The Smell of Mint Flowers

Talking

She was unsure how long she slept. It was more of a dozing daze than true slumber. At one point she was running with wolves, and then the next she was walking through the snow beside Cron, idly chatting. He seemed to prefer talking outside, so he could see where she stood.

He was also fascinated that she didn't leave any tracks.

"Hey Epi," she heard, automatically tuning in to him at the sound of the nickname he'd given her. "Does anyone live in that cottage to the east?"

She changed positions to look at Cron from inside her den. "Not since the last caretaker," she answered.

"So that's where the owners lived," she heard him mutter.

"Mm-hmm," she moved into a more comfortable position so she wouldn't strain herself in order to watch him. She kept hoping one of these times he'd see her, as foolish as it seemed to be.

Cron looked up at her, or more specifically where he could see the entrance to her den. It seemed that he'd made the deduction of where she went back to when she mentioned sleep or rest.

"How long has it been empty?"

He knew the answer, she knew he was smart enough to postulate the rate of decay and neglect to get an accurate estimate of the answer for himself. Instead, he was asking her directly. Was he being extra cautious or simply making small talk? She couldn't tell for certain, nor did she think she particularly cared.

Unfortunately, she didn't have any kind of number to give him. So she did the next best thing. "They passed during the bout of children deaths that swept across here. The parents were too aged to continue the line."

Cron's head tilted. "That must be Pedia-cachexia. Yeah, it hit all the humans pretty hard. Tensions were really high for a while, even after it seemed to be over. The human population decreased quite a bit from that. It even affected certain mammals too."

She'd been unaware of how deep an impact the strain of sickness had run.

"Is it okay if I fix up the cottage too?" Cron asked.

She tittered softly. "Of course. The home was mostly for the use of the caretakers here. I personally never use it. Rarely come near it, in fact."

He nodded, "Alright. I was thinking of tackling some of the floors next, both inside and outside."

"Go for it," she replied simply, giving a yawn. The cold season had yet to pass, so the sleep of hibernation still tugged at her like an old favorite habit.

Cron must have heard her yawn, for he stood up. "I'll see you later, alright? Goodnight, Epi."

She smiled. "Goodnight, Cron."

Small baby vines began to grow and spread inside her den, creeping up to peek out of the lower entrance.