The Woodsman felt the darkness enclosing his heart. His body was heavy with grief, tired of the struggle. He was sinking...
Come wayward souls...
Who wander through the darkness.
There is a light for the lost and the meek...
Sorrow and fear...
Are easily forgotten.
When you submit to the soil of the earth...
Leaves. Everywhere. The Woodsman's eyes opened slowly, with a droop. He was ensnared by the branches of his own Edelwood tree.
"Woodsman. I see you have given up."
"..."
The Beast stood a short distance away, his figure cloaked in darkness. A lantern stood upright on the ground between the two.
"Your daughter is depending on you."
The Woodsman looked down, closing his eyes. "I cannot."
"What was that?" His voice was smooth, soft even.
"Even you must know that humans cannot live forever. I-" his voice broke, "I cannot protect her any longer."
The Beast's spectral figure floated aside, suddenly appearing behind the Woodsman. A dark, spindly finger wiped at the tear streak on the Woodsman's face.
"Dry your tears- there is work to be done."
A horrid crunching filled the air, followed by a snap. The Beast tossed the Woodsman's crumpled body aside, the uprooted Edelwood still attached to the Woodsman's limbs. The Woodsman laid silently on his side.
"...Why?" he started weakly, looking up at the Beast. The Beast moved closer, his figure towering over the Woodsman.
"To keep your daughter's flame going."
"No..." he began to move, feebly pulling branches away from his face. "Why does that even matter to you?"
The Beast chuckled, the sound short and low. "I'm simply trying to help." He began to drift away, his shadowy figure quickly disappearing into the trees.
Trala la la~
Trala la la~
Chop the wood to light to fire~