Progeny

Into the Woods

I grabbed a fistful of Darren's hair and yanked him off of John. I used my other hand to punch him repeatedly. Not just for hurting John, but to release an anger I didn't realize I had all of this time. Darren pulled me down on the ground and was now punching me. Not long after, John tackled him, and the two exchanged blows.

———

Darren's face was unrecognizable. A few of the guys managed to get John away from him. We walked along the river, away from the others. I was tending to John's hand, removing the blood with the water. I looked up at him with sorrowful eyes. I felt like I caused the situation to escalate. John says I was just protecting him, but I didn't think he was the one who needed protection. If I'm being honest with myself, I just used their brawl as an excuse to release my anger on Darren. Every punch was for every act of betrayal. I just hope I didn't ruin everything.

"Why were you two fighting?" I asked. John was the one who said to keep a cool head, so I was surprised to see him loose it.

"I simply questioned if he knew the way to Nar'n. He felt as though I was challenging him, like an animal for dominance. I blame myself for not predicting his reaction." I nodded.

We fell into another comfortable silence, and I let my thoughts wander off. Darren was always a hothead, even before he became my father's puppet. Whenever someone went against his wishes, he would throw a huge tantrum: Slamming things around, yelling at the top of his lungs, and crying all at the same time. I wasn't aware of how much him and father were alike. Did he inherit father's behavior or was he only mirroring father's actions?

I began to wonder what father was doing. Did he make it back to town? Was he telling the guards where to find us, or was he telling the truth all along? Something told me that he wasn't being completely honest with us. What was he hiding? Everyone was so blind to not see him for what he really was, a traitor. I was sure that the group disliked me. I brought them nothing but doubts and accusations. If only they were in my shoes, then they would understand the need to be wary of him. Or maybe I am the one to be wary of. Maybe there's something wrong with me.

"What's gonna happen John?" I couldn't stop thinking of what we would do if all failed.

"We keep to the plan. We already made sure that your brother was alive. Now we must continue to Nar'n, with or without the group." His eyes held great determination.

"What will we do once we make it to Nar'n? We haven't anywhere to go."

"We must find work and a place to retire for the night." Maybe we could find an abandoned place to sleep, but how would we cleanse ourselves? John noticed my uncertainty.

"We will make do with our circumstances. Let's take it one step at a time."

He squeezed my shoulders and rose to his feet. He truly made me feel like everything was going to be fine. John gave me faith. He extended his hand and helped me off the ground. As we made our way back to the others, I couldn't rid myself of the knots in my stomach. What if Darren were to outcast us? I feared that John and I wouldn't fare well on our own.

As we approached the group, they all gathered around Darren. I couldn't believe that they actually let him take the lead. We stood in front of them all, holding our heads up high. I might've been worried out of my mind, but I wouldn't let them know that. No one said anything. Only the sounds of bubbling streams, chirping birds, and buzzing insects were auditable. I stared hard into my brother's dark brown orbs. My determination caused me to be bold. To be brave. Darren's focus was solely on me. I couldn't tell if he was upset or not because his face remained blank.

"You've changed" He stated flatly.

"So have you, but there's no time to get into that now. It'll be dark soon" I told him.