Chapter 1 - Vow
Chapter 1 Summary: The Vow
The Promise and a Growing Family
The story begins with **Anthony** and **Angel** making a solemn vow by a peaceful lake to remain true to one another through every season and circumstance, establishing a lakeside home. They are soon blessed with their first son, **Andrew Fernandez**, whom they hope will grow up to possess both courage and kindness. Three years later, their family expands with the birth of a second son, **Anthros Fernandez**.
A Rift in the Woods
As the years pass, a clear divide forms between the two brothers:
* **Andrew** embraces his father's path, training to become a skilled hunter.
* **Anthros** rejects violence, preferring to examine stones by the shore because "stones don't bleed when you touch them."
During a hunt, Andrew shoots a bear cub to prove his skills to his father. When a local hunter (referred to as Papa by Andrew) arrives, he cruelly advises Andrew that he should never kill a cub alone, but rather kill the mother with it. Anthros is horrified by the cruelty, while Andrew dismisses his brother's grief as weakness, fracturing their relationship.
Unable to shake the guilt, Anthros returns to the woods alone at night. He finds the orphaned cub, wraps it in a blanket, and names it **Ash**. Over the passing seasons, Anthros and Ash form a deep, secret bond in the forest.
Escalating Tensions
As young men, the ideological divide between the brothers deepens. Andrew takes up the family business of skinning animals, while Anthros pursues a path of healing. A fierce argument erupts at the dinner table over their conflicting values, leaving their mother to defend compassion over favoritism. Later that night, the resentment boils over into a violent physical altercation between the brothers in Anthros’s room, forcing Angel to step in to break them apart.
Tragedy Strikes
While in the forest, the family is suddenly ambushed by an aggressive wild bear. Andrew panics and flees up a tree, abandoning Anthros. Cornered, Anthros braces for the worst, only to realize the bear is his old friend, Ash, who recognizes and licks him.
Tragedy strikes when gunfire erupts. Andrew, spotting the bear near their mother, fires his weapon. The bullet misses the bear and accidentally strikes **Angel**. Ash flees into the woods, and Angel tragically succumbs to her wound by the lakeside, leaving Anthony devastated by the realization that he failed his initial vow to protect her.
The Aftermath and Blame
Blinded by grief, Anthony unfairly turns his anger entirely upon Anthros, blaming him for the tragedy. When Anthony takes up a whip to beat him, Andrew steps in, pleading with his father to stop because violence won't bring their mother back. Bleeding and broken, Anthros breaks free from his father's grasp and flees into the night, seeking refuge at a distant church.
The chapter concludes with a mournful Anthros reflecting by the lake on the heavy toll of loss, before being welcomed into the sanctuary of the church by an old monk who offers him shelter.
