But I Promised You That I Will See You Again...
Getting old was a part of life nobody wanted to deal with. He certainly didn't, but there was nothing anyone could do to stop the process. He watched Bass for a moment, his lips twitching with a smile when he called him an idiot. His tail lightly thumped the ground as he watched him. Listened to him. "You still have plenty of time, kid." He teased. Granted, Bass was nowhere near being a kid anymore, he was still a good few years younger with lots of fight left in him. But for this old man, his fight was reaching its end. It was...strange...to know that he was dying at this very moment. He had never really thought about it at all. Before, death had seemed like it was a normal part of his life. Having lost so many since he was younger. And now? It was his turn.
He flicked his ear when he felt the snowflakes landing on him. The cold air. The frozen ground. The gentle sound of the river. And Bass' company made him feel, in some way...comforted. He would get to spend his last moments with someone he cared about. Someone he loved. Not alone like Alice almost had...he was grateful.
Eyes turned once more to the larger male, watching as the tears began to fall. He had to apologize. He refused to go without Bass knowing that he was sorry. For letting him down. Especially today. He knew he was breaking his friends heart. And it was then Hansel realized, his was breaking too. He thought that it couldn't break anymore than it had already. With the loss of so many, he thought he didn't have anything left to lose. But this...this reminded him that there was still someone He loved. And in turn, he was loved back. His own eyes grew misty again, unwanted tears silently trickling their way down his fur. "Just...stay with me...I promise, it won't take too long." After all, there were others waiting for him.
What Bass said next though, made his heart clench. He wanted to apologize again, but he kept himself from doing so. "Bass...I'm ready..." He whispered, his brow furrowed for a moment as he reached towards him, nose pressing into Bass' fur. "I'm sure we'll meet again on the other side...you know I'll be waiting." A cough would cut off anything he might have said next. His chest sprouting with another round of pain as the man laid his head down again. "I can...finally be with Alice again..." A smile would quiver on his inky lips, gaze on the river. "I never told you...I didn't want to hurt again...but I had a family, Bass." A pained chuckle left him, his eyes lighting up.
"Her name was Alice...and we had three beautiful children. Two boys, and one girl...Rainer, Brand, and Winter..." He sucked in a breath as the memories came flooding back. Alice's scent flooded his mind. So much that he swore he could actually smell her. As if she were the one next to him, and not Bass. "They were so beautiful..." He recounted the days that he had them. That he had been allowed to love them. But those few days hadn't been enough. "I wasn't allowed more time to love them before they were taken away from me..." His grin faltered, replaced by the pain of memory.
"Remember...when I told you, to take care of and cherish your children?" Glazed eyes sought out Bass' own amber. "I wasn't kidding...you have the opportunity of a lifetime. Something that was stripped away from me." He took a shaky breath, "I had to bury two of mine...I never found Brand..." And he honestly, truly did not know if his son was alive or dead. Perhaps that was why he had pushed on until now. Subconsciously looking. Hoping. Praying, that he was still alive somewhere in the world. His gaze suddenly got intense, blue eyes zeroing in on Bass as his body fought itself. "Promise me. Promise me that you'll always be there for them. Otherwise I'll have to figure out a way to come back and knock some sense into you!" He huffed, his strength faltering a bit. Just a few more moments...he needs to understand... |
