Wakko kept looking around as he and his siblings walked down the forest path, unable to repress the fear that hadn't stopped gnawing at him since that night in the forest. Or really, since he had that nightmare. A gentle nudge broke his thoughts, and he looked to see his older brother giving him a somewhat concerned smile.
"You doin' okay, baby bro?"
A slight flush of embarrassment came to Wakko's face, but he managed a smile and shrug in return. Yakko and Dot seemed to be in a much better mood, thankfully, but he could tell they were worried. He couldn't let them see his fear… they had enough to worry about.
"I'm good," he replied, grateful that his voice came out light. "Jus' still a bit jumpy."
Yakko smiled wider and tapped a fist against Wakko's shoulder.
"Don't blame ya. But Pip said this way is good for most of the way."
Dot let out a quiet huff as she tugged her cloak a little tighter, shaking snow off her foot.
"Doesn't surprise me… there's barely anything to walk on."
The eldest Warner cast her a teasing grin.
"A little snow's not gonna hurt, Princess. Unless you wanna take a real road, and have him come along…"
His sister gave him a horrified look, one Wakko could tell wasn't exaggerated.
"No way! The only reason I agreed to go this way was to get away from that weirdo!"
The middle sibling couldn't help but laugh along with his brother. Even if he was still more scared than he wanted to show, it made Wakko feel better to see his siblings cheered up. All of them were dealing with the aftermath of that night but using humor to cope had always been one of the most effective for them.
"Does that mean we're not gonna hear any complaining from ya about camping out for the night?" Yakko asked, raising a brow.
Dot narrowed her eyes, sticking her nose in the air with a snobbish air.
"Dot Warner is never happy about sleeping in the dirt."
Wakko rolled his eyes as their older brother snorted.
"Guess that is askin' too much." He then shifted his pack, and though he hid it well Wakko still saw the slight wince. The middle sibling's amusement was immediately replaced by concern, and he placed a hand on Yakko's arm.
"Yakko, are you okay?"
Dot immediately leaned to look at her eldest brother's face, her own now a picture of worry.
"Is it hurting again?" she asked anxiously. "If you need a rest, we can stop now."
Yakko gave them both a reassuring smile, which Wakko was relieved to see didn't look strained.
"I can keep goin' a little while," he said. "But we can start looking for a good spot… I won't say no to setting up for the night."
Wakko knew their brother would usually just insist he was fine to keep going, but his guilt over how scared they'd been about him pushed him to be completely honest regarding his injury. As much as Wakko wished his older brother would be a little more concerned for his own sake, he was glad at least something was urging him to take care of himself.
The siblings walked in silence for a while, all of them looking around for a good place to camp for the night. Wakko had to admit, he was eager to get some rest himself… even if he was a little afraid to sleep.
Thankfully, he hadn't had any nightmares like the one he had at Pip's place, but the dreams he'd been having since were no less unsettling. All he would see was swirling darkness, and hear strange, whispering voices. Often, he couldn't make out what they were saying, but when he could they seemed to be playing on his insecurity, urging him to keep the promise he made to be strong.
Wakko always knew for some reason that he couldn't listen to those voices, but it was such a struggle to drown them out that he often woke feeling more tired than he was when he went to sleep. He knew Yakko and Dot were noticing his lingering exhaustion; the concerned looks they directed his way were proof of that. They rarely asked if he was okay, but Wakko knew they wanted to. They just knew he would reply that he was fine. He didn't doubt that they were taking every opportunity to debate how to get the truth out of him.
The middle sibling hated to worry his brother and sister, but he couldn't bring himself to admit the truth to them. As far as he could see, there wouldn't be much point to it other than to worry them more, and it wasn't as if they could really do much to help. Wakko had already decided that the best thing to do was wait it out and hope that it got better over time. His thoughts were interrupted by Dot.
"Hey, what about there?
He looked at his sister, who was pointing at a more enclosed area just off the road. It wouldn't completely hide them from sight but would certainly help shelter from the wind, and Yakko apparently drew the same conclusion.
"Yep, that ought t' work," he said. "Nice find, sister sibling."
As they left the road, Wakko let out a weary sigh of relief; even if he didn't want to tell his siblings the whole truth, there wasn't much point hiding that he was more tired than usual. Sure enough, both Yakko and Dot gave him a concerned, knowing look and his older brother ruffled his cap.
"If ya want t' rest while we set up, that's fine."
The middle sibling hesitated, but only for a second before concern overcame the temptation to agree.
"But, what about you?" he asked softly. "I know you get tired too."
Dot let out a petulant huff.
"Or you both could rest. I'm not so fragile I can't handle setting up by myself, ya know."
Wakko shifted on his feet, feeling sheepish, and he saw Yakko raise his hands complacently.
"Okay, okay. Sorry, sis."
"Apology accepted," Dot said, her tone bright now. She set down her pack, pointing at a spot on the ground. "Now sit."
"Yes, ma'am," Yakko said, then chuckled when Wakko gave a two fingered salute as both moved to obey. The middle sibling couldn't hold back a relieved sigh as he sat and stretched his legs; he was used to moving around, but they'd still been walking for longer than usual and his irregular sleep wasn't helping. His brother's hand patted his shoulder, and Wakko looked up to see Yakko giving him a reassuring smile.
"Why don't ya take a quick nap, Wak? We can wake ya up to eat."
The younger brother hesitated again, then sighed.
"Okay."
He saw the flash of relief in his older brother's eyes before he shifted and gestured to his lap.
"My bony legs won't make the best pillow," he said with a grin. "But it's probably better than the ground."
Wakko couldn't help but chuckle, then moved to lay down so his head rested in his brother's lap. The thought came to him that it had been a long time since he did this; the last time had been in the orphanage, a year before it closed. A hand rested on his back and began running across it in slow, gentle circles. The sensation was familiar, soothing, and just as he had every other time, Wakko felt his tension ease. Then the tiredness he'd been holding back began flooding in, and his eyelids drooped. From the soft chuckle his older brother let out, he knew Yakko could tell.
"Go on n' get some sleep, baby bro. We're here."
As if those words were permission, the middle sibling let his eyes close. Some unease lingered, slight fear that another dark dream might be waiting. But for some reason, he had a feeling there wasn't, at least this time.