Child of Death

Otabek soon lost track of time as he spoke with Yuri in the ring. He didn't feel the cold in the protection of the fairy circle, though he did point out the darkening sky. Yuri insisted it was still all gray to him though. How disappointing, Otabek had thought, that Yuri couldn't see. So he had tried to describe the colors to the boy.

Within the circle, the mushrooms that had once seemed like ordinary, plain white fungus, held a slight glow so they could continue to see each other even late into the night. The lights seemed to reflect off of Yuri's wings and sparkle like a constellation. Otabek felt like he was under a spell every time Yuri stood up and stretched or shook out his wings.

"Hey, Otabek? What made you come over here in the first place?" Yuri asked after a small bout of silent pondering. He was standing at the edge of the circle, staring out at the monochrome world where the wingless had come from.

"Ah….I saw you dancing. I've never seen anyone move like that before," he explained. Especially out here… "Do you practice often?"

Yuri gave a nod. "I dance every day. Sometimes all night. I always hoped someone would see. So maybe they'd come and find me. But nobody ever came…until you. Are there a lot of wingless where you come from? Like….6? 7 even?" Yuri thought that a rather large number of creatures. He couldn't imagine it, having so many other souls around. Otabek laughed, which made the fae scowl.

"Yuri, my village has at least 30 people inside."

30?! Yuri didn't even know that many people existed in the world. Then Otabek went and dropped another mind blowing revelation.

"There are much bigger cities that have hundreds of people in them."

Hundreds. Hundreds of souls…and multiple cities had them. That meant hundreds of hundreds? How come if there were so many people in the world….did nobody find him until today then? Otabek said everyone had a family…why didn't he? Why did he have to grow up alone? Otabek was watching Yuri carefully and nearly reached out to lay a comforting hand on him, but thought better of it.

"….Keep dancing, Yuri. When you get out of here, your dancing alone will attract droves of people. Then you'll see for yourself."

"You mean if I get out of here. Otabek, you have no intention of staying here with me, do you?" it was a fact, not really a question. Why would anyone who was able to see hundreds of people leave that world just to trap themselves in one place with one soul with nothing to do but dance? Yuri only dreaded when the other was planning to leave, because the second he did was the second his world went back to unchanging isolation.

"I…have a family I need to care for, Yuri. I can't stay…but I can visit. Often," Otabek was making this a promise. Yuri just folded his arms and stared out at the dead trees around them.

"You said you saw me as a child. You lost sight of me then. You will lose sight of me again. You will not be able to find me again, and then you will forget," he was sure. Yuri wasn't one to embrace hope so easily anymore.

"I won't. I could never forget you, Yuri, and I'll have a map. Look, I'll mark where we are. I'll always be able to come back here," he ensured, holding out a piece of paper and circling a spot, but Yuri wasn't swayed. "….and if I can't find you again…you'll dance, right? And your dancing will bring me back to you."

His dancing, huh? Yuri watched Otabek quietly for a few moments, frowning when the other stood up.

"It's morning, Yuri. I need to get home. But once I stock up on supplies, I'll be back…ok? It's a promise. To a friend." Otabek held out his hand for Yuri to shake. The fae hesitated. But finally he took it. Maybe it wasn't so wrong to hope after all. Just this once. He offered Otabek a smile, small, as the other backed off, and Yuri watched the wingless…his…friend. The word brought a bigger smile to the fairy's lips. Before Otabek was even out of the ring, Yuri was raising his arms and starting a new dance. He hadn't felt so light in ages, and his footwork was like he was prancing on air. Otabek would be able to find him if he danced, he said. So he'd dance.

Otabek made the mistake of turning around for just a second to catch one last peek at the fairy, and became entranced by the sight of the other's dance once more.

0

Yuri's heart hadn't felt so light in his whole life. He made a friend. He got to speak to someone. To interact. God, he got to touch someone real and alive and not made up. Not that he made up imaginary friends. He was too mature for that.

Dancing was Yuri's favorite form of expression. It felt good to move. To throw everything into his dances. Especially now. He noticed Otabek watching him too instead of leaving, which made him dance even more fervently. He didn't think it was possible to get any lighter, but that was before he found himself dancing with a partner. Otabek had joined him rather than just watch from the sidelines. This was something he had never done before, but he fell into with ease, as if he danced with others all the time. He moved in time with Otabek as the wingless followed his twists and twirls. He smiled and moved faster. This was true joy.

Yuri danced for hours with Otabek, never tiring. He felt like he could dance forever, laughing with the other, lost in the dance. Had it been morning just a bit ago? It was night now he thought, but keeping track of time was hard in the gray. To think they had danced the entire day away, and still he didn't want this to end. If it never ended, he'd be happy, even if it did sound a little selfish.

He had closed his eyes at one point, going through the motions of the dance, feeling the gust of movement on his skin. It was strangely colder, more refreshing, during his latest jump. He heard a thud from behind that made him pause. When his eyes flickered open again, he was surprised to see his vision washed with color. Gone was the bleak gray of the sky. Instead was a strange orange and yellow, swirling into pale blue. The yellow was fading, the light blue taking over. He gasped at the beauty of it, breath in just a bit of a pant from his dance as he looked around. Blue. Green. Brown. The monochrome was shattered. The world was color. It was… not as warm as his little circle of color in the mushroom ring, but far more inviting than the gray scale he had been used to. He smiled bright, spinning to turn to his wingless friend.

"Otabek! The color! I can see…" his voice cut off. His friend was on the ground, his breaths harsh and ragged. He was covered in sweat and shaking. And his feet…god, his feet were a mess of bruises and blood, the soles of his shoes eaten away and the boots tossed to the side. His toes looked purple and swollen, his heels cracked and oozing. Red was littered across the bright green of the grass in the circle, smeared like it was dragged multiple times. Some of it dried a grisly brown, but much of it glistening wetly in the sun. Yuri's heart froze in dread as he rushed to the side of the wingless, crouching down. "…Otabek?" he asked, hesitantly, as his slender fingers gently rocked the other. No response. Why? Why was this happening now? What was wrong with him? What happened? His friend needed help, but he didn't know how to get it.

Yuri looked around wildly before grabbing Otabek under the arms and dragging him across the circle to the edge. His wings flickered quickly, the wind, the precious wind tugging at them and briefly lifting him and helping him move for a brief moment. Otabek had mentioned wind moved the branches, but Yuri was in no mood to celebrate this latest experience. Instead he only knew that the wind would help him. He pulled Otabek closer against his chest and focused, spreading his wings wide before flapping them as hard and as fast as he could. The wind gave him a kiss and he took off, bee lining for the trees. The mushrooms pulsed when Yuri reached the edge of the ring. Their light faded. Suddenly they were a good 10 feet behind him, and Yuri was in the not-so-monochrome world.

"Otabek, please…hold on, I'll find help. I promise," he urged, willing himself to go faster. He was flying recklessly, branches whipping his face and slashing his skin. It hurt, but his brain only registered that in the back of his mind. Twice he collided with a tree and fell to the ground, but he was fast to grab the wingless and go back to his mad flight. But the third time he went down, he fell with a scream, a branch snaring his wing with a rip and sending him head over heel. He landed in the dirt, Otabek a few feet away. His body ached. His back felt like it was on fire…but what about his friend? Yuri looked up and forced himself to stand, making his way over. He rolled the wingless carefully onto his back, brushing lightly against Otabek's skin. It was cold. Yuri leaned closer. He heard no breath. The fairy went absolutely rigid.

Otabek was dead.