i found him.
fightinghimfightinghimfightinghimfightinghimfightinghim.
was not easy.
my branches his branches broken.
so many. lost. either side. the dead lay scattered.
ashtree ran. thank all. that he ran. or he would also have died.
(iweepiweepiweepiweepiweepiweepforthethought.)
i had him pinned. the breathing tree. we had ourselves. pinned. branches through branches through bark.
ibledhedidnothedoesnotbleed.
but his breathing. was labored. from painpainpainpainpain.
(he was very very weakened so weakened as was i)
eyeless gaze locked. with my own.
(amongst the dead
no silence broken
no words were said
no whispers spoken)
we stayed like that. for a while. as we had before. when he tortured me with only. his sight.
(iwasalwayshisfavoritetotwist.)
he flailed. in pain. sight never. left mine. it was pitiful.
(iwept.)
i could not kill him.
i could have. easily. but i did not. i could have made. him suffer. in his last breaths.
but i did not.
and neither did he. kill me. despite having ample opportunity to.
i understand it now.
it was never. about ashtree. it was always. about me. about his own. failings to contain me.
he needed. to prove he still had power. over me. despite him having. so much over everything else.
he needed. to prove himself. able to control. what had once found weakness. in him.
(butdespiteallhiseffortshestillcouldnotkillitburyitsmotheritmurderit.)
he understands it now. iamnothisneverneverneveragain. and i am not to be attacked againagainagain.
we each let. the other go.
that was. 1one week ago. i have not. seen him since.
has he left? me alone for now?
whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy? would he?
(iaskthebranchesoverhead:dotreeshavesoulsorarewedead?)
