The Rose

Chapter Seventeen: The dead woods

—-

Draco paced back and forth in the cart, this could go horribly wrong. He worried that Taksal had summoned creatures to make their quest harder, and that the dead woods would be inhabited by the wrong kind of werewolves.

"Will you calm down, it is going to be okay." Roselyn begged grabbing his hand. He smiled fakely and sat beside her. The golden sapling sparkled in front of them. Her interest was peaked as it began to glow, its golden leaves were shining in the setting sun. This was taking longer then he had wished.

As they entered the dark dying woods, the sound of howling could be heard, their lair was only a few hundred miles from the center of the dying forest. The two armed themselves and grabbed the sapling, if anything they needed to get to the ready soil and plant it quickly.

However easy was never in their cards.

As the two began to exit the carriage vines with purple flowers began to wrap around Roselyn's feet keeping her stuck to the muddy floor. She pulled and tugged attempting to get out of the vines hold. Draco growled and grabbed the sapling from her. "I will get it to the center," he said kissing her cheek handing her a sword.

He began to run towards a barren part of the dying forest; the trees were empty, the grass graying, the flowers no longer blooming. As he began to run he heard the howling getting louder.

He stopped suddenly realizing he needed tears, his own were blood. He needed Roselyn for this. He cursed himself for leaving her.

He jumped back and turned to see the vines wrapping higher up on Roselyn. His growling grew deeper as he rushed to her aid.

The vines were holding her back, they were beginning to wrap them selves over her mouth and waist. Her sword flailing, the vines hissed at its touch but her hands were so tightly bound that her efforts were all but nothing.

Her screams were muffled, he growled and jumped into action grabbing his sword slicing at the vines, they coiled away from the silver.

Wolfs bane.

The forest knew it's inhabitants well. As he freed her the sound of paws padding on the ground around them was heard. "Damn it.." He growled. Soon the pack of about twenty wolves appeared, they morphed back to their human forms.

"Our king will pay us well for bringing you in." One said smiling. Draco stood in front of Roselyn, worry filling is every thought. His teeth bared.

"You will never get her or me!" Draco snapped.

The wolves growled. Draco snapped at them his eyes glowing red. The two larger forces sparing for dominance. Roselyn did not want to see it go bad, she grabbed the sapling before Draco could accidentally crush it.

Roselyn jumped between the two. "Wait!" Roselyn yelled. "We have a way to fix your forest, bring back the light. Bring life back to the woods."

The wolves stopped cocking their heads intrigued. Draco worried about their reactions, if they would harm her. She held the small shining sapling in her palm. "Explain?" They asked, their eyes all trained on her.

Draco felt uncomfortable with this fact, that these flea bags were staring at his women.

"Taksal the god, he gave us this sapling, told us if we could plant it in the center of the dying forests he wild bring life back to the forest. Revive the trees and floral. The creatures that once were flourishing within the woods will return and he rivers will no longer be filled with tainted water." She said holding up the sapling, its glow blinding to a few younger wolves.

"Then do it, then maybe we won't take you in." They snapped, the two nodded being followed by the group. Draco felt sick, he wished not to be in this position. The two found the center of the forest, an empty plot of land just ready to be planted.

They looked at one another and began to plant, before they could finish large ravens began to swoop down from the trees pecking and clawing at the group of wolves and themselves, their bleeding skin calling to a hungry Draco.

His eyes turned dark hungry for their blood. He turned on them beginning to thirst for them, he pushed past Roselyn and lunged for a weaker boy. He cried out as he grabbed his arm and began to suck him dry, the pack tried to rip him from the boy but they were no match for his hunger, leaving nothing of him but a carcass.

She dug quickly finishing the planting, she had to cry on it. She looked back to see Draco was held back by two of the larger wolves. Tears began to well up, dripping onto the glowing sapling. As she did the woods began to replenish, the grass becoming green around them. The trees began to fill with leaves of many glorious colors.

She smiled seeing fairs begin to buzz around, her happiness was short lived when she was grabbed by the oldest wolf, the sound of Draco's screams were drowned out as she was knocked over the side of the head, everything around her went dark.

—-

Draco screamed loudly, he had helped them, brought their forest back, he couldn't help that the boy was weak and those damn birds cut him up.

He was hungry, starving for blood.

He growled angrily, the two were tied to trees. Roselyn lay passed out, the wolves were pacing. What would they do, he had just killed their boy. Roselyn was pardoned under the law of the prince.

"Let us go, I will pay for the boys funeral or whatever you do with your dead. Even pay for any of his family to live a better life, I messed up but those birds are to blame."

"We cannot kill the birds, but you we can." He snapped, his teeth bared, some were morphed others were in their human forms. "Yet we cannot kill you either for your presence is requested by the prince."

They growled angry they could not do what they wished. However their woods were no longer deaf, the water clean and drinkable, fish bounced about making splashes to prove that point.

Berries and fruits filled the bushes and trees.

Their hunger and thirst no longer a problem.

However if they could kill these two their problems would be gone but a new one would arise.

They would have to explain how they died and then the king would be furious ruining their plans.

Roselyn was coming to, her eyes wide in panic. She began to struggle. "Please, please let us go!" She cried tears steaming down her face. Draco growled the ropes weakening around him.

Their eyes grew wide seeing how strong he was. "Take your dead, go to the king and tell him all your people and him will be like this. He will watch as I rip his sons heart out with my bare hands. Tell him I am coming for him!"

They shook, taking the boy and running.

The ropes around him burst splitting in hundreds of small pieces.

The sapling was growing quickly, as it twisted up towards the setting sun it's branches were beginning to fill with dazzling rainbow colored leaves. Her eyes grew wide seeing such beautiful leaves on the black wooded tree. It seemed almost out of place between the many colored trees.

A golden sapling turned black wooded. It was amazing yet terrifying at the same time.

Draco grabbed her resting her head in his shoulder.

"We need to get back to my home." He said with a snap. She nodded as they entered the carriage. It began to move towards their home.