DAN
My mate, he thought, still overwhelmed by that turn of events.
He likes us, Wally ventured. I promise I didn’t peek, much, but he makes you very happy.
We’ll have our own pack, Wally replied.
Maybe going out would help, Wally suggested. We always feel better after we’ve been in the woods.
The forest around Fox Hollow was new to Dan, but he got a map from the store across from the hotel and looked for sections where few trails ran. I’m up for exploring, but I’d rather not get lost.
Wally snorted at that, and Dan figured his cryptid had a better innate sense of direction than his human side.
Dan made sure he was well-coated with bug spray and sunscreen. He threw a bottle of water and a pack of cheese and peanut butter crackers onto the front seat for after the shift, then followed the map to the closest point he could park near the less-used area he had found.
He left the trail on foot and headed north, wanting to make sure he didn’t happen into any hikers. Once Dan felt sure he was alone, he shifted quickly and stashed his clothes, keys, and phone where he knew he could find them and headed out to explore.
The forest smelled different here. The woods in Massachusetts had oak, maple, and elm trees. The Adirondacks had towering, old-growth spruce and balsam, which put a brisk pine scent in the air. The trees here were much older, and the forest felt almost primeval.
They surprised a white-tailed deer, which leaped out of his way and ran into the brush. Dan spotted a few smaller creatures like porcupines and squirrels who stopped and regarded him curiously from the cover of the underbrush.
I wonder if Madden’s squirrel network will report us, he thought.
Would that be bad? Wally seemed to have his own issues with the relocation, and for a nearly immortal daemon, sounded surprisingly vulnerable.
No, not at all, Dan hurried to reassure his other side. Madden’s a shifter too. I’m pretty sure Liam already figured out we’re not like the other shifters, and Quinn says that’s okay. Now we just have to settle in.
For a while, Dan did his best not to think except to keep track of his location and the time as Wally explored.
In his cryptid form, he was much more attuned to the natural energies permeating the forest and opened himself to the healing power.
They replenished Wally and him, and he realized how much the last few days had taken out of him.
Dan noted the sun’s position and figured it was time to head home. He heard something large rustle in the brush nearby and Wally froze.
What is that? Wally yelped, sounding genuinely uneasy.
The creature looked like a huge snake with legs and the head of a bobcat, not something Dan could even name. It reared back and hissed at Dan, although they both kept their distance.
Wally rose up to his full height, making his daemon self as imposing as he could. They had no desire to fight the creature but didn’t want to be mistaken for easy prey.
The creature gave him a baleful look and hissed once more, then turned and escaped into the brush with an undulating movement that was part slither and part running.
Quinn said something about people sighting a dragon. Is that what they saw? Dan wondered.
They weren’t in a busy section of the forest, well off the trails and several miles from any town.
Still, the idea of hikers or campers confronting the creature worried him.
Dan figured the sighting spooked Wally as well, since his other half didn’t protest going home.
After shifting back, he reclaimed his clothing and phone, then hiked back to his car and sat for several minutes, trying to catch his breath and sort out his impressions.
Dan thought about calling Quinn but realized they would be back together for dinner in a couple of hours and decided to hold off. Maybe in the meantime, I can find something online so I’m not just dropping a problem in his lap. Dan was pleased that his hands were steady on the steering wheel.
He drove back to the hotel, still shaken by what they had seen. A hot shower helped, and after that, he made sure to eat and drink to offset the stress of shifting. Then he sat down with his computer and got busy.
Dan figured that Quinn and Liam would have access to academic sources, so he logged into the Monster Network, hoping someone would be online.
Dan, Boone typed. Are you okay?
I think I saw a dragon, Dan replied.
I…what?
Dan typed out a detailed description. It hissed at me and then ran off. I don’t think it’s native here. What is it? And how dangerous?
I have to admit that’s not what I expected when I logged in, Boone replied, but it is interesting, I will give you that. I have no idea what it is, but we can ask the others on the network for ideas. As for being dangerous, if it has teeth, I would steer clear.
Okay, thanks. Dan took a deep breath and saw Boone’s next question.
Where on earth did you move to? Boone typed. Bounty hunters, monster hunters, and dragons?
Fox Hollow has a fairly magical reputation. Dan didn’t want to blow the town’s cover but still hoped to find answers. I’d appreciate anything you can find out about loose dragons.
I do not know, but I will ask around, Boone answered. I also heard you got in a spot of trouble. That podcast has been making the rounds.
Dan’s heart sank. Yeah, I know. Had to leave in the middle of the night. Hoping they don’t follow me. They put a bounty on my head.
I saw that. Absolutely horrendous outcome. Believe it or not, that sort of thing has happened to all of us, sooner or later, Boone said. Most of the time, it works out okay.
Dan tried not to focus on “most of the time” and accept the encouragement. Thanks. If you find out anything, please let me know.
Will do. And keep your head down until this all blows over, Boone replied.
Dan logged out and sat back in his chair, cradling his cup of coffee.
How did I manage to go from the frying pan into the fire?
Quinn’s going to insist on talking to the sheriff, and I know that’s the right thing to do, but it’s not how I wanted to settle into my new home.
At least I’m not alone. I’ve got Wally and Quinn.
Maybe the Fox Institute people can help.
The dragon and the bounty hunter are threats to the whole community, not just me. I guess nothing is ever simple.
Wally was unusually quiet, telling Dan that his other side was still spooked from the encounter and probably worried about the threat from the hunters. He sent warm vibes but didn’t quite have the spoons to cajole Wally from his funk since he hadn’t entirely shrugged it off himself.
Taking action always helped his mood, so Dan called Dr. Jeffries. He wasn’t sure if the Fox Institute leader would answer his phone late in the afternoon, but to his surprise, Jeffries answered after just two rings.
Psychic, remember? Dan thought.
“Dan, what a pleasant surprise. How can I help you?” Jeffries asked.
“I saw a dragon in the woods today. And I have a bounty hunter after me.”
For a moment, Jeffries was quiet.
I bet he didn’t “see” that coming, Wally snarked.
“Are you somewhere safe right now? Can you get to safety?” Jeffries sounded concerned, which meant he was taking Dan’s outrageous claims seriously.
“I’m as safe as possible, considering,” Dan said. “I’m at the Fox Hollow Hotel, still waiting to hear when the rental is ready. Quinn is coming over tonight. But I went out into the woods this afternoon in my other form and had a standoff with something that really looked like a dragon.”
He gave Jeffries details, reassured when the other man asked for specifics instead of trying to suggest things it could have been.
“You’re not the only one to have seen something like that, but you’ve provided the best description so far,” Jeffries told him.
“Liam and my team are looking into it. So far, we don’t have specifics, but once we can identify it, we can come up with a plan to contain it. Now…about this bounty hunter—”
Dan told him about the hunters who chased him back in Dover and the podcast with its video and offer of a reward.
“That’s definitely something to take seriously,” Jeffries said. “Have you told the sheriff?”
“Quinn suggested that, and we are probably going to do that tonight or tomorrow,” Dan replied. “But I was wondering if you had a witch who could put a protection spell on me or had some charms or amulets that might help.”
“I can reach out to Amy, one of our Institute witches. She’ll need to see you in person to do the spell and attune the amulets to your energy. It won’t make you bulletproof, but it might help,” Jeffries said.
“Anything is an advantage,” Dan said. “I don’t want to bring trouble to Fox Hollow, but I can’t keep running.”
“Understandable,” Jeffries replied. “Trust me when I say that Fox Hollow takes care of its own.”
Dan thanked him profusely and ended the call. He finished his coffee, processing what Jeffries had said. A knock at the door jolted him out of his thoughts, and his heart thudded until he realized it was Quinn.
“I think we should go—” Quinn started when Dan opened the door.
“We need to talk to the sheriff,” Dan said over him.
Quinn raised an eyebrow. “That went better than I thought it was going to. What changed your mind?”
“I’ll tell you on the way,” Dan promised. “Let’s go soon. I’m hungry.” He returned to the desk and grabbed his stuff before locking the door behind them.
Sheriff Armel was still at the office and greeted them with a skeptical expression. “Do you have a crime to report?”
“There’s a bounty on my head, someone is trying to kill me because I’m the Dover Demon, and I saw a dragon in the woods,” Dan blurted.
Armel blinked slowly. “Perhaps we should talk in my office.” He ushered them in, gestured toward the chairs, shut the door, and settled behind his desk.
“Now, can you repeat that, slowly?” he growled in a voice that seemed all too appropriate with Armel being a bear shifter.