Mermaids are Menacing (Book 2) Complete

48.) Hosting

The woman was slack jawed and frozen in place. Her hair was brown and thin. Her nose was pointy and pinched, the most attractive thing about her was her clothes. Thick and blue dotted with small designs that glittered in the light. The string she used must have been bright and shiny. I was momentarily enraptured by its glimmer. Pale moved at my side, the small movement freed me from my trance and I blinked rapidly.

"I've only stopped by to drop something off." I told the woman who was still stuck in the door way.

She still didn't move...

"Ah maybe...this is a bad time?" I said setting the basket down.

"Mmm..mm. mother!" The woman stuttered out loudly.

"Why are you always shouting?!" An old woman replied from inside the house, the reply wad followed by the sound of stomping feet. "What is it that you can't manage an inside voice." An older woman appeared in the door next to her daughter.

"Ardu." The woman whispered.

"Umm. Hello." I said and wiggled my fingers in a friendly wave before realizing that the claws might upset them. I quickly tucked my hands back inside my fur. "Yes, im still not Ardu." I corrected her. "Just your friendly neighbore from up the hill." I said nodding my head behind me to the south.

"Our apologies, we wont make the same mistake again." She said solomnly. "Is there anything you need from us?"

"Ahh I did want to ask how winters are here in the villiage and I wanted to give you this basket." I told her. "To show my thanks for the clothes you sent." I patted the basket gently.

The woman looked confused for a moment. Her eyes swept over the basket than up to my eyes.
"The winters here are not to bad. Mostly wet and icy but we almost never see snow." She swallowed. As for the basket, we dare not accept it." She began to say.

"Dont worry about it. I hope we will get along well in the future. When you harvest next, I will trade crops for meat." I propositioned her.

"The crops you want will be offered after the next harvest." She nodded her head quickly. She seemed incredibly nervous. Her body trembled when she spoke. Maybe seeing my claws was to much for her to stomach. I had better not push my luck today.

"Great! I'll look forward to it." I agreed. "Ill be leaving then. May you have a bountiful harvest this year!"

I walked away quickly, leaving behind the three.

.......
(Towns people)

Another town meeting was held in the square. Usually the town only met once a month but recently it had become a weekly affair. The elder stood up on a box to address the huddled mass. The townspeople were all aware that Ardu had come to call today but none knew why. For so long, generations, there hadn't even been a sighting of Ardu and now there had been three in such a short amount of time.

Next to the elder woman there was a man carrying a large basket. It was different because of its height and how a pattern had been woven in it.

"Here me!" The elder said and all the people listened. "Ardu has promised that the harvest in the coming year will be bountiful!"

There were exclaims from the crowd. The harvests had always been enough to feed the town, some years were leaner than others but no one would be displeased at a guarentee.

"In exchange for her blessing." The elder continued, "we will offer her a portion of our bounty."

Many people in the crowd whispered amongst themselves.

"How much will she claim!" A man asked from the crowd.

"Ardu was pleased with our gifts and in her wisdom has given us a basket. We will fill it and return it to her after our next harvest." The elder said.

The man next to her held the basket over his head. It was large enough for a young child to fit in. The towns people were pleased when they saw it. This much was a paltry amount, fot a goddess. Initially when they heard that crops must be offered they thought that Ardu would ask for at least half but instead she only asked for a baskets worth and provided the measurement herself. They were all thankful in their hearts that Ardu had liked the previous offerings of baby clothes.

....

"Grandpa Im home!" Rowan called out.

"Welcome Sprout." A small voice replied.

I jumped slightly. Not expecting grandpa tree to answer. He riggled in place as if to greet me with his whole body.

"Grandpa you can talk again!" I congratulated him with a smile. "But where are you talking from exactly." I looked around him but didn't see a face.

"Here." He whispered.

"A little mouth opened at the base of his trunk but there were not any eyes to see me with.

"It will be nice to be able to speak with you again." I said crouching down infront of him.

"Mmh." He agreed. "I wanted to tell you the Orcs passed by my tree in the night."

"They did!" I shouted suprized. "Was Gorza and Ortha with them?" I asked sitting down and crossing my legs.

"I only know that there were many. Orcs from the tribe you stayed with and another were migrating this way. They carried many things with them."

"It would be nice to be able to see them again."

"I wouldn't be to thrilled just yet." Grandpa tree replied.

"Why not, they have always been good to me?" I asked.

"The Orcs are a hardy and stubborn people. They only move when they have no other choice but to leave." He told me. "If they are moving west then that means the East is to dangerous for them to continue living there."

"I see." Musing the idea in my head.

"We cannot move now when the youngling is so close to being born but we may need to move again when spring comes." Grandpa tree advised.

I nodded in agreement. I would hate to leave when we just recently became established but the further we moved from the red eyes the safer we would be. I rubbed my belly while rolling the idea around in my head. I felt swollen to the point of bursting.

"It could be any day now." I agreed.

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Not sure if you can see the rough draft photo at the end it was not uploading well.

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