Chapter 4:

"You need to eat, Eve," Apollo pleaded, flattening her fur. "Please. For us."

 Eve gazed into the horizon, the smell of burning smoke still haunting her after the fire. Nibbling on the piece of hare that Apollo had caught, her pupils wavered and he winced in pain.

 "Eve, don't touch there..." He murmured, nudging her paw away from the burn and ripped another piece of flesh for her. Eve shook her head and turned away. She never liked hares or their cousins. The tom's eyes softened as he coaxed her into another bite. "I'll... try to find some fish next. That's your favorite, right?"

 "Haha... did Freya tell you?" Eve said, her voice cracking with sorrow. "Did you find them?"

 "We're trying to Eve," Apollo breathed as he stood up and passed the hare to another Elder nearby with a respectful nod. "You can try to talk to Vanessa."

 "I want my mom, Apollo. She is my everything. She's my whole life."

 "You believe that, but is she?" Taking a step backward, he sighed. "Look at me, Eve. I had no one to guide me like you did."

 "Explains why you're so jaded and stoned-face."

 He shook his head and reached out for his trusty dagger. Standing up, he walked away to the nearby lake. Eve laid on the grass, blinking at the horizon, a canvas painted in color. She sucked some air inside her chest and stretched her back. Now that she was empty handed, she felt vulnerable, as if anything, anything could break her. Even her aunt doesn't want to talk. Maybe she wasn't the only one who's devastated. Maybe everyone was in a state of despair, hopelessness. She rose from her place by the cliff, each step getting closer to the edge, each step more eager to die. Her heart pounded in her chest and her fur stood straight. The excitement was real. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew in her face and she dropped down to the ground, crying her heart out. A small paw patted her back and she turned her head, meeting green eyes staring at her. She jumped backwards in surprise and stammered. "Br-Bree? Oh my lord, you scared me out of my fur!!"

 "Apollo told me you needed some emotional support from Chris so as his niece," Bree boasted confidently, grinning. "I will help you."

 "Can you get me some apples?" Eve asked suddenly.

 "Uh... sure. Which kind?" The orange she-cat blinked, clearly confused. "For a second, I thought you would ask me to hug you or something."

 "I don't like physical stuff, also, I want the reddest one in the trees," Eve made her demand as clear as possible and got up on her paws again. "I'll just go and... get some fresh air." And possibly finding my own death.

 "Nope. Walk with me," Bree grabbed her arm and dragged her to the trees. "You're very easy to read. You're... just transparent."

 "Is that an insult?"

 Bree went silent and stopped in her tracks. Looking at Eve with sympathetic eyes and murmuring. "You lost so much in the fire."

 "Everybody says that. I don't trust what they say. I pretend to trust them," Eve spat, ripping away from her grip. "I pretend to go with the flow. I pretend for them to cope with my life. I'm not as transparent as you think."

 The wind whipped the branches, getting more violent every second. "I'm scared, Bree. I don't want to go on with the false hope you forced upon me. You should let go of that string too, Bree. Your family's gone," With a sharp breath, she continued like an arrow piercing through the orange she-cat's heart. "They won't come back."

 Bree's pupils wavered and she walked away stiffly. Eve smiled wickedly and looked up at the shining sun. Do they understand? she laughed at herself. Simple. They don't. No one does.

 She dropped down on her knee and let out a terrifying howl, begging, pleading them to take her with them, to let go of this life. Pounding on the ground, she screamed, her voice cracking and her throat sore, she still screeched out her calls like her life depended on it with her paw clutching her ribs, afraid they might fall off once again. Night fell and the full moon shone brightly on her with the silence around her. Exhausted, she rolled onto the ground, crying herself to a sleep full of nightmares.

 ***

 He looked around frantically, searching for her snow-white fur in the greenish overgrown only to be disappointed. He thought that Bree would do the trick, he thought that she would convince her to move on from that experience. Not like everything revolves around her and her pretty little face but every time.

 "Every time, Eve... God, why do you have to be so... addictive...?" He blurted out the words he had held in for so long. Her little face, always happy and joyful. The way every time she tries to say something mean, she bites back a laugh. The way she would be around her even though he was cold. She had everything that he had. He hated her, yet he loved her. Are you sure you aren't just obsessed? a small voice in his head kept whispering, pestering him. You're transparent, vulnerable. You're just a selfish coward, Apollo.

 Leaning back, he let out a breath then followed the cliff to a lush forest nearby. Trees covered the ground and scarlet red apples hung from the dainty branches. Apollo clicked his tongue with annoyance but regained his composure when a sigh came from the other side of the bushes. He raised his brow and approached the sound. Brushing off the leaves that were caught in his fur, his gaze bore into a white cat on the ground. Sniffling through her sleep, she tossed and turned. Her face was damp with tears and snot and her mouth kept opening and closed as if wanting to say something. Her forehead was scrunched in frustration and her claws were unsheathed. With a brush of his tail, her eyes flew open, now red from crying. "It's morning, Eve. Come, I'll get you some moonblooms."

 With a tired nod, she rose to her paws, swaying. "I couldn't sleep," was her first thing that got out of her mouth. Wiping her nose and eyes she looked around. "I thought the wolves got me already."

 Apollo stared at her with wide eyes and tilted her face up to face him. "You really want to die, huh?"

 "Maybe..." Eve breathed out the word and her gaze went to the apple on the trees. "Can you get me that?"

 He climbed the tree swiftly, reaching for the one she looked at and tossed it to her. To his surprise, she laughed a little, even though just a little, the light inside her eyes seemed to come back for just a second before dimming entirely. Jumping down from the branches, he landed with his tail high as he nudged her forward.

 Walking down the path, it was so familiar, yet so strange to the eyes. Trees were everywhere and the scent of wood flooded the air, just like at home. Wild flowers grew on the soft grassy ground with a fresh smell to them. But the silence was too much for him. He opened his mouth and asked, "Would you want me to get you your bow?"