A small, black haired and blue eyed boy of two years old was sleeping in a dark alley in the city of Kiev in the country of Ukraine.
He was used to living there due to him having nowhere to live and no family.
The boy doesn't have a name because of this. A sound made him jolt and wake up.
Looking up, he saw dark clouds rolling in.
Almost immediately, his eyes started watering and he started sniffling.
Thunderstorms.
The one thing he feared most of all.
Iryna Chernenko, the personification of Ukraine, hurried home because she didn't want to get caught in the rain.
It would be unfortunate for her because what she was holding was of great importance.
She ended up going into a nearby store to wait out the rain when it started up.
What she didn't notice at first was a two-year-old boy huddled in the corner until lightning struck and thunder was heard not long after because he started crying loudly.
Setting her stuff on the table nearby, she went to the corner to see the little body shaking like a leaf.
"Hey, it's going to be alright," she said and picked up the young boy.
He immediately buried his face into her, crying still.
Iryna smiled and did her best to calm him down until the storm had passed.
When it did, the boy looked up at her with puffy, red eyes and wet cheeks.
"Do you have a place to live? Or a family you live with?"
The boy shook his head no.
"Why don't you live with me then?" Iryna asked.
He finally cracked a smile and nodded before yawning and curling up to her, thumb finding its way to his mouth.
"I take it you're tired," Iryna chuckled before heading home after getting the things she had been carrying before heading home with the boy.
"Do you have a name?" She asked the boy.
"Nyet," he said with his thumb still in his mouth.
A soft sigh escaped Iryna as she thought of a name for him.
When she was home, a name came to her.
"Havryil," she said proudly.
That made the boy look at her with drowsy eyes.
"Mama," he said, causing her to look down at him.
Iryna smiled brightly and set Havryil down.
"Stay here for a moment," she told. Havryil tilted his head slightly and waited for his mother to come back.
The Ukrainian female set up her guest room for Havryil to sleep in and got extra clothes for him that were his size from when her brother was younger, not to mention a blanket for him to carry around.
Not long after, she went back to the boy to find him almost asleep.
"Let's get you changed," she said.
Nodding, Havryil went with Iryna and let her change his clothes.
When she handed him the blanket, he took it and hugged it tightly without a second thought.
Smiling, Iryna picked him up and carried him to bed.
On the way there, he fell asleep on her. Carefully, she placed him on the bed and pulled the covers over him.
"Goodnight Havryil," she said before kissing his head.
"Night night mama," Havryil said in his sleep.
-the following morning-
Iryna woke up to Havryil kissing her forehead and saying, "Good morning mama."
An eye cracked open to see the smiling face of her blue eyed, black haired, two-year-old son.
Slowly, she got up and looked down at Havryil, smiling also.
"Good morning Havryil," she greeted.
It was then that Havryil's stomach growled and caused the boy to place his hands on his abdomen.
He barely had anything to eat when living in the alley.
"Mama, I'm hungry," he said.
Iryna smiled.
"Alright, I'll go make us breakfast," she said and got out of bed.
Havryil smiled brightly at the mention of breakfast.
How long has it been since he had real food?
He got off the bed and went after Iryna, carrying his blanket behind him.
The Ukrainian boy waited while Iryna made the food.
She set a plate in front of Havryil when it was ready before sitting next to him.
His face immediately brightened and his stomach growled again.
"Eat up," Iryna said before he started eating.
He made sure to savor the flavor and when he was done, a soft sigh escaped him as he hugged his blanket close.
Iryna smiled and ruffled his hair before taking both plates and washing them.
"Mama, do you have and brothers or sisters?" Havryil couldn't help but ask.
Without looking away from what she was doing, Iryna said, "I do actually. I have a younger brother named Ivan Braginsky and a younger sister named Natalia Arlovskaya. Why do you ask?"
Havryil shrugged.
"I don't know. Guess I wanted to know."
At that, Iryna couldn't help but smile. He was a curious boy, she could tell.
"Well, I was thinking about visiting my brother today if you want to go."
As soon as she said that, Havryil's face brightened.
"Really?" He asked.
"Oh yeah," Iryna said as she finished the dishes.
"You want to go?" She asked.
"Yes mama! I do!" Havryil exclaimed.
"It'll take us a while to get there and I have to get dressed," Iryna said.
"I can wait," Havryil told.
With that, Iryna went and got dressed before she and Havryil left for Moscow, Russia.
She was right about it taking a while. In the end, Iryna carried Havryil when he just couldn't anymore.
The elder Ukrainian knocked on the door when they arrived.
It was opened to reveal a beige haired Russian.
"Oh! Big sister! What a surprise!"
Ivan then noticed the boy in her arms staring at him with wide blue eyes.
"And who might this be?" He asked.
"This is my son and your nephew, Havryil," Iryna said.
"Why don't you come in?" Ivan asked and let them in.
Of course, Iryna walked in with Havryil, who looked around in awe.
"Woooow," he said.
A chuckle escaped Iryna.
"So, apparently you're a mother now," Ivan said.
Iryna nodded. "Da, as of yesterday, I am," she said.