The Beast

Chapter Ten

Ylvir was lost. Not just in the sense that he hadn't a clue where he was geographically speaking, but he was lost in the emotional sense as well.

The adrenaline of his run brought him great joy, but it faded eventually, replaced with exhaustion. His muscles were sore, his back in pain from Dandy's clawing, and his mind still burdened by heavy thoughts.

He laid on his stomach, chin on his arms, legs stretched behind him, wings sprawled out, collecting dead leaves and bits of grass, and eyes towards the forest canopy, the bit of sky shining through a faded pink.

"Y'know, Dandy," he spoke listlessly to the chicken that had already fallen asleep again, "I think I may have made a mistake. Not that leaving home was a mistake. No, that was bound to happen. Plus, what with my dream, I think what I did is definitely for the best. But I really should have had a better plan. I haven't a clue what I'm doing—where I'm even going."

He sighed, his breath stirring up the vegetation in front of him, disturbing a few insects in their regimented march.

"I suppose it doesn't matter, really. I could go wherever I want. I could even see the ocean. That would be nice. But where to begin? And how do I even get there?"

He groaned and after a great amount of shifting, turned onto his back, wincing only slightly at the wounds the hen had inflicted on him. "I don't know where I am," he mumbled, running his hands down his face. "I don't even know who I am."

With a grunt of effort, Ylvir sat up, turning to the side where Dandy snoozed, prodding her gently.

"C'mon, Dandy," he said. "We should get going again."

She flapped her wings and stood up, clucking at him. He shook his head.

"I have no idea. Let's just keep moving. We'll have to come across something eventually."

He stretched a bit more and stood on his two legs, aware that he was too exhausted to run. Dandy fluttered her way up to his shoulder, nestling herself there.

And so Ylvir walked and walked, surrounded by the sounds and scents of the woodland—twigs snapping under his weight and leaves rustling with his tread as he weaved between the trees, just as he had the night before. Daylight faded away, replaced by the moon and stars that twinkled faintly above and between the branches that obscured the sky. A wolf howled in the distance, and on a whim, Ylvir responded in kind, only to have his own howl met by many others. He smiled. It comforted him to know that he wasn't alone, despite his feeling lonely, as Dandy spent an unreasonable amount of time asleep, sitting upon his shoulder, head tucked beneath her wing.

The monotony of his walking made him blink blearily and yawn tiredly. When a light in the darkness came into view, he almost assumed he had fallen asleep. Poking himself and rubbing his eyes, he realized it was not a dream.

Stalking cautiously closer, Ylvir inspected the light and its origin. It was a warm orange glow, like that of a fire. He could smell the smoke in the air, and many other, more unpleasant smells with it, one of which seemed to be cabbage. When he was Close enough, he came to the edge of a small clearing, a small, twiggy hut in the middle, encircled by what appeared to be a vegetable garden. His fine-tuned ears could hear the sounds of chopping, boiling, and above all, a woman's humming. It reminded him vaguely of his mother, which delivered a pang of homesickness, as did the glow of the fire inside.

Ylvir stayed at the edge, behind a thick-trunked tree. He stared longingly toward the hut for some time, an internal battle ensuing within himself. As much as he wanted to experience something that reminded him of home, he was hesitant to approach the hut, or more importantly, the woman inside, especially when he considered his recent nightmare. Yes, it was probably best if he just left well enough alone and kept moving on.

But as Ylvir turned and stepped to leave, he was stopped in his tracks at the sound of a voice.

"I know you're there. Why don't you come out and join me?"

Ylvir turned around again to see the woman whom he assumed had been the one humming inside the hut. She wore an earthy dress, both in color and state of cleanliness. Her skin was an olive color, her hair a curly, pure white mess, and her face held a strange ageless quality to it, being neither young nor old, with dark eyes that glinted with wisdom and mischief.

Ylvir coughed uncertainly. "I don't think that would be such a good idea."

The strange woman waved it off. "Nonsense."

Ylvir shifted. "My appearance may cause you some distress."

The woman laughed heartily, throwing her head back in a cackle. "I'm not exactly dressed for the ball, myself. Come on, then. Don't be shy."

Ylvir shook his head, though he was certain the woman couldn't see it. "Don't say I didn't warn you," he condescended.

She gave a challenging grin in his direction, revealing white, but crooked teeth. He could almost swear that her eyes were looking directly at his own. "I won't."

Ylvir stepped out from behind the tree into clearing, approaching the woman slowly so as not to startle her with his frightening appearance. When he stood before her fully, he twitched anxiously for her reaction, as so far, she had merely examined him silently with her dark eyes.

He was startled when she burst out laughing as she had before.

"You look so silly," she cackled, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "Look at you. Scared of little old me! And with a chicken on your shoulder! Bahaha!"

Ylvir had only been this confused very small number of times before in his life. "What?"

"Oh, you certainly have given me the best laugh I've had in years," she grinned up at him, and he scratched at his still-forming horns. "Come on inside. Might be a bit of a squeeze, but I'm sure you'll manage."

The stranger brusquely turned about and headed into the small hut, limping slightly. Feeling he had no other option, Ylvir followed her in. He had to hunch to make it through the doorway, as his frame was too tall otherwise. Once inside he was both surprised and somewhat relieved to find that the inside appeared to be much larger than the outside would entail, though it wasn't any higher, forcing him still to hunch over, and so he decided to remove Dandy from his shoulder, placing her next to the door, where she slept soundly away, as though nothing out of the ordinary was happening at all. He watched curiously as the woman bustled with her small limp about the hut and its single space, though he couldn't determine exactly what she was doing. She soon came to a halt, plopping herself down upon the single rocking chair next to the fire, placing something upon her face and a quilt over her lap, and then waving him over.

"Come, come."

Ylvir only hesitated a little before walking over to the spot and curling down, around his pack, similar to what he had done for so many years in his own home. It was nice, and brought a smile to his face, but he could not help feeling strange for doing it in someone else's home, not to mention someone who was a complete stranger.

Still, he looked to the woman who eyed him eagerly through the strange glass discs on her face and said, "Thank you."

She merely cocked her head at him sideways and replied with, "Tell me about yourself."