With Goington leading the way, the only delays the two men faced on their journey were the breaks Alexander had to take regularly.
Goington didn't complain, though, as the boy's occasional stops gave him the chance to drink and savor his wine. He also used those pauses to enlighten Alexander further on the dangers of the forest.
One of their latest encounters during the journey was with a fog, and Alexander listened silently as the man tried to abate the nonexistent fear he assumed the boy had of the familiar phenomenon.
"So the only thing I should be wary of is its ability to block visibility?"
"Yes," Goington replied, looking at Alexander quizzically, surprised by his nonchalance at the introduction of fog.
The two had only just recently come across the phenomenon, and Goington had thought it would provide him the chance to deliver another resounding lesson to the ignorant child. Yet, the white-haired boy remained unmoved.
Alexander did not inform Goington that he was already familiar with the phenomenon called fog. After all, the one they were currently waiting to pass had only one key difference from the kind he was accustomed to. This fog could appear anywhere and at any time in the forest, and it supposedly came from trees. The problem with that explanation, however, was that there were still fogs that appeared over meadows and wastelands.
When the thick fog that had halted their movement finally cleared, after delaying them for more than ten minutes, Alexander and Goington resumed their journey and soon came upon what seemed to be a very narrow path.
"This is what the merchants use to reach our village. It's not a commonly used road, so most sections of it are usually covered with bushes, and one needs to know of it beforehand to travel the path," Goington explained.
"Do you know the route?" Alexander asked, looking both left and right, intrigued by how the absence of trees on both sides and the low grasses were the only indicators of a road.
"Yes."
"Then why don't we take it? Won't it be shorter?"
"No."
"From one end of the forest to its nearest point to Beckle, the road has the shape of an extreme S. This is our first encounter with the S."
"You mean we still have two more intersections to make?"
"Yes."
Alexander's eyes widened at this information, and he asked, "How long is this journey?"
"Normally it takes me two days, but with you, I'd say three, maybe even four."
...
One clear change that came after Alexander and Goington crossed the path in the forest was its appearance and most importantly, the life brewing within it.
Before, the forest had been filled with trees carrying red and brown leaves, yet no signs of life. Perhaps there were worms in the ground or ants on the trees, but with his senses, Alexander had spotted no creatures. No birds chirped, no squirrels ran across branches, and no snakes slithered about seeking to pour venom into Alexander or the drunkard.
Across the path, however, things were different. There was life. The cries of birds filled the air, and on the bark of some trees where he rested, Alexander found caterpillars crawling up and down.
They moved until nightfall, then rested, continuing their journey the following day.
"By your estimate, we still have possibly two more days to go. Why are you taking a break now?" Alexander asked.
"I want to get drunk. Been sober too long," Goington replied, already seated.
Putting his bag down, he rummaged through it and, ignoring the food inside, pulled out a jug much larger than the ones hanging from his neck. He uncorked it with ease.
"Ahhh."
Within seconds, the strong smell of alcohol hit Alexander. With resignation, he watched Goington down two large gulps.
"Why do you suddenly want to get drunk?"
They had rested not too long ago, and now they were stopping again. Alexander was far from happy with the situation, but he was not above understanding Goington's possible reasons. Sometimes bad habits were taken up to alleviate one's mind from trauma and painful memories, and considering how resourceful Goington had been over the past hours despite frequently visiting his horns, Alexander believed this was the case.
The duo hadn't been walking for long, the sun had only just begun to grow unbearable.
"Don't mind me, I'll be fine soon."
"Okay."
Though Alexander was surprised that Goington kept his lips sealed, he made no further attempts to pry out the man's secret. He remained silent even when Goington began ranting incoherently minutes later.
To Alexander, Goington was wasting time, but he made no fuss when the man finally regained himself about two hours later, and they continued moving. No mention was made of the incident, and the sun was casting its last rays when the duo crossed the second path.
"I'm guessing there's another day's journey ahead of us," Alexander said.
"Yeah," Goington nodded, letting out a burp.
Wanting to maximize time, Alexander and Goington traveled four more hours, a half-moon hanging high in the sky. At that moment, the two men were descending a small hill, preparing to make camp at its base, when Alexander's eyes suddenly caught a flickering red light in the distance below. He didn't hesitate to alert Goington.