#he does my dishes every time he visits and lemme tell you. the dish situation around here gets DIRE.

[yardsards]

adulthood is just visiting ur friends, saying "damn bitch, you live like this?" (affectionate) and aggressively helping them clean up while they politely tell you that you don't have to do that. and then having friends do that to you when they visit your apartment.

[jess-the-vampire]

Sky And The Forces Of The Multiverse, Chapter 32

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Sky still hadn't spoke to Angel. The most she gave him was grump gazes when she walked by, angel having a hard time himself meeting her eyes. Angel for the time being never left the hospital wing, as if he was too scared that maybe the second he walked out he'd be grabbed and gone forever, no following the others and barely much speaking other then judas. Internally he seemed to be happy someone still seemed to like him despite this mess, but he still couldn't help but feel like he didn't deserve it. Like he wanted Judas to hate him in an odd way as a response instead of his usual kindness. He still looked a mess, refusing to wear the clothes judas had put out for him and hadn't taken a shower despite judas telling him he should. Sky was probably repulsed because of him and his appearance wasn't helping. The normally fancy looking angel with his hair tied up behind him still wore the tattered, torn, and dirty clothing from the day it happened and his hair was messy and everywhere, the way it covered his face reminded judas of nora when she was hiding behind it more then angel. Guess it figures despite how different angel was, he was still just as stubborn, though for different reasons this time. With his brothers being grounded, sky and the rest of the girls constantly being dragged to meet with janna and talk more about the situation, and nora giving up her freedom to help out and save a life angel was mostly left as the only person he could talk to.

Nora was still in the building, though he got the impression her parents were making her stay where she wouldn't be influenced by him or sky like she had been. Though seeing the king and queen regularly visit the ill spider queen left him wondering if nora had been able to convince them and what their conversation had been. Point in case though, with everyone being monitored and rarely getting to speak one on one, judas and angel were practically stuck together for the most part. Well, there was also loki, or coral, but he somehow got the impression they weren't the best people he could confide in in this situation. Angel still had more to tell anyway, and if sky wasn't stepping up, he had to. "Angel....you really should clean up....you look sick....it's not like you", judas entered, alone this time considering a few times sky had been with him when they had been able to meet up, carrying a bowl of stew for the boy. The boy snorted, huddled up in a blanket, "C'mon, i'll even bring you down to the underworld, my room has a bathroom linked to it, you can use it....change into fresh clothes....I know you don't really want to look like this. And you can't go on trial looking like this either...angelus...please?" "Judas give up on my case, it's over, i'm done...you'll only look foolish trying to do anything to let me off the hook for this, I admitted what i did and everyone saw me, there's nothing to defend and you shouldn't be trying to defend me....you'll only get yourselves in more trouble.", he was stern, he was being serious, he was being stubborn. The demon laid out the boy's food and took a seat next to him, "Angel, we know, we're just trying to at least prevent worse from happening to you, if you explained to them that you were tricked, and lied to, and threatened maybe-". "Maybe they won't decrown me?". "Angel, we're doing this because we care ok?". "You care....Sky...I'm not sure about.". "Sky cares, even if she's not showing it..". Angel puffed his hair from his face. "My parents would kill me if I did what you did y'know....yours are.....very forgiving...". "They're....mad with me....don't downplay it...but...they need me to help....they can be more mad with me once we catch the criminal, working with them....is.....weird...It was already stressful with the girls but...working with my parents under these conditions is....messy, they know things we didn't and we know things they didn't....so I suppose it will help...but if neither of us can get ourselves to work together, we might not stand a chance...it feels like...they're one step ahead of us.....are you sure you can't tell us more about their plan?". "Judas, they told me nothing much about why they did anything, I was only given instructions and promises and....threats....nothing more...I never really knew what they wanted....to me...at the time...I just thought they wanted to help...that....maybe they felt like I did, mistreated...and having anger towards those they felt wronged by...at least...it felt that way....how they spoke to me.....", he went soft, "They knew me judas...at least....it felt like they did....they knew what I did.....they....made me feel like they cared....". "I'm sorry angel...". "Why were you even trying to catch them? For breaking into your castles....?". "It's....more complicated then that....but we can save it till after you clean up....angel if you want to help and try and make up for this in the future you can't do it like this...you need to pull yourself together however you can, If you're ever going to speak to sky...or go on trial.....or help....you can do it looking like this....", angel just stared down at the floor, lost in thought about his words, "Hey.....if you go clean up and change....I'll tell you everything about....why we're doing this..will that make it easier for you?.". It actually seemed to make the boy think it over, he sniffled and his shoulders tensed before he relaxed and gave in. "Fine...I'll....clean up....but....can I eat first?". Judas snickered and nudged the boy. "Yeah....". Angel eagerly took the food, chowing down the stew to fill his stomach, "You didn't have to bring me food....". Though the boy laughed as he watched the hungry spider shove more and more of the stuff into his mouth, "Dude, I bring you food about every time I come to visit you now, I know the food they have for patients aren't all that good and you need your strength. Besides....you seem to really like trying new food...I uh...get the impression most of your home dishes involve insects?". Angel gulped more down, "Insects are a tradition in my kingdom, you eat giant bugs yourself, most monsters love them...". The demon caught on what angel was implying and quickly tried to reassure him, "Oh no no, I didn't mean it as an insult, I love them as well....I just meant...I think you like trying things that you don't get to normally eat back home. You might as well try some new stuff while you're here...I'm sorry, I didn't want to assume too much about your home life...". Angel snorted, "It's fine...my life at home is not particularly the best, it makes me wonder if i'm better off being decrowned....the people don't want me as their king. They sure won't want me as their king after this incident, I could live a life on my own...eating this food....maybe I'd be better off not bothering...". He glanced to judas before turning back to his food, "Even if I truly did make up for my mistakes...that doesn't mean they'll accept me back....nor does it mean my own parents would even want me back.". "Angel....do you want to be king...?". "Yes, of course I want to be king!", angel said with such ferocity that judas was caught off guard, "I....I wanted nothing more then to be king and do everything I could to...help us...but maybe It really is pointless...everything is pointless...my plans did nothing, and my people don't even want me around....it feels like being a useless peasant is where people like me best, I can't exactly cause much trouble if I just....sit around and eat food...". "Angel....if you want to be king, you should be king....being king is your passion, even if you screwed up....kings....well...kings make mistakes...c'mon..there are so many mewmans who don't want me to be king and that's not stopping me....I for one, think you have the potential to be a great king. You take risks, you refuse to let others walk all over you, when you care about someone you really make an effort to make them happy and protect them....". "You think that highly of me? Even after all this still?". "Are you surprised?". "No it's....just different hearing you say it....". He finished up the last of his food before standing, "Judas, let's...let's go...I'm ready to clean up and....hear what else you need to tell me.". - Angel had never been in Judas's room before and judging from his reaction, it was more impressive then his own, trudging through as judas ushered him into his personal bathroom aligned with dark tiled walls or red and black and gothic decor, even down to the skulls on the faucets. "You can use my usual towel, it'll be fine, we got plenty of soap, shampoo, conditioner, body wash....whatever you need, you probably would need the horn cleaner so avoid that. Lemme go get some clothes....I had a few sets made for you that you rejected...". "You're being way too kind to me...."., his almost amazed expression turning grumpy. "Would you rather I let something bad happen to you? It's ok to accept someone's generosity...I'm offering....ok?", angel huffed but said no more as judas placed some clothes on the sink, "Hey....I wish it wasn't like this either...because of the situation, everything that goes through you comes back to my parents....I don't like....telling them this stuff because I know it bothers you...but...I don't want you to be like what happened to nora's parents...but worse....nor sky...or...my brothers....or anyone....I just want to figure out what I can do to help....ok?". "It's fine....it's not like anything you get from me won't make them hate me any more....". "We're going to figure this out....for now we're....just dealing with it how we can...it's all we can do..", judas leaned against the sink, "Angel I'm.....I'm sorry I never tried to form a friendship with you before....I....I know you could've used someone and-", though angel cut him off, pressing a hand to his mouth, "You apologize too much Judas....you need to stop......you said it yourself right? You can't change the past....you can only do better in the future". "Right....you're right...thanks for reminding me...", he looked at angel and back at his shower before detaching himself from the counter and clapping his hands together, "Well, I guess I better leave you too it.....uh...let me know if you need anything and just warn me if you're dressed or not or if it's safe to come in...I don't wanna walk in when you're.....yeah....oh and those clothes are already tailored to fitting your legs, so don't worry about that...". "Just....wait for me....right now i'm not comfortable being alone...being alone with everything going on....doesn't feel safe.". "Yeah, of course...I'll be waiting outside...don't worry about a thing.", judas awkwardly gave him a double thumbs up as he backed out and shut the door behind him, breathing out as he heard the lock behind him click. He headed over to take a seat on his bed, pulling out his compact to check for messages, none from sky but he wasn't surprised, being dragged into meetings with her mom took time away from texting. She hated it, she took no joy in working with her parents, or just her one mom at the moment. She was only more stressed and more frustrated then before. He hoped they would get to talk more, he wanted nothing more then to share some laughs with her right now, take their minds off things for a bit. His ears twitched as he heard the water run on the other side of the bathroom door, at least angel was cleaning himself up finally, he at least accomplished that and it meant angel wouldn't look like he crawled out of a dumpster after being attacked by warnicorns anymore. How he was going to explain to the boy about the multiple dimensions thing was going to be rather weird tho, his parents might not find it weird, but there was no telling with Angel. Or maybe Angel did know? If Her was responsible for bringing them her would that be a detail she'd bring up? Angel would've said something to him by now if that were the case right? He hadn't been weird about the girls it seemed. Judas fell back on the bed and sighed, he was overthinking things again, he needed to relax and wait for angel and they could get everything out there later. He was starting to freak out again, he raised his arm out in front of him, examining it, the image of his arm chomping and biting a suit of armor still fresh in his mind. He'd pushed this in the back of his mind of course, for good reason, his mind only on the cure, but it still managed to find it's way to the front when he couldn't be distracted from it. Bite marks, implied teeth. His arm, had teeth. Yeah, that wasn't scary at all. It sounded like something from a science fiction movie, or a horror movie, or one of those scary books aimed at kids that melaine tended to love. It was still haunting him despite everything, he'd had the arm since his creation but he'd never seen it with teeth before, that was only the kind of things he'd usually see in his nightmares as a child. Imagining it as a being that could gobble him up and take control of the rest of his body, Judas tended to not like being alone like this, being alone meant being left with a lot of thoughts like this that took over his mind, making him anxious and scared. And boy he already knew what could happen if it drove him too far. He was starting to get anxious again, he already missed angel's company and being far away from him only made him feel worse. He sat back up, getting back up and off the bed and walking back over to the bathroom before taking a seat and leaning on the door instead, at least having someone else here reassured him a little and took away from some of his anxiety. Though dinners these days had before more uncomfortable every new session, his parents would probably ask for a new report after it about anything knew judas had heard or gotten from the prince in the shower though judas wondered how long it might last before his parents no longer wanted his assistance. He banged his head against the door behind him in frustration, why did everything have to be such a mess? He tried so hard to maintain everything and it all went so wrong.....was he doing something wrong? "Prince lucitor?". Judas almost jolted, guess his bang had been louder then he thought it was, though angel was clearly shouting over the water to make sure the demon could hear him back in return. Judas suddenly felt embarrased and quickly shouted as loud as he could back, "Uh YEAH? SORRY I WAS....IT'S NOTHING!". There was silence for a moment and judas was certain the conversation was over but Angel called back from his end, "JUDAS ARE YOU SLAMMING YOUR HEAD AGAINST THE WALL FROM STRESS?!" Great, now it was more awkward, if that was even possible. Judas didn't answer, though that didn't stop the spider on the other side. "BECAUSE I'VE BEEN THERE MYSELF YOU KNOW?! FAILING TIME AND TIME AGAIN...IT'S....IT'S NOT GOOD FOR YOUR WALLS!". Judas chuckled, though he wasn't sure if angel was being intentionally funny. "UH, MAYBE WE SHOULD TALK AFTER YOUR SHOWER IS DONE? I DON'T THINK SHOUTING THIS CONVERSATION IS GOING TO DO MUCH BUT GET SOME SERVANTS DOWN HERE TO COMPLAIN!". He felt a smile creep along his face, at least that brought him some joy. He leaned against the door and closed his eyes for a bit, his hand on his compact as he waited for someone to message him, though about 10 minutes later the only thing he heard was the click of the door and the only thing he felt was the door swing open and he quickly scrambled away. Angel was still slightly damp judging by his hair, but looked a lot better, he looked fresher and smelled like lavender. Even if him wearing Judas's clothing was a little strange since the boy was usually seen in more fancy wear and collared shirts and vests, not so much judas's hoodies, comical shirts, and jeans. In fact Judas would argue he looked pretty nice like this even if he would most likely disagree. Angel looked a little confused at seeing the boy on the floor but didn't question it at all, holding out his hand as judas stood up, "Sorry....I might've fallen asleep.". The prince shrugged and looked away from his eyes, "Your clothes are....baggy for me, but....they're warm". "I think you look good.....your hair looks good down...", angel almost seemed to smile as he looked over to the bed and took a seat, "Again, you probably should not be slamming your head against doors or walls, it just...stings....". Back on topic it seemed as judas sighed and headed over, "Look i'm just dealing with a lot of my own problems...sorry for scaring you if I did...I'm....I'm a mess myself...". Angel patted the bed and judas took a seat. "Maybe you shouldn't be helping me while you're...like this...you have your own issues to be worrying about me....", He eyed judas's arm and judas grabbed it, "It's really not that big of a problem angel, I'll manage, even if nora will be...unavailable to help...her book held most of her research y'know and....hey...what happened to that anyway?". Angel's ears flickered, "Nora's book? It is brown, full of papers sticking out...really thick looking and covered in slime?". "Yeah.". "Her....she used that book to bribe me, saying she had the cure from it, and that I'd get it after I finished her plan....but....I never got it....was....details about your curse inside?", judas nodded and angel's expression became more worried, "Judas...they...know about your....condition....I....I don't like the fact they.....judas perhaps you should be more careful....". The boy elbowed him playfully, "Don't worry, I'm not gonna take any deals with her over it, her deals were probably a load of nonsense anyway, no telling they would've kept their promise anyway and wouldn't just stop your people from doing magic once it was over". "No judas I mean....if she knows about your condition....I just....I don't want her to hurt you....". "I'll manage....ok? I'm here and for now we're safe....we can worry about it later....". Angel was silent, he looked like he wanted to say something but held back as he changed the subject, "It just felt....nice for someone to reach out to me...to feel like they understood me, that they wanted the best for me...I...I was a fool for...for falling for her words....". Judas carefully placed a hand on angel's back, "You were manipulated...it's....it's hard......It's why sky has been so....mad with you...Angel I know you had no ill intent and you screwed up and sky knows it too....she....she just feels as manipulated as you feel....". "I didn't try to manipulate her...though...I....I wasn't trying to...". "I'm sure you weren't but....if you found out she was working for her and was probably telling private and personal stuff about you to her that you trusted her with you'd be hurt too...she....she really hoped you weren't involved with this.". Angel hissed, "Well...I WAS ok?! I.....I'm sorry...I......was stupid...I know i did something wrong and I accept it I'm just....I'm really...I have a lot of feelings right now....", he could feel judas comforting him as she tried to keep himself from crying freely, "I just want to speak to her again, She won't even look at me anymore....". "It's going to be ok....you won't feel like this forever, you'll be able to apologize and wrap things up...". "But when? I don't....If she really does want to talk to me and she cares...why....why won't she speak to me?". Judas watched him cup his face with his hands in frustration. "Angel...she needs time...you...just gotta give her time...". "I know I'm just.......I'm afraid she really won't forgive me...waiting is painful...it's....the worst kinda feeling...I don't know what she's thinking or what she'll do....it's scary", the demon felt that, trying to sooth his worries as best he could, "Y'know, me and sky had a fight more recently...Sky wanted to do something but I thought it was risky and dangerous and had the potential to hurt her, but she wanted to do it because she really believed it would make her life easier and help....and...we had a hard time talking for awhile....she felt betrayed....and I was upset about it for days...and so was she...", angel looked up, "And she forgave you...I know, you've told me you fight...you don't have to remind me". "Well, actually, we both forgave each other, sky said maybe I had a point and I said I should have been more there for her......I'm just saying for now she might need more time to think about before you might work it out, and maybe she'll be able to speak to you about it under....less tense circumstances....I just want to give you hope angel, I don't want you to worry she'll never want to speak to you again. Maybe I am repeating myself but I don't want you to lose faith...", his face became very serious, "I'll remind you every day if I have to that it won't be hopeless....". "Don't you feel hopeless with your own problems?" Angel tugged on some of his hair, the demon could swear his pincers popped out from his mouth a few times, "You've had to have felt that way yourself a few times, the cruel people out there against you....it's not fair to you. I......some of the things they say must hurt....they....they made me mad...but then again everyone beats down on me so much at home I should be used to it by this point". "I'm never fully hopeless....i'm just....not the type to give up....". "Oh that's true....you're stubborn judas...well...we all seem to be actually, but you especially are....". Judas smiled. "Hey....it's going to be ok, it all hurts now...but...time heals...and things will get easier...", angel took a deep breath as he parted his hair, turning to face judas fully, "So.....what is the other half of the story you promised to tell me about? It's....nothing I need to be heavily concerned about is it?". The demon's face shifted and he seemed to be unsure, "Uh....I hope not? C'mon....I'll explain on a walk to our private kitchen...you outta get more to eat and I haven't eaten much myself today....been kinda stressed for obvious reasons...". "Do you......have any...buttered rolls down here?". "That....sounds like a plan judas...", the spider quickly followed him out, staying close by and feeling the most safe he had in a long time. - "-Hekapoo literally went searching throughout the entire dimension of cats with human faces for a lead because I guess she ran out of ideas, It was kinda funny though, she came back covered in cat hair and she was so PISSED, though maybe that was because one of my bucket pranks got her like...right after and put out her flame.", Janna seemed to be looking back fondly on the memory as sky looked like her mom had shapeshifted into a extraterrestrial being. She came here to exchange notes to help with their further investigation together, not listen to lousy stories about the high commission being morons. "Ok, but what does that have to do with this investigation?", she asked impatiently, she could be talking to judas right now, or trying to avoid being arrested, literally anything would be more useful then sitting here having her mom waste her time. The queen smiled contently, "It rules out a dimension from having anything to do with our case, also it's just funny.". Sky grumbled, "All you guys seemed to do was tighten security and go to other dimensions or figure out what was going on....". "I mean, we did check mewni, you just gotta check everywhere, also it gave me a reason to grab some fun souvenirs, so that was sweet." Sky looked even more irritated, "Are you serious? C'mon this is is kinda serious? Why are you treating it like it's nothing?". Janna only chuckled, "Sky c'mon, I am serious...but we got this, your mom's amazing at this kinda stuff, me, her and those lucitor dweebs? Been through all kinds of messes, doesn't mean you can be miserable throughout all of them, chin up...". "You sound WAY too confident about this...you guys have supposibly been on all kinds of dangerous adventures....aren't you like..scared? Jude's parents freak about this stuff, shouldn't you panic that...she could...hurt us? She...he...they....they got into the castle before, I came face to face with them! They could've hurt me! You saw what they did to angel, he's real lucky to be alive right now! Like I saw them, they full on intended to wipe his memory or kill him and this isn't time to be making jokes!". Sky saw a glow and only just realized her wand was faintly glowing green before slowly fading back to it's normal pinks and purples as she shot her mother another look. "I just want you to be serious....I....This stuff really bothers me....ok?". Janna sighed and took her feet off her desk, sitting normally now as her arms laid on the desk, "Alright, If it really bothers you that much....sky, c'mon...you're a brave and badass girl....we're going to make it through, you're about as cool as star was....maybe cooler, star never had a secret organization.". Sky huffed, "I wasn't the leader or anything, judas and luna handled this group more then I ever did....I was around to...talk to angel or help occasionally...they came up with the plans and everything...". "C'mon, you won't give yourself credit for anything? I highly doubt you sat in the back and contributed nothing...". "Well It's hard to feel useful when you're surrounded by better magic users and people with useful skill sets...I mean I guess I...helped a monster kid and....I helped nora and....met with katrina....and....befriended angel but....I dunno...". Her mom smiled, "Sounds pretty cool if you ask me...never thought i'd see that kid give up on his protests for you, though i'll admit, i'll miss him being a burden.....it was kinda entertaining sometimes with his antics...". "Wasn't funny to me...". Janna laid her head on her fist, "You're being too down on yourself, you did a lot of things on our own free will you rarely could do before....".The princess shot her a look, "Yeah, but I didn't capture a criminal or save the magic or do anything like you guys did...when people look back on me, they're gonna remember me as the princess or queen who did a few cool tasks but is completely unremarkable in any way whatsoever...or maybe i'll be arrested and dethroned....oh wait, there is already a certain queen with spade marks who got the same deal, so I'll just be queen number two.". "Is that really the main reason you did a lot of this? For recognition? Cause I love you Sky but you make it sound like you did this because Star made you want to be recognized for some great queen thing". "Well, not all of it....of course I wanted to help...I dunno...I guess I thought...maybe this was my chance to really prove myself....like mom had these bad things happen and she got through and it and fixed everything and...I don't see it as a good thing I....", she suddenly felt really embarrassed, "Do....I really sound like i'm treating something bad that happened as an opportunity to...look good? I just....I just wanted to be useful....and...feel useful...I didn't mean to make it sound like...I wanted it for personal gain, I mean...I do wanna help my sisters, and judas, and nora....do...I really sound like I'm doing this for no one but myself?". "Sky....". She sighed. "I'm sorry....I'm a mess....". "Sky, we're all kinda a mess, I might look like I'm not worried, but....I do hope star makes it back ok....I trust her to be ok, but you never really feel better unless she's actually back. She's been on missions before though where she's been gone for days...I just gotta trust her, she wanted to go about this alone while I stick here. Best not to focus on all the misery, you focus on all the misery and you never get things done and have a harder time recovering....I mean you wanna really do this right?". "Yeah...". "Then don't spend so much time wallowing in self pity.....you gotta pick yourself up and keep going, it's not the end. You won't be able to do anything if you keep blaming yourself....you're just lucky you have such cool moms that didn't put you before the Magic High Commission for hiding princesses from alternate dimensions behind their backs.". She winked, "Though we kind have to punish you, so we'll punish you like....after we don't got some creep running around, I mean, as your parents we kinda have to ground you for doing this, but no point in punishing you if something happens to us.". "Well we aren't going to make a lot or progress if you don't share more useful information....right now i could really use something that y'know....actually really helps us?". Janna seemed to be thinking and shrugged, "Well, we tried searching for them anyway we could, spy spell, omni, we sent people after them, had spies actively look for them...but they seemed to evade us constantly...they're sneakier then me, which is really saying something...the weird thing is...they gotta know everything I do if they wanna slip past us that bad...". "They were using old tunnels, it's how they got around if they didn't want to be seen...". "Tunnels don't sound very magical...". "But it does work.....I mean, you would know.". "Touche". "But It's hard to track them...I'm not sure angel even knows where they normally hang out, Mewni is....kinda a big place. They could even be in another dimension besides mewni....ugh...tracking them down seems pointless, we had an opportunity to get them and they had a backup plan." Janna opened one of her drawers and put a file on her desk, "Yeah, about that explosion, since they got smart enough to try and blow everyone up we went out of the way to see what they used....". "And?". "Magic crystal...like the stuff that powers your wand...i mean, the crystals appear when the wand changes but there are forged ones made out there, people just can't really channel magic into them unless they actually use magic, which...they can clearly do. Though this kinda means there's a good chance they have more of these little suckers if they want to make a speedy little getaway, these things are kinda rare though, so where they got them could be anywhere..". "So basically she might be carrying bombs with her then? Fun....", sky leaned back in her seat, "Ok so...the butterflies know about this spell and....well toffee did...but...who else? We don't exactly tell this kinda info to just anyone....so..where did they get it from?", Her mother stood up, handing sky the file, " Honestly, who knows, it could've come from anyone in this family or they could even be a toffee supporter who got it from him, but that's just guessing, we never really knew if toffee was ever associated with anyone besides ludo, and like he'd tell him any of this information, that lizard never trusted this info with anyone.". "I guess maybe in the end...it doesn't matter who they are as long as we can get them....right?", janna simply just shrugged, "You go one way or the other, you figure out who they are and catch them that way or you catch them as is and figure out who they are after, but it seems like trying to find their identity has been harder then it needed to be....but i mean, we got our guards to start interrogating star's family so....I guess that's a good starting point". "How much...do....they have on me?", Sky didn't really want to know but at this point she could use any info she could get to get her off the hook for any potential issues, "It's not that much is it? It's not....too definitive?". Janna made a face that didn't reassure her very much, "Well, your outbrust awhile back already put them on edge, especially with the fact the masked being is some weirdo magic user and green magic has mostly been their signature...". "But that's not-". "Hold on, they also found your hair at some of the crime scenes and evidence of your fingerprints...". "But that's not definitive either, because i went to all those locations during the investigation!!" she stood up and slammed the file on the desk, "To say that had to mean it was me is still.....weird....". Janna eyes the side, "There's....more actually, with you being friends with the lucitors, you being familiar enough with their valuables and their dog is highly possible, you're allied with angel, and you were caught at the scene, at the very least it's hard not to think you're associated, everything kinda comes back to you..". "Nora's parents?". "Agenda against them for never wanting you around their daughter, and wanting the book so you could cure judas....or even you and nora were in on this together and this was your way of getting the book and her to stay here with you....it might've not been intentional....but it all ends up coming back to you in their eyes. They're jerks for trying to convict you so badly and we think they're wrong, but there is a bit stacked against you and it's hard to find anyone else more fitting for now.", she held her hands up,"Not accusing you, but you can see why they think it's you.". "Me being some mastermind telling this guy what to do and how to do it just tells me they barely know me...I'm not the type and i'm not commanding enough to just....make this person do anything, they're being stupid.". her blue eyes wandered back to the desk and the folder, "But I guess it means I know what we're up against....at the very least. You got any advice for what I could do to defend myself? If they use the box of truth I might have to admit.....the stuff you guys don't want them to know about...". "We won't use the truth box for the trial, that will only make things worse for everyone....unless...hmm..we'll think about it". "I'm guessing this meeting is done?". "Got anywhere else you need to be? You're not going sneaking out to find more criminals are you?" , she was being playful but sky clearly didn't find it funny. Sky grumbled, "I need to meet with luna actually...she's....not very patient...and she has kinda a lot to talk about with me....". The queen simply shrugged and sat back down, "I mean, working under your mom who doesn't know you're her daughter probably is weird....". And Sky tapped her fingers against the desk as she bit her lip in thought, "You...haven't told jackie yet about the others...have you? It's already weird enough without her knowing so...". "I'm kinda waiting for star on that one, this is our head knight we're talking about, though I gotta admit...I kinda wanna see that mess. Knowing jackie she'd take it weirdly well though, good chance luna will probably be removed from uh...the knight gang though, I assume she was there to sneak around?". Sky's expression was enough, "Clever girl, though to be honest no wonder she was so good at fighting, I personally thought she was another secret spy.". "Well....she technically was.....". "Well, better not keep her waiting then, she sounds like she could be ready to burst any second". Sky nodded as she grabbed her things and left, the door shutting behind her. Luna was leaning against the wall when Sky arrived and sat on her bed, Luna out of anyone was taking this the least well, and that was saying something. Her biggest thing if anything was keeping their group secret, and now they'd been caught and exposed, her anger was clear on her face. Sky had been dreading having any one on one time with her of all people, though she was sure Luna was more angry at eclipsa then anyone though sky shared some blame in this. Honestly Luna didn't even explain to the girl why she wanted her here, Sky was half expecting to see celeste or any number of the others here, not just herself, so whatever it was must've been pretty personal between them. It's been some time since the two of them were meeting under these kinda conditions, it almost felt like most of their meetings that were one on one were tense and emotional more then anything. Sky almost mising the days they were walking with eclipsa through the woods and eating soup with bugs in it. Sky was expecting since she heard for this to go one way overall, the luna way. "So.....you gonna yell at me?", luna raised an eyebrow but sky was being entirely serious, "I mean, i don't think it's going to do a whole lot....or do you have a plan or something?". Luna huffed and twirled her wand in her hand, letting the words out as if she'd been holding them in since forever, "We've been compromised....this...sky i'm not sure I should stay here. I'm considering going out there myself and tracking them down, I've tracked down criminals before. I could go out there and get out of this mess and take care of the issue myself.". Sky blinked as she processed the words that had just come from luna's mouth, she both wasn't sure if she had expected this but also didn't expect this in the slightest. As she pulled herself together she looked at the older girl almost in disbelief at her declaration. Luna, who was trying to take charge of all the girls and stayed no matter what went down because she refused to give up? She was planning to just leave, go handle it by herself during this time? "You're just planning to leave?", she spatted out. "It's our best chance....we can't wait any longer, I certainly can't do it, i'm here to tell you this and...you can tell judas...."., she nodded to the corner where it seemed she had taken her bag from knight training and stuffed a whole bunch of clothes and food inside, "I've lived on nothing more then rats while working alongside some of the best back home, chasing down wanted criminals and dealing with these stressful situations, but being discovered...not to mention out of my element in this...place...I can't do it any longer...I need to get back to doing what I'm good at....and that is working alone, without distractions.". Sky blinked in surprise, "Wait? You're telling me this, before judas? Why?". Luna didn't answer. "Jude's like the one guy that trusts you in the least bit, don't you want to-". "If I told him he'd try to stop me, tell me to work together and not give up on us....I can't keep waiting on this, I've held out long enough, I need to handle this on my own. You can't use anything on me and don't try to convince me to stay, I can take care of myself out there just fine....I'm sure I'll be in contact with all of you when I choose to, and when I bring back our thief". Sky crossed her arms, her anger now getting the best of her,  "Fine, go do it then, if you wanna do this alone go do it". Luna seemed surprised, considering all the other stuff sky did she was probably expecting her to fight back luna's word once again, but sky didn't, in fact she seemed mostly unsurprised it had come to this considering luna herself. Luna had been so used to everyone going against her here it was almost surprising to her to have someone actually say yes to her like they tended to do back home, her grip on her wand loosened and she seemed almost....sad? "No protest?", she asked. "No protest, I got mad with you in the past and maybe it was a little insensitive...so sorry about that, but fine....if you think you'll do better without us...go...". Luna was still in utter awe, as if she still couldn't process it, before getting herself together to her usual cold self, "Huh....alright then...I'll be leaving tomorrow....thank you...for.....coming.". She was quick to usher sky out of her room, guess she wasn't much for long goodbyes. Sky huffing on the way out, Judas would definitely not be happy with sky letting luna just run off and possibly get into serious trouble out there. Though at the same time there was no need for luna to stay, she could come back whenever she wished and would come back if she succeeded or gave up, she clearly wasn't going to just live out there for the rest of her life. Though Sky had the impression another reason she was leaving was to avoid directly speaking to either of her mother's after being exposed. Not like Sky could force her to stay anyway, Luna would go regardless of what Sky wanted, maybe ever erase her memory if Sky actually tried to stop her from trying to leave. She felt....sad....in a way though, there was still something sad about luna leaving after so long, and she almost wanted to go back inside and change her mind though she new luna would never budge. Sky stood there, unsure what to do next when she got a text, it was from judas. Judas: Hanging out with Angel, I explained to him the situation, if you want to join us or talk later, let me know ok? Judas then followed up by sending sky a photo, one of angel attempting to shove several rolls into his mouth, it almost brought a smile to her. Sky sighed, she was going to have to confront angel sooner then later, she couldn't ignore him forever, though she sure tried. If she was going to help him at all she had no choice in the matter, though she felt sick even thinking about it, not even her best friend was enough to make her want to come over. She probably should text judas to tell him about luna but maybe that was something better told in person, otherwise judas might freak out or even drag angel along to see her about it. And sky sure didn't want angel tagging along, not if her life depended on it. Instead she headed on down to the library, needing a quiet place to rest and gather her thoughts and maybe some new info, and seeing sunny there with lexi was actually a relief, galexia surrounded by colorful doodles and sunny enveloped in a book about monster history. She looked overjoyed to see Sky and sky gave her a weak wave as the girl patted the seat next to her. Sky took it and looked at Sunny's book before back to her, "You uh....working on angel's case?", and sunny nodded, her eyes scanning the pages like no tomorrow. Sunny was quite the princess of course, and sky was left wondering if she was able to consume so much knowledge with ease in similar ways to this. "Of course, back home I help all kinds of monsters, I'm studying up to see what we could do to convince whoever is judging to at least prevent worse from happening to him", she quickly flipped to the next page, "It's going to be hard to do a lot because he's clearly guilty and already confessed to a lot of stuff, all we can really do is lower his sentence....if we try and make some case or plea for him since he tried to save everyone and intended to backstab the being, we might put more in his favor...". "You sure it'll work?". "It's better then them dethroning him, if angel does get dethroned who knows what else could happen to him, he's royalty but he's not high royalty like we are...or i am back home. He's from a smaller and more obscure kingdom, someone worse could take over, angel could live out in exile from his own people. The monsters never had a universal kingdom until the Avarius ruled awhile back but they had small tribes and smaller kingdoms among them...like the septarians and the arcahfords...usually when this happened on mewni, it gave way for the butterfly family to take over that land for their own or find someone they trusted to take over...effectively putting it in their hands regardless". "My mom would never-". "No but....It does give room for someone worse to take over...better angel then any of them, if angel wants to rule and he wants to be better, he has time to fix this...but only if people can give him another chance to be better then he was", Sunny quickly finished and went to the next page, "Angel's too young to ever be given the treatment of exile, though I would imagine someone could force him in other dimension if they hated him THAT much...but...right now he's here...so hopefully he'll be protected...I don't get the feeling he's great being on his own.". "Exile sounds....harsh...", the thought of the prince wandering alone in some barren dimension, starving and trying to survive made her stomach drop. God, that could even happen to HER as well under these circumstances, looking around the library, she could feel some of the mewmans inside glaring at her before quickly turning away, making her feel more unsettled. She usually tried to ignore the people bashing her as best she could, but she could feel the rumors she had something to do with this follow her, the whispers becoming louder to her. She was so lost she slightly jumped when sunny responded to her. "It is harsh, sometimes they make a new home out there...sometimes....they don't make it....", Sunny sighed, "Reading about history helps you learn but....it also reminds you of the harshness of reality sometimes...can't say it's a lot of fun thinking about the stuff solaria did , or crescenta....or...well...most of the queens....". Her voice got softer, "If there's alternate dimensions out there...I want to think there are some where...this stuff never happens y'know? I'm sure it's out there...". Sky was silent, though sunny seemed to read her mind. "I'm very sure out there somewhere, things aren't as bad as they seem here...maybe everything is already solved in that universe....but, stuff happens and.....we can keep it from getting less bad if we do our best." with that she closed the book, "If you wanna talk about stuff, you can talk to me too ok? We're sisters after all, we should look out for each other!". Leave it to sunny to be as peppy and cheerful as always, even in the harshest of situations, Sunny placed the book on a pile next to many others before grabbing a list next to the books, leaving a checkmark with a nearby pen. "So....how are all these things going to help angel's case anyway? They're not exactly about stopping royals from being dethroned...". Sky picked up one of the other books, they all seemed to be mostly on monster and mewni history, less on trials and mewni court, which was what she expected sunny would look into when she wanted to help with this case. "Oh? Well, that kinda stuff isn't my strongsuit overall, and like you've said before, we can't do much when he's already guilty....I'm thinking more....we play to the sympathy aspect?". "So......we're just going to tell them how awful it is and hope they don't do it?". "Sky, we don't even know whose judging or how this trial will be conducted, mewni's legal system isn't like earth's....we have many different ways of conducting a trial, when you got truth potions and truth boxes....lying is pretty hard to do, only way that ever screws it up is if the truth of the person telling it kinda like....can mess with things, like if they asked if angel hurt someone.....like if he said no....that's his truth, to him he didn't so he's not lying.....but you might not feel that way about it.....not that he'd probably deny he hurt anyone...if solaria went on trial for monster murder her truth would be that she killed no one since she never saw it as murder". "Hmm.....guess you got a point.". "We should speak on his behalf and for the benefit of his kingdom, and maybe we can change their minds....in order to do that, I think it's important to learn about events similar to this, after the trial...maybe we might be able to appease the kingdom into accepting him back". "It just seems so....complicated...we might not be able to do anything, they might not even listen to us, especially after what we did.....", she didn't know much about earth legal systems but she was sure Melaine and the earth court shows she liked probably didn't represent the real thing. She wanted to help angel, but with the Magic High Commission after her, would her word to help angel even convince them or anyone of anything? Or would they take that as her protecting a fellow criminal? That was a very real possibility. "Better then doing nothing and letting worse happen to him...and....I know you don't want worse to happen to him as angry as you are.", sky was silent and sunny bit her lips, "Y'know.....I'm sure it's really complicated for you....trying to help and defend someone who betrayed your trust and lied to you...you don't have to do anything if it's too weird....". But she shook her head, "No I'm.....I'm mad but....you're right....I don't wanna watch him rot in a prison or get sent off or.....I mean he still decided to defend me...he almost died because he wanted to....yeah...". "Well.....Judas forgave him...so....maybe you can...". "Sunny i'm not like judas...and I can't be judas, Jude's awesome....he's nice and forgiving and it's a lot easier for him to forgive angel for screwing up because angel didn't go from fighting him to being his friend, I mean he wasn't close with him but angel was never antagonistic to him and Judas never like....intentionally tried to hurt him or offend him.". She kicked at the table in front of her, "I can't just forgive him like that....I don't.....I don't like feeling like I was being played....it just....hurts...y'know?". She felt sunny pat her shoulder, and she hugged her arms, "Look, I'm....I'm going to help him...I'm just not ready to forgive him...". "It's cool....just do what you need..you can take it at your own pace....it's uh..I've been there.". "Thanks sunny...". "We're going to do this sky, things are gonna work out, I promise". Sky looked over at Galexia, still drawing as she headed over to check on her, lost in thought, "Hey lexi...uh....drawing anything interesting today?". Galexia was almost always surrounded by mounds and mounds of artwork and Sky wasn't sure how much of it was useful and how much was just her usual scribbles. And as expected, most appeared to be of random things though sky tried to avoid looking at any of them too long, trying to focus on lexi entirely. "Hi sky!", galexia looked up and waved, leaving sky unsure if galexia even heard her at all. Sky waved back, coughing into her fist, "Um....lexi....are there any uh....draws of me or angel you made recently?". Galexia blinked at her, before looking to her own drawings, "I don't remember.....ooooo, you want me to draw you two together?", her eyes were shinning and she looked excited. Sky could feel sunny turning her head to question what sky was doing as sky nodded, "Yeah....uh....draw me and angel, go on right ahead....i'm here if you need a muse.". Sunny quickly hopped over the couch she had been sitting on, heading over to the blue haired princess and giving her a look that sky knew meant she didn't approve, "Look, I'm not looking at the drawings or anything...It would just be...reassuring to know if...me or angel are going to make it through this...y'know? We're kinda in serious trouble and I would like to know if something might happen we could prevent or something?".Sunny was still giving her that look and she crossed her arms, "I know what judas said.....to not get too wrapped up in stuff we don't know for sure will happen...I'm not trying to be...I just want something to make me feel better with all this stress...". Sunny sighed and looked through galexia's mess of drawings before picking one out. "Don't take it too seriously, we don't know how much of this is real or not, but if it'll help you get through this...I can't get too mad.". Sky took it and looked it over, smiling. A drawing of her, judas, mason, landon, angel, nora, and all of her sisters in a group hug. Even if it might not be real, it was something. And she could use all the support she could get. - Sky wandered back to her room, drawing in hand and racking her brain with the info and plans of the other girls, she really needed to get back in contact with judas. They needed to exchange ideas more then ever, she needed her best friend more then ever. Though she was dreading having to tell him about luna, who know doubt was finishing all her packing to leave as early as possible. Ugh, she'd have to see when they'd get an opportunity, though maybe for now she needed some rest. A yawn escaped her mouth as she opened her bedroom door, only to see waiting for her was was boy himself. All 6.5 feet of him, jumping off the bed to hug sky with his demon strength, catching her entirely off guard. "Sky! I'm glad I caught you...I was so worried I'd miss you before my new curfew....my parents allowed me to update you real quick on some things...is....are you ok?", he let her go and sky quickly adjusted herself before laughing, so delighted to see judas after today she almost cried, "Oh i'm fine, you just surprised me is all...don't get around waiting in my room for me like that.". Judas laughed the awkwardness away quickly, "Oops....sorry...I guess i wasn't sure where you'd be, I just knew your room was a mostly private place we could talk.". Sky looked over at the painting she remembered eclipsa could come out of on her walls. "Yeah...mostly is right...". If she was lucky eclipsa wouldn't listen in on anything super private in the confines of her room "Angel decided he still wanted to stay close to his mother, but he'd agreed to wear the clothes I picked out for him and he'll keep cleaning himself up...well...with my shower but still, there's improvement...he'll just be my weird bathroom buddy. So hopefully he'll be ok....I promised I'd get him a compact so he could contact me regularly....and he's gone into more detail about what happened. Not as much as far as her plans, but it's still something....how's your end coming along?". Sky grit her teeth, clutching the paper in her hands, judas taking note of it. "Sky? Is that a lexi drawing?". "It was a gift...yeah....". Judas stared at her, biting his lip, and Sky was quick to answer before the demon prince got worried. "It's just a present.....it's....let me have this one....ok?", she turned it around and judas looked at it before his face softened, "Yeah....ok.". Judas placed a hand on Sky's shoulder, "Don't be embarrassed about it, If it makes it easier for you with everything going on....then yeah...I can't be too upset.". Sky looked more then relieved, "Thanks...I know you're just worried about me....look, everyone's trying to reassure me as best they can and...It's not enough sometimes....it comes back...". "Well, it should....no one can blame you...angel....he's the same way actually...he's constantly worried about everything and I'm not sure if I can ever truly reassure him...I'm doing my best though...". "Well, if we end up stuck in a jail cell together, I guess we'll have plenty of time to talk about it won't we?". "You won't....neither of you will hopefully...". she leaned against the wall, crossing her arms, "My mom went over all the evidence being stacked against me...it's not incredibly solid but it's also not entirely out of the realm of plausibility either considering i was kinda at all the crime scenes and y'know...know the people it affected personally." she kicked the wall with one of her boots, grumbling, "Ugh, it's so unfair! My mom isn't even back yet from the hunt so i haven't even gotten the chance to talk to her about what happened, she's just hearing about it from my other mom and who knows who else!". "Yeah, it's really not fair....my own parents are pretty mad with me, rightfully so....but it all feels stacked against me in a way....I had good intentions and....I'm terrified after this is over they'll go right back to babying me and.....this one's going to be rough sky...". Sky pulled at her hair, "Yeah...I know...I don't think either of us are going to get less stressed.....", she took another look at the drawing in her clutched, sighing, "But we can both at least try to think about the positives and...have hope I guess...". "Well....I have faith in you sky...". She looked up, judas smiling and fixing his hair. "Well....I got faith in you too....". Judas bit at his lip before looking back at sky, "Hey....I wanna ask you about something, I tried to before but so much was happening that...I had to wait...but....are you missing any pages from the book of spells? From your own chapter I mean....". This seemed to perk sky's interest up significantly, she looked at judas as if to process what he just said, her blue eyes puzzled before she raised an eyebrow, "Pages from my chapter in the book of spells? Uh....I don't think so..I haven't been in it in awhile...Glossaryck kinda annoys me...". "Well....Sky...". "You have a page from my chapter right? I don't exactly know where else this could possible be going...", sky stared at him intently, "I guess if you think about it....taking a page from my book is a sure way to frame me as well...ugh...robbing from my book now ? Whoever they are they definitely hate me and want me frozen in rhombulus's rock collection. Ugh....Which page was it? Maybe they took my bubble charm since nora's parents were in a similar looking spell prison...". "Well no, it's your wand section, where you talk about your wand's gems and everything? Landon found it and I only saw it a few times but it had a drawing of your wand and everything, and from what I can tell, that's what it is". Sky perked up, her nose twitching and her eyebrows raised. "Why would they take that? I barely have anything written there outside of complaining about my wand malfunctioning.". Judas's brows furrowed, "That doesn't make sense, the page shows all the details about your wand, right down to how your gems work-". Sky suddenly grabbed his arm, looking at him in the eyes, "What? I didn't write any of that I swear! Someone else must've written in it...they...ugh...they must've violated my page to make me seem more guilty....they really do have a vendetta against me specifically...". She grumbled and gripped her wand, "She must've ripped it out the night of the sleepover...ready to plant it....I never checked the book...so stupid of me...". "Sky...". "Thanks for letting me know jude....I just....first I have to meet with my mom, then luna decides to leave....then Sunny talks to me about the horrible things that could happen if we can't find a way to make this entire thing work..now THIS...what even is today? I can't even get a break it's just one thing after another....". Then she paused, realizing what she just said as judas froze, blinking all his eyes. "Hold on....what's this about luna?". - Judas was quick to throw open luna's door, ready to speak to her and see if there was any chance he might be able to change her mind, only for his jaw to drop. The room was empty, no clothes, no tools, no luna. It looked like it did before she had even moved in in fact, neat and orderly and unused. Luna had said she was going to leave tomorrow, had she been expecting judas to find out sooner and left or did she lie about when she was leaving for some reason? Sky could only see jude's back, but she could tell he looked defeated, as he turned around, sad and broken. Sky almost felt guilty, maybe she should've tried to convince luna to stay, or told judas right away so he had a chance to stop her, but there was nothing she could do now. Luna took off, and she took off sooner then she said she would too, guess in her mind there was no time to waste. The demon rubbed at his face, his voice quieter then usual. "She didn't even say goodbye....". He was hurt, his eyes looking around the room for any sign of her but there truly was nothing, at the very least he had wanted luna to tell him about this, she owed him that much to know didn't she? Maybe not but he felt like she should've said something to him, his eyes widened and he was quick to pull out his compact, hoping to text her. Though Luna was way ahead on him on that, and he must not have noticed she already sent him a text out. Luna: Do not text me, you may alert nearby enemies/ or have me caught, my location is to remain private. His shoulders sagged once again as he re pocketed the device. He hadn't been entirely preparing for this to happen, he knew it could happen because luna was just this kinda person, but he wasn't ready for her to just...do it. He was going to have to let the other girls know and soon enough their parents were going to know and who knows what would happen when they told them, would they send guards after her? The commission? Would they got after her themselves? With her wand who knows if luna could stop them all. He wouldn't put it past her though. She wouldn't be gone permanently, whether they found the solution or she caught the guy they would see her again, but that didn't remove the fact this clearly hurt judas and sky felt immensely guilty, trying to reach our to comfort him as he wiped at his face. "No no...I gotta be strong...luna will....she can take care of herself...I know it...", he retained his posture, though sky could tell he was still upset as he shut the door once more, "I...I should get home....right away....we'll talk tomorrow...ok?". She could only manage a nod, feeling immensely guilty despite knowing he'd forgive her for it considering luna wasn't one to betray. She got so excited about seeing him and now they got sent off like this? Was fate just trying to worsen her day more then It already was? Judas was the person she trusted the most and now she was worried she was worried she was making him mad. She tried to shake the thoughts out but she still felt pretty bad. Judas looked at her for a bit before putting a hand on her shoulder, patting it, trying to be as comforting as he could to his best friend, "Be safe....". He was turning around to leave though quickly and almost starling him he felt his best friend hug him from behind. Sky shoved her face into his jacket, and judas sighed to himself before smiling, "Sky....It's ok...I'll be ok....I....I knew this could happen..luna's been....she's been so difficult about this for awhile....I tried my best to keep her in good graces but....I guess it wasn't enough.....It's not your fault...". She hugged him tighter and he turned around, hugging her properly now, "Sky...Tomorrow, let's get something to eat...together...at my place...whenever you're not super busy...does that sound ok?". She nodded, eager for something a little more uplifting to look forward to for once, not that they could eat outside the castle but still, it was better then meetings with her mom or worrying about where luna was at this current point in time. She could use at least something normal and friendly for once in this madness and judas could tell that it seemed to make sky feel a little better and it seemed to ease him a little despite his other worried. "I just....I could really use my best friend....these days...everything's falling apart and....now we barely see each other....and...I hate it so much judas...I really do.". He held her tighter, trying not to hurt her with his stronger demon grip. "We could all use a best friend right now....I missed you too.". He planted a kiss on her forehead as sky let him go, "Tomorrow....?". "Tomorrow....that's a promise.". Sky watched him teleport off, clutching the drawing harder to her chest, only hoping the worst times were finally over and everything would go up from here. She could only hope.

[creativelycryptid]

The Thing in the Woods

There have always been things in the woods. This is a fact of life up here, in the mountains. From the first moment human eyes looked out into the first dark woods, other eyes have looked back. Some eyes were friends, some were food or sought us for food, but others were something else entirely. Things, with a capital T. The woods have gotten smaller, over time. Height wise and width. Things have died off slowly. Not entirely, of course.  Many adapted, became smaller, better at mimicking coyotes or owls or other things considered natural by people, or just better at hiding in general. Still, there are quite a bit fewer nowadays than there used to be. Every culture has or had their own ways of dealing with them or not dealing with them, as the Thing and situation called for. I’ve lived in the Appalachian mountains for most of my years. Not true deep woods, but deep enough to have my fair of stories about Things. Deep enough to learn a few things too, like how even though coyotes live in packs they don’t hunt in them. If you’re in the woods, being chased by something that looks and sounds like coyotes, they may not be coyotes. Climb a tree and say your prayers. There’s a wide variety of Things: Things that have names (Bigfoot, Mothman), Things that used to have names, and Things that have never had names. This story is about one particular Thing named Bibi.

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When the real estate agent brought me out here the first time, he was highly skeptical. An old woman living alone out in the woods? He was concerned for my health and safety, he said. But I’d lived out here in my younger years, and I remembered how it was. There wasn’t a force on earth short of a heart attack that could’ve kept me from buying this place. A sturdy little house, with a porch just big enough for the table and pair of rockers that sat to one side of the door. I walked through the house with the real estate agent trailing behind me, half-heartedly selling me on the place. I mostly tuned him out. I’d already made up my mind. The only things of interest in all of what he said to me that day were the price (on the high end of affordable), the distance to my nearest neighbor (too far for his comfort but too close for mine), and that it came with the furniture. We went back to his office to get the paperwork in order, and within a few weeks I was settled in. 

My first night was lovely. I had a little upstairs bedroom all set up with quilts and books and a little reading lamp. The mattress was mine, of course, no telling how old the one that came with the house was, or what kinds of people the last tenants had been, but I did use their bed frame. I smiled when I lay down, already running through lists of things to unpack in the morning. An art studio across the hall, dishes for the cupboards, boxes of books and blankets for the living room, and seeds for the garden. It was too early to do much planting yet, but I could plan. Oh Lord could I plan. There would be no guest room, naturally. I slept soundly that night, with the comforting sounds of night birds and wind.

The next afternoon I was taking a break from my unpacking and was enjoying some lunch of sandwiches and hot tea on my porch. The last of winter was thawing out, though I figured we still had one good frost to come. The air was a bit nippy, and I was tightening my shawl around my shoulders when the car pulled into my driveway. It wasn’t the real estate agent’s shiny newish car, and it wasn’t a moving van, so I couldn’t see any reason for this beige Toyota something or other to be here. I was about ready to tell the driver as much, too. 

Before I could finish composing an irate but mostly polite invitation to leave, the driver stepped out and started up the porch. She was a woman of about my age, with a darker complexion and wiry gray hair pulled away from her face. Her eyes had smile lines at the corners, and her expression was friendly but firm. She carried a casserole dish with her, covered over in a layer of tinfoil, and I sighed. There was really no getting out of this. I hauled myself out of the rocker.

“Well hey there! I just wanted to stop by and welcome you to the neighborhood. Lord knows the trees won’t do it.” She motioned towards the surrounding woods with the casserole dish and her face crinkled up into a smile.

“That’s mighty kind of you. Here, I’ll take that and let you get back to your day.” The casserole dish was still warm and her hands were cool where I brushed against them. The tinfoil crinkled up at the edges and the smell of warm peaches drifted out.

“Oh, now, I’m in no rush. I was hoping to sit with you a spell and get to know you. Not many people in the area, so I gotta get my conversations in where I can. I’m Ruth, I live about ten minutes that-a-ways.”

“Name’s Lottie. Lemme get some plates and such for this, we can chat while we eat. G’on, have a seat.” 

To tell the full truth, I had planned to serve up the cobbler, make as little conversation as I could get away with, and then say my goodbyes. Maybe make a few empty promises to stop round her place one of these days and few even emptier invitations for her to come calling again. If I’d had my way, I’d have been a hermit in the old mountain tradition. I suppose, in the long run, it’s a good thing I didn’t get my way.

I stepped back out onto the porch with two plates of peach cobbler and an extra blanket for Ruth. She accepted her plate with a smile, and our fingers brushed again. To her credit, the cobbler tasted amazing, and I told her as much.

“Secret family recipe” she told me, “plus I canned the peaches myself. I think it adds a little something. Where’d you move from? You sound local enough.”

“Most recently just down the hill, in State Road. I grew up further up the mountain, though, and a little to the west. Lived there from the time I was born till I was, oh, about 35. Surface mining got too close for comfort.” Ruth was nodding the whole time I was talking.

“Yeah that sounds about right. ‘Bout the same for me. Moved down the mountain, got hitched, moved back up the mountain. It’s the circle of life or something pretty close to it.”

“Sure seems that way. Never got married, though. Never struck me as something I ought to do. I like the quiet too much to have some man foolin’ around gettin’ in my way. That’s why I came back up here.” 

“Well, there’s plenty of quiet up here, that’s for sure. I’m glad of it myself, but it does get a little lonesome. Ed’s been gone a good - let’s see, what’s it been? - ten years now. He was an alright husband, God rest his soul, but never much of a talker either. The kids have little ‘uns, but they mostly come up in the summer.” Ruth looked off into the trees for a minute, before turning to me. Her face was softer, and her skin didn’t seem as much crinkled as it did folded. Less like paper, more like fabric.

“So I’m glad to have a neighbor now.” She finished, and reached over to pat my hand.

We talked for a while longer, mostly about gardening, before we decided that it was about time to go back to our own businesses. And then, of course, we talked for a little longer, standing next to her car, then through the car window. I waved her off, then went back to unpacking. I tried to keep myself busy so I wouldn’t think about my visitor, but that can only last for so long.

That night, after dinner was eaten and the dishes were cleaned and put away, I settled down on the couch with a glass of whiskey and a crossword puzzle that I just couldn’t focus on. I kept going back and forth in my head about Ruth. It had started off perfectly normal, to be sure. Introducing yourself to your new neighbor with a baked good was the neighborly standard. Hadn’t the conversation gotten a little too familiar too quickly, though? On the other hand, what we’d discussed technically fell into the category of family history, which was well within the range of typical. Although, family history usually ranged to how long your grandparents had lived in the area or which of your relatives had run shine. It wasn’t so much that the visit was strange in general, but it was strange for me. I hadn’t gotten so friendly so quick with someone in decades. And such a long conversation! I hadn’t had a willing conversation longer than 15 minutes in God knows how long. I could’ve gone back and forth for the rest of the night, or at least until I’d finished my whiskey, if I hadn’t had my second, much stranger visitor.

There was a noise in the yard, though I’m hard pressed to say now exactly what it was. A stick snapping or the sound of hurried steps over the gravel in the driveway. I reached for my shotgun and went to take a peek out the front window, running through a list of possible culprits. A bear would be making more noise, it was still too far from spring for a bear to be moving gracefully. It was too big to be an opossum or a racoon. Maybe a deer, maybe a person. I stared out into the darkness.

I couldn’t quite make out where she stood at first, but my eyes adjusted enough to see her, standing towards the middle of my yard. Definitely not a deer, the shadow in my yard moved on two feet, but sort of crouched into herself. It was hard to see her exact shape, but I could tell that she was a little smaller than me, tall and around, even hunched like she was. She looked to be made of shadows, but the parts of her that I figured were her arms and legs stood starkly pale against the night. I tried to angle myself against the window to see her better, and the tip of the shotgun knocked against it, just lightly. I watched her tense, back arching so that now, instead of hunching over, she looked more coiled for a spring. Her head whipped around to face me and we locked eyes.

Good God those eyes. They shone bright in the night, a piercing green that seemed to drill into me. I remember thinking that they were so bright it seemed like they should be casing spotlights in front of her. And that it seemed like she was waiting for something. I held my breath and tried to stay still. I didn’t want to spook her, or incur her wrath. There was no telling, from just this first meeting, what kind of Thing this was in my yard. Some Things are dangerous. I was mostly just hoping she wasn’t one of those. 

I’m not so sure of how long we sat there, but eventually she backed up a pace or two and then darted back into the woods. She moved a little like a human, but mostly like a catamount. Which is to say, she had her back up and her head down and moved quick and graceful, but she stayed on two legs. I stayed where I was, watching the darkness. I didn’t sleep quite as well that night.

But the sun came up, as it is wont to do, and there were things that needed doing. It wasn’t like I hadn’t seen Things before, there was even a time in my life where it was downright normal to wake up midway through the night and see flashing eyes in the dark, or hear an almost-human voice calling from the woods. I was a little out of practice, that’s all. And maybe I was a little unsettled that I couldn’t quite tell what she was. I was certain I’d feel better after a little breakfast.

I did not feel better after a little breakfast. In fact, as I unloaded more books into the bookshelf I started to wonder if she would be back. While I was deciding where to hang my few pictures and paintings, I thought anxiously about teeth and claws. By the time I was trying to set up my tv I was remembering how she had moved, with a darting swiftness, and wondering if I could shoot her if I had to, and my hands shook so badly I couldn’t get the cables right. It was time for a break. 

I hesitated in the doorway for a moment before stepping onto the porch. In the end, though, I decided that this was my home and I wasn’t going to be afraid in it. If that were the case, I might as well move out now. Besides, I reasoned, most Things didn’t come out in the daylight, at least not this close to people. As long as I didn’t go for a walk in the woods, I would be fine.

I sat in the rocker for a few minutes, watching the woods. All was calm. Bird song drifted on the wind, and clouds passed by overhead. Feeling emboldened by the quiet, I decided I should look to see if there were any tracks in the yard. The ground was still fairly hard from the cold, and the Thing had moved lightly, so I doubted there would be, but I looked anyway.

I stood in the middle of my yard, bent over the ground and staring holes into the grass, so focused that I didn’t hear the approaching sound of tires crunching gravel until I heard a voice call to me.

“Lottie? Y’alright?” It was Ruth, leaning out her window with a softly furrowed brow and pursed lips. I straightened and felt a flush creep up my neck, knowing how I must look. I hadn’t even put my hair up yet, and thin wispy strands of silver fell all about my face. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m alright. Just saw something out in the yard last night, was checking to see if it left a mark.” The flush crept a little higher as I watched Ruth back her car up a bit and turn into my driveway.

“I’ll help you look. I’m an amateur woodsman of sorts.” She chuckled, climbing out of her car. Despite the chill, my palms were starting to sweat. I wiped them on my jeans and decided it must have been from how I was using them to brace myself as I searched the ground. That was all.

“It’s not a whole lotta use. The ground’s still too hard for any real tracks.” I mumbled, pushing a hand through my hair and wishing she would just leave. 

“Well, no harm in having a look around.” She was still smiling, but her voice was so matter of fact that I gave up and just accepted it. Ruth had wandered over to where I was standing and began inspecting the ground. I stood blushing for another minute before I bent over next to her.

Over the next 15 or so minutes we made our way across the yard, walking slowly and inspecting each step. At one point our shoulders brushed, and when I looked up there she was, so close I could feel her breath on my cheek. My heart beat so fast, I had to move away from her or I feared I would faint.

Eventually, we neared the edge of the woods. I stopped a few feet out and wouldn’t have gone any closer if not for Ruth. She kept going and called out to me that she’d found something just inside the tree line. Hesitant but unwilling to be both a fool and a coward, I followed. She’d found a place where recent snowmelt had turned the dirt into mud, and there were just a few footprints. They weren’t what I’d been expecting, though. I’d thought they’d be closer to cat paws, or taloned like a bird, but they were just human. The first couple were just the balls of her feet, but the other three were full prints of slender feet, undeniably human. Ruth turned to me.

“What exactly kind of Thing did you say you saw?” Ruth asked, and I described what I’d seen the best I could. When I’d finished, she smiled and shook her head just a little. “It’s a little far for them to travel, but I’d wager it was just a kid pulling some kinda prank. Probably won’t be back, either way.”

I wasn’t so sure, but I didn’t particularly want to say anything. It seemed to me that Ruth was treating me a bit like a tourist who doesn’t know a racoon from a cat, and I was a bit put off by that. Besides, there was something in Ruth’s expression that I couldn’t quite place. A distance in her eyes and a downward tilt to her eyebrows. It looked almost like concern, but then it was gone, and, as cliche as it sounds, I was left to wonder if it had been there at all.

“Well, I suppose you have things to be getting to. Don’t let me keep you any longer.” I may have been a tad sharper than necessary, but she’d bruised my ego, implying I didn’t know the difference between a teenager in a costume and a genuine Thing. She seemed to realize what I was upset about, though, and hurried to sooth me.

“Oh, dear, no, I didn’t mean that you don’t know what you’re talking about. I just meant, well, the footprints are certainly human, so there’s no cause for concern.” She smiled at me.

“I’d hardly say I’m concerned. I can handle myself just fine.” I said. Oh sure, I’d been worrying all morning about whether or not I could defend myself, but that was hardly the point. If I didn’t know better, I’d say I was embarrassed to admit it. Good thing I knew better.

“I’m sure you can. Well, I do need to get going, but I’ll stop by later, if that’s alright with you.” Ruth was still smiling at me, and I couldn’t quite decide if it was genuine or placating. I nodded, and she was on her way. I plodded back inside and finished setting up the tv. It didn’t seem nearly so hard now.

Time crept on, and I found myself eyeing the clock more and more. Ruth hadn’t said when exactly she’d be back, but I had assumed it would be sometime near lunch. So as noon rolled around, I was disappointed to be eating alone. After lunch I found myself restless. I paced, not quickly but aimlessly, looking for things to do. The second I started in on a task, though, I was overwhelmed by the need to do something else and returned to pacing. Finally, there was a knock on the door. I hurried to answer, but stopped a foot short of answering and took a breath, chiding myself silently for acting like an excitable schoolgirl. Then I answered.

It was Ruth, of course. This time I invited her in, and we sat on the faded couch that had come with the house, sipping tea. The tv was on from where I’d been using it for background noise earlier, playing some nature documentary about elephants, but Ruth didn’t seem to mind.

“I wanted to apologize for offending you earlier. It’s a little too soon to be picking fights with my new neighbor.” Ruth smiled while she spoke, a little apologetic, a little hopeful.

“Oh, no, it’s quite alright. I was a bit oversensitive about it, that’s all.” I smiled back, trying to match her levels of apology and hope, though I’ve no doubt mine was a sight more awkward than hers. After a brief pause, Ruth cleared her throat.

“Earlier, I got the idea that you knew what you were talking about, that maybe you had experience with Things. I was just wondering what sorts of Things you’d seen before.” Ruth waited patiently while I thought about the best way to answer. Of course I’d had the usual experiences that anyone has if they stay too deep in the woods for too long, but that wasn’t what she wanted to hear, I was sure. Really, there was only one story to tell.

“When I was a girl, I would hear something in the woods calling my name. It was almost always at night, and only from the woods. It never crossed into the open space between the woods and my house. My mother told me that that was just something that happened sometimes, and to just ignore it. Well, one day I’m outside, broad daylight, and I hear it. It sounds close too, closer than normal, and I know I shouldn’t but I look over my shoulder towards it. There it is, standing right at the edge of the woods, and it looks almost exactly like me. Except the proportions are just a little off, like someone tried to draw me from memory but hadn’t seen me in a while. Well, I ran back inside, but it didn’t chase me. I never heard it call my name again.” Well, to be truthful I’d heard it call my name twice more after that, but that didn’t make for a terribly good ending. Ruth let that sit for a minute, and we listened to the narrator describe how intelligent elephants are.

“That’s pretty interesting. I’ve heard of people having their names called, but nothing’s ever called mine. I did hear whistling, though. It definitely wasn’t a bird, but it didn’t seem to be from a person, either. I never saw the source, though. It always raised the hairs on the back of my neck.” Ruth stayed until nearly sunset, talking with me about Things, before heading back to her own house. I invited her to stay for dinner, of course, but she declined, saying that she couldn’t drive well at night and needed to leave before it got dark. As we said our goodbyes on the front porch, though, she leaned over and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. As much as it embarrasses me to admit it, it made me giddier than I’d been in a long while. 

That night, and every night after for the next week and a half I stayed up late, waiting for any sign that the Thing might have come back. I didn’t mean to, at first. I would go to bed at a reasonable hour and then stare up at the ceiling for hours, thinking about Ruth (how her hair had looked in the sun, how her hand had been cool and burning at the same time when she lay it on my arm) at first, and then slowly spiraling back to the Thing (how she had seemed too big and too small at the same time, how bright her eyes had shone in the dark). I started staying up in the living room later and later each night. Ruth noticed how tired I was when she visited, and I saw more of that concern I’d seen at the end of our monster hunt. Ruth visited often. Not every day, but most days she’d at least stop in for a hello, sometimes staying for lunch, almost always departing with a kiss on the cheek. I waited for Ruth during the day, and, at night, I waited for the Thing. Finally, I got tired of waiting.

One evening, after Ruth had come and gone and I could be reasonably assured I wouldn’t be caught, I started setting out some food in the yard. A little fruit, some carrots, a potato, some scraps of chicken, and a little bit of old biscuit, since there was no way to be sure what she ate. I set it all out on a tarp, the plastic kind that crinkles when it moves, far enough into the middle that anything with regular sized limbs would have to step on the tarp to get at it. Then I went back inside and began waiting for one last time.

I had almost dozed off when I heard the tarp crinkle. I thought that perhaps I’d dreamed it, but after a pause there were a few more crinkles. I shot out of my chair and stumbled to the door, shaking off sleep as I went. I didn’t even pause to consider that there were plenty of other things it could have been. I just threw the door open, light spilling out onto the front yard, and there she was.

Her face was definitely human, the face of a young woman with dark hair and green eyes. Her eyes didn’t look so much brighter than normal now that she was lit up. She was petite, maybe 5’5” at most, and shaped like a track star. From her neck down to her elbows she was dripping in feathers, black as a raven and thickly layered. Antlers grew out of her tangled hair, ridged in a spiral like gazelle horns, but branching like a deer, too. Those were the first things I noticed, as we stood there, staring at each other. Then she shifted backwards and I noticed two more things. Firstly, that she stood on just the balls of her feet and kept her legs at an awkward bend. And secondly that, where her fingers should have been, were long, tapering, black claws, roughly the same size as fingers. She seemed to know where I was looking and curled her finger-claws in as much as she could, though it was clear that they weren’t as flexible as fingers. She shifted another step backwards, and I knew that she was about to high tail it out of there. 

“Wait!” I yelled, and she paused, tipping her head to the right. She looked a little confused, a little startled, but also like she understood, so I kept talking. “It’s for you. The food. You can eat it here or take it with you, but don’t let me run you off. I won’t hurt you. There’s no need for fear.”

I watched as she slowly, ever so slowly, bent down. Her eyes never left mine, half wary and half curious. She picked up a pear in one hand, holding it so delicately that her claws didn’t even graze the peel, and in the other she picked up a piece of chicken and one of the biscuits. She straightened back up mostly and nodded at me just as slowly, before darting off back into the woods. I stood there, watching after her, for God only knows how long. Then the chill brought me back to my senses, and I went back inside.

After that it became something of a nightly routine. After that first night, I opened the door much calmer and greeted her quietly. I took note of what she ate and what she left, figuring out her favorites. I also noticed that she started coming earlier each night, just by a bit. I started waiting on the porch for her, and would chat quietly to her while she ate.  It was almost like feeding a stray cat, if I didn’t think too hard about it. And I didn’t. Think too hard about it, that is, though I probably should have.

Of course, life went on during the day. Ruth would stop by and chat about anything and everything. We talked about her children (two, fraternal twins), and grandkids (three, all from her son), and my past (retired elementary school teacher, no family left to speak of), and everything in between. I was getting quite comfortable with her. I’d almost forgotten how much I didn’t like company.

Then, one afternoon as Ruth and I were sitting on the porch, enjoying the slowly warming weather, a vaguely familiar car pulled up into my driveway, behind Ruth’s Toyota and my beat up old Subaru. Out stepped that real estate agent, young and shiny, and he picked his way over to the porch, where he stopped in front of us and leaned against the railing like he was just visiting some friends. I was glad that there were only two chairs, hopefully he would get tired of standing and leave sooner rather than later. Ruth smiled at him.

“Well hello ladies!  I just wanted to drop by and see how you were settling in. I was concerned, leaving you all the way out here, but I’m so glad to see you’re making friends!” He sounded like he was making a considerable effort to sound local, but I could tell he was about as local as a coconut. On top of that, he was using that gentle voice people use when they think you’re an idiot or senile, and I was neither. He gave us his most winsome smile, but I wasn’t having any of it.

“Well. As you can see, I’m quite alright. So if that’s all, I’d like to get back to my afternoon, and you’re blocking the view.” I scowled just a bit, and the young man flushed slightly. Ruth eyed us both, looking terribly amused. The man recovered with a slight cough and fixed his smile back in place. He tried to hand me his business card, but when I wouldn’t take it he handed it to Ruth instead.

“Okay then. I should be heading back to work, but don’t hesitate to call if you need anything! Y’all take care now!” And with that he walked back to his car and left with barely a backwards glance. I scoffed.

“I oughta put up a no trespassing sign.” As soon as I said this, Ruth stopped holding back her laughter and started cackling up a storm.

“Lord, Lottie, there was no need to maul the poor kid, bless his heart.” She was grinning at me, and I cracked a little smile, too. She’d reached over and put her hand over mine, squeezing a little to let me know she was teasing.

“I just didn’t like his tone. People’ve been talking to me like I don’t have any sense my whole life, and now that I’m old I’m expected to sit back and take it? No sir I think not.” But I was laughing now too, and I let Ruth tease me good naturedly about being too prickly for my own good.

 That night I told my little visitor all about it, and she surprised me by smiling a little at my imitation of the real estate man. I could tell she was warming up to me, and I liked that. By the end of the second week she was arriving just after sundown, and she had started eating while standing flat footed, not poised on the balls of her feet to run. I considered it a major victory. I didn’t think there was much more to it.

Until, one night, she surprised me again. She had finished eating, and I had finished talking, and I had said a soft goodnight, when she paused and lifted her chin. There was a strange tension in her jaw, and I watched her work at it for a moment before she opened her mouth and spoke.

“Th...Hank you. Good ni-ght.” Her voice was rough, almost callused , if a voice can be called such. Her whole body seemed tense, and her eyes locked onto mine, partly showing fear, partly issuing a challenge.

“Good, goodnight. You’re welcome.” I finally managed, and she nodded, running off. I sat there for a long time, before slowly making my way inside and upstairs to bed. My mind was full of nothing but a sort of buzzing static for a good long while. Then, all at once, the thoughts piled in on top of each other. It didn’t seem like feeding a stray cat anymore. If she had language, perhaps her face wasn’t the only part of her that was human. I wasn’t sure what to do about that. I decided that the first step would be telling Ruth. She could help me figure out what to do. 

The morning came too soon, a drizzly mess of a day. All day I was listless, and the weather sure didn’t help. It was too wet to be outside, but not wet enough to be relaxing. There was no rain-on-a-tin-roof to soothe me, just an endless drizzle of gray. I paced from room to room, hoping that Ruth would come by, but she never did. The day ran away like the rain down the mountain, and soon I was setting out some food. After a bit of deliberation, I kept the food on the porch, to avoid getting it soggy. I had a feeling that my visitor wouldn’t mind so much, seeing how she lived outside as far as I knew, but no matter how used to the rain you are, dry food is always better than soggy. I set the food away from my chair, though, thinking she might still be a bit skittish.

I almost thought she wouldn’t come. To be fair, it was difficult to tell when the sun was setting, I may have started waiting too soon. But she arrived, and, after the briefest of hesitations, came up on the porch.

“Don’t worry about me, just c’mon and get out of the rain for a bit.” I tried not to stare at her as she ate, but I couldn’t help but look over occasionally, sneaking glances. She sat on the porch, and used her finger claws like sporks, partially skewering, partially scooping. I rocked for a while, staring out into the gloom, gathering my courage. I waited until she had finished her meal before speaking up again.

“Do you have a name?” I tried to keep my rocking steady, but surely she could tell I was nervous. She sat very still. I could see her jaw working.

“Beebeeee” 

“Bibi?”

She nodded and looked up at me. She hadn’t left yet, and I stopped rocking to look at her. She was definitely younger than I’d thought, from this close up. Early 20s, at the latest. She was dirty, too, and heavily freckled so that I could hardly tell what was dirt and what was a sunkiss. Her feathers, which I had took to maybe be a shawl she was wearing but could now see were certainly growing out of her, were stuck together with some sort of oily mud. Her hair was what my mother would’ve called a rats nest, though her antlers seemed well cared for. Her claws, too, were shiny and clean.

“Bibi? I wonder if I might...if you’d like, I could get you clean. Run you up a bath, maybe?” I tried to make my voice gentle as I reached a hand out to her. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I left my hand hanging in the air for a minute and, slowly, Bibi placed her claws gently in my hand. I smiled at her, trying hard not to be unnerved by the texture, which was not unlike a bird’s talon. 

I didn’t quite get her into a bath, but I did manage a brush through her hair. There were a few rough spots, when the brush hit a snag and she hissed in pain I worried that she would bolt. I took to shushing her like you might a horse in a thunderstorm. Just a bit surprising, it seemed to work. She sat at the foot of my rocker, and I told quiet, old stories to her. While I worked on her hair, I gave her a damp washcloth to take to her face. She tried very hard to hold it gently, but by the time I was done with her hair the washcloth was shredded. She looked up at me, panicked.

“It’s alright. I have plenty of washcloths, no need to fuss over one.” I tried not to use that voice the real estate agent had used on me, the one I hated so much. She stared back at me.

“Iiih-ts alriitght” she repeated with some difficulty. She did seem to be getting better at speaking, but I couldn’t help wondering how long she’d gone without talking. I nodded and smiled reassuringly.

“Bibi, would it be alright if Ruth met you, too?” I’d been telling her about Ruth, of course, but if I was going to tell Ruth about Bibi, it was only fair that Bibi have some say in it.

She tipped her head to the side, considering. Finally, she nodded.

“It’s alllriight.” She said, a little clearer this time.

She left after that. I wanted to invite her inside, to stay somewhere warm and dry for the night, but I thought that might be too much too quickly. I was starting to reconsider my policy on guest rooms. As I lay down, I tried not to think about Bibi, in the woods, alone all night in the cold and rain. I certainly didn’t think about what may have led her to be there, and at such a young age, too. Or how long she must have been there, for her voice to be so scratchy from disuse. I fell asleep, not thinking of any of these things.

The next day was cloudy, but dryer. I was almost prepared for Ruth’s visit, when it came. I made sandwiches and tea, and we sat on the porch, having a nice lunch while I tried to bring the words from my throat into my mouth. Finally I was out of time.

“Ruth, do you remember, a few weeks ago, when I told you about what I saw in my yard?” I watched her stiffen just a bit.

“Yes.”

“I’ve seen her, more’n a few times.” Ruth stiffened more, then sighed.

“I thought you might, but I’d hoped you wouldn’t. The last few people who lived here saw her, just once or twice, but it scared them something awful and they left. I didn’t want...well I just enjoy your company so much. I worried you might leave too.” She looked away, a faint flush creeping up her neck and dusting over her cheek bones. I reached out and took her hand in mine, squeezing gently until she looked back at me.

“Come back later this evening, or stay with me here until then. I want to introduce you to her.” Her eyes widened, and I couldn’t help but notice the blush darken on her cheeks as she squeezed my hand back.

“Introduce me to her? What d’you mean? Things can’t talk, Lottie.” 

“This one can. Her name is Bibi, and she’s actually a sweetheart.”

Ruth ended up spending the rest of the day with me as I told her all about Bibi, and what to expect. As evening approached, I could tell Ruth was a bit nervous. Maybe a bit more than a bit. I took both her hands in mine, and they were shaking just a little. I smiled, trying to be reassuring, and then leaned in a kissed her, just gently.

“Don’t worry about a thing. It’s all okay. And if you’re really too nervous, you can always say no. You can stay in here if you’d like, or go home if you’d rather. But it would mean a lot for you to come out with me.”

The introduction could have been smoother, but it could’ve been rougher, too. Bibi had said it was alright for Ruth to come, but I still didn’t know what to expect from her. She didn’t bolt off into the woods, though, and eventually I was able to coax her onto the porch and introduce her properly. Ruth, though she was startled at first, handled it well, and once Bibi got close enough for her to really have a look at, her eyes softened.

“Oh, poor dear.” Ruth said, reaching out a hand to smooth Bibi’s feathers, feeling of the oily mud that I’d yet to get rid of. “We’ll have to do something about that. Some warm vinegar water, maybe. That’ll clear up most things.” Bibi, after sitting a spell, was even able to relax into Ruth’s touch while she ate.

Ruth stayed late into the night, making plans with me about Bibi. The first thing we should do, according to Ruth, was figure out if Bibi had a history as a human, or if she’d always been this way. Tomorrow, we decided, we would drive down into town and take a look at old missing persons reports and newspapers to look for clues. After that it was just a matter of cleaning her up and settling her in to live with me. By that point it was too late for Ruth to be driving home, but I was glad to have her stay the night. 

I hadn’t had company for breakfast in quite a while, but it wasn’t nearly so awkward as I thought it might be. We fit well together. And it certainly made going into town together easier. The police station was not terribly helpful, but the library had plenty of old newspapers. After a good couple hours of clicking through slides and flipping through physical copies, I finally landed on a report that seemed promising. I waved Ruth over and showed her the article.

It was a short piece, just a single column with a small photograph at the bottom. It listed an Abigail Waters, age 5, as missing following what appeared to be a domestic dispute turned tragedy. Though there weren’t many details in the paper and no follow-up article, Ruth and I concluded that after whatever awful thing happened, Bibi had fled into the woods and simply stayed there. The paper was dated to nearly 20 years ago. The picture showed a tiny little thing with long dark hair and unusually bright green eyes. 

“I wonder when she grew her feathers and her antlers and her claws, before or after the tragedy, all at once or piece by piece.” I whispered, half because we were in a library, half because this was just the sort of thing I felt should be whispered about. Ruth looked contemplative. 

“When bad things happen to people,” she began slowly, also whispering, “sometimes they grow claws or fangs or spikes. Usually they’re on the inside, they just happened to be on the outside for Bibi.” Her eyes still scanned the clipping while I thought about that. I guessed that it made sense. Wasn’t my prickliness, as Ruth put it, just claws on the inside? Ruth tapped me on the arm and pointed to a detail I’d overlooked before. There was a smaller picture, off to the side a bit so I’d assumed it went with the article next to it, showing the area Bibi had gone missing in.

“The road isn’t named, but that’s right about where your house sits, Lottie.” I nodded and swallowed hard.

“You said the other people who’d lived in that house saw her, too. How many times did she try to go home?” I looked up at Ruth and found her already looking back at me. We didn’t have to speak to know that from now on, there’d be no more trying. Bibi was coming home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That was some two years ago, now. I sit in my rocker, Ruth sits in hers, and Bibi sits on the steps. Her claws clink against the glass in her hands as she takes a sip of lemonade, feathers shining deep purple in the sunlight. She’s keeping an eye on the older two grandkids as they run around the yard. The youngest one sits by my feet, her knees pulled up to her chest, her dark brown eyes staring up at me.

“Of course, it took your parents more time to adjust. Your mother worried over Bibi’s claws, thought she might hurt one of you. But she never has, even accidentally, and Bibi won her and your father over in the end.” I reach down and pat the little dear on the head.

“That’s my favorite story.” She says, smiling up at me. There’s no trace of tears now, the scrape on her knee that brought her over to my chair in the first place all but forgotten. She hops up and scampers back out into the yard to play with her big brothers, giving Bibi a quick hug as she passes by.

Bibi comes over to take her place by my feet, and I make a mental note to ask her once again later if she’s sure she doesn’t want her own rocking chair. She leans her head against my knee. I can feel her working her jaw slightly, a tic she never quite lost, but her voice isn’t nearly so rusty anymore.

“It’s my favorite story, too. Thanks for bringing me home.”