Bruce blinked, "Alfred mentioned that you saw the other one...Is she sad too?", and Martha slightly heard and felt a agreeing almost quiet sigh in her head, as Martha replied, "Yes...We...we are...it will be hard without Thomas for a while...But soon, we're going to be all okay, Bruce, all of us, not just you, or Alfred, or me, or her...it..it just takes time.".
"I...I thought I was dreaming when I woke up...Alfred covered the newspaper but I saw it...He...I know he's home, waiting to be...be part of the grass, safe in the cr...crypt...But Dad...Daddy isn't coming back, is he?", Bruce whispered.
Martha sniffled, "No, sweetie...I...I know it doesn't seem real...until we bury him in a day or two, depending on Alfred's progress of...of the arrangements with my approval...I will not blame you if it hits you all at once when you...but you aren't alone, Bruce...".
Bruce said nothing as Martha gently brushed his hair. Now she was glad that her other half existed at least for that moment; she'd probably be haunted with nightmares from now on at the thought of what might have happened if she was... normal... that if Bruce had been orphaned then and there.
Bruce squeezed her tightly as she took a deep breath. "You... will you still want the other one?", he asked her as Martha bit her lip; Bruce obviously must have been thinking what she had said last night for a while too.
"I still don't know, Bruce... it's... difficult to answer right now. Dealing with everything all at once... sometimes I envy you, Bruce... you're just a kid, you've got so much less on your plate.", Martha gave a small chuckle.
Bruce whispered, "I guess...but I wish I wasn't so smart or good at surprising people at how mature I am sometimes despite being recently turning 8 years old...I wish I was normal...Maybe it would be a bit easier...but then I'd be confused...", with a little sigh.
Martha frowned softly, "Oh, Bruce...Are the staff trying to be busy around you?", and Bruce nodded, "Yeah...It's not fair...It's like...it's me...looking a lot like Dad...I...am I hurting you like that? I know you promised you're not leaving me, but I see a flinch in some of the staff when I did something this morning like Dad did.".
"I think they're just taking your father's death as a lot of a shock... and quickly trying to wrap their heads around the fact that you are the man of the manor now.", Martha explained. "Isn't that Alfred?", Bruce asked as Martha chuckled.
"Well, it should be, Lord knows how quickly this place would fall apart without him.", Martha shook her head. "But he's not the one who will one day own this place, you eventually will, not even that... a lot more.". She bit her lip, wondering maybe it wasn't the right idea to say all that right now. "Sorry, I know Thomas already told you all about inheritance and all but... we just thought it was going to be a long time before that could happen. In some things, it still will be as long as I'm here...".
Bruce blinked in surprise, "That's kind of stupid...I mean, you really know lots of grownup things and people...it should be the woman of the house...I...I don't want to be the man of the manor...Golly, I'm just 8 years old!".
Martha shushed him, kissing his forehead, "I know...You don't have to be, Bruce...It's just...I know of Thomas' plans somewhat, but...I don't know if he had upgraded his will as of late before...before last night...He would never dare put so much pressure on you...".
"Is that like his last orders?", Bruce whispered, and Martha nodded, "You could say that...Upon the funeral, the day afterwards are usually the reading of the will, and it will have to be done in Wayne Entreprises...My and Thomas' lawyer will call all the attendees including us and Alfred.".
Bruce replied, "Oh...We...we need to be there, right? It's Dad...", and Martha gave a small smile, "That's right...we need to hear what Dad had to say...even if it will be hard.", with a sniffle.
Bruce took a deep breath. "Okay.", he said as Martha rubbed his hair again, "Thomas would've wanted us to keep going, that I know for sure... and I'll be sure to keep going, especially for you.".
Bruce gave a small smile, "Thanks, Mom...", hugging her again, and Martha embraced him with a small smile, relieved that she's getting through to Bruce a bit, but she knows that it will take time, "I love you, Bruce...".
"I love you too, Mom...", Bruce replied back, and they just soaked into the embrace for a bit before duty called for Martha, and so, it was another two nights of grieving and mourning with her green half and talking with her here and there in the reflection while trying to arrange things and such during the days.
And then came the funeral...Many had attended, with Alfred, Martha, and Bruce at front...It was a dark cloudy day. During the reception in the ballroom to pay respects and their consolations, it finally became too much for Bruce, hitting him all at once, when he was starting to hate all the pitying and avoiding looks, and he ran out of the ballroom.
Alfred saw it happening, but he was distracted by some staff members, trying to direct them around the ballroom to offer trays of finger food, and Martha saw him leave too, but she was stuck as hostess and the widow, while feeling the faint rumbles of concern from her green half.
Finally, as it looked like everyone was gone as Martha tried to cut the time down for them to stay, worried for Bruce, with the staff cleaning up, and Martha thanking the last few lingering people and sending them off before the manor is now clear out of strangers and acquaintances, and friends, Alfred came to Martha's side.
"How's he doing?", Martha asked in worry, presuming that Bruce had gone to his room, and Alfred replied, "Ma'am, I...I can't find him...".
Martha widened her eyes, "What?! But he got a lot of places to hide, having favorite places and such, did you look?!", and Alfred nodded, "I looked in his room, in your room, the library, Master Thomas' office, the game room, the inside pool room, the bathrooms, the kitchen, the greenhouse, even the attic.".
"Well, that's still not even like half the places here...", Martha admitted as Alfred sighed. "I know, trying to keep it clean has been a challenge. Hell, I'll admit it, I skip some rooms for a few weeks at times.", he told her as she nodded.
"Can't blame you.", Martha said as she then took a deep breath, "Okay, okay, he's probably still here somewhere at least; I doubt he would've ran away... last thing we needed though; I could see some of the board members who showed up, their eyes... greedy, practically just waiting until finally, it would be considered the right time to try and make a move.".
"Ma'am, please, let's not think of that, we need to find young Master Bruce.", Alfred reminded. "Right... right... okay...", Martha nodded, trying to think.
A deep growl in Martha's head was heard as she heard her green half's voice in her mind, "Me track Bruce, Martha! He our son, our boy-pup!", as Martha exhaled deeply, biting her lip before looking at Alfred, "We better check the other spots you haven't covered yet, Alfred, quick. I think the other one is getting more than worried now. If we can't find him in this manor, he must be outside...We have to use the freshest clothes he had, perhaps his pajamas if the laundry maid hadn't washed them yet.".
Alfred gave her a look. "Call me crazy, but... um, might have to rely on, alternative methods...", she admitted. "Shall I clear out the rest of the staff for the rest of the day, so we don't have any troubles?", Alfred suggested.
Martha nodded, "Yeah... meanwhile I need to find something that I'm willing to lose... Bruce is already troubled enough... he doesn't need to see me... starkers, if I recall the English saying.".
"Good idea.", Alfred nodded as he was quick to let the rest of the help have an early day off; with the funeral and all, it was the perfect excuse.
Martha went to check some of the other spots Alfred hadn't checked while Alfred did his share, and after realizing that Bruce is outside somewhere, hopefully not kidnapped, Martha found her baggiest trousers and one baggy sweater that Thomas hated, something about the color clashing with his eyes, wearing them as quickly as she headed outside with Alfred holding into Bruce's pajamas.
"Luckily, the laundry maid hadn't gotten to them by the time I told her that she got the rest of the day off...Should be fresh.", Alfred replied. Martha nodded, "Thank you, Alfred...Um, you might want to stay back, and try to be calm, let's hope that she knows you too thanks to being around in my life since the treatment...She's raring to go out...", feeling the growls of worry and anxiety and anger in her mind.
"If it might be for the best for all, ma'am... perhaps I better go back inside and keep a wide berth.", Alfred advised as she nodded. Alfred placed the clothes on the ground before he took his leave as Martha closed her eyes.
Okay... how do I do this? She thought to herself. Do I just make myself angry again maybe? She then remembered the flare of anger when she saw some of the board members looking at Bruce with greed, and she exhaled, remembering that her green half had lowly growled, somehow labeling them as threats in her voice in Martha's head.
Martha followed on that, mixing with the worry and anxiety, and then the next thing she knew was the pain, but somehow far less, like the body knows what to expect now, and not completely blacking out as she took a backseat, hearing the green half panting and rumbling, taking now 3 minutes of transformation, showing that with more time, more practice, the transformation process will probably take a minute to 30 seconds, which gives the chance not to waste.
The deep emerald hulking figure is now wearing the tatters of Martha's clothes, modestly and gratefully fitting a tank top and shorts made from the shredding and ripping, with the remains on the ground and snow, and she blinked, stunned by the sun and the snow, a flare of awe and curiosity and wanting to explore before noticing Bruce's pajamas and snapping back to the memory of Martha, her mate worried and anxious about their son, their pup.
The other one is not going to fail their deceased mate in finding Bruce! She then dropped down like a wolf, sniffing the pajamas deeply, and then opened her eyes as she lifted her head, locking on it, and then kicked off the ground like a sprinter, running upside, yet with her head carefully low with her nostrils flared, sniffing here and there at a quick pause as Bruce's scent would be lower to the ground than an adult, before continuing, tracking the scent.
Safe inside, watching through the window besides the patio door, Alfred replied, "Oh, Lord, please, Master Thomas, guide her find the boy...Damn, Mistress Wayne was right about the other one having a pack mentality...Let's really hope that she is right about Master Bruce being a pup to the other one...Still, it's astounding...".
Still, the look of savagery to it; Alfred could now see why Martha might think it would be wiser to try to cure rather than tame but, depending on things, so maybe taming, teaching this creature to be good may be more possible than it was.
The creature started dashing around, her large feet tearing the earth beneath her as she moved with great speed with a mind of both anger and worry; wanting to find her pup and willing to tear anyone apart that dared to try to harm him if someone had indeed taken him.
She followed the scent, running a bit faster as it got fresher and closer, and perhaps about a half mile off from the manor, still on the premises of the Wayne property of several acres, between a tree and a half-solid rock wall, seeing tracks of her pup, showing that he had tripped, and then seeing no blood, only faint salt of tears that she could smell, she followed the scent to a small cavern hole that barely could fit a teenager, let alone a small child that slipped in easily enough like Bruce, and with a growl, she dug with her large hands, taking a swift five minutes to enlarge it.
She then went in, following the fresher and fresher scent, crawling and grunting as she dug deeper and closer, and then emerged out into an astounding expanse of caverns of a huge deep underground area that is making her feel like a normal person instead of big, and then she heard faint sniffles and gasps and sobs, and she called out, rumbling low in her voice, trying not to roar or such, "Bruce?", smelling no other body threat to her pup, "Bruce pup, where are you? Me other one, worried like Martha, your mom.", as her anger simmered down, but still there as she's still angry at what's making Bruce cry.
"Mommy?", Bruce's voice echoed as the screeching of bats rang out before the emerald creature roared. Clearly, she didn't like bats when they started to flutter around and screech some more. She kept moving, trying to get to the sound of the voice which was a bit difficult with all the sounds of bats practically overwhelming her ears.
She narrowed her eyes, turning around as she stopped, and she clapped her hands strongly to create a stunning boom, and then a few moments later, she didn't hear any more bats, as she had stunned them back to sleep, and then nodded with a grunt, turning around, sniffing for Bruce as the sounds of her pup got closer, and then she found him in an area that had a underground pond with beautiful glowing flowers.
"Bruce?", the other one rumbled gently, and Bruce turned around, his eyes red-shot, and snot and tears on his face, whispering, "I'm sorry...I'm sorry I ran away...I just...I just wanted everything to shut up, everyone was saying so much...Is mommy worried inside you, mama?".
The other one was surprised a bit as she shuffled closer to Bruce, sitting down next to the raised rock Bruce was sitting on, "Bruce pup thinks me as mama?", with tears as anger went down, but still worried.
"You are, aren't you? I mean... that's her body, if not her head at least...", Bruce sniffled. From his point of view, Martha and this creature were the same, if not sort of a split personality situation.
"Mama...", the creature growled, thought it was more in a sorrowful sense. "Me...". The creature's limited intelligence really was confusing her as while perhaps Martha could think clearer in what exactly they would be in a sense of self, she, on the other hand, couldn't truly wrap her head on it.
Bruce slowly got up and carefully walked towards her. Bruce was smart enough to know this creature his mother turned into was sort of like a wild animal in some ways. Being aggressive or too sudden could set her off and from the sounds of things, anger seemed to be a prime driver of her.
The green half watched Bruce with curiosity as he carefully came to her sitting self and seemed to think before climbing into her big leg to rest into her lap, and the green half rumbled with a smile, "Me know you pup, but you climb like monkey.", helping him finding a spot, learning to be fond and discovering maternal love so swiftly as she protected him from falling over or back.
Bruce giggled, and then smiled at her, "Thank you, Mama...", and the green half smiled, "You're welcome, Bruce.", remembering Martha's words when talking with her green half in the reflection the past few nights.
"Mommy worried too, Bruce-pup...Why people scare you? Me thought Bruce good pup. You not to run away. Me remember Alfred was worrying too...", the green half said, using the faint times she watched through the window and the conversations in the mirror, even if her vocabulary and structure grammar isn't too great at the moment.
"Sorry...", Bruce sniffled again. "Just... seeing Daddy... him in the coffin before they closed it and put him in the crypt... I just kept seeing him when that man shot him over and over... and then there were those men that worked with him, they kept looking at me, and it didn't seem like they were really sorry for us...".
The green half cooed as her arm gently embraced her pup's back, "Thomas protected family, Thomas not coming back but he being Daddy, he not leave you...he loves Bruce-pup like Martha-mate, like Martha-mate loves Bruce-pup and me loves Bruce-pup...Me hope Thomas be happy in sky...but me scared he see me as bad...he not love me because not long time like Martha-mate even if he was me's mate too, not wife...", with a weary sigh.