Inherently Innocent

Become a New Den

Thyme's feet hurt, but he kept walking. He could sense in the air the pain of the rest, but the stronger scent was of Liliac's shame whenever she clawed her arms. Thyme wanted to tell her to stop, but feared talking to her would start a worse reaction.

They walked and walked until the sun came down. They didn't find a forest, but instead only a tree. It wasn't enough, but Juniper told Thyme to raise the ground to make some sort of wall against the wind. He couldn't change the temperature but he could prevent wind, and that was good enough to spend the night.

There was no fire to start, and even if they could have done one, Aloe quickly shut down the idea in fear the humans could see the light and smoke.

Xochitl suggested for them all to sleep together for warmth, to which most nodded, but a few looked away in search of Liliac. Of course, the girl had sat down further away.

"Come close. You'll die of cold out there," Thyme offered a hand.

Lee frowned, "How could I trust you?" She bared her teeth, "I won't die. I've beaten most people's time in the cold room, I can get through one night."

Thyme pressed his lips.

"If you change your mind," He rolled his wrist and laid back. Almost immediately Xochitl laid her head on his legs.

He could feel the weight of her two braids, and soon the warmth of her neck. The night was dark, but the silhouettes and touch of each other was a clear map. Juniper and Aloe laid by themselves to Liliac's side. Peony rested on the arms of another nymph, her legs touching Aloe's. Golshan sat over his legs before sitting on the dirt beside Xochitl. When he laid back, he rested his head beside Thyme's hip. He found the structure odd, but not uncomfortable. These people were acting around him as if he had lived with them for years, resting by his side. They had an odd confidence around him that couldn't be found in the schools of the settlement.

Thyme was going to lay down, resting his head on Juniper's leg, but he was stopped by the sight of Liliac crawling closer. The girl did a movement similar to Golshan's, where she sat down on her legs before dropping to the side. Lee remained apart from the group still, but at least just a tiny bit closer.

The group kept quiet until their breaths were synchronized alongside their heartbeats. Yet no eyes were closed, all energized by the long walk of the day. Occasional heavy exhales were heard, and even Thyme let go of one as his eyes got lost through the stars. All nameless constellations adorned the heavens, free for the nymphs to draw their own myths from them.

"What do you dream of tomorrow?" Aloe broke the silence.

"I dream of finding a river tomorrow," A nymph answered.

Thyme listened to some answers before there was silence. He turned, and the ishine was looking at him with their golden eyes, almost grey in the dark. They were expecting him to answer.

"Why do you ask of tomorrow? Why not a distant future?" He asked.

"We have to start out small," Juniper opened her eyes slowly to answer, "Not everyone here sees themselves surviving past the week, so we just dream of tomorrow every day."

Thyme felt a tingling sensation crawling up his back, a funny feeling that brought him to chuckle when he meant to sob.

"I guess I dream of seeing a butterfly tomorrow, then. What about you, June?" He asked.

"I prefer Juno as a nickname," Juniper slapped the back of Thyme's hand joyfully, "And I guess I dream of not thinking of my family and their legacy. I want to live my life without worrying about the settlement."