CHAPTER 13 #3
It’s hard now, but eventually... eventually, I’ll have my new favorite spots to enjoy, I’m sure. I’ll fit in as if this was always my life. Maybe that cafe back there will have goods I’ll wish existed back in Arkhaven.
Her own thoughts brought some comfort. She glanced down at the rabbit. I can barely stomach it now, but fresh meat is good too, right? It can’t get any... fresher than this... To her horror, her stomach growled in agreement.
She stopped in her tracks when she caught sight of a hanging carved sign in the shape of a wolf’s head holding a butcher’s knife in its mouth.
The entrance was impressively tall and wide, a feature that made it convenient for even the largest of creatures to be hauled in.
Hanging vines spilled out from a planter box above, curtaining the entrance.
It hosted ghostly-purple blooms that were foreign to her.
Lenore took a step back, admiring the fusion of wood and stone in the walls.
Arched windows were installed on either side of the building’s entrance.
A dark wooden plank above the open entryway held an embedded rose-gold metal sign.
Inscribed into it were the words “Bloodied Fang.”
“Very on point,” Lenore whispered under her breath.
She flinched when she heard thunderous yelling from the inside.
A storm of loud footsteps followed. The thuds grew louder and louder until a visible hand brushed the vines aside.
Out came an irritated Brynn, adorning a coppery-toned apron that was splashed with dried blood.
Her dark green hair was tied back into a long ponytail.
She paced back and forth, looking as if she were about to scream, too lost in her thoughts to notice Lenore.
“Brynn?” Lenore carefully called out to her. Brynn’s eyes briefly darted toward Lenore’s direction, then did a double take. Her scowl was immediately replaced by a bright smile.
“Lenore! You’re a sight for sore eyes!” Brynn pulled Lenore into a hug, sandwiching the dead rabbit between them. She pulled back, glancing down. “Oh—you caught something! What a cute rabbit!”
“Cute it was,” Lenore said with a small smile. “Are you alright, though? You looked as if you were a dragon about to erupt.”
“Wouldn’t anybody if they had to work with somebody as picky as the fae?” Brynn grumbled. “Don’t worry about me. What about you? You looked like you’d been through it.”
“It feels like I crawled up ten thousand flights of stairs,” Lenore admitted. “But here I am.”
“And with your first rabbit! I’m so proud of you!” Brynn cheered. “Let me see it!” She took it off Lenore’s hands, lifting the rabbit up to admire her first catch. Her smile faltered.
“What is it?” Lenore questioned her when she noted Brynn’s squinted eyes. She flinched when Brynn’s arms shot down, the green-haired woman then leaning in close with a raised eyebrow.
“You didn’t catch this, did you?”
A little surprised squeak left Lenore. Her shoulders shot up as her arms remained stiffly glued to her sides. “Uh—um—well, i-it’s not like I wanted that to happen!”
“I knew it. Edmund caught this for you, didn’t he?”
“How did you know?”
Brynn laughed. “Look at this thing!” She wiggled the rabbit around, its legs swaying back and forth in the air. “Everyone’s first catch never looks this good. A perfectly clean bite to its neck? The blood seems properly drained, too.”
Lenore groaned. “I really was determined to catch something of my own. Alive at least.” A grimace appeared on her face.
“I was having a hard time with the killing part. He probably couldn’t stand to handle dealing with a—” she mimed quotation marks in the air, “—whelp like me any longer. It took forever just to learn how to turn into a wolf.”
Brynn stared at her. “You really don’t get it. Edmund helped you.”
“Yes... he did?” Lenore frowned in confusion. “Along with berating my every move, too.”
“Do you really think he’d clamp his jaws down on a rabbit for anybody?” Brynn tilted the rabbit’s head, which ended up flopping over dramatically. “Hmmmmm?”
“Please don’t do that, Brynn,” Lenore said, aghast at how freakish it looked. “And to answer you, I don’t know! It’s not as if I know him very well.”
“Siiiigh,” Brynn said with a giggle. “Well, how did it go with him?”
Her words unearthed fresh memories of the strange incident Lenore had with Edmund when she was learning to turn.
Her cheeks flushed red, heart skipping a beat.
“As you would expect,” Lenore replied, eyes darting away.
“Ill-mannered and rough.” She changed the subject quickly.
“I should bring the rabbit in now, right?”
“Follow me in. I’ll protect you from any flying knives.” She winked playfully at her before entering through the vines. She pulled the vines to the side like a curtain, giving space for Lenore to walk through.
Loud thrashing from inside the establishment followed Brynn’s words. Lenore swallowed. It seemed there was always something going on.
“I’ll hold you to that,” Lenore replied. Sticking as close as she could to Brynn, she took a step forward. Like a gentle wave, the vines swept back into place, veiling the entrance once more behind them.