But dinner passed just as fast as it came.
The caiman's meat was gone in under five minutes, and the manioc fries were done just as quickly.
They kept on talking as they ate, something they had done only a few times before, but something that had slowly changed since Miyanna joined them.
It was a wonderful thing, really.
The Noble Bloods were taught to always stay silent during meals so that they could enjoy the food and then focus on talking and spending time together.
However, the common folk always used this time to catch up and spend time together.
Talking during meals had a warmth to it that none of the Noble Bloods were accustomed to, but slowly made it their own once they got used to it.
"Blanc," said Kael as he swallowed his last bite of the food, "What are the plans for tomorrow? Are we hunting normally or fishing again?"
"If we were to go hunting, would you be able to focus?" Blanc asked, watching his little brother closely.
"I don't know yet," Kael responded honestly, "But I think it's worth trying."
"Then, we go hunting first thing in the morning," Blanc said before gulping down a cup full of water.
"How about the turtles, my love?" Celine added, her hand on Blanc's knee.
Blanc thought for a bit before replying, "Except tomorrow, we hunt in the early morning until noon, then we go fishing while keeping an eye on turtles. If none are spotted, we start looking for them in the days that follow. Is that good?"
"Except tomorrow?" Lune asked.
"You will see tomorrow," Blanc replied, not talking further about it.
"I see no issues with the plan," Celine nodded, before taking a sip of juice.
"I like the plan," Miyanna agreed.
Blanc turned towards her, "Ah, right, Miyanna, my love, how are you feeling? Getting used to the new changes in your body?"
"Not even close to," Miyanna showed a wry smile, "But I'll tell you more about it a bit later."
Blanc stared at her a moment before replying, "Is that so?"
"Ah, now that I've eaten, I'm getting sleepy," Lune muttered, as she was yawning and stretching her hands towards the sky. "I think it's time for us to sleep, Kael."
"But I still have some juice," Kael muttered.
"Just drink it and let's go; otherwise, you will not be better tomorrow," Lune replied to her twin brother.
And so Kael did, not planning on fighting a losing battle.
He chugged the remaining juice he had in his cup, and after bidding their good nights to the married couple, they went towards their tent.
"Lune is starting to be more aware of her surroundings," Celine said as the twins entered their tent.
Blanc chuckled at that, "Mother Auren would cry if she saw her now."
"Don't worry, they will meet again," Celine replied, seeing the sad look in her husband's eyes.
"Yes, you are right, my love," Blanc nodded to her before getting on his feet, "I should go take a dip in the pool as well."
"Would it not be wiser to talk first?" Celine asked.
Even though Blanc wanted to talk, wanting them to apologize as well as him to apologize to them, he, in a way, did not want to have the conversation, not now, at least.
But, just like Kael, he knew as he turned around and looked at his wives, that this was a losing battle he knew he had no chance in.
"Very well," he said to them, "Let's head inside the tent."
Silence reigned over the tent for two minutes.
A heavy silence that carried more words and sentences than any of the three planned on saying.
A silence in which they carried their talks over and over with different results each time.
Many optimistic, many pessimistic.
The silence broke suddenly, as if the air was cut, which allowed them to breathe in the courage they needed to speak.
And as it happened, that courage was given to the three at once.
"I'm sorry," they all said in unison.
And silence fell again.
Not because they did not have things to say, but because each remained silent to allow the other to speak.
When Blanc opened his mouth to say something, Miyanna did the same.
No sentence came out of their mouth as they made way for the other.
If one were to witness this, they would not think that the three were married.
They would instead think they were children attempting to apologize to each other, only because their parents made them.
"You-"
"I-"
…
Silence again.
It became frustrating to see them like this.
And they were more frustrated than anyone else.
So, Celine devised a plan quickly.
She got up from the bed and turned to watch the two silently.
Blanc and Miyanna stared at her, waiting for her to speak.
But Celine chose not to. Instead, she went in and, in quick succession, kissed Blanc before kissing Miyanna and pushing them both down onto the bed.
"Since when are we children not able to talk like proper adults?" Celine asked, getting atop Blanc, "It seems talking is of no use to us now."
"Wh-what do you mean?" Blanc stuttered, taken by surprise.
"We tried for minutes to speak and only managed to talk in syllables. All of us have too much to say and too many uncertainties left from this morning. I suggest we solve some in other ways," Celine explained as she began removing some of her clothes while still staying atop Blanc.
Blanc turned his head over to Miyanna to see if she agreed, but Miyanna had the same idea.
Their eyes were close to each other, silver gray staring deep into the bronze, who was staring back. Their noses were practically touching as they looked deep into each other's souls.
It would truly be easier for all three of them if they removed some of the worry and some of the frustration that gnawed at their thoughts the entire day.
So, with a kiss, they signed into effect Celine's plan.
And for a few hours, heavy negotiations followed.
This time, though, Blanc was not the only one frustrated and angry, not only with himself but with the others. But so were his wives, in a way, more frustrated and angry than Blanc even realized they were.
Luckily, the twins were asleep and were not able to hear how heavy the negotiations were in their neighboring tent.
One might not call this an apology. One might call it an excuse, even.
But for them, it worked wonders.
And even though the three fell asleep when they were done, they knew that, when they would attempt to talk about what happened next time, they would be able to talk and apologize properly.
Only in the morning, when Blanc woke up, did he curse his mind.
The fire was out cold, not even an ember left alive for him to use to restart the fire.
But, even though he clicked his tongue, he got to restarting it the next moment.
And after ten minutes of him making a strong fire, that would last for an hour or two without additional care, he went to take a bath and wash away all the things that were on his skin.
From dirt to… well, things.
As he stood below the waterfall, allowing his body to relax for a bit as the water massaged his shoulders, he looked into the rainforest, where he could see the bodies of the five jaguars.
Only then did he remember he was supposed to skin them last night.
As yet another click of his tongue announced his frustration to the world, he turned his mind back to focusing on other things.
He kept thinking about the day ahead of them, about the turtles, and how they were supposed to pass the Gardens as safely as possible.
There were many things to consider when one had to pass a Garden, and also a bit of luck.
His mind then ran to wondering about his absent family. His father, mothers, Valar, Sera, how were they faring, were they worried about them, and when would they meet again, hug again, or talk again?
He missed the late conversations he had with his birth mother, his bickering with Sera, Mother Auren's gardens, her lessons on medicinal plants and foraging, or Valar's stoicism.
Even his father's punches became a memory that Blanc somewhat missed.
He couldn't help but have a sad smile on his lips as the water kept massaging his shoulders.
…
Wait, Blanc thought, turning his eyes towards the jaguar bodies in the rainforest.
One, two, three, four, five, Blanc counted.
He thought his eyes must be playing tricks on him.
So, he got out of the pool, put on a clean pair of clothes without wiping the water away, and went into the rainforest towards the bodies.
He counted again.
One, two, three, four, five.
Still the same.
He counted once more, just to be safe.
Same result.
But there were six last night.
He looked around, trying to see if the body was nearby.
Nothing.
Something has taken one of the jaguars away during the night.
But what could leave no tracks? No scent or a blood trail as it dragged the body away?
Unless…
Blanc looked up.