----
A soft whine pulled Fowad out of his thoughts.
He turned his head to see Foxy standing beside him, her eyes filled with a quiet understanding.
She nuzzled his side gently, her warm fur brushing against his cold skin. Although Foxy had become intelligent but it's quite low.
She can fell something wrong with Fowad. But she isn't intelligent enough to fell emotion.
Fowad reached out to stroke her head, his touch shaky but grateful. "Thank you, Foxy," he whispered, his voice hoarse from crying.
Fattey, who had been perched on a nearby branch, fluttered down and landed on Fowad's shoulder.
The little bird chirped softly, his usually playful demeanor replaced with a rare moment of solemnity.
He nuzzled against Fowad's cheek, his feathers warm and comforting. Fattey's eyes were full of tears seeing Fowad crying.
Fattey is intelligent as humans, can understand emotions. Fattey can't talk. He just chirp multiple times to Fowad.
Chip ! Chip! Chip!
( Mommy don't cry. I will not cause trouble for you. I will eat less and won't play with other)
Fatty doesn't know why Fowad was crying like it's the end of the world.
He thinks it's because of him causing trouble and always playing and eating never listening to Fowad's.
Fowad just hugs Fattey, he says to Fattey i am okay. Then Foxy also comes to hug Fowad.
"You two…" Fowad began, his voice breaking again. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
For a long time, they stayed like that Fowad kneeling in the snow, his companions by his side, their presence a balm for his aching heart.
---
As the sun began to dip below the horizon, casting the clearing in hues of gold and orange, Fowad slowly rose to his feet.
His legs felt weak, his body heavy with exhaustion, but there was a new sense of clarity in his mind.
He gathers some dried up blood mixed with the ground. And the left over clothes piece of his father. He didn't finds much.
Then he dug a hole into the ground and placed everything he gathered so far, then he cover up the hole to make a grave for his father.
He also finds a stone to make it as a grave stone. He curved his father name into the stone and also writes these.
[ Sadi Benit the best father of the world.
Thank you for taking care of me. You will always be missed. ]
He looked around the clearing one last time, his gaze lingering on the scars of the battle.
The pain of his loss hadn't diminished, but he felt a flicker of resolve growing within him.
"I can't bring you back," he said softly, his voice carrying a quiet strength.
"But I can honor your memory. I can become stronger. I can make sure your sacrifice wasn't in vain."
Foxy barked softly, her tails wagging slightly as if to show her approval.
Fattey chirped in agreement, hopping up and down on Fowad's shoulder.
A faint smile touched Fowad's lips as he looked at his companions.
They had been his family in the months since his father's death, and their unwavering loyalty gave him the strength to keep moving forward.
"Let's go," he said, his voice steadier now. "We still have a lot of work to do."
---
As they left the clearing, Fowad felt a strange sense of peace.
The grief was still there, a dull ache in his chest, but it no longer consumed him.
Instead, it had become a part of him a reminder of everything he had lost and everything he still had to fight for.
The forest stretched out before him, vast and filled with danger. But for the first time in months, Fowad felt ready to face it.
He had his father's and family ancestors legacy. He had Foxy and Fattey. And he had a burning determination to grow stronger, no matter what it took.
As they disappeared into the trees, the clearing grew quiet once more.
The marks of the battle remained, etched into the earth as a testament to the life that had been lost there.
But for Fowad, it was no longer just a place of pain. It was a place of remembrance a place where he had found the strength to move forward.
---
The forest was quiet, the air heavy with the soft hum of life that pulsed beneath the surface.
Fowad stood at the edge of the clearing where he had broken down hours ago, the traces of his grief still visible in the tear streaked snow.
But now, as the fading sunlight cast golden streaks through the trees, a new clarity filled his mind.
His chest rose and fell with steady breaths, each one feeling lighter than the last.
The burden he had carried for months the weight of guilt, sorrow, and loss was no longer crushing him.
Instead, it had transformed into something else. 'Resolve'
Fowad's hand instinctively went to the pendant around his neck, his fingers brushing against the cool surface.
His father had always spoken about the Benit family legacy, about the responsibility that came with their power.
For months, Fowad had been running, hiding from the weight of that responsibility. But no more.
"Father," he murmured, his voice firm despite the emotion beneath it, "I won't let your sacrifice be in vain.
I'll become stronger. I'll honor our family's name free all our family members." I will find my mother and and my little brother or sister if they are alive. I will fulfil your last wish.
The problem is I don't even know where they are and how will I find them. Father didn't say anything which families attack the Benit family back then.
Who took half of the Benit family as prisoners and killed the other half without showing any mercy.
I guess when I leave the Sapling forest I need to find out about everything on my own. I need to make sure I am strong enough to fulfil father's last wish.
---