The commander walked off the dirt path and into the lush green forest, grateful that the trees were evergreen and kept their needles all year. It gave him cover and the scent permeated his senses, calming him down.
It reminded him of the times he ran into that exact forest when he was getting emotional and life started to feel unfair.
The place he used to live in wasn't quite an orphanage as much as it was a house that someone kind enough to care decided to take in children who had nowhere else to go. He was the one who lived there the longest. Most kids had memories of their parents.
Siblings who had each other were the hardest to deal with and what made him the most jealous. He had no one else to rely on but himself and that forest. It kept his secrets for him.
As he looked for a tree to chop down, he realized he had forgotten the axe but he could choose a tree before going back for it.
