Vandiver

Nothing happens.

Together Zorlo and I meet each other's gaze and start to approach the large panther.

Still he doesn't move. The area around him is completely trashed. But the only blood I can smell is Rollo's.

My eyes widen once I'm able to fully grasp how badly damaged the panther is.

"Van..." Zorlo says when he sees the impossible thing I see.

Rollo's head is completely separated from his body.

Rollo is dead. The terrifying king of the forest has been slain.

Zorlo turns to the small boy who had just reached his third summer. "Sebas, answer me truthfully. Did you do this?"

"I had to protect her." Sebas said it as if it were only natural.

I finally see that he is holding a small girl in his arms who is sobbing is so quietly you can barely tell she's alive. I also get a closer look at Sebas. His face is lacking a healthy color and his clothes are torn to shreds, but he seems completely calm.

"Papa, can we go, I need to take Jules home." Sebas's voice is tired and weak. He isn't thinking about anything other than the safety of the girl in his arms.

With that, we leave the forest. Sebas stumbles once or twice, but he is adamant about carrying Jules the whole way.

When we reach the end of the forest we can see the lights on at our home.

I open the door to my home and the two mothers in the home are an emotional mess. No one has dared sleep this night.

"Husband." Amelia stands up, hoping for the best when I walk in first.

Behind me, walks in Sebas who has carried Jules the entire way.

"Julie?" Tilfa stands up too.

The small girl in Sebas's arms perks.

"Mommy?" Jules weakly answers.

Sebas delivers Jules into the arms of her mother. I let the mothers embrace their children, I shed a few tears myself, but I am still on the job. Once there is a break in the joyful tears I clear my throat.

"Tilfa, tonight your daughter has been returned safely and your husband has been avenged."

"You mean you...?" Tilfa looked up at me.

I shook my head. She then looked a Zorlo and he also shook his head. Together we turned our gaze to Sebas.

"He's a child... how?" Tilfa couldn't believe it.

"It's true mommy, I saw the whole thing." Jules had calmed down enough to say that much.

"Baby, did you really...?" Amelia held Sebas at arm's length, and then she was able to take in his entire form.

Sebas was ghostly pale, his clothes were torn to shreds, and he was covered in dried blood.

"I had to protect her." Sebas then pushed Amelia arms away. He then got on his knees and bowed to Tilfa.

"I'm sorry. If I had been better at making friends, then Jules and I wouldn't have... and if I had been braver I wouldn't have run away from her into the forest. I put your daughter in danger. Please forgive me."

Zorlo smiled in the corner of my vision. I think I heard him say something along the lines of 'he never ceases to surprise me.'

Tilfa bowed in return. "Please don't apologize, my daughter is a handful on the best of days. Thank you for bringing her back to me and avenging my husband. Our family is forever in your debt."

Sebas stood up. "Then please let me walk you home. I won't feel better until Jules is safely at home."

I had to convince my wife that it was a man-thing, and gave the excuse that I had to go to town anyway to report to the rest of the men, so I would be with Sebas the entire time. Iliza handed her a handkerchief, which she promptly bit into, and we were off.

We safely delivered Tilfa's family to her home, but on the way back Sebas stopped in front of one of my men.

Gerof, he owned a store in town.