Into The Woods

Chapter 23

I decided chapter 22 would just be a shorter chapter rather than a part one and two, since this half was so much longer than I expected (blame Chass, he's a troublemaker. So this is just chapter 23, not 22 part 2. Please excuse any typos, I'm still a little tired so my editing probably isn't the best right now. Enjoy!

After spending the night, a day, and another night babysitting the goat in his den, Chass triumphantly carried it back to Nash's dwelling.

When he broke through the tree line and Nash came into view, Chass got a fluttery feeling inside his chest. His warrior was sitting in the sunshine, whittling a piece of wood, and Chass eagerly wondered if it was another totem. He liked getting those.

"Chass?" Nash stood and brushed the wood shavings off his pants. "What are you holding?"

"Oh, this?" Chass lifted the limp goat, who was fine and alive but currently paralyzed. "It didn't want me to hold him, he was too squirmy. He'll be fine. I got him for you!"

Nash blinked, his expression a mysterious combination of surprised, chagrined, and flattered. He watched as Chass gently laid the goat on the grass inside the little fence that encircled the henhouse. It let out a sad little bleat, exhausted from its misadventure the past two days.

"There, there," Chass petted its head. The venom would wear off soon, anyway. He hadn't used that much. "You'll be alright."

"Chass, where did you get it? Did you go near town?" Nash asked as Chass closed the distance between them.

"No," Chass circled his human until his tail wound a circle around him. "I found it in a trap. The monster hunters made a camp and laid traps for me-"

"Near your den?!" Nash tensed as if he was hit by an urge to do something but had to stop himself. "Did you see them? What happened?"

"I saw them. I killed one," Chass said proudly. "He was boring. I think you're right, most humans aren't that frightening one on one."

"Chass, please tell me the whole story from the beginning."

Nash didn't sound proud or excited, and Chass felt himself getting a little grumpy as he complied. He gave Nash all the details, including how careful he was and how strategic he was. In fact, he emphatically repeated those details more than once, hesitating after each declaration for Nash to praise him, which the human finally did after he realized that was what Chass wanted.

But the praise, while sincere, was tinged with concern. Chass scented the air and realized that Nash was worried.

"You think they will come here to try to hurt us?" Chass guessed.

Nash chewed his bottom lip and paced within the confines of Chass's coils, apparently content with the limited space that his prince had provided for him. Finally, he seemed to come to a decision and nodded. "I think we should leave."

"Leave?" Chass blinked in surprise.

Nash's expression was grim, but confident with the weight of his choice. "I think it's time we left and went to Rivington. If we go now, we can get settled before winter sets in. I can buy some secluded property, build a shelter or a log cabin, and we can dig in for the coldest part of the season and wait out the snow. When spring comes, we can finish hunting the men that attacked your nest."

Chass hesitated and looked around at Nash's dwelling. The ramshackle wooden structure and its unkempt yard, with its tiny dwelling for the horse and mule, had somewhat grown on him. It was nothing like a warren, though, so Chass decided it would be alright to leave it behind.