Vale's story

The second goodbye (part 2)

It was early morning when we set out for Pasting Rig. The sun now a good way above the ocean as we traveled along the cliff's edge. Plain fields on your right, and the open sea on your left. Father walked ahead of me, Cole behind. He said this pattern would be best so he could lead the way, being I didn't know it, and Cole behind so if I fell behind he could keep an eye on me. In better words, he thought I wouldn't be able to carry mother all the way. Well screw him. I can, and will make it there without fault. That I, like Cole, can. Why am I the one carrying my mother and not my dad or brother? Another stupid symbolic thing. Showing even the youngest can even carry on the next generation. But this was a chance to prove myself to my dad. I was gonna make it. I came out of my thoughts as I heard Cole trying to hide a cough behind me. I looked back with a concerned frown, and he just smiled and waved it off. More looking past to father to see if he noticed. Luckily, he didn't look back. Hadn't since we started out actually. He seemed angry, but what was new. He always said nothing unless he had something to be mad about. Usually towards us, sometimes towards mother. But only because she was defending usually me. It's going to be hard without her now... I'll have to find my own way to face up to him. Cole has the guts, but sadly that wasn't a trait that got past on down to me. I feared him with ever ounce of my being. And I think that's what he wanted. Did it intentionally. But I vowed to myself that one day when I'm old enough I will face him. For now though.. it's just best to keep my head low and do as he wishes. He was the one who got us safe from the plague. But, not all of us. I took in a silent breath as I adjusted the straps on my shoulders, needing to push those thoughts aside and looked out at the ocean as we trudged along the cliff. The sun sparkle a beam across the sea and made it look like a path into the sun. Some days, I wished I could walk it. Leave this all behind, and never look back. But that was just the fantasy that could never come true. Seagulls flew above and made their calls to one another. Probably making silly comments about us as they seemed to be following us for no particular reason. The ground underneath our feet started to get tough with rocks instead of grass as we were getting close. It starting to incline, making my feet hurt being I had the extra weight on my back. Father went on like it was nothing. Probably was actually. I'm sure he'd been through worse. I felt Cole place a hand on my shoulder saying he had my back if I fell, or that I got this. I gave him a brief smile, and kept on. Finally, our clawed feet made contact with a massive slab of flat stone. It cut into with our old ancestors language. The words of it long forgotten now. And what laid in the middle of this plain, a stone table. No seats, no stools. Just it sitting there alone. Decorated in the same language and patterns on it's sides. It near the cliff's edge, looking over the open ocean. The sun at level with it now. Father came up to it, and ran his hand gently over it's smooth base. He took in a breath, then looked directly at me. "Come here boy." His low gravely voice brought through the silence. My head snapped up to him, and it took me a second to register his words. Being this was the first thing he said since we'd left the house. I was quick to come, as I didn't want to test his patience. Once I was before him, he grabbed my shoulder with his big hand and turned me around a bit too roughly. I kept my head down and said nothing. Holding still and straight as a stick, and as firm as a rock. I heard him undoing the buckles of the harness as my ears pinned back towards him. It wasn't long before I felt him lift off the weight of mother, and a sense of relief came over me. Not realizing how heavy she'd gotten. I turned around and moved away from him as I watched him place her down on the table. I was so focused on her, I didn't even realize Cole had come up to me and started helping taking off the harness. I watched him now as he unbuckled the straps, and helped to pull them off. Stepping out of it. "Thanks." I said very quietly. Not just because of the situation, but just that it felt like this place was sacred. Cole gave me a warm smile and set the harness aside while I went back to watching father repair mother. Having opened the sack he brought along with him, he pulled out more the Quarrelean flowers. They glowed like fallen stars as his hands were full of them. Laying them around mother like a bed of flowers. Once he was finished, he backed up as Cole and I stood on either side of him. Lined up perfectly. Now as the sun was perfectly lining up with the table, it was time. On cue, the wind began to pick up. Lifting the loose peddles from mother's flower bed and blowing then gently into the sunlight. As we watched, her bond body slowly began to glow just like the flowers. As she fully became transparent, the wind kicked up even farther. Now lifting the flowers in whole rather then peddles. And mother's see through form started to float away with them into the warm welcoming sunshine. Not even five minutes and it was over. Nothing remained of her or the flowers on the stone table. Merely a few lost peddles left behind. The wind at our backs slowly gentled as we all looked on at the sight that had just taken place. It really starting to hit me in the gut, I dropped my gaze to hold back a sob. Not wishing for father to see it. But just as I did, I heard Cole try to hold back a cough. Terribly failing as it went into a small coughing fit. My body tensed at what father would say. Being we kept Cole's sickness from him. "This is your fault boy." I heard father's deep voice vibrate in my chest, and my ears dropped. In the corner of my eye, I could see how tightly his fists were balled. Making his knuckles go a darker black then his hands already were. I hesitantly lifted my head to protest, but quickly realized he wasn't speaking to me. He was looking at, Cole? Looking confused, I held my tongue out of fear. Cole finished his coughing fit and straightened himself with a groan. How he never feared father was beyond me. But a courage I hope to inherit. "No, it wasn't. She was already long succumbed to the plague before I got sick," not even granting him a look at father as he walked ahead of him. Letting his hand gently brush across the stone table mother was just on moments before. "You just can't see it because you're blinded to you own stubbornness and stupidity." Cole kept his tone calm, but you could hear the sting in it. "Watch you tongue boy." Father growled back threateningly. "She made it this far only because of my hard work to pay for her treatment. And where did that get me? No where. Because you just kept making her worse!" He barked. Making me flinch even though it wasn't directed at me. "Maybe that's true!," Cole looked back at him over his shoulder. "But maybe that's because you couldn't even look past her, and not even at your own son!" But the yelling wasn't a good idea for him as he began coughing again. Father growling in annoyance at his son's disrespect. Cole let out another groan as he got over his coughing fit. Going up to the cliff's edge to follow the last few remaining peddles left with the wind. Turning back to face father, he tightened his stature. "At least your sons had the decency to say goodbye to her." My stomach dropped at Cole cold words. Glancing up for father's reaction. His jaw was tightly clenched, and his claws bore into his palms. He looked like he was about to snap. I knew it, because I've seen this plenty of times. "But you're the one who killed your mother. Not even giving her a slim chance of survival. You Cole, are the reason why there's only three of us. Now, only two." My eyes widened at his words, and I leaned forward to get into his field of vision. "Dad what are you?-...." I started, but he stopped me by putting a hand on my chest and urged me back. "If our race is truly going to survive, we must purge out the sickness itself. That was something our Leaders didn't come to realize in time. But I won't make the same mistake." But none of what he said made sense to me. That is, not until it was too late. As the realization hit me at what his words meant, I saw father lift his right arm up towards Cole. Then it was like everything suddenly slowed down into slow motion as the metal material formed out of his hand. Creating a dragged thick spear that shot out of his hand as quick as an arrow. My eyes not even fast enough to follow were it was targeted. But I knew it hit it's target as the horrid sound of skin being pieced. Once my eyes finally met up to the sound, I never felt more sick in my life by the sight I saw. The spear had landed true to it's aim like it always had with father. Straight through Cole gut. I felt the slow raising in my chest of a scream of his name ripped through my throat like it never had before. Making it burn. I saw him clasp his hands around it as he hunched over. Running for him with all my might, regardless of father's hand holding me back. I did everything in my power to wrench free from his grasp. All of this feeling painfully slow as I finally got away from him. Feeling him trying to grab onto my tail, but just grazed it. Cole looked up at me as I was jumping over the stone table. The wind playing with his hair gracefully. He let a very small smile creep on his lips as he fell back slowly. His feet slipping of the cliff's edge. I cried out as I leaped for him. Not even thinking twice that I couldn't fly. Arms stretched out ahead of me. Just as we were both leaving the cliff's edge, did I latch onto him. Holding him for dear life as the wind now whipped fast us in full force. Everything now seeming to move all to quickly. Seeing the cliff fly past us at a tremendous speed, but the beautiful sunset in front of us still shining. Tears flew out of my eyes as I held my face against Cole's chest. Scared, and not knowing what the hell I just did. I know I didn't have long before we'd it the water, so I had to do something. Looking over his shoulder, I needed to see how much time I had left. And what I saw made my stomach drop even farther. Below us, was sharp jetted out rocks jetting out of the water. If I didn't do something now, we'd most certainly be pieced by them. So with a frightful whimpered, I tried opening my wings. But I suddenly found I didn't get the far before Cole's wings on either sides of us was keeping mine locked in due to the wind flying past us. And because of my sudden movement it unbalanced us and we began to spin and twirl. Making it impossible to do anything. I could barely hold my grip at this point. But I wasn't letting go. I wasn't loosing him too. Not now. I cried as I still desperately tried to flap my helpless wings. Only making us spin more. I looked up at Cole, and his eyes were shut. He must've already pasted out from the blood loss, which my shirt was already soaked in. Seeing the rocks were now almost upon us, I let out another cry in desperation as I tried flapping my wings with the small gap of space I had. But just at the last second did I feel Cole wrap his arms and wings around me like a blanket. Then we felt it. The impact, making Cole cry out as I heard his back crack loudly upon the impact. Then we rolled off of it and suddenly both of us wear engulf in water. Cole fell limp around me as I saw him drift away due to the violent current. Sinking deeper as his body was helpless. The salty water burned my eye to keep them open, but I couldn't close them. I wasn't about to loose sight of Cole. Turning around to face him I kicked as hard as I could after him. I reached out as I was just about to touch his limp arm floating ahead of him. But he kept sinking farther, and I was beginning to feel my breath grow short. I was about to choke on my breath when I used my wings for a final blow forward and got hold of his wrist. Pulling into him, I immediately went upwards towards the warm sunset light. Only now realizing how far we had sank down to. And feeling my short breath jolt in my chest again, I was fearful I wouldn't make it. It took everything in me not to let go of Cole. Using anything to make us go up. Legs, wings, tail. Anything. But it wasn't working. My breath was violently jolting in my chest now, making it hurt. Fear setting deep in my stomach at the fact we were going to drown. But just as I was about to loose hope, seeing as the surface was just out of reach, I felt my feet touch sand. I hadn't realized until now that the violence current was pushing us to shore. With one more final pull with all my might I had left I lifted Cole out of the water. My own head popping out of the water a second after him. Holding him up as I coughed and desperately gulped for air. Grabbing onto his soaked clothes I tried dragging him to the shore. His body completely spent. Him feeling ten times heavier now as my weak little form tried my best. As my legs finally gave out and I collapsed out of exhaustion did both our heads land on damp sand. My body wanted to let go and fall into unconsciousness, but I wouldn't let it. I only let myself catch a few needed breaths before I picked myself up. Quickly looking at Cole I crawled up to him. Shaking his body, which laid on his side. "Cole? Hey Cole! Come on, I gotcha! You're... you're safe now!" My voice starts to quiver as the adrenaline was leaving my body. Feeling something warm touch me knees, I look down to see a pool of Cole's blood already forming into the sand. The spear sticking into of his gut, and out his back. He made no comment to my cries. No motions either. I could already feel the heat from his body leaving him. "COLE!" I scream as tears start flooding down my cheeks. Shaking him more violently to wake him. "COLE COME ON! YOU GOTTA WAKE UP! Y-You gotta..." I say as I collapse over top of him. Holding onto him with the tightest grip. Giving a hug I knew would never be returned. "Please..." I whispered. "You can't... l-leave me too..." but no response came. All I heard was the gentle sound of the waves, and the calm winds blowing past us. But then, I heard the flap of wings and a gust of wind as the thud of someone landing happened not more then a few feet away from us. I looked up as I couldn't stop the tears running down my face. Making my eyes hurt. Seeing the blurry figure of my father standing over me. He looked so big and threatening at this level. Making me grip onto Cole even harder. "Come boy. We can't stay here. Otherwise the plague will just spread farther," He says leaning down and grabbed my arm. So hard it made me cry out. Trying to claw off his hand with my other. "And there will be none of us left." He yanked my arm, and my whole body followed by the sheer force behind it. "NO!" I screamed up at him. Using my free hand to reach out to Cole. Missing him by mere inches. "NO WE CAN'T LEAVE HIM!" I violently shook my head as my father dragged me like I weighed nothing. "DAD WE CAN'T LEAVE HIM HERE TO DIE!" I continue, never letting up on my relentless thrashing. But nothing stopped him. His grip on my arm only got tighter making it hurt. "DAD, PLEASE LISTEN TO ME!" I open my teary eyes to the sight that was being taken from me. Cole laying there on the damp sand. A horrible spear sticking out either sides of him as his blood leaked into the ocean. The gently waves lapping at his legs, welcoming him into the sea. And that, was the last time I ever saw my older brother.