Herbalists' Cache i knew it wasn't actually you a few feet from my reach.

aaaa sorry, this took longer than i'd hoped! last from me <3 thank u for the thread

His eyes fix first on the warped movement of her cheeks, then on the shining tendrils of saliva hanging from her lips, and for several moments he does not register her approach, too wrapped up in his guilt and horror at the situation to focus properly on anything but the tiniest of details. Something breaks the spell, inevitably; a shift in the wind, a rustle from within the forest, or perhaps one of the sickly woman's stilted movements. His eyes widen as he realizes she's moving toward him, and the last of his guilt flees in favor of a crushing terror. All thoughts of offering help vanish, and he turns with a sharp, slightly choked breath, bolting in the opposite direction with a silent vow to never speak the truth of what happened here. Not to Phillip, or Helios if he should ever find him, or dad, or anyone. No one can ever know he'd left her to die, or they will see him for what he truly is: a twisted soul, broken perhaps — or maybe just defective.