Karelias missed the sunrise on that day. He remained inside the guest hut, giving Armas some of the water he had taken from the lake and boiled last evening. Something stirred outside when he gave the old dog the last ground meat from his travel supplies. Karelias did not care.
But then someone stepped through the heavy fur curtain covering the entrance. "Karelias?" a familiar old voice spoke and Armas lifted his pointy ears.
For a moment, Karelias perched up. He did not look at the guest, the voice already told him who it was. Instead he looked at Armas. The old dog let out a few happy snorts at the sight, but he remained tied to his basket. Neither tail nor leg moved at all.
"Hello, Uncle Ardanas," he sighed. The dream had not come true.
Only now, Karelias looked up. An old man with long gray hair, a shaggy gray beard and purple eyes had entered. "Kaskene told me you're here," he said. "How are you?"
"Fine," Karelias replied with a small voice, looking at Ardanas long fur robes, adorned with intricate geometric patterns instead of his eyes.
The old man did not seem convinced. He rested a hand on Karelias' shoulder as he tried to sit down next to him. But Ardanas stumbled and landed on his behind with a dull thud, "Ouch!"
Karelias winced at the sight. This is how it started with Armas. "Uncle, are you..."
"Don't worry," the bearded man chuckled. "We've been out hunting for several days and I'm not a young man anymore. I just need a break."
But Karelias just stared at him, looking like he was about to cry. So Ardanas pulled him in for a hug. "Don't worry, I have many more years left in this world," the purple man assured him. "And I won't leave you."
A quiet whimper resounded before Karelias could say anything. Armas looked at them with foggy puppy eyes. "Yes you too," Ardanas reached out to pet the old dog.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Outside, the fairies were busy with all sorts of things while a young human couple watched over a steaming earth oven. He had purple eyes and the blond hair Ardanas used to have, she had green eyes and red hair.
Next to them lay two dogs. One was a bit smaller than Armas, had black and white fur and teal eyes. The other was still a puppy, covered in gray fuzz. Both chewed on the leg of a deer.
Karelias came out carrying the basket with his old dog. Now that he stood on his feet, he stood about as tall as the younger purple-eyed man, a good bit above the redheaded woman and Ardanas and towered far over every single fairy. "Hello Finas, hello Okuna," he greeted the young couple with a small voice.
"Hello Karelias, how's it," the blond man spoke as the couple turned around. They fell silent for a moment at the sight of Armas lying in the basket. Eyes foggy, but still open, body barely moving.
The redheaded woman cleared her throat. "We've got some meat left over. You can feed it to your little brother," she pointed at another deer leg lying on a stone near the fire. "We stuffed the deer's body with fish guts, nuts and all manner of herbs the fairies had lying around. It should be done soon."
"Thank you," Karelias did not even try to smile. He just put the basket down near the stone, sat himself right next to it so that Armas could see him and got to work with the little flint blades in his pocket. Each one only managed a few cuts before it lost its edge. He took off the skin, separated the meat from the bone and then chopped it into tiny pieces with his bone knife.
"I think we should add the mead," Finas pointed at the little wood pipe sticking out of the earth oven.
Okuna disagreed, "Not yet."
Old Ardanas approached the earth oven, already smelling the deer's tripe, liver and all the other fatty entrails humans and fairies preferred over the lean filets roasting. "Mmmh, this was worth the ankle sprain," he whispered.
"Dad, how is Karelias?" Finas asked.
The old man let out a sigh, "As good as he can be given the circumstances. Don't expect him to talk much."
"Maybe he could adopt our puppy," Okuna suggested. "She'll get her name soon and the fairies have their cats."
Said cats were currently munching on fish caught in the morning. The little puppy meanwhile had gotten bored with the deer leg and instead went to investigate the chopping noise. Karelias gave his old dog little bits of ground meat whenever he had some ready. Seeing Armas eat it up little by little brought a smile to his face.
"Don't even talk about that while Armas is still alive," Ardanas shook his head. "They need to say farewell first. Just let Karelias have his space."
The puppy watched Karelias chop meat for a while. He did not even notice the little fuzzball right next to him. After two handfuls of meat, Armas stopped eating. Karelias almost smiled. His little brother had eaten well and the day was just starting. He left the rest on the stone and reached into his pocket. The unnamed puppy watched, slowly stepping closer to the ground meat on the stone.
Armas looked up as much as he still could when Karelias pulled the old mammoth ivory rattle out of his pocket. His tail could not wiggle anymore, so he just snorted happily. Karelias shook the rattle once.
The puppy jumped. She hushed towards the basket to see where this noise was coming from. Karelias wanted to rattle again, but when he saw this little gray fuzzball standing next to old Armas, he froze. His hand started shaking as he lowered the rattle towards the basket.
Seeing this little gray ball of fluff stand right next Armas in his basket, three paws on the other side already made his chest contract. The puppy looked almost like Armas all those years ago. But it was not him, it was a stranger. The eyes were different, the soul behind them was different.
A lump formed in Karelias' throat. Why could his little brother not stand there? Healthy as he used to be, curiously sniffing every new thing he came across. Karelias said nothing as the puppy carefully smelled at Armas, unable to understand why the enormous dog would not get up.
He just put the ivory rattle before Armas' snout. The old dog took it, then shook his head as hard as he still could. A sound much quieter than what Karelias expected, or rather hoped for came. It startled the puppy. The fuzzball jumped away, back to her mother. Two button eyes surrounded by fluff looked at the old rattle from behind the mother dog.
Part of Karelias wanted to look away, but he could not. The sight brought back such beautiful memories and with them great pain. He wiped away a tear. When he finally turned back to Armas, the old dog had fallen asleep on his even older rattle.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the coming days, Karelias, Finas and Okuna would help the fairies harvest Hazelnuts. The forest floor was covered with them. Every day, the fairies would pick the nuts up and put them in sleds their guests had made. A frame of large sticks covered by old furs.
Karelias dragged large portions of nuts to the hamlet, where he poured it all into one of several holes in the ground lined with fired clay. Every single time, he went to check up on Armas. Either Kaskene or Ardanas would remain with the old dog by the big fire or in one of the pithouses whenever it rained.
Most of the time, Armas slumbered. Same with the elders who watched him. Karelias never woke them up. He only checked if his old companion was still breathing, turned him around on occasion and cleaned up whatever mess he made in the dry leaves whenever necessary.
Every day, the fairies would renew the spell which took away Armas' pain. But every day, the old dog ate less. His eyes grew more foggy and he spent ever more of the day asleep.
On the last day of harvest, Irida walked next to Karelias as he pulled a load of hazelnuts heavier than her. He had not smiled in two dozen days. "Uhm, Karelias," she said with a small voice. "My grandma is a very good healer. She could remove the fog from your little brother's eyes, so he can at least see you."
"Thank you, but he can," Karelias replied without looking at her. "I know from the way he looks at me when I get close enough."
"Well... with so much fog in his eyes, I'm not sure you can even call it that."
"He knows it's me, that's enough," Karelias sighed. "And he already underwent this ritual once. It was very straining and he was much healthier back then. I- I just... want him to go without pain and on his own accord. Nothing else."
Irida nodded, "I understand."
They brought the last hazelnuts home. Like every day, Karelias tended to the old dog first, ate some roasted hazelnuts for supper and then carried Armas into the guest hut to hear his old friend snore one more night. By now it had become so quiet, Karelias could barely even hear it. He missed the days when Armas would snore much louder.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next morning, Karelias woke up late and remained in the bed of leaves and old furs he had made for himself in the guest hut. Harvest was over, Armas still asleep. Why even get up? He just looked at the basket, eyes fixated on the old mouflon pelt gently rising and falling.
"Karelias, you're awake?" a familiar high pitched voice whispered. Irida peeked through the entrance curtain.
"Hm?" Karelias was not even bothered.
"Come outside, we've got something for you."
The fairy disappeared behind the curtain. Karelias slowly got up and put on his fur jacket. He checked on Armas one more time. Nothing had changed since yesterday. The old dog had kept Kimorak at bay for almost two moons now.
Outside, Karelias was not prepared for what the fairies had made. A large clay pot, modeled to look like a dog covered by intricate geometric patterns. The lid looked almost exactly like Armas' head with the two pointy ears, heart-shaped nose and permanent smile.
His burial urn.
Karelias just stood there for a moment, looking at it. The urn was neither painted nor fired yet, but the shape was complete. Somehow, he felt nothing at the sight. He had long thought about what to give Armas into his grave and where to bury him.
"Thank you," he said with a small voice, while Irida and her sisters looked up to him. Not with pity, but with compassion. "It's beautiful... looks just like Armas... like he used to be."
"Ardanas helped us a little," Irida noted.
"I can see that," Karelias nodded. "I- I promise, I'll repay you for that one day."
Irida and her sisters all shook their heads at this. "You already have," she replied. "This was the best harvest we've had in years. Usually the squirrels get most of the nuts."
Karelias did not protest. Maybe he would have on any other day, regardless of whether or not he should. But today, he was just tired and everyone could tell. So the fairies left him to his morning routine.
It did not take long for Karelias to return to the guest hut with a flask of water. Armas woke up the moment he stepped inside. "Good morning, little brother," Karelias whispered with a baby voice, petting the old dog on his head. "Harvest is over. I'll stay here today."
At these words, Armas started wheezing quietly. Karelias knew what this meant. Or so he thought. He opened the flask to give his little brother some water. But Armas caught almost nothing. Most fell through his teeth.
Karelias' chest contracted a bit at the sight. Yesterday, Armas could still drink fine. He pulled back the old mouflon fur. Only a few drips had stained the leaves below. By now, Armas had become almost completely stiff. His neck arched so far backwards that Armas' head almost looked over his shoulders.
Karelias carefully lifted him out of the basket and onto his lap. The old dog had lost so much weight. He rested Armas' head on his upper arm and tried to tilt it up. Looking Armas into his foggy blue eyes, Karelias massaged the old dog's ears a bit and then reached for the flask.
He poured a little bit of water into Armas' mouth, whispering with a soft voice, "I love you, little brother." The old dog gulped down. Then he stretched a little bit, his eyes widened. One moment, Armas looked at his human, then he looked past him.
Karelias did not even realize what was happening. He just held Armas, gently stroking his straw-like fur. It used to be so soft and warm, but now he could feel bones through it and the heartbeat slowed and slowed with every passing moment..
Eventually, Karelias could not feel it anymore. He reached for Armas' paws. They were cold as ice. Armas' eyes were empty, his body slowly lost its stiffness. As the old dog slumped down into Karelias' lap, he realized what had happened.
The moment he had dreaded so much. Yet Karelias felt no shock, no pain. Just relief. At least for this one moment. Armas was no longer in pain. His little brother had finally gone to the other side with Kimorak.
Karelias cradled him for a little longer, then put Armas back into the basket. He tucked him into the old mouflon pelt Armas always loved so much and laid the mammoth ivory rattle next to his head.
For a while, he remained sitting before Armas, looking at him. The mouflon pelt no longer moved up and down, no matter how much he wished for it. Eventually, Irida called for him to come to dinner. Usually, Karelias would have carried the basket outside, so Armas could take part.
Not this time.