I'm Not Sorry

Prologue: Third Person

           It was a cold Autumn evening when the man got back home to his cabin. It was barely half past seven yet the weather was worse than any evening before.  As he walked, he looked around, examining the rooms as he made his way to the master bedroom. As he quickly looked around, he saw a calendar with X's on the days previous to keep track. December 3rd, he thought, and all of Louisiana is covered in snow. He quickly moved on to go and find his wife.

                  He found her lying in bed, half awake, coughing loudly. He knelt beside her, tears in his eyes as she struggled to breathe. She turned to him and smiled. "Hello...Hunter," she gasps out in between coughs, "Still...think...I'm...as...beautiful...as...the...setting...sun?" Sweat dripped from her face as she tried to to not laugh.

                                                                            Flashback:

         The sun was just about to set as a young man sat on a hill and just waited. It was August 24th, 1990 in Louisiana. He had just finished work and now he was resting underneath a willow tree, just watching as the sun went down. His eyelids were beginning to feel droopy when he heard the sound of a twig snapping break the silence. He jumped up quickly, as his heartbeat sped up and he turned around. Standing by a big oak tree, he spotted a young native woman. She was at least 5'10 with long, straight, almost black hair. Her tan skin glowed in light of the now setting sun. Even from a few feet away he could see her dark chocolate eyes. He paused, afraid he might startle her.

        "Hello," He whispered, just loud enough that the slight wind would carry the sound soothingly towards her. "Do not fret, my dear, I mean you no harm. I have only just finished work and am only here to enjoy the sunset. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Hunter Doche. Would you do me the honor of telling me your name?"

          She paused for a millisecond, seeming to contemplate her answer. She took a deep breath and  placed  her hands on her hips, a serious look crossed her face. "My name is Hachi Enno, daughter of  Bodaway Enno, chief of the Atakapa tribe. I heard from a member of the guard that a white man was trespassing. Tell me, why should I not tell my father that a stranger is on our land and have you executed?" Her words came out like steel. Her eyes did not hold the warmth of before. Her lips, so full and beautiful, were a straight line. As he stared into her eyes, her mask began to melt. "You have better start talking or I'll  will call them here."

            He paused, trying to come up with something to say to her to calm her down. " Hey hey, I mean you no harm, I am just here watching the sunset. I had no clue that this land was claimed. If you wish, I can leave but please don't have me executed." He spoke slowly and with as much as respect as possible. "I am so sorry, had I known, I would never have come here had I known that I was intruding. I'll leave if that is what you wish." He keeps his hands up as he turns and begins to walk away. He keeps a steady pace and doesn't stop, but inside he hopes that she will stop him. Not to tell him that he was going to be executed, but so he could spend time with her.

             Suddenly the silence is broken once more by her cry of  "Wait!" He pauses, but does not turn around, easily telling her that he was listening but not showing his hope. He could just barely hear her deep breathing over the wind as she begins to speak again, "If you truly mean no harm, I suppose...you may continue to watch the sunset, BUT someone must stay and watch that you keep your word so I shall stay with you. Do you agree to this deal?" The stood in silence for a good second as he slowly turned around.

             "Now that, Miss Enno, sounds like a wonderful idea." He smiled and moved to sit under the tree he had been dozing on just a few moments ago. He patted the spot next to him, a warm look in his eye, as he tried to help her relax. She took a moment to consider and swiftly made her way to the tree and sat a considerable distance and stared at him as he began to lean back and continue to watch the sun set. The sat that way for a moment before he said, "You know, it's hard to enjoy a sunset when the only thing prettier than a sunset is sitting by them and not enjoying them self."

       She sat for a second and considered her next words carefully. "Well aren't you a little charmer?" Soon, she relaxed and began to watch the sunset as they laughed and talked well past midnight.

                                                              ~End flashback~

        He smiled slightly as he remembered their first meeting. "Of  course, Beloved, you are all that and more. My love, you are the very essence of my life." His voice oozed sincerity as he remembered why he had come home earlier then usual. "I have found it, sweetheart. The cure that the woman spoke of." He put down the bag he carried and pulled out a flower. "This is it, my angel. A bloodroot. I can save you AND our daughter. Now all I must do is boil the flower and for eight hours, let it cool for twelve and give it to you at midnight. I shall be in the kitchen if you need me. Te ador."  He whispered as he left the room to begin his task.

                                                                     ~Two Days Later~

       "Ahhhhhhhh!" Hachi cried as her baby is born. Hunter stood next to her and smiled. He looked at the doctor as their daughter began to cry as the doctor cleaned and dressed her, wrapping her in a blanket and finally after ten hours of the delivery, he left the couple with their child. The baby looked so much like her mother. She had her nose, her mouth, everything. There was only one thing: she had wolf ears and a small tail. Hunter sighed, it didn't matter. He had a daughter. A little baby to call his own, to love, and cherish till the end of his days.

                   "So, my dear," he purred out as he handed the baby to her mother. "What shall her name be? You are the one with the interesting names that run in your family." He grinned as he watched his wife coo at her little one. She  looked up  at him, still pale and sweaty, and considered.

                 "How about Enola? I wish for her to be strong, even alone." She cooed, stuck in a haze of new motherhood. He smiled more gently.

                 "That sounds perfect. Well, the world better watch out, here comes Enola Angelika Doche."  The happy couple sits side by side, as they stare at their angel, little Enola.

                                                                    ~That Night~

              Hunter woke to his wife shaking. He  went to hold her more, but stopped and  looked at her when he sensed something wrong. Soon, he knew why. She was dying and was letting out her last words. "Enola...Hunter...I'm sorry..." As she let out her last breath he shook her lifeless body.

            "Nu, dragostea mea, te rog nu mă părăsi. Nu pot trăi fără tine."  Soon he stopped. He was alone with his daughter who was only a few hours old, without his soulmate. For the first time in his life, he felt true hopelessness.

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~Thank you for reading, I will continue to write this story, please let me know what you all think in the comments.

Translations: -Te ador means  I adore you. -Nu, dragostea mea, te rog nu mă părăsi. Nu pot trăi fără tine means No, my love, please don't leave me. I can't live without you. Both of these are in Romanian. Also, I personally don't speak Romanian, so if you do and I wrote something wrong, please kindly correct me. Thank you for reading and have a good rest of your day.