Justice for the Forest-Beasts

Chapter Nine - In Which the Twins Must Work

Morning came quickly. Rain's siblings began waking up and scrambling about the decrepit house as the sun crept above the horizon. When the twins awoke, Rain was nowhere to be seen. There were only a few people left in the house, still asleep. The twins folded up their blankets and placed them at the foot of Rain's bed before they left the decrepit house, hand in hand. Rain was sitting on xyr bench by the campfire in the center of the village, with a wooden board placed on xyr lap. Xe seemed to be cutting something on the board. As the twins approached xem, they could see that they were some sort of leaf or herb, which xe was cutting into thin strips and setting carefully inside a wicker basket.

"Good morning!" Rain greeted the twins happily, "Need to do chores. Estelle, help me. Lucian, ask Bramble. Over there." Xe pointed towards Bramble, who was talking to three of Rain's siblings near the decrepit house.

Estelle turned to Lucian and asked quietly, "Are you okay with that?"

Lucian nodded, so the two separated. Lucian hesitantly left to speak to Bramble, holding his hands up by his chest to run his fingers along the hem of his gloves. Estelle sat down on the bench beside Rain, and xe quickly handed over the knife.

"Here, cut into lines. Like these." Xe showed her the strips xe'd already cut.

Estelle expected it to be easy to cut the leaves, but she found herself struggling. Only a certain section of the knife's blade would cut them, while the rest of it would only make a weak indent. Separating the strips was also hard, as the leaves would rip and tear if they weren't cut perfectly. It was frustrating, and it didn't help that Rain was staring at her in silence as she struggled.

Once xe'd had enough, Rain finally spoke. "Hmm. . . maybe go to Breeze. Ask to help," xe suggested.

Estelle couldn't help but to feel embarrassed when Rain suggested that she do something else, even though she was having a terrible time. She had to have been doing a really bad job, she figured. A bit disheartened, Estelle stood up and said, "Okay, sorry. I'll do that." She quickly surveyed the area, finding Breeze with Bramble. She walked over and greeted ver, "Good morning, Breeze. Are there any chores I could assist you with?" Estelle felt a bit intimidated by Breeze. Ve was far smaller than Estelle, but she couldn't help but to feel unsettled by vis appearance. Ve was covered from head to toe in gray fur, though brown hair grew from vis head. Vis ears were odd, and ve had a car on vis cheek. When ve smiled, Estelle could see vis sharp teeth, although vis eyes couldn't ever be seen at all. Estelle wasn't sure ve even had any. Like the other apranyai, Breeze stood with an intense hunch, and ve certainly looked like an animal that belonged in the woods.

"Oh, yes. Thank you for being so willing to help, even though you're a guest. Would you like to help me make breakfast? I was thinking about making some oatcakes," ve answered.

Estelle had hardly ever eaten oatcakes before. Her family also saw them as something meant to be accompanied by something sweet. Usually, she'd eat them after lunch or dinner. Of course, Estelle had never made them herself. She'd never even questioned how they were made in the first place.

"Sure, I'd love to help with that. I've never made them before, though, so I can only do so much."

Breeze chuckled, "You don't know how to make oatcakes? Oh, I hate to say it, but the wealthy really have gone downhill, haven't they."

Estelle was terribly annoyed by that comment, and she felt the urge to make a rude remark in return. However, she kept herself composed and chuckled along with Breeze. "I'm well aware. We aren't the same as we used to be," she said.

"Never mind that, though. Let's get baking," Breeze said before ve led Estelle behind the decrepit house. There stood a stone furnace and a wooden counter, appearing old and worn down. The furnace's stone bricks were chipped and cracked in several places, and the counter's wood was turning a green-gray color. Regardless of its state, the craftsmanship was admirable. A fire was already lit in the furnace's chamber, roaring and crackling with heat. Smoke left its chimney in puffs of light gray that dissipated in the treetops.