Chapter Eight:
The Guardian's Mercy
Members of the crowd clapped their palms together in rhythm as the Troupe presented their evening dance in the middle of the eating area. It had never been much of a 'show'. In fact, the group was really quite small, consisting only of four dancing Bellosom, two singing Bird-Pokémon, and a Medicham and Ludicolo as the two main performers. But the amount of performers felt irrelevant to all, even the most sombre of forest-dwellers, when their talent was seen first-hand.
The singers hit every last note of their tunes with absolute precision, the Bellosom seemed to move as one as they swayed their arms to left and right, twirled around and around in one giant circle, and the Medicham and Ludicolo swerved back and forth, to and fro with mesmerising movements, somehow always ending up on opposite sides of the towering fire between them.
The Bellosom suddenly turned to face the fire, holding their arms up as though bestowing an offering to it, the Medicham and Ludicolo spun round once more and made identical motions with their arms, and the singing Bird-Pokémon's notes were giving all the subtle indications of a conclusion to their song, which they finally hit with a synchronised combination of one chirping a somewhat higher note whilst the other tweeted one that was deeper, and then the Bellosom, Bird-Pokémon and main performers turned all at once away from the blazing fire, and bowed.
The forest-dwellers all around broke into applause. Some even stood up and cheered compliments, praising the performers for their greatness. The fire suddenly reared up high, and what looked like a ball of flame went soaring out of the top towards the night sky. Some of the observers backed away in horror, and there were even cries of alarm, but the Medicham and Ludicolo drew together and held their arms out, and before there was even time to wonder, the flaming sphere began to descend and uncurl itself before landing directly into the main performers hands. A little figure stood up, briefly shook soot out of its fur, and the final performer, a young Torchic, took a bow.
The crowd broke into a second round of applause, one that was twice as rowdy and flattering as before, and the fire that the Torchic had been controlling gave a loud hiss and began to shrink, smaller and smaller, until it faded away into embers atop a pile of ashes.
In the midst of the many enthusiastic members of the crowd, Pip was among the last to stop cheering, even as the performers made their ways towards the exit where they were entitled to rest and eat in peace and solitude.
"That was so cool!" said Pip, turning away at last and beaming.
"You're lucky," Howl replied, "They only do this a few times in the year, and apparently each dance is supposed to represent the changing of the seasons. Don't ask me how."
He smiled and took a couple of fruits from the pile and rolled them across to Pip, which he accepted happily before turning to discuss the performance with Stick beside him.
Their gathering was surprisingly large that evening. Howl and Mist nearly always ate together, and every now and then they were happy to have others join them, so they had naturally been expecting Pip to sit with them; what they had not been expecting was for Stick to suddenly appear from where she usually sat with her own friends and ask if she could join them too. That alone had been a pleasant surprise, and of course, she had been welcomed, but shortly afterwards they were joined by both of Stick's parents; Knoll; and the most unexpected of all: Furret and her son, Rustle.
The instant they had appeared, Howl and Mist had leapt to their feet, trying not to alarm the two of them whilst greeting them with caution. They were told Rustle had been asleep for most of the afternoon, and although Furret had never left his side, he had apparently been speechless all the time he'd been awake. Howl and Mist soon saw for themselves as they made room in their gathering just how Rustle was coping. As soon as his mother had set him down beside her, he curled up, tucked his tail around his belly, and sat completely still without looking at anyone. Eventually, when time had passed and there had been no change to his state, Mist had looked over their present company and whispered a thought into Howl's ear. He'd agreed and passed the message on over to Stick via telepathy. Stick, for her part, had done well at concealing her alarm at suddenly hearing Howl speak to her in her own head, and once she understood what to do, she took her time talking with Pip and moved discreetly over to sit beside Rustle. Then she had shifted a glance at Howl when Rustle had not responded to her, and when Howl gave her an encouraging nod, she finally moved in close, nudged her head under his arm, and pressed herself as close to him as she could.
"Rustle…" she had said in a trembling voice, "I'm so glad you're alright…" And a little stream of tears had flowed down her cheek.
Mist's idea had worked; Rustle had been so thrown by this that he'd immediately come to his senses and hugged her back, desperately assuring her that he was not feeling any more pain and that she didn't have to worry about him anymore, and after a minute of the two of them embracing and simultaneously comforting each other, the group had seen fit to shuffle around once again so that all three children could sit together.
That evening, Howl felt more truly relaxed than he had done in a long time. He was completely content to let all of his worries and responsibilities drift away to the back of his mind and simply talk to Mist about how the lesson had gone, or listen to Knoll explain some of her newest training techniques, or tell Stick's parents and Rustle's mother some of the more amusing stories that had taken place in The Forest.
He was just in the middle of helping himself to more food when he felt a prod at his back.
"Sir…?" came a low whisper from behind him,
"Siirr…?"
He looked round. There, looking up at him with an expression of great trepidation was one of the very Pokémon who was responsible for Rustle's trauma, and the very one who had been the most terrified of Howl's anger.
"…You," Howl said quietly.
Treecko gulped and glanced about.
"Can I… Can I talk to you for a sec?" he asked apprehensively.
Howl was briefly silent, then he answered,
"No," -and turned away.
Treecko didn't seem to have been expecting such a response, for Howl heard him stammer at the point of speech before persisting,
"P-Please, sir? It won't take long."
"I don't care. Now go before you start to annoy me."
"S-S-Sir, please! It's important! I've got something I want to say!"
"Well, what a coincidence. I have some things I'd very much like to say too."
"I want to apol-" Treecko began, accidently raising his voice ever so slightly. Howl looked back to see his eyes darting to left and right, checking if anyone in the group had heard.
"I want to talk about what happened today…!" he said at last, returning to his previous tone, "Please, sir…! Please…!"
Howl glared warningly and put a finger to his lip. Treecko shut his mouth at once and put a finger to his own lip, looking as though he were about to faint on the spot. Howl looked away and swept his eyes over the gathering. Pip, Stick and Rustle were still talking about the evening dance, debating who their favourite performers had been, Mist was talking to Knoll about how she could be more helpful in The Forest instead of training all day, only to receive much dispute, and Stick's parents were talking with Rustle's mother.
He sighed and looked back.
"You go ahead," he answered finally, "I'll follow your lead in one minute, starting now. Go."
Treecko nodded feverishly and hurried away towards one of the many exits. Howl watched until he was sure of where he had gone, then turned back and took the food he had originally set his sights on from the pile and took his time chewing and forcing it down. Then at last, he stood up and excused himself from the others before heading after Treecko.
He found the young Pokémon lurking on a tree branch illuminated by both the full moon above and its reflection in a small nearby pond, and he was walking back and forth across it, making it wobble and creak dangerously, mumbling and fidgeting as he did so. Then he saw Howl approaching and gave a start.
"Sir! Th-Thanks for coming, really, thanks," he said.
Cold silence was Howl's reply. Without taking his eyes off him, Howl moved over to the opposite tree, leaned back against it and folded his arms.
"Well?" he said, "What do you want?"
Treecko swallowed, blinked rapidly, and Howl could see his whole body starting to tremble.
"OK… OK, um… sir? I-I want to apologise. I-I'm sorry.
…Not just for today. Y'know, but for… everything. Everything before. I'm sorry."
Howl gave no response or even the slightest change in body language but for a single slow blink.
"You want to apologise," he repeated, "…Very funny."
"I-I'm n-not joking, sir…" Treecko stammered, averting his eyes.
"I know. That's what makes it so amusing.
…You sure took your time, didn't you. You should have apologised months ago when I gave you my second - and final warning. You should have realised that I wasn't joking when I told you I didn't want to have to punish any of you, but that if you drove me to it, I would not hesitate."
"Yes, sir, you're right, yes, I should've-"
"And now that you've suffered the consequences, you've realised your mistakes, and want to get back on my good side before I catch you in the act again."
"No, sir! No, that's not it! I… I really am sorry!"
"I don't believe you."
Treecko started to reply, but made a sound as though something had caught in his throat and broke off uncomfortably.
Howl's eyes were boring into him, and even in the little light they were given, it was clear that the fiery glow within them was beginning to heat up, which was always a sign of danger.
"Why…" said Treecko at last, "…Why not? Why don't you believe me?"
"Why should I? All you ever do is lie. You hardly ever tell me the truth."
"Y-Yes, and I'm sorry about that too. But I really am telling the truth this time, I swear."
"Your word means nothing."
Treecko took an unintentional step backwards and wobbled dangerously when the branch shifted beneath him, but he regained his balance and looked up to see Howl just gazing indifferently at him from the exact same position as before.
"S-Sir, are you…" he began, giving a wary glance up to Howl's face,
"A-Are you… still angry with me? Cuz you… you seem-"
Crimson fury erupted within Howl's eyes and he advanced forwards, seized hold of the end of the branch and wrenched it down so that Treecko fell onto his back and was forced to look directly at him.
"OF COURSE I'M STILL ANGRY!" he roared telepathically, the words resounding like an explosion in Treecko's mind.
"I gave your little gang chances for forgiveness more than enough times," he growled, returning to regular low speech, "I put my trust in all of you, and you threw it aside like it was worthless trash. You made me feel like a fool for wanting to believe there was some good in you." And he let go of the branch and stepped away, still glaring ferociously.
Treecko began to tremble more violently than ever, and without looking at Howl, he climbed unsteadily to his feet and jumped down from the branch he was perched on. He shifted one final glance in his direction, and began to walk.
"And where do you think you're going…?"
Treecko halted.
"I… You…
Y-You're still angry, so you don't forgive me, right? So I… well, I should go."
"I don't recall dismissing you. You brought me here, you've said your part, now I'm going to say mine. Turn around and get back here."
Treecko clenched his fists, and Howl heard faint, fearful sounds escape his throat. He looked as though he was struggling to prevent himself from running away at full speed.
"Treecko…?" Howl growled.
"Y-Yes, sir!" Treecko , turning and scurrying back up the tree and onto the branch.
Howl stepped back and folded his arms against the opposite tree once more, and waited for his company to settle himself.
"I notice you aren't with your companions at the moment," Howl said after a full minute of stoic silence,
"Where are Patrat and Purrloin? Are they going to come crawling back to me tonight too, with tears in their eyes, and express their own apologies?"
Treecko shook his head, his eyes fixed on the end of the branch.
"It's considered a common courtesy to look at someone when you answer them, boy."
Treecko shut his eyes tight, shivered on the spot, and finally obeyed.
"Now answer me properly.
…Where are Patrat and Purrloin?"
Treecko breathed in deeply.
"I don't know.
…R-Really, sir, really! I haven't seen 'em all day since… since we were playing Bull's-eye."
"So… you're here on your own? They have no idea what you're doing?"
"Yes, sir."
There was a pause.
"You have some nerve," Howl said at last, "Tell me… why do you hang around Pokémon like them? Out of all three of you, you were the only one who showed the tiniest shred of guilt when I caught you. And now here you are, apologising, when they're nowhere to be found."
"…They're my friends…" Treecko mumbled.
"Are they now? Good friends? How often do you meet up? Whenever you three discuss what you want to do, do they ever listen to your ideas?"
"Nuh-…No… B-But, when we do hang out together, we do really fun stuff."
"Like Bull's-eye?"
"N-No! We… We play pranks, and… and…"
"Go on," Howl said in a patient tone that deliberately intensified Treecko's pressure to answer, "What else do you do? You play pranks, and…?"
It was an entire minute before Treecko finally spoke up again.
"We… climb trees sometimes."
"And?"
"We… swim in the lake."
"And?"
"W-We have mud-fights. We play in the mud."
"Anything else?"
Treecko shook his head.
"No? Nothing else at all?"
"N-No, sir."
"Lies," Howl rumbled, "…Nothing but lies. There've been children running to me and Mist all year, covered in bruises and complaining that a certain group was ganging up on them.
The only times I ever see you climbing trees is when they either belong to someone else, or are particularly dangerous.
And I have never - in all the time that the three of you have been here - seen a single one of you swimming in the lake."
For the first time ever since Howl had met him, Treecko's eyes were beginning to glisten.
"S-Sir…! I'M SORRY!" he cried out, all poise and restraint gone and forgotten, his voice shaking so much that his words were barely understandable.
"S-S-Sir...! Please...! I-I know I don't deserve it, but please believe me, I'm begging you! I d-don't want to be that kind of Pokémon anymore! It never felt right, never!"
"Then why did you do it?!" Howl demanded, raising his own voice over Treecko's, "We have all suffered, Treecko! Every last one of us has been through more than we deserve! In here, it doesn't matter who you are, where you're from, or what you were raised to believe! NOBODY is victimised in this forest! NOBODY!"
Treecko looked as though he were years younger. His lips trembled, his eyes brimmed, and he couldn't seem to speak without sniffling.
"I-I Kn-Know…!" he stammered, "S-Sir…! I never wanted to be a bully…! I dunno why I did it, I really don't! Please, sir, you've got to believe me! I'll stop being a bully – I'll change - I'll do whatever it takes!"
Howl closed his eyes and rested his head back against the tree he leaned on.
This was, beyond the shadow of a doubt, not a trick.
He had never seen Treecko like this before.
But he had to be sure it was genuine guilt he expressed and not merely because of what had happened earlier that day. And there was one way he could be sure of that.
"P-Please, sir…!" said Treecko.
Without opening his eyes, Howl held up a paw and said, "Be silent," before taking a deep breath and enabling his Aura Senses.
Treecko's Aura, directly before him, was a dark teal-blue tint with a hazy, murky quality. Howl allowed his mind to flow into a calm, observant state and watched the ripples pass through with every beat of Treecko's heart. It was not an easy thing for him to decipher, as Treecko's pulse was speeding so quickly it was hard for him to see the shape of the waves clearly. But as he patiently studied one after the other as they passed, he was sure of one thing; their shapes were curved inwards so much it was beyond a 'typical' sadness, and the colour of Treecko's Aura had changed quite dramatically; earlier that day it had been of a darker, more bitter teal-blue, and now it was considerably stronger, with hardly a trace of dullness inside of it. These two things could only mean that he really did feel remorseful for what he had done, and that if his Aura was already becoming less tainted, he was truly ready to change. He wanted to change.
"Treecko…" Howl said at last, opening his eyes, "…I believe you."
"Ruh-…Really…?" said Treecko, wiping his eyes.
Howl nodded.
"But I can't forgive you just like that," he continued, "Regardless of whether you feel truly guilty or not, you need to show a little more sincerity than with just one apology."
"B-But…!" Treecko began, however, Howl's expression silenced him.
"If you want to become a better Pokémon, Treecko, if you truly want that, then I'll tell you what you should do.
Firstly: you are going to cut your ties with Patrat and Purrloin - without question! Tell them that you don't like what they do, and that you don't like doing it with them, and that unless they stop being cruel to others, you won't be their friend anymore."
Treecko gulped.
"Okay," he breathed.
"Secondly," Howl went on, "you are going to start helping with errands in this forest, just like everyone else your age. Your chores will involve gathering food, assisting in care for the sick and wounded, conserving plant-life, and so on."
"Y-Yes, sir."
"And lastly: you're going to apologise to everyone you have ever bullied. Plain and simple. During mealtimes, you will seek out those you've wronged and ask for a moment of their time, exactly as you've done with me, here and now. This is something you will do alone, and Mist and I will be watching you to make sure you do it."
"But… what if they don't forgive me, sir?"
"If they don't forgive you, you tell them you understand and that they don't have to. Not everyone will be willing to forgive and forget, Treecko, so bear that in mind.
…And what you will do that might just earn you my forgiveness is apologise to your last victim."
Treecko blinked.
"You… mean Sentret?" he asked.
"He and his mother are with me tonight," Howl answered, "You can apologise to him right away.
Come."
Treecko hesitated on the branch, but recognised an order and followed suit.
Nobody seemed to have moved in the slightest since Howl had left. All three children and every last adult was sitting in the exact same place and talking with the exact same Pokémon as they had been beforehand.
Howl looked around, and approached first Furret and then Rustle and asked them both to come with him for a moment. Unfortunately, he was unable to keep this hidden from everyone else; even Mist and Knoll, who were deep in their own conversation, couldn't fail to notice him extracting two from within their midst.
Howl had barely led them the mere paces away towards Treecko when Rustle realised who it was and held back.
"Rustle?" said his mother, "Rustle? What's the matter?"
"Come on," Howl said, motioning to him, "It's all right. Come on."
Slowly, silently and apprehensively, Rustle approached.
"Who…?" Furret began hesitantly, looking towards Treecko.
"You'll see," Howl said, moving away from the two of them and standing at her side.
Treecko took a tentative step forwards.
"Um… Sentre-
I-I mean, uh… R-Rustle? I… I want to say I'm sorry for… what I did today.
…I know It's probably way too late, and I bet you're still really angry, but… I'm sorry. I didn't want to do what we were doing. I'm not friends with Patrat and Purrloin anymore. They were being - no, no, I mean, I was being - w-we were being really… really mean to you. And if you don't want to forgive me, that's OK, I understand, but… I just want you to believe me when I say I really am sorry."
Rustle's eyes fell gradually to the ground, and neither of them said another word.
"He…" said Furret suddenly, her eyes on Treecko, "Is he one of-"
Howl gently motioned for silence with his paw, saw Treecko looking helplessly up at him as he did so, and motioned with the same paw for him to remain silent too. All eyes turned towards Rustle once again, who had still not said anything.
"Well, Rustle?" Howl asked finally, deciding it was time to act, "What do you say to that?"
Rustle's eyes darted all around. He shifted them from one Pokémon to the other, to Howl, to his mother, and finally to Treecko, then he closed them tight, pressed his lips together and answered with one barely audible word.
"Okay."
At once, the heavy tension that had been pressing down on the four of them seemed to lift. Rustle opened his eyes and said again,
"OK. I forgive you."
Treecko sounded as though he had only just managed to repress a sigh of relief.
"Th-Thanks," he said, and looked up at Howl to see a satisfied expression and receive an approving nod.
"And," Howl added, nodding his head pointedly to the Pokémon next to him.
Treecko swallowed and said,
"Yeah… I'm really sorry for what I did to Rustle. I won't do it again. To anyone."
Howl looked to Furret as well. She did not appear to be quite as ready to forgive as her son had been, but the fact that he had already forgiven Treecko seemed to have swayed her. If anything, she looked as though she was struggling to decide whether to forgive him or shout at him.
"Madam," said Howl, "you have every right to be angry, but if Rustle is able to forgive his bully, don't you think you could do the same?"
Furret looked down at her son and stammered,
"W-Well… I-I…" then she shook her head irritably, "Ohh… all right. Yes, I suppose…"
She turned her gaze to Treecko and continued, "I'll forgive you this time, but only because Rustle does too. If you ever hurt him like that again, I'll never forgive you no matter how much you say you're sorry."
"OK," Treecko replied humbly.
Furret gave Howl a troubled look and turned back towards their gathering.
"Come on, honey," she said as she passed by her son. Rustle glanced one more time at Treecko before following after his mother.
"Nicely done," Howl said, smiling down at Treecko.
"Thanks," he mumbled.
There was a slightly awkward silence.
"Well… I should probably…" Treecko said at last, gesturing behind him and backing hesitantly away.
"Treecko," Howl said, the moment he had turned his back.
"Y-Yes, sir?" he replied, turning.
Howl smiled at the worrisome look on his face and held his arm out towards their gathering.
"If you don't have anyone else to be with, why don't you join us?"
Treecko looked as though Howl had just told him to give a speech to the whole clearing.
"Umm… I…" he began, looking uneasily at the gathering, "I dunno, sir, I… don't really think I should…"
"Why not? You've apologised and been forgiven, so there's no need to feel guilty anymore."
"Y-Yeah, but it'll still be a bit… weird."
"Five minutes, then," Howl persisted, "Not for the whole evening if you don't want to, but for five minutes, at least."
"Uh… is that an order, sir?"
"Yes. Yes, it is."
Treecko's mouth thinned.
"…Just five minutes, yeah?" he queried. Howl nodded.
"Okay…" Treecko obliged at last, "Okay, just… five minutes."
Howl smiled and walked with him to where he had originally been sitting, asking for more space as Treecko joined them at his side.
The pile of food in the middle of their circle had grown considerably smaller by then, but Howl managed to scrounge some of his favourite foods along with some for Treecko as well.
Treecko did not end up staying for merely five minutes in the end, but for almost the whole evening, talking first with Howl, discussing how and where to find the foods Treecko had tried then for his very first time, then to Knoll, who had suddenly joined their conversation by asking Howl just why he remembered such un-important details about food of all things, and soon enough half of their gathering was deep in conversation, and although Treecko was not in the middle of it and mostly being relatively quiet, Howl was still pleased to see him more relaxed for once.
As time drew on, Howl began to see Pokémon standing up and leaving along with their families, no doubt turning in for the night, as the fires that had been lit to illuminate the eating area in the darkness were starting to give out at long last.
Among their personal gathering, Treecko was the first to stand up and leave, which was what Howl had been expecting, frankly.
"Goodnight then," he said, raising his paw.
"Yeah. Goodnight, Howl, sir," he replied, "Thanks for, uh…" he gestured to the rest of their gathering, "Yeah… thanks."
"You're welcome," Howl replied, then before he could move, added,
"Treecko. What's your name?"
"Um," he stammered, "I-I just like being called Treecko, sir, if that's okay…"
"I don't think so, kid. Tell me."
Treecko hesitated.
"My… My dad wanted to name me Spike," he mumbled, "Said it's cuz he thought I was tough…"
Howl nodded, his expression content.
"Spike.
See you later."
Spike nodded and headed away into one of the darkened pathways until he was almost impossible to make out.
Howl turned back to Stick's parents, intending to continue their conversation, but saw to his surprise that Stick herself was curled up asleep right beside them. Soon after he'd noticed this, then they decided it was time for them to be heading to bed too, and managed to carefully sling Stick onto her father's back before walking away into the dark as well. Ten minutes later, they were followed by Furret, holding Rustle's sleeping figure close to her chest, and even Knoll was showing signs of drowsiness.
"No," said Mist at once when Knoll gave her sister her signature doting eyes and reached up to her with both arms exactly like a child requesting to be carried.
"Aw, c'mon, sis, pweease?" said Knoll, adding extra cutesiness to her voice.
"No," Mist repeated flatly, "If you're feeling tired, you can carry yourself to bed."
"But you used to carry me all the time…!"
"That was when you were little. You are not little now, so my answer is - and always shall be from now on: no."
"You're the worst, Mist!" Knoll pouted, dropping the act.
"No, no, no, no, no. I think you'll find that Howl is the worst, not me."
"Why, thank you. No offense taken," said Howl himself from across what had once been a great pile of food between them.
Mist yawned and stood up.
"Well…" she said, "I think I'll be heading off too. It's too late to be staying up anyway."
She looked somewhere to the side of their gathering, and then smiled at him.
"What?" he asked.
She put a finger to her lip and nodded towards what she had seen, and he followed her gaze.
"Pip…" he said wearily. Pip had curled up on the spot, tucked his tail around his nose, and fallen asleep just as Stick and Rustle had done.
The only difference was that he was without his loving family. He had no-one to curl up beside. Howl couldn't say he understood that feeling. He couldn't miss what he'd never had to begin with. Pushing these thoughts aside, he crept over towards Pip's sleeping figure and prodded him on the shoulder.
"No…!" Mist whispered, "Don't wake him up…!"
"But-"
"Shh!"
Pip gave a quiet little groan and shifted onto his side.
"What am I supposed to do, then?" Howl whispered back. Mist looked at him with weary scorn and made a series of gestures that made it perfectly clear what she had in mind.
"No!" Howl said in disbelief, "Mist, I… I can't. You do it."
"No, I can't do it. He knows you more than me, and he trusts you. If he had to choose, I'm sure he'd choose you."
"If he had to choose, he'd choose neither of us and do what you told Knoll to do, which is why we should wake him up."
"Don't you dare…!" said Mist, "Don't you dare, Howl…! If you wake that boy deliberately, I will smack you so hard your muzzle will never look the same…!"
Howl looked back down at Pip and then back to Mist desperately, but she shook her head.
"Sorry, sir, but this is all you," she said.
Howl narrowed his eyes at her before carefully slipping his paws beneath Pip and lifting him onto his shoulder.
"Oh, do it properly, will you?" she said in the same weary tone. She approached and rearranged his paws before letting Pip gently down from his shoulder and into his arms in a cradle-hold. Howl looked down at the Eevee and felt a heavy weight in his chest.
"What?" said Mist, "What's with the sad expression?"
He shook his head.
"Nothing," he mumbled, and turned away.
Eventually he was crawling awkwardly back into Pip's hiding place and squinting towards a thin ray of moonlight gleaming through the hole in the dome's roof. He sensed a gust of wind pass above, and the leaves which were the dome's walls whispered and hissed in the darkness, but not a single bite of cold found him. Pip could have done much worse for a shelter. Howl proceeded into the middle of the dome and lowered him gently to the ground, where he used the leaves which he had gathered that very morning to pile on top of the little one's body to keep him warm as he slept.
Pip mumbled sleepily and his nose gave a little twitch, but he didn't wake.
Howl gave a small smile.
Someday, he thought, if he were to ever find peace in his life, nothing in the world would make him happier than to have children of his own. To tuck his own son or daughter to bed and tell them how much he loved them, and that he would forever be there for them. To tell them stories and console them when they were frightened or upset. To watch them grow. To watch them make friends…
His eyes felt warm all of a sudden and he breathed deeply to calm them. He looked down one last time at the small sleeping figure before turning back towards the tunnel.
"Goodnight, little one," he said, before vanishing into the silence of the night.
Well, how was it? I Thought this story had been a little on the moody side of things and wanted to add in a scene like this just to balance things out a little, as I don't want this to be full-on depressing. (Or am I miles too late for that?)
I know this chapter wasn't action-packed or the return to the human characters like some of you wanted, (No, I didn't forget) and you may be glad to hear that I happen to have managed to keep the ball rolling even after I finished writing this chapter and the next one is very nearly complete! With the return to the humans and even something action-y in there too! I'm just triple-checking it to make sure it's as good as I can make it, and it will be ready very soon! Like... ACTUALLY soon. So while I'm working on it, please feel free to leave me some constructive criticism or even point out some of the things you enjoy. That's the only way I know if I'm doing a good job, after all.
Thanks for reading, and thanks in particular to a certain someone on DeviantArt who's been drawing a handful of scenes from this story and an all-around cool dude: OhDarnitJerry. He does some really fun posts and is a truly great artist!
See you all soon!