I felt a tug in my heart like it was made from strings. The moment his tiny body hit my chest and I felt that soft fur, something inside me cracked open. I didn't even know why I felt emotional. We hadn't been together for that long, this tiny creature… yet he was my family. My nose stung, my eyes watered on their own, completely uninvited.
"Oh… Beelzebub… how I've missed you." I pressed the tiny, squeaking fluffball against my chest, and he answered with those happy little chirps that always sounded like he was gossiping about something important. His warmth calmed everything inside me.
Then, from below, a voice carried through the wind.
"Beatrice!"
High-pitched, loud, but gentle… like a flower unfolding in spring sunlight.
"Elira!?" Her name slipped out of me before I even realized I'd spoken. I hadn't seen her in what felt like forever, all because of me… all because of my hunger, my stupidity, everything I kept messing up.
