The Shadow Alpha

Chapter 4: Dinner

The photo above is kind of how I pictured this outdoor dinner if some of you are the more visual kind!

Enjoy :)

-Undaunted

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Chapter 4: Dinner

Holly

I venture outside River's home carefully and soon find myself on a path leading to the volume of chatter and the many people responsible for it. It's a beautiful area, shrouded in towering pines and arbutus, and much closer to the ocean than I was back at Half Moon.

I break through the trees only to see I'm exactly where I was earlier when I stumbled into the square following my escape, except this time, I'm well hidden and out of sight on the edge of the activity.

There's a blacksmith's tent, with hammers and tools clanging loudly. There's also a few produce tents, filled with colourful ripe fruits. Past the produce, there are several more tents boasting homemade items: knitted clothing items, pottery, jewelry, and several other similar trinkets which all sit proudly on display.

It's a disarmingly cute and friendly area, something I definitely did not expect when first imagining what the Shadow Pack's main village looked like.

The sweet aroma of baked goods leads me to a tent off to my left, and I lay eyes on all kinds of wrapped goodies and cookies. I feel hungry again at the sight of all the treats, and remember those cookies I had earlier. They were delicious, for being store-bought. I'm sure any one of these baked items would blow them right out of the water.

"It's all home made." A sweet voice says to me with sing-song tune to it, and I look up into the wise face of an older lady, her skin creased near her eyes and mouth, clear signs of a friendly individual.

"I can tell. It looks wonderful. I can't remember seeing anything that looked this good before." I say in agreement as I continue to take in all the sweet smells.

"Thank you dear." She smiles again. "Are you new here? Forgive me; I haven't seen you before is all. I may be old but not many can get past me." She giggles lightly and I feel myself smile. I think if I were ever fortunate enough to have had a grandmother, I'd want her to be like this woman here.

"You caught me." I admit with a slight laugh. "I am new here, and because of that I'm feeling a bit lost." I tell her, a second later realizing that she could help me find this Desiree person River said I had to meet with. "Actually, I need to find someone. Her name is Desiree?" I ask carefully, and the woman smiles with recognition.

"Oh yes, of course! Desiree is a lovely thing. She helps her mother out at the coffee house! Just follow that path there; it's not too far a walk. You'll smell the coffee before you see it." She grins happily and I nod in thanks.

"Great, thank you. I'm Holly Freeman, by the way." I say, holding out a hand.

The woman's soft one meets mine and gently squeezes it in greeting. "I'm Rosa Vincent, it's nice to meet you Holly." She smiles as I do too. "Good luck with finding Desiree."

We release our hold and I begin my retreat toward the path she gestured to. "Thanks for your help, Rosa." I say before turning to leave. 

As bizarre as it seems to think, this place really doesn't seem like a dark satanic abyss it's been painted as over time. It seems like any other normal, welcoming pack.

I do as Rosa said and follow the worn-in path weaving through the trees. Just as she was in thinking I was new here, Rosa is proven correct once again, and I smell coffee and muffins before I see any building or structure. But as I round the next bend, I soon see a small cozy cottage set to the left hand side, a wooden sign reading Shadow Café hanging above the door.