Valin and Ozzie as Children

Valin is standing a short distance away from a large mob gathered around a tree. His father is hung from the tree's limb, a thick rope tied around his neck. Valin is shaking, "Father..."
Ozzie dashes up, coming to see what all the commotion was about. He stops as he sees the body, wrinkling his nose slightly. "..icky..."
Valin's eyes are wide, his body twitching. In the dark it is hard to notice the tear stains around his eyes. Tears of blood. "Father..." He steps back, the heat from the lit torches making his flesh sore.
Ozzie walks a bit more forward, his head cocked to the side ever so slightly. He looks at Valin, pointing to the lifeless body. "Who is that?"
Valin shudders, laughing quietly. "Father..." His father's eyes are bulged, fluttering, his throat fluctuating, striving to breathe.
Ozzie slowly takes a step away from him. "...y-your...father...?"
Valin raises his hand slowly, "Bye bye father...bye bye...." He turns, looking down at Ozzie, his crimson tears now painfully apparent.
Ozzie flinches and takes another step back. "...you're bleeding...."
Valin smiles, "Daddy's hurt....they're killing daddy..." He takes Ozzie's hand, "Come on..."
Ozzie frowns slightly. "...come...where...?"
Valin smiles, his fangs now visible, "Away from here...you'll come with me won't you...won't you..."
Ozzie's eye widen. "U-uh....."
Valin nods, "They want to kill me too...cause of father...."
Ozzie swallows, glancing back. "B-but...mama..."
Valin gets to his knees so to be at the same height with Ozzie. He hugs him, "We'll go from this place...can't we...I don't want to go alone..."
Ozzie blinks, looking at the other boy with large eyes. "...I-I....but...."
Valin smiles wearily, his body shaking. "We can run away..." Ozzie's mother suddenly sees Valin hugging her son, her eyes widening, "Get away from him! Get away from him you monster!"
Ozzie glances back at his mother. "Mama? He's not a monster....."
She runs to them, roughly pushing Valin away from her son. Valin looks up at her, eyes wide, "But I...."
Ozzie frowns at his mother. "Mama.....what are you doing?"
She kneels, putting her arms around her son, "Don't worry darling.." Valin shakes his head, "I'm not a monster...d...daddy is...daddy was a monster....I didn't..."
Ozzie watches his mother silently. "Mama...you're wrong..." He points a small hand to Valin. "He's telling the truth. He's not a monster. A monster would hurt me...he didn't hurt me Mama."
She shakes her head, "Listen to me...Ozzie, listen to me. I won't let that creature hurt you..." Valin shudders, shaking his head, "I'm not..." He rubs his eyes, trying to rid the bloody tears that course down his face, leaving a disgusting smear of red.
Ozzie shakes his head, frowning. "But Mama, he's not going to hurt me! He's not a monster..." He tries to break away from his mother's grip.
Ozzie's mother growls, "You listen to me. See look at him, only a monster sheds blood in place of tears. Valin shakes his head, "Iie!!"
Ozzie frowns, tugging at his mother's arms. "Let go, Mama....he's bleeding...he's not crying blood...that can't happen..."
Valin attempts to wipe his eyes, only managing to smea the blood, making it appear more gruesome. Her grip falters are her small son's arm, "Ozzie! Listen to me!"
Ozzie continues to try to get away. "I don't wanna listen...you never listen to me..."
Valin suddenly seizes Ozzie's hand, managing to pull him away from his mother. Instinctively he starts to run, pulling the smaller boy with him. His mother screams, "Ozzie!"
Ozzie follows Valin obediently, giving a small wave to his mother. "I'll come see you later, mama!"
Valin murmurs, "No you won't..." but it is more to himself than to Ozzie.
Ozzie blinks, catching a snippet of what Valin said. "...N-no? But...I have to see Mama...."
Valin shakes his head, continuing to run, his shoes slapping the dirt beneath them, "No....she'll hurt you..."
Ozzie frowns, shaking his head. "Iie..iie, that's not true...Mama raised me....she wouldn't hurt me..."
Valin goes silent. He doesn't stop running until they are hidden in the dense trees of a dark forest. He slows, breathing heavily and leaning against a tree.
Ozzie, who is breathing hard himself, takes a step back from Valin. "....I'm gonna go see Mama soon...."
Valin turns, "Iie! ...Don’t leave me..."
Ozzie frowns, weakly pointing back to where they had come. "In a while..I can't just leave Mama..."
Valin takes Ozzie's wrist, "No...she doesn't need you....not the way I do...don't go..."
Ozzie frowns, looking at Valin and biting his lip. "B-but..."
Tears of crimson have since dried upon his face and his figure is shaking. "No."
Ozzie shrinks back a bit. "M-Mama...." he murmurs.
Valin growls suddenly, "Fine! Go! I don't need you.." he turns, stalking off into the trees.
Ozzie shivers. "W-Wait...I just wanted to go and visit her later...don't leave me here..."
Valin doesn't stop, "Just go home......I don't care...."
Ozzie shakes his head slightly. "...I don't wanna..."
Valin growls, "Like I care."
Ozzie shivers, wiping away a few tears, his bottom lip trembling.
Valin shivers, "You don't care about me.....so why should I care what you want?! Huh?"
Ozzie shrinks back. "I-I care..."
Valin scowls, "...that's a lie."
Ozzie shakes his head a bit. "Iie...if i don't care, I wouldn't have let you take me..."
Valin scowls, but says nothing.
Ozzie frowns, turning to leave. "I-If you want me to go, I will.."
Valin smirks suddenly, walking over to Ozzie. He turns the boy around, then kisses him firmly upon the lips, "We'll meet again, little one...and next time I won't let you go." With that, he turns, disappearing into the trees.
Ozzie blinks. "...n-nani...?"

~Owari~

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