In my heart, she left a hole.
April 3rd, 2:02 p.m. || 12 years, 2 months:
"Think this tree will do?" Kanan asked, circling the tall oak. "Yes!" Aida squealed, leaning her forepaws against the tree, gazing up at the bright green branches against the grey cloudy sky. Her ninth birthday was in 16 days, and she had grown so much. Both of them had actually. Kanan's horns had begun to appear, the tiny nubs often gathered teasing from his little sister, but he didn't mind. His wisps had grown stronger, the more life he saved. They now engulfed his left fore and back legs every time he inched life back from death. They had also taken on bright yellow that faded into white light. And as much speculation he gained from it, no one ever really knew why it happened. And Aida had grown to be quite the young lady. Her balance and muscle problems didn't stop her from being a rambunctious young girl, and only made her cling to Kanan harder. Her coat grew to be a soft tan, with her nose and cheeks decorated with freckles, and green eyes that melted her daddies heart. And as a birthday present, the boys had agreed to build her a tree house that over looked the now over flowing river. In the midst of April, the rain was a constant, so playing on the ground wasn't always fun with the abundance of mud, and Aida has been dying for a tree house. So this was the year, Kanan took her out after lunch to pick out the perfect tree. And the choice was obvious, a wide oak with stable branches would make a safe place to build the tree house. "All right then, tomorrow dad and I will go out and get the lumber and start construction." he said, mentally building a floor plan for Aida as it began to rain. "It'll be done by your birthday Miss." he said nudging the girl's shoulder and nodding back towards the house. "The rain is starting to some down, why don't plan out what we'll decorate it with he said, walking back towards the river. The swift moving stream sloshed against the bank, against their paws. Before they had been able to step across on the stones, but those were three feet down under mud and rain water. But Kanan had found an old fallen tree weeks ago when the water levels were low, and dragged it across to the other side, making them a bridge. It was small, but it never failed them. "Come on then." he said, offering his tail fin. With Aida's balencing problems, he had her bite onto his tail fin just for safe measure as he lead the way. She was always gentle, but as the water washed over the tree and onto their feet, Aida grew weary, biting down harder. "Ow Aid, not so-" and that's when his heart sunk. It all happened so quickly, a tear of teeth against his tail, a scream, and a wave of water.
"AIDA!". The blood curdling scream echoed off the trees as he dove in after her. He watched as her head was engulfed under water, only to surface again with the scream of his name. But the river was filled with broken limbs and moving to fast. Kanan dove under, trying to escape the debris, eyes frantically searching the murcky water for her. That's when a sharp sting hit his right eye, a stray branch scratching against his cornea. He choked down water in the scream of pain, desperate to surface. "AIDA!" he coughed, her screams absent from his ears. In a panic he climbed to the shore, running along the banks in search of her, right eye blind and useless as it began to swell, blood dripping from his tail. He heard the far off yells from their parents as they rushed to find them. And for the second time he felt his heart in his throat and tears burn his cheeks. Aida washed up on the bank, limp and scratched. "No..." he murmurer, running towards her. "NO!" he screamed, skidding to her side, plopping his ear down to her heart.
"Think this tree will do?" Kanan asked, circling the tall oak. "Yes!" Aida squealed, leaning her forepaws against the tree, gazing up at the bright green branches against the grey cloudy sky. Her ninth birthday was in 16 days, and she had grown so much. Both of them had actually. Kanan's horns had begun to appear, the tiny nubs often gathered teasing from his little sister, but he didn't mind. His wisps had grown stronger, the more life he saved. They now engulfed his left fore and back legs every time he inched life back from death. They had also taken on bright yellow that faded into white light. And as much speculation he gained from it, no one ever really knew why it happened. And Aida had grown to be quite the young lady. Her balance and muscle problems didn't stop her from being a rambunctious young girl, and only made her cling to Kanan harder. Her coat grew to be a soft tan, with her nose and cheeks decorated with freckles, and green eyes that melted her daddies heart. And as a birthday present, the boys had agreed to build her a tree house that over looked the now over flowing river. In the midst of April, the rain was a constant, so playing on the ground wasn't always fun with the abundance of mud, and Aida has been dying for a tree house. So this was the year, Kanan took her out after lunch to pick out the perfect tree. And the choice was obvious, a wide oak with stable branches would make a safe place to build the tree house. "All right then, tomorrow dad and I will go out and get the lumber and start construction." he said, mentally building a floor plan for Aida as it began to rain. "It'll be done by your birthday Miss." he said nudging the girl's shoulder and nodding back towards the house. "The rain is starting to some down, why don't plan out what we'll decorate it with he said, walking back towards the river. The swift moving stream sloshed against the bank, against their paws. Before they had been able to step across on the stones, but those were three feet down under mud and rain water. But Kanan had found an old fallen tree weeks ago when the water levels were low, and dragged it across to the other side, making them a bridge. It was small, but it never failed them. "Come on then." he said, offering his tail fin. With Aida's balencing problems, he had her bite onto his tail fin just for safe measure as he lead the way. She was always gentle, but as the water washed over the tree and onto their feet, Aida grew weary, biting down harder. "Ow Aid, not so-" and that's when his heart sunk. It all happened so quickly, a tear of teeth against his tail, a scream, and a wave of water.
"AIDA!". The blood curdling scream echoed off the trees as he dove in after her. He watched as her head was engulfed under water, only to surface again with the scream of his name. But the river was filled with broken limbs and moving to fast. Kanan dove under, trying to escape the debris, eyes frantically searching the murcky water for her. That's when a sharp sting hit his right eye, a stray branch scratching against his cornea. He choked down water in the scream of pain, desperate to surface. "AIDA!" he coughed, her screams absent from his ears. In a panic he climbed to the shore, running along the banks in search of her, right eye blind and useless as it began to swell, blood dripping from his tail. He heard the far off yells from their parents as they rushed to find them. And for the second time he felt his heart in his throat and tears burn his cheeks. Aida washed up on the bank, limp and scratched. "No..." he murmurer, running towards her. "NO!" he screamed, skidding to her side, plopping his ear down to her heart.
when the tears come streaming down your face
The beating was faint and slow, and he couldn't hear her breath over the pounding in his ears. "Please god no." he said, blinking the stinging out of his eyes, pushing down on her chest, willing the wisps to bury them selves deeper, to save her. "Come on Aida." he said angrily, pressing his ear against the faint beat of her heart again. From behind him he could hear the shrill cries of his mother and the pounding footsteps of his father.
when you loose something you can't replace
But she was gone. The autopsy concluded the cause of death was drowning. But as Kanan held the girl he came to know as his world. Cold, wet, and gone. Those green eye's cracked his dadies heart and the darling freckles never lit up his mother's face again. They sat in the rain, clutching onto her until the paramedics arrived, prying the girl from Kanan's grip. His body wracked with sobs as the screams echoed through his ears like a broken record.
when you love someone but it goes to waste
Kanan couldn't make it through the funeral, and within a month his mother fell into a crippling depression. They buried her next to the tall oak she picked out and planted daffodils around her head stone. Cassius grew cold, reserved, and angry. And Kanan simply stopped talking. The scratch on his cornea had contracted an infection, that soon spread to the other eye. Within two months his vision clouded and the bright yellow eye's turned grey. That December Ophelia had passed away, they say she simply lost the will to live. She was buried next to her little girl, and as soon as Kanan turned 16, he moved out. He couldn't stand being in the house, memories of Aida dancing and laughing drove him to crippling nightmares. And Cassius gave up. He survived, but stopped living, and hasn't spoken to Kanan in three years.