Chapter Text
It was very weird. Wild had never been one to make such comments, much less to be mean to any of their princesses.
That was exactly why he was here, roaming around the town and trying to find where Four and Wind had led his cub. It was necessary, after all, who knew what Warriors would have done if they hadn’t intervened? At the time, he had been really disappointed, but after thinking about it, he was sure there was some kind of explanation for Wild’s behavior. After all, he had looked so…confused when Warriors hit him.
Twilight was rounding a big house, most likely an inn, when he realized something was very wrong. Wind had just burst out of the door, running in the direction of Wars’ house, eyes wide and wet with unshed tears. Before Twilight could do or say anything, Wind bumped into a soldier. It looked like they had met before, because Wind began frantically saying something to her, and they both ran back to the inn.
As if something snapped, Twilight followed them.
The sigh he was met with made his heart turn cold with horror. Four was holding Wild, his cub unnaturally still. And Four was… well, Twilight had never seen him so distressed. Something very bad had definitely happened.
With that, he didn’t waste any more time and immediately pushed through the crowd. He knelt in front of Four and Wild. It seemed like Four didn’t even register him. His cub didn’t look good either, he was really pale and there was some transparent, pink-tinted fluid coming from one nostril.
He heard a shuffle beside him. It was Wind. He looked a bit calmer now; the woman had a hand on his shoulder and was talking to the innkeeper, apparently requesting a room.
Four had stopped sobbing and was petting Wild’s hair. Twilight moved closer to them. He didn’t know what had happened and was worried sick about Wild -why was he unconscious in the first place? But for now, he had a job to do. He had to comfort his little brothers. He put an arm around Wind’s small shoulders and pulled him closer while he held Four with his other arm.He wasn’t sure how much time had passed; it couldn’t have been more than five minutes. But when Wind and Four had calmed down enough, he let go. The soldier was gone, and the innkeeper was waiting to show them the way to the room. The crowd was gone too… but that was a mystery for later.
He stood and began lifting Wild from Four’s arms. Their eyes met, and he didn’t like what he saw—Four was clearly scared. After a moment, he reluctantly let go of Wild.
The innkeeper led them to the second floor and through a small corridor, Twilight carrying Wild, with Four and Wind trailing behind like kicked puppies, Wind holding Four’s hand.
Once in the room, the man excused himself and promised to bring medical supplies. The room was small, with only a table beside the bed, which stood by the window. There was also a wardrobe at the end of the bed, and a door that apparently led to the bathroom.
He was walking toward the bed when Wind lurched forward and began rearranging the bedcovers to help Twilight lay Wild down. He didn’t like any of this, Wild was too cold for his liking and hadn’t stirred once in all this time. Four reached into the wardrobe for an extra blanket and arranged it over Wild, earning a small smile from Twilight. They stood there for a moment, watching the shallow rise and fall of Wild’s chest. Then they heard a knock at the door.
Wind got up from the bed and opened it. It was the woman from before, and beside her stood a man, who later introduced himself as a doctor. While the doctor was examining Wild, Wind explained what had happened, more or less.
Twilight could tell there was more than what he was saying. He only said there had been a fight and that Wild had received a strong hit to the head. They hadn’t thought it was serious until the innkeeper claimed they needed a fairy. He had been running to Warriors’ house to get their supplies and had fortunately bumped into Edine, a soldier he had met during the War of Eras. Had Wild get involved in a fight? Why? And how?
The doctor recommended letting Wild rest, there really wasn’t much they could do to help him. Apparently, his cub had suffered a bad concussion and would be dealing with the effects for the next couple of weeks. The man said that he should be awake in a couple of hours and needed peace and quiet. He also said that if Wild’s breathing worsened or there was any bleeding, they must call him immediately. Then he left.
They were sitting on the bed with Wild. Wind was at the foot of the bed, Twilight beside the table, running his hand through Wild’s hair. Four… he was really worried about him now. The young one hadn’t said a single word throughout the whole ordeal, his eyes doing that weird kaleidoscopic thing they sometimes do. He had climbed onto the bed and lay beside Wild, hugging him and placing a hand on Wild’s chest.
The silence felt oppressive now. He wanted to know what had happened—no, he needed to know. But he didn’t know how to ask. Four was clearly awake, his eyes closed but his brow furrowed. And Wind had already told a brief version of what had happened.
After a few more minutes, it was Four who broke the silence.
“Warriors hit him.”
What?… He knew that, but what did it have to do with Wild’s current state? Was Four blaming Wars for whatever had happened after they left the house?
The confusion must have been reflected on his face because, though Four still had his eyes closed, it was Wind who spoke this time.
“It was the hit—he… the concussion is because of that.”
Twilight turned to face him. His eyes were wet with tears, but there was something more, anger. Then he said, with more heat than before, “Wild is here because Warriors hit him,” and burst into tears once again.
The realization fell upon him like a bucket of cold water. A wrong hit could kill someone, he had seen it before. And oh… now he was even more worried about his cub. Would he remember any of this? He had been wary of Warriors when they first met, and he could feel his anger rising at him for hitting Wild, even though it had been Wild’s fault.
Twilight moved to comfort Wind, hugging him and rocking the teen slightly.
After a few minutes, Four spoke again.
“It was a misunderstanding. Wild wasn’t insulting Artemis.”
He then sat up, tears streaming down his face, his hand still resting on his brother’s chest.
“One of the guards told him that the princess has a cat—he was asking about a cat. He doesn’t understand innuendos.”
Twilight turned to look at Wild’s face, his gaze locking onto the bruised eye. His own breath stuttered. For the second time in one day, he felt like a complete idiot. How had he not thought about it? How had none of them thought about it? Probably the shock of the moment.
None of them spoke for a while, once again focusing on Wild’s breathing.
He turned to look out the window. Sunset had already passed. He let go of Wind and spoke.
“It’s late. I’m going to get us something to eat. Then we’ll get ready to sleep—it was a long day.”
Once out of the room, he closed the door and sighed. He should probably let Time know where they were and what had happened, but he hadn’t fully processed it himself and could still feel the anger rising. He was worried sick about his cub, and his little brothers. He didn’t want to leave them alone for longer than necessary.