Milo's Journey

Chapter 11

Diego and Jose stood up and bowed to the two Indian chiefs. They were still a little dazed by what they were seeing. Milo had always talked about what he saw, but this was the first time they were actually seeing what he saw. Jose moved over to Milo’s side and took his hand. Milo squeezed Jose’s hand and smiled reassuringly. Diego walked to stand next to Adriana, his arm protectively around her waist.

Jumping Wolf looked at his brother. Silent Hawk nodded to the unspoken question in Jumping Wolf’s eyes. It was time for the ending of secrets.

Jumping Wolf began to speak.

“Milo and Adriana, you are flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone. Separated long ago by the will of Atabey, the two branches of this tree grew apart, and yet each branch has the strength of the whole. It has been the turning of many seasons since Silent Hawk and I were separated as Atabey commanded, and much has happened in the spirit world which now will affect your world as well.

“Atabey foresaw that Maboyas, a demon of great power, would seek to overthrow her child Macquetuarie, the Lord of the Dead, and take his place. So, in her wisdom, she chose to hide the divine spark of Macquetuarie in the one place Maboyas would never think to look: the soul of a mortal. Using her divine power, she separated the divine spark from Macquetuarie and left only a shadow sitting on the throne of the underworld, while all that was Macquetuarie she lovingly placed inside a mortal soul.

“For generations, that soul with its divine spark reincarnated lifetime after lifetime. Atabey waited and watched, knowing that Maboyas would be patient and careful in his treachery. Finally, Maboyas struck, destroying the shadow of Macquetuarie and taking the throne of the underworld. Atabey has done what she could to hold back the evil of Maboyas, but it has begun to infect the world of the dead, creating nightmares that have started to slip into the waking world.

“It is time for Macquetuarie to return and take back his throne from Maboyas. Milo, Adriana, you are the key. You must find the spark of Macquetuarie and help him remember who he is. The spark will be close to you. Atabey made sure Macquetuarie would be tied to our bloodline. You must find him, protect him, and help him remember who he is.”

Silent Hawk looked at Jose and spoke.

“You are guarikiti to my grandson. Stay close to him. He will need your love and the power it brings.”

Jumping Wolf looked at Diego and spoke.

“You are guarikiti to my granddaughter. She will need your strong arm to protect her and your love to support her.”

Then Silent Hawk and Jumping Wolf spoke together.

“We entrust our children to your care, guarikiti, and pray that Atabey guide your steps. Farewell, blood of our blood.”

At that moment, a cloud passed in front of the sun, shading the field. When it passed, Silent Hawk and Jumping Wolf were gone.

Milo exhaled, suddenly aware that he had been holding his breath for the last minute.

Jose was the first to speak. “Well, what do we do now, and what is a guarikiti?”

Milo burst out laughing and hugged Jose. “Querido, you are priceless!”

“What?” Jose asked, perplexed.

Diego started laughing too, and Adriana couldn’t help getting caught up in it.

“Jose, you just saw two Indian spirit chiefs and heard that the Lord of the Dead is missing, and one of your questions is what a guarikiti is,” Diego said, smiling.

Milo took pity on Jose. “Querido, guarikiti is a Taíno word that loosely means ‘beloved one.’ The grandfathers were recognizing you and Diego as mine and Adriana’s partners.”

“Oh,” Jose said, blushing. He took Milo’s hand again, smiling. “So my other question: what do we do now?”

Milo sat back down on the blanket, and Diego, Adriana, and Jose joined him.

“Well, for now, not much. I will ask my cuadro to keep an eye on the spirit world, and Adriana and I will bring our parents together and tell them we are related. Diego and Jose, I need you both to go to the town library and find out as much as you can about the Taíno religion and their deities,” Milo said as he stood. The sun was dropping behind the mountains, turning the sky a brilliant rose.

Jose and Diego began packing up, while Milo and Adriana folded the blanket they had been sitting on.

As they started walking back, Jose heard a whimpering sound. When they passed the barn on the way to the house, Jose stopped. Milo turned when he noticed Jose was no longer beside him.

“What’s up, querido?” Milo asked.

“Don’t you hear that? It sounds like a dog.” Jose entered the barn, following the sound until he found himself in front of Cachita’s stall.

Curled up on the hay was a beautiful Rottweiler puppy. The puppy had a coat of enchanting black and gray hues, blending seamlessly like a painting in motion. Its sleek fur, predominantly black with silver-gray accents, highlighted its muscular little body. From its velvety ears to its sturdy paws, every inch of the puppy exuded charm. Its amber eyes gleamed with intelligence and warmth. Jose’s heart melted as he gazed at it.

“Hey, beautiful. Come here, come here,” Jose coaxed.

The puppy lifted his head at the sound of Jose’s voice. His tail began to wag, and in a flash he ran out of Cachita’s stall, landing in Jose’s arms. Jose was bowled over by the little cannonball of fur. The puppy began licking Jose’s face, and Jose erupted in laughter.

“Okay, hermano, I got you,” Jose said to the pup.

The puppy stopped and stared directly into Jose’s eyes, as if he understood him.

Milo walked over and knelt beside Jose. The puppy looked at Milo, and a deep rumble rose in his throat. Milo had been reaching out his hand, but when he heard the growl, he pulled it back.

“No, hermano,” Jose said firmly to the puppy. The dog laid back his ears and looked up at Jose. “This is Milo. He is my special friend, and I love him. I want you both to get along.”

The dog looked from Jose to Milo, sniffing the air in Milo’s direction. He looked at Milo, then back at Jose.

“Rrrf?” the puppy barked.

Jose nodded. The puppy relaxed and allowed Milo to pet him.

“That’s more like it, Piyelito,” Jose said, praising the pup.

“Piyelito? Where did that name come from?” Milo asked, smiling.

Jose shrugged. “I don’t know. It just came to me, and I think it fits. Do you like it, Piyelito?” he asked, looking down at the pup.

The dog wagged his tail and barked twice. “I think he likes it.”

Jose stood with the puppy in his arms and walked out of the barn with Milo. Outside, Adriana squealed when she saw the dog.

“Ay, qué lindo, muñequito,” she said, smiling as the puppy rested contentedly in Jose’s arms.

“Adriana, Diego, meet Piyelito,” Jose said, bringing the puppy over.

They fussed over the dog, who eagerly soaked up the attention. Milo wondered where the puppy had come from. Maybe he had wandered over from a neighboring farm. Milo didn’t have the heart to tell Jose they would need to ask around to see if anyone had lost a dog. Jose was already attached, and it seemed the puppy had claimed him as well.

Milo sent a thought out into the ether.

Juan de Dios, are you near?

Sí, caballito. Milo felt a hand rest on his shoulder.

Can you investigate and see if the nearby farms have lost a dog? I want to know if I need to break Jose’s heart and tell him that his little brother belongs to someone else.

I will go now, caballito.

Milo felt Juan leave. He walked back to his friends.

“Jose, I think you should leave Piyelito with me. I know your mother will not look kindly on you bringing a dog home to climb all over her white leather sofas.”

Jose looked at Milo, then down at the small bundle of fur in his arms.

“Piyelito, can you stay with Milo for a little while? I promise I will come and visit you every day. At least here you can run and play, and Cachita will take care of you when Milo is at school.”

The puppy tilted his head as if listening.

“Rrrf,” he barked, wagging his tail as he squirmed toward Milo.

Jose handed the puppy over, watching as Piyelito settled happily into Milo’s arms.

They stopped at the front of the house and sat on the porch while they waited for Diego’s father to arrive. He would drive Jose and Adriana home. Soon they saw the car coming down the road.

Jose leaned over and patted the puppy’s head one last time, then kissed Milo goodbye.

“Behave yourselves. I love you both,” Jose said, speaking to Milo and the puppy.

Milo smiled, and the puppy wagged his tail.

Diego’s father stopped in front of the house and waved. Jose, Diego, and Adriana climbed into the car and waved goodbye as it pulled away.

The next chapter is here at the link below.