Hearthway Hollow

Liam

Male Werewolf x Female Human (you)

I came back home to stay with my great-aunt about a month ago. I've been gone for a long time, traveling, working, whatever comes up. I returned to recuperate from an accident I had while on assignment. I've been traveling for so long I forgot what being settled felt like.

As I hobble around the house with my bum leg, my great-aunt gives me a cane her father used to walk with, though she says she'll beat my ass if anything happens to it. This old house is full of things like that. Many a Locklear has been raised in these walls, and Lord knows I spent my fair share of life here. It's not where I grew up, but it's more home than most places.

I have one of the downstairs rooms so I don't have to bother with the stairs, but I can hear my great-aunt when she goes up and down them. She's one of those ageless creatures, still strong and formidable. She's not changed at all since the last I saw her. It's comforting. I can only hope I inherit some of those genes.

There's a knock on the door and I slowly sit up from bed. "You up, Liam?"

"Getting there," I grunt.

"I've gotta go into town today. So if you have to limp anywhere, leave me a note."

Aunt Winnie is always busy doing something. The Locklears always are in Hearthway Hollow. As I get up, I go through my routine - I check my camera, taking a few pictures of my window as the morning light comes in. I check each detail of the equipment just out of habit. I'm used to being in much more inhospitable places, where my camera was all I had.

I've not done much since the accident. I guess I've kind of been bummed out. I'm also not used to being around people all the time. Ever since I came home, my family has always been around. Siblings, cousins, other aunts, nephews, nieces, and there's no end to them. Even old high school friends have been stopping by, people I've not seen since I went off to college. It's amazing to see Rowan as a teacher - I thought he'd be in jail by now. Adam and Canvas have families of their own, which is worrisome considering how the Three Musketeers used to find trouble wherever they went.

I was a loner even when we were kids, but they always found a way to try and include me. Adam was the sort to never leave anyone behind, which is good for a leader I guess. For me it was just annoying. Now I can appreciate their effort to include an asshole like me, and they still want me around.

I've been fishing a lot lately. It was something my dad and I used to do. Now that he's gone, it feels nice trying to conjure up those old memories. The fishing hole we used to go to is now part of the Hearthway Park, with the entrance marked with signs, and a picnic area with an all-new bridge. There are small placards everywhere that describe the local wildlife and parts of Hearthway Hollow's history. It seems history follows me wherever I go.

For the most part the place is still secluded, and I don't see people if I don't want to. With my bad leg the new paths are easier to traverse. There are a couple of cabins on the creek, but I don't think anyone is in them. It's quiet here, and it is becoming easier and easier to not think about the accident.

I must have fallen asleep, because when I come to, I look up and see you. You're holding a flashlight and have a concerned look on your face.

"Are you okay?" you ask.

I get up groggily, rubbing my eyes as I look around. The area is dark, save for some lamps in the distance and the lighted window of a cabin across the way. I squint, looking towards you as you crouch down beside me.

"I saw you from my window and I got worried. I didn't mean to bother you, but it's late and there are lots of wild animals out there."

You're in pajama bottoms and a hoodie. You smell like coffee and vanilla with a dash of soap, and it makes my head spin in the most peculiar way. The way your eyes focus on me, and the concern that pours from them, set my heart to a scared-rabbit pace. I'm not sure what's happening to me. Your scent, your eyes, even the way you hold the flashlight, all seem to attract me.