Dreamtale: Origins

Chapter 3: Brothers

Chapter made based on Page 8

Edited

:):

'Even to cover the dry blood stain that the tree still had. They decided to create a yellow flag with a sun (Nightmare's idea) and tie it to the tree. Everything was happiness for them, after all, nobody approached the tree...'
~Dreamtale Comic (Joku) Pg 8

:):

Nightmare watched his brother disappear behind the branches of the golden side of the tree and looked back at the sunset. A soft breeze flowed past him and he could hear birds singing. He could see the blue lilies that he and his brother had planted early in the spring blooming. The rolling green hills made the sun's rays look even more beautiful. Everything was beautiful here. Everything was perfect for him and Dream.

So why did he feel so out of place?

Nightmare turned around to the tree to see it once again. No matter how many times he saw it, he would always wince when he saw the giant blood stain on the tree. It was a giant, gaping hole with crusted crimson around the edges, yet you couldn't see right through it.

"It's from our mother's story," he had told Dream, "And it's solid proof that the story is true." Dream would always get a sad look on his face when he looked at it, and Nightmare could feel it. So that was what was was out of place.

At least, that's what he had always told himself.

But he couldn't take care of it now. He was very, very tired, and he had promised Dream that he would go to sleep soon. "Maybe tomorrow," he said to himself.

Crawling back up into the tree, Nightmare tried to get comfortable in the branches. He always was the tiniest bit afraid that the branch would break and he would drop, but he learned how to wall that fear off. He had learned how to wall a lot of things off.

As his began to slip into sleep, he could feel the dark energies being pulled toward him. And no matter how hard he tried to prevent it, he could feel his mind slowly slip into a conflicted sleep once again.

:):

Yes, my child. There is a tree out there. Will you please stop squirming? You would have to be the most fidgety child in the world! What? No, foolish child. That tree is the most special tree in the world. Perhaps in the universe. Look at me while I am talking to you. After all, you started this conversation.

Yes. That tree has all of the emotion of all of the worlds that exsist. Really. And I'm sorry if you don't believe me. After all, I am only your caretaker that brought you into this world. Why should you listen to me?

Hm? ...Have I seen the tree? Of course not! It is a very long journey, and you of all people should know that we have work here.

What? Are you ever going to see the tree? Well, all that I can say is that I will not take you. It will be a journey just for yourself and I will not go with you. You'll have to grow up fast if you wasn't to make the long journey. I have work to do here. And many of those that travel never return... You want to hear more about the tree, do you? Alright. We have some time.

There is a guardian of the tree. She is the most beautiful person that anyone has ever seen. Or at least that's what the people that have gone and came say. They say that she has dark green hair and lighter, pale green skin. They say that she was wearing a pale pink dress with some sort of crown headress. And- Will you please stop fidgeting, child!- she was friendly to everyone that came around. But. She would not let anyone touch or stars forbid take the fruits from that tree. They were the most important thing around. They were what she lived for. They were what she was made for.

Hm? Would I take one if it let me live? ...Well. What would you do, my child? I might. Who doesn't love to live? Now. You must go to sleep. What? Oh, fine. One last thing—just one! There has been news that there are new guardians of the tree. No one has dared to go near them, and no one knows what happened to the old one. All that we know is that they—a set of travelers—saw two skeleton-like beings climb up into the tree and the fruits flowed as they did. Just like they had with the other guardian.

Now. You absolutely must go to sleep now. A long day of preparation awaits. For what? Oh dear. I shouldn't have said that. Goodnight, my child. Sweet dreams.

:):

Nightmare woke up with a start, hearing something like a snapping or cracking. It was coming from the bottom of the tree, and although faint, could be heard clear as day on the silence that surrounded the tree.

He slid down the branches (quite gracefully, actually) to see that there were a few pieces of dried blood crusting off the light brown bark. Nightmare sighed when he saw the large scar that stood out on the tree's otherwise unblemished outer-part. Suddenly, he had an idea.

"Dream?" he called up to the other side of the tree. The golden apples were glowing happily. Nightmare smiled slightly. Dream was probably being fueled by his apples to have happy dreams every night that he could. Nightmare, on the other hand, avoided sleep as much as possible for... reasons that he couldn't describe. His side of the tree seemed to be out to torture him every time he closed his eyes for more than half a minute.

There was no response for a minute, and Nightmare tapped a boot on the ground. Trying again, Nightmare called up, "Are you up? Or are you sleeping?"

Silence. Then, after a minute, the rustle of leaves. Clomp. Dream landed on the ground, eyes giving off a soft golden glow. Not that they needed light. One of the perks of being a skeleton was never truly needing light. Dream had always thought it was astounding, and Nightmare used it to his advantage, taking night shifts as often as possible.

"Yes, brother?" Dream asked, trying not to look at the blood stain. He always got disturbed when it came to blood. They both were shaken as the sight.

Nightmare looked excitedly at his brother, eyes glowing, and said, "You do still have those flowers, right? And some of that cloth that we were gifted?" Dream nodded. "I have a way that we can cover up the hole. Why don't we make a flag? We could wrap it around the tree, and then we don't have to look at the... you know."

Dream's eyes were sparkling now too. He ran (or climbed) up the tree fast to get the materials. They had both somehow found little spaces that seemed like they had grown just for them in the tree. They would store little things there, from flower crowns to stray books.

As soon as he came down, they set to work. They worked hard until the near afternoon of that day. About 8 hours, but they didn't exactly get tired. After all, since they were so close to their life source and we're making something to benefit everyone, how could they feel tired?

Nightmare smoothed down his pants and stood back to look at the flag in all it's glory. It was a bright yellow, with a darker yellow sun in the middle. It wasn't too big, but not too small. "Just right," he murmured. Dream jumped off, and smiled even wider than he already was grinning, if that was even possible.

"It's perfect!" he exclaimed as Nightmare hung it up on the tree. The sun fell perfectly over the hole. Now, in place of a giant bloody hole, there was a flag of hope and beauty, with the sun to show it's radiance. Nightmare was immediately engulfed in a bear hug from Dream who was smiling so hard that it looked like it would hurt.

"Perfect," Nightmare repeated in a whisper. It was probably one of the first times that he ever thought that something that he done was more that just OK.

He felt like crying. Suddenly, he saw something on the ground. Violet. Light, translucent violet was staining the ground right in front of his shoes, barely visible. He touched his face, and realization hit: he was crying. Nightmare, a skeleton, was crying. It shouldn't have been scientifically possible, but it was happening right there inside of him.

Dream hadn't noticed. Nightmare quickly wiped them away and hugged Dream's back like he was on the brink of the abyss and would never let go. The beautiful flag shone down on them as they curled up on the ground and fell asleep from exhaustion.

It was a perfect relationship.

It would be a shame if something were to happen.