Into The Woods (Sequel to the Hunter and the Healer)

Lost

Bryan was kneeling in the snow with his head bowed in front of a body mostly coated in snow except for the face. It was a man that looked surprisingly similar to Bryan, his chocolate brown eyes lifelessly staring at the sky as Bryan's shoulders shook with barely contained sobs. Tyler had heard the scream as well and had run to see what was wrong, out of breath once he arrived.

"Who is-was that?" Ethan corrected himself, swallowing hard as he tried to not vomit his small lunch.

"Kevin, Bryan's brother." J-Fred stated solemnly, walking with Matthias over to Bryan to try and comfort him. Together the three friends mourned for the loss of Bryan's brother and their friend while the others made sure to give them their privacy.

They were all startled when they heard a loud bark from behind them.

A golden retriever was standing in the snow, long pink tongue lolling out as it watched the group.

"Chica!" Mark cried happily, giving the dog a hug.

None of them were real close to Mark, so they didn't know he had a pet.

"That must mean we're close to the village if she found us!" Amy realized happily. She was glad that the trip to find Mark and Sean didn't take as long as she thought it would.

"What about Kevin?" Mark whispered so Matt, Bryan, and J-Fred wouldn't hear him.

They were whispering amongst themselves, their eyes and noses red with snot freely running down their faces and mixing with the tears on their faces. But Amy did hear Bryan say something that sent shivers down her spine.

Kevin was tortured before he died.

She shook her head to clear the disturbing images filling her mind and cautiously walked over to them.

"We need to move on." Amy told them gently.

"I can't leave him here!" Bryan protested fiercely, his eyes still filled with unshed tears that threatened to spill onto his face at any moment when he whirled around to face her.

"We're close by the village, we'll come back for him and give him a proper burial. " Amy soothed him. Bryan hesitated until Matt and J-Fred helped him up.

"Who's there?" They heard a gruff voice bark. A man with a thick brown beard and hat made of a bear's head emerged, surprised when he saw Mark and Sean.

"You found them! I will alert Felix immediately." The man disappeared almost as fast as he had arrived, motioning for them to follow him. They eagerly followed him, glad to be out of the woods.

"Mark!" Felix exclaimed happily as he briefly embraced Mark.

"Thank you Ken." Felix dismissed the man with a nod of his head. Ken nodded back and left.

"I believe you forgot something." Felix offered him his red cape that he had cleaned for his return. Beaming, Mark put it on, the fabric billowing out behind him.

"We have much to discuss." Felix's expression transformed into a stern frown as he walked away with Mark, urgently whispering something to him.

"Matt!" A woman with long brown hair with blond highlights holding a baby girl jogged over to him, causing the baby to bounce around in her arm as she met Matt with a kiss on the lips that lasted for a couple of seconds before they broke off, their eyes now open as they pressed their foreheads together, relishing being together again.

"This is Amanda, and that's Luna." Matt introduced them to the group he forgot was still standing by him. Luna made a small squeaking noise and reached for J-Fred.

"Ha, she loves me more." J-Fred teased Matt as he scooped Luna from Amanda's arm and made a silly face at her, earning a delighted squeal from her as she clapped her chubby hands together and kicked her little legs.

They introduced themselves to Amanda and Luna as well before the small family walked home.

Bryan was the next to go home, spying his wife waiting for him with his two little girls racing up to greet him and his youngest daughter in his wife's arms.

Ethan and Sean also left shortly after him, smiling as they waved goodbye and went their separate ways.

Nate had sang while playing his guitar for a little bit to entertain himself, as well as Amy and Tyler, before he grew tired and trudged home.

Tyler and Amy were the last ones in the group to go home. Tyler walked with Amy until she reached her home, waving goodbye before he too went home.

That night when she unpacked her supplies, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong as she laid awake in bed.

"Just my imagination acting up." Amy assured herself out loud before she finally fell asleep.