Wood and Steel

by CodenameOne

11: Hurt

"I'm tellin' ya, Drawbar, when Trimmer saw a picture of his mother he about looked like he saw a ghost" Axle said to his brother as they sat outside their train. At half-past noon the forest was alive and loud, the song and chirps their only company.

"Well, perhaps you should talk to him. Willow could help too, I'm sure" Drawbar replied.

Axle hummed in acknowledgment and nodded, rubbing at his chin with a hoof and staring into the woods. It was obvious that whatever happened deeply pained Trimmer, but the question was 'would Willow have the same reaction?'. Axle could just let it go--it's not like he wanted to open old wounds--but at the same time he felt as though if the two colts were silently suffering that he should do something to help them.

Maybe just letting it go will be help enough.

"Maybe you're right" Axle finally said. "Still, I wouldn't be surprised if Willow asks you about it."

Drawbar shrugged. "Assuming his brother tells him about the incident. If it was that bad, he may just close up. His brother knows him best, I'm sure, but you've seen how unreadable Trimmer is. If he doesn't tell his brother, Willow may not even know something is wrong."

"I guess there's no real way of knowing unless I talk to either one'a them" Axle replied. If I even should.

"Willow and I are going to be hanging out after he's done with the day's chores, so you can talk to him before then, or just wait until later tonight" Drawbar stated.

"I guess I'll go see if I can talk to 'im."

---

As Axle trotted up the hill to the mill he saw Willow splitting the logs, which made Axle pause. Both colts usually tended the mill, but when it was just one of them there it was always Trimmer. If it was just Willow there then there must be some reason.

You're getting worked up over probably nothin'. Maybe the two colts just traded responsibilities today.

Axle reached the mill and ascended the steps, slowly coming up behind Willow as he reached over for a log and pulled it off the rack. As he did so he caught sight of Axle and stopped, putting the log back up. He flashed a smile, but it wasn't all that convincing.

"Hey there, Axle. What can ah do for ya'll?" Willow asked.

Axle smiled back, in spite of himself. "Where's Trimmer? I'd like to talk to him."

Willow frowned and bit his lip, looking away. "Trimmer...is in th' house." Willow paused, glancing at the logs on the rack. "I don't think he wants t' talk t' anypony right now."

"Why not?"

Willow laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head. "He's, uh...mighty emotional today. He was up all night, uh... You know. Cryin'."

"Oh. Do you know why?" Axle pressed.

Willow looked away, idly kicking at the mill floor. He wasn't answering, and Axle thought he'd gotten all he would out of the younger colt. He had just turned his back and was about to trot away when he heard Willow whisper something, so low Axle almost didn't hear it.

"Mother..."

Axle stopped and hung his head, shuffling around in place to look at Willow, a pregnant silence in the air between them. Axle wasn't sure what he should say, to apologize or explain what happened, but he couldn't find his tongue. The incident had been so fast, so surreal, that Axle didn't even know how he could explain it if he had to.

"Trimmer was...cryin' about mom. She, uh... She passed away. Six years ago..."

Six years? Been that long and just the sight of 'er evoked that kind of reaction out of Trimmer? There must be somethin' more to it Axle thought.

"...How?"

Willow pulled his head back and stared at Axle, that heavy silence returning with a vengeance. After nearly a minute Willow turned back to the rack and pulled a log down, dropping it onto the tray and feeding it into the mill. He quickly split the log and pulled down another.

"I... I'd like to talk to Trimmer. If you don't mind."

"Ya don't need t' ask me permission. Ah ain't Trimmer's owner. It just... It don't make any sense" Willow stated, already pulling down a third log. "We all got our own photo albums, and they got pictures'a mom in 'em, but Trimmer's photo album's in his closet and ain't been moved in a while--It's got a layer'a dust on it--so ah dunno why he's all busted up 'bout it all'a sudden" Willow declared.

Axle stuck his tongue in his cheek and looked down at the floor of the mill. "That's, uh, my fault."

Willow paused. "That so?"

"Trimmer, he, uh, took me on a tour of the manor. When we got to the west wing study, there were pictures..." Axle trailed off as Willow nodded.

"I see."

"Willow, I'm sorry. I... I didn't know" Axle stated, taking a step forward. "I'm sorry."

Willow turned around, a look of concern on his face. "For what? T'aint yer fault, Axle. We ain't told ya, ya never asked, and ya couldn't'a known. Look, ma brother's probably up in his room, but now ah'm thinkin' it ain't such a hot idea to be talking to 'im. Ma's death hurt him something awful, since he was-- Well, it was hard, is all."

'He was' what? Why'd he stop himself? Axle mused. "I still want to talk to him."

Willow gestured to the manor. "Well go on ahead, then. Ah won't stop ya, ah just don't think it's such a good idea."

Axle nodded in understanding and turned back around, about to head up to the manor. "Thank you, Willow." He cantered down the steps and onto the lawn, heading across and up to the manor doors. Axle pushed them and opened and entered the grand house. A quick trot up the stairs and through the east-wing door brought Axle into the hall, the sconces and pictures on the wall a blur as the rail buck quickly passed them. Rounding the corner at the end Axle passed the first door on the left and came up to the second, reaching up with a hoof and stopping when he heard the sound coming from inside the room.

Silence.

Putting his hoof back down to the floor Axle weighed his options. If Trimmer wasn't in the room, there was no way to know where he was. Axle could wait for Trimmer to come back, or he could go looking for him. If he went looking for him, he'd probably spend all day roaming the halls of the manor.

*Thump*

Axle paused, looking at the door to Trimmer's room. Somepony was in there, probably Trimmer. But...what should I do? Should I knock? Should I just go? Willow doesn't think I should talk to Trimmer, but...

The door opened.

Axle froze as the heavy oak door was pulled open from the inside, Trimmer standing just past the threshold. There was a binder or some kind of file dossier on Trimmer's bed, closed. Axle turned his attention back to Trimmer and paused, noting the Unicorn's dry, red eyes.

"H-Hello, Axle. I'm a-afraid I'm a little indisposed right now. You should c-come back later" Trimmer stammered out, beginning to push the door closed.

Axle jammed his hoof into the frame, blocking the door. "Trimmer, wait, I... I want to talk to you."

Trimmer looked taken aback, an expression of shock on his face. "Axle, I... I don't know. I'm..." Trimmer stopped, looking anywhere but Axle's eyes. He glanced back at his bed, at the binder lying on it. "OK... Come in." The door opened further, Trimmer stepping aside. Axle nodded, trotting into the room and shutting the door behind him.

And preparing himself for whatever followed.