Work Text:
'shshzhzhzhz.'
The forest was always completely empty, aside from a few small animals and bugs... There were many stories about this forest. Fictitious ones about the dangers in it they would teach kids. In reality, none of the stories were true. Any that were were based on events from centuries ago. The twins were the only ones truly permitted to visit it regularly, as their mother did, and they were to follow her footsteps.
Dream's boots scrunched the grass beneath them as they walked towards the tree they shot. They put their partially-gloved hand around the arrow, and strongly ripped it out.
Dream came to the forest frequently. Both the twins did, but rarely together. Nightmare more so.
Dream walked the few steps needed to get to the spot they were previously standing. On the ground there was a pile of several arrows to grab from, but Dream had just been rescuing the one arrow again and again. When they got to where they wanted to be, they lifted the bow they were holding in their other hand and lifted it, knocking the arrow onto it.
Nightmare did always go to the forest more often. There was more silence there, he said once. It was one place where no one would bother him. That was fine...
Dream shot the arrow at the tree again. It didn't land in the same spot, but it was still close to it.
Sometimes Night used to end up being late for their teachers because he was in the forest too long and had lost track of time. The elders would always hesitate to go too far, and when Dream suggested them knowing where he was at first they would just ignore them. What important thing could a *child* have to say.
Dream grabbed the arrow out of the tree and started back.
Dream would run off without their premission though. It never took them long to find Nightmare, and when they did he very quickly understood that he'd accidentally forgotten time and been late. Then, they would walk back and the elder would get very mad at the both of them.
Now, whenever Nightmare was late, they would heave in exasperation and tell them "Dream, go find your brother," with an unspoken "good for nothing" afterwards.
Dream always got the impression that they were both hated.
Dream shot the arrow at the tree again, this time getting off centered enough that it landed in the grass around the tree.
As soon as Dream had gotten old enough to start to realize the different kinds of relationships there were between people, they knew that the elders did not treat them like how other people would talk to their students or families. Some parents were strict, but the counsel was unloving.
They could go into countless examples, but most of it came from small actions and tone of voice. They weren't misinterpreting things. They weren't overlooking charitable interpretation. They were seeing the true intent behind their words, after years and years of both explicit and implicit examples.
They picked up the arrow.
There was no point in bringing it up though. Any sort of personal issues they've had around how others treated them. How they were talked to, how others spoke to them...
Dream walked back.
When they asked for Dream to go find their brother now, sometimes they couldn't. 'Sometimes' may be a bit of a stretch, but it has happened before. A few times, but majority for smaller cases.
Dream knocked the arrow.
It wasn't his fault... He didn't choose to do this...
Dream shot.
It wasn't *their* fault. *They* didn't choose to do this.
The arrow vibrated as it hit the tree, this time in the same hole as before that Dream was aiming at.
Dream would survive at this for as long as they needed to before it got better. Eventually it would. They would be in charge, they would get a say, Nightmare would talk to them again, everything would be fine. It just needed more time.
Dream went to grab the arrow, but hesitated. Maybe they should leave it there. Come back for it later, maybe.