<div style="background-color:#FCFAFA; border:1px solid black; margin:10px 10px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;"><div style="background-color:#6594A8; border:1px solid black; margin:10px 10px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;"><div style="background-color:#D1E85D; border:1px solid black; margin:10px 10px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;"><div style="background-color:#630908; border:1px solid black; margin:10px 10px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;"><span style="font-family: papyrus;"></span></div></div></div></div><br/><div style="background-color:#FCFAFA; border:1px solid black; margin:10px 10px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;"><div style="background-color:#6594A8; border:1px solid black; margin:10px 10px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;"><div style="background-color:#D1E85D; border:1px solid black; margin:10px 10px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;"><div style="background-color:#630908; border:1px solid black; margin:10px 10px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;"><span style="font-family: papyrus;"><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;">A single, sharp breath. A carefully planted foot. Three quick steps, one after the other. She wouldn't fail again. Xpiayoc would not choke this time. Her hair was tied back, her clothing matching the forest around her. She was the perfect hunter, with her steps of such confidence.<br/>So she liked to think.<br/>Her companion, Hun Hunahpu, had his nose low, tight to the ground, sniffing and snuffling. Occasionally he would let out muffled barks, which Xpiayoc would chastise him for with a smart tap to the head. A hunter was to make no noise if they were truly intent on catching their prey.<br/>Xpiayoc slid carefully across the ground, finding her footing slowly on slippery rocks. The stream was powerful this time of year when the flowers were in bloom, and the young ajaw didn't want to get wet. Not that she was one to fuss over appearances, but if she returned to the village with her garments soiled and hair askew, there would be questions. That was because a young girl was not to hunt. A young girl was not to explore. They were to do as they were told, and stay safe. Xpiayoc snorted in derision at the thought.<br/>She made it across the stream. Hun Hunahpu was not so cautious, boldly splashing through and snapping playfully at the water spray that sparkled with the sun's light. Xpiayoc didn't hush him this time, instead smiling softly at the dog's antics. She remembered when she had received him, a wrinkly creature no larger than a ripe squash. Her brother had taught her how to train him to sit, come, stay, heel, and fetch. He was a good companion, and perhaps the closest friend Xpiayoc had.<br/>As they began to clamber over the bank, Hun Hunahpu's ears went straight up, his body still, but strained. He smelled something. Xpiayoc hoped it was a deer. She lifted herself over the bank with her arms, keeping low to the ground. She turned and gripped Hun Hanahpu under the armpits, pulling him up swiftly before he could protest with his large, droopy eyes. She turned to the world of the new side of the bank. There was a deer. With her dark, keen eyes, she could pick out its shifting fawn coat among the broad-leaved trees and bushes. She crawled forward and hid behind a large, old punab tree, pulling Hun Hunahpu with her. She made him sit and squatted herself, taking a long, deep breath with closed eyes. She was ready.<br/>In a flash of quick, dance-like steps, she was around the tree, arrow nocked. Breathe in. Breathe out. Shoot.<br/>The arrow was swift and sure, whistling on its way. Xpiayoc held her breath. Thunk! The arrow landed, not in a tree, not in the earth, but in its target. The huntress' eyes widened in pleased shock as she watched the deer hit the forest floor. She had done it.<br/>Hun Hunahpu barked. Xpiayoc did not stop him. In fact, she joined in, her surprise melting away into extreme joy. She barked, shouted, and babbled incoherently. She danced and spun. She was a howler monkey of the forest as she approached her kill.<br/>Xpiayoc soon noted that her 'kill' was not quite dead. It twitched in a frightening manner as it clung on to the scraps of life it couldn't possibly keep. She moved forward slowly, drawing a knife from her belt. As she looked into the eyes of the creature she couldn't help but feel sad. She looked away as she drew the knife across its neck to fully extinguish its life.<br/>The eyes weren't as sad now. Instead they were glassy and lifeless, like dull marbles. Xpiayoc went to work cleaning the corpse of meat and other useful things. She threw the unwanted pieces to Hun Hunahpu, which the canine gladly took, lying and rolling in the sun as he chewed.<br/>Xpiayoc tucked the meats in her satchel hastily, shading her face with her hand as she looked up at the sky. She should be heading back.<br/>She left as gracefully as she had come.<br/>Xpiayoc began running as she left the treeline of the forest and entered a wide, grassy field. Suddenly the field fell away to a downward slope, and in the small valley below, past the vibrant green grass, was Holmul. She could see the adobe huts, the pok-a-tok field, and the stone temples. It made her feel trapped. She increased speed, letting the wind take her downhill. Her feet flew. She felt out of control, in a good way. Until she tripped, sending her tumbling down the hill.<br/>Once Xpiayoc stopped rolling, she let out a whooping laugh. She sat cross-legged, bringing her bag into her lap to make sure she hadn't spilled any of the contents. Hun Hunahpu came to her side, having gone down the hill in a more careful fashion.<br/>Xpiayoc patted her bag, happy that she hadn't lost anything. She stood up and tried to rub the grass stains out of her huipil. The attempt was not successful. The huipil she wore was more mute than her others, but the imperfections to the outfit were still distressing. She shrugged it off, reasoning that she could simply wash her clothes later.<br/>As Xpiayoc entered the city, she noticed that the houses were all mostly empty. Few wandered the streets. That must mean they had visitors. She increased her pace, though not as recklessly as she had before. Her sandals slapped against the hard earth, pressed down by thousands of sandals before her. Xpiayoc often wondered how many people lived now, and how many people had lived in the past. Many, many people, she imagined. She rounded a corner, and before her was the market square, even busier than usual, because of the visitors. There were many bright colours, fabrics, carvings, and food overwhelming the wooden stalls. People walked back and forth, and children ran aimlessly through, cheering and playing imaginary games. Some faces Xpiayoc recognized, others she did not: those were the foreign traders. The smell of poc chuc made the girl's mouth water. Hun Hunahpu also seemed excited, wiggling and prancing just ahead of her. She heeled him, giving a stern glance as they fully entered the market.<br/>Xpiayoc was looking for a specific stall. It didn't take her long before she both smelled it and spotted it. It was a booth that sold meat, just by the central pillar, run by a short man who was currently counting cacao beans.<br/>"Hello, Iktan," Xpiayoc's voice was cheerful and rich, like the hot chocolate of her people. Despite its melodic sound, Xpiayoc couldn't sing or even chant, not having the ear to understand music.<br/>Iktan turned from his counting and grinned a mouth of jade. "Hello, Xpiayoc," he said, leaning against the post of his booth, "how are you today?"<br/>"Well." Xpiayoc was not one for pleasantries, but for business. Her father and mother had raised her that way. If you spoke about anything other than business, they could rope you in with sympathies. She looked into her bag and pulled out the meat from her deer kill.<br/>Iktan raised a bushy black eyebrow. "Does your father know you were hunting?" he inquired, examining the quality of the meat with a careful eye.<br/>"No. And you won't tell him, yes?" Xpiayoc put her elbows on the stall, head resting in her hands. A cheeky grin adorned her face like a pearl necklace. She had done business with Iktan before, and he was a friend. Xpiayoc had never brought in something this large before, however. <br/>Iktan laughed. "I suppose not. What do you want for this?" He pointed to the meat, satisfied with its grade. <br/>"Nothing. The thrill of the hunt is payment enou-" Hun Hunahpu interrupted his owner by snatching a hunk of steak off the stall. Xpiayoc barked in annoyance, readying to hit him, but Iktan laughed once again.<br/>"Your dog's dinner is payment," he chortled, wiping tears from his eyes, "now, don't you have traders to pester?" He didn't wait for her response, instead giving a quick wink before turning to work at his booth.<br/>Xpiayoc blushed for a slight moment, head bobbing in affirmation. He knew her well. "Heel!" she called to Hun Hunahpu, snapping loudly. The dog stood, meat hanging from his mouth with pride. She shook her head in a mixture of annoyance and amusement as she entered the mull of people. She let herself be taken by the flow of bodies, toward the east side of the market. <br/>The foreign traders were congregated together, selling from the back of their cart. Xpiayoc could see obsidian and many, many feathers. The feathers were beautiful and bright: some Xpiayoc could not recognize.<br/>"Hello," Xpiayoc tapped one of the traders on the shoulder. He turned to her for a moment. He was very tall, and Xpiayoc tried not to feel intimidated. She knew that her people were short, and she was one of the shortest.<br/>"Do you have anything to trade?" The man asked sharply, making a big show of what a busy man he was. Xpiayoc tried not to laugh. <br/>"No, I don't, but-" <br/>"Then get out of the way. We are very busy, little girl." The trader pushed her away with one contemptuous brown hand. Xpiayoc's mouth opened and closed like a fish, eyebrows drawn together in annoyance. <span style="font-style: italic">Little girl</span>?! She was almost 19, and a distinguished ajaw! She began to collect herself, standing tall. Turning away from the cart, she thought what a shame it was. The exotic feathers had really caught her eye, and she had been hoping to hear stories from afar. <br/>Xpiayoc decided to leave the market. If the traders wouldn't tell her stories of their adventures, she would find her own. She slipped back into the forest, praying to the gods that something exciting might happen in her life, just once.</span></span></div></div></div></div><br/><div style="background-color:#FCFAFA; border:1px solid black; margin:10px 10px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;"><div style="background-color:#6594A8; border:1px solid black; margin:10px 10px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;"><div style="background-color:#D1E85D; border:1px solid black; margin:10px 10px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;"><div style="background-color:#630908; border:1px solid black; margin:10px 10px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;"><span style="font-family: papyrus;"></span></div></div></div></div>