Heart Wood | Forest Creature X Reader (COMPLETED)

Chapter 21: Fragile Fable & Frail Feelings

~A small time-skip~

You find yourself waving goodbye to Connor as he drives away with Lily. You see wee Lily playing with her pink rattle in her car seat, giggling to herself. Her happiness gives you a warm feeling in your heart, making you smile.

It's such a picturesque scene, watching them fade into the background as if disappearing from existence. But, it's also sad seeing them leave you.

Your hand falls to your side, a distant look in your eyes while you watch the sun chase the shadows away, its golden glow purifying the once dark land.

You turn to Missy, who stays seated beside you like the good pup she is, and you give her a curious stare, tilting your head to the side.

"So, if Lily has fae blood, who did she get it from?" you ask, mostly wondering out loud.

She gives an uninterested shrug before looking up at you. Her different colored eyes catch the light, sparkling like an ocean during a sunrise.

"A distant relative, I presume." Missy vaguely suggests, shrugging once more before turning her face towards the sun, giving you a profile view of her. Her eyes hold a pool of sadness, revealing the turmoil within her.

"Humans and fae once lived in harmony, some even so much as married and raised children together." A distant smile pulls at the edge of her mouth, almost forming a smile until it falls, fading into a soft frown.

You can tell she's looking back on better times, back when all humans believed in her kind. It makes you wonder, what happened? What caused humans to stop believing in such beautiful creatures?

"The realization of their differences," Missy breathes, her voice weak, as if on the verge of crying.

Your eyebrows knit, pitying the depressed dog. She turns to you, causing the tears in her eyes to glisten against the sunlight.

"That is what tore the fae and humans apart. Both realized their differences and figured it to be better if they lived separately, destroying the bridge that once gapped their misunderstanding of one another. Some fae chose that fate because they had lost their human lovers to mortality, and those fae didn't want to lose anyone else, so they thought it better to distance themselves from mortals."

Her words stab at your heart, causing emotions to boil up inside of you. She turns away once again, keeping her eyes on the orange and yellow sky.

She seems so miserable, stuck in her own mind, dwelling on something else. Even after all she said, you don't think that's what's bothering her at the moment.

You want to ask but decide against it, and instead, you turn your attention to Lofty. He stands to your right. He had emerged from the shrubbery soon after Connor left.

You open your mouth, about to voice a question to the tall creature, until you see his face. His brows are furrowed, a distant look in his downcast eyes. He's staring at the grass, deep in thought; you know this because you've seen that expression many times before.

Your gaze shifts to Missy, then back to Lofty. They have similar expressions, leaving you to wonder if they're thinking about the same thing.

"We are disquieted." Lofty speak up, his tone composed and gentle. It sends your heart into an array of exciting emotions, causing your spine to tingle, but you shove the feelings away.

You tilt your head and raise a brow at him, silently asking him to continue.

He takes in a deep breath, thinking to himself, as if unsure he should tell you any more than he already has. After a soft sigh, he turns his full attention to you. His eye sockets show his worry for you.