Hunter's Perspective

Raine had agreed to help me by bringing Belos into their home, but only under the agreement that I would never help him to regain strength. I wasn't sure he would even make it, with how weak he was and all. Edric had called on the crystal ball and told me the human was okay, but had some injuries that were being treated in Eda's house. Amity was unharmed but definitely upset, as were all of us. The others were scratched up, but nothing that could hold them back for more than a day or two. Now I was sitting beside my uncle's bed in an old, intricately carved oak chair. The clock on the wall was ticking by the seconds, counting and keeping my mind occupied with sound. Belos' weak frame was slowly rising and falling with his shallow breaths, and his pale skin was faded and sickly. I was slowly rubbing his cold palm with my thumb, listening to his gentle breathing. It soothed me, hearing his voice in any form. I wish he was well enough to open his eyes. I wanted to be held by him. I just wanted him to be here.

"Hey, you should take some time to eat Hunter. Just watching won't help you feel better." Raine spoke softly and offered me a bowl of soup. I hesitantly let go of my sickly uncle's hand and set the bowl in my lap. "Thank you Raine.." I mumbled and played with the spoon a little. Raine sat down beside me and rubbed my shoulder. "He will be okay, trust me." Raine hummed and brushed back my loose strand of hair. I nervously fidgeted and stared at my soup. "I'm not very hungry." I whispered and set the warm bowl on the nightstand. "What about a hug?" They offered and held open their arms. I glanced up at them and moved closer before hugging them loosely. "How about... you come get some sleep in my room, and I'll get out some essential oils to help you relax? They help me usually." Raine suggested and waited for me to respond. I just laid there for a while, breathing in their pleasant perfume. Their sweater was soft and comfortable to the touch, and calmed me down from my anxieties. I was really tired, I just didn't want to sleep and wake up to my uncle being gone forever. Maybe it was a trick of the mind, my need for him to be alive. But I was obsessed with the need for him to be here.

"Let's go to sleep now, okay?" Raine whispered and helped me to stand up. I nodded tiredly and followed them to bed, easily plummeting into the cushy pillows that kept my head comfortable. Raine helped me get cozy and lightly kissed my forehead. "Don't worry about a thing, I'm here." Raine hummed and opened up a small bottle of lavender oil, pouring it into a pretty little dish. I hugged my cushy white pillow close and tiredly watched as Raine got in beside me. "Will you take care of me forever?" I asked quietly. Raine smiled with their cute little dimples and cupped my cheek. "I will, if that's what you want." They responded lovingly. I eagerly snuggled up to them and pressed my cheek against their mint colored sweater. "I hope so." I responded with a sleepy yawn. "He called me.. A sweet child." I mumbled and closed my eyes. Raine hummed and stroked my clean hair. "You are a very sweet child Hunter. You have such a pure heart for caring about him." Raine whispered as they wrapped their arms around me. I was happy to accept the rest that pleaded for me.

I awoke in the morning to a fresh pair of clothes folded up beside me, and Rascal sitting on the clothes sleeping. I sat up slowly and yawned, stretching as the sunlight lit up my skin. "Morning Rascal, it's nice to see you." I hummed and stroked the small bird's feathers. Rascal flew into my lap and nuzzled my cheek, cooing sweetly. I smiled warmly and got up, slowly changing into the fresh clothes that were sitting out for me. A comfortable long sleeved white shirt with a dark green sweater, and a black pair of jeans that comfortably fit my legs. I guess Raine had old clothes for me to wear, and they were very perfect for me. I looked at myself in the mirror on the wall and smiled. I looked nice, I think so at least. Rascal sat down on my shoulder and lightly tugged on my hair. I lightly pushed away his beak, giggling as he played with me. Silly little bird. I strolled out of Raine's room and eagerly went to check on my uncle's condition.

I opened the guest room door and walked over to where Belos was curled up in bed. He had shifted a lot in his sleep, which I hope meant he was healthy enough to move more. His breathing was better as well, clearer and deeper in his chest. I sat down beside him in my chair and took his hand, gently rubbing it and listening to his breathing. His pulse seemed to get stronger as he felt my presence and touch. His breathing got stronger, and he got much warmer. After a few minutes of slowly waking up, his dull eyes fluttered open. His gaze fell upon me quite quickly, and his lips curled into a small smile. I scooted closer to him and squeezed his hand. "Good morning uncle." I whispered softly and stared at the weak old man. He wheezed and coughed, closing his tired eyes. "Ohhh.. Goodness." He groaned and shivered. "It's so cold." He uttered and clung to the thin sheets covering him. "I'll get you another blanket, there's some under here I think." I hummed and reached down under the bed, pulling out a basket with blankets and spare sheets. I unfolded a thick woolen blanket and tucked him in nicely, earning a hum of satisfaction. "Thank you.. Dear child." He whispered and hugged his pillow. I rubbed his shoulder and smiled.

"Um... Do you need water?" I asked and glanced at my soup that was left out from last night. "Yes, dear.." He croaked and wheezed. I got up and fetched him a cool glass of water, helping him to sit up and slowly take in bits of water. After finishing the cup, i set it aside and held his hand. "You should rest more uncle, your energy is low." I told him with concern for his health. He yawned and nodded, pulling my hand up to his cheek. He nuzzled into it and relaxed, slowly closing his eyes once more. He fell asleep on my hand, seemingly comforted by my presence. I watched him rest for a while, it felt nice knowing I meant something to him. I felt useful again. He shifted slightly in his slumber, placing a hand on my arm gently. Now it would be very hard to let go of him. I heard the door open and turned to look at the entrance. "Good morning sweetheart." A caring voice hummed as a hand touched my shoulder.

I looked up with a timid smile and touched their hand. "Thank you for letting me stay here." I said gratefully as they handed me a plate full of delicious foods. Eggs, tomatoes, cheese, onions, the whole getup. It looked and smelled delectable, I was almost salivating just thinking about eating it. "Do you want to join me at the dinner table?" Raine asked and held out a fork to me. I carefully removed my hand from Belos' grip and stood up. "Yes of course, thank you." I hummed and stood up. I took one last glance at my sickly uncle before following raine to the dining table. I sat down eagerly and began shoveling in the delicious food on my dark red plate, not even noticing at first that Raine's older sibling had joined me at the table. Oleander scooted close to me and smiled sweetly. "How's that old creepy uncle of yours coming along?" They asked and snuck a piece of tomato off of my plate. I looked up from my mouthwatering meal and shrugged. "He woke up." I said quietly and placed a fork full of spiced omelette in my mouth.

Lee smiled and nodded. "I hope that medicinal tea I made for him will help." They hummed and continued eating their porridge. Raine fetched themself a delicious meal as well and sat down across from me, minding their own business. "Erm, hey Raine, could you help me give my uncle his medicine later?" I requested and thanked Oleander when they shoved a small bowl of poppy seeds over to Rascal. My little palisman hopped towards the bowl and pecked up the tasty seeds, enjoying himself thoroughly as he did so. Raine cleared their throat after setting down their glass of milk. "Oh yes of course, do you think he'll be cooperative?" They supposed and took another sip of their dairy drink. "Most likely..." I mumbled and finished my plate. "So fast! Good job Hunter, could you put your dishes away?" Raine sweetly praised me. I smiled warmly and picked up my dishes, walking into the kitchen. I placed my dirty dishes in the sink and noticed exactly how full it had become. I guess Lee hadn't gotten around to it recently. I decided it would be a nice way to pay back my caretakers by cleaning out the sink, so I began scrubbing them and humming quietly to myself. It was pretty relaxing to control what I did with my hands and keep myself busy.

After a while Raine came in with the rest of the dishes and was pleasantly surprised. "Oh thank you Hunter, that's very sweet of you. You didn't have to do this, really." Raine said and set down the dishes, putting a hand on my fleece covered shoulder. I set down the last bowl I had been cleaning and turned to face them. "I want to help out, you're housing me and my uncle who certainly doesn't deserve it..." I trailed off and sighed sadly. They rubbed my shoulder and gently ruffled my hair. "Hey, it's okay. You're my responsibility for now, you don't have to make up for it by doing things for me." Raine assured me and let go of me. I nodded and awkwardly looked away. "Erm.. We should probably try and give the tea to my uncle now." I brought up as a change of subject. Raine nodded and whistled a high pitch to get my attention. I looked up at them and nervously fidgeted. "I'll boil the water, how about you go help your uncle wake up a bit?" They asked and smiled with their cute little dimples. "Of course, yeah." I replied and quickly left the room. It didn't feel right, Raine dismissing my debts to them. I wanted to help around the house and feel useful, pay back all of what was being done for me.

I slinked into my uncle's room, also known as the spare guest room, and sat down in the old polished oak chair. My uncle was still in a deep sleep, curled up in layers of comfortable woolen blankets. I reached out and touched his pale, worn skin. He felt so cold and lifeless, it was hard to tell that he was even alive. His breathing was better than before, but still not as deep as a healthy person. I gently shook his arm and watched as his tired eyes fluttered open. They slowly returned to their usual half lidded state, making him look very sleepy. "Morning sunshine." I joked a little and let go of his arm. He grunted and hid his face in the pillows. I pulled up his sheets a little and rubbed his back. "We need to give you some medicine to help you feel better alright? But it's just tea, it won't be too bad." I told the tired old man. He didn't move a muscle in recognition, just wanting to go back to his nap. "You can go back to sleep soon, we just need to get the medicine in your system so you can feel better uncle." I continued to talk and pulled a brush out of the nightstand. His hair was terribly matted and uncared for, it looked uncomfortable to have. "Can I brush your hair?" I asked him, waiting for a response as his chest slowly rose and fell. He turned his head a bit so he could see me and squinted. He mumbled something of an answer that accepted my help, though I couldn't tell much.

He watched as I carefully scooped up a portion of his grayish hair, running the brush through the matted strands repeatedly until they smoothed out. It seemed to calm down his agitation, though I couldn't tell much by his expression. "That feels nice, hm?" I commented and began brushing the next part of his hair. After all of his dirty, thinned out hair was brushed out, I put away the yellow brush. He seemed relaxed after all of that brushing, I was afraid he might fall asleep again. The door behind me opened as light feet brought a cup of medicinal tea. They handed me the little porcelain flower themed cup and stood beside me. "Can you sit up for your tea uncle?" I asked, watching as his shaky frame forced itself up against the backboard. He wheezed and coughed for a bit before settling down. I tilted his head back a little and helped him to drink the light gray tea. He was surprisingly docile, but that was probably only because he was weak. "How does that feel?" I asked quietly and pulled the cup away from his dry lips. He breathed as if he was gasping for air. "It.. It's just fine Hunter, thank you." He spoke in a strained voice. I nodded and helped him to drink the rest of the tea, which he thankfully didn't have trouble drinking. I set down the empty cup on the nightstand and pulled up a pillow behind his head.

He sighed quietly and looked over at me with his cold grayish eyes. "Come here." He commanded in a harsh tone. I stared awkwardly and nervously fidgeted. Raine shook their head and pushed a finger against his chest. "Don't demand attention, that's rude. Ask for it." They said sternly. Belos cringed at Raine's attempt at intimidation and rolled his eyes. "Come here please, Hunter." He huffed and crossed his arms. I scooted closer and leaned over the bed. "Yes Uncle?" I responded with a nervous smile. He reached out to my face and stroked my soft cheek. He was quiet for a while, just watching me with a dull expression. I leaned into his touch and closed my eyes, enjoying the memories I got from his presence. A lot of them were terrible, but I chose to remember the few moments from my adolescence where he cared for me lovingly. "You look so beautiful Hunter." He whispered as he caressed my cheek. I opened my eyes and teared up. I've never heard him say anything quite like that to me with such love.

His hand twitched and pulled away as he moved to grip his chest. "Oh- that hurts." He wheezed and looked over at the empty tea cup. Raine moved over to the other side of the bed and checked his pulse. "It will probably hurt for a while, the medicine is supposedly going to cleanse out some of your disease." Raine stated and checked his temperature. Belos groaned and rubbed his tired eyes. "Whatever cure you think you have, I'm not very confident about it." He grunted tiredly. I stared at my lap and nervously scratched at my neck. "I hope you'll feel better soon uncle.." I commented. Belos reached over and lightly squeezed my hand. "I'll be okay boy. But I need rest." He said and struggled to lay down properly. I helped him get comfortable and smiled when he praised me. "Thank you sweet child." He hummed with a pleasant smile. It was a bit strange seeing him behave like this, but I couldn't judge. "Oh Hunter could you fetch the tea pot from the kitchen stovetop? If Belos is awake, he should drink more tea." Raine requested and continued to check Belos' vitals. I nodded and left the room, walking through the beautifully painted halls to the mint and white tiled kitchen.

I looked at the lavender colored teapot and carefully picked it up, carrying it back to the guest room. Belos was sitting up once more despite being tired, probably because Raine forced him to. I poured the pleasant smelling tea into the little cup and picked it up using the saucer. "Just a little more uncle, then you can rest." I told the bitter old man. He begrudgingly allowed me to aid him in drinking the warm tea. His glazed over eyes closed as he downed the last of it, and he immediately laid down to go to sleep. "Great job." Raine said in a rather flat tone before pulling up his sheets. I turned off the lights once more and left the room, Raine picking up the tea set before following. "You're being very forgiving for your uncle, I'm not sure I would be able to do the same." Raine pointed out as they walked behind me. I scratched my arm out of habit and shrugged. "Well, um, I do forgive him a bit... It's mostly me just wanting his attention that I can finally receive." I explained quietly.

"Try to be more careful.. anyways, would you like to go clothes shopping today with Edric?" Raine asked as we entered the kitchen. I leaned against the polished wooden cabinets and stretched. "Sure, that sounds fun. Will you come with?" I asked and watched as they poured out the excess tea from the kettle. "Only if you want." They responded and smiled sweetly at me. I smiled as well and approached them from the left, opening my arms for a hug. Raine set down the tea set and hugged me loosely. "You make me feel so safe..." I mumbled into their soft sweater. Raine lightly kissed my forehead and rubbed my back. "Good, you will always be safe with me." Raine assured me and gave me a gentle squeeze. I pulled away from them and eagerly went to the door, more than ready to spend some time with them and Edric.