Chapter Two #2
Right as my panic rises, I spot Winston ambling toward me.
He’s probably pissed that I’m not inside already giving him food.
I can picture him wondering why I’m standing around like a doofus and not giving him treats, and has come out to investigate.
It’s not that my animal friends and I can literally speak to each other, but we do have our own way of communicating non-verbally.
Winston reaches me then rises onto his haunches. He gestures with one paw toward the food bag.
I sigh. “You’ll get your treats, but that’s my Howler food. It’s not for raccoons.”
He scents the air, then chitters while waving his paw again.
“No, Winston. It’s not good for you.”
I cross my arms to show him I mean business. In truth, he scavenges all kinds of junk to eat, so some chicken and dumplings are unlikely to do him in. All the same, it’s my dinner, and I’m not in the mood to share.
Winston lifts his other paw, and my jaw drops. “Why you little shithead.”
I’m being extorted. Winston has purloined my cave rune and is holding it hostage. My dinner appears to be the ransom. I don’t know when he stole it, but it’s never being left out again. That much I do know.
“Uh-uh, buddy,” I shake my head. “You’re not playing fair.”
I’m reconsidering whether I should have Edgel make the rune repel all organic beings. Although that’s so unfair to Clover and my other pets who like to come and go as they please.
Winston utters more chattering noises, the noises growing in intensity, but I stand my ground. After a few more minutes of this dramatic display, he growls, tosses the rune outside of the magical barrier, then huffs back to the cave, his tail flicking angrily.
While I’m grateful to have the rune back, I’m annoyed that all the delays will have cooled my dinner.
If only I didn’t feel so awkward eating in the café by myself.
Sure, I could cook, but meh. It’s not really my thing.
Plus, I feel bad preparing raw meat around my furry friends.
Not that I’m eating rabbits—I simply couldn’t—but it has to squick Clover out.
I finally release the magic and the barrier evaporates. I turn to retrieve my meal from the boulder in time to spot a coyote running off with it.
“Hey!” I call out. “Drop that right now!”
Dammit. I don’t recognize her, but her swaying belly as she rushes off tells me she’s a new mom. My shoulders slump. I’m not going to hassle her about it. I’m sure she’s ravenous, and leaving her litter for too long so she can hunt is risky.
My stomach growls again, and I’m in a quandary.
I briefly entertain the idea of going back to the café, but my embarrassment keeps me from following through.
I’m sure there’s already plenty of talk about the heaps of food I consume.
Even if I tell Jimbo my dinner was thieved, he’ll probably think I’m making that up as an excuse to get more.
I give up.
There’s still half a mulberry pie and a block of cheese in the fridge, so I’ll make do with that.
Plus, I’ll probably run in the forest later since I haven’t shifted in a couple of days.
I can always check out the creeks for some smallmouth bass or sunfish.
My Howler only eats raw food, so I’ll be covered.
There will be plenty of frogs too, but to be honest, they’re not my favorite.
I duck into the cave, the opening much smaller than the interior.
I’ve constructed an iron door at the point right before my large circular living space is revealed.
It’s both for security and temperature control.
And of course there’s a swinging panel at the bottom that serves as a door for my critters.
“Hey everyone,” I call out. “Daddy’s home.”
Clover emerges immediately from her basket that’s tucked away in a corner.
I’ve made a special alcove for her with a canopy and nice fluffy blankets for her to burrow in.
She hops over excitedly, her favorite pink ribbon hanging from her mouth, and she rises up on her hind legs, scrabbling at my calf.
I scoop her up in my arms, and she shakes the ribbon at me in her own clumsy way.
“Not now, honey. I’ll play dress up with you later. Daddy needs to eat first.” I give her a light jostle. “Don’t you want some nice, fluffy carrot tops to go with your hay?”
Her nose twitches and the ribbon seems to be forgotten.
After preparing everyone’s food, including my meager fare, I sit at my oak hewn table with my crew. Clover eats from her bowl next to my chair. Winston and I have come to a truce, and he’s been allowed to perch on the chair across from me, and is busy shoveling berries and nuts into his mouth.
There might be some stragglers stopping in later. The squirrels are the most common, but the occasional fox or bobcat will pay a visit too. Don’t even get me started on what a nightmare it’s been to keep them from going after Clover.
But my local wildlife know who's in charge, and if they don’t like it, then they can move outside my territory.
Once dinner is over and I’ve cleaned up, I spend some time playing dress up with Clover.
Winston seems to find this activity revolting, so that’s his cue to leave and go creep around the forest. I chuckle at the thought of what Jimbo and everyone would think if they ever spotted me wearing a pink bow and strings of costume pearls, but I don’t care. Making Clover happy is more important.
After a while, I can tell Clover is getting sleepy, so I tuck her in her basket.
Alone once again.
I crack my knuckles. This would be a good time to give Boone a call, start to get a feel for what the agenda for the solstice is this year.
Boone answers almost immediately. “What’s up? I was just about to do a video chat with Bob.”
“Hey. Actually, that’s perfect. Has he made a list of all the performers yet and where the main stage is going to be? Remember, the steam from the geysers can really cause problems with the electrical equipment if the wind is blowing the wrong way.”
A heavy sigh sounds at the other end. “I dare not bring it up yet. His agenda for tonight is the influx of international attendees. It’s great they want to participate, but Bob is about to have a meltdown over whether we’ll have enough volunteers to cover the increased numbers.”
“Okay, gotcha.”
I scribble down a reminder in my planner to go over the subject of the stage with Bob at a later time. He’s a highly organized, remarkably efficient Thunderbird, but the intricacies of such a large event can get to anyone.
“Anything else?”
Boone prefers the blunt, no time for bullshit, method of communication. It sometimes takes others a bit to get used to, but we’ve known each other for almost a century and have worked together in the Monster Network for almost as long.
“Nope, think I’m good for now.”
“Good. I have to run. I’ll have more info in the Network chat this week.”
After I hung up, I glanced at Clover. She’s cuddled up with her tiny stuffed baby bunny, peacefully sleeping. With her off in dreamland, Winston out foraging for the night and Boone busy with Bob, I’m not sure what to do with myself.
Yeah, I should work on the multitude of tasks I have prior to leaving for our event, but I’m not in the mood. I don’t even feel like working on one of my preorders for the chipmunk house.
I’m pondering what to do with myself when I realize something. Boone didn’t bother to ask me if I’m seeing someone. As a matter of fact, he hasn’t done that since… well, I don’t know. Jimbo hasn’t either. I don’t think anyone’s queried me about my love life in forever.
Love life. That’s a good one.
My shoulders slump. Even my closest friends have given up on me finding love.
I let out a long sigh. Welp. Might as well head back to the café, embarrassment be damned. This time, I think I’ll order three servings of chicken and dumplings.