Stain of Red || The Darkling

𝐗𝐗𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈.

Now, she only cared about four things. Igor, Vasilka, Ravka, and of course, her Aleks. The opinions of anyone else did not matter. Not to her. They could say all they want but none of it would ever bother her. 

Whilst she was in the midst of her thoughts, the soft sound of paws pattering across the ground caught her attention. 

Irina breathed a sigh of relief. "Vasilka, thank the Saints, I thought you wouldn't be able to find your way back which would-"

She stopped, her eyes widening at the sight. Whenever she saw Vasilka, she was reminded of snow, the pure and untainted snow. Yet the sight in front of her showed differently.

Vasilka's white fur was covered in maroon liquid and even without approaching, Irina knew it was blood. She was filled with a sense of dread at seeing her beloved lion cub like that. 

Her feet moved of their own accord as she sprinted to the cub and immediately checked her for any injuries, the blood staining her own hands. Vasilka whimpered and cuddled closer to the princess but showed no signs of being injured. 

The cub dropped something at her feet and Irina warily picked it up. At first glance, it looked like a crumpled piece of cloth but when she unfurled it, her heart dropped. 

It was the Ravkan double eagle, a piece of fabric that was normally stitched on a soldier's uniform. Soldiers normally didn't venture that far into the forest. Unless they knew. 

The blood on Vasilka's fur and the blood around her mouth suddenly made sense. 

Saints, the soldiers had found them. 

Irina scrambled to her feet, the cloth clenched in her fists as she gestured for Vasilka to follow. 

Together they ran to the cabin, praying to all the Saints that they weren't too late, that they still had time to flee. 

"Aleksander!" Irina exclaimed as they entered the cabin, the young princess bolting the door shut immediately. 

"What's wrong?" Aleksander asked, emerging from the room filled with his maps. His worry only increasing when he saw her frantic state and the blood on Vasilka. 

Not saying a word, she handed him the double Ravkan eagle, and upon seeing it, he was filled with the same sense of foreboding. It was as if history was insistent on repeating itself. 

"They've found us." Irina said, the fear within her increasing. 

Aleksander nodded, agreeing with her that they could not take chances. If Vasilka had managed to slow them down, then good but there was no stopping them once they got here. "We have to leave. Are your things ready?" 

"Yes. Everything's ready." She replied, sure of herself. She had prepared everything they needed the night before what with her paranoia eating her up from the inside.

"Alright, plans change. We have to reach Poliznaya before the sun sets." He declared, grabbing the maps he had set out and grasping her hand. 

They were on their way to the back of the log cabin, having already planned their course for escape when the sound of horses whinnying rang from the outside of the cabin. 

"Wait, Aleks," She said, stopping him from taking another step. 

He turned to her, his mouth opening to say something only for him to be interrupted by a commanding voice. 

"Darkling! We know you're in there!" The voice shouted, the demand penetrating the four walls that hid them. 

 Aleksander gave her a look and in turn, Irina raised both of her hands, holding them together as she concentrated on finding the heartbeats of said men.