Wings of Eagles

Chapter 3 - Visitors

After dinner was over I cleaned up and left, locking the door behind me and mulling over possible solutions to Adrienne's problem. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of any and my brain was straining from the effort of simultaneously thinking and running an over-tired body.

I got home and checked on my grandmother who was reading a book next to the fire, she looked up and smiled.

"You know, Ari, I am growing fonder of those creatures you brought in every minute. They gave me this delightful book when I asked for one and they even stoked the fire!"

I smiled, sure that grandmother had gotten up and done all of this herself but her mind was too jumbled to make any distinction between her actions and others'. I noticed then the two figures sprawled out on the couch, the wolves had indeed returned and their mouths were slightly bloodstained. They had been hunting after all.

I walked into the kitchen, grabbed a plate and set the dinner I'd brought grandmother from the café beside her. She took it immediately and started eating, obviously starving from only eating breakfast.

"Oh! I almost forgot to tell you Ari!" She'd forgotten she was eating so when she spoke, some food slipped from her mouth.

"Yes, grandmother?"

"There's a beautiful young lady who was lost in the woods, said the wolves brought her here. She's in the spare bedroom for now but I think you should help her find her way tomorrow." I nodded and headed to where grandmother said she was staying, to introduce myself and make sure she was taken care of.

I don't exactly know what I was expecting, people stumble upon our cabin quite frequently if they've been camping in the woods. They were almost non-existent in winter though so I was expecting someone well equipped for the weather, burly and with many layers of clothing. I was definitely surprised when I opened the spare bedroom door and the girl from the café was standing next to the bed, unpacking a small rucksack. She looked up at me, her surprise mimicking mine.

"Ari, right?" I nodded, too stunned to speak. How had she ended up here? The café was on the edge of the forest and the town so there was no way she could have gotten lost going back to her hotel. I didn't know what to say and it must have shown because she laughed. "I'm Serenity, pleased to meet you." She held out her hand and I shook it slowly, studying her.

"So, what exactly were you waiting for in the cafe if it landed you in the middle of the woods?" I wasn't one for sidestepping around things I thought were important. I'd found out quickly that getting straight to the point was often for the best. A look of surprise flashed across Serenity's face for a second before she recomposed herself,

"A tour guide who lives around here, he was supposed to take us into the woods so that I could take a couple samples from the flora but he never showed. I left the café because I was tired of waiting for the guide that would not show. I lost my companions when I strayed from the path and while I managed to find it again, Iris and Iclyn had disappeared."

I was about to ask her if she'd like anything to eat when there was a banging at the front door. I sighed, knowing exactly who it would be.

"One second, I don't think this will take long." Serenity nodded and returned to her job of unpacking her bag as I went to the front door. I had barely opened it when a fuming Cassandra crashed into the living room.

"I suggest one little plan so that I can go to college to further my education and get a decent job so that I don't have to marry some rich guy to support my lifestyle but she says that it's too ridiculous. How can that woman run a shop when she can't even run her life..." Cassandra stopped short when she noticed the wolves on the couch, blinking their eyes and almost frowning at the girl who woke them up. "Ari? When did you get dogs?"