Ander - Part 1: Subchapter 32
32
The blow caught Kiana in the stomach. It was more of a shove than an actual strike, but coming from such a large Wolf it was still more than enough to knock her down. She fell to the ground with a splash, her dress now smeared with his blood.
"Kiana, I'm so sorry! I - I didn't mean -" Ander shut his eyes tight and turned his head away. He covered his face with his hands and rocked back and forth, slowly, his breaths coming in haggard gasps.
Kiana stared up at him, lost for words. Not because he had knocked her down - she didn't blame him for that - but because he cared so much for a brother who had tried to kill him. She tried to imagine what it would be like if she was forced to choose between her own life and that of her sister, Layla, but couldn't. The very notion was unthinkable.
To her, Banno was nothing more than blood-crazed killing-machine, but to Ander, he was a brother.
Would she be able to kill her own sister for a stranger?
Ander's shoulders were starting to heave, as if he was struggling under a massive weight.
"Ander?"
"Nooooooooo!!" Ander yelled to the sky, his voice trembling, his eyes shining with tears. "Nooooooo! No, no, no!!"
"Ander!"
"Noooo!"
Perhaps it was instinct, or perhaps it was part of her nature. Either way, Kiana knew exactly what she had to do.
She kneeled with him, and she took him in his arms. He tried to pull back at first, but she simply squeezed him tighter.
"Kiana?"
"Sshhsshhsshh... It's okay. It's okay..." She could feel his heartbeat finally begin to slow down. "It's okay..."
She felt his hands travel up her spine, coming to rest on her shoulder blades, and suddenly he was hugging her back. He rested his head on her shoulder and cried for his brothers, cried until she could feel his tears seep through her dress, so warm.
She held him, and rocked him, and told him that everything would be okay, and he held her.
They held each other for a long time.
Even after the rains had stopped.
Sorry for the short update, everybody. The next one will be nice and long, over 1500 words, I promise. It just needs some tweaking.
This has been the 32nd subchapter in my serial novel, "Ander". If you enjoyed it, please help keep my face un-mauled by irritable ostriches by dropping me a donation. Thank you! ^_^
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