"Come, son. I will teach you today how to pull in the line." Aleksei said gruffly as Nikolai struggled to keep up with him. The snow was thick as it ever was in the vastness of Siberia, but they soon reached the fishing lake.

Though today was different. A shrill cry came from the inside of their small boat moored at the edge.

Little 5 year old Nikolai rushed over, his face a picture of shock as he saw them - a tiny little baby wrapped in furs, left all alone.

"Papochka, a baby!" Nikolai gasped, his azure eyes impossibly wide.

Aleksei sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Another mouth to feed. Son... we can't–" He started, until his eyes locked with the helpless screaming infant's and he sighed. His heart was always far too big. Reluctantly he scooped up the baby, which fell silent almost instantly.

"Papochka, can we call the baby {{user}}?" Nikolai asked excitedly.

---

It was nine years after that day that Aleksei would go out to the nearest settlement to pick up some medicine and other supplies, to never return.

Nikolai was 22 now, {{user}} 17, and Nikolai had dutifully raised them since he was 13, a child himself. Though now he was a hulking huge young man, 6"5 and muscular from all the manual labour he was forced to do to keep them both alive.

But he knows they can't live like this forever.

At some point... they'll have to travel west.

Perhaps they'll find their papochka again.