The Bloodshed of Winter

Never EVER give Ace a gun

I took Ace to help me find food, which was a mistake. I tried teaching Ace how to shoot a gun, but he just didn't understand.
"You hold it like this." I positioned it properly in his hands.
"Yeah, I am."
"Then shoot it."
"I don't know how."
"You press the button."
"I don't think that's what it is called."
"Yeah, well I don't know what it's called."
"I have to wait for some animal to shoot."
"Yes you do."
"Well, how longs that gonna take."
"I don't know."
A rabbit then hopped in front of us, Ace tried to shoot it, but failed.
"You know what? I'll do it." I grumbled.
"But I wanna shoot something."
"You aren't going to shoot anything but my hand if you don't let me do this."
"Fine." He sat down on a log.
I aimed the gun and shot the rabbit.
"How'd you do that?"
"I used to have a bow and arrow, me and Adryan used to go and find some meat for either starving families, or the butcher."
"Cool."
I picked up the animals dead body and sat next to Ace on the log.
"What, what is it?" I asked Ace, his expression looked either uncomfortable, or scared.
"Theres something I wanna tell you, but I dunno how you'll react." I said.
"What, tell me I don't really care."
"I'm transgender."
"Really? That's cool!"
"I- I thought you were gonna be mad."
"No, should I be?"
He smiled slightly "No I guess not."
"Tell me more."
"I'm getting the surgery when I'm 18, I started testosterone not long ago, that's why my voice is still kinda high. My mom promised she would help pay for the surgery, that is if worst comes to worst, she doesn't die. She said if she does die for any reason, she would make sure the money was mine."
"I thought- wouldn't it go to your dad?"
"I don't really know, he's a jerk, the only reason I'm still alive is because of her."
"Well I'm glad your alive."
"Me too." He grinned.
"What's your dad like."
"Oh, you know, what literally everyone we're allies with has, an abusive parent."
"But your mom isn't?"
"Nah, my mom's the best."
"Then why's she still with him?"
"She doesn't know, he only does anything to us-"
"You have siblings?"
"Yeah, seven, three passed."
"How?"
"One was in a car accident, that was when I was seven, she was my best friend, the second was murdered, I looked up to him, that was when I was ten, and the last" He closed his eyes for a few seconds " Was right before the bloodshed, her name was Natalia, she- she died from my dad, he beat her to death, she was my twin sister, the only one left around my age, all I could do was watch."
"Oh, I really don't know how to respond to that, that's awful, I'm so sorry." I hugged him.
We sat there like that for a few minutes, my arms wrapped around him while he sat there with his head in his hands.
I heard a rustle in the bushes and Grecias voice "There you are!" She cheered. "I won the bet!" She yelled "they were being cute together!"
I took my arms of Ace and glared at her "That's not what we were doing." This time it was true, I was simply comforting him after he basically just told me his life story.
"Then what were you doing?"
Ace rose his head from his hands and wiped a tear from his cheek "we were talking, as humans do." He said.
"Mmm okay."
I rose to my feet, my ankle still was hurting from when I broke it, but not nearly as much as it used to, as well as my arm, or at least the stump I had left of it.
I picked up the rabbit and walked back to the hut.
The day went by quickly, quicker than I had thought it would. Day turned into night, and days turned to weeks, I was almost used to this, until I woke to screaming and the smell of smoke.