Wood and Steel

by CodenameOne

5: Envy

20 minutes earlier.

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"Well, would you mind if I went and looked for him? You can show Axle around the mill, if you don't mind."

Axle looked at Drawbar, knowing full-well what he was doing and making Axle cross with him. He was trying to set up Axle to spend time alone with Limb Trimmer. Of course Axle just couldn't say 'no', lest he offend Trimmer or make him suspicious of them.

"Of course. Willow should be across the river. Follow me, Mr. Box" Trimmer said, turning to face Axle as Drawbar trotted off to find Willow. Axle looked after his brother as he left, silently grumbling to himself. He turned back to face Limb Trimmer, a smirk crossing his face.

"Just Axle, thank ya kindly. Mr. Box is ma daddy."

"My apologies" Trimmer said, stepping past Axle and closing the doors behind him. Together the two bucks left the estate via the opening in the iron fence and turned left towards the mill, a number of logs stacked up in a rack next to the mill, and another number of split and shaved logs sorted in carts under an open-side barn. With the logs split and all their bark shaved off they were ready to be sent off to wholesalers and distributors, where various clients from humble hobby stores all the way up the Crown would purchase the blank logs for use in creating everything from firewood to sword handles.

Trimmer explained all this to Axle as they walked up the mill, the lithe Unicorn taking great pains to include all the details from how their father took the carts full of logs into Baltimare, to how the logs were sorted for distribution to various clients and loaded onto trains just like Axle's, to how the clients turned the logs into usable stocks.

"Of course, all of that starts here, at the mill. It's up to us to get these logs split and ready for transport in a fastidious manner. The day usually starts with Willow and I heading into the forest to fell the day's logs, but we've got some surplus from the previous day, so I'll need to get them split and shaved before Willow comes back with fresh logs. A typical day has Willow bringing a cart loaded with logs up here to the mill, where we stack them up to be held in place by the rack. We check the furnace for coal and load any if necessary, and switch on the actuator" Trimmer stated, doing just that to start the mill. With a dull clank the mill came to life, the vertical sawblade 3/4 down the length of the mill starting to move up and down, waiting for a log.

"Once she's started up, Willow and I load logs into the tray and depress this pedal repeatedly to move the tray down the length of the mill. Really, I could do all of it myself with magic alone, but after the trees are felled there's nothing else for Willow to do, so rather than sitting about he helps with the splitting and shaving" Trimmer continued, reaching forth with his mind to grab a log from the rack in his telekinesis, pulling it out and setting it down on the tray. With the log in place Trimmer moved up to the pedal built into the floor and set a hoof against it, pressing firmly and sending the tray down. The tray had a slot built into it to allow the saw to pass in between the center, ensuring the log in it would be cut perfectly. Trimmer kept pressing the pedal until the tray and the log it carried reached the end, at which point the log split in two and fell off the end of the mill.

"We'll usually do that a few times before moving down to clear out the split logs, at which point we'll shave them" Trimmer said, slowly trotting down the length of the mill to where the logs had fallen off to the ground below. He dropped down and looked up at Axle, gesturing to the split logs. "With the oaks cut we'll shave them, which is usually the easiest part of the job. Typically I'll just use my magic to grab the bark where it attaches to the tree and pull it out a foot at a time, and while I work on one half Willow will use a shaving knife to strip the other half. Sometimes we'll race and see who can get their half shaved first, but I usually win. Celestia's gift gives me an unfair advantage, you know" Trimmer said with a smirk and a spark of his horn.

Axle took a moment to look the smaller colt over, pretending to think about the mill operation while he scrutinized Trimmer. Drawbar was right; he was Axle's type. He was short and lithe, a typical build for a Unicorn, and just being a Unicorn put him on Axle's radar. Of the three pony races Axle Box had always been most attracted to Unicorns. It was their mystique, their sophistication, their power. Trimmer wasn't sophisticated in the traditional sense of the word, and he was no Princess Twilight in terms of magical power, but Axle still found him interesting, just being the way he was.

And, if Axle was being honest, he was cute. He had a kind of brainy charm, despite working on a mill. If Axle had to think about it, Trimmer reminded him most of the wizard Sunburst, of the Crystal Empire(whom Axle also found cute, if only from a 'celebrity crush' kind of viewpoint). Trimmer was everything Axle found attractive in a partner, at least physically.

But actually taking it anywhere? We're only gonna be here another day, at tha most. T'aint enough time to forge a relationship, least not one that would last long enough to weather our departure. And what of our lifestyles? He lives on a mill, ah travel the nation. Gettin' either one a us t' give up our passions would be right impossible.

"After we've shaved the two halves of each log we take them over to this little barn, where we load them up on carts for daddy to take into Baltimare, to the distributor" Trimmer continued, motioning to the barn. "There's always a cart ready to go for when daddy comes back, and when he does come back we put the empty cart back into the rotation, so there's always carts going out to the distributor. This here system has worked since our daddy was born, and it's just perfect for the three of us."

With his explanation finished Limb Trimmer ignited his horn and wreathed his body in the glow of his magic, leaping into the air with a push of his hindlegs and levitating himself back up onto the mill. Axle watched in awe as he did this, the Unicorn buck landing quietly and gracefully without so much as a bead of sweat on his face.

"That's mighty impressive, Limb Trimmer. Ya'll got yourselves a nice life out here on tha mill" Axle complimented, earning a shrug from Trimmer, who started trotting back towards the rack to split the rest of the logs.

"My brother may not agree. He likes life well enough here--working the mill is his special talent after all--but I see the way he looks off at the horizon all misty-eyed and wistful-like. He's lonely. He wants something more than just the mill and his family. He wants a flame, a love. I've encouraged him to move into Baltimare, to mingle with other bucks and make some friends outside of his brother, but he won't listen. Says he needs to stay here and help with the mill, even though he knows I could do it all myself. He's friendly enough with ponies, but gets nervous when talking to somepony he's attracted to" Trimmer explained.

Axle hummed thoughtfully, though he knew that was slowly being taken care of, if his suspicions about the real reason Drawbar went off to find Willow were correct. Based on Trimmer's description and the way Willow had acted the other night it seemed reasonable to Axle that Willow might be attracted to Drawbar, and that Drawbar might even feel the same way, but there was no way to know for certain without pressing the issue, which could disrupt the natural flow of Willow and Drawbar's burgeoning acquaintanceship; they would have to discover their love for each other on their own.

Turning his attention back to Trimmer Axle looked him over once again, and decided at the very least he was interested in learning more about the younger Unicorn buck. What opportunity he'd have to learn about him would be very limited, but if all else failed him and Drawbar could always come back to the mill on their own, or at least write letters, but even Axle knew the best kind of relationship had to be built in person.

"Ah'm confident your brother will find the love the love he's looking for one day. Or, perhaps, that love will find him" Axle finally commented. A thought crossed his mind, though he was unsure if he should go through with it, unknowing of what kind of response it would elicit. If nothing else, he figured, he could always pass it off as casual banter, if Trimmer didn't offer him the answer he was looking for. "What about you, though? Ya'll looking for love too?"

Trimmer paused as he reached for the mill pedal, a fresh log waiting on the tray. He looked back at Axle for a moment, his hoof resting on the pedal. "I've not considered it, with my focus being on the mill all the time, but... There's room in my life for a special somepony."

Axle nodded, satisfied with the Unicorn colt's response.

"Hey! Axle! Limb Trimmer" Axle heard called out from behind him, prompting him to turn around. Coming up on the mill from back around the manor were Drawbar and Willow Whisper, the latter with a cart of logs in tow. Axle waved at them, acknowledging Drawbar's call and encouraging them to pick up the pace. Willow looked to be limping and covered in dirt, which was already rousing suspicion in Axle's mind as to the kind of things the two bucks did while they were alone in the woods.

Sweet Celestia, already? Surely they wouldn't have crossed that bridge that quickly Axle thought, though he quickly realized they wouldn't have done that. He knew his brother; desperate, lonely mill buck or no, Drawbar was no hound. He wouldn't let a newly-blossomed relationship enter that territory.

"Howdy brother! We been waitin' on ya'll to come on back! Limb Trimmer went and gave me tha tour already, so ya'll are behind some!" Axle yelled back, earning a dismissive hoof-wave from Drawbar.

"Bah, I'll just have Willow give me the rundown once he's got the cart unhitched. How was it, though? Willow was expecting to find you bored to death by his brother's rambling" Drawbar said with a toothy grin.

Willow gasped and looked at him exaggeratedly, drawing a hoof up to his chest. "Well don't go sayin' that where ma brother can hear ya'll! I don't want ma brother thinkin' that ah think so lowly of him!"

Drawbar put a hoof around the back of Willow's neck, smiling. "Bah, don't you worry. I'm sure Axle found your brother's detailing of the mill operations to be very exciting. Didn't ya, Axle?"

Axle rolled his eyes, looking back at Trimmer as he fed the last of the excess logs into the tray, a small but noticeable smile of his own on his face. "Heck, it was mighty interesting, actually, and Trimmer's explanations were plenty invigoratin'. I didn't know that runnin' a mill was so simple" Axle exclaimed.

Looking at his brother Axle missed how Trimmer's face brightened at the compliment.

"Well I'm glad to hear it. Willow here gave me a nice demonstration of how he fells the trees. Did you know they don't use any saws, Axle? They've got this machine that draws a cable around the trunk of a tree and digs into it until the tree separates from the trunk. Pretty quick and efficient, from what I saw" Drawbar said, looking at Willow, who had gone up to the side of the mill to replace the empty cart there with the full one he was tethered to. He pushed the old one down and out of the way, and trotted up into position, at which point he released the cart from the harness he had on, quickly shrugging it off and depositing the harness against the side of the mill.

As Trimmer grabbed the first log off the top with his magic he saw the way his brother was trotting, immediately showing concern. "Willow, what happened to your leg? You're limping!"

Willow paused as he reached the steps to the mill, looking at Drawbar for solidarity, who nodded in encouragement. "Ah had a bit of an accident. Ah was careless, and, well... Drawbar saved ma life" Willow said quietly, expressing in his mind his gratitude to Drawbar once again.

"It's not like you to be careless, brother" Trimmer replied, turning away from the mill and putting a hoof on Willow's shoulder, leaning in close and talking quietly. Drawbar thought he heard Trimmer say "talk" but couldn't be sure.

"Actually, it was my fault. I surprised Willow while he was waiting for the cable to finish cutting a tree, and his attention was focused on talking to me when it came down. I pushed him out of the way and he sprained his ankle" Drawbar explained. Trimmer nodded gratefully at him, his hoof still on his brother's shoulder.

"Thank Celestia you're OK, Willow" Trimmer said, going back in to hug his brother, who returned the embrace in earnest. "I love you, brother."

"Ah love ya too, Trimmer."

Drawbar smiled at the display of familial affection, touched by the brothers' bond. He loved his brother too, of course, but rarely did they share an embrace like that. Theirs was more a silent love for one another, an unspoken promise of always being there for the other. Willow and Trimmer's, on the other hoof, was a more open bond. One that let them express their love without hesitation.

As Drawbar watched the two mill brothers hug it out before turning their attention to the mill, settling into their work, he was struck by another feeling. As touching as it was watching the two brothers embrace and as happy as he was for the both of them that they had such a deep bond with one another he couldn't help but feel something else, a pang of something dark, that rationally he should not be feeling.

Jealousy.

He was jealous of Limb Trimmer for being able to get so close to Willow. To come together with him in an embrace and to be able to say to him "I love you", even if it was only in the way that two brothers normally love each other. He wanted to express the same feelings for the earth buck, and for him to return those feelings for Drawbar. Even through his smile Drawbar felt a painful longing, to be with Willow, to be as close to him as they had been in the forest. Closer even.

But he didn't know if he'd ever get the chance.

"Willow, why don't you show Drawbar how we run the mill? I already explained and showed everything to his brother, and he was the one who wanted to learn about it the most" Trimmer said to his brother, whose face brightened up as he remembered he was supposed to give Drawbar a tour.

Before he could, however, Drawbar spoke up, turning away back towards the direction of the train tracks. "Actually, I've got to be getting back to the train. Gotta make sure it's alright. Good day, you two" Drawbar said curtly, trotting off back to the train, his brother pausing before following, leaving Trimmer and Willow more than a little confused.

And, in Willow's case, more than a little hurt.