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Fire envelops the trees, coating them like a blanket of rage as it roars, the crackling of falling trees, burning wood, fleeing animals the sort of ambience one would expect. No one would expect rain. No one would expect apologies. No one would expect a cry.
Kronii watches as the flames grow bigger, Fauna watching with her. The keeper held an expression of awe, there was beauty in destruction that only those that live get to see. Kronii doesn’t understand the appeal of it.
“You worked hard for this forest, no?” She asks as she turns to the keeper, who simply smiled gently, as if entranced by its dancing light. She doesn’t say anything, only opting to watch it all burn down.
“And it is time for it to start anew.” Fauna’s smile seems sinister in the eyes of thunder and lightning as it struck once more. The two simply watch.
“Did the humans decide that for you too?” Kronii jabs, rhetoric with no bite. Fauna simply laughs, a small maybe confirming her answer.
“It wasn’t their fault this time. Lightning simply struck.” Just as she said that, there was another. Kronii doesn’t say any more after that. They were a fair distance away, opting to stay at the burnt places to keep safe from the fire, despite knowing that they most likely won’t be affected. A fair distance away from Mumei’s staggering figure. Both gods’ eyes widen as they see Mumei emerge from the fire, all battered and burned, trying to walk to them both while carrying something in her arms.
She collapsed halfway, Kronii having to manipulate time to catch her just in time, to not let her hurt herself any longer.
“Mumei! What were you thinking!” Kronii scolds as she lets her lean against her, the warden taking her coat off for the guardian to sit down on the charcoal grass in. Mumei took deep breaths, occasional coughs here and there that worried Kronii immensely. They sounded coarse, like sand that scratches against her throat, like a fork against a plate as it screeches, painful to the ear and mouth. Kronii worries.
It took some time for Fauna to catch up, having sprinted on barefoot in the crisp aftermath of the fire. She looks at Mumei exasperatedly, unable to voice out her worries as she simply stared.
“What were you thinking!” Fauna refrains from slapping her arm, checking the burns and soot on her clothes and face.
“That’s what I said!”
“I’m okay! I just-” Mumei coughs roughly, her arms tightening around her chest as she hugged something closer to her. The thunderstorm has soon dissipated into light rain, still not truly leaving the area. Kronii notices a small hoo, and Mumei hums.
“It’s okay. You’re okay. You poor thing…” Mumei coos, finally loosening her hold onto what seems to be a small barn owl. It shivers, huddling closer to the guardian for warmth that Mumei was more than willing give as she holds it dear.
Fauna stares at her, the owl, then at her again. Her heart melts, and she smiles helplessly. She reaches out for the owl, and immediately, it leans onto Fauna’s touch. Kronii simply watches, afraid she might hurt it. Mumei can’t ignore the fact that the warden was practically brimming with excitement at the sight of the bird, she can’t help but feel a little jealous.
“What happened?” Kronii asks as she looks away from the owl, feeling the guardian’s intense stare.
“It was stuck in a tree hollow. I guess he was hearing thunder for the first time. He looked so overwhelmed when I found him.”
“Was it in the fire?” Fauna whispers, as she returns the bird back to the guardian, suddenly burned by its touch. Mumei nods.
“It took some time to get it out of the hollow, but it’s okay now! I can take care of it, don’t worry!” Mumei’s smile brightens along with the sky as the rain finally dissipates. Fauna feels her stomach churn into knots, feeling guilty and yet unable to say that she won’t do it again if given the chance to choose. There was a cycle she held herself to, a circle of life she held her creations to. It was only a matter of time.
It burns her. The way she has to be detached from her creations despite her utmost care for each and every one of them. The way she needs to have this control over them, else it all falls apart pretty easily. The way that death in not inevitable for her creations, and the horrific ways this can happen was not something she decided on, but needed to keep. It burns her.
Kronii’s gentle touch to her shoulder made her flinch away, as if scalded by acid, as if her fingertips were a lit match she didn’t want to hold. Fauna looks at her in fear, before realizing what she did.
“I-”
“Fauna.” Kronii talks in a deeper voice in an attempt to ground Fauna, and it works for a little while. She whispers affirmations, sweet nothings, as she slowly pulled her closer until their foreheads touched. It was no longer burning. Her apologies came in tears that shed down her cheeks, came in the whimper that escaped her throat as she hears the owl hoot, came in her clenched jaw and bitten lip.
“You’re okay”
“My creations aren’t”
“It’s out of your control.”
“But it should be.”
“And yet it isn’t. You won’t blame Mumei for the things humans do, would you?” She made some sort of utterance, a no, and Kronii smiles. She kisses her forehead, and buries herself into Fauna’s hair.
“Then there’s no need to blame yourself for Earth’s rules!” Mumei butts in, and Kronii nods along with a hum. It no longer burns. The owl perches near her, and trills, its touch no longer like melted glass, painful in the way it lingers for longer. It was like that no more.
Fauna hums, as she sees the aftermath, the burns left by the wildfire. The rain was able to stop the fire from spreading further than this small forest, a bit glad that nothing else was harmed. There was beauty in the ashes that flew in the air as it all laid to rest, a beauty she’s glad to share to the one survivor she hopes would have a better life under Mumei’s wing.