Chapter 23: Chapter 23

Fyn fell limply in his arms.

There was nothing but silence. Kavan was still staring at the villagers of Gashea. He could feel blood pumping to his head, could feel his heart beating erratically. What just happened? What was happening? He licked his lips, still unsure of what just unfolded right in front of his eyes.

Surely not, he thought. Surely not, he prayed.

Not Fyn.

Please, he prayed again, silently, the thought repeating inside of his head in repeat. Not Fyn.

With widened eyes and his mouth agape, he looked down. He watched as Fyn’s blood seeped through his blouse. What was once white and clean was now stained with deep red. A red that was still spreading on his blouse like a paint on a canvas. For a second, Kavan thought his blouse had always been red, but that was impossible, wasn’t it?

Not that color.

It never was. It never should have been.

“You…” Kavan trailed off, feeling something wet drip onto his cheek. “You fool!”

Was it raining? He wasn’t sure anymore. All he knew was that if it had been raining, surely the forest fire should have already stopped. And yet as he took a deep breath, looking to his side, the fire was still huge and terrifying. Blinking, Kavan felt his lips tremble. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt fear.

Softly, he curled his arms around Fyn, about to help him stand up.

His hand meets something plunged deep into Fyn’s back. With a sharp intake of breath, he pulls his hand away, only to be greeted by a sticky red stain on his fingers. The metallic smell made him queasy, and cold sweat ran through the nape of his neck. He stared at it. Stared at the blood that colored his skin. Slowly, ever so slowly, he lifted his eyes.

He met the gaze of the villagers of Gashea.

A dark chuckle escaped his lips as he clutched Fyn tighter against his chest.

“Foolish mortals,” Kavan barely let out. He was chuckling too much. Nothing was funny. He knew that. There was still something wet dripping on his cheek. Nothing was making any sense, but the only sound he could let out was a deep rumble that sounded more like a chuckle. The villagers of Gashea raised their spiked sticks, pointing it towards him. “You say I am a demon, but between us, you are the only one who is capable of murder.”

The word sounded dirty in his tongue.

He hated having to say it.

A woman, heavily pregnant, took a step forward. Her face was pale and there was something like guilt flashing on her face. Kavan couldn’t care less. If things had been different, he would have killed them on the spot. He cannot. He was the guardian of the forest, he could hurt nothing. He would hurt no one. That was not him.

“It was just meant to be a scare,” the woman explained, a choked sob escaping her lips. Quivering, she turned sideways, looking at a man who was limply holding an arrow. “We didn’t mean to… is he dead?”

Was Fyn dead?

Kavan held him tighter to his chest, pressing his lips close to Fyn’s hair. His breathing had turned slow, barely even there. Fyn wasn’t dead. He can’t be dead. He was there, in his arms, where he was meant to be. Something wet hit his cheeks again and he grit his teeth, feeling goosebumps pepper his skin. With a shaky breath, Kavan crouched quickly. He placed one arm under Fyn’s leg, the other around his torso, careful not to hit the plunged arrow on his back.

His wings erupted from his skin, and he shot out into the sky. Clicking his tongue, he hissed through his fangs.

“Just this once, help me,” he begged. “I cannot do it alone anymore.”

It was for the forest.

And when the unmistakable sound of thunder and rain spread all throughout, he knew that one problem had been solved. Luckily, the rain was quick and heavy. He knew that in a matter of minutes, the forest would manage the fire. With one last glare towards the insufferable mortals, he growled, as terrifying as he could.

If all of them thought he was a demon, then so be it.

“Get out before I kill all of you.”

That was all he said. That was all it took.

Screams echoed, and the villagers dropped all of their torches and weapons down on the ground. All of them scrambling like rats to the village of Gashea. Only one last person remained. The pregnant woman, she was staring at Kavan, stared at the demon long and hard. Her hand wrapped protectively around her belly.

There were tears in her eyes. Kavan chuckled as he saw it. It was dark, and it was terrifying.

“I’m…” She trailed off, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. “I’m sorry.”

Kavan shook his head, baring his fangs and growling as much as he could. He felt his tail whipping back and forth, showing just how anxious he was. The woman took a step back, fear on her face. Kavan couldn’t care less anymore, he could feel Fyn slowly turning cold as rain drenched all of them. With one final growl, he sped through the rain, even though his vision had turned blurry.

Ah, he finally realized, it was not rain that made his cheeks wet.

He was crying.

What a strange sight that was.

With another choked sob, he couldn’t help himself but howl, putting his emotions into it. He clutched Fyn tighter against his chest, his body was now cold. The mortal’s chest was no longer rising and falling. As Kavan carried him as they flew towards his cave, Fyn lied limply in his arms, his hand falling on his side. Swaying like a doll.

Maybe the villagers were right. Maybe Kavan really was a demon.

If it hadn’t been for him, Fyn would have still been alive.

With another gut-wrenching howl to whoever could hear it, Kavan sped towards his cave.

He knelt down next to Fyn, unable to do anything.

He had long grabbed the arrow, taking it off Fyn. Blood splattered across his chest, the metallic scent, he knew it would take centuries before he could forget. Carefully, he laid his body down on the makeshift bed, the place the mortal had been sleeping in moments ago. Fyn looked like he was just sleeping, and if Kavan closed his eyes, he could pretend that was the case too.

His eyes were stinging. He couldn’t tell just how long he had been crying, but more than that, there was a deep pain in his stomach he couldn’t remove. He wasn’t the one shot, and yet, he feels as if it was him.

With soft movements, he brushed the brown curls that fell on Fyn’s face.

“I’m sorry,” He muttered, softly, so softly, so that no one could hear. He was the guardian of the forest, his role was to protect and care for every living thing within it. And yet, the one thing that he knew he should take care of, the one thing that he wanted safe and sound, was cold and lifeless in front of him. A choked sob escapes his mouth and his shoulders shake. A trembling chuckle soon follows. “... I’m sorry, Fyn.”

Leaning down, he closes his eyes and brushes his lips along Fyn’s forehead.

The mortal’s skin was cold.

He stopped, stared. Fyn had always been beautiful. Kavan felt guilt and regret piling inside of him when he thought of the days they had been together, and not once had he told him that. It was just a few words, simple enough, and yet, he did not mention it. Now, as he stared at Fyn, that was the only thing he could think of.

His eyes flicked down on the mortal’s lips.

He brushed his lips on Fyn’s cold ones.

Another choked sob wracked his body. Sitting up straight, he grabbed Fyn’s hand, pressing it close to his face. Caressing it, peppering it with kisses. The coolness of Fyn’s palm made pain shot through his arm like a massive fire. Something exploded in his chest, something that made him curl in position, Fyn’s hand pressed on his lips. It made him dizzy. It made him want to curl next to Fyn, to hug him close, to keep him there with him.

The feeling was like something he never experienced before.

No, he felt something like this before. He felt something so painful that it made it seem like sharp spikes were jammed through his skin, made it seem like his wings were being torn apart, made it feel like his antlers were being forcefully removed by sharp razors from his head.

As if he had just summoned him, he felt his trusty serpent crawl by his side as another round of shivers run up his spine. He didn’t need to turn around to look at Havu, he knew he was there. The serpent had watched him as he blindly placed Fyn on the bed, and watched as he painfully fell to his knees beside the mortal.

He could already feel the serpent preparing his speech.

“No.”

Kavan spoke before the serpent could even say anything. Before Havu could even remotely say something that was so utterly ridiculous. His eyes were still closed as he kissed Fyn’s palm, just touching it as much as he could before… before what might happen next.

“Master,” Havu’s voice echoed in his mind. He was too preoccupied with the emotion that he was feeling that he didn’t even have time to shut the serpent out. “It is alright.”

“No.” Kavan repeated.

“Fyn is a wonderful human,” Havu remarked. Shaking his head, Kavan lifted his head from Fyn’s hand and watched as the serpent crawled and curled himself on top of Fyn’s chest. The serpent lift it’s head up, meeting the gaze of Kavan. “He was truly kind. Not once had he shunned or acted terribly on things he could not understand. He was accepting of the forest and it’s magic, accepting of how I talked, accepting of the beings within this place, and accepting of the gifts and the affection you have given him.”

Kavan knew all of that.

It must be the reason why he felt his lips twitch, the same time another tear dripped from his eye.

“Master,” Havu repeated. “I am thankful for-”

Kavan shook his head, “No, Havu.”

The serpent lifted his head, not once moving from Fyn’s chest. It tilted its head to the side, as if bowing. “A serpent like me is lucky enough to live for as long as 25 years. I have lived longer than that, master. I have lived before the village of Gashea was even filled with huts and barns. You have given me the gift of life, Master. I have used it for long, it is time to pass it to someone who would use it as wisely as I did.”

“Havu, stop it.” Kavan repeated, feeling his resolve crumbling, Fyn’s hand turning heavy. “No.”

The serpent bobbed it’s head, shaking it side to side. “Do not be afraid.”

“I am not afraid.”

“Master, I have been with you for as long as I could remember,” The serpent reminded him, laying its head down on top of Fyn’s chest. “I know when you lie. Do not lie to me. Do not be afraid, you will not be alone anymore. You have Fyn with you. He would be with you for as long as you want.”

Kavan felt his lips tremble, “Then… then what about you?”

“I will be here,” Havu’s voice sounded melodic. “You will see me in the trees, you will feel me curling up like a phantom around your arms or waist. I will still be in your heart, Master. I do not need a physical form to be with you. I will be there whenever you need me. My life was wonderful, I had you in it.”

With his other hand, Kavan extended his arm towards the serpent. Havu, with one last gaze at Fyn, curled himself around Kavan’s arm. The same thing he did whenever Kavan extended his arm towards him. “Master, I am thankful for everything. Now, I must thank you back for all you did for me.”

“Havu,” Kavan whispered. “No.”

“Master,” Havu replied. “It is alright. I will be fine. Would you be fine without Fyn?”

Kavan pressed his lips together.

“Would you be alright?” Havu asked once more. “Would it be alright waking up in a world where Fyn is no longer there to keep you company? You know this would happen sooner or later, master.”

Kavan shook his head, his resolve crumbling.

He could not deny it.

“Would you survive without him, master?”

A trembling, tender laugh came from Kavan’s lips.

He whispered, “No.”

“You love him, don’t you, master?”

“Yes,” Kavan whispered, his eyes closed. “I am sorry, Havu.”

“It is alright, master,” The serpent replied. “I love him too.”

In a flash of blinding light, Kavan kept his eyes closed as he focused his power on transferring the gift of life from Havu to Fyn. He did not let go of the serpent, even though it started to fall limply from his arm. Neither did he let go of Fyn’s hand, which was once cold, now was warm and felt alive.

He might have cried. He might have sobbed.

One thing was certain, with his eyes closed, he felt a voice that sounded like Havu ring inside his head. If he focused, it sounded like a small thanks.

In his mind, Kavan only had one sentence to say, ‘I love you too, dear friend.'