~Suketchi Snow~
"Get back here, you gay little shits!" Fuyu yells at us. I can hear Hāmonī's laboured breathing through the brush, and hold back the tears that are forcing themselves out of my tear ducts. This is a monthly happening for us, and we are scared out of our minds when it happens.
"I'm 'oing to mama an 'addy'," she whispers, almost silently, not pronouncing any s's or g's, and very few d's, because she knows the sound carries farther than other consonants.
"Go," I whisper back, sending a quick prayer to our guardian, Papa Satan.
~Hāmonī Sketch~
I run, my wings outstretched, trying to lift me off the ground. My green right wing hits the trunk of a tree and recoils, yet I barely feel the pain. I practised blocking it out when my father became abusive. I fold in both of my wings and run, trying to remember the way to Esupuresso and Baioretto's abode.
I pass through a forest of mushrooms, one of birches, and finally get to a forest of cherry trees. It's late spring, so everything is in bloom and the cherry blossoms look serene. Like my last friend, Shizukesa Night. No. I mustn't think of her. I can think of her when I get home.
I near a sod cottage between four trees, and burst through the vine door, out of breath. I go into the extra room containing most of my stuff, and lay down on the grass bed. Soon enough, I fall asleep.
My nephew, Toride Cloud wakes me by tapping and shaking me gently.
"Auntie Auntie Auntie!" He exclaims brightly when I open my eyes. He grips my leg as I stand up.
"Hey babe, is Suketchi here yet?" He blinks at me with wide eyes. My heart sinks into the pit of my gut, fearing the worst.
"E-Essie? Baioretto?" I call, hoping (and knowing) at least one of them is home.
"Imouto-chan! I'm out here. Wanna talk?" Esupuresso calls out to me from her drawing space in the living room. Do I wanna talk? Heh.
"Hai. I'm scared," I say, walking out to the living room and sitting down on the soft grass floor.
"Is it that time again?" Essie asks, knowing the answer.
"Hai. I wish he would just stop," my face lowers as I say it.
"You know, you could always move in with us or just... go on your own. And I'm sure Midori and Kireina would take you in," Esupuresso assures me.
"I-I s'pose, but I just... I," I burst into tears, the whites of my eyes turning teal around the edges. Staying strong for a while really does affect your body. And not in a good way, either. I'm taking kusuri each week to help with my depression and anxiety, but I'd gotten it late this week.
"Imouto-chan, do you need a hug?" Esupuresso asks, once again knowing the answer. I nod and she wraps her wings around me. I wrap my un-preened ones around her and nuzzle my wet face into her neck.
After awhile, I break away from the hug and shakily say, "I think I'm gonna go to Kadan and see if Suketchi shows up there. He probably won't, but I don't care. I need to chill."
"Hai. Need me to come with?"
"Ie. I-I mean, unless yo-you want to come with, th-that is!" I worriedly stutter.
"Ie, it's fine. Someone has to stay here with the babe, after all!" Essie tells me.
"Ah. I'm off, then. Matane!" I call over my shoulder as I push through the vines covering the portal. I walk slowly to Kadan, bound to the hope that Suketchi is on his way and I'll see him. After the short walk to Kadan, though, I see that there is no one but I.
YOU ARE READING
Hopebound
FantasyWhen a planet named Rinchi turned from grey to coloured, the Dōbutsu living there had to adapt. This story takes place about a hundred moons after the shift and onward. Though the colours, style, and initial plot may seem suitable for a child, th...
