My first fic of 2019 and it's depressing and without Sebastian (that makes me sad). This was written as a prequel for a Sebaciel Day of the Dead AU I'm writing on Ao3 called Death's Overture. I'll post the main story here once it's finished, but until then, here's Ciel's backstory! Unedited.
The best day in Ciel's life was the day he and his brother were given a puppy for Christmas. Such a tiny thing the Borzoi was, tottling around and bouncing from wall to wall on short little legs, covered in fluff and filled with more energy than both of the Phantomhive twins combined. They were enamored with their dog, and both Vincent and Rachel swelled with joy at seeing how happy their boys were, sitting beneath the fir on Christmas Eve, lights twinkling overhead as they pet and played with the newest addition to the family. Giggles were heard throughout most of the evening and just as their parents suspected, most toys were discarded in favor of cuddling the hyper pup, rolling balls across the rug and rubbing behind floppy ears while the dog practically purred, sounding and looking more like a feline than a canine as he rubbed his head against the arms of the adoring brothers and spun in circles beneath their palms.
Vincent rested his head atop his wife's golden locks, fondly taking in the moment folding out in front of him with his soulmate by his side and their toddlers and pup running wildly throughout the living room. On any normal day, they would be sitting on the couch beside their parents, calmly playing some card game or another rather than leaping from from one side of the room to the other, but the change in pace bothered the eldest Phantomhives not in the slightest. They were happy and their sons were happy, that's all that mattered.
"So boys, what do you plan to name him?" Rachel asked, adjusting the golden locket her husband had gifted her for the holidays, the glass inside encasing a photo from their wedding day on the left side and a picture of their sons on their first birthday on the right. Opening the necklace's charm with a quiet 'click', her eyes briefly darted to the image of her babies, tiny tufts of slate hair closely resembling her husband's despite the sparce amount upon their heads at the time of their birth. They had grown up so much already.
"We get to name him ourselves?" Ciel excitedly gasped with vibrant eyes growing wide, breaking off into a fit of laughter when the pup's slobbery tongue slid over his cheek the moment he turned his attention from the ball of sable fur. His twin alike practically squeaked as the same treatment was given to him, though he was clearly lost in thought as he tugged his brother closer, cupping a hand around his ear as he whispered, "Ciel! What about Seb?" Said boy nodded vigorously, face brightening as he turned to his parents, more than approving of the chosen title. "Mother, father, can we call him Seb?"
"Of course you may call him whatever you'd like, he's your dog after all," Vincent smiled, eyes alight with joy as deep as his wife's as he watched over their children, unable to stop thinking of how much their eyes favoured their mother's own. While their hair and tendency towards mischievous behavior were without a doubt traits inherited from himself, their big, blue eyes and excitable personality came solely from her. Pulling Rachel close, he gave her a soft peck on the cheek as she teased him over the name he had given his own dog when he was a child. He had been rather uncreative in his naming his first dog 'Max' and came to regret telling Rachel his faithful companion's name on their second date; he would never live it down.
Meanwhile, the eldest twin beamed, hugging the Borzoi with a gleeful squeal, "Do you hear that, boy? You're Seb now!" Seb yelped with a wag of his tail and pounced after the red ball tossed passed him, as proud of his new title as his tiny masters were and more than ready for another long hour of playing.
The night went on until Ciel and his brother were passed out near a pile of torn wrapping paper with their furry companion. With a fond grin, Rachel rose from Vincent's arms with a sigh, her husband following suit with a chuckle of his own. It must have been years since they had worn themselves out so thoroughly while playing, it usually took two bedtime stories and the promise of pancakes with extra syrup in the morning to lull them to sleep. Each parent slowly lifted a child into their arms and carried them upstairs, laying them gently on their beds with a kiss to the forehead. After tugging the blankets to their chests and checking to make sure they would be warm enough, they guided Seb to his new bed set near the end of Ciel's own. It was no secret that the younger twin was prone to nightmares -most likely manifesting from the scary stories he had the habit of reading right before bedtime- and perhaps with Seb there to protect him, he wouldn't be afraid anymore.
And just as they had expected, that night, for the first time in days, the house was silent. No pitter patter of footsteps alerted Vincent that Ciel was up and on his way to crawl between them in bed in search for a feeling of safety, and no sniffles were heard from the room opposite of theirs as he woke his brother for comfort. The only sound filling the silent home was the quiet snores of two sleeping children.
As years went by, it was much the same. Never again did Ciel wake in fear that a monster was lying in wait within the shadowed corners of his and his brother's bedroom for he knew that at the end of his bed, Seb was there for him, to keep him from harm and bring him peace of mind. The years in which he desperately clung to the animal for security had long since passed by his sixteenth year, but their bond had done nothing but strengthen throughout those years. The three of them had grown up together; wherever the twins went, Seb went too. Ciel remembered more than a handful of times when he had carried the puppy in his backpack to school with him, only stopping once he was too big and heavy to fit in his bag anymore. But he was always there in the car when they were picked up from school, barking and shifting from foot to foot as he eagerly waited to greet them after hours of separation. Neither boy ever hesitated when it came to grooming their dog; to petting and hugging him, or speaking to him as if he were human. Their deepest secrets and greatest insecurities were whispered into that smooth mess of inky fur and soothed away by the nuzzle they received in return. They always gave him treats and belly rubs to show their appreciation for his silent understanding.
He could never forget how it felt to trail his hand over Seb's back. His dearly loved companion's coat wasn't at all like the marshmallow fluff Lizzie's Pomeranian bore, nor was it short and prickly like the German Shepherd mix Greenhill proudly flaunted. The fur on Seb's belly was soft, like the gentle sherpa his mother's favourite blanket was woven from, but ten times longer and loosely curled. His back on the other hand felt similar to the fine, soft bristles on a brush used for grooming horses, the lengthy strands of obsidian catching golden rays of sunlight whenever the mesmerizing shades of orange, pink, and purple painted the sky at sunset with their watercolour wisps and clouds. His eyes, deeper than the finest of dark chocolates, also morphed shades with the daylight, carrying an almost honey undertone when exposed to the bright light of day. Ciel always dreaded the day when that light would fade and he would be left alone to grieve. It was inevitable, lives don't go on forever, and Ciel knew that. Just as flowers wither and wilt, so too do the breathing beings of which others form such profound attachments to come to pass. That day came all too soon.
Life is a fragile thing, one day your best friend is right beside you and gone the next. And when that happens, what can be done but to bare the burden of loss and live on with precious memories of them forever in your mind? There is no moving on, there is no healing wounds that sever deeper than those born from an expertly wielded knife, there is only acceptance of that which we wish not to accept. Perhaps a selfish hope is that those we hold dear may live on long passed our own fall, so that we need not bare the pain of living on to see the place where they always stood barren of their existence. The world of the living isn't kind though. Just when we find joy, another will be taken from us to balance out the scales of life; when that happens, it hurts like hell.
There were only so many days Ciel could say were the worst ones of his life. When he was young, it was the day he managed to drop his favorite toy in the lake, helplessly watching it sink to the bottom with his twin attempting to calm him with the promise that their father would buy him a new one. When he was an adolescent, it was the time he fell asleep near the pool and woke up with a Sharpie penis on his cheek, no doubt his brother's artistic talent. It took nearly an hour to scrub off, several smacks to his cackling brother's arm, and the comforting thought of 'at least it wasn't traced' to get over it. But when true tragedy seized him, his melancholy threatening to swallow him whole, he realized how foolish both of those things were. If anything, they were good times, for through it all, he had his family beside him. All of his family.
Five years had passed and still he would never forget the final brush of fur beneath his trembling lips as he kissed his precious Seb's head for the last time, or the sheer force it took to hold back tears as he choked out a goodbye to his best friend since childhood while his mother urged him to return to the car. To this day, he still wasn't sure if it was to spare him the pain of watching his pet -a major part of his family- crossover to his next life, or to keep him from openly sobbing alongside her, but whatever the case, he was grateful to be alone and that his brother didn't have to witness what happened. He vividly remembered crying every night for days, weeks, months after the sorrowful day; sobbing so hard he felt that with one more throbbing gasp for air, his lungs would stop expanding and that his heart would rip straight out of his chest if he so much as pictured Seb on that horrid vet table again. His heart was broken and he knew that piece of him could never be repaired. He was lucky enough to slip beneath his sibling's radar most times when he broke down hard, but in the times that he didn't, he was held close to a form identical to his, feeling the wetness seeping into his own shirt as they wept together for the life that was lost. As it turns out, the saying Aunt Ann always told them was true; the pain of one twin is the pain of both. It was achingly true then, but it couldn't have been more accurate than years later, on the day that they died.
That fateful night in December had started out fine, great in fact. Rachel and Vincent were celebrating the day that their sons turned twenty-one with a two layer chocolate cake and one of the finest champagnes they could offer. The dining room was decorated from floor to ceiling with streamers and ribbons in varying shades of blue, silver, and black, a rosemary chicken roasting in the oven while Rachel set the fairly large cake on the table and Vincent poured the drinks, both humming along to the music softly playing from Vincent's phone. A 'beep' from the oven sounded as the final flute was filled half full with the sparkling alcoholic beverage, distracting the hazel-eyed man who was quick to set the bottle down when his wife made to leave her current task in favor of finishing their meal, "I'll take it out and cook the potatoes so you can finish with the cake and light the candles, don't worry about it."
Rachel smiled gratefully and tugged Vincent down to her level, placing a chaste kiss on his upturned lips before waving him out the door towards the waiting food, "Thank you. Now go get that chicken out before you blacken it."
An amused snort was heard as he did as he was told, removing the pan it was cooking in with a relieved sigh; the bird was perfectly fine. With a hum in beat to the song now streaming through the speaker of his mobile, he gathered the sliced potatoes and splayed them throughout the awaiting skillet, sprinkling various herbs across the top of them. He was a businessman through and through, but he had always had a fondness for cooking, perfectly falling in place with his wife's love for baking. As caught up as he was with seasoning and prepping the vegetables, he failed to notice the sour scent beginning to flood into the room, permeating the air subtly enough at first that it was too late by the time he realized it; seconds after he lit the stove and saw the first spark of fire, it took mere seconds to erupt into a blazing inferno, engulfing the first floor and rapidly spreading in the time it took him to choke out six words; the ones he knew would be his last, "Rachel! Get the boys and run!" Everything around him slowed, he knew he had no more than seconds pass him by, but the next strike of visible heat hitting directly in front of him felt like it was a lifetime away. He had heard stories of how life flashes before your eyes, but never had he believed them to be true. He knew there would be darkness, and wistfully hoped for a sense of peace to follow, but as he watched the life he had disintegrate with the splintering pieces of his home, he saw so much more. He saw the day he met Rachel.
It was the first day at his new university, the smell of autumn air and pouring rain the only things registering in his mind as he ran at full speed to English class. He knew he would be in trouble if he missed his first class, and it was with that mindset that he refused to stop when he saw gathered rain ahead of him; that just happened to be the puddle that took him out. Sliding to a halt with a groan reflecting his soreness, he heard the sound of laughter nearby. Looking up to come face to face with a breathtaking blonde, her azure eyes filled with amusement as she extended a hand, her umbrella protecting both of them as he rose with embarrassment. "I never knew I could make a man fall for me the moment he saw me. I'm flattered."
The visage then morphed into another, this time, a decade later. He perched on the edge of the bed with a thermometer in hand, tsking at what appeared to be a natural heat level. "I don't understand it, Rachel. Usually you have a fever when you get the flu, but you don't have one and you still aren't improving... I know you don't want to go, but please let me take you to the doctor?" The woman shook her head and placed a hand atop Vincent's, smiling a bit guiltily at obviously worried tone. At his expense, she giggled, unable to shake how humorous she found his baffled expression. "Vincent, you crazy man! I was trying to tell you before you shoved that infernal device beneath my tongue, that I'm not sick," She chimed, seeing his eyebrows furrowing in consternation. "I'm pregnant, Vincent."
And then the final memory came, this one created the night prior. Rachel had been a stunning bride and an equally fetching mother, but never before had he loved her as much as he did in her natural beauty; lying bare beside him, hair mussed -cascading down her back-, and as happy as could be. Her head on his chest and their fingers interlocked, musing aloud about decorations and birthday gifts, sharing their favourite memories involving their sons; their greatest creations, the last remaining people whom he loved as deeply as he adored his partner. They were inseparable even as they drifted off to sleep, warm and comfortable in each other's arms. And as the world had darkened around him then as he fell into slumber, so too did it gradually dim and shatter in this new reality.
The explosion shook the house, devouring floorboards, walls, and everything held dear in its wake, giving Rachel none of the time she craved so fervently to find her husband and help her sons escape. The smoke was too thick and the fire too bright for her to see the door or anything past her own hands, the furniture around her creaking and crumbling, falling into ashes as all-consuming panic wrapped her tightly in its grasp, threatening to choke her just as the billowing clouds of grey did. The burning licks upon her skin was the most intense pain she had ever felt, greater than even that of childbirth, but she brought herself to focus on the pendant around her neck instead of the stinging lashes of flames. Her time was upon her and she didn't want her last thoughts to be of all she loved being destroyed, she wanted it to be of the good times.
When she, her lover, and her children sat in the summer breeze beneath the willow in the front yard, sipping lemonade and eating cookies while Vincent spoke of the newest product he was designing. That particular design had been one requested by the eldest twin for his little brother; a grey stuffed rabbit for the boy so fond of animals. Those two always had been glued at the hip. Wherever one went, the other always followed. If one didn't get what he wanted, the other would beg and cry until he got his way, just to turn around with dry eyes and a cheeky smile the moment someone inevitably caved and gave into their whims. Despite their cleverness and occasionally spoiled way of acting, she couldn't have asked for sweeter children than she got.
She would always remember when they decorated the Christmas tree with shining blue and gold ornaments, over half of the porcelain globes ending up chipped or completely broken due to Vincent's and Ciel's antics - tossing them back and forth as if they were toys; she was always surprised they didn't destroy the entire house that year. Meanwhile her oldest son helped her bake, trying his best to ice the snowflake cookies and failing terribly when it came to getting the frosting on the baked treat instead of on the plate. She couldn't bring herself to be peeved though, and was still proud even if her snowflakes were decorated in orange sprinkles and red icing. It was so endearing that she still shared a few with their neighbors just to show off his hard work.
And then there was the day she was married, the shine Vincent carried within his eyes throughout the entire ceremony didn't fail to make her heart flutter. The snowy skirt of her dress was flowing freely and the short strands of Vincent's hair caught in the wind while they shared their first dance, her sister standing by her at the altar with nothing but support for her sibling and doe eyes for Vincent's best man Diedrich...
Then of course there was the first blink of two matching pairs sapphire eyes. Hungry cries rang out as soon as the babies were held in her arms and had taken their first breaths, cheeks still pinched and pink as they burrowed close to their overjoyed parents... Her family had always filled her world with such light, and it with that light, that when her world drifted away from her, it was with a smile gracing her strawberry lips.
Upstairs though, there wasn't quite as much an acceptance of fate as there was downstairs. For the twins, the better part of the evening was spent on the floor. "Ugh, I hate that you always get New York Avenue... I think you're just cheating at this point!" Ciel lamented, glaring at his brother with nails tapping rhythmically upon the orange space on the game board. He loved Monopoly, but it sucked playing against his twin; it was nothing but a constant battle for who gets the orange spaces and steals all of the other's hard earned money. "You're just jealous because you're terrible tonight," His mirror image cocked his head, looking far too smug as the other irritably counted out two carrot colour bills, reluctantly handing them over. "Bloody hotels..." He groaned, laying his head in the crook of an arm, letting his hair drape onto the floor as he pouted. "Oh, don't be such a whiner, Ciel. Now stop sulking and sit up! It can't be comfortable laying on your stomach for that long," The older sibling scoffed, rolling the dice with a growing frown. He would land on Ciel's most expensive colour. Typical. "Ooh, look at that!" Ciel purred, waving his property card in front of the other cinereal-haired male. "Looks like you owe me over half of that back. Pay up, don't be such a whiner," He mocked, accepting the money, swelling with triumph. His win was short lived whenever a loud bang shook him from his celebration, "What in God's name was that?"
With the echoing sound, the floor beneath them trembled, unsteady as both jumped to their feet, alarm written clear across their faces when the wooden floorboards crackled, some falling in while others swayed unevenly. From the gaps they left, smoke encompassed the room, and the oldest boy yanked the younger away from a caving piece of wood, pushing him behind him protectively while Ciel stood frozen, staring at the fire creeping up the walls, astonishment mixing with his horror. A tight squeeze to his shoulders forced his eyes to meet his brother's, both pairs prickling with the first traces of fearful tears, "Ciel, listen to me. We have to go find mother and father! We can't stay here any longer or we won't have any way to get downstairs." Wasting not a single second, he clutched his younger brother's wrist tightly, refusing to let go as they descended the stairs in a panic, slight frames quivering and slick with perspiration as the heat curled around them, stifling in its intensity. The hallways, usually so beautiful in their Victorian-esque decor, were ravaged with flames, family photos of serene days in ashes and vases shattered, their blooms withering, crying out from the fragments of their holder. It was as they hugged the walls in an attempt to go further into the house that Ciel caught a glimpse through the crack in the passing door, staring into the orange glow of the once-elegant dining room.
The dread that had etched itself into his heart was then replaced with something much more harrowing, a soul-deep despair that filled him to the brim. It overcame him, sending him crumbling to his knees, hand falling from his twin's, narrowly avoiding the embers coiling upon the ruined rug stretching along the expanse of the main hall. There, beside the table his family had shared since the day they were born, laid his mother, eyes closed and chest unmoving. He jerked his head to the door opposite, the destination they had been searching for. And there his father was, spread across the expensive tiles in a fashion not unlike Rachel's, his lips remaining parted though his eyes were void of life; it was as if he was still calling out for her. "Ciel, get up! We have to go in the kitchen, that's where they were last time we saw them!" The eldest son urged, -yet to see the sight that was sure to scar him inside beyond repair-, arms looping around his exact copy's waist, dragging more than pulling him to his feet. His embrace tightened when the other only slumped against him. "No, no.. Please don't look in the kitchen, please. You have to get out, there's no more time!" Ciel pleaded, forcing his wobbling legs to cooperate long enough for him to take his sibling's hands in his.
"But mother and father-"
That was all it took for Ciel's resolve to break. Shaking his head frantically, his brother turned, clearly looking for a way into the kitchen despite the rubble blocking their way. Ciel reached up and cupped his cheeks, keeping him from tilting his head and witnessing the horror he himself had. He had always been there for him, to protect him from physical harm and to shield him from the more bitter aspects of reality, and now it was his turn to do the same. To spare him the tiniest amount of pain even if he couldn't hide the truth. And the truth was more excruciating than any other he had ever learned of. "They're already gone! I looked through the doors and saw them, and I... I can't.. Oh god, I can't lose you too! You're all I have left!" The raw emotions bleeding into his choked words left the older of the two aching, torn apart. Not only for his parents, whom he was already weeping for; clear droplets pouring down his cheeks and sinking into the collar of his shirt, flooding his vision as he held his brother closer. But for Ciel too, who was clinging to him like his final lifeline.
The long and narrow room they occupied was the last left in vision not fully consumed by the blaze save for a small gap in the entryway. It was a longshot, but it was their only chance. "Shh, you won't lose me, Ciel," he rasped through heartbreaking cries, squeezing the sweaty palms he held, "Follow me, okay? And whatever you do, don't let go."
He couldn't save their parents, and no matter how he yearned to, he couldn't change what happened, but he was determined to get Ciel out at the very least. He kept him close as debris fell from above, leaving them to dodge and precariously avoid smoldering boards blocking their path to safety. They were almost there, the front door was in sight and passed it, the showers of early winter drenched the streets. He could count the steps, smell the damp of the outside regardless of the thick smoke clouds, but was falling forward the moment he thought that maybe, just maybe, they would be okay. The twins' hands were ripped from each other's, an overwhelming pain baring down on the eldest the moment he went down; splintered wood and shards of glass digging into his back with every twitch and inhale, the heavy weight of a fallen cabinet pinning him to the ground as he cried out through grit teeth. He could feel the throb pulsating with his heartbeat and futiley attempted to shove it off of himself. It wouldn't budge, the build was sturdy and far too solid to be moved by one or even three people alone.
"No!" Ciel scrambled to his knees, rushing to his brother with wide eyes, reaching out to tug roughly at the piece of furniture to no avail. It refused to budge as fire drew closer, eating away at the fragments of spared flooring, creeping nearer to the pair. "Ciel, leave me here! You need to get out. I promise you it will be okay, and I never lie to you, right?" He swallowed thickly around the lump in his throat, managing the ghost of a smile for his little brother.
"No, I won't go! I'm not leaving you alone..." Ciel sobbed, head bowing over slate locks with eyes squeezing tightly shut. "I'm staying with you."
"Why are you always so stubborn?" The eldest twin muttered, eyes drooping tiredly as he coughed harshly. The pressure holding him down was becoming too much, especially combined with the immense heat and the suffocating smoke filling his lungs. He was dying, there was no denying that. He knew that the next time he shut his eyes, they would never open again, and he wanted to make it count for something. He was too weak to push Ciel away or protest any further so in lieu of that, he panted quietly, gazing up at Ciel through tear stained lashes, "Ciel, I love you. Never forget that." His words grew fainter witb each breath until they were but a whisper, eyes catching the damp glow of his brother's for the final time as they fluttered shut, wet streaks of his sorrow and lost love painting his cheeks.
The molten sear encircling Ciel felt like nothing compared to the tormenting feel of his heart being ripped from his chest. He hardly registered the stabbing pain at the right edge of his jaw and shoulder as they were kissed by the fiery inferno, a hoarse scream tearing from his throat as he hugged his departed brother to his chest, gasping for breath between his agonized wails, "No.. Please, come back, brother.. Celeste... Please.." He cringed away from the burn, curling up with his knees to his chest, darkness closing in on him, vision steadily disintegrating in his left eye. "I love you, brother. So much..." And as the gaze of orange and gold flames danced on and everything faded to black, the skies above wept for what was lost.
Ciel had never believed in a second, better life after the one he lived then; he never imagined heaven's gates or a paradise of light and colours. He thought there would be darkness for a brief moment before he was born anew, memories wiped clean and swaddled in a new mother's arms, but what he found the second his heart stopped was much different. Contrary to his assumptions, his past was still safely tucked within his mind and his age had changed none. But he was alone. His brother and parents were nowhere to be seen and the grounds in which his body lay were empty, the only life in sight being the oddly coloured birds flying across a starry midnight sky. He sat up, silently appraising his body for any sign of his previous injuries, but found no scars or burns to show that he had even been in the consuming flames in the first place. Was it all just a dream? Was this a dream? It certainly looked like it was. For the first time since he was ten, he realized that he could see from both eyes; they flitted from left to right and back again, gathering every possible bit of information possible. From the cashmere grass below him to the weeping wysteria spilling down from wide, sooty branches of the massive tree standing above; he took it all in with astonishment. Wild poppies of red and gold waltzed together across the ground in perfect harmony, tangling with the contrasting strands of grass as a gentle breeze rustled the leaves of nearby trees, glowing with an unearthly orange as few caught in the wind and drifted away. "What is this strange place...?"
The sky above was full of stars, bold constellations tracing out intricate patterns in the heavens and over vivid galaxies splashed throughout various sections in the vastly lit sky. He had never seen such shapes dotted near the moon before, they had always been vague and mostly unnoticeable to his unpractised eye, but now they stood out in stunning relief. Just as the rest of the landscape, the moon appeared different as well, shaded a beautiful misty blue instead of the pure white glow it once exhibited, making the sparse portions of starless sky appear almost black.
The scent of honeysuckle filled the air in gentle waves, wrapping around the scent of autumn leaves and lavender petals in a comforting wash of aroma. he had to close my eyes to fully enjoy it, finding myself at ease despite my suspicion that he never would feel this way again. His mind was still plagued by memories of what transpired no more than a couple of hours prior, but he could rest for a moment in peace. There was no way he survived the fire, so that had to mean this it was the afterlife, and if that was so, then surely his family was there too. Just nowhere in sight.
A sigh parted his lips at the thought, mind swarming with a thousand thoughts at a pace too fast for him to fully think on each idea. He had no clue where he was, where to go to find other people if there even were other people here, or what to do next. He was disrupted fron his troubled mind by the sound of a bark. There were other sources of life here.
Turning around with a small frown, he glanced down with a confused stare. Staring back at him was a dog, its eyes surrounded by a sunflower-like pattern, blues and purples making up the inner circles of the design while countless other colours from lime, to yellow and pink painted elaborate markings of diamonds and hearts, swirls and suns from its nose, all the way to its paws and wagging tail. It yelped happily once more, big brown eyes beckoning him closer as he took in its jet black fur and excitedly panting tongue. The gentle curls and soft coat, the warm eyes and loud purrs, it was unmistakable. It was Seb, the very first member of his family that he lost and the very first one to greet him in his new life. He was unable to hold back, running towards the joyful Borzoi with dewy eyes and outstretched hands. He enveloped his dear friend in his arms the second a pink tongue laved over his wrist, burying his face against the dog's collar with a laugh, rubbing his palms from head to back with a shriek of glee that he failed to contain. "Oh, Seb... How I've missed you."