Some of me felt terrible when we loaded items from the now wholly abandoned village into our trade wagon. However, Aria–who suggested it–was correct. There was no reason for those items and things to go to waste. It''s not as though we knew when or if the Wilder to whom it all belonged would be back, and sooner or later, someone else would show and ransack the place. Besides, if they ever showed up, we were sure our village would help them get back on their feet. While we were there gathering valuables and deciding what would make the trip and what we''d leave behind, a reafan circled over our heads, causing some degree of comedic drama.


    Our particularly foul-mouthed cait sidhe (according to Khalil) took it as a personal affront. Hence, Khalil spent an entire hour trying to convince the reafan to come down close enough so we could get it into a birdcage. After the bird was caged, he spent a good twenty minutes lightheartedly complaining, telling Silas to chill out and that he wouldn''t get to eat the bird.


    We started back on the traveler''s path with a completely loaded trade wagon full of more goods than could have ever been expected for us to bring back. We were all fully prepared for the journey back to be full of nonsense and stops, but none of that occurred. In fact, the two donkeys and our party made excellent time even with the new addition of Silas. From the start, the cait sidhe decided to follow us–or perhaps just Khalil–as if he were a part of our group.


    The pair of them would constantly argue–though it always sounded one-sided to us, as Silas only made occasional noises–about meals and the caged reafan. While some of the arguments were joking, Khalil still ensured the reafan was safely stored in the stables where we kept the mules at night when we camped. Silas wasn''t a burden; he caught several small animals along the way and brought them back to camp at various parts of the journey back to our village. That alone saved us from days and days of nothing but those blasted flaming hot puffed cheese snacks. I tried to convince him–via Khalil, of course–to bring back some safe-to-eat vegetables or herbs, but his response by vomiting assorted plants and grasses he''d eaten while wandering with us made it clear that would not happen.


    Aria slowed and finally stopped our procession as we entered the final stretch of our journey. She gathered us up and even circled some wood to sit on. With a bit of herbal tea bubbling over a temporary fire, she finally looked between Khalil, Lani, and I. Aria glanced at Silas when he yowled, but otherwise, she seemingly ignored him.


    "We should get our story straight before we arrive at our village. There will be a lot of questions, and we do not want to get caught up in the wrong side of an accusation."


    I realize then that she makes perfect sense. Showing up filled to the gills with trade items while not having seemingly traded anything that our village''s Wilder had individually allocated would draw questions and suspicion from even the most even-keeled of us. Part of me was a little offended in truth, as I''d like to think–or pretend, I suppose–that we''d done enough in our trading routes and other work for the village to at least be given the benefit of the doubt. I finally shrug in response.


    "I mean, I think we should just tell them the truth. Besides, we brought back some things that no one would expect to have been traded. Look at the bird and Silas; no one would expect anyone in that village to have traded either of those."


    Aria moves forward a little, crouching next to the teapot. She pulls out four cups and starts to pour some of the herbal tea made from berries I collected from the Wilds during our journey back. Khalil looks over at Silas after I mention him.


    "Are they going to try and cage up Silas? I''ve kinda gotten fond of hearing him call me a slack-jawed, drooling idiot–along with other colorful things."


    My lips twitch, trying to hold back a grin. Before Khalil even spoke those words, I could tell that he''d grown fond of our newly discovered cait sidhe, and I knew he wouldn''t be keen to part with him unless Silas chose it. Aria offers one of the cups to Khalil and addresses what Khalil said first rather than me.


    "No, I do not think they will. It is bad luck."


    Silas mrows at that moment as if to emphasize Aria''s point with a cat-version of "yeah!". Khalil smirked at the bulldog-sized cat momentarily before taking Aria''s offered tea.


    "Additionally, we should ask him the rest of our questions." She murmurs. Lani blinks a few times as she''s handed her tea, seemingly confused.


    "The rest of our questions?"


    Lani starts to blow on the top of the tea, sending its scent on the faint wind in my direction. Aria dips her head and hands me the third of the four cups of tea, keeping the last for herself. Once she''s sitting back down, she speaks again.


    "I am sure we have a few that he will answer."


    Silas chuffs nearby and jumps onto the back of the wagon, conveniently curling up onto the lip of the step up to the back door and pointedly closing his amethyst-colored eyes. The constant attitude of that cat creature makes me smirk, and I shake my head while we sit around the already dying fire before I keep the conversation going.


    "Okay, let''s get our story right first, then we can talk over the questions-thing."


    Khalil takes a sip from his tea and then scratches the stubble on his face.


    "Yeah, alright, sure. So if we''re going to tell them the truth, which version are we giving?"


    All four of us sample our tea in a momentary pause of silence, each seemingly collecting our thoughts. Lani is the first to speak up.


    "We should tell them that we came across the branded wiretail that was way far away from anywhere that the Blackham folk ever are. At least then they''ll be able to see why we think Silas was telling the truth about the erratic seam that, you know, took out everyone in the vicinity of wherever it opened."


    I nod my head, agreeing with her.


    "Yeah, that''s good thinking. I think we should also mention that when we came up on the river, I could hear what was probably marmennlar singing drifting to us from further in the Wilds, off of the traveler''s path. I''d imagine that means the seam, wherever it did open, was more spotty than just one massive area."


    Aria continues to savor her tea while I speak, and only when I finish does she speak up again.


    "Yes. We must ensure they understand we saw signs of something wrong before we even reached the village."


    Having been quiet while the three of us spoke, Khalil finished his small cup of tea in a big gulp. He spit out a little twig, then used a small amount of water to swill out the cup.


    "Dude, we should just tell the rest exactly as it happened after we got there, except I kinda think we shouldn''t tell them that Silas came through the seam. They''ll want to ask him a ton of questions, and he might get mad about it and leave."


    Aria studies Khalil''s face and responds relatively quickly.


    "They will need to know he came through the seam; otherwise, they may not believe Silas speaks true. Cait sidhe are not exactly always believed by some of our kind."


    "Well, that''s stupid, sorry; if they''re not going to believe him telling us what happened, then how''s telling them he came through the seam going to change them believing him at all? Seems to me that they''ll think whatever information we got from Silas is going to be bullshit either way, so why not protect him at least some?" Khalil says, irritatedly shaking his head.


    Aria leans back and tips her cup behind her by a couple of feet, pouring out a couple of berries and leaves left in the bottom of her cup. She uses some of the water from her side-hooked flask to swill around in her cup like Khalil did before pouring the water to the ground on the fire embers between us. The embers sizzle in protest, but the fire that created them is only used to heat the tea kettle and is quickly put out by adding water.


    "You must tell them what Silas said. I do not believe they will want to keep or bother Silas for it. The weans might bother him some, but I believe they will be safe around him. He is congenial."


    "Like hell he is! You didn''t hear the shit he said on the road back this far!"


    Lani, Khalil, and I all laugh a little at Khalil''s exclamation, and I think I almost saw Aria titter for a moment–a split second, really. It causes the faint, warm feeling from earlier in our journey to threaten to spread again in my face before I mentally bludgeon it down. Aria tilts her head at Khalil and raises an eyebrow.


    "Okay, fine. I concede." Khalil groans in response.


    Lani finishes cleaning her cup the same way the rest of us do, then looks over at Silas as she starts to stand up.


    "What should we ask him? Is Silas going to grant us some wishes?"


    "He is not a genie from a movie, Lani," Aria grumbles while pursing her lips. All three of us laugh at that, but Lani continues.


    "Okay, okay. But really though, I don''t know what we could ask…"


    She trails off as Silas stretches and hops down from the back of the wagon. He struts right over to us and sits beside Khalil before using one of his apple-sized paws to clean his dark, pitch-black face. The cat makes a little warble noise, drawing Khalil''s attention momentarily.


    "Silas says that Aladdin was a shitty movie. Obviously, I disagree with him; no movie with a song where people are singing on a magic carpet ride is bad. Besides, he''s like a bad attitude monkey that always hangs around. It''s pretty great."


    Aria slightly turns her head at a tilt, the same time I do. That was a weird thing to say. Khalil looks between Aria and me with his deep, kind eyes. Before I can even voice a "no, don''t," Khalil blurts out.


    "I wish you to stay with me, Silas; you''re fun as hell."


    "Oh dammit, Khalil, stop it." I groan and slap my forehead.


    Midway through cleaning his face with one paw, Silas stops moving, save for turning his head to look at Khalil with his vivid purple eyes. The working dog-sized black feline stretches his two front paws out in front of him, with his back end in the air. Silas'' black tail swishes a few times before he moves from that pose and walks over to lunge on top of Khalil''s lap. The cat''s size almost bowls over Khalil, who hasn''t gotten up like Lani and I and is still sitting on the wobbly makeshift wooden stool. I look at the rapid movement in shock but then realize the cat is just draping himself across Khalil''s lap.


    "Wait–did… did that actually just work?" Khalil laughs boldly, "Oh snap, look who''s got a new cat-sith perma-friend!"


    The purposeful pronunciation makes Lani and I laugh at Khalil''s stupid joke, but Aria seems to miss it as she corrects him with a simple and forceful "cait sidhe" without laughter or humor in her voice.


    "Can I try?" Lani looks at me before rubbing her forehead a little. I shrug my shoulders in response.


    "I mean, sure, go ahead?"


    At my confirmation, Lani walks over and crouches down next to Silas, touching her hands to the large feline''s silky black fur.


    "Will you help Orion and me become better trained with our gifts?"


    I raise my eyebrows, having not expected that. The cat turns his head, focusing his amethyst-colored eyes on Lani. Silas'' ears lower slightly, and he hisses and spits momentarily. Aria, Lani, and I raise our eyes to Khalil, our wildlife translator.


    "Dude, rude. She''s playing by the rules." Khalil nudges Silas with his left hand.


    Silas hops off Khalil''s lap and knocks over his teacup with the landing. Instead of ignoring it, Silas slaps the fallen cup once with a paw–the cat growls and mrowls in response. Khalil leans over to pick up the cup before Silas can continue using it as a punting toy.


    "He says you asked for two things, and you only have one feather''s worth of request left."


    I lean back slightly, trying to parse that out. Lani is on top of it, though.


    "So, because Ori gave him three fletching feathers, we got to ask one question back at the other village. You requested he stay with you, so we have another thing to ask or request?"


    Khalil nods in response, which causes Lani to give Aria the side-eye.


    "Not a genie, huh, surrrre."


    Aria looks skywards rather than justifying that with a response. I snicker despite myself, then add in.


    "If you want to ask the same thing again, you can; it''s cool, Lani. Just drop my name off it, and you should be good, right?"


    Silas, busy staring daggers at the teacup being held by Khalil, doesn''t seem to react to the conversation we''re having around him. Lani touches her hand back to Silas again, and as she pets his fur, we can see the silken gleam of his relatively long fur highlight his animal musculature.


    "Okay, if you''re sure…" she continues without interjection. "I want you to help me learn and get better with my gifts, Silas. Will you do that?"


    There is a long pause of rigid non-movement from Silas. I initially thought he was simply ignoring Lani and focusing all his energy on "his" stolen teacup that Khalil is still holding hostage. However, I am wrong, and Silas spins slowly to focus wide eyes on Lani''s. As the slits of Silas'' eyes dilate, the cait sidhe makes a short spurt of noises at Lani, similar to when he accepted our question at the village in days past. Lani doesn''t move, and Silas steps closer, almost as if he has Lani locked in a trance. I nervously look towards Khalil, but he doesn''t look nervous, so I shift my gaze back to the feline and my half-elven, half-pixie friend as they have some stare-off.


    If I weren''t watching, I would have missed it. During the slight noises Silas makes at random intervals, the purple of his eyes grows more and more vivid, almost luminescent, in fact, by the time the cat is face to face, nose to nose with Lani. Her face initially reflects the dark neon hue that Silas is producing, but moments later, she starts to absorb the light from Silas through her own eyes. Her eyes change their color on the spot, from their airy-wispy blue color to the deep amethyst Silas typically has. I stand up immediately, concerned. Khalil stands as well, but it''s to hold out a hand towards me to stop me from advancing on them.


    "She asked him for it, Ori, chill. He''s granting her request, and it''s the only way they can communicate so she can learn and get his guidance. It''s okay."


    When Khalil stops me, I stop moving forward, but I most certainly look at Aria, trying to get her input. Instead of seeming concerned, she exhales air through her nose slowly.


    "Orion, give Silas another set of fletch feathers."


    I give her a stern look as if her being unconcerned is somehow a problem, but she doesn''t react in any particular way–if anything, she continues to look at me, impatient that I''m not following her direction.


    "Fuck it, okay, whatever. If you guys think that was fine, then fine." I puff out loudly. Grumbling and walking, I head over to where we hung my quiver and bow outside the wagon but stop when Silas yowls and spits in my general direction.


    "Now what?" I grouse.


    "He says you''re an asshole for trying to use feathers on him again and refuses." Khalil guffaws. There''s a little pause where Silas makes a huffing noise before continuing to yawl and chitter. Khalil adds on; his animal translation skills on point.


    "Three to a customer; he says you should have given him more than three feathers at the beginning, among other things. But he says he''ll change his mind if you–what? No. He''s not giving you the reafan, Silas. Shut up."


    "Yeah, sorry." Khalil looks at me apologetically.


    I shrug my shoulder and slip the arrow I intended to defletch to get the feathers in question back into the quiver.


    "We should have wished for him to speak normally," I mutter.


    Before too long, with all jokes aside and the conversation about our plan of arrival complete, we''re on the road again, leading the trading wagon and trailing it simultaneously. As we finished our journey back to our home village along the traveler''s path, Silas'' newest joy was jumping onto the wagon and climbing down the mules'' harnesses until he could lay down on one of their backs. All four of us call him lazy and laugh at his antics, but before long, we all lapse into amicable silence as we finish the last leg of our journey homeward. It isn''t long before we see the unadorned walls and decorations, plots of growing food and people working, guards patrolling while dogs and children play chase.


    Home, sweet home.


    As we draw up and through the front entrance to our village of assorted Wilder, I see a pair of large, metal-lined trading wagons painted with reds, greens, purples, and white designs parked near our village''s stables. The stables are where our more "valuable" or hard-to-obtain animals are maintained and are generally our first stop on arrival from a trading journey. Instead of blocking the pathway behind the two large wagons, we lead our two mules a cart''s length back and have them hold position. Along the sides of the wagons, I see the clear and present markings of a thin, regal, and muscular dog with large, bat-like ears standing alert–the general design that represents the Alvarado tribe. They raise dogs in the Wilds and often use them as trade chips with other tribes and sometimes Wilder villages like ours.


    As we come to a stop, I pat the side of one of the mules.


    "Silas, you might as well stay on the back of the mules for a few minutes. Let us sort out what we need to get sorted." I look around, seeing people coming in from nearby on their way towards us to see what goodies we''ve returned with.


    "Khalil," I quickly blurt to my best friend, "can you run interference? I''ve gotta see what''s going on with the Alvarado traders and see if they plan on moving soon. Don''t want folks to go poking through our wagon yet until we can report in."


    Khalil jogs up next to me from behind the wagon and nods.


    "Yeah, Ori, I got it. I''ll keep them back with a stick."


    He grins crookedly at me, but I know he''ll do it. As Khalil raises his hands above his head, he growls like a bear at an approaching elf-kin wean, then stomps towards them.


    "Arrrrghhh! I''m gonna get you!"


    I smile a little, noting how good he is with weans and everyone else. It''s his superpower, honestly. I depart, leaving Khalil to defend the wagon from miniature squealing interlopers and nosy adults.


    A few steps past the pair of trade wagons ahead of ours, I see the trading group inside the stables talking to Gallen, who essentially acts as our game warden and stable master. Gallen is relatively short and thin–his nickname when he was a kid was "bean," like a beanstalk–but as he''s up there in age, he''s starting to show signs of it in the coloration of his hair. He always wears working clothes, with pockets everywhere, and usually has some degree of foreign substance dirtying up his clothing. Gallen ensures that all our village''s assorted working animals are appropriately taken care of. Some people have dogs for their family, but Gallen doesn''t see to those unless they need medical assistance. He mostly sticks to caring for the animals used to "get stuff done" in and around our place in the Wilds.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    I hang around, waiting to catch Gallen''s eye. Once I do, I give him a little wave, and he grins in my direction before holding up a hand and one finger to tell me to give him a minute. I nod and, instead, look at the group of Alvarado. They don''t trade too often with Wilder, but it happens sometimes, and it looks like they''re trading a few dogs to Gallen, which means he was given an order (or orders) from people in the village. They seem to be disagreeing about what gender of the dog they''ll provide–either all males or all females–but I tune it out after a while and go instead to lurk next to one of our very, very few stabled work horses. I pick up a few sugar cubes to feed and pet the first one who comes up to the stall doors to get a treat.


    A little time passes, but finally, Gallen comes up to me. I didn''t see Aria or Lani depart anywhere, but I doubt they''re holding vigil next to our trading cart.


    "Hey, Orion. Welcome back. Glad to see you''re all safe. Hopefully, you guys didn''t have too much trouble?"


    I pat the horse again before moving away slightly to avoid getting nipped for more sugar cubes.


    "Eh, it was, well, let''s just say we need to talk with Jorge and Hannah before our story gets out."


    Gallen tilts his head both out of curiosity and a little bit of concern.


    "Oh man, that sounds bad? Should I be worried?"


    "No, no, probably not, it''s all good. Hey, look, uh, can we keep our cart here temporarily so people don''t get into it and mess around?" I smile while answering, trying to disarm him.


    "Yeah, sure; I mean, I''m not going to guard it or anything like that, but you can bring it in here, and I doubt anyone will mess with it while you guys go do your thing and talk with Jorge and Hannah." While he responds, he lifts his shoulders in a shrug.


    "Thanks, Bean," I add to be polite, even if he''s a little irritable.


    He mutters something additional about being too damn busy to guard a wagon, but I''m already backing out of the stables. I flag down Khalil and tell him to lead the mules into the stable and keep the wagon inside for now, then to meet me next to the area for the great Beltaine bonfire near the village''s center. Next, I catch up to Lani when I see her chatting with a couple of people, and she walks along with me as I head for the bonfire''s circle.


    "Hey, Ori, what''s the plan?"


    "Going to try and find Aria, then we''ll meet up with Khalil at the Beltaine bonfire." I slide my hands into my pockets as we stroll along. Lani seems fine with that plan, as well.


    "Aria went to the butcher''s. I can snag her, and we can meet you two there."


    I agree, and then I split off from Lani as she goes on to do just that. The village is bustling, and it''s nice to see my people again.


    Elven-kind like me, who feel the pull of the Wilds, sometimes forget the enjoyable aspects of being around others. I wouldn''t say I like crossing a seam into the human divide; there, the proper natural areas are often too far apart, and everything is simply too noisy. Just everything is too loud for me there, and I cannot wait to get back to our side whenever I go. One of the great things about seams is that they destroy any technological gadgets if people try to cross with them. Something about the magic of our lands unravels them and breaks them down to their base parts. Khalil disagrees. He always says he''d love to have a little music player and some headphones on this side, but I prefer it how it is.


    As I draw upon the area our village always uses for Beltaine, I rub the side of my face and realize that I''ve grown a bit of stubble from the journey. I''d never be able to get a beard like Khalil can get, but that''s okay. I don''t care for it–it itches–so as I watch Lani, Aria, and Khalil making their way up the path to where I sit, I try to remind myself to razor it off later when I can finally get a good soaking to wash away the travel grime.


    "Hey," I greet the trio as they catch up with me. Aria nods with Lani, and Khalil greets me back. "So, I have Gallen holding our wagon in the stables for now, but I think we probably should see Jorge and Hannah before we do anything else. They should know about the stuff–you know, we sorted out the story for this reason."


    All three of the others nod and agree without complaint, which makes for the quickest "round table discussion" we may have ever had.


    A few minutes later, our tired quartet is walking up to the large home of Jorge and Hannah, the de facto leaders of our Wilder village and settlement. They were the first to settle here, and although they''re old, they''re not in danger of keeling over anytime soon. Our lives go on different timelines, with so many different types of fey. Some age extra slowly, some have average human-like lifespans, and a few unfortunate types only live into their late twenties or early thirties.


    Hannah and Jorge''s home is more prominent than pretty much any of the other homes in our village. No one complains about its size; they built it and put in the work before there was ever even a village here. They even have carvings to decorate the wood and hammered metal used to construct the home. The designs could use a fresh coat of paint in many spots, but aesthetics like thick paint aren''t easy to come by unless you get them from one of the major towns or cities. In short, it''s pretty much never a priority on a trading run.


    After knocking on the front door, we take a few steps back to wait. The first thing we see is their pet reafan, Vox, who flies out of one of the open windows to land on a nearby awning. Seeing the bird reminds me of Silas, and that I also don''t remember seeing him on the back of a mule when Khalil went to move the trading wagon inside of Gallen''s stables. I sigh, which draws a look from Aria, but I shake my head as if to say, "Don''t worry about it." A few moments pass, and the reafan squawks at us, but the front door opens. With his weathered skin and bald head, Jorge stands there and looks out at us.


    "Aria! Orion, Khalil and Lani! Welcome back from your trip. You four must have just gotten back in. You look knackered. Come in, come in. Hannah is just finishing chatting with someone; I''ll fetch you four something to drink and eat while you wait."


    We don''t get a word in edgewise with the old gent, but it''s alright. His demeanor and friendliness make me feel welcome, as always. He holds the door open with his thick, rough hands–long since callused by his years working metal and wood–and waves us all into the first gathering room we see.


    The parlor is decorated with assorted plants, some moving as we walk inside. There is a small table, several seats, and a couch woven by still-living vines. The plant work is one of Hannah''s specialties and is quite beautiful to see. Technically, Hannah is a distant great Aunt on my father''s side or something, and she''s always been taken with me. So it was no real surprise that as I started to display my powers, they were always related to the Wilds. I don''t have the gift of working with plants like Hannah, but I can move, see, hear, and smell like animals and creatures of the Wilds, and sometimes, I can even control and act through the eyes of those creatures if I try hard enough.


    With everyone settled in to wait, Jorge returned to offer us food, some small square cookie treats called mikado, and flavored drinks before departing again. It''s an old tradition of hospitality; we know that Jorge and Hannah will see to our care while we''re under their roof. I scratch a little at the stubble on the side of my face again, the itching starting to irritate me. Lani draws my attention as she plays with a vine that is actively curling around one of her fingers while she strokes a leaf. Aria sits down and closes her eyes while Khalil busily gorges himself on the sweet treats.


    Sure enough, we soon see one of the Alvarado people departing ahead of Jorge and Hannah. They politely wish the man well on the trader''s journey, then close the door behind him. Jorge exhales slightly but then gestures toward us while we wait in the parlor''s sitting area. Hannah smiles on seeing me, and probably the others, too. While Jorge appears to be a hearty man with meaty hands, stout legs, and shoulders, Hannah is the opposite.


    Hannah stands almost as tall as the doorway and is wispy and thin, like Lani, with delicate features and physical attributes. While my ears are only narrowly tipped at the top, Hannah''s ears are long and pointed–swept back almost as if they were drawn back with her long golden hair. Her eyes are the color of vivid blue topaz. She is everything humans would think of when they think of the classical elf-kin, and though she looks frail or delicate, all of us know that can change instantly should she ever so wish it. When she enters the room, the plants shiver, their leaves and branches trembling in anticipation. One gets the feeling, a vibe, really, of pure happiness. The flora is ecstatic to see Hannah.


    "Hello Orion, Lani, Aria and Khalil. Welcome back. It is good to see all of you still in good health."


    Despite myself, I smile, as do the others–except for Aria, who dips her head exceedingly respectfully to Hannah and Jorge as he follows her into the room.


    "What brings you to our house today and so quickly? Surely, you''ve not had time to clean yourselves up or get a good meal."


    I glance at Aria, who Lani said was at the butcher''s, but then realize that probably isn''t important.


    "Hey, so we needed to come and see you both privately about what we encountered on our trade run. Something weird, maybe bad, had happened, and we didn''t want to announce it to the village or let them see the stuff we brought back yet until we talked with you two."


    Jorge brings two chairs from another room and sets one down for Hannah before taking his seat next to her.


    "Doesn''t sound good, not good at all," Jorge grunts.


    Hannah shifts her glance momentarily at Jorge, or at least I thought it was Jorge until she holds up a hand, and the reafan that stared us down outside flies inside to land on the side of her hand like a perfect perch. She touches long, thin fingers along the black and dangerous feathers. The reafan''s red eyes move from each of us as if trying to judge us.


    "Well…"


    And with that, I start to tell the story, not leaving out any of the parts, from the wiretail to the lack of all animals and life as we traversed the river–save for the distant singing further in the Wilds. Khalil adds that the mules warned of the feeling of danger right before we crossed the river towards the village and were quiet after that. I tell them about the abandoned village and how it looked like people were taken in the middle of meals and other activities–along with the animals. I hesitate for a few moments as I draw to the part of the story where we met Silas, and my hesitation draws an ever-so-slightly raised eyebrow from Hannah. Khalil also looks uncomfortable but fidgets and takes another treat to munch on to keep himself occupied.


    "When we went to the metal works–well, their smithy and carpentry area–when we opened the door, a huge black cat ran out. Turns out it was a cait sidhe, as Aria told us."


    Jorge doesn''t react to that, but Hannah does. She''s pretty much the most wise of anyone in the village, so it doesn''t surprise me that she knows what it is. She brushes a small vine away that had grown towards her with her free hand that wasn''t still being perched on by the reafan.


    "A cait sidhe. Hmm. That is… unusual. Where is it now?"


    I pause and start to make a noise that sounds like "errrr" as I try to think of how to answer. Luckily, Khalil interjects.


    "Well, he''s at my place right now. I kind of didn''t want too many questions about him yet. His name is Silas, and he''s cantankerous but also friendly-ish."


    I give Khalil a little look, and he raises his eyebrows.


    "What? I know words longer than two syllables sometimes, too, Orion."


    I roll my eyes and look back at Hannah, who has a mystifying expression.


    "Silas is his name, I see. And what did this Silas do?"


    I continue the story again, explaining how we asked a question after giving him some feathers at Aria''s urging, which then went into an explanation of why we came to the belief that it was an uncontrolled seam that opened and moved the entire village away somewhere. I finished the story by explaining that we decided to take items from the village before the place was looted and hoped it wasn''t a problem. I told Jorge and Hannah both that was why we had our trade wagon essentially hidden in Gallen''s stables until we talked with them about it.


    "How is looting their village for our village different from another village looting the same place for their village later?" Jorge inquires, clearly trying to follow our logic.


    I take a moment before I respond.


    "Well, the truth is, I guess it isn''t. But if they come back, maybe we can help them out. I just, I don''t know, I got this feeling while we were there that we wouldn''t see that village again or its people–maybe not ever. Obviously, if they show back up, I''d be first in line to help them get sorted out."


    "Did you also get this same ''feeling'' that Orion did, love?" Hannah looks from me to Lani. Lani brushes back some of her hair from her face before responding.


    "I don''t know that I got the same feeling, but the vibe wasn''t right there if that makes sense. It felt–it felt–" Lani drifts off, trying to put words to feelings. Finally, she follows up. "–It felt like one of those old stories from the bad times between the sun and moon ascendant tribes, where entire families trying to start villages would wind up missing, just gone. Yeah, I mean, if I think of it like that, I guess I got a feeling."


    Hannah tilts her head to acknowledge Lani before turning her topaz-blue eyes towards Aria and Khalil, clearly inquiring if they had anything to add. When it''s clear that neither of them does, Hannah turns her gaze back to me.


    "Thank you for taking care to sort this all out for us, Orion. That''s very mature of you."


    "If I''m honest, Aria helped a lot. We''d have probably done some pretty stupid stuff–or made really bad decisions–if she weren''t with us." I add, protesting a little that Aria didn''t get her due. Hannah stretches her lips slightly in a smile.


    "Yes, why do you think we always send someone with some experience and age with our trading groups? We can''t let our young people go off into the Wilds unprepared and unprotected; some are just completely unaware of what strange things might be waiting for them."


    I nod, not wanting to interrupt her.


    "I need to think about everything you''ve told us today. But, in the meanwhile, I assume Khalil is taking responsibility for the cait sidhe, Silas, yes?"


    "Yes, if that''s alright anyway." Khalil pipes up, as expected.


    Hannah gazes at him and inclines her head.


    "If he has chosen you, then he''s chosen you. You should feel quite honored."


    "Er, I should?" Khalil gets a slightly confused look on his face. That response causes Hannah to laugh–lovely and melodious.


    "Yes, silly. His kind tends to be, well, as you said, ''cantankerous,'' but also they are quite often troublesome. However, a few lucky individuals are essentially claimed by a cait sidhe and then find themselves with a relatively powerful familiar. So yes, congratulations."


    Khalil puffs up at the compliment, and I smirk.


    "However, you''re going to have to spend extra time making sure that he doesn''t choose to predate on our village''s animals."


    She strokes a finger down the back of the reafan on her hand as if to make a point. Khalil deflates a fraction.


    "Ah, yeah, that''s no problem. I''ve already had lots of conversations about that with Silas."


    "What about the Blackham wiretail?" Aria inquires, finally having leaned forward. Hannah refocuses on Aria once she has finally spoken.


    "I suppose we could send a letter to their town, but I''m not sure they would do anything about one wiretail when they have so many."


    Aria nods once, almost as though she is done talking, but she seems to think better of it and speaks again.


    "I understand this. What about the rider of the wiretail? It is possible that they were lost in the Wilds, and the wiretail could lead them to their Blackham tribe member. If it is missing, I mean. Telling them of this wiretail and the location may engender some positive feelings towards our village."


    Hannah whispers in our people''s language–the fey–to the bird still perched on her hand. After which, she moves her arm out to encourage the reafan to fly away.


    "Vox, go."


    "Vox" protests with a couple of squawks but still takes flight and disappears through a window a few moments later. Once the bird has left the home, Hannah speaks again in the common tongue.


    "Vox will take our message to their city."


    The definitive way it was said makes Aria nod her head in thanks.


    "As far as the trade goods go–" Hannah pauses, which makes the four of us–and Jorge–lean in closer as if to listen more closely. "–I believe it would be wise to say that you located a trio of wild reafans during your trip to the village. There, in that village, you traded two of the reafans to the village for all of the goods you brought back, which is why you''ve returned with so many items and the remaining reafan and all of their initial trade goods. You''ll return the initial trade goods to their original owners; Jorge will help with that since that will require a bit of oversight."


    Jorge nods but does not interrupt Hannah as she continues speaking.


    "As far as the rest of the trade goods go, outside of the gasoline–which I''d imagine you made sure to get, being as you were sent there to trade for it–" She trails off, clearly looking for us to acknowledge that, which I do, so she continues. "Anyway, outside of the gasoline, have Merrill set up a trade expedition with the new goods once Jorge has helped you sort the original goods back to their owners. We''ll put any of the proceeds we get from the trade goods into the village''s overall coffers, to be fair to everyone."


    With a plan in place, I feel better. Exhaling, I stand, thinking that''s the end of the conversation.


    "Thank you for helping us sort through that mess."


    Lani and Aria both stand. Khalil shuffles over a little from where he had been standing in the room the whole time. Hannah smoothly rises from her chair, joined by Jorge. He picks up both of the chairs he''d brought in earlier for them to sit on and then shuffles away to take them back where they belonged, leaving Hannah with us.


    "No, thank you for telling us the whole story. It would have been easy to leave out pieces or fudge the truth."


    I smile at the acknowledgment of our trustworthiness and feel a little ball of warmth rest in my stomach.


    "Thank you all for coming. Please get yourselves cleaned up, and for graciousness sake, get yourselves a good, warm meal."


    Khalil, Lani, and Aria say their goodbyes and head out through the front door, weariness starting to settle in. We could all use a good, long sleep, that''s the truth. Before I can say goodbye and leave, Hannah pauses to stop me.


    "Orion, stay with me a few minutes before you go?"


    I run my hand over my face slowly, trying to wipe away my tiredness and refocus my mind.


    "Sure. What''s up?"


    She gestures for me to follow her, and so I do. We move through the main hallway of her home, and I pass paintings and other assorted things with vines and flowers, plants, and leaves all intertwined into beautiful structures, furniture, and sculptures. We walk in almost complete silence; the flooring of her place is a mossy carpet that muffles our movement. I almost wish I weren''t wearing shoes so I could feel it beneath my toes and on the soles of my feet like a wild elf. Finally, we make our way into what would only be considered a sunroom of some kind, with plants and open windows and several half-finished paintings next to two unfinished chairs. Hannah stops and turns towards me with a little smile.


    "My workshop. Where I come to think and, well, not-think."


    "It''s pretty nice." I grin back at her. She sits down in front of one of her unfinished paintings but chooses to look at me instead of the artwork.


    "I''m glad that you returned safely. I know perhaps more than most that the Wilds can be dangerous, but I can''t coddle you either. Your mother would curse me night and day if I did."


    My smile breaks a little. No one ever talks about my mother, especially not me. I don''t know exactly what to say, so I stand there mutely–maybe even dumbly.


    "Don''t worry, Orion, we won''t talk about her."


    My shoulders relax slightly, glad not to have to bring up that badness.


    "How are your powers coming along?"


    I slowly take a seat once I''m sure that the work-in-progress chairs aren''t going to crash and fall apart if I put my weight on one of them.


    "The sun helps them–which you thought I would be aligned with. I''m still the best with being able to see and hear."


    "The two you use the most for hunting." Hannah placidly interjects.


    "Yeah," I agree. "I figured that was the case. Um, I''m not good with picking out scents, and I''m really not even sure if I can tell the difference between textures and feelings. Maybe it''s because I haven''t really needed to. Not working a loom or anything like that, you know, so I don''t get a lot of practice there."


    Hannah picks up one of the paintbrushes and slowly looks it over. I realize that the paintbrush has no old color on it, and neither do any of the others on her small table of them. Seeing that makes me a little sad, almost like it''s truly a shame she doesn''t have the pigments to paint beautiful things.


    "I guess that''s about it. Sometimes, I can ''take over'' smaller animals and see through their senses, but I can''t do it for long, and sometimes, it''ll give me a nosebleed."


    Hannah looks me over slowly before speaking again.


    "You''re fond of Aria."


    I splutter before I can catch myself.


    "Er, uh, I mean. She''s a good traveling partner. I always feel safe with her around?"


    Hannah raises an eyebrow as if she knows damn well that was a lie by omission. She laughs, though.


    "Mmm-hmm. May I give you some advice?"


    I quickly nod my head, happy not to have to stumble over my words for that moment.


    "You know she''s moon-aligned."


    I nod again, feeling a bit like a bobblehead and not seeing where she''s going with this. Plenty of the fey in our village are moon-aligned. We got past that drama a long time ago in the fey world–the bad times were bad–everything''s appropriately sorted out by the tribes now. So now there''s no drama. Hannah mentioning it makes me feel a little uncomfortable, though.


    "Uh, yeah. She''s a great night guard to have."


    My discomfort doesn''t bleed away, as I''m unsure where our conversation is going.


    "Yes, she is. Be careful, though."


    This puzzles me so much that I don''t know what to say. Hannah sighs softly before setting down the paintbrush again.


    "Your mother was like you, originally. Carefree, good-natured, a little rapscallion. It''s what drew your father to her despite her moon leanings."


    Hannah talking about her like she''s dead, which she isn''t at all, makes me even more uncomfortable.


    "But her problem was she took to the wrong person who was also moon-aligned. Took her down the wrong path, and we know how that went."


    A little flitting of anger rises indignantly in my chest.


    "Aria isn''t someone who''s taking the ''wrong path.'' She''s loyal and honest, and if I did–if I were fond of her–it''d be my business. It wouldn''t affect me like it did her. She was crazy, I''m not."


    Hannah raises her hands as if to cool my rising temper. It doesn''t help, but I do stop talking.


    "Orion, Orion. I am not chastising you or telling you what to do. If it would make you happy to be with her and her happy to be with you, then you should be happy. I want you to be careful with all of the choices you make. Someone has to look out for my youngest nephew."


    Her saying as much dampens my rising rage, and I exhale to release the tension.


    "Sorry, you know how I get about… her."


    She nods in response, then slowly stands. She touches a hand to my face, thumbing over the faint stubble.


    "I know. It took me a very long time to not feel the same."


    She drifts off but follows it up with a faint, joking voice.


    "Trying to be the first elf-kin from our family tree with a beard?"


    I blurt out a laugh.


    "I don''t think I could even if I let it grow for years. I''m going to razor it off tonight, though. It itches like crazy. I don''t know how people deal with it."


    Hannah smiles at me once more and drops her hand to her side.


    "Go on, Orion, go be with your friends. Get yourself some food and rest. We''ll talk another time."


    I exhaled and thanked Hannah before letting her walk me to her front door. As I leave her house, my shoulders slump slightly, and it hits me just how hungry and tired I am. Without wanting to do anything else, I brainlessly followed Hannah''s order and set out to the Forgetful Fox to get a meal before I head home and clean myself up and rest.


    Home, sweet home, indeed.