Hello, a little bit late with Day 7 of Viktuuri Week, but here it is. This is loosely based on a myth from my country, Colombia. It is called La Madre Monte (Mother Mountain) she is there to protect the forest, but she also punishes people that go through it, liars, cheaters and others. People living in some small villages in my country still believe in her existence.
This turned out I little longer than I expected, I hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading.
There was a forest in a small village. A forest as old as time. Everybody agreed that the forest had always been there for as long as they could remember. The trees in this forest looked as if they have never been cut down. They were tall and imposing. Looming over anyone who came close to it. It made people feel as if they were ants. There was only one way to go through and it was a long, narrow path that seemed endless.
There was a legend about this forest, people said that it was inhabited by a witch, others said that it was a ghost, some said that the thing in the forest was a God, living among mortals, waiting the perfect moment to conquer all of them. There were many more theories about what lived there, nobody was sure anymore. The story has been passed down for generations and people kept changing facts about it to appear themselves more knowledgeable in front of others. However, there was one thing they were sure. The creature was there to protect the forest.
They didn't know if it was a man or a woman or a combination of both. They did know that its wrath knew no limits. A few years ago, a company had tried to cut down all the trees and bulldoze the entire area to develop the village and made it a touristic spot, at least that was what they said. Men went into the forest with machines, destroying the first few trees to widen the path and nothing came out. A few days later, the men were found down the river. None of them had any recollection of what had happened. They said the same thing. There had been a flash of green and then everything went blank.
The villagers knew that the creature punished whoever decided to damage its forest. It had cause floods when a company polluted the river than ran through its domain. The legend also said that if a person must cross it, they have to stay on the path, otherwise the creature would make them think as if the forest were endless. They could spend days in it, walking in circles without finding a way out. Nobody that has ever seen the creature had been the same after that. They became afraid of the forest and bowed to never say a word of what they have seen.
Except for one man, he refused to stay quiet. He kept yelling at the people that the thing was a menace and that it must be destroyed before it destroys them. People never paid him any mind. They knew that whatever lived in there would leave them alone if they leave it alone. It was that easy.
"You will all die unless you listen to me."
"I'll listen to you," said a voice behind him. It was the foreigner that had come to the village a few days ago. Today was one of the warmest days this place had seen, somehow the other man was wearing long, black pants and a long-sleeve white shirt, with a blue sweater wrapped around his shoulders. Was this guy crazy? Did he want to get heat exhaustion? Although the man was not even sweating. How can somebody be so graceful in this weather? He was even holding a briefcase.
The foreigner raised his black glasses and put them on top of his silver hair (This man couldn't be older than thirty, why did he have silver hair?) Eyes of a deep blue met his. The foreigner stretched his hand and smiled.
"I'm Victor Nikiforov. I'll listen to your story."
They were sitting in front of each other in one of the two restaurants in the village. This heat was suffocating, but Victor refused to lose his style. That was for other people. He ordered a glass of lemonade and told the other man to order whatever he wanted, he was paying after all. Victor needed the information this man possessed.
Victor was working on getting his Ph.D. in Myths and Folklore, but at 27 years old he was already known around the world as an expert in the field. He had been doing research and published papers since he was 20. The reason for his success is that people in this field usually focused on big myths. Not Victor, he went to small villages that were almost impossible to reach. He investigated their myths and legends and how they had shaped the daily lives of these people. He got his hands dirty while dressing fabulously. He talked to the villagers, walked around and got to know the land.
Up until now, Victor had been able to investigate every myth and proved whether they were real or not. However, with this legend, in particular, he had had no luck. He had been in three different places before that claimed this myth belonged to them, only to be lies and a waste of his precious time. This had been the last village on his list of sightings and apparently, fourth time's the charm. This man in front of him was the only lead he had so far. The other witnesses refused to talk about it.
Victor got his notepad and his fountain pen from his briefcase and got ready to take notes.
"So, Mr. Feltsman, tell me everything you know. How did you come in contact with the creature?" The waitress arrived with their drinks and the man gulped at his beer, while Victor sipped his lemonade. He liked to enjoy his drinks.
"One time, I needed to go to the village that is next to ours. There are only two ways to get there; the path in the forest and the bridge that crossed the river. Of course, we always take the bridge, but it had been raining hard and the river overflowed and took the bridge with it. Our only way to get there was the path." Yakov finished his beer and motioned the waitress to bring him another one. Victor was afraid that he might be dealing with the town drunk, but he was all Victor got.
"From what I've heard, Mr. Feltsman. As long as you remained in the path, there is no problem. Why did you stray from it?"
"I didn't stray. He tried to trick me. That's what he does, he tricks people to move away so he can punish them."
He? That was new information. People usually didn't remember the creature and if they did, they either refused to talk or they couldn't identify it by gender. Victor had found some sketches, but the thing looked more like a troll out of a Tolkien book. Victor started scribbling excited, this was a breakthrough.
"Did you say he? Are you sure? Could you please describe him?" The man asked for another beer, but this time his hands were visibly shaking. He was scared. Victor smiled, this was finally getting interesting.
"He was tall, taller than me. He seemed strong and powerful. He was wearing a robe made out of leaves and the skin that was visible was covered in moss." The waitress brought his third beer and Yakov practically finished it in one swallow.
"Did you see his face?" With a proper description, Victor could draw a new sketch, one that might be more accurate than the ones he had found.
"No, he was wearing a big hat that was made with leaves too. I couldn't see his face properly, but he was looking at me and I can tell you something, mate. Those were the eyes of a demon."
Victor was practically jumping on his seat. "Could you elaborate?"
"They were dark and they glowed. The way wolves eyes do when they are hunting a prey. I felt a pull, he was calling me. He wanted me to stray from the path so he could torture me."
"Why would he do something like that? According to my research, the people that have been hurt is because they tried to damage the forest in one way or another."
"Because he is a demon I tell you. Things like that don't need a reason to hurt. Are you defending it?"
"I wouldn't dare, sir." Although, Victor did kind of think that a little. "I'm just trying to get the facts straight and I need to ask everything concerning the legend to compare it with what you are telling me. I apologize if I offended you. Please, continue. What happened next?"
The man ordered his fourth beer and was assessing Victor to see if the guy was just mocking him. It wouldn't be the first time. "What do you think it happened? I ran, but I kept seeing him out of the corner of my eye. He was taunting me. And I never made it to the other village. I had to wait until the bridge was fixed."
To Victor it seemed like the creature was making sure that the man stayed on the path, but who was he to say anything. Only a world known expert, but who cared.
"How can you be so sure that the creature is male? You said that you couldn't see his face."
"His build. He seemed robust and his hands looked big and strong."
That didn't tell Victor anything. Women could be big and strong as well. He wrote it down anyway.
"Thank you, Mr. Feltsman. This information is very valuable. Is there something else you would like to add."
"Are you going to help me?"
"Help you what?"
"Help me destroy it before it destroys us."
Hell, no. thought Victor. His work consisted in preserving all this myths and legends rather than destroying them, that would be a crime. However, he could not tell the man this, Yakov was Victor's only source so far. He needed him, especially with what he had in mind.
"Mr. Feltsman. I can't do that until I know that this creature is real, but you could help me with that."
"How?"
"I want to go into the forest and see this creature by myself."
The man looked as if he wanted to punch Victor for even suggesting such a thing. Why would anyone go in there on purpose? "Are you crazy?"
"I've been called that before, but you don't get to be where I am right now without taking some risks. I want to see him and you are going to take me there."
The man stood up so quickly that his chair fell back, clattering on the floor and now everybody in the restaurant was looking at them. Yakov kept making the sign of the Holy Cross and pointing at Victor.
"You are out of your damn mind. I'm not helping you. I ain't going back there."
"I'll pay you." Not the first time that Victor had had to pay for some help. He didn't mind, not if he knew it was worth it.
"You can keep your money. You can offer whatever you want that I won't help you, nobody will. You are one crazy idiot." He finished his beer in one gulp and left the place running.
Well, that had been interesting, for lack of a better adjective. Victor needed a local to go in that forest; the path was tricky and he didn't want to get lost. He smiled at the rest of the patrons to put them at ease.
The waitress came back asking if he wanted anything else. He might as well eat. The food in this village was delicious. He was tapping his lips with his index finger. It was so hard to choose. At the end, he chose the typical dish of the region; fried fish with salad, coconut rice and something they called patacones on the side. The patacones were made out of plantains and they tasted amazing. Even if he didn't find anything, he would have deemed the trip worth it just by the food alone.
That's what Victor loved the most about working in small villages. People were warm and welcoming. The food was out of this world and everybody shared what they had with you even if the didn't have enough. One could fall in love with a place like this.
That night Victor was sitting on the floor of the room he was renting at the only inn in the village. He was surrounded by papers. After the delicious dinner he had come back and started contrasting and comparing all the information he had collected over the years about this creature. There were more differences than similarities, but there were two things that kept popping up; the creature was definitely there to protect the forest and only attacked people when they tried to harm it. Also, they were not sure about the gender or whether the thing even had one.
Then, why some people call it Father Mountain? It was interesting how when the identity of something was unknown, the assumption was that it must be male. Although, if Yakov was right, then this creature was actually a man. The question now was what kind of man this thing was. It couldn't be human. Not with that kind of power.
Victor had drawn a sketch based on what Yakov told him and all he got was a male Poison Ivy. He guessed the real thing would be less exuberant and more God-like, maybe. He needed to see this creature with his own eyes.
He lied on his back on top of the papers and was looking up at the ceiling. He was smiling, he had been searching this creature for years and here he was. So close and yet so far. Victor could risk it going alone in the forest, but he rather had someone with him that would keep him on track. He had a tendency to wander off. He didn't want to meet him and then forget him like some other people had done before. How much money would be enough to convince someone to go with him?
Someone knocked on his door. It took him a moment to realize that it was his door. He had been in the village for a few days now, and nobody had knocked on his door once they knew what he was trying to find out.
Victor stood up, he was still wearing his pants, but decided to change his shirt for a white undershirt, at least at night the heat let people rest a little. He opened his door and looked down at what he assumed was a kid, but his eyes told a different story, those green eyes had seen things and had been through a lot of difficult situations as well.
"Can I help you?"
"The old man said that you are willing to pay someone to take you to the forest. How much?"
Straight to the point, he liked this kid already. "Enough. Are you up to the challenge?"
"I've been walking that path my whole life. I can fucking do it with my eyes close."
Another person who had been in that forest and in numerous occasions apparently, he couldn't let go of this opportunity. "What's your name kid?"
"None of your fucking business, are we doing this or not?" Man, why were short people so angry? This kid clearly had never deal with someone like Victor, he always got what he wanted and all with a smile on his face.
"If you really want the money, then behave. I won't tolerate rudeness. Especially coming from a kid. I ask again, what's your name?" he tilted his head to the side and smile, but it was his don't-fuck-with-me smile.
"Yura." The kid's blond hair felt in front of his face, one of his eyes was always hidden, but Victor figured it was probably blazing with hate, like the one that was currently looking at him.
"Nice to meet you, Yura. I'm Victor. Would you like to come in?" Victor moved aside and left a space for Yura to go in. The kid stayed put.
"I don't want to."
"I need to know what you know. You've been there before. You have probably seen it."
"I can't, scratch that, won't talk about it. I can take you and you can see him by yourself. Isn't that better?" The kid was good. People usually did what Victor wanted, he just had to smile and people felt over each other to do his bidding, but this kid was a challenge and he hadn't had one of those in a while. Also, Victor didn't miss his use of him instead of it.
"Fair enough, I'll see you here tomorrow at sunset. I've read that the probability of seeing him is higher at night. Is that okay with you or would you prefer in the morning when is not so scary?"
"Watch it, old man. At the end of the day, you will be the one running away. You are going to pay me at front."
"Nope, half when you come and half when we get out of the forest. Take it or leave it." Victor was leaning against the door frame, looking casual, but on the inside he was a little desperate. He knew nobody around the village was going to guide him, but the kid didn't need to know how desperate he was.
"Fine," Yura left without saying anything else. Victor definitely liked this kid, straight to the point and no time for chit chat. Although, Victor enjoyed the chit chat. He was not concerned, there will be plenty of time tomorrow for him to get information out of Yura while they were in the forest.
Back in the room Victor did a happy dance. Yes, he was finally going to meet this creature, maybe he should stop referring to him as creature. He was planning to have a conversation with him. He assumed that calling him creature would not earn him any brownie points. No time to lose, he must get ready for tomorrow. What could he wear? He needed to look fabulous as usual, but at the same time he must wear something comfortable. He would be walking with a sulky teenager after all.
Victor organized first the important things. He put his camera, tape recorder, notepad and several pens in the shoulder bag he used on expeditions. He would pick up some snacks and water in the morning. You were not supposed to eat or drink anything from the forest. It would provoke him and he didn't want to make him angry. He picked up his outfit for tomorrow and laid it on the chair so it would be ready to go. He was positive that he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. Victor was too excited to think about sleeping, he was already thinking about questions to ask Father Mountain. Victor just realized he had never smiled like this before, he was truly happy.
Victor was sitting outside of the inn waiting for Yura. The sun was setting right now and it was a beautiful view. Another thing Victor loved about this places; you couldn't get a view like this in the big cities, but out here, there were no tall buildings blocking the view, no pollution and most importantly, it was quiet. There was nothing like looking at that orange sky without any annoying noise in the surroundings. It was just Victor and the sun saying goodbye to him. He loved every minute of it.
Somebody ruined the moment by kicking at his chair. He turned and saw Yura there. The kid was wearing long pants and a t-shirt that had seen better days. It used to be black by the looks of it.
"What are you wearing?" was what Yura said as a form of greeting.
Victor was wearing his Indiana Jones outfit, whip included. That movie had been why he decided to dedicate his life to research Myths and Legends. He was not going to hunt for the Holy Grail, but he had had his crazy adventures too. When he was a kid he used to run around his house as if he was being chased by people. It was only logical to him to wear this outfit today, the day that he would finally found his Holy Grail.
"Is this not appropriated?"
"You look ridiculous. Besides, He doesn't like weapons. You should leave the whip behind."
Victor frowned, without the whip the outfit didn't make sense. However, Yura had use he, meaning that the kid knew more than what he let on. If he said no weapons, then so be it. He could still pull it off. Victor dropped his whip; it pained him, but he had to. In the name of science.
"You still look ridiculous, but at least we'll be safer. Give me the money and let's go."
Victor looked him up and down, there was something missing. "Are you not taking any supplies."
He showed him the flashlight that was tucked in the back pocket of his pants. "Don't need them. We are not spending the night there." The kid had a point, Victor gave him the money and let him take the lead, he was the guide after all.
The forest was a thirty minute walk from the village. It was dark by the time they reached it. Both of them had their flashlights out. It was not as hot as it was during the day, but there were mosquitoes everywhere. Thank God Victor wore repellent wherever he went. Incredibly, the insects didn't seem to bother Yura, maybe he was used to it. Although, with a skin as fair as his, he should take better care of it.
"Ready?" Yura was pointing with the flashlight at the entrance of the forest, the path was there, Victor had to look twice; if Yura hadn't had pointed it at him. He wouldn't have been able to see it. No wonder people kept getting lost. That's why he didn't come alone. Let's hope Yura knows this path as much as he says he does.
"I was born ready, my dear Yura." The kid rolled his eyes at him and led the way. Victor followed with a mischievous smile on his face, this was going to be fun.
Victor asked Yura some questions about the forest, but the kid didn't answer or answered in monosyllables.
"Why do you know so much about him?"
"Everybody knows about him."
"Perhaps, but I have been researching about him for years and you were the only one who knew about the weapons. Why is that, Yura?"
"Common sense, he only hurts people who try to damage his forest, hence, he doesn't like weapons."
Victor chuckled, the kid was good, but Victor was better. They have been walking for almost fifteen minutes and Victor still didn't see the end of it. He grabbed Yura by his shoulder and turned him around. "There is more to it. You keep using he and him. You knew about the weapons. I've been watching you, you don't need the flashlight because you haven't looked at the path once since we came in. It's like you know this entire place like the back of your hand. Also, nobody in that village could tell me who you were. You appeared out of nowhere. Who are you really?"
Suddenly, Victor felt a strong wind, it felt as if the trees were whispering to each other. The forest that had been quiet one minute ago, was now bursting with all sorts of sounds. Victor could hear the water of the river flowing, branches creaking, the sound of squirrels scurrying away. The forest had come to life.
"You better let me go, Indiana, he doesn't like violence and he is watching you right now."
Victor felt it now. The hair at the back of his neck stood. He felt a fear trickling down his spine. Victor Nikiforov had seen many things, but he had never been scared of those things before, not until now. Somebody had been watching them since they came in the forest, he just hadn't noticed because he had been busy trying to get information out of Yura, but now Father Mountain let his presence be known.
He let go of the kid and then he realized something new. Yura's eyes, he hadn't blinked at all this time. Those sharp green eyes were more cat like than human. How hadn't he noticed it before?
"He is behind you, don't you want to meet him?" Yura smiled at him for the first time since Victor met him. No wonder he didn't do it often, that was a scary smile.
Victor gathered all the courage he had inside of him, he took deep breaths. This is it, Victor. This is what you've been looking for. Don't freak out now. He is just a extremely green person. Like the Hulk. No, not like the Hulk, forget the Hulk. Like Kermit the Frog. That's better. Victor turned around and his eyes met exactly what Yakov had described. Face impossible to see because of the giant unfashionable hat. Robe made out of leaves and skin covered in moss. Victor didn't know how he knew, but that was definitely a man. The eyes glowed, this time their prey was Victor.
This was going to go down in history as the moment that Victor Nikiforov was out of words. He knew he should say something, but he didn't know what. Everything seemed so stupid now. What do you say to an entity such as this? He had to say something, but what?
"Uh… I… Hi… Mr. Father Mountain. I'm Victor, nice to meet you."
"Por los clavos de cristo. Are you serious? You've been talking my ear off since we came in about meeting him and that's what you say, hi."
"Well, I'm trying to be polite and that's what you do when you meet someone, you introduce yourself. Some of us have manners." He was talking to Yura, but he hadn't taken his eyes off him. Victor didn't think he could do it even if he wanted to. Yakov had been right, those eyes were becoming, kind of like a siren's song. However, Victor didn't think that they were the eyes of a demon. They were the most interesting thing he had ever seen. He wanted to go to them the way moths go to the flames. He might burn, but he will burn happily.
"Fuck off," said Yura.
"Yura, language." He spoke.
Oh my Lord. Victor looked collected and composed on the outside, but on the inside he was screaming. There was not one record of Father Mountain ever speaking to anybody. Was he the first one to hear it? Thank the lord because that voice could make a man do crazy things. It was low, deep and so sexy. Wait, could Father Mountain be sexy?
"Yes, Yura, language." he couldn't avoid being petty.
The kid groaned, he was already tired of this situation. " I did what I had to do. I brought him here and now I'm leaving."
"Wait, what? You can't…" Víctor looked away from the man and turned his head to the side to talk to Yura, except the kid wasn't there anymore. In his place was a beautiful Birman cat. Victor has always been a dog person, but he said hi to cats every time he saw one in the streets, however, this cat was looking at him as if he wanted to murder him. A cat had never looked at Victor like that before. Yura hissed at him and left.
Victor was speechless; Yura was a cat and he brought Victor here on purpose. Another thought came to his mind, do cats need money? He turned his head to ask Father Mountain this, but the question died in his throat. He was right there in front of Victor. When did he move? He swallowed, but he didn't take a step back; Victor felt as if the other man was assessing him in order to decide if he was a threat or not.
The man turned and Victor breathed a sigh of relief. He was not going to die today. Father Mountain was a few feet ahead of him. He moved his head slightly and motioned for Victor. He wanted to be followed. There was just a moment of hesitation, he didn't think Father Mountain would hurt him. He would have done it already, besides, he sent Yura to bring him here. He probably wanted to meet Victor as well, maybe he had heard of Victor and his accomplishments. This was the chance of a lifetime and he would not miss it. Without a second thought, he left the path and followed the man.
They walked for what felt like hours. Victor wanted to take his camera out and document this trip, but he wasn't sure if he was allowed. He didn't want to betray Father Mountain's trust. Sometimes He looked back to make sure that Victor was still following him. When he did that Victor waved enthusiastically and gave him his heart-shaped smile, best known as his traffic stopping smile. Nobody could resist that smile. Except for this man apparently.
They went deep into the forest, Victor pointing with his flashlight at everything he saw, trying to remember in case he had to go back on his own, but it would have been impossible. When he first came into the forest with Yura, he thought it was dead, now he saw animals everywhere, some of them stopping right in front of Father Mountain to touch him. He couldn't shake the feeling that even the trees were watching him. How big was this place anyway? From the outside it didn't seem that big, but on the inside, it felt endless.
They reached what Victor assumed was their destination. It was a clearing, here the trees were in a circle leaving space for the moonlight to shine down on the fountain that was there in the middle. This placed looked so peaceful. Perhaps this is where he came to rest. Why did he bring Victor here?
Father Mountain sat down, cross-legged near the water and motioned for Victor to sit in front of him. He practically ran and flopped down. The man looked ready to tell a story and Victor was eager to listen. He still had his hat on, but once Victor sat down, he removed it and set it aside. This time, when his eyes met Victor's, his heart stop beating for a few seconds.
Holy shit, Victor thought. The man was beautiful, male Poison Ivy indeed. His hair was as dark as the night and it felt down his face covering part of his eyes. His face had the same green tinged as his hands, but it totally matched his eyes, which were not glowing anymore and Victor realized that they were not black, but a deep brown and there seem to have some speckles of green there too. What surprised Victor the most was how young the man look. He had been expecting something Gandalf-ish, but this man didn't look older than twenty five. He also seemed shy, he was clearly uncomfortable while Victor was scrutinizing him. He picked up his hat to put it back on.
"No," yelled Victor. "I mean, don't cover your face. You are gorgeous." The man stopped and just stared at Victor, trying to decided if the other man was joking or not. Had that been inappropriate? Father Mountain brought him here to his secret spot and Victor just yelled at him.
"I apologize, I didn't mean to yelled at you." Father Mountain put his hat back down, but it wouldn't meet Victor's eyes. Why would this man be shy? Victor thought that he was alluring, but he didn't seem to know it, being always in the forest didn't exactly allow a lot of social interaction. Good thing Victor was an expert at breaking the ice no matter the situation.
"Why don't we start over? I'm Victor Nikiforov, what is your name?"
"They called me Father Mountain."
Victor frowned, that didn't seem right. "I mean your name, how do you call yourself?"
"Well, I think I call myself Yuuri. I haven't used that name in a long time."
Yuuri, okay. He could work with that. "Why did you bring me here, Yuuri?"
He averted his eyes, maybe he hadn't expected Victor to ask that question first. "People in the village have been talking about you, nonstop. Many others before you have expressed their desire to meet me and they chose to attack the forest or the animals as a way to get my attention. Suffice to say that they never came back again. You seemed different." Yuuri, hesitated a little. "Also, you have a peculiar hair, silver. I have never seen anybody so young with that kind of hair."
So, he was interested in Victor, well, that was obvious. He is an extremely interesting man. Although, Yuuri never left the forest, how did he knew about Victor?
"How do you know what happens outside this place?"
"The birds told me. They usually keep me informed of what is happening outside."
"You can control animals, too?" Victor was itching to get his notepad out, but he was afraid that Yuuri might not want to talk anymore. Also, Victor couldn't take his eyes off him. He was so beautiful; Victor wanted to touch him to make sure that he was real.
"I don't control them. They do it of their own free will. They know I will protect them better if I know what is coming to attack us."
They were quiet for a few minutes. Victor had had so many questions before going into the forest, but all of them flew out of his mind the minute he laid his eyes on that face. His brain stopped working.
"Why are you here, foreigner? You are so far from your land."
"I came here looking for you. I wanted to meet you."
"Why?"
"My job is to investigate Myths and Legends that people thought forgotten and keep them alive. You were one of the hardest to find." He smiled and covered his face for a second. "I still can't believe that I'm here and that your name is Yuuri. It's fascinating. Most of the other myths are just that, myths, but you are here, you are real."
"There is something you don't understand, foreigner."
"Please, use my name. I'm using yours after all." He wanted to hear his name coming from those lips.
"Okay, Victor, those myths used to be real, but people stopped believing and then forgot them altogether. They disappear over time. I used to exist in another three forests, but now this is the last one I got. I will disappear too."
Victor gasped, this couldn't happen. He just met the man. Yuuri couldn't just disappear. He moved a little to be closer to Yuuri. He made the bold decision to take his hands. They were soft, he thought he might feel the texture of the moss, but no. They were silky and beautiful, just like the rest of him.
"Don't say that. You won't disappear."
"Victor, the only reason I'm still here is because they feared me. I despised violence, but I had to start hurting them so they would stop hurting me and mine. That won't last long, though. They are already starting to forget me."
"I won't forget you. Even if I'm the only one that believes and remembers you, wouldn't you survive?"
Yuuri gave him a sad smile, "Perhaps, but I wouldn't be strong enough to protect this forest and the animals that lived here. What kind of life would that be?"
Victor was at a loss for words; he felt useless. Yuuri was going to die and he couldn't do anything to help him. His goal in life was to preserved Myths and Legends like this and yet, he was going to lose Yuuri.
"Why are you crying?" he asked. Victor let go of one of Yuuri's hands and touched his cheek. When did he start crying? He never cried; that was also for other people. Although, he had a valid reason to start doing it now. He didn't want to let this magnificent being in front of him to whither and die.
"You shouldn't cry. I have made my peace with it. I've lived for so long that this is going to be a much-needed rest." To Victor, it seemed like Yuuri was trying to convince himself.
"But it's not fair; I just met you. How can you be okay with waiting for your death?"
Yuuri wiped away his tears. His touch was soft and invigorating. Victor leaned to that touch and he wondered for a second what his lips would taste like. He shooked his head trying to get those thoughts out of his head and blushing. Since when did he blush?
"Victor, there is no way to fight something that is inevitable. I've been alone for so long, I think is time to go."
"What do you mean alone? How about Yura?" On top of waiting to die, he had been alone?
Yuuri chuckled and that sound was music to Victor's ears. "Yura is a cat. I consider him an acquainted. He is still here because I saved his life and he won't leave until he considered that the debt is paid. I told him it was fine, but he is stubborn"
"I can be your friend if you want to. I am an excellent friend." Not really, but he would try for Yuuri.
"That is kind of you. I accept your friendship, but you have to go back now. It's almost midnight, people in the village will be looking for you."
They have been talking for hours and Victor hadn't noticed. He hadn't taken pictures, recorded or written anything and he didn't care. Victor wanted to stay here, those hours had not been enough. He wanted to know more, he wanted to see him smile, and more importantly he wanted Yuuri to survive.
"Can I spend the night with you?" Victor was not sure, but he could have sworn that Yuuri was blushing and he might be blushing too for all he knew.
Yuuri looked at him for a few minutes. He seemed to be having a battle with himself, trying to decide whether this was right or not. After a while he nodded and Victor clapped his hands with excitement.
"Now, are you hungry? I have some granola bars in my bag. We could share." Without waiting for an answer he opened his bag and passed Yuuri a bar and he kept the other one.
"I… Thank You." He looked at the bar and then at Victor who was opening his and followed his example.
"Is there anything you want to know about me?"
"Why did Yura call you Indiana if your name is Victor?"
Then Victor went into a long explanation about the movies and how they have influenced his life. When they finished the granola bars he lied on the grass and used his backpack as a pillow. He motioned Yuuri to do the same so they could look at the stars. Yuuri told Victor the real names of the stars and Victor told Yuuri about his work, his life, his friends and everything in between.
While Yuuri was telling him about his previous forests. Victor turned on his side to look at him. It was better than looking at the stars. Yuuri was on his back with his hands on his chest. Victor touched one with his index finger, it was so soft that he was about to ask which cream he used. Then, he realized that it was a stupid question because Yuuri probably use some natural herbs or something like that.
Victor leaned on an elbow and stared down at Yuuri who immediately stopped talking when he saw Victor looming over him. Victor couldn't help it, he touched Yuuri's lips and the other man might as well have stopped breathing.
"Can I kiss you?" The great Victor Nikiforov asking for permission. He had never asked for permission before in any aspect of his life. What was this man doing to him? He didn't care if he came off as desperate. He needed that kiss, Victor knew that he would have to leave in the morning, he needed a proof that he had been here with Yuuri, something that would sustain him until he came back. Because he will leave, but he was not going to leave for long.
Yuuri was definitely blushing, Victor thought that he had probably never been kissed before. He was happy to know that he would be the first and he wanted to keep Yuuri to himself, did that make him selfish?
Yuuri nodded and Victor smiled. He leaned down little by little and gave him a light kiss. He didn't want Yuuri to think that he was taking advantage of him, so he left it at that, but he wanted more. He opened his eyes and found Yuuri staring at him.
He touched Yuuri's cheek and wiped away a lonely tear. It was kind of green too; Victor let a drop fall on the ground and a little flower appeared from out of nowhere. He had just witnessed a miracle. He smiled down at Yuuri. This time, Yuuri was the one who closed the distance between them and kissed Victor, deeper.
Yuuri tasted like earth, flowers, and a bit of the granola bars they've shared before. He was running his fingers through Victor's hair. This was not Victor's first kiss, not by far. But, he had never been kissed with such desperation before. It was as if Yuuri wanted to take as much of Victor as he could to survive what he had left of life.
"Yuuri," was all Victor said when he came up for air. He laid his head on Yuuri's chest and listened to his heartbeat, his own was pounding because of how happy he was. He could only hope Yuuri felt the same.
"You won't forget me in the morning, right Yuuri?"
"I don't think I will ever be able to forget you, Victor. Good night."
"Good night, Yuuri."
The next morning he woke up. The sun was shining down on him, but that was not the reason he didn't want to open his eyes. Yuuri was gone and he didn't want to wake up to that.
Victor stayed there for a few more minutes, but it was getting warm so he got up . The clearing was even more beautiful during the day. In another occasion, he would have enjoyed it, but the only thing he could think about was that Yuuri was not there. That's when he realized he was covered in what appeared to be a blanket made out of leaves, kind of like Yuuri's robe. He took one and put it in his bag.
Victor stretched and discovered that he was not tired. He slept on the floor the whole night and yet, he felt good and rested. He wanted to cry all over again.
"Hey, Indiana, we gotta go." He turned around and Yura was there, wearing the same clothes from last night. He guessed cats didn't need to change often.
"Where's Yuuri?"
"He is busy. This place is big you know. He can't spend all his time entertaining you."
"He didn't say goodbye."
"Not my problem. I'm just here to take you back."
Victor looked around him; he knew he had to leave, he didn't have the strength to do it. But, he was going to do it anyway. He picked up his bag and walked towards Yura. Then, he turned around and yelled at the trees.
"Yuuri, I hope you can hear me because I'm going to make you a promise. I'll go out and make people believe in you again. I'll make them remember you. Then, I will be back. I promise that I will be back for you."
He turned to Yura and there were some tears sliding down his cheeks. Thankfully, cat boy didn't say anything. When they reached the village Victor gave Yura the rest of the money and hugged him. The kid froze and Victor thought he might turned into a cat right there and scratch at his face, but he didn't.
"Stay with him until I come back, please." Yura disentangled himself from Victor and nodded.
Victor went back to his room, picked up his things and left the village that same afternoon. He had a promise to keep and the first step was to let the world know about a man that was there to protect the forests and how he deserved to survive.
The food I described there is the typical dish from my city Barranquilla. Also, I love Indiana Jones and I just pictured Victor in that outfit.