◈ His family survived alone for several years, hiding on their trusty old sailboat, away from the coast. When the first Masters arrived, Farah and Hassen took six years old Sohan to the boat, knowing they would be safer at sea, where no one would be looking. The Masters left as quickly as they came, leaving behind only their Beasts and the dying remains of civilisation.

◈ Surviving was always hard and even more so after Eijaz's baby sister was born. She was needy and loud but also brought so much joy to their little family. They were still living on the boat when the incident happened. Over the years they survived on fishing, up until their catches became too scarce. The Masters had drained the Earth and oceans were emptier than ever. They also needed food fit for a baby, since Farah wasn't able to produce milk as she used to for both her sons. Famished and weakened, she often felt unable to be a proper mother but never showed it to her family.

◈ They had no choice and came back to the mainland, only to hunt food and supplies. They would do it about once a week, following the coast to find what they needed. The day of the incident, Hassen had taken his oldest son with him, teaching him how to hunt. Farah stayed on the boat like she always did. They were in a rural area and thought it was safe, having encountered so few Beasts up until now.
Sadly, they weren't careful enough back then. They thought they were safe, up until they were not. A pack of Kalb (hounds), the four-legged ones, attacked the boat. Farah was outside on the docks, washing clothes with her two years old daughter, and Eijaz was inside when it happened. He heard them attack, and the screams of his mother. The short cry his baby sister made just before dying and he hid. A boat has many small storages where a six years old could fit and that's what he did. Holding his breath and silently crying, he listened to the Kalb sniffing around the boat, breaking everything including the mainsail, before leaving.

◈ When Hassen came back, he was welcomed by the hellish spectacle of what remained of his family. Inconsolable, he still tried to hold his oldest son, as his cries were too loud. The Kalb were long gone, but Eijaz could hear them and he came out, shaking and crying, a sobbing mess. Their family was now in shambles and broken. The three remaining members were, at that point, never gonna be the same.

◈ The - now useless - boat was left behind and surviving suddenly became a lot less peaceful and a lot more intense. Where Eijaz used to sing and play during the day, swim around the boat, and fight with his brother, he now walked quietly behind the strong figure of his father. The broken man swore on protecting them both, but it was harder than they all expected. Eijaz was yelled at when he talked too much and learned quickly to adapt. He had to be strong, his father repeated often. He had to keep walking, even though his legs were tired. He had to do what he was told if he wanted to survive. Live another day.

◈ He learned to hunt with a bow, a skill his father passed on both his sons. They would eat anything: expired canned food, insects, edible plants and mushrooms, but nothing could replace the taste of freshly hunted meat, salted, dried, or cooked.

◈ Eijaz was eleven when his father died. They had to fight a swarm of Yatir (flies), the flying ones, and even though they could easily take them down with their bows, there were too many of them. As he promised to protect his boys, Hassen fought some with his knife and was stung twice. The acid burns could be healed, but the stings of these monsters injected something no medicine could treat. In less than two days, he was dead and there was nothing that could be done about it.

◈ Sohan took care of him at that point. He was twenty and already a man. At that point, they weren't really a family anymore, just two brothers set on survival. They weren't as skilled as their father though and despite his efforts, Sohan also lacked some qualities the old man had. Mostly, his humane side. Hassen was a merciful and kind man, unlike his oldest son who grew in a much harsher world. Eijaz mostly grew to be like him.

◈ They crossed the path of other humans during their survival, but most people weren't friendly at this point. Groups had formed and strangers were unwelcomed. Luckily for them, the two brothers were good at striking first. They never learned to trust others, as most would refuse to help them or worse. At one point in his life, Eijaz wouldn't hesitate one second before letting his arrow fly straight in some unsuspecting stranger walking in his path. Unseen, unforgiving, and lacking any kind of morale you'd expect. He would say it was survival instinct but somehow, he knew it wasn't fair or humane. He knew his father would frown upon them killing and stealing, or worse. Still, Hassen wasn't there anymore and they were lost boys.

◈ One day, he armed his bow, ready to take an easy shot, but it was Sohan who stopped him. Eijaz was a young man himself now, almost twenty years old. He looked at his bother, puzzled, unsure why he would put his hand on his bow like this. "It's an easy kill, I got this." he whispered, but saw in the eyes of the oldest something he hadn't seen in so long. A light that reminded him of their father. Mercy.

"She's just a child, Eijaz."

It was as if, suddenly, the obvious fact hit him like a train. As if he didn't notice before. A veil lifted from his vision and he saw his prey for what it was. For what She was. Realization drowned him for a moment and he felt like he couldn't breathe. Sohan was right, but he forgot at what point he lost the ability to be human.

There was no judgment in his brother's eyes, only a bit of sadness as if they were both griefing this human part they now only realized was missing.

◈ As they thought, this girl - who was about twelve - wasn't alone. They had ventured in someone else's territory and this forest wasn't their playground like any other forest would be. The group had a camp near a lake and they seemed well settled. Sohan and Eijaz had their first argument in years at that point. The oldest wanted to go and try to join them, the youngest wanted to leave. Their arguments were something like "They have children, they seem like good people" and on the other side "We are not like them. This won't work."

Spoiler: Sohan convinced him. And them.

◈ As the oldest brother quickly found a place within the group, Eijaz struggled a lot more. He never learned how a community worked and felt and his individualism struck them as hostile. He wasn't really trying, to be fair, and during the two years he spent there, he never really found his place. He was still a stranger to most of them after all that time, while his brother had found a woman he loved and a strong place in the group. Eijaz was partly jealous of him, jealous of her who had his attention, but also happy for his brother and best friend.
Within the group, there were a few people who knew him a bit better and even liked him. A teen who took him for a model, wanting to learn his skills and thinking he was oh so cool, a woman he liked to see at night and the teen's father who he enjoyed just as much. On the other side, some members of this group despised him. Like the group chef and also... the woman's husband who was suspicious. Poor guy.

◈ It couldn't have worked anyway. It was never gonna work. One day he went hunting with the teen boy who liked him so much. As they followed the tracks of a deer, deep in the forest, they found something else. One of the quicker beasts he used to call Sarie (speedy) but the community called them Fasties. One they couldn't outrun, one he didn't see until it was too late. He could have tried to shoot it, but they were difficult to hit. Too fast. He could have used his knife to try and fight it, as this kind was easier to kill than most, but it would have been risky. He didn't have the time to think, time to reflect on his options. Instinct took over.
Old reflexes, he didn't think twice. He couldn't outrun the Sarie for sure, but he could outrun his young friend. The boy wasn't the most athletic and he knew it. Beasts are simple creatures, most will stop after one kill, to eat their prey. That's what happened. That's the truth he never told.

◈ "They think you left him to die, Eijaz." Sohan looked at him with pain in his eyes. He believed the same as them. And his brother knew him better than them all. He didn't even have to ask him what he thought because he knew. They both knew. His silence was like a painful confession to his beloved brother. Eijaz had lie to the group, saying they were attacked by surprise, that he couldn't do anything because the beast killed the boy almost instantly, striking for the neck as they always do. No one truly believed him, but their dark looks upon him weren't the worst. The boy's father wouldn't even look at him anymore, but that wasn't the worst either.

The worst was that he couldn't forgive himself for what he did. Guilt was unbearable, remorse eating him, days and nights.

◈ He left the group only two days after the incident. He didn't tell anyone, not even his brother, he simply left like a thief in the middle of the night. He never saw any of them again and promised himself he would never lose track of his humanity again. He swore he would never let someone innocent die again because of him.
Eijaz stayed mostly alone after that, meeting with other survivors sometimes, not always in peaceful manners, but he stopped striking first. Giving them a chance. Even though he walked with small groups a few times, he never stayed long. His demons are more vicious than the Beasts and his nights never got peaceful again.