Jade Fern Grove the ache and pull of despair

The homecoming was far from joyous. They left Swift's eyes on the plains and in the wood - he would never see again. Several times during their journey, just before sleep snatched her for an uneasy hour, Bazi imagined that his eyes would grow back. It was the boy's own words that echoed when she regained consciousness and really thought about it - some hurts don't go away. This was it for him now.

She announced her abdication as soon as their feet hit Jade Fern Grove, offering the role to @Kaskara in the same breath. Everything about her was defeated; she was dirty, bedraggled, and tired, barely able to keep her eyes open but knowing that her's was the only sight Swift had. She stayed close to him, stealing glances at Scimitar every now and then, trying to gague his reaction. How he must be feeling. She could not imagine it - they had smelled bears, and now.. if Bazi's guilt was anything to go by, Scimitar's was crushing him.

Eventually, wordlessly, she entrusted the childrens' full care to her husband and went away to bathe. When she returned, damp but a little less dirty, he was standing guard where they slept. Bazi cleared her throat and sat down on the fringe of Scimitar's eyeline. It wasn't your fault. It wouldn't help, but she wanted to say it - they had both followed the bear's trail, and neither one had read anything into it. Whereas it was not within Bazi's nature to shoulder guilt for very long, Scimitar was prone to tying it in double knots around his neck. She could practically see it tugging on his neck. "He treated himself," she told him softly. "I don't know.. how he knows what to do, but he does."