Chapter 21: To Be Dismal and Dreary

Wirt woke up to the bright light of day, blinking the grogginess from his eyes and sitting up in bed slowly, groaning quietly. His mind felt strangely weightless, not bogged down by the memories of a complicated dream. Around him, the animal students did their own thing, either sleeping or staring mindlessly at the ceiling or at one another. It was a peaceful morning in comparison to the night before, filled with a calming stillness that put a small smile on Wirt's lips. That wasn't enough to erase his worries, though, and he felt himself start to be bothered once more by what lay ahead in the Unknown's future.

Glancing over to his brother, who was still resting beside him, the teen let his grin fall, knowing of the dangers that their path would definitely traverse over if they went and found the map like planned, leaving for home immediately. He then cast his gaze to Beatrice, whose red hair draped messily upon their pillow as she slept, reminded of the urgency of returning the peace in the forest before the Beast became too powerful. It seemed to be one or the other and he had hardly the heart to choose. If he could choose.

What can I do to help anyway? he brooded, unable to decide between the options. It's not like I can go and get rid of the Beast myself, can I? Not to mention the last time I saw him he tried to turn Greg into an Edelwood tree and make me carry his lantern. That would be terrible if it happened again. But then . . . I don't think anyone else is going to do anything about it with their fears and this weather. The Woodsman is obviously not willing to help. Now the Unknown's magic is crumbling slowly away, the pieces falling into the gaping mouth of darkness, feeding his predatory hunger for power at every coming storm.

Wirt took a deep breath, steadying himself. If only life could be simple.

But it isn't, and we have to do what we think is right, the teen concluded, shaking Greg's shoulder gently in attempt to awaken him. Large eyes opened to peer up at Wirt, sleepy and joyously innocent. Greg let loose a soft yawn that made the teen doubt himself even more. What is right, though?

It seemed that he would never know.

o-o-o-o

The group left the schoolhouse soon after waking up, saying their goodbyes to the Langtrees and Jimmy Brown, wishing them well. Beatrice had led them on their way for most of the morning, effortlessly carrying the supply sack as she took them on the long path to the tavern. The sun's rays reflected off of the white blankets of fresh snow, near-blinding at times. Empty branches reached for the sky, leafless and dark in contrast to their brighter surroundings.

The trees bunched more closely together. The dirt path was almost unidentifiable with the frosty leftovers of the storm and by the way it twisted wildly in front of them, going in many different directions to avoid parts of the forest. Wirt found that terrifyingly mysterious. If any sort of potentially dangerous monster or creature lived there then he wasn't looking to discover what might happen if they had an encounter with it. Especially if it could endure the failing enchantments in the Unknown and keep its ferocity sharp enough that they had to walk around its territory. Then again, the path had been made long before the storms began, showing no sign of being re-enforced. Maybe it wasn't as treacherous in the forest as he had thought. But . . . maybe it was. He didn't want to find out which was right.

"I'm cold," Greg complained, puffing his breath out into his hands in attempt to warm them up. It didn't do much, so the boy shivered, tucking them into his shirt sleeves instead.

Above him, sitting upon Greg's tea kettle, Jason Funderburker seemed to do just as well, eyes closing as if he were about to fall asleep then shooting open again. The frog shook himself every once in a while, seemingly trying to stay active enough not to fall into hibernation.

"We're all cold, Greg," Wirt told him, white mist escaping his lips and curling into the air with the statement. "We'll just have to keep walking and hope we get there soon."

"Okay . . ." his younger brother replied half-heartedly, quickening his pace.

The gnome-dressed boy did the same, ignoring the growing fatigue in his legs and feet for walking for so long without rest. They had agreed earlier that they would stop only when it was completely necessary since the tavern was so far away. It had taken nearly the entire day to get there the last time, and now, with the frequent storms and lacking a wagon to speed them along, it would undoubtedly take even longer. The group would have to hurry and hope they could somehow arrive before the next onslaught of winter did.

Stepping alongside Beatrice, Wirt glanced over at her curiously, wondering if he could spot signs of weakness in her usually tough composure. It was perhaps a low move, but Wirt was mentally and physically exhausted to the point where he really didn't care — or think about it. Seeing the former bluebird at least slightly vulnerable would tell him things that he couldn't quite get the answers to if he asked. She had appeared deep in thought the other day, of what he couldn't tell. Now . . . if she looked to be a certain way, then maybe he'd find a clue as to what it was that had plagued her mind. Perhaps that would help him figure out how he should go about dealing with his own worries.

The redhead turned her head to look at him, a question in her eyes, laced with an undertone of suppressed wistfulness and fear. It showed in the way she tilted her eyebrows and gazed at him, revealing almost an entire conversation's worth of information in the silent action. It wasn't exactly as reassuring as he thought it would be. In fact, it made everything feel a whole lot worse.

"I guess we're going to head our separate ways soon," Wirt sighed, looking ahead once more, shoes crunching the frozen earth. "After we get that map it'll be all over for real this time."

"It should have been over a while ago," the girl said. "I don't know what's going on all of a sudden. None of this feels right."

The male nodded in agreement, turning past another bend in the trail. Nothing has felt right for me for longer than that . . . he couldn't help but think, narrowing his eyes against the biting wind, and I don't know if it'll ever be again.

"W-what about . . . your family?" Wirt stammered out. "And the Unknown? These storms aren't regular; you've said it yourself. What's going to happen? We can't just leave you all here to deal with the Beast, can we? I . . . I feel guilty for even thinking about myself for a second with all of these terrible things happening."

"You've got to get Greg home while you can, Wirt. We can't do anything more than help you two get back safely. You'll just have to forget about the rest of us. Our troubles are our own," she responded tartly.

He frowned, letting her end the talk like that. If Beatrice was so sure that they needed to get home then he'd do that. But something tells me that she's not as certain as she says she is.

Wirt glanced up at the cloudy sky, watching the storm brew, its colors getting darker. It was in that moment that he decided that there were a few exceptions to his and his brother's safety: when there was nothing to do other than confront the Beast and when fate chooses a small group of travelers to be the ones to rescue the forest.

Of course, they hadn't come across either of those situations yet. Determination tugged at his heart and he prayed that one day they would.

o-o-o-o

"Hold on tight, Greg!" Wirt cried out, grabbing his brother's hand in the midst of the blizzard. Snow blew fiercely across his vision to the point where he could hardly see, the whirling air buffeting him as he fought to keep going. He pulled his brother along with all his effort, hoping he was going the right way. The storm started a few hours after the sun started to begin its descent in the sky, the powerful furry catching the group by surprise. The teen had never been caught in weather as violent as this in his entire life. "Beatrice! Beatrice!"

Right after he called for his friend, the girl crashed into him, nearly toppling him over with the added power of the gusts. Some of her red hair came undone from her bun, the stray strands whipping Wirt in the face. He cringed away, only to get pelted by more hard clumps of snow.

"I'm right here, you dork," she retorted, holding tightly to the supply sack that was threatening to fly out of her grip. "Now stop yelling and let's get out of this storm."

Standing together, they tried to continue forth, looking desperately for a place to stay. The trees around them creaked as they were pushed around by the blizzard. The path had become slick with ice, causing Greg to slip and almost fall. Jason croaked, eyes large and terror-filled when the kettle on top of the boy's head blew off. Beatrice luckily caught him, although the moment was enough for her to let go of the bag she was carrying, the pale material getting lost in the snow. She frustratedly cried out, diving blindly after it with the frog and metal object still in her hands. Wirt almost left Greg and followed her to make sure they were safe; however, he stopped himself, knowing that that would be a bad idea. The girl appeared exceptionally soon, tussled but otherwise fine. Jason Funderburker appeared to be mortally terrified. Wirt didn't blame him.

"Almost lost this thing," she commented with a shrug, handing the amphibian and Greg's cap over to the older brother while she tied the sack's opening around her wrist, ignoring the severeness of the weather.

Wirt didn't say anything, shocked by her immediate success. They carried on once she was done.

The next moments were a rather painful struggle, but the group was forceful and persistent enough to survive the blow. Beatrice and the boys didn't dare stop to rest in the open and the surrounding forest was just as unforgivable as the blizzard. It was a miracle that they managed to make it as far as they did, still alive and acting with logic.

The gnome-dressed boy finally had to pause their journey, catching his breath under the temporary shelter of a large tree. His muscles ached with numbness and he felt his head spinning from exertion. Thankfully, they were sheltered from the swirling wind by the huge trunk, if only for the minute. Beatrice appeared rather irritated, her nose and ears distinctly pink. Greg cuddled his frog, warming him. Wirt finally straightened himself, ready to head off again.

That was when they heard it: "Isn't this beautiful, Woodsman? The storm is quite powerful; I feel that the effort is finally becoming worthwhile."

"You know I disagree with your methods, Beast."

"I also know you're too insignificant to do anything about it. I shall grow stronger and the light will fail while you labor away, keeping your lantern lit. One day I am going to win this fight and crush her; it'll be over and the Unknown will bask in my eternal glory."

A pause. The snow flew around the tree and battered them all the same, the freezing temperatures seeping through their uselessly thin layer of clothes. Wirt peered suspiciously into the vision-obscuring tempest, trying to see the sources of the talking through the weather. He wanted to be sure his ears weren't deceiving him, falsely confirming to the fifteen year-old that his misgivings had been placed correctly under the stress of the situation.

"There is no glory in what you are doing. You will destroy us all!"

"Oh, you worry too much, Woodsman. I have plans and they'll fall into place easily. You and your kind can just huddle about like you've been doing until my work is complete. Besides . . . I believe things will get much better once these simple acts have met their mark."

The teen's eyes widened as he caught a very vague resemblance of a man and another figure in the distance just as a deep, slow laugh resounded, carried by the gusts.

"I don't believe you! You're trying to hurt her! Why must you torment me? My daughter . . ."

"Silence! I would encourage you to listen if you want to survive. Heed my warnings while I offer them! This impasse is about to end faster than you could ever conceive. Gather fuel and stay warm because the wait will soon be over . . . and I'll come out on top. Farewell, Woodsman."

Those two white pinpricks caught Wirt's gaze for a short moment before getting lost again in the thick snowfall, voices fading away as the Beast left; the Woodsman settled into a fearful quiet. Wirt could hear footsteps crunching the brittle ground, a long way off, before that was also gone, the boy and his companions alone in the forest once more.

Greg squeezed his older brother's hand, looking up at him with terror and dread. He had heard the exchange too. Wirt returned the gesture, glancing towards Beatrice, mouth pressed into a thin line. It doesn't sound like there's much time left before the Beast completes his terrible plot. What's going to happen to you? To this forest if we don't do something?

She seemed to understand his meaning but stubbornly didn't say anything, continuing to walk the rest of the way to the tavern.

He followed after that, speechless, allowing his thoughts to satisfy his mood. The elder brother tugged the younger's hand again to lend him what little strength he had, although both of them seemed to be rooted into the hard ground. Each step was burdened, unsure, confidence lost. They kept going.

Wirt scowled at the ruthless landscape, shuddering from the frigidity, bitter poetry ringing in his mind, Harsh are the shadows that penetrate deep, breaking through the comforts that we used to rest and bask in. Now it is raw, tough and confined, the world no more than a dark cave that shelters a ravenous beast. Sitting still is a crippled thing; hope is left to be devoured with stinging fangs like icicles and taken away from those of us who wait for its safe return. Vanquished is the future, the brightness gone. We are the only remains of a greater morrow, but we are on a separate path to destiny's end. Going away from the land of fervent wishes . . . leaving to never return.

Another update! :D I had a hard time writing this one because I wanted to capture a different feeling than I'm usually used to writing. The chapter was actually cut in half because of length. C: The story is about to pick up pace! Each chapter will be more and more revealing! This is going to be a fun one, I see! x3 I hope you enjoyed and leave a review! The next chapter (or part of this chapter) awaits!