Hello, Arthur here! I am rewriting chapter one because I dislike how I wrote his sad past first (but it will come back in later chapters but written better). I will try to update every Monday, And basically whenever I can. I am unsure if Ivan and Alfred will have a romantic relationship or not yet, so please do me a favor and review what you think.
Present
Ivan had never meant for this to go so badly. He clutches the loaded rifle in his hands, scrambling over the undergrowth and between trees. He had never been as scared in his life as he was now. He was being hunted down by the people he was supposed to protect; they were supposed to trust him.
Ivan cuts quickly behind a tree, and picks up his knees to pull his feet out of the snow. If he made it to the lake before he was caught, he could wash off his scent in the water. Not the smartest plan while it was snowing on and off, but Ivan was desperate.
He races across the rocks and sand, shifting the rifle into one of his hands, and whispering a breathing spell. He sloshes into the water, the hand not holding the weapon stretched out as the spell bubble stretched and grew in his palm to roughly the size of a gumball. He was up to his armpits when he heard his pursuers clear the forest line, sparing them a glance over his shoulder. The members of the party stopped, knowing not to follow the Russian, should they be dragged down by creatures that inhabited the water.
Ivan pops the bubble into his mouth and ducks under the waves, hoping that Alfred had followed his directions and dashed up to the neutral ground that was the Oracle's Manor. After all, Alfred is the reason all this had happened. Ivan didn't regret saving Alfred from the strange fate that his brother, Matthew, had been forced into.
He kicks through the water, his clothes heavy with water. Ivan knew he should've shucked off his trench coat and scarf on the shore, but that would've taken too long. He would've been caught right then and there. He gulps in the water, the spell filtering the air into his lungs and the water back out of his mouth. It was a strange sensation, and Ivan disliked using the spell because of it.
Ivan kicks up to the surface, his eyes peeking above the water at the shore. The hunting party had left, probably to turn their sights elsewhere to find their missing kin, or maybe watching from the trees. He treads water there for a while, then turning and swimming in the direction of the Oracle's Manor.