He's Back

Leo woke up to the sun shining on his face threw the curtain. He finally had a break from all the business and chaos of work. He would be able to have his own day of freedom. The sun shown on his face and he slowly opened his eyes.

He lifted up his head and rubbed his half awake eyes. He sat up and stretched his arms into the air as he groaned. He took a deep breath before placing his feet on the cold wooden ground and walked out to the kitchen.

He brewed himself some coffee and sipped it as he looked out the window. The sun and the blue sky, paired with the warm coffee, made Leo feel calm and warm.

His green eyes shimmered in the sunlight and were filled with life. He quietly sipped the coffee while having some music playing and enjoyed his morning.

Suddenly, a white dove flew into the window. Leo flinched at the action, then ran outside to help the dove.

He walked out side and he saw the dove laying helplessly on the floor. He kneeled down and gently picked up the dove in his hand. The dove snuggled into his palm as he looked right into Leo's eyes. It cooed, "Thank you tree spirit."

Leo cringed, 'Of course.'

"No problem, but can you fly?"

The dove looked down, "No, my wing is broken."

Leo felt pity for the dove and he decided to bring it inside. He grabbed a small cardboard box and layed a towel on the inside. He gently placed the dove inside the box and dialed the vet on the phone.

Thankfully, the woman had an opening later that day for when he could drop the dove off. After making the appointment, he hung up the phone and turned his attention back to the dove.

The dove sat and waited patiently in it's box while staring at Leo. He walked to his kitchen and grabbed an assortment of seeds and a few leafy greens for the dove. He placed some into the box and said kindly, "Here, you should be able to eat this."

The dove gladly began to eat the seeds and greens Leo had placed. He smiled towards the dove and went back into the kitchen to get his own food.

The two ate in silence for a while before the dove asked, "How are you since you left the forest?"

This question made Leo freeze, "U-um I've been okay since then. I've been able to live out my life good so far and I've got a high paying job so, that's nice."

"How about you? How is everyone?"

"We're all doing fine...." the dove replied. Though Leo was unsatisfied with this answer, since the dove had a very sad look as he said it.

He narrowed his eyes, "Are you sure?"

"Y-yeah, we're all good."

He continued to narrow his eyes at the dove with a fixed gaze. Then he shrugged his shoulders and dropped it. 'If something really is wrong, then it'll probably tell me later.'

They both talked and chatted for a while before it was time to drop the dove off to the vet. Leo checked his phone, 'It's time to drop them off.'

He held the box the dove was in and walked over to the street. After a few minutes, he was finally able to flag down a taxi. The two got in and made their way to the vet.

He walked into the small, but warm building and meet the woman at the front counter. He checked in and a couple minutes later, a nurse in a blue uniform walked into the room to take the dove away.

Before she took the dove, it looked at Leo one last time, "I need to tell you something before I go...."

Leo tilted his head forward, signaling the dove to continue.

".... He's back."

Leo froze in his seat with his eyes filled with fear and anxiety.

The woman took the dove away and Leo left with his head filled with thoughts. He caught another taxi and road back home in silence.

Once he closed the door to his apartment, he went completely slack against the door. He was trembling and had his hands covering his face. Beads of sweat appeared at his temples.

"No. Anyone. anyone, but him..." he said, voice shaking.

He slid down until he was sitting on the floor. He was trembling and hugged his knees to his chest.

Tears started to flow down his face uncontrollably as he remembered his past. He tried to calm himself down, but couldn't control it.

'I need to get myself under control.'

Leo sat down with his legs crossed and his back straight. He closed his eyes and took many deep breaths to try to calm his nerves.

'Just think of what calms you down. A place or thing or feeling, just something.'

As he thought this, the view of the sunset above his forest appeared in his mind. The thick tree tops were swaying in the gentle breeze and the sky was painted with different shades of purples, oranges, and blues with the sun at the center.

Leo could feel the cool wind and he could smell the earthy and sweet smell of the forest. He felt that he was actually there, floating above the tress.

A bright smile appeared on his face as he took in the sight. His tears and sadness had vanished and all he wanted was to bask in the light and feeling.

Leo looked happy and content. His skin glowed and hair shined in the light of the room.

A light green glow started gathering around his body. Vines and leaves of green light seemed to be growing out of him. They gradually got bigger as the light got brighter.

Leo slowly opened his eyes and the bright green light faded.

He took another deep breath and made a slight smile.

He then got up and went to take a nice cold shower. He stripped out of his clothes and turned the shower on.

The water was cold and crisp, but it made Leo feel refreshed and alive. Once he was done, he felt much better and his eyes weren't as red as before.

Later on, he ate dinner then went off to his bed for some sleep.

He crawled into the covers and layed comfortably on his back. He layed there for a while enjoying some TV and time to himself.

Eventually he drifted off to sleep.

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