"Dancing bears, painted wings
Things I almost remember..."
-Once upon a December
Little Nadezhda Kuryakin wrapped her hands into the fabric of her Tato's* sleep shirt. She rested her braided fiery-haired head, on his shoulder as he ran. Her older brother Immanuil, was running beside them with his small hand clasped in their Tato's extremely large, pale one. They were escaping again, but from what, Nadezhda had no idea. They had escaped many times in her four years of life, but they always had done so in the light of a summer day, with their Moya beside them. But this time was different, they had left in the dead of a cold winter night, still dressed in their sleep clothes with their Moya no where in sight.
"Батько...Де Мойя?"*
Nadezhda whispered hoarsely, in the Ukrainian language that their Tato had taught them as soon as they could speak. Their Moya, unlike their Tato, was Italian-born instead of Ukrainian, but he hadn't taught them Italian. The wild flurry of now flakes blended with their Tato's hair, his hair was light blond, almost as pale as his pasty skin. His wide blue eyes looked from Nadezhda to Immanuil before carefully placing the four year old next to the nine year old.
Both children looked at their father with wide eyes, as he shuffled them into an snowy overhang and told them to get down on their hands and knees, hiding in the snow. Immanuil tried to shield Nadezhda from as much snow as he possibly could, by wrapping his young and skinny-framed body against her's. Then their Tato knelt in front of them, to ruffle Immanuil's pale locks and press a rough kiss to her forehead, before he stood.
"Я збираюся отримати ваш Мойя. Почекай тут, зараз, але якщо я не повернуся скоро, працювати в місто, де можна безпечно. Иммануил, догляд за сестру."*
Their Tato whispered and spun on his heels to walk into the blizzard. Nadezhda tried to follow after him, but Immanuil held her back gently. He had to protect her, he promised their father, so he couldn't just let her run headlong into danger. Even when he desperately wanted to do the same.
"Ні, маленька сестра. Ми повинні чекати наших тато і моя."*
Immanuil growled gently, in the tone that their father always used when he wanted them to pay attention or not to do something they wanted too. Nadezhda looked at him with wide, teary eyes and he wrapped himself tighter around the tiny girl who was shivering frantically from the biting cold. Their sleep clothes were not made for them to be out in this weather, not like this. Immanuil was opening his mouth to speak again when an explosion sounded far to their right and even through the haze of the snowstorm, they could see fire...as bright and lively as Nadezhda's curly locks.
"Тато!"
The little girl screeched, leaping to her booted feet to run towards the flames but Immanuil lunged to snatch back Nadezhda. The only part of her body that he could snag however, was her thick red braid that went down to the small of her back. As soon as the child realized she was caught, she began to scream and cry, tearing at her hair and wailing as she only hurt herself further. She tore at the snow under her boots as Immanuil tried to reel her in.
"Стоп, сестра!"*
Immanuil shrieked as he tried to get to her. Finally, to the child's relief, the ties holding her braid together, snapped and gave her a chance to run. She bolted towards the fire as fast as she could. Immanuil yelling and racing after her, his boots sinking in the snowdrifts as he struggled. But her little lithe feet managed to avoid any obstacles as she ran to save her family.
But as soon as she skidded to a stop in front of the burning house she was born and raised in, she wailed. It was ablaze and setting the surrounding trees on fire, but she couldn't seem to find either of her fathers. The child ran around the blaze, frantically as she tried to spot at least one of them. She knew what to do if this happened, her fathers had drilled Immanuil and herself on the subject many times. She just hadn't expected it to ever happen, not to her family.
"Stop right there, brat! Move an inch and I shoot your head off your shoulders!"
An angry male voice shouted from behind her, along with the familiar sound of a gun cocking. She turned around slowly, to see an American man dressed in black, tight clothes with a gun pointed straight at her. She had no idea of what he said, but she knew that it wouldn't be a good idea to run away. Then she caught sight of the familiar silhouette of Immanuil behind the man, she tried to ward off her older brother with her eyes, but he wasn't listening.
The skinny, blond nine year old launched himself at the gun man, distracting him instantly. Sending him into a flurry of confusion and curses in a tongue that she didn't quite understand, even though she had heard her Moya say them before. Immanuil looked straight at her and screamed with all his childhood might and strength.
"Побіжіть, сестра!"*
Nadezhda didn't need to be told twice, she spun on her heels and ran as fast as her small legs would carry her into the snowy haze. She ignored the vivid screams that followed and the last, choked and pained scream...cut off with the boom of a gunshot. She tried not to imagine the sight of crimson covering the icy ground, she just kept running as fast as her legs could carry her towards the dim light of the town in the distance. Tato had taken them there for Nadezhda's birthday, to see the ballet with all of its beautiful dancers. She had told her Moya that she wanted to be a ballerina when she was older and that they could come watch her dance. Moya had laughed and told her that he would love to see that.
The child let tears run down her cheeks as she stumbled through the heavily falling snow, she wanted her fathers, she wanted Immanuil, she wanted to go home...
-Translations-
-Tato's~Daddy's
-Moya~Papa
-Батько...Де Мойя?~ Father...where's Papa?
-Я збираюся отримати ваш Мойя. Почекай тут, зараз, але якщо я не повернуся скоро, працювати в місто, де можна безпечно. Иммануил, догляд за сестру.~ Iam going to retrieve your Papa. Stay here for now, but if I do not return soon, go into town where it is safe. Immanuil protect your sister.
-Ні, маленька сестра. Ми повинні чекати наших тато і моя~ No, little sister. We must wait for Daddy and Papa.
-Стоп, сестра~ Stop, sister!
-Побіжіть, сестра!~ Run, sister!