Eavesdropping

My first instinct was to pack up my belongings and run. It seemed like suicide to stay in a village full of killers. However, I didn't want to leave. I finally found myself a friend and I didn't want to lose him, and I didn't know how long it would take for me to find another one. I didn't want to be alone again.

I had a shelter I built, and I hated thinking that all the work that went into it would turn out to be a waste. Thanks to William's help I finally had some money, and I was already getting close to being able to buy that ice box, too. I needed to start filling it with meat as soon as possible to make sure I had enough to last the winter, and if I left and started looking for another new home now that would leave me with much less time to do so.

Besides, even when it came to security, was Ordin village really the worst, or was it actually the best? Where else would I find a village that not only didn't have any beast-kin, but where most people probably hadn't seen one in a generation, and had a strong reputation that kept my kind away? No one would expect to find a beast-kin hiding in such a place, and no one would be able to recognize me unless they knew to look for a hidden runaway.

By the time I made it home, I had already convinced myself that the best possible move I could make was to stay precisely where I was. I tried not to think of Susan and Harry, who also thought the same thing. I told myself that it was a different time, and their circumstances were different. They were being hunted while no one even knew who I was. The thought helped.

Weeks went by. I finally managed to get my ice box. It was large, sturdy, and waterproof, and was quite costly, but it was well-made and worth the price. It was beginning to fill up nicely with the fruits of my hunts. It wasn't the only addition to my home, either. As summer was coming to an end I sealed the walls and ceiling of my shelter and lined them with blankets. I also acquired a pot, a pan, a plate, a bowl, and some utensils for cooking, serving, and eating. I was finally able to eat some proper food with vegetables and spices, such as soup and stew.

When I wasn't hunting or working at home I accompanied William. I was still selling whatever I found out in the woods that I didn't need, and even managed to earn back the gold I spent on the ice box, but more than that, I just wanted to be with him. I would work hard to finish my tasks quickly just so that I could go help him with his, or if I was feeling lazy, so that I could watch him while he worked.

"So does her highness have any sage advice for us lowly laborers today?" William teased from down below, where he was shoveling cow manure.

"Try to stay downwind, so that your odor does not offend our noble senses, lest we shall be forced to deliver harsh punishments on your peasant hide", I replied, but my attention was diverted by a conversation that wafted in from the kitchen of the main house.

Over these weeks I had somewhat relaxed around William and his family. I didn't allow them to learn what I was, of course, but if I was sure no one could see me then I would sometimes take off the shawl to let my poor ears stand straight after being crushed against my skull for so long. If I didn't, I would have never been able to hear such faint voices from so far away.

"You know what the girl is, right?" It was William's mother.

"Aye, still, I can't help but wonder about what could be. The boy likes her, after all". My heart skipped a beat when I heard that. "If this village wasn't what it is, well, I'd have liked to have a granddaughter like her".

"But the village is what it is, and even if it wasn't, I won't have my grandchildren living their whole lives in hiding", the mother countered. The beating of my heart quickened. They knew what I was, but they didn't care. My eyes stung.

"Not much to hide, by the looks of it, although it's too bad about the eyes and ears. Those are the hardest to hide, and the last to go when mixing", the grandfather mused.

The mother sighed. "I'd have loved a daughter like her. You know she's been helping around the house without even asking for anything in return, but there's no point daydreaming about what can't be. Do you think William knows?"

I knew I couldn't have a future with William, or any other human for that matter, but hearing it from someone else hurt. Still, the casual acceptance with which they discussed the possibility of their own son and grandson marrying a beast-kin like me brought tears to my eyes. I quickly blinked them away. It wouldn't do to start crying in front of William for no reason.

"I doubt it, and it's best to keep it that way. The fewer people know, the less of a chance someone will say something he shouldn't. Does the girl know the danger she's in?"

"She does. William told me he told her about our village's past weeks ago. That was back when I first caught them sneaking around alone together".

The grandfather guffawed. "Children always think they're being so clever, so sneaky. They don't realize we adults have invented every one of their little tricks long before they were born". My cheeks reddened, although there was no cause for them to do so. William and I hadn't even kissed yet, although I knew he wanted to. I wanted to as well, but something held me back.

It wasn't just the fear of being exposed, although it would be difficult to hide my eyes from his with our faces so close together, or to hide the thinness and sharpness of my canines if his tongue was running over them. I could kiss him with my eyes closed and only with our lips. It was something deeper and darker. Something that was connected to my memories of Trevor.

If I couldn't have a future with William, then what was I doing here with him? 'I need time to get better. I need to feel normal again, after Trevor', I thought, but that was only partially true. The other part of it was, the heart desired what it desired, even if it was impossible, and I had no control over it.

The mother and grandfather kept talking, but a rustle drew my attention. William put the shovel aside and was slowly and quietly sneaking his way up to me, but not quietly enough. With minimal movements I wrapped the shawl around my head again.