelers moving up, if they kept to skirting the lake, they would soon reach the house, it was likely that they had already seen the house and that their current path was no coincidence.

“What?” Liliana asked, she had taken to staying on the roof more often now since Maira was the cousin she got along with the most. “I don’t see anything.”

“That’s because the trees hide them,” Maira said,” but just keep looking, you will eventually spot them. There! You see them?”

“Kind of?” Liliana strained her eyes trying to spot what her cousin was pointing at. Eventually she spotted them.”Oh, I see them. Do you think that they are the same people as last time?”

“No,” she replied. “Look, they are dressed completely differently.”

“Should we sound the horn?” her cousin asked.

“Yes,” Maira said, grabbing the horn. She took a deep breath and the horn below resounded as she blew into the horn.

Just as before there was an immediate reaction, but this time Maira had spotted the people arriving from farther off thus giving the family time to gather completely. When the small group arrived there was something strange about them, they looked worn and ragged. Three of them looked like adults, they were leather and chainmail armor with swords strapped to their sides. They looked like they had seen hell and walked away, they were covered in dirt and blood. Behind the leading three were a group of children that had the very same look minus the armor.

“Who are you?” patriarch Aurelio Fortino asked, stepping forward towards the group. The other men behind him raised pistols in case the newcomers turned out to not be friendly.

“It's me!” The lead male among them step forward. He had on a chainmail coif that he now removed and did his best to remove the dirt from his face. It was hard to recognize him, his hair was longer and he had grown facial hair.

“Santos!” A shout interrupted the mood. Maira could be seen rushing into the house from the roof.

“Mijo?” Aurelio asked. He continued to step forward until his eyes could fully grasp whom he was seeing.

“Yes grandfather,” Santos stepped forward and was immediately embraced by him.

“We thought you were lost mijo,” he said.

THe others stepped forward and started ruffling his hair and patting his back, happy to see him alive again. His father embraced him next after his grandfather released him.

“I thought we wouldn’t see you again,” he said, his voice wavering. Tears welled in his eyes as he bear hugged his son. “You’ve changed so much.”

“It's only hair and dirt,” Santos joked, happy to be embraced by his family again.

Before he could break away another pair of arms embraced them both, it was Martha.

“Santos, mi hijo,” she cried. Her arms embraced them both more strongly than even his grandfather had. Raphael broke away from the embrace allowing his wife to celebrate the reunion with her son in her embrace. “I knew you couldn’t be dead. I just knew it.”

“I am hard to kill,” Santos said, embracing his mother taking in the warmth of her loving embrace.

He found himself welling with emotions, it was unlike him to feel things this way, but somehow knowing that he had survived a hard ordeal and was able to see his family again after facing several long nights of fighting for his life, all he could feel was relief and happiness.

“Mijo,” his grandfather called him, after a moment. “Who are the people with you? What happened?”

“They are the last remaining people of a group that existed to the north,” he replied. “There’s a lot I need to tell you.”

“That can wait,” Martha said,” for now go take a shower, I will bring you some clothes.”

“A shower?” he asked.

“We’ve been building many things since you have been gone my son,” his father replied.

“Santos!” Maira popped in surprising her cousin with a tackling hug. She almost knocked him over, but the last few days have made him faster and more aware, he took her embrace in grace. “I knew it! There was no way you could be dead!”

She was smiling happily as tears flowed down her cheeks, her energy was overwhelming as the burden she had been carrying in her heart was lifted. She no longer felt the crushing guilt that she was at fault for the loss of her cousin, she had missed him so much. The pangs of guilt that she was slowly accepting that he was truly dead these last few days no longer gnawed away at her spirit.

“Take him and his guests to the showers,” Martha spoke, placing her hand on Maira’s back. “I’ll go look for some clothes, for all of them.”

“Ok,” Maira reluctantly peeled herself away from him, registering his musk for the first time.

“So there is a shower now?” Santos asked, using that same old funny grin.

“You won’t believe how much the boys have been building,” she replied. “Between Michael cutting down trees and uncle Juan doing his thing there’s so much being done.”

*** Solfrid ***

Her spirit was barely holding itself together, every time her eyes fell on the remaining children her heart grew tight, fear crept in as thoughts flooded her mind that something else would kill them. She began to question if it all would even be worth it, having trekked so far and lost so much, what would they find at the end of their path.

When they finally arrived at the settlement of Santos’ people she saw that his people were great builders, they had so many structures erected and a wall that was almost complete. They appeared to have settled this land recently, just like her people, yet they were already building more than her people had managed in the first month.

His people were aware of them before they arrived at the settlement, a horn alerted them, they too appeared to be in the same dire situation her people had been. They were greeted by a mass of his people, who proceeded to receive him like a man returning from the dead. The young man was a great warrior, but here he appeared to be a beloved family member, one who had been thought lost. He had told her that they might think him dead and might not recognize him, but that was not the case.

When they finished receiving him the people began to inquire about Solfrid and her people, she could tell that they were curious with their looks and pointing. She heard him say her name several times motioning to her a few times. The woman who had embraced him and appeared to be his mother said some things.

“She says that you are all welcome to stay here with us,” Santos said. “This is my mother Martha.”

A few more words were exchanged and several questions appeared to be asked as the people began to crowd around them. The children grew nervous.

“Santos…,” Solfrid called to him for help, she did not know how to handle the situation.

“Sorry,” he said,” they are just being curious.”

He turned to speak to them and a few more words were said, before the crowd began to scatter.

“They will be giving us space,” Santos said. “Come, they want us to shower, before we go inside to eat.”

The girl that had clung to him, still clung to his side, her eyes were giving her a sort of glare.

“Who is she?” Solfrid asked.

“This is Maira,” he replied. “She’ll be showing us to the showers.”

The girl said something in a pouty voice, but Santos only replied with a laugh and a few words, before motioning for her to show them what she was tasked to do. She would not leave his side and for some reason that did not sit well with Solfrid, it was awkward.