The Forest Prince

XXIII. | "I'm Just Saying, I Can Do Better"

In time, dusk arrived. Sister Dawn was easily able to tend to the young Yew's wounds and relieve some of the pain inflicted. Nearby, Gabe slept, curled into a lonely ball facing the Elder Tree's trunk. Willow took turns watching over the boy and watching over the Yew's procedure with their mother.

She sat near him, took note of his pained expression. She ran a careful hand through his hair, watching as he stirred some against her touch. "It's growing out..." She quietly mentioned, almost wondering how he'd prefer the growth. Her fingers began to tremble as she stroked the black curls.

"Bambi, this is on me." Her voice lowered almost to a whisper. Guilt invaded her conscious, she couldn't avoid it. She felt it was her call, her decision that resulted in this incident. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." The nymph quivered slightly. She felt her apology held no weight. She watched this poor boy rest, struggled to comprehend his nightmares. "I...I..."

"How is he?" Momma Yew approached from behind, making the concerned dryad jump.

"He's..." Willow glanced between the boy and the mother. "I don't know." She knew Yew wasn't asking about his physical state. "The threat looming over his life..."

"Casts a long shadow. I can't even imagine." Mother Yew finished the thought.

"Are you upset?" Willow diverted her gaze as she asked. The mother's brow furrowed at such a query.

"How can I? Gabe can't control what he is. He's just trying to live the best he can. I can't fault this child, nor you, for these unfortunate circumstances." The Yew nymph explained. They might've been the same age, but Yew always had an air of maturity that Willow admired.

"Now those kids of mine, on the other hand..." With a frustrated smirk, her tone went playfully harsh as she snapped towards her girls. "They knew damn well that they weren't supposed to go back to that rundown playground because it's too secluded and too far off the beaten path!" The girls tittered and tried their best to hide behind one another to avoid their mother's gaze.

Willow looked on with a small smile as the mother began after some of the young Yews, watching as four of them giggled and scattered. She was grateful the incident wasn't as alarming as it felt. Even then, her sight floated over to the last remaining Yew, resting beside Sister Dawn. She noticed the new scars left by the incident, stitched closed by the Elder Sister. The guilt of the whole event came crawling back to the front of her mind.

She couldn't exactly brush it away once Red Ash reentered the communal. The towering nymph made a slow beeline towards the Elder Tree and everyone under it. She quietly regarded those who greeted her and gave a careful glance over the young Yew injured in the attack. Surprisingly, Red's expression stayed fairly neutral as she moved on, coldly looking through Willow to approach the Harvestchild.

"Let's go, Gabe." She tapped his sneaker with a lazy kick. He exploded awake, suffering fevered breaths as his mind caught up. Willow flinched almost as hard as he did, Red Ash didn't react.

"Ready?" Red remained casual, tying her fiery red mane into a bun as she watched the boy stir. Gabe replied with a quiet nod and rose to his feet. He and Willow exchanged sad glances as the big nymph stomped off.

"Feeling better?" Willow asked. It felt like she had to break the ice all over again.

"Yeah. The nap definitely helped." Gabe muttered through heavy breaths, almost sounding like his normal self. He didn't feel like mentioning the increasingly persisting nightmares plaguing his mind, but he did feel a little refreshed otherwise.

"...I'm sorry about earlier, Bambi. I shouldn't have done that to you." The nymph apologized with a careful tone, trying to keep her voice from quivering. "I haven't been as...proactive with maintaining your wellbeing as I should be." The guilt-riddled words spilling from her lips gave Gabe a fearful pause. His own feelings of guilt formed from what she said. Even then, Willow only planned to simply apologize to the boy. She knew he had prior engagements with Red Ash. Instead, her words continued to flow.