the protein bar. God, it was awful. Was this supposed to be peanut butter? It tasted like Play-Doh.
The furry man came closer but stopped at the edge of the stream. Now he was in full light, and Avery could see he was indeed very hairy. She wondered if he suffered from that wolf man disease she’d watched a YouTube video about once. What was it called? Hypertrichosis. Poor thing. Perhaps that’s why he was living out here in the middle of nowhere.
Suddenly she wondered if he was hungry. Was that why his eyes were focused on the PowerBar?
“Would you like some?” she asked, holding up the bar. “I’ll warn you, it tastes like shit, but it’s better than starvation.”
The man splashed through the stream and plopped down beside her on the rock. Now that he was closer, she noticed he was smaller than she was. Avery was tall for a woman, so that in itself wasn’t necessarily odd. But when he’d moved across the stream, she’d noticed his limbs seemed unnaturally short. She didn’t think he was a child but suspected whatever medical condition had caused his hairy face had also stunted his growth.
She handed him the last half of the protein bar and reached into her bag for the apple she’d brought. She’d prefer that anyway.
“I’m Avery.”
He didn’t tell her his name but bit into the bar, chewing in a way that produced cute little squeaks like a guinea pig.
“Can you speak?”
He glanced at her and kept eating.
“All right. I’m going to take that as a no.” She bit into the apple. “I’m trying to find Castle Dunchridhe. Do you know if I am close?”
The little man nodded, his mouth full, and pointed downstream.
“It’s that way? I just follow the stream?”
At first he nodded, but then he stopped chewing and rested a paw-like hand on her arm. He glanced downstream and shook his head, then stood and impersonated a monster with gnashing teeth and slashing claws. He shook his head again.
“There’s a monster in the castle?”
He nodded.
“Thank you for letting me know.” This hairy little man was her first friend here. She didn’t suppose it would be a good idea for her to let on that she knew very well that the laird of Castle Dunchridhe was a dragon or that she’d been sent by other monsters to collect him.
Once she’d finished her apple, she slid her socks back on, which were thankfully dry and warmed from the sun, then donned and laced her boots. Though the furry man had finished his bar, he remained beside her, watching her intently, still looking hungry. If she didn’t have to ration her food, she’d offer him another. She collected her bag and slid it onto her shoulders.
“I have to go now. It was nice to meet you. You’re the first friend I’ve made here. I hope we run into each other again.” Avery turned to follow the stream, but the little man took one of her hands and gestured with his head. He wanted her to go with him. She didn’t feel like she was in any danger with him, but she was burning daylight. She wanted to travel as far as possible before nightfall.
She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”
He let her go and she strode from the place, feeling the man’s eyes on her back for a long while as she took his advice and followed the stream toward the valley.
Chapter Eight
Avery walked until sunset, then found a clearing and built a small fire from gathered sticks within a circle of stones. She donned the hat and gloves the oreads had left in her pockets and wrapped herself in her arisaid. Beside the crackling fire, she was warm enough, and she looked up at the stars and thought she’d never seen so many at once.
“Well, Avery, you survived day one,” she whispered to herself, and after walking as far as she had, drifted to sleep with no trouble whatsoever.
In the morning, she was amazed that she’d slept through the night again. After weeks of insomnia at Mistwood, two nights of perfect rest were a blessing. She dusted herself off, ate some nuts she had in her bag, and started walking again. It was late afternoon when she saw a curl of smoke rising from a chimney above the tree line.
“Thank God.” The stream had provided water, but she was down to her last two protein bars, the bottoms of her feet ached, and the sun had begun its