Chapter XV. I’m not alone

After eating lunch, the two started drinking mate, which swiftly breaks down barriers and encourages people to talk about anything they can.

Although having extensive knowledge of one another, they each retained their own secret. Neither this one nor the other informed him of the fact that he was an intelligence officer or that his father had been imprisoned in the past.

The major was constantly searching for characteristics that set him apart from the crowd in everything he said and did. Thus, there must be something about him that attracted the branch head and those outsiders’ attention to the extent that one did.

However, he did not find anything special, just a simple boy in the prime of his life, who may possess some acumen and intelligence, but not to the extent that makes him receive this special attention from the Air Force Intelligence.

Does anyone in Syria actually get the attention of the branch because of intelligence or acumen!!

The concern is for his position, his family, or his bank balance.

Basel was about to leave as they finished their meal.

-How about you? Don’t you want to return to your village? You can hardly get there before dark

– No, I won’t be returning this evening. I cherish the outdoors. I used to, and the cow actually grew accustomed to me taking care of it for days.

– What do you do alone? That’s strange.

-I have a lot of friends, I’m not alone.

Basel was amazed by the boy’s reply: It’s extremely odd, I don’t see anyone else but you!

-Look around you; the forest is teeming with friends. However, even if you spend years conversing with and learning from them, you will never be satisfied because there are always new things in this wilderness that you can discover and learn from. These new things will keep you busy, prevent you from feeling lonely, and make the best company for you.

-Are you referring to animals?

-Not necessarily, but even the wilderness itself, if you spend enough time there, will give you the impression that it has a spirit you can communicate with. The only problem is that the language it speaks is not one we can understand, so you’ll have to discover it before you can fully appreciate what I mean.

I marvel how a hunter like you, who is skilled in the outdoors, does not know this, he said. How did you mean to pass the lengthy nights spent here by yourself?

Not knowing how to respond, Basel stumbled: I often think about the sky, but you have just given me something fresh to consider, he remarked after gathering his thoughts. I have overlooked the fact that there are numerous things in my immediate vicinity that merit attention while I spend my time thinking about the moon and stars.

He turned around and then added: What do you think to accompany me? Let’s get to know each other and learn something new.

Walid paused for a time before accepting his offer, “if this Alawite desired evil for me, I would be dead or chained to a tree right now.”

Yet one thing about this stranger was still bothering him!

Basel: Well, let’s start with what you came for. Let’s look for prey to hunt. Do you know how to use a gun?

-No, I’ve never had this

-Well, let me teach you

He started preparing him for his first hunt, which would happen tomorrow by chance, by teaching him how to shoot and wield a gun.

Before resuming his mate consumption, it was time to make dinner because it was getting dark.

The barriers between them swiftly fell down, and they soon realized that they both needed one another.

Basel needed him to get him out of his ivory office, a mysterious case he had always wanted, breaking that ridiculous routine of working on dull cases, and new horizons he felt waiting for him.

Walid’s need for him was more profound and deeper. A father or a brother who would make a fire with him, share food with him, experience fear with him, and protect him through the lonely wilderness evenings was something he constantly desired for while he was out in the wild.

That night, Walid slept in the tent, and Basel slept on the ground, covering by the sky.

In fact, he always spent his nights in his apartment among glasses of wine, the smoke of cigarettes, and the hugs of girls. He told Walid that he spent his time looking at the sky and forgot a lot of things around him, and that he had never looked at the stars before. He admitted that he had missed a lot, not only in the world around him but also in the sky and everywhere else.

He sighed bitterly, closed his eyes, the air breeze caressed his hair and face, he smiled, how beautiful the wilderness is, how beautiful the night is here, without lights or noise,

He loves his mission because it alters something about him and, in some unfathomable way, rescues him from the misery of a life without direction and a defined aim.

The following day, they made the decision to set up camp right next to the spring they were already in. There was no need to move from this ideal location, so they decided to go hunting and leave the cow alone to continue drinking and grazing. After hours of running every once in a while and hiding and stalking other times, Walid was finally able to capture his first catch, a small deer.

They returned to camp with their catch.

Alternatively, to put it more properly, Basel carries it on his back but Walid is unable to do so because he won’t let go of the gun. Walid even refused to let it be placed on his back, and instead he behaved like a child holding a toy while searching for targets.

At the camp, Walid finally agreed to put the gun to his side, to light the fire and prepare the cooking utensils.

Basel walked away from the camp by around 200 meters before starting to chop the catch since it had to be done distant from where they were staying.

He looked at Walid while he was busy cutting,

Standing 30 meters away, pointing a gun at him, and shaking his hands.