Forest's Ends

Sixteen

Water dripped into a puddle somewhere in the cave. The fire burned and the wood cracked and sizzled. Derek stroked my hair and hummed, trying to comfort me. It's been an hour and a half and no one has said anything.

"Who was I?" I finally asked. Being the first to break the silence. I removed myself from Derek's arms and sat beside him, hugging my knees with my head rested on my knees. Everyone came and sat around us.

Dragco spoke, "Well you were like Zalam." I straightened at that name.

"You have watched him fight?" I asked, leaning forward wanting to know more. More about who he was, more about who I am.

"Yes." Coal said, "He was incredible and terrifying on the battlefield, much like you. He had to be out on the front lines just so he wouldn't accidentally kill his own people. He would always get lost in the bloodshed and killing, he would leave his own since of mine while fighting." He stopped for a little bit. "Until he met Levita. He had no control over his blood lust, until he met her. She was his world, his hope, and his salvation. He would have gone into his blood lust entirely, if not for her." Coal took a breath and look down. He looked at me and said. "The "good" fairies never gave him a chance."

I folded and unfolded my wings. I looked at Leaf and Shkya. I was just like him. When I first met Shkya, I was sparing with another war fairy, she came in and saw the fairy was no challenge for me. So she asked to train with me, Shkya is very good with a sword, but she prefers a bow and her arrows. I almost killed her in training, three times.

And Leaf, Leaf has seen terrifying things, terrifying things that I have done. I still remember the dark fairy that the Queen made me torcher.

"Like father like daughter." I joked, no one really laughed.

"Derek." A female voice came from the mouth of the cave. We all looked at the dark fairy walking towards us.

Derek groaned as she approached. "What? I told you I left for a reason and that I would never come back." He stood up and looked down at her.

"I want answers, you said that if I wanted them to come to you." She said in a monotone.

"Alright ask then."

She looked down at me, "You are the daughter of Zalam?" I stood up and nodded. Before I could react she slapped me and yelled, "Your so called mother stole him from me! She broke him to!" I punched her back.

"Don't ever touch me," I said my eyes glowing. "You don't want to make me mad. Also I am not to blame for what my parents did." She seemed to have calmed down then turned to Derek.

"Why do the ones who were bitten have to die?" She asked back to her monotone.

"They turn into worse zombies, the are more deadly, powerful, and smarter than the human zombies." Derek said.

"And the fairies are dying?"

This time I answered. "Yes. Because the forest is dying the fairies are losing power and strength. Not to mention I killed their queen." The dark fairy look at us then turned and left.

Something drew my attention to Leaf. She was pale, sickly pale, deathly pale. "Leaf?" Before I could even ask she fell. We all ran to her, Coal held her against him. "Give her to me!" I yelled and he handed her over. I looked down at her face, her eyes twitched behind her eyelids then stopped suddenly. "Leaf?" I asked again. She didn't move, I put my ear on her chest and didn't hear anything. I began panicking and someone pulled me away. Shkya held Leaf and began ranting in elvish. "Leaf!" I yelled and sobbed over and over. The one who pulled me away held me to his chest so I couldn't run to my friend. "Leaf wake up." I sobbed. Please Leaf, I can't lose you. Shkya looked up at the two dark fairies next to her "Get away! She is a fairy she needs life not death surrounding her!" She yelled holding Leaf closer to her. She started ranting again, but it wasn't enough, Leaf was already gone.

I screamed and collapsed pulling Derek with me. He let me go and I crawled to Leaf and Shkya. I cried and cried with Shkya for what seemed like years. The rain stopped and the moon was high in the sky. We took Leaf into the forest where she belonged.

We took her far enough in to where things were still green and alive. Shkya and I laid her down next to a giant oak tree. When tree fairies die we don't bury them, we lay them under the tree they were born with, but Leaf's oak tree was already dead. This tree accepted her and took her, she looked like a part of the trunk.

The guys gave us some time to grieve, they stayed back about three feet.

"This is their fault." I said and Shkya looked down at me.

"Whos?"

"The humans." I growled. "With their stupid life killing disease." I turned and flew. I flew and flew, I didn't have anywhere in mind I just needed to think. There has to be a place in the world where there is life. I owe it to Leaf.

"Misty, where are you going?" Derek asked catching up to me. We haven't been alone since he kissed me. We haven't talked alone since that night either.

"I just, I just needed to think."

He flew closer and put his hands on my waist, "And what are you thinking about?" I looked up at him and found it a little hard to breathe with him looking at me like that, worried and hopeful at the same time.

I leaned a little closer to him, "Do you think there are other parts of the world that are not dying?"

He nodded and leaned in even closer, "Is that all you're thinking about?"

I looked at his lips, which were a breath away. I wanted him to kiss me again, along with other things, but I can't lose myself around him. Around any of them, I might end up killing them on accident.

"I-" Before I could say anything he kissed me. It was soft and sweet, I wanted to fall into it and go lost with him, but I couldn't.

I pulled back, "Derek, I can't do this right now." I left his arms and flew back to everyone else. Although I should have flown away from everyone and everything, they would probably be able to survive better with out me.