Chapter 5 – Right Here
A/N: Hey everyone, sorry this took a while. The past few weeks have been rather stressful, but I'm happy that I managed to finish this with the time I had.
Enjoy the final chapter of Among the Pines!
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Wolfgang made his way across the fields with the others, growing increasingly nervous the closer they got to the edge of the forest. He wasn't sure of what exactly, but he felt his earlier confidence drain away. He stopped when they made it to the pine forest. He had been here numerous times, yet the place didn't seem as welcoming as it once had been.
"Dear, are you alright?" Wickerbottom asked.
While it stung at his pride to show how much this intimidated him, he mumbled. "Will…Wood Man want to see Wolfgang?"
That had to be it. After the way they parted and the things he said, meeting again wouldn't be easy. He hoped it was the case and nothing more than this.
The old librarian smiled understandingly. "I'm sure it'll be alright. We'll all be there when you need us,"
Nodding timidly, he puffed up his chest and walked ahead to make up for his lack of confidence. He tried practicing some of the tricks he learned when he used to fear crowds at the troupe and felt himself relaxing ever so slightly.
The familiar clearing soon came into view and Wolfgang's anxiousness dipped when they found the camp empty.
"Mr. Woodie?" Wilson called out, but the lumberjack was nowhere to be seen.
"Maybe he went out?" Willow said, checking the firepit. It was cold, meaning he had been gone for a while.
"Well, I suppose we could wait until he comes back,"
Wolfgang busied himself by looking around. Everything was exactly where he remembered it being. The wooden chests, the grass rolls, and the old pot. Fond memories flowed back to him of helping make this camp a comfortable place for them. He even thought of it as home. Despite being only gone for a few days, it felt longer than that and yearning tugged at his heart. He missed it more than he thought he would.
"Where do you suppose he went, Wolfgang? You may have a clue more than anybody," Wickerbottom said after a while.
Wolfgang scratched his head and offered weakly. "Chop trees?"
"Not likely, without this," Wilson said, picking up Woodie's axe from behind a stack of logs.
Warning bells immediately rang in Wolfgang's head. Something's wrong. In all the time he had known the lumberjack, he never once saw him without his trusty axe. The fear must have shown on his face as the others were eyeing him worriedly.
"I-is everything ok?" Wilson asked, jerking when the axe slipped from his hands.
"I...I must look for Wood Man!" he reached for the spear and went on ahead. He could hear the others wanting an explanation or trying to reassure him, but he couldn't stop to talk, couldn't shake the sinking feeling that something terrible happened while he was gone.
He really wished to be wrong.
As they traversed the forest, he heard Wilson dropping the axe again and a groan came from Willow.
"Wilson, if I had a grandma, she would have a better grip on that axe than you,"
"Hey now! You don't-"
"Please, friends. No fighting," Wolfgang groaned. Now was not the time for bickering when Woodie may be missing or worse. The two looked away sheepishly.
Wickerbottom stepped up. "I advise we split. If something did happen, it'll help us search faster,"
Wolfgang ended up going with Wilson westward while the other two went in the other direction. They agreed to meet up at the camp in an hour if nothing was found.
Probably sensing the worry radiating off him, Wilson smiled. "Don't worry, Woodie seemed to know his way around when it comes to the wilderness. He'll be fine without a doubt,"
Wolfgang's reply died in his throat when they made it through some shrubs and found something that made them freeze in their tracks.
Fallen tree were laying everywhere, as if tremendous force knocked them from their very roots. Pinecones and broken branches were messily scattered in every corner of the area.
The strongman was the first to speak. "What…happened?"
It looked as if a violent storm had torn its way through this side of the forest.
"It couldn't possibly be Woodie," Wilson froze upon coming across huge bite marks on a pine tree. There were even some with claw marks on them, after they paid close attention. "Unless…"
Wolfgang swallowed. Whatever caused this, they were on the right track at least. They made their way through the destruction, eyes tracing the place nervously. By now the claustrophobic feeling was impossible to ignore. Something in the air felt…hostile, as if a hundred eyes were following their every movement.
Even Wilson seemed to share his discomfort with the way his eyes darted around.
"Oh, look who decided to join us!"
The two spotted the slim figure sitting over a fallen tree, smoking with an easy smile.
"Maxwell!" Wilson growled while Wolfgang took a frightened step back. "What have you done here?"
The magician shrugged off his accusation. "I suppose it's good to have an audience. You'll be the first to witness the new addition to the Constant!"
As if on cue, a loud thumping sound shook the ground. A large, clawed hand burst through the trees, followed by another long arm. A head with massive antlers pushed its way forward, knocking the trees aside to the point of tilting. The behemoth was so huge they were left stunned as they took in its appearance. Hunched and covered in the thickest coat of brown fur, he walked on all fours, his breaths like gusts as they blew back grass. Sparing them a glance with his shining pale eyes, the ethereal glow was easily recognizable by the strongman.
"What...what is that?!" Wilson muttered.
"Wood man…" Wolfgang muttered, barely above a whisper.
"Wait, that's Woodie?! But how?" the scientist stammered. "I mean, I've seen him transform before but this…"
"Amazing, right?" Maxwell grinned, admiring the giant. "That curse has practically consumed him. I will admit I'm a little impressed myself considering the results. I mean, he managed to bring down several tree guards on his own!"
"Maxwell, you had a hand in this. What did you do?"
"Well, you could say I pushed all the right buttons,"
Wilson sent him a searing glare. "You-how could you?!"
"Jeez, tough crowd. Look, I just do what I gotta do to keep this little game of ours going and see how long you all could last," he glanced at Wolfgang and pointed at his spear. "Now this guy at least had a little more sense when he came here,"
It took Wolfgang a moment to realize what he was implying and he gasped, dropping the weapon on the ground. "NO! Wolfgang will never hurt Wood Man!" he yelled.
Even when he was at his angriest at the lumberjack back then, he would never have thought of harming him.
"Is that so? If I remember correctly, your friend didn't seem so sure about that when I brought it up,"
The strongman felt his heart break a little at that.
Wilson gripped his arm. "Wolfgang, don't listen to him! We came here to help Woodie, remember?"
"Y-yes!"
"Ha! Be my guests," Maxwell said, gesturing to the path of destruction before walking away.
With the scary man gone, Wolfgang frowned and looked down at his friend expectantly. "But how we help?"
Wilson opened his mouth then closed it, scratching his chin nervously. "I'm…I'm not sure yet, but there has to be something!"
Suddenly, the giant roared as big roots shot out from beneath and wrapped around him, attempting to insnare him. Snarling, he ripped them off his neck and legs, tearing them from the very ground like weeds and tossing them into his mouth.
"T-the tree monsters must be enraged from the damage he's causing," Wilson realized.
Wolfgang couldn't help a shiver, fully aware now that any mistake could lead to them getting flattened in an instant. To his surprise, the giant jerked back and spat the roots out, the pale light in his eyes waning for a split second. Shaking his head, the giant trudged away, leaving more destruction in his wake.
Mystified, they exchanged looks and made their way to the pile of roots avoiding the gaps in the ground. "Strange. Something about these seemed to repel him, but what exactly?"
"Look!" Wolfgang pointed to the dark, transparent substance dripping out of one of them. He shuddered with recognition.
"Nightmare fuel…" Wilson murmured. "It's what animates the tree guards and causes them to come to life. It almost looked like it weakened Woodie when he bit into it,"
Wolfgang honestly didn't understand much of that, but one thing stood out to him. "Will it help Wood Man?"
"It might, or at least that's what I'm theorizing. If we managed to get him to consume some, then it may do the trick," Wilson sighed. "Problem is we don't have anything inflicted with nightmare fuel that we could slip into his mouth,"
Wolfgang scratched his head, honestly lost with everything that's happening. Suddenly, he remembered something from a while ago. "Creepy logs?"
Wilson blinked and beamed once he understood. "Yes! Living logs might work. Do you have some?"
"Y-yes. At camp. Wood Man and Wolfgang kept some," Wolfgang said, growing hopeful. "Wolfgang will go. Is faster,"
"Then hurry. I'll stay, so we don't lose sight of him,"
Wasting no time, Wolfgang rushed back to the camp, hoping badly that they were still there. He almost ripped open the chest. Looking creepy as ever, he picked up two living logs with a shiver. He never thought he would be glad that Woodie forgot to give away these. He sprinted back, wincing a bit from a strain on his other arm. Please work...he thought, not wanting to lose his friend like this.
By the time he made it back to the previous spot, Woodie and Wilson were already gone.
"Science Man?" he followed the trail and a chill ran through him when a distant cry reached his ears. Panicking, he practically scrambled down the forest path until he found them. The giant had Willow and Wickerbottom cornered against a tree. Wilson had stood in front of them, as if to shield his two friends in some way.
"Back off! I have no qualms about bringing this whole forest down with me!" Willow growled, holding her lighter at the giant.
"I do hope you're not serious about that," the librarian muttered. Willow shushed her.
"Woodie, w-we're your friends. Remember us?" Wilson tried timidly yet the giant kept approaching.
Seeing no other way, Wolfgang charged in. Wilson cried out when he saw him.
"Wolfgang, no!"
Dropping one of the logs, he threw the other at Woodie's head to get his attention. Big pale eyes immediately sought him, and he almost became petrified under the consuming gaze. He regained enough sense to reach for the last log and threw it into the giant's mouth just as he roared.
A pained shriek erupted from the giant and he dropped down as the light flickered within his eyes. Raising his head to glare at Wolfgang, he bared his long teeth. Wolfgang's heart skipped a beat.
No…
All he heard were the cries of his friends as the giant raised his shaking hand and brought it down. Crying out, he curled up on himself ready for the worst when he got knocked over and fell to his side. He squinted to see the giant's hand had fallen right next to him.
Confused, Wolfgang looked up to see the giant staring at him, completely still.
"D-don't just sit there! Say something!" Willow yelled in a hushed whisper.
Regaining his voice, Wolfgang muttered weakly. "W-Wood Man?"
A gentle rumble came from within the giant. Standing up on shaky legs, Wolfgang hesitantly placed his hand over the other's large, dark one. The giant's expression almost softened at the gesture.
Woodie's words from the day Wolfgang stormed away from camp came back to mind, of how he would never willingly hurt him no matter what, and a new ache found its way into the strongman's heart.
A second wave of pain seemed to hit the giant and he clutched his body, squeezing his eyes shut as his body began to shrink. His distorted limps, the antlers and fur, all disappeared, leaving an unconscious man lying on the ground.
"Wood Man!" Wolfgang rushed over to his side. The lumberjack was paler than normal and had dark rings around his eyes.
"H-here," Wilson bent down and took out a water skin from his backpack. Raising Woodie's head, he poured water into his mouth. The lumberjack coughed, body shuddering while his eyes slowly opened. He gazed around blearily before stopping over him.
"W-Wolfgang…?"
The strongman couldn't help a sigh of relief. "Wood Man! You okay?"
But Woodie kept staring at him, as if he couldn't believe it. "Y-you're back…"
Eyes welling up, Wolfgang exclaimed. "I'm sorry!"
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What?
Everything in Woodie's mind came to a screeching halt at those words and he stared at his friend in disbelief. "W-what are you apologizing to me for?! Me and my stupid curse are to blame for this whole mess. You have nothing to be sorry for!"
"I made Wood Man very sad…" Wolfgang said guiltily, as if it's all the reason needed. "…said mean things and left. Sorry,"
"No, no…It's not your fault," Woodie sighed, running a hand over his face as the pain and guilt from all those weeks poured out. "I…I wanted to tell you the truth, Wolf. All of it! But I knew you were afraid of monsters and I…I was scared, scared you would hate me if you knew my secret. And when I…when I injured you that night, I thought I ruined any chance for you to accept me as I am for good. I still should have told you and I'm really, really sorry, Wolfgang. For everything,"
Wolfgang smiled weakly, pulling him closer. "Is alright. Wolfgang always forgive friends…and Wood Man is best friend,"
This was too much. He didn't know how long he could hold it in. "Cut that out! I told you not to just say stuff like that!" Woodie huffed, rubbing his eyes furiously. Part of him didn't feel deserving of this, but the rest felt beyond relieved. Wolfgang gave a hearty laugh.
"I believe you dropped this," Wilson handed Woodie his axe, grimacing. "I don't know how you use this. It's quite slippery,"
"Keep saying that, Wil," Willow teased, earning her a glare from the scientist.
Woodie smiled fondly. "That's ol' Lucy for ya. She's quite feisty, which is why I love her," he said, and the two exchanged puzzled looks.
A huge cloud of smoke suddenly burst behind them, revealing Maxwell whose face was contorting into something demonic. Woodie panicked and his hand gripped onto his friend's leotard protectively.
"Only you fools could ruin weeks of planning!" Maxwell snarled.
"Well…happy we didn't disappoint you then," Wilson said.
To Woodie's surprise, he felt the strongman let him go and rise, a stern look he never seen on him before taking over his face. "Man in Suit lied. Made Wood Man upset!"
Picking up a wooden log, Wolfgang sent it flying at the magician's direction. Maxwell dispersed into smoke to evade it and appeared again.
"You brainless oaf! How dare you attack the great Maxwell!"
"Wolfgang not scared of you anymore," the strongman said, meeting his vicious gaze. Woodie and the others were left stunned.
Maxwell seemed taken aback as well before he composed himself and scoffed. "No matter, I suppose. I have a surprise for you arriving this winter. Look forward to it,"
Woodie caught something almost uncertain on his face as he turned away from them.
"Till we meet again," the magician disappeared into the darkness once more.
"Is he always like that?" Willow asked, a hand on her hip.
Wilson rolled his eyes. "Yes, unfortunately,"
"With that out of the way, Mr. Woodie, I would like to know the reason behind your transformation. Did you consume monster meat again?" Wickerbottom asked.
"Um, not really. I sort of…gave in to the curse," he explained guiltily, catching the pained look on Wolfgang's face and a sympathetic whisper from Lucy.
The librarian rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Is that so? Do you think there may be a way to help you transform at will? You stopped yourself from hurting Wolfgang because you somehow regained control. I have done plenty of research on the magic that works in this world. I might be able to help, if you wish,"
Woodie blinked at the suggestion. Was that really possible? The idea of having some level of control over his beastly form sounded too good to be true after all this time, but…
A frown settled in, and he glanced at his friend, unsure. "Wolfgang?"
The strongman seemed to understand, and his face softened. "Is ok. Wolfgang only goes where Wood Man goes, yes? Even as Moose Man,"
Woodie's eyes widened and a fresh wave of tears threatened to take him over. He had to swallow down the lump in his throat. "Thanks, big guy," he finally turned to the librarian. "Alright, I'll do it,"
Several days and a few failed experiments later, Woodie was staring at the grass idol in his hands. It resembled a moose, stuffed with purple monster meat and other stuff Wickerbottom cooked up.
"Are you okay, Woodie?" Lucy asked.
"I…yeah, better than ever actually," he admitted.
Not only the weight and guilt from all those lies had been lifted from his shoulders, but he felt comfortable in his own skin for the first since the curse began manifesting. All those hours of practice and transforming willingly had paid off, no matter how frustrated he grew with himself back then. Wolfgang and the others had taken him far into the fields and helped him all the way through, making sure he didn't lose control and offering nothing but patience.
He never said it but being surrounded by this many people who were accepting of him even with his curse made the lumberjack…really happy.
"Here, Wood Man," Wolfgang came back from the firepit carrying two roasted potatoes on sticks. Their friends were kind enough to offer them some from their harvest.
"Hey, um, buddy?"
"Yes?"
Woodie ducked his head, feeling a little childish for asking this. "Mrs. Wickerbottom told me you stayed with them for a while. What was it like?"
He knew Wolfgang already made up his mind on staying here, but he still wanted what's best for him and didn't wish for him to stick around out of obligation just because of what happened.
Wolfgang raised a brow at the question and rubbed his chin in thought. "Was comfy and friends were nice, but…"
Woodie sputtered when his friend nudged him playfully, which given his strength, nearly knocked him off the log.
"Wolfgang…missed home, missed Wood Man. Here is better," he said, looking down at him with one of his big goofy grins and added teasingly. "Wood Man also lets Wolfgang eat more,"
"Oh, hush!" Woodie nudged him back, causing him to laugh. Warmth filled his chest regardless.
Over the next few weeks, Wolfgang's arm showed significant signs of healing. They were sure he would be able to move it around and fight given time, that much was clear.
But so were the signs of winter. Eventually, leaves fell from the trees, the air grew cooler and nights longer. It wasn't long until the first snow hit the land, and it was exactly like Woodie had been told.
He was stirring their dinner over the fire, clad in his warm winter coat. Tossing a piece of wood into the crackling fire, his breath fogged in front of him. He gazed around at the snow-coated pine forest and a heavy feeling of nostalgia crept in. Looking up at the dark sky, he thought of his cabin in the other world.
"Kinda makes me wish I could see the northern lights, eh?" he murmured, thinking maybe he could if he searched the sky hard enough. Lucy hummed in agreement.
"This isn't so bad though," she chirped.
He smiled. "Yeah,"
A sudden pull on his foot made him glance down to the little fuzz ball looking at him with its tongue lolling out. He chuckled when he remembered Wolfgang coming back with the thing happily bouncing after him. "Why is strange box following Wolfgang?" the strongman had stammered.
"Wood Man, where is little bone? Box with legs wants it," Wolfgang said in his own massive winter coat, scratching his head confusedly as he looked around.
"Did you check in the chests?" Woodie turned his eyes to boiling pot once more as he listened to the other rummaging through them. He couldn't help grinning widely at the surprised gasp that eventually came.
"Winter hat!"
Woodie laughed as he felt a huge arm wrap around him and pick him up. Wolfgang, now with a little hat perched on his head, raised him high while hugging him as tightly as he could.
"Thank you, Wood Man!"
"Oof, I'll never get used to this!"
They may be still trapped in this strange world, but they were back together, and right in that moment Woodie couldn't ask for more.
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A/N: Annnnd done! Thank you all for reading and supporting my fic. This was a blast to write and considering I had it in mind for nearly a year, I'm glad I managed to finish it. Since Woodie's curse has a connection with moon magic, it makes some sense for nightmare fuel to counter it considering the relationship between shadows and moon creatures in the game. Anyway, always a pleasure writing about these two.
Until next time! :)