TO ME HE WAS MORE THAN A FRIEND!!! [Part 2]
Seven years ago...
"Huff..." Breathing on his palms, a young boy with blond hair and green eyes tried his best to keep warm despite the snow around him.
The boy stood up from where he squatted before rubbing his hands on the side of his body.
"It's so cold." The boy muttered, making his way towards his house.
"I heard the Knights of the Leoford Kingdom are going to be here before daybreak."
"Hopefully they won't. We wouldn't stand a chance if they chose to attack us."
"But the question is what would a Kingdom as wealthy as that want from us? Our land is useless since we have no resources."
"I think we should join them if they decide to raid us."
"Huh." The boy looked at the men talking in the distance before turning his head away.
It was pointless for him to listen since he could barely understand what they were saying so he continued walking towards his house.
After walking for about thirty minutes, the boy was in front of a run-down hut.
Its thatched roof had several holes that ranged from big to small littered on it, cracks were sprawled over the mud that had been used to make it, and the windows appeared to have been big holes that were carved into it. In short, it wasn't a place fit for human dwelling.
Pushing the fabric that covered its entrance aside, the boy entered the house that was akin to a black tooth among shiny white teeth.
"Dad Mum I'm home." The boy said, running his eyes through the bare living room.
"Maybe they are in the kitchen." The boy pondered after seeing no one was in their living room.
"This would make a good change to our meals." A light feminine voice said.
"Yes, it would. Lemme cut it open." A masculine voice replied the feminine one.
"Arawn would be so happy." The feminine voice said with excitement evident in her tone.
As he walked towards the kitchen, Arwan could hear the voice of his parents and for some reason, they sounded quite happy.
Increasing his pace after hearing they'd be having a change of meal, Arawn was delighted that he wouldn't be eating a slice of bread with extremely watery soup for another day.
Arawn's tummy sang in delight as he walked towards the back of their house since that was where he heard his parent's voices.
"Mum Dad what're you guys cooking," Arawn said, having his hunger vanish after seeing the helpless creature before him.
In front of him lay a young Hippogriff that was mostly made of skin and bones, its body radiated weakness making it seem like the embers of life it had could go out at any time.
Cleaning the saliva from the corner of his mouth, Arawn looked at the blunt knife in his father's hand before looking at the helpless Hippogriff.
As pity found its way to his heart, Arawn walked towards his father before saying. "Dad, it looks so helpless... Why can't we let it live?"
Arawn placed his hand on his father's clothes as he stared at the Hippogriff, Arawn's Dad Vand looked at Arwan before glancing at his wife.
"As long as he would take care of it and feed it there is no problem with him keeping it around," Celeste said, closing her eyes as she thought about what they'll eat next.
Vand untied the ropes on the Hippogriff before picking up a spear that lay by his side. "I'll go look for something else."
Placing the spear on his shoulder, Vand made his way to the Forest not too far away from their house.
"I'll soon be back," Vand said, waving goodbye to his family as he kept on walking deeper into the Forest.
"Take care of it least it gets eaten," Celeste said looking at Arwan before walking into their house.
Arwan looked at the thin Hippogriff before placing his palm on its body and saying. "It's alright now. You won't be eaten."
Gently stroking the Hippogriff's side, what seemed to be a barely noticeable tiny red spark shot from Arwan's hand to the Hippogriff's body.
"Ow!" Arwan cried as he redrew his hand, he had a slight frown on his face as a numbing pain traveled through his right hand.
Taking a seat beside the Hippogriff, Arawn waited for it to regain its strength.
****
After about an hour of waiting, Arwan could be seen sleeping beside the Hippogriff that lay next to him.
Groggily opening his eyes, Arwan yawned before looking at the Hippogriff beside him and muttering. "He's still here."
Tired of waiting, Arwan walked towards the Hippogriff before carrying it in his arms.
"Let's go." Barely feeling the Hippogriff's weight, Arwan began walking toward the front of their house.
Getting in front of their shabby house, Arwan ran his eyes through the deserted streets before muttering. "Where did everyone go?"
It took a few minutes for Arwan to process things but when he did, he fearfully said. "It seems they've all gone,"
Afraid that his parents might have left him too, Arwan subconsciously dropped the Hippogriff he carried on the cold hard ground —making pain shoot through its weak body.
"Mum. Dad." Arwan muttered as he slowly made his way towards their home.
Having a tear streak down his face, Arwan's being was shrouded by fear as he looked at the fabric that hid the truth from him.
Unhesitatingly pushing the fabric aside, Arwan walked into their living room. Arwan's guts told him he had been abandoned after seeing that his parents weren't there.
Not wanting to accept it so easily, Arwan ran towards their bedroom before pulling the fabric that covered it down.
"Huff... Huff..." Gasping for air as hunger and coldness plagued him, it felt as if there was a lump stuck in Arwan's throat.
Arwan stared at the empty bedroom in front of him with sadness plaguing his heart.
As fear and sadness mixed within him, Arwan could only wonder what he did to deserve this.
His tears welled up as he remembered his parents didn't even tell him goodbye before they left.
With the sobs of a child filling the shabby mud house, the helpless Hippogriff lay in the fierce snow.
****
"Why did we all have to leave him?" Celeste had tears streaking down her face as she spoke.
"You know we had to do-"
Standing up from where she sat, Celeste cut off the woman who had tried to speak. "If he had been your child would you have abandoned him?"
Celeste stared at the lady before running her eyes through the faces of all the adults present, her words being a clear challenge to the emotions of all parents present.
Not hearing any of them reply, Celeste said. "That means you all would also abandon your children whenever things get tough."
"You all are failures as parents," Celeste said with reddened eyes and a bitter heart.
"Celeste! That's enough!" Infuriated by the words his wife was saying, Vand yelled with anger lacing his voice.
"You of all people should know that he isn't our child," Vand said, walking towards where Celeste stood.
"And besides, that boy is cursed." Placing his hands on Celeste's shoulders, Vand looked into his wife's eyes before he continued. "You remember what he did to that dog, right?"
Calmly talking to Celeste, Vand tried to justify their reason for leaving Arwan behind.
"Shhh... Let me speak." Vand said, stopping Celeste from talking.
"And besides it's for his good." Vand hugged his wife before he continued. "I'm sure the Knights of Leoford wouldn't have the heart to kill a defenseless child."
****
Puchi... Puchi...
Drip... Drip...
""Hahaha hahaha hahaha...""
As the sound of flesh getting pierced and blood spilling filled the air, the cruel laughter of a dozen men reverberated through it.
At the center of those men, a blond green-eyed boy lay bloodied. His eyes were dull as his soul seemed to be detached from the world.
It just so happened that Vand's assumptions of Leoford Knights not being able to hurt a defenseless child were wrong as it was Arwan who lay in their midst.
"The world is cruel," Arwan muttered, coughing blood as he barely pulled his Hippogriff closer to him.
Enduring the coldness that shot through him, Arwan screamed to the point that he could barely talk. He has felt pain to the point that his pain receptors went offline and his life was barely hanging by a thread.
He was close to meeting his demise and the Hippogriff beside him was about to suffer the same fate.