A Soviet's Struggle

Два

The next day went by with little to no trouble. Mariya walked around in circles most of the time. The deal stressed her out - too much for her half-decayed brain to take. Alyosha watched with interest as she paced around the same tree for the past 12 hours - only taking small breaks in between. He listened to her short and spastic mumbling, muttering nonsense that Alyosha barely understood.

The Sun was setting now; the time read 6:15 P.M. The vibrant colours of Orange, Blue and Red illuminated the sky for the darkened mass that was about to come. The clouds were dissipating, leaving only small bunches of whitened fluff in the sky. Faintly, you could see the moon; in Waning Gibbous, peeking over the horizon. It was semi-translucent in the sky - with the dissipating clouds covering it. Alyosha's ectoplasmic body began to haze - slowly glowing in the sunsetting nightfall. As for Mariya, she continued to walk in circles.

"What are you mumbling about? Why so stressed?" Alyosha finally asked, crossed-armed; leaning against a nearby tree. His sudden question made Mariya stop and turned towards him: "It's the fire. Do I really have to leave my family behind?" Alyosha looked down, giving off a ghostly sigh. Looking back up, he saw this hybrid glancing at him; awaiting a response. "It's unfortunate, I know. You love them greatly. However, there is a chance that they'll survive. Not much you could do anyway. No access to your Hunter abilities, no Rift, no nothing." Mariya frowned, displeased with his answer. She went back to walking around the tree pacing at a moderate pace - leaving Alyosha to stare at her stressful trotting. The Sun continued to set behind them, and the sky was rapidly turning black.

Rifts. Short for possessive rift. At birth, each gifted soul possesses their own rift that they learn between the ages of 16-21. Rifts are shreds of magick, left by the wolf's original 12 kin. Each rift has a cycle, and can be cycled out at any given moment. Throughout history, rifts were recorded within the Parthenon when a Hunter or Protector made their pilgrimage to Athens. Aura-Reading, Telekinesis, Pyromancy, Cryomancy, Shapeshifting, Casting husks, Hypnosis, Animal companionship, Necromancy, Conjuration, Transmutation, Regeneration, Animacy, Enchantment, Mind Reading, Fortification, Electromancy, Geomancy, Time manipulation, Aether magick, and Weather manipulation, are a few of the many Rifts that appeared over the course of history. In the terms of Mariya, Alyosha was right, she had yet to learn her own.

The moon began to illuminate the sky surrounding it; causing a dim lighting barely visible to the naked eye. It slowly rose from the horizon - and nighttime animals began to surface from hiding in the shadows all day. The temperature decreased to the average 48 degrees Fahrenheit (8.8 degrees Celsius), and Mariya felt the sudden change in temperature. The slight cold made her shiver: "Wow. It's kind of cold isn't it, Alyosha?"

Alyosha looked over at her, not saying anything.

Mariya rolled her eye, walking over to the ghost, sitting down next to him against the tree. Alyosha looked over at her, and turned away quickly, making Maryia angry. The Hybrid shifted - trying to get the ghost's attention. Still, he refused to speak to her.

Mariya, now frustrated, retorted angrily: "Listen," She said, "I've had enough. Are you going to talk to me or not?"

The ghost turned his head slightly to the right, looking at the impatient Hybrid. Sighing, Alyosha spoke, "We have more pressing matters right now. It's nightfall - time to find you some clothes." Mariya nodded and the two got up.

Trotting back through the forest, the two made way back to the city. Owls and crows cried again, this time louder, in the trees. The moonlight to their backs, they squeezed back through the small entrance between the two small wooden cottages they passed through last night. Alyosha made a hand motion to stop, to which Mariya did, as a car whizzed past the ghost's face. The light from the taillights soon vanished as the car turned the corner of the street, and the party crawled out of the small, confined space. On the pavement, Mariya and Alyosha walked in mostly silence, as usual. They passed homes - big and small alike - and soon came up on the corner the car drove down; next to the Pantheon. At the Pantheon, Alyosha put his hand behind him, on Mariya's stomach, making her stop.