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Heart of the Forest, part 21

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Chapter 21: The long mile for a twisted heart.

A city in a cavern underneath a city, it was what he’d gotten from his conversations with Jensen. Yet, having spent all this time looking at the inside of hallways and buildings, he needed to see it to believe it. As Forest emerged from the prison air ducts, the world greeted him with a long drop onto a closed dumpster. A heavy fall that, fortunately, missed its chance to alert the patrolling officers.

Regardless, he was out. Free. And the first thing he did was let his eyes wander up to the sky. And it took him a second look to realize his eyes weren’t staring up at the heavens. The world’s ceiling was adorned with a river of stars that glinted over in different colors. Perhaps precious gems or magic enchantments, but still beautiful all the same.

For a moment, he considered just standing therein marvel at the sights and the feeling of liberty. The stars guided his eyes to the side, only to be blocked by the corner of a nearby building that towered over. Staring at the once familiar brick and concrete buildings and electric lamps around that just screamed of civilization, he realized how much he’d missed the mundane. Those in the alternate seemed keen on either living a simple life with wooden cottages and huts. Few flaunted around ostentatious design of magic powered -or arcana- renaissance, if there was ever such a thing.

However, the situation didn’t lend itself to enjoy the views just yet. He knew guardians might sweep around the area at any time.

For the escapee’s fortune, the alleyways were free of prying eyes, with the windows in the dark behind the curtains. He ran as fast as his injured leg would allow him while making an effort to avoid the illuminated streets and crossing paths with anyone. Clad still in the prison uniform, albeit covered with sweat, scratched, cut and even bled into, he would still be easily recognized, so his first priority was to nab a long coat he spotted from nearby hanging lines. While her body was still having some trouble processing its healing factor, it could still stretch just enough to yank it.

It must’ve been an hour later when Forest managed to step into a crowded street as a fearful test to see if his coat would work. It fit him like a cloak, good enough to hide him without getting in the way. At the worst, all he got were some odd looks whenever his eyes strayed to any odd sights, such as posters of elves and fairies used to promote any sort of mundane products. A modern day orc promoting a burger or an elf modeling an outfit. It drew some questions to Forest’s head, but not enough to keep him from walking.

His goal was to find an exit he could make it through. It didn’t take a lot to imagine the guardians would be in control of who comes and goes through the main entrances, and with the whole prison break going on, they would be on the lookout.

“I can’t even rely on Captain Sominos now,” he thought at some point. Running away from him and his aide was, essentially, burning a bridge.

Still, Forest had been determined to not missing his chance to freedom. He’d come so far to be so close now. So close to seeing his family there was an awful feeling of hope that was burning in his heart. Something he hadn’t felt before. He would see Trish and Diane. Be together. Make sure they were okay. Determination was blind but didn’t make him stupid. He wouldn’t risk it all by charging through the first checkpoint he spotted.

As he wandered, he tried to see the logic in the work of a city. Caves this large would probably have several ins and outs, even more than the Guardians could cover. That is what he would be striving for. His steps took him to the less cluttered section of the city, those where the lights and buildings became more sparse.

Guardians weren’t present around, making Forest think he had a bit of a headstart to work with. The roads became more craggy and rough, giving the feeling of climbing steppes. The homes around seemed to be makeshift and the inhabitants not as friendly as Forest had imagined, but at least they minded their business. He spotted a family of drow elves managing some sort of gem farm while fairies inhabited bright hive like buildings on the higher corner of the cavern that emitted a soft light around the path. Whispers was as far as they chose to interact with him.

It must’ve been hours of walking when Forest reached a wall of the cave. It could’ve been a good place to hide, but he forced himself to continue, even if his body ached, he was determined to see the sunlight and the outline of a city.

So he followed the wall of the cavern for what must’ve been a good while. A treacherous trek through the dark. More than once, he ended up tripping, falling and hitting his way along the rocks. He didn’t feel himself making progress until he looked over his shoulder and noticed the lights of the city had now vanished. He had made it through a passage, which would hopefully get him to the surface…

“In the worst case scenario, a dead end.” Talking by himself was still the best friend of the nervous mind. “And even so, I can stay there and wait for everything to die down before coming ba-” The comment was cut short as a blinding feeling of pain hit him square in the face. He had just walked against a low hanging ceiling. There was now something trickling from his nose.

“Shit!” Forest cursed out, his voice echoing across the smooth cavernous surface. But then again, there was nothing he could do in the dark, other than carry on, arms outstretched.

The nose took a while to heal, fixing itself with a sordid pop with the gushing blood slowly easing up, and by then, another thought arose in Forest. What if he ended up lost? What if he wandered within a cavernous network of tunnels without finding ever finding the exit… That would be a rather grim fate, specially with his body being as durable as it was.

A reason to panic that drove him close to losing his composure more than once as he carried on, ducking under the low ceiling. But again, fortune seemed to smile on Forest as, when turning around a corner, he spotted a light in the horizon. A green light that didn’t have the focus or intensity of an artificial light. At least, it was something, he thought.

As he drew near, he realized what it was. Glowing mushrooms. Luminescent mushrooms. That was something that gave him an idea. “I hope you work as good with fungi,” his voice rang in the dark as he reached down to pluck in the large mushroom cap.

It was an odd feeling on the hand. Squishy like a sponge with a viscous glowing liquid already starting to drib from the underside. He debated on whether he should eat one at least just to keep himself from starving but was kept from it thanks to the off-putting appearance. The effect, though, didn’t take long before it began to kick in.

There was an odd feeling running down Forest’s veins spreading for the arm, almost as if someone had injected him with ice. “It’s working,” he said with a sense of relief as he concentrated, squishing the cap as hard as he could, draining bioluminescent substance and letting it coat his hand. It was like liquid light, not enough to illuminate the entire cavern, but just enough to reveal what was a meter ahead.

The feeling began to spread out and drawing the veins up up his forearm dyeing them of a bright green that glowed stronger than the normal cap.

“This will do,” Forest muttered tossing the shriveled mushroom away with its essence course through him. With a bit of concentration, his feet began glow in the same manner, letting him know where he stepped. That was as far as he wished to take it, not wanting to end up having mushrooms grow over his skin or have every vein of his womanly body light up.

With renewed strength, he carried on with his trek and once again, he felt fortune start to smile on him again as the path began to lead upwards. “Please lead me to an exit,” he muttered hopefully as he began to have more trouble walking up. At least with the current power set, walking up felt much easier. There was less chance to step on a stalagmite, trip or hitting her head again.
 
“Do wish I had picked up some more glowing shrooms for the way,” Forest grumbled. As far as he knew, he would be good for a couple more hours and just wished that was all he needed.

The tunnel grew steeper and steeper with each passing second, and the walls began to close in regardless of whichever path he chose, held by hard stone and mere compressed dirt. He didn’t knew for how long he’d been climbing but wished something would happen. Now feeling his wits reaching the end, there was a thought that had him wish he’d stayed back in the Pit.

The route ahead became more dirt and sandstone rather than simple eroded rock and, much to Forest’s revulsion, he began to spot worms wiggling about on the surfaces of the tunnel. Yet he pushed on. He’d been through so much to let this stop him.

Regardless, it was when he was forced to go down on his belly that the panic began to set in. The whole passage became as cramped as the air vents and the feeling of dirt falling on his back, head and legs as he pushed on was quickly bringing up the recently discovered claustrophobia and the idea of dying buried. Unlike back when he was Ogre, where the idea of being suffocated felt like a release. Now, it was ironic.

He carried over making his best to ignore the irregular narrow pace, the shifting ground and the several wiggling worms that just happened to brush him. Even as there didn’t seem to be a concrete end in sight.

And then, he reached something. Something hard and sturdy and oddly soothing. The moment Forest’s arm brushed it there was an echo of natural energy that resonated with the world. He’d felt it before. It was the energy of the natural flora. He’d just brushed the root of a tree. The surface must’ve not been that far away.

“Roots,” thought Forest with some relief. Certainly feeling in contact with the natural energy this way felt refreshing after being cooped up within the stone cell. However, Forest had reached the end of his path. So he had to make a choice, go all the way back to the large cavern city, and figure out a way out there… or brace through and dig…

“Crap…” Forest muttered slowly as he considered his choice before his gaze went down to his hand, which was still glowing with the pale green light, albeit with much less intensity as before. She was running out of juice.

“There’s no way I can make it back…” Forest said bitterly as he took a deep breath and rolled onto his back. He covered his mouth with the collar of his coat and made his hand into a fist. Channeling his energy, he focused in giving his arm much more muscle and the bark armor. His powers seemed to have returned after days of resting, which was of little consolation as he began to punch the area next to the root, holding his breath as the dirt fell on on him.

————

At the outskirts of New Kent, within the depths of the woods between towns, the earth began to shuffle wildy and rumble softly. Such a smooth shifting of the ground would easily go unnoticed by many, but the animals around quickly took it as a threat and backed away. The moment a large wood covered claw of a hand broke through the ground, they scampered off and into the bushes.

The hand was large and bulging with muscles, with bark coating its surface like a gauntlet, with jagged scales and tips shaped like claws, looking much like a monster. The hand dug itself into the ground and pushed the rest of the coated figure out.

Emerging with a sordid and much needed gasp for air, Forest desperately dragged the rest of his body out, aggressively shaking all the dirt and worms that still clung to his body before letting himself collapse on the grass.

His lungs filled up with the fresh air of nature and his skin was now basking under the morning sun almost as if having craved for it. A scream was let out, releasing all the pent up frustration that had accumulated in the past week, before he just lounged there on the ground.

The sun softly warmed up his skin and an energizing tingle spread through the body as the wind was making Forest feel like he hadn’t breathed in a long time. “I guess it’s true that I am part plant,” Forest muttered absentmindedly as he closed his eyes.

In the moment of peace of mind, just like before, in Mrs. Vanet’s clinic, he felt the connection to the nature. The swirling ethereal energy that binded every tree and blade of grass. With it, he knew he was alone. It wasn’t a connection he yearned or needed as much as he thought he would… but it made him feel powerful as opposed to frail and broken. As he thought about it and let his presence wander the surroundings, his body felt like it was regaining its energy and power. He saw his injuries start to close up and the bruises mend themselves. The most recent stab through the leg was slowly disappearing without leaving a scar, with the underlying soreness and burn fully ease up into pleasurable relief.

Forest wasn’t sure how much time he spent lying there, but it must’ve been enough to get him to start dozing off. “I can’t fall asleep here,” he decided, forcing himself up as a small twist hit his stomach.

“I haven’t eaten since yesterday,” Forest sighed as he pushed himself up and spotted just nearby a tree that just happened to bear fruit. That felt like all he needed all this time.

“Pears,” he observed as he spotted the green fruits that were far from riping time. That, of course, didn’t felt like a problem for Forest. Touching the bark and getting in touch with the tree’s energy, he commanded it to work faster into getting at least one fruit ready, the one he was looking at. Before his eyes, he saw it grow into a rather juicy size before becoming too much for the branch to hold and fall right into his hand. Forest smiled at the sight as he sank his teeth into it. Having not tasted something this fresh in a while.

The meal might have been short, but it was enjoyable, and now Forest felt strong enough to make the trip back to his family. Though the obvious question was where was he?

He refused to let himself be lost after all he’s been through, so he willed his wooden hooves back on, preparing for a long trek and follow the the trees in hopes for a clue. Though doing his best to keep in mind in what general direction he came from.

As he wandered, he took stock of his situation. As far as anyone was concerned, he was a person wearing an overly large coat, could easily pass off as a homeless woman living in the woods should one overlook the cloven wooden hooves that dressed his feet.  The coat itself had seen better days, now covered in dirt, his own bloodstains and torn in several places from the whole ordeal, it just made Forest want to cast it out if given the chance. He even found a worm wiggling inside one of the pockets. As the person that once, long ago, used to do the laundry in his home, thinking of it was quite irking.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long till he reached a small running river, giving him the opportunity to soak the clothes. Not that walking around wet would do anything to him. Forest’s body seemed to take in water as a refreshment.

Still, it was another piece of clothing Forest wouldn’t be able to give back.

“Well, I needed it.” He muttered at some point as he adjusted the shoulder of the coat, finding it snagged against the barks of his missing arm.

That was something else he needed to fix. Drinking water gave him much more of the energy he needed.

“Okay, just try it,” he muttered, pulling back, revealing his stump. The cleave from that guardian’s sword was rather precise, going straight through the bone and separating what would’ve been the shoulder. He shuddered to think that it was just three inches away from cleaving his neck. Back then, his body had only focused on sealing and containing the injury, growing chunks of bark around the green skin where the veins were lit up as if they were constantly working in an attempt to heal it.

The seal had done a good job as a band-aid, but now Forest felt ready for a full recovery, so he began to pry off the plates of bark while at the same time, giving concentration to the idea of growing his arm again. The feeling threw a wave of dizziness and weakness that forced Forest down to his knees as the feeling began to return to the limb.

Closing his eyes to avoid watching, he felt the flesh of the still feminine body slowly push through the injury, forming bone and muscle. He made his best to try to think how arms were composed but the feeling was so jarring and painful, he began to notice some abnormalities.

He opened his eyes to see his wrist still forming and working over to the fingers. The bones, or rather naturally grown wooden sticks were wrapped around with sinews of vines that quickly merged into flesh, reacting to every time he willed them to bend over. “I’m really a monster,” was a fleeting thought that crossed his mind as the mild pain slowly wore off.

“I have missed you,” Forest muttered begrudgingly, moving his arm and closing his fist, but as he did, it was apparent not everything was the way it was supposed to be. “I still do.” For starters, his hand was oddly misshapen, almost swollen in some places while anemic in others. When making a fist, some fingers stopped before full closure, almost like he’d seen in a couple of cases of arthritis. Some of them featured lumps and joints of irregular shapes while the ring and pinkie fingers had  the same root bone, making them almost conjoined.

Looking up, the biggest issue seemed to be that the arm still bore plates of bark at multiple points while the “bones” were misshapen, slightly longer if not oddly eerie. He felt down his radius and ulna, finding them oddly intertwined in a bit of an unnatural way restricting the range of movement.

“Shit, I can’t walk around like this,” Forest muttered as he closed his eyes and tried to focus on fixing the twisted bones, but no sooner he felt the change going on a great deal of pain coursed through, almost as if his arm was getting ripped from the inside. He was starting to feel the regenerative exhaustion set in.

“This is bad,” he caught his breath after the second failed try. He couldn’t fix his arm right now, it was too much to do in so little time, and it was taking away his time. Looking up at the sky, he spotted the sun already disappearing over the horizon.

Clear that he couldn’t linger for much longer in this place, he slipped the arm into the coat, with a bit of pain, but at least hid it. And as he carried on, a part of his mind went back to his encounter with Roland.

“He said my regeneration wasn’t perfect…” he reasoned. “Back then, my broken hand, it grew with malformations… it seems it can’t fix everything.” Was the explanation he opted for, rather than believing his healing factor was starting to fail.

Eventually, the sound of cars running on the asphalt appeared and grew clearer as he followed it, taking Forest over to a highway.

“I made it,” was his comment, which turned into more a feeling of emotion when spotting the sign that announcing which way would get him to Roville.

“Just wait, Trish. Your dad is coming home,” he said, grimacing after taking notice of how odd his feminine voice made the words come out.

————

Nightingale clinic was but a convenient small business located right at the entrance of the southern suburbs of the city. A rather modest looking place two stories tall and barely over three examination rooms. The staff was comprised of a handful of doctors and nurses that added the personal touch despite not being able to compete with the big hospitals.

But then again, the business was content with just being well known by the district.
 
Small and tight. It felt like an ideal spot to station a witness. With the favor of the chief doctor, secrecy was a given. The man Petra brought in a week ago was well provided with a room and treatment. An emergency operation had to be performed to clean the hole on his shoulder of maggots and dead tissue while mending bone together. He was getting pumped with antibiotics to keep him from going into sepsis and lower the risk of high fever. Two days after his arrival, he was deemed out of the woods.

Since then, he’s slipped in and out of consciousness every so often before Petra could get a straight answer from him.

And the she-wolf hasn’t left his side in days. Always keeping her ears perked for any sound of danger or any word he would say. She was determined to see this to the end and considering who she was dealing with, danger could come at any moment. And while it was boring to just sit down and read magazines while keeping her ears attentive, it was at least much better than her previous job as a security guard for someone’s lair…

Petra sighed as she turned around the page, half wishing she had a way to at least contact June or Sasha, if not just to make some small talk and see how everyone was doing. But, duty called.

And speaking of it, her ears quickly picked up the sound of someone walking down the hallway, approaching the door. The lack of the strong sanitizer smell told her it wasn’t one of the regular nurses. Petra prepared herself standing up when the door opened.

“Edward,” Petra sighed relieved as she went over to meet her employer. She was quickly overjoyed, putting an arm over his shoulder.

“Petra, it’s good to see you,” Edward smiled as the she-wolf closed the door.

“You got me alert,” Petra sighed. “New coat?”

“Yes. I’m afraid my usual one got burned during the prison break. I meant to call, but I had to deal with an important conversation that just took my focus off.

“Hope you weren’t followed. He’s now actively trying to kill you.”

“Give me some credit,” Edward smirked. “Camilla is not the only one who can move around unnoticed. I was actually, being followed up until the alleyway in Cross street, but I managed to give them the slip.”

“Don’t risk it. Everything might fall apart if something were to happen to you,” Petra muttered taking a couple of steps back to the room where she picked up the clipboard the doctor left.  “I was worried when I heard the whole thing about the prison. I was almost preparing to head there.”

“We made it, at least… even if we lost a person of interest.”

“Camilla told me about everything there. I can barely believe it. The monster that Roland controlled used to be a man. I find it hardly to paint that thing as a victim of circumstances.” Petra let out a soft growl, more than once she had talked to that creature with snarls and roars and, once, they even came close to a full out fight.

Edward nodded. “Turns out the soul of the man was still conscious of everything in there. She, or, I think, he, was always present at Roland’s side. Might’ve known a lot about their operations.”

“How did she get out of it? From being Ogre, I mean.”

“We didn’t got to that part of the story.” Captain Sominos sighed, but in the end. “It doesn’t matter. In the end, she opted to run away. And to be honest, I can hardly blame her. Seeing what she has seen, much like you and your sisters, I would also doubt the capabilities of the guardians to deal with the rest of Elliot’s ring of associates.”

“So what happens to her now? Does she become a loose end? Will she be hunted by the guardians? Mirko has to know, and if he does, then he might try to silence her.”

“He is. But it doesn’t matter. I made some calls to make sure Forest will be out of reach.” He picked up the clipboard but found it slipping between his grasp as there was a jolt of pain there.

Captain Sominos sighed as he flexed his hands. Fully bandaged and treated, they bore glowing runes on them to speed up the healing. “How are your hands?” Petra asked.

“The healer’s treatment should be done ins a couple more days. In the meantime, though, everything triggers the exposed nerves.”

“Just say ‘sensitive hands’, it’s much simpler.” Petra said as she picked up the board. “Third degree burns over catching a fireball spell. What were you thinking?”

“I thought my knife had a larger well.” He shook his head.

The conversation could’ve carried on, but was interrupted by the sound of a soft groan coming from the bed. The surviving witness had woken up, slowly stirring in dazed stupor, he seemed to be much more lucid as the moment he spotted Captain Sominos, he immediately froze up, with his following reactions being trying to stand up, with his head turning in search of a way to escape. Her spotted the window, but that was as far as he got as his arms and legs rattled the straps that bound him to the bed corners.

“I asked the doctor for those. Felt like a good idea,” Petra smiled.

Captain Sominos gave her a complimentary nod, walking around the foot of the bed as the man kept on trying to even sit up. Keeping control was quite a challenge as this kind of men are the reason people have died and criminals have walked free. Corrupt officers who had willingly decided to follow Mirko’s promises. There was no mind control nor hostage excuse they could say swayed them into this decision. “Sir! S-Sir-” He stuttered almost desperately as his mind kept on drawing blanks that could save him from this situation.

“It’s good to see you among living,” Captain Sominos said sternly. “You’re among the lucky that survived the attack from Roland. Or rather, one of the few that survived his betrayal.”

“I-I don’t understand. I was answering an ordered from my captain. Captain T-Talia, she will vouch for me,” his voice was evidently scared. Edward could see the realization that he’d made a bad call zip through his eyes.

“Captain Talia has no knowledge as to what you and your comrades were doing there and is focused on discovering it. She is trying to find out… but I already know the answer. You were there in an attempt to kill Forest, in hopes to silence her. But the necromancer turned on you.” Captain Sominos took a pause to size his reaction, just to know he was on the right track. “You were there at Captain Mirko Kolina’s behest, weren’t you? You are a crooked guardian.”

“I-I have no reason to side with-”

“Your name is Eddie Turpine, right? I’ve seen you around the station. A quiet man, who seldom offers himself to take up risks,” Captain Sominos interrupted, reciting much of the information he could gather from Joanna’s psyche evaluation. “Captain Talia hand picked you to build up your courage and strength because she believed you could rely less on your gun and more in your skill.“

“But it meant a lot of effort, didn’t it?” Petra weighted in.

“Is that why you sided with Captain Kolina’s offer”

“L-Let me explain, sir. I-I can explain.” Eddie blurted but the more he spoke, the more desperate he became. “I will do anything,” he finally said.

“What I want you to do is to testify and confess everything you know about Mirko’s faction. I want you to list out every illicit activity you have been a part of and point at every turncoat.”

“H-He’ll kill me for it! They all will!” Eddie said in panic, the machine monitoring his heartbeat was drumming so fast, it forced Petra to shut it down.

“You think that is going to matter? When Mirko Kolina learns you’re alive, what will you do? You are but a loose end.” Petra asked, getting Eddie’s attention. In that brief moment, his eyes widened slightly and his jaw clicked. Edward would’ve asked what was that about, but guessed it was him recognizing the she-wolf who saved his life.

“Your comrades are dead because of him! And you would’ve almost died as well! That is a proof of how little the werewolf captain cares over your wellbeing. You’re finding yourself in deep trouble, but there is a difference between cutting a deal in prison or a funeral.”

Eddie gulped as he looked in between the two interrogators.

“What’s it gonna be?” Edward asked.

————

A long walk was what became of Forest’s next couple of days as he traversed the road at his leisure. However, unlike many of his previous treks, such as the trip over to Firlandis when he first regained the ability to walk, this one felt more like a reward, like a victory lap after everything he’s been put through.

There he was, making his way back to his family. To the ones he’d been tore away from six years ago. The beacon of his steps. So many things have happened, yet he didn’t give up hope that he would see them again. Cares about the past and the future seemed to fade off, casting away Mrs. Vanet’s advice to plan ahead and foresee consequences. And he knew it.

He should’ve been wondering what would be the consequences of him showing up as a plant monster. What if his daughter didn’t recognize him or believe him? What would they do? What if they rejected him? Or blamed him for disappearing? What if he turned into more of a monster?

He wanted to think that all those situations would end with the embrace of his daughter and the kiss from his wife. Putting an end to the nightmare… even if all the problems would still be there.

“Just let me have this…” The walk was too long for him not to utter those words several times while every now and then wiping a single tear from the corner of his eye.

The long road in itself was rather peaceful and tranquil, at least. Forest kept himself hidden from the woods, walking in parallel to the road. Every now and then, he happened to stumble into a fruit tree that would serve him a treat. His body took well the wind, sun and the cold of the night without much of an issue and he was drawing close to the town, judging by the signs he happened to glance to.

“Almost there…” Forest sighed as he stopped, discreetly pulling away the coat just to see his body. Still wearing the prison uniform, bearing stains of mud and dirt that even a wash in the river couldn’t get rid off. Probably not a good choice for a re-encounter. He considered stopping by some place to nab some more clothes, but in the end opted against it. “I have to stop doing that… besides, I steal something, the police find me and I end up behind bars… Not while I’m close,” was his choice, even if he looked like a hobo.

Once he reached the city, he gave up any pretense of avoiding human contact and just stepped down the streets, casting away the wooden hooves, pulling the coat over his head and willing himself as normal as possible. His skin changed into a more pinkish tone, though there were still shades of green. The ears became smaller, as far as he could tell, though retaining some minor points. It was a costume that might’ve done the trick, with the only exception being the monster like arm that was tucked away under the coat.

Still, the little details and the outfit he was wearing (mostly the outfit) earned him the looks of disdain of many, mostly women passing obviously muttering over something. But it didn’t matter. As long as they didn’t call the police, it was all fine, Forest thought. It shouldn’t have mattered, but it did. It was something that reminded him how out of place he was in the normal world.

He carried on regardless.

He recalled the address: Dullard avenue four seven two. He’d lived in in Roville for, at least, a good eight years, so he had a general idea of where he should be headed.

Once in the city, he did his best to keep a low profile, averting eyes from the police in case they were on the lookout for him. Of course, that didn’t make the trip go by fast. It actually took him most of the day to get to the street, with the sun already having set in the familiar city horizon long ago and the car traffic in the suburbs starting to ease up.

That at least gave Forest a lot peace of mind and the chance to prepare. As he spotted the words “Dullard Ave” hanging from the sign on the corner, he knew he’d made it and at the same time, there was a tinge of panic spreading through his head. “I made it,” he thought to himself as his steps slowed. “What am I going to say?”

He might have been thinking about a myriad of ways he could’ve started the conversation, several ways he could’ve gone around explaining what happened and try to make it sound as believable as he could… yet of those there was no answer he could pick. He couldn’t imagine what his daughter believing a strange woman suddenly appearing and claiming to be her missing father. There didn’t seem to be a way to it.

Yet he carried on believing that he would think of something pure and honest as the time drew close.

Sadly, that wasn’t the case. Forest carried over walking down the street until he spotted the number he was looking for: four seven two. It was what he would’ve described as a modest house. A single floor and a small overgrown garden. Judging by the windows, he guessed the place must’ve had at least about four or five rooms and he inevitably felt a pang of guilt. Thinking back of their old home: a two story tall place with a garage with a large enough parking lot for two cars and a nice backyard with a swing hanging from the family tree, this was a major downgrade from that. And it was all his fault…

He stared at the home from behind a nearby tree for quite some time. Trying to be nonchalant would’ve been impossible while staring at someone’s house, even if that someone was his family. Fortunately, there was no one around to denounce or call the police. There was no activity. Just the lights and no sound around.

“I guess there was also a chance this would happen. Neither is home.” Of all the scenarios he went through in his head, this was the one that was missed. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed, but at the same time, there was relief. The question was, what would happen now? He had reached his goal but now there was no one to receive him. His search had yielded nothing.

Forest sighed as he walked over to the nearest park, a place that overlooked the street just at the corner of the avenue. Ample space to fit in a couple of football fields with scarcely a couple of trees among the sea of grass, with a playground nearby. Feeling like it would be the appropriate place to sit down and rest, Forest spotted a swing.

It was just then that he realized how exhausted, if not broken his legs were. After spending most of the last couple of days walking through woods and pavement, he was feeling close to falling down, and now, apart. Twenty steps to the park were barely anything. Soon, he was buckling his knees, letting his womanly but nestle on the seat, slowly swaying it softly.

“What do I do now?” he brought himself to mutter as he let his thoughts settle in. “Do I… go back to the alternate? Hunt for Roland?” Vengeance certainly felt like the only thing he had left, and the clearest to pursue. After all, it was all the necromancer’s fault. For all the suffering he’s caused, he deserve to fall.” He sighed as he kicked the swings giving a bigger berth to the swing. “But he is in the other side of the portal and I’m here… I could maybe get in contact with the guardians? Cut a deal with them, maybe?”

“But that would mean submitting to them and my innocence has yet to be proved. They will arrest me and throw me back into solitary. They had no reason to give in to my request…”

His eyes then glanced to the houses in the suburbs, noting a small figure leaving a house by the front door of one, that got him thinking. “Maybe I can stay in this world… live close by and find a home. Sort out a way of living. Always look out for Trish and Diane until I can figure what to say or anything. After all, I have ‘powers’.” And then came the sigh of disillusion with the silence briefly interrupted by the racking of his wooden limb. “But, I’m also a monster. I wouldn’t last long hidden among normal people without the guardians intervening.”

At about that time, a figure approached the playground with wary steps. It was a fourteen year old girl dressed in casual clothes: a simple music inspired shirt and a skirt while carrying a backpack over her shoulder. “Um…” she said with a soft voice. “Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here?” She gestured down at the spare swing.

When Forest lifted his head to get a good look at the girl’s face under the lamppost’s light, he almost choked holding his breath. “A-A…T… Sure,” he managed to say in the end, inviting her.

The moment his eyes met hers, a flashback surged within Forest’s head. It was his daughter getting ready for the recital that fateful night. Her hair hanging down framing her face bearing a soft smile. The image was vivid and the girl before him left little doubt that they were the one and same.

“I found you,” he thought as his heart thumped. His legs tensed for a moment as if ready to jump up and deliver a strong hug to his daughter but contained himself, specially when the leg twitch made Trish take a step back. He could hardly believe he was seeing and interacting with his daughter.

“Sorry…” Forest pretended, as he settled back down. “I-I have… an old leg injury. P-Please do.”

“Okay,” Trish said, still seemingly keeping her guard up as she took a seat. Forest at least felt safe that his daughter wasn’t entirely naive.

“Sorry to bother you,” she said as she swayed back and forth, turning on the seat to keep an eye on him. “It’s just that, I like this place. I come here every day after teaching piano just to sit down for a moment and think.”

“You teach piano?” Forest muttered. She did have a knack for music and nimble fingers. Leaning over, she spotted the piano sheets sticking off her backpack. “Close your bag lest you want them to fly off.”

“Alright,” Trish cracked a small smile as she complied. “And yeah, I teach piano to my neighbour’s kid. It’s a way to help my mom pay the bills since she won’t let me pick up a job.”

“A girl like you shouldn’t. Are things that bad?”

“We… we’re managing through. Actually, things are looking up after some very shit- I mean, very bad years. Doesn’t seem like we’ll have to worry about money for now…” She answered before sighing. “Sorry if I’m unloading a lot. It’s just that this is my thinking space and… I don’t know, it’s easier to talk to a stranger.”

“I know the feeling,” Forest agreed, though was almost dying out of stress of not revealing himself. “Have you tried talking to your mom?”

“I can’t… It’s difficult,” she said, sighing as she pushed herself for a minor swing.

“If it’s okay for me to ask. What’s so special about this place?”

“Oh… it’s nothing in particular,” Trish explained. “It’s just. It’s conveniently on the way back home so I can just stop by and sit. And, well I used to have one in my old house. My dad built it for me, and since I can’t go back there, this works as well.”

“Your dad…” Forest muttered, making his best to hold back the tears and words “I’m here,” as much as he could. “Do you often think about him?”

“I… It’s hard not to. It’s hard to carry on not thinking about him and almost everything brings me back to that night. I mean, all my life’s changes everything is tied to that. My mom and I were forced to move to a different district and I changed schools. Mom is rarely home and… it’s going to be about six years since he disappeared. It’s difficult to not remember.”

“It must’ve been horrible,” Forest muttered, feeling his heart strained, knowing that Trish could only remember the trauma. He too could still hear Roland’s laughter as he threatened the family with lightning, daring one of them to be the sacrifice and using his magic to break Forest’s bones on the spot.

“It was…” Trish rubbed her eyes with the sleeve of her coat before carrying on, making an effort to not choke. “I mean my Dad, Mom and I were heading home and, all was well and happy. Then I have the… the stupid idea of wanting to take a shortcut down an alley. My parents humored me and we went down that path. And then we run into this man who seems straight out of a book, a guy that can throw lighting from the tips of his fingers and dressed in a death metal fashion. We… we ran into him because of me. And he… he…” She cracked in the end as she broke into a small sob. Though she forced herself to take a deep heavy breath to stifle it.

Forest watched her in silence. With guilt and anger seething deep within him. Has she blamed herself all this time? His hand was held out, as if reaching for Trish but stopped. She didn’t notice and, when she looked up, Forest had already pulled the hand away. “Sorry… it’s just. It’s hard. That was the last time I saw my dad.“ She took a pause to contain herself and steady her voice, or at least tried.  “I swear I would’ve started to drink alcohol if I could put up with the flavor…”

“That’s not a solution,” Forest admonished and Trish found herself smiling on the corner of her lip.

“But it feels like the easy way to forget and not care,” she added, looking down at her foot before carrying on. “That night, my dad disappeared from life. Mom and I called the police and asked for help, but nothing. The police told us that it was as if they’d vanished into thin air.”

“He is always in your mind, isn’t he?” And there came the struggle within Forest’s head. Did he want his daughter to know? Or to forget? Either answer would lead to heartache, and it was a fortune that she didn’t take her time to answer.

“Often,” she sighed. “Sometimes, I even daydream he’ll be back some day. I mean, the police never confirmed he… he’s no longer here. So there is a chance, right? Think that might happen?”

“Maybe,” Forest forced himself to answer. Again, mentally chastising himself for not outright saying it. “But, I mean, I don’t think he would be the same as you remember. Six years can mean a lot of change,” he made an effort to sound aloof just to not be too honest.

“Doesn’t matter to me. I would still love him,” she said with enough conviction to puncture his heart.

Forest kept silent as he thought of many ways he could spring up the conversation and lead into the reveal when Trish stood up with a small stretch that discreetly hid her wiping the tears “Thanks for the conversation. Sorry if I didn’t even ask much about you…”

“It’s okay,” Forest said. Not that he would’ve said anything. “It was good to hear your tale.”

“I guess, I just needed to talk to someone about this… I mean, Mom doesn’t really want me talking about dad around. Am I supposed to move on as if nothing ever happened?”

“Your Mom doesn’t want to hear about your Dad?” Forest said somewhat surprised.

Trish shook her head. “Since she began dating her boyfriend she doesn’t want me to bring it up.  She doesn’t believe dad will come back.”

That just felt like a stab into Forest’s heart. A mild sting of anger was drowned by a well of sadness, yet, a part of him knew or expected his family to move on, “I-I guess she doesn’t want you to make him feel unwanted. Is he nice?”

“He is… okay. Not mean but okay. I think he tries too hard to get me to like him. It feels fishy.”

“Perhaps he just cares about you.” Forest sighed. By now the right choice felt to let them go, even if he hadn’t accepted it or wanted to. At least, to try stir them away from a troubled life. “You should try to give them a chance.”

“I guess… I just miss my dad.”

“I’m sure he misses you,” Forest made an effort to not choke and tear up when all he wanted was to give her a hug.

“Thank you, miss… um…”

“Flora. Just call me Flora,” was Forest’s answer. One that felt corny but fitting… of course.

“Okay, Flora. Maybe we’ll meet again and then you can tell me about your troubles.”
 
“Maybe,” was all Forest say. Even if he had made his choice, he still wished to spend more time with her.

“Then… maybe another time.” She produced her cellphone and sighed. “It’s kinda late… My mom and Paul will be coming back in any moment and

“You cook?” Forest asked, thinking back to the last Father’s day he celebrated. Trish served a breakfast of burnt pancakes on the bed he had to stomach through.

“Just simple things. But it does take me a while. I can bring you leftovers if you want.”

“You’re too kind,” Forest answered.

“It was nice meeting you, Flora. Thanks for the talk,” And with a soft smile, she picked up the backpack and hoisted it over before walking away, disappearing from the lamppost’s spotlight as her silhouette turned around the corner of the street, turning right at her home.

A heavy sigh escaped Forest’s lips as he doubled over on the swing. He wanted to scream and cry. Just break out in emotion at everything. The chance he just had to meet his daughter yet with no way of explaining who he was or even get any closer to her. The knowledge that his family had fallen into hard times without him around. And hearing his wife has already moved on from his alleged death. It all did a bigger impact than expected.

It was all too much… Before he knew it, he was crying and his eyes were moist with tears that dripped on the soft ground.

He must’ve remained there for a while and the park remained eerily quiet aside from the sound of his sobs as they started to die down. Forest lingered there with his head and eyes resting on his good hand.

“Forest Whitmore?” Came a voice from behind, startling Forest.
The next chapter of Heart of the Forest is here.

Now, having managed to escape the prison, Forest sets out into what would be the longest trip in his life. The goal is his once long missed family. What will he find and more importantly, what will he say?

I'm always worried about the quality and level of my writing. Specially when it's come to the events that I've been building up to. Always worried of whether I could deliver or not. I hope this is the former.

As always, any sort of comment is appreciated. Helps me know people read and care. Also, feel free to support me in my patreon at : www.patreon.com/MaLAguA


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mhtg's avatar
Hmm I wonder whom this is