It was so cold.
Even with the warm clothes wrapped around his body , even with the sturdy boots on his legs , Mitch could still feel the sting of the wind on his face and open hands.
How was Iran Surviving in a border like this? Why do everyone keep forgetting that Iran hates the cold?
Had he known he would have brought some coats for her, he would have wrapped her in a blanket and hugged her tight , so she can feel warm and toasty.
As he cautiously navigated a slippery mud slope, he stumbled but caught himself with his hands, sparing his clothes from getting soaked except for his knees.
He looked at the sky, despite it's midday, everywhere still seem gloomy and dark. He wonders if his parents have seen the letter he left behind.
Mom will probably start to panic , and Dad, he'll probably keep calm on the outside but panicking on the inside. He doesn't know what will happen when he gets home , but he have to see Iran even if it's just once.
He have never been separated from her. Right from the time she was a wolf , to the time she became human , till the time she grew so tall and strong.
She followed him all around and listen to his demands. They cuddled at night and slept in the same room, they eat the same foods and they love the same things.
She leaving was like ripping off a bone from his body. She didn't even say goodbye, he just woke up one day and Iran isn't by his side.
It wasn't that painful at first, everyone kept telling him Iran went to the borders and she will be back soon , one day turned to one week , one week turned to one month, one month turned to two years.
Not a letter, not a message, nothing to inform him as if she had disappeared. He had written letters to her many times, everyday waiting for a reply, there was nothing.
If he sees her , he will first hug her tight and give her warmth , then he would scold her , but gently though, Iran might not look like it but she cries easily…or maybe he shouldn't scold her , he will just tell her to come back.
He could see the great gates now. The tiredness was no where to be found now, he walked faster and climbed the slopes.
He looked messy but he will just wash his hands before hugging Iran. He just hopes Iran was at home or he just came for nothing. Will the demon allow him to pass? He wish he was taller.
The guard looked bored "Where's your pass?"
Mitch swallowed a gulp and shook his head "I don't have a pass"
"From which place are you coming from?" He looked at Mitch's clothes "Your skin is pale and white, your hair looks healthy And strong, your clothes are made from quality wool and you seem to sustain minimal injury. You are not an ordinary person"
Mitch doesn't really feel okay with the questioning, he just want to see Iran and go back home before his dad goes into one of his tantrums. He should have been smart enough to take a pass from home.
"Your face is also very familiar" the guard looked closer at him " but your hair is brown "
"Please can you let me see someone? I won't take much time "
" I can't allow you in due to protocols, it's been unsafe in the borders these days but I will bring the person outside to you " the guard stretched his hands " in exchange, I want that coat of yours "
Mitch stared at the hands for a full minute before slowly taking off his coat and handing it to the man. The assault of stinging wind made him sneeze twice but he stubbornly looked up.
The guard smiled as he folded it and kept it in his bag "The person You're looking for, is it your sister? "
"I am an only child "
"Oh…What's the person name?"
"Iran , wolf demon"
"Oh I know her, I will be back soon"
The guard just left for 10 minutes but to Mitch it felt like an eternity. The cold had consumed him now making his teeth chatter , to keep himself warm , he jumped around and rubbed his forearms.
"Mitch…"
Mitch snapped his head up and stared. Iran was in a copper armour,her long white hair packed into a tight bun , her blue eyes were widen in surprise and her red lips were in a pout.
Mitch couldn't control his limbs , he walked forward. Feeling the gate between them , he frowned.
"I forgot about the gate..can you come outside?"
Iran voice was soft "Mitch..what are you doing here? "
"I haven't seen you in two years !" His eyes watered "Why didn't you tell me when you were leaving? Why didn't you reply to my letters ? Why are you only in a copper armour? Where is your coat ? You always hated the cold !"
"Whether I wear a coat or not , is none of your business"
The cold tone threw Mitch off guard. His stomach sinked and his chest throbbed.
"Iran , are you angry with me?" He tried to grab her hand from across the gate but she avoided it , her eyes were lowered. The sinking feeling became worse "Iran!"
"I didn't ask you to touch me!"
His eyes stung "Iran , look at me !"
"Don't talk to me like that !" Iran raised her head up , her eyes were red but Mitch doesn't know if it was in anger or in tears, her fists were clenched and her body was tense "I am no longer your silly pet who followed you around, I am not the dog you pat whenever you are bored or your friend you play with anymore"
"I left home to find you, Iran," Mitch protested, his voice rising "I didn't even tell Mom and Dad. If I saw you as a pet, would I do that?"
Iran voice was steady , soft and ruthless; Mitch voice was high and panicky. Their interactions were starting to attract audiences. Iran looked around, her body growing tense.
She looked at Mitch who was starting to smack the gates now , his hands were harsh shaking the gates in it's hinges, her voice trembled "Mitch , please go home "
Mitch didn't answer, his eyes turned from brown to a deep purple ; his canine teeth and fangs came out and the illusion of his tails have appeared. The smacking went louder and the gates trembled. At one point, Mitch let out a roar and started to pull at the gates.
"Mitch , I said go home! " She snapped
"Why isn't it opening?!" Mitch turned desperate, tears streaming down his face. " Iran I am sorry, if I did anything wrong I am sorry "
"Just go back…"
"Please don't leave me …" Mitch's voice cracked, his cries echoing louder. "Iran, don't leave me!"
Iran looked around, the audiences including the guard are now looking at her weirdly. She could see how it looks.
There was a boy who doesn't look older than 10 years old outside the gate crying for her , she appeared 16 years old, her tone and voice cold.
This was why their friendship had to be broken, this was why her feelings have to stop here.
She was a wolf demon , she grew faster and bigger than other demon pairs. She is just 10 years old, nothing more than a child, yet just her large appearance and her characteristics, she's immediately seen as an adult.
Mitch was half human, 10 years old meant 10 years old. No matter what he thinks of her , no matter if he saw her as the little wolf he had grown up with. People will always see her as the predatory one , the one Crossing her boundaries.
"Iran don't leave me , look at me Iran …"
Her chest ached and tears brimmed in her eyes, she could barely suppress her sobs.
Heavens knows how much she wants to open the gate and hug him tight , She hates the cold, Mitch is like a warm oven so she would get warm in no time, he would probably scold her a bit though, then he would pat her head, whispering her name.
She would tell him all her grievances, the weird soldiers that watch her if she's doing her morning exercise , the cooks who scream at her because she's slow , the young mistress who pulled her hair and dragged her through the fields because she refused to be a private bodyguard.
However It was better if they parted ways now , it was better to distinguish themselves. The Prince of the Huli Jing clan should not dirty himself with the wetched orphan wolf. With time, her feelings will disappear and with time , he will grow older and realize that this is for his own good.
"Don't come here to see me again" She rubbed her nose and turned to leave "We are not friends"
Mitch let out an heartbreaking cry "Iran!!!"
She closed her eyes and ran away.
Mitch stopped banging the gates , his eyes widen in shock.
Iran…his best friend had left him alone…no it was ex best friend now , or was it even supposed to be ex best friend?
A warm blanket enveloped Mitch, a gentle hand patting his head. His father stood behind him, reassuringly placing a finger to his lips as onlookers gasped, ready to bow.
"Dad…Iran said that we are not friends "
"Hmm I heard it as I was about to arrive here" He carried Mitch into his arms as if he was light and turned to leave "You didn't take a coat ?"
Feeling the familiar warmth and scent , Mitch still didn't feel relief, in fact he didn't feel anything. It was strange, at the same time, it wasn't. His mind was twirling.
" I did … I traded it "
"I will get another one for you. Do you want the blue or the white?"
His dad voice was calm , way too calm. His dad would have scolded him on a normal day for leaving the house without permission and losing his coat. Why isn't his dad angry? Why is everyone so calm.
Something rose in his chest; it felt uncomfortable "Dad , drop me down "
His dad tightened his arms around him "I can't, if I drop you down, you will do something bad"
Mitch burst into laughter, he didn't know why he was laughing but he doesn't know why he's acting like this.
"I can't do something bad , everyone calls me a good boy !!" He stopped and laugh again"It turns out I am a bad boy , I just shouted at Dad "
"You're not a bad boy for expressing how you feel"
Mitch chest started to hurt , he lowered his face into his dad's chest. His dad's fingers were soft , they rubbed his hair in circles.
"Dad, I feel strange. It's like something's stuck in my throat. I don't know what it is"
"It's anger"
"Anger?"
"Yes , anger " His dad sighed and looked at the gloomy sky , his face was solemn "When we are hurt , we get sad and we get angry. It doesn't make you bad. Do you feel like crying?"
Mitch nod his head.
"Are you upset because she left you?"
Mitch nod his head.
"Do you feel like grabbing her and dragging her back no matter what?"
Mitch voice was soft "I don't just feel like it … I want it "
He looked at the gate , his eyes red " I want to rip out that gate and pull her to my side , I want to tie our hands together so she can't leave me "
He never understood his dad desire to break his mom's ankles, he thought his dad was just throwing a tantrum; it's now it dawned to him.
If he could pull Iran to his side and break her ankle, if he could then find a rope and tie them together, she won't leave.
She will have no other choice but to stay by his side.
His dad laughed, there was a soft smile on his face " I told Bei Shang , your Huli Jing side is almost grown , he thinks I am lying"
Mitch eyes were red , his veins throbbing, his fangs out " Dad , I am scared… I don't like this i am scared "
His dad rubbed his back, his soft palms soothing " Don't be scared, it's normal for us"
Mitch held his chest, his eyes watering at the swirls of intense emotions " Dad…I don't want to hurt Iran .."
"You won't hurt her , You are stronger than that …. You are stronger than me " He raised Mitch and kissed his forehead, Mitch found himself breathing better now "Instead of dragging her back, why don't you take another approach? Why don't you train and come to the borders? Then come back to meet her as a new person. You never know , you might understand her choice then reconcile with yourself "
" I don't think I will ever understand why she chose the borders over me " Tears brimmed in his eyes and he tightened his fists on his dad clothes " Iran is everything to me"
His dad sighed softly, his hand still gently stroking Mitch's back. "It's hard to understand why people do things. Sometimes, we just have to accept it and move on."
"I miss her " tears stung his eyes and he rubbed his face "It hurts"
"It's okay to miss her, Mitch," his father comforted "Remember what I said? You're a little kid and so she is , you're both still turning out"
"I wish I begged her more"
"You did what you thought was right at the time," his dad said gently. "And that's all anyone can ask for."
They stood there in silence for a few moments, the wind rustling through the trees around them. Mitch felt a sense of calm wash over him, his dad words have finally managed to soothe him.
"Dad," Mitch said finally, his voice steadier now, "can we go home now? Mom must be worried"
His father smiled warmly and placed a hand on Mitch's shoulder. "Of course, let's go."
As they walked away from the gates, Mitch glanced back one last time. He could swear he saw Iran at the gate but when he blinked, she was gone like the shadows.
He will grow up , he will train and he will come back here. B
y then she will have no excuse to reject his friendship, his touch , and..and …
His dad combed his hair "Mitch go to sleep, you had a long day"
Mitch closed his eyes and let sleep take him away.