The Hybrid Fateful Sorrow

It's a Beautiful Dream

The pleasant sun basked the white lands and the wilderness, shining to all the distant places it can extend. Although the sun would not last long in the winter, it was handing out enough warmth.

A slim thirty-five-year-old Galiet, along with his hunter companions, Amelia, and the five-year-young Elise, all were wearing fur-covered hunting clothes as they shuffle the snowy land of the forest.

Galiet and Amelia pace their walk with Elise, who diligently ambles in the tedious snow.

“I feel like it has been snowing all year,” Galiet uttered.

“Remember the first time you brought me to hunt, it was also in the winter,” Amelia said.

Galiet gazes at Amelia as he smiles, reminiscing that day.

“I can remember that, the smell of cloudberries didn’t leave you,” Galiet let out.

“It was a beautiful day just like this, and without warning you decided that I should be called Amelia,”

“For unknown reason, Amelia pops into my mind when I smell those cloudberries in you. But don’t be grumpy now, you love the name,” Galiet said.

“I do, father, I love my name Amelia,” Amelia said.

She glances at her father as she lets out those words. Amelia’s eyes show how grateful she was for Galiet for saving her life and filling it with utmost care and love.

They continued to walk with Galiet beaming with happiness visible in his smile.

“Was I there with you two, father?” Elise asked.

“You are, I think, might even be sleeping at my back at that time,” Galiet said.

Elise, with her tiny legs, continued to walk as she chunters every step. Galiet quietly chuckled as he glimpsed his brave daughter struggling on every step. He directs his feet closer to Elise as he snatches her body, lifting her above, carrying her to his shoulder.

“YAY! Now I can see everything!” Elise in a cheerful voice.

“Nice, Elise, you need to relax those flabby legs of yours,” Amelia said.

“What’s flabby?” Elise said.

“It means cute, Elise, you got cute, cute tiny legs,” Galiet said.

Delighted as they stroll the cold lands, they stop upon seeing an animal track, a deeply cloven hoof spread on snow. Galiet crouches closer to deduce what kind of animal they are following.

“Here, Elise, look, that’s a reindeer hoof marked right there,” Galiet said.

“Where is it going?” Elise asked.

“Looking for food like us, or water,” Galiet said.

Galiet concentrates on listening to the surroundings, presuming the reindeer’s location near a bubbling of rocks and branches as the stream travels. While Galiet uses his ability to focus his hearing, Amelia watches him intently, adoring his concentration.

“It is near the river, probably tired and having a drink, we need to walk slowly and quietly to not scare it away,” Galiet said.

“I can be quiet,” Elise said.

Galiet takes out his wooden bow, handing it out to Amelia.

“Here take this,” Galiet said.

She eagerly reached her hand for the bow. Afterward, they follow the tracks towards the nearby river, hearing the ripples of the stream followed by the sight of a thirsty reindeer that is leisurely drinking from the river.

“You see it, Amelia?” Galiet said.

“Yes, I do,” Amelia said.

“Just like every time, visualize your arrow’s path before you draw, and visualize the reindeer’s heart while you draw,” Galiet explained.

“Visualize, arrow’s path?” Elise asked with curiosity in her tone.

“Yes, Elise. You need to imagine where you want the arrow to hit,” Galiet said.

“I understand, father,” Amelia said.

She takes a deep breath as she envisioned her aim; upon deciding where to hit, she fully draws her bows. After a snap, the arrow whistles in the air, traveling to its laid mark, to the heart of her prey. The arrow nailed its target to the soft snow, instantly ending the life of the reindeer.

“Wonderful shot, Amelia,” Galiet said.

“It was good?” Amelia asked.

“It was flawless, it didn’t suffer. Now let’s get to our food,” Galiet said.

“You are so good, sister,” Elise said.

Elise is still being carried on Galiet’s shoulder and Amelia as they move closer to the reindeer’s remains. Upon getting closer, they saw a couple of smaller tracks that were around the river.

“I’ll grab him whole, and skin it at home, I’ll show you how to properly skin it, but for now—” Galiet said.

“It’s wolves,” Amelia said.

“That’s right, Amelia. Do you want to see one, Elise?” Galiet said.

“It can hurt us, right? I’m scared, father,” Elise uttered.

“How about this, instead of thinking about the scary stuff, how about we make a promise,” Galiet said.

“How would a promise help us,” Elise said, turning her body to gaze at her father’s face.

Galiet boops her nose as he continues to speak.

“I promise to always protect you away from harm, and you should promise me to always remain by my side,” he said.

Elise boops his father’s nose as she replies.

“I promise, but you need to always carry me like this,” Elise said.

“That’s a pretty good deal, now let’s focus on our promises,” Galiet said.

“YAY! Let’s see some wolves!” Elise said.

Amelia was just finishing tying the remains of the reindeer. Galiet snatched the rope as he carried it on the side of his shoulder. Upon gazing at the laid tracks, they soon advanced towards it.

“Let’s not make them wait,” Galiet said.

Following the wolves’ tracks leading them to a wide area as the tracks split, Galiet could hear what was ahead of them a low growl of a surrounded animal.

“The wolves are hunting,” Galiet uttered.

“What are they hunting? Reindeers?” Amelia said.

Elise remains quiet as she clasps her father’s fur cloak and head.

“No, bears,” Galiet let out.

There ahead of them was a surrounded grizzly bear fighting for its life against the pack of wolves. By its look, the bear was at a disadvantage against five wolves that alternately attacked him from the directions he was not looking at.

“Together the wolves are strong, they could bring fear to their prey even if it’s a grizzly bear like that one,” Galiet said.

“They are like family,” Elise said.

But the bear that the wolves surround understands one thing, it does not need to play defensive, but to attack its hunter’s head after one or two of them falls to the ground, the rest of the packs will scurry away. So the bear did not wait and attacked aggressively; upon successfully wounding two wolves, they scrambled away in fear.

“But if you showed them strength more than the fear they gave you. You’ll eventually topple their bound and return the fear to them twice as much,” Galiet said.

The grizzly bear, still furious from the wolves, apprehends the smell of another hunter as it gazes towards Galiet. It marches towards them wildly as if the ground is shaking as well as Amelia’s legs. Amelia was stunned by the sight of a bear as she thought of running away.

“Father,” Amelia let out.

“Focus on my promises to you both, Amelia, Elise. Don’t fear as long as you have me,” Galiet said.

Galiet stands his ground even with the vicious animal charging towards him, not showing any hint of fright, while Amelia’s body is frozen to her ground as she glances at her father’s face. She saw the alteration in her father’s eye; the one that was once a white blind is now emitting a raging vermillion red eye.

Galiet, through his eyes, delivers a hundredfold terror upon the mad grizzly bear that is marching towards them. His gaze was enough to topple the bear’s heart as it stopped right in front of them, whimpering by Galiet’s glare. The bear gradually turned around, away from them, howling with every step.

While her eyes are closed, Elise grips her father’s face as she eventually covers Galiet’s eye.

“We are safe, don’t worry. You can open your eyes now, Elise,” Galiet said.

Elise releases her hands away from her father’s eye, revealing his blind right eye and cold azure left eye.

“I think that is enough hunting for today, let’s get you ladies home,” Galiet said.

Upon returning to their warm homestead, Amelia and Elise hurried towards inside their home while Galiet hung the deer on the hunting rack. Afterward, He retreats inside his home and talks to his daughters.

“You both have been wonderful and brave back there,” Galiet said.

“No, father, I closed my eyes, I was scared,” Elise uttered.

“I am as well, father. My legs were trembling and my mind said to run like hell,” Amelia said.

“Being scared does not mean being a coward. But being scared and still getting through it till the end, that’s bravery, and I am proud of you Elise, I felt your trust. I am proud of you Amelia, you stand your ground, that is what you must do, you always stand your ground no matter what you face,” Galiet said.

Upon hearing their father’s sweet words, they rush towards him, clutching his body adoringly.

“You are my proud daughters. And I am happy to be your father,” Galiet said.

“This feels like a beautiful dream, but I love it,” Amelia said.

“Never leave us father,” Elise said.

“I would never,” Galiet said.

In only a matter of seconds, the place was engulfed with blackness. The warm feeling was gone.

‘Never huh?’ a voice in his head said.

“What is this?” Galiet asked.

‘All this time you wasted, why, why Galiet. Why must you punish yourself further?’ A voice in his head.

“Who are you? What are you talking about?” Galiet asked in a worrying voice.

The cold has started to embrace his rough body. The deafening caws of crows are resonating in his keen hearing.

‘Do you plan to be buried alive in this white, sad of sorrow, f*cking cold bed of snow?’ A voice in his head said.

“What’s going on? Where the hell am I?” Galiet said.

He was frightened from the recurring feeling creeping on every part of his tired, freezing body.

“It’s time for you Galiet, to wake up in this F*cking beautiful dreams of yours!” Rassa yelled.