Gavriil placed his brother gently on the ground. He was bleeding from a stab wound on his abdomen and he had cuts all over his body. He didn't have any supplies to give him the care that he desperately needed. Gavriil pulled of his long sleeved shirt and pressed it onto the bleeding wound. He needed to stop the bleeding or he would lose his brother.
Anichka ran to them and landed on her knees beside Andrei. "Silver!"
Andrei's eyes opened slightly. He looked to his brother and then to Anichka. He smiled slightly and whispered. "It's ok."
Gavriil knew that it wasn't ok. He couldn't lose his brother like this. He couldn't care for Anichka the way his brother cared for her. He knew that he couldn't make it without him. Gavriil felt something touch him and realized that it was Andrei's short tail wrapping around his wrist. Gavriil looked at his brother and saw the smile. It broke his heart. He looked into his eyes and he could see the light fading from them.
He couldn't hold back the tears as the tail slowly lost its grip. Andrei's eyes closed and he could no longer sense the life in his brother.
"Andrei! Andrei, please!" Gavrill shouted at his lifeless brother. He stopped the pressure on the stab wound and held his brother close to him. He cried into his shoulder as Anichka started crying beside him.
"Silver…No!" Anichka ran off in tears. Gavriil looked to the direction she ran off to and he let go of his brother. He stood up and ran after the little girl, leaving his brother's body behind.
When he finally caught her, they both collapsed onto the ground. He wanted to be strong for her but he knew that no matter what he did, she already knew what Gavriil was feeling.
Gavriil held her close as he slowly rocked the girl. It was more soothing to him than it was to her. He held her close for hours. They both silently cried for the loss of their brother and friend.
A few days had passed since Andrei's death. They buried him near the town and set off to find a new place to stay. They both grieved for Andrei, but they knew they needed to find a safe place. Gavriil cried for his brother once and then moved on. He had to be strong for Anichka and for himself. He wanted to be the man that Andrei always saw in him, but now, he wasn't too sure what he was supposed to be. He was a young red man with a tail who could appear and disappearing at any moment, he never lost his way, but he seemed so lost right now.
Andrei was always more of a father to him than a brother. He would tell him stories about how their real father was a powerful gladiator like the ones from Rome and for a while, Gavriil actually believed him. But the harsh reality of their lives quickly washed away the young and immature ideas of what life was about. They grew up much too early in their lives. When Gavriil was ten, he was already being trained with weapons, with those damned swords that Andrei loved.
Gavriil never understood why he loved them so much. He had his theories though. Perhaps I was because they were their father's swords or maybe because he had struck his trainer for the first time with those swords. Maybe it was just because he wanted to fight. Andrei was always a fighter and Gavriil knew that the day he died, he didn't go down without a fight. His ability would have easily allowed him to escape those men, but instead, he wanted to fight for the small things that they possessed. Andrei fought to protect their lives.
Gavriil knew that he wanted to fight like his brother fought. But he wasn't sure what that really meant. Gavriil barely touched those swords. He was forced to learn how to use them by that man, their mother and then later, Andrei himself. Andrei took to the swords much more easily than Gavriil. For him, it was always a challenge to figure out what to do and not to do when in a dangerous situation, but with Andrei, he always knew what to do, that is why he excelled while Gavriil failed. He was always the star child. Always the perfect one and for a while, Gavriil hated him for it. But he knew now, that he was never meant to be like Andrei. He had to find out who he was and stop living under his shadow.
And so, they walked.
Anichka was uncharacteristically quiet. They both were. They walked until they couldn't anymore and then they both collapsed into a tiny cave. Gavriil remembered the last time he was in a cave like this. It was during the heart of winter and it was miserably cold. This time, however, it was the beginning of summer. Anichka was deeper into the cave, while Gavriil stayed at the mouth of it. They were able to get a few of their belongings from the burned down building that they once called home. They obtained Andrei's swords, a few blankets that were drying outside and they had the food that Anichka had gained the day Andrei died. They've survived with less…But that was with Andrei.
"Gavriil, I want to go home."
Gavriil turned to the young girl who had tear streaks on her face. He sighed and looked back outside. "Me too, Puppy."
"Gavriil…What do we do?"
"I don't know."
"Gavriil…I love you."
Gavriil turned to Anichka and nodded. "I love you too, Puppy."
Gavriil looked back to the world outside of the cave, cuddled into his blanket and simply watched the rain fall. It was a soft drizzle and it was oddly soothing to him. Gavriil noted something about Anichka. She was no longer calling him by the name she had given him three years ago.
He looked back at her. Tears were still falling down her small face. It broke his heart to see her hurting so much.
"Anichka-"
Anichka wiped her tears and then looked at Gavriil.
"Call me Azazel."
Well, Andrei is dead :( The next update should be soon :)
~Noka
