Hearthway Hollow

Gisela the Rougarou

Male Main Character x Female Monster

The lineage of mayors in Hearthway Hollow is a short one. For the longest time, there hadn't been any sort of government outside the Elders and their circle, and it wasn't until the nineties that a true government body was formed to protect human interests, which were slowly growing in Hearthway Hollow.

I used to work with the parks department, a fledgling wing of this government. From the time I moved to Hearthway Hollow in my teen years, I worked there doing gardening and cleanup, moving my way up through the ranks until I led the department. Then I was asked if I would run for mayor when the elections were coming up. I was backed by Mrs. Locklear. I knew she was important to the town, but I never realized how important until I became elected.

When I was elected mayor, I was informed of the secret of Hearthway Hollow and the particulars of how to protect it. I had known Adam since I moved to Hearthway Hollow - we were the same age, graduated together, and all that. Finding out he was the Alpha of this werewolf town was a bit of a shock.

I decided not to dwell on that, and just do my best to help Hearthway Hollow and lead the people there. Despite the fact that I was a human, I was often asked to join meetings with Adam and the Elders. They wanted my input as the elected official to make decisions for the pack and the town as a whole. Looking at Billy, Mrs. Locklear, even Adam, I couldn't help but feel inadequate sometimes, like I was just playing mayor. After all, it was Adam and the Elders who led Hearthway Hollow. What did I really contribute besides a veneer of legitimacy?

One afternoon as I'm in my office, Mrs. Locklear strides into the place like she owns it, then sits down in one of the chairs before my desk. Mrs. Locklear is calm composure blanketing an active volcano. I have learned that where there is a Locklear, there is sure to be a commotion.

"What is it, Mrs. Locklear?" I ask. "If there's another meeting with the Elders tonight, I'm afraid I cannot attend. I have a date that I'm looking forward to."

"Nothing like that, Gevaudan," she says with a slightly sly tone. "There's just something I feel you should be informed of. You see, my daughter is coming home for a visit this weekend."

I purse my brow slightly. "Your daughter?"

Mrs. Locklear nods. "She was the first child that my wife and I adopted. Remember the Cabin Girl?"

It happened while I was still in high school. The ranger station was mapping out how to expand the nature reserve when they found a cabin in the woods, and inside, they found the body of a man who had died merely a few days before. Upon further inspection, they found a young girl hiding in the basement. The story was spread through Hearthway Hollow, but the girl was kept hidden to protect her.

"I never knew you adopted her," I reply.

"That was what we thought was best for her, Kaga and I. We didn't want her headlined as 'The Cabin Girl' to affect what could be a very normal childhood. We homeschooled her until the hype died down and we let her make decisions she felt best suited her. But Kaga and I soon discovered we didn't have an ordinary little girl on our hands."

I was prepared for this story to take the usual course. "She was a werewolf as well?"

"No," Mrs. Locklear sighs heavily. "Our daughter was something else." She leans forward slightly in her chair. "Gevaudan is a French name, correct?"

I nod. "Why do you ask?"

"Then you must know the story of the Rougarou."

I furrow my brow deeper at her. "It's Cajun, not French. But my father used to have a storybook he read from to scare me and my brothers."