"It is amazing how long a ruined thing will burn."
***
"Don't be afraid." said the familiar voice. "I am here." She knew the person who took her out of the water and took her in his arms, she would recognize that voice wherever she heard it. His body was covered with bandages and only his eyes were exposed, but it was impossible to hide that voice.
Raven was holding Gazelle's tiny body in his lap with only one arm. His arm was under her hip, and Gazelle's body slid down a bit and he lifted her up again, pulling his arm up. It was very dark everywhere, they felt each other's breath on their skin and they were startled, but they were relieved that they couldn't see each other.
Gazelle was cold, scared, heartbroken, and about to have a panic attack. But the arms holding her were too strong, and because of him, she remembered again that she had no one else. And she started to cry loudly.
Raven's muscles tensed as she hugged Raven's neck tightly and buried her face in his shoulder, this time holding her with both arms. Her hot breath and tears wet and warmed his neck. Gazelle's chest was pressed against his collarbone. He frowned as he felt the crazy heartbeats beating under her chest. He would have taken this woman's grief out of her if he could.
Gazelle was like him, he could see that. She was alone, with no one, and underneath her strong-looking character was a resentful child. He wanted to protect her, Gazelle was a lofty goal for him. Perhaps protecting a woman so deeply hurt would give him the peace he was seeking at last.
He hugged her tightly and let her cry, making no sound, but frowned as he started to see little lights. "What are these?"
"Fireflies," Gazelle whispered. Raven moved his eyes to her and stared at her smiling lips for a few seconds. Gazelle also raised one eyebrow when she looked into his eyes. "So you're a prizefighter, huh?" She continued to admire the fireflies. "I should have guessed."
Gazelle pressed her face against his shoulder and closed her eyes as he strode through the light of the fireflies where the water was all-covering. "Thank you," she whispered. Raven didn't answer.
The voices of people trapped in the circus and its surroundings by the darkness rose in the silence of the night. Raven and Gazelle ignored them and continued walking. "Follow the light!" They screamed. Follow the light in the dark.
The darkness of the night seemed to engulf everyone, but thousands of fireflies pierced the darkness. The fireflies did not leave Gazelle, and the desperate humans followed her. As Gazelle and Raven finally entered the forest path, the moon and stars lit their way. A few fireflies remained with them, while others continued to light the way for the city people.
The people of the city believed that darkness could be pierced for the first time that night, and after that night they called the fireflies "the light in the dark".
As Gazelle slept in Raven's arms, he looked first at the burning Ferris wheel and burning police cars in the distant circus. He watched them for a while. He thought about the contrast of the flooded city causing the fire, but could not find any logical answers.
The fireflies swirled around the two of them, their lights shining continuously. And Raven smiled mockingly as he patted Gazelle's back, who was so tired today.
"How can one person shine a glimmer of hope in the deadly chaos?" Raven asked in a whisper. He didn't know the answer either. So he set off for the hut in the forest.
When Raven arrived at the hut with the sleeping Gazelle in his arms, lightning flashed outside and it began to rain heavily. Despite the noise from outside, Raven laid Gazelle on the bed, took off her clothes, and dressed her in his own clothes in the hut, trying not to look at her body. He dried her hair with a clean towel, then covered her with the duvet and went to lie down on the couch in the living room of the hut.
He was just about to lie down on the couch when lightning struck again, and Raven looked out the window at the bright light outside. He watched the heavy rain with his tired eyes. He remembered Gazelle's wet hair as he sat on the couch and began to untie the bandages from his body. Her hair wasn't that long when he first saw her in the forest. Her hair had grown longer as she lived in the woods.
When he had untied all the bandages, he looked around. There were no spare clothes in the hut. It would be nice if he brought all his stuff here. With only his boxers on, he was very likely to be weak in this cold weather. He was angry at the idea that came to his mind, but he had nothing else to do.
He stood up and walked to the room where Gazelle was sleeping, staring for a moment at his reflection in the broken mirror he passed. His hair was tangled, and under his eyes were purple. He couldn't sleep for a long time.
When he entered the room, he went to the bed with silent steps and moved Gazelle, who was sleeping on the wide bed, and then got under the covers and turned his back to her, trying not to touch her in any way. He closed his eyes after taking a deep breath. He could hear the breathing of Gazelle sleeping behind him, and he could feel the warmth of her body. His body was rigid, he thought he wouldn't be able to relax, but after a few minutes, he fell into a deep sleep, thanks to Gazelle's lullaby breathing and the warmth of her body.
*
Gazelle saw a little girl in her dream. The little girl was dancing with a flower man with her cheerful face.
She saw a woman. The flowers blooming on her skin were beautiful, but when they covered her whole body, she was gone.
And she saw a dead woman. Her body under the earth was mixing with it over time, giving birth to nature on her grave.
When Gazelle finally awoke, panting in sweat, she didn't notice Raven sleeping next to her because of her dreams.