The Scars We Carry

Old wip I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere with. Pre-Wolfie reveal of course

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There's a scar on Twilight's wrist.

Wars can't stop thinking about it.

It's not a normal scar. It circles around his entire wrist, and is even on all sides. The skin is red and raised, it's clearly been rehealed over and over until the scar tissue was likely numb. It's usually hidden beneath his gauntlets or sleeves, but when Twilight washes up or removes his gloves Warriors can see it poking out.

All of the heroes have scars. Even the little ones have a few smatterings despite their claims. It's not unexpected; the hero's life is a rough one and injuries are unavoidable no matter how good someone is. So there's nothing strange about Twilight having one in theory but...

That's a shackle scar. Warriors has seen enough of them on rescued prisoners of war to know it by sight. Those wretched marks of captivity branded on his men never got easier to see.

A mark left from a blade or a burn wouldn't catch his attention. But a shackle? Those take time to rub the skin off and even longer to leave permanent marks. And for the marks to be so prominent?

Warriors isn't sure he wants to know.

Except that he really, really does because every time he spots the marks peeking out from under Twilight's sleeve he has to bottle uncomfortable anger.

The heroes don't talk too much about their adventures. Well, they do sometimes. But the details are always vague and heavy stuff is avoided like the plague. The swordsmen will talk about hilarious encounters or interesting moments but not a word about anything substantial is uttered.

Warriors can't even claim to be annoyed about it because that would make him a hypocrite of unparallelled proportions. So he won't blame Twilight for being tight lipped about whatever caused such a horrid scar.

But he will lie awake and wonder who chained Twilight up like an animal. And why? For how long? Days, weeks, months? Certainly long enough to permanently scar him. And did they just chain him up, or did they do other things too? Interrogate him? Starve him? Torture him?

These questions drive him mad.

But that's Warriors problem.

He wasn't going to dredge up old memories by asking Twilight. He won't risk churning up painful memories just to sate his curiosity. Either the rancher would provide that information himself one day, or Warriors would simply die ignorant.

A good plan.

Except it wasn't, because two weeks later Twilight rolls up his sleeves to help Wild cut up the deer the pair had just hunted and the mark on his wrist is freshly inflamed.