The Shadow Alpha

Chapter 4: Dinner

The photo above is kind of how I pictured this outdoor dinner if some of you are the more visual kind!

Enjoy :)

-Undaunted

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Chapter 4: Dinner

Holly

I carefully venture outside the safety of River's home, soon finding myself on a path leading towards the volume of chatter and the many people responsible for it.

It's a beautiful area the Shadows occupy here: shrouded in towering pines and twisting arbutus, and situated much closer to the ocean than I was back at Half Moon.

I break through the trees only to see I'm exactly where I was earlier. When I stumbled into the square following my escape. But this time, I'm well hidden and out of sight on the edge of the activity, going totally unnoticed.

Thank god.

Part of me is so relieved to not be under the scrutiny of so many gazes. To not be making such a spectacle of myself.

I see there is a blacksmith's tent to the right of me, with hammers and tools clanging loudly as the metal is shaped and bent.

There's also a few produce tents, filled with colourful ripe fruits. Past the produce, there are several more tents boasting homemade items: knitted clothing items, pottery, jewelry, and several other similar trinkets which all sit proudly on display.

It's a disarmingly cute and friendly area, something I definitely did not expect when first imagining what the Shadow Pack's main village looked like.

The sweet aroma of baked goods leads me to a tent off to my left, and I lay eyes on all kinds of wrapped goodies and cookies. I feel hungry again at the sight of all the treats, and remember those cookies I had earlier.

They were delicious, for being store-bought. I'm sure any one of these baked items would blow them right out of the water.

"It's all home made." A sweet voice says to me with sing-song tune to it, and I look up into the wise face of an older lady, her skin creased near her eyes and mouth, clear signs of a friendly individual.

            "I can tell. It looks amazing. I can't remember seeing anything that looked this good before." I say in agreement as I continue to take in all the sweet smells.

            "Thank you dear." She smiles again. "Are you new here? Forgive me; I haven't seen you before is all. I may be old but not many can get past me." She giggles lightly and I feel myself smile. I think if I were ever fortunate enough to have had a grandmother, I'd want her to be like this woman here.

            "You caught me." I admit with a slight laugh. "I am new here, and because of that I'm feeling a bit lost." I tell her, a second later realizing that she could help me find this Desiree person River said I had to meet with. "Actually, I need to find someone. Her name is Desiree?" I ask carefully, and the woman smiles with recognition.            

            "Oh yes, of course! Desiree is a lovely thing. She helps her mother out at the coffee house! Just follow that path there; it's not too far a walk. You'll smell the coffee before you see it." She grins happily and I nod in thanks.

            "Great, thank you. I'm Holly Freeman, by the way." I say, holding out a hand.

            The woman's soft one meets mine and gently squeezes it in greeting. "I'm Rosa Vincent, it's nice to meet you Holly." She smiles as I do too. "Good luck with finding Desiree."