Waking the Sleeping Wolf

Peculiarities

Every little village has its peculiarities. Can't be helped. That's just the way of the world in the eras before the internet, and television, and radio, and telegraphs, and even mail carriers. If you don't live near the ruling capital, it hardly even mattered that you were 'ruled' at all, it just doesn't affect you.

Sure, sometimes there will be takeovers, and you might have to deal with some extra taxes and bullying soldiers passing through to make sure you knew who was boss now, but soon enough you can get away with just paying the regular taxes, and the soldiers left you alone. They just don't care enough for a small hunting village on the edge of the forest.

Sure, the ocean may be on the other side of the woods, but the village isn't there, so they were in no way, shape, or form a port town. They don't even really export anything, there's just absolutely nothing special about them in the eyes of the government.

So like all unimportant things, they're left well enough alone. And as a result, they have developed their own little quirks, and their sense of unity, and of belonging. Sure, they might not all get along, and a lot of people may frown upon one of the nursemaid's habits of wearing trousers all the time, but it didn't stop someone from 'accidentally' spilling some fresh deer blood on a passing trader who insulted her because of it. Nor did it stop someone from 'accidentally' letting the local hounds out of their pens only a short few minutes after the accident, nor the priest or local nobleman from 'accidentally' being inside the church having a 'discussion' at the time, so there was no one who could be held responsible for the incident. The two authority figures weren't present and there was no proof left by the time they were 'finished', so there was nothing that could be done.

It was all an accident, of course.

Just like how it was completely accidental that the priest always seemed to not be paying attention when one of the local blacksmith's expressed such a fondness for honey glazed rolls that it would have been considered a sin of gluttony by the church. It was a complete accident that the priest happened to give a sermon on 'let he who is free of sin be the first to throw a stone' the next day when a traveling priest commented on it, all while staring directly at his brother of the cloth. Completely accidental.

Same as how it was accidental that no one ever seemed to notice the way the nobleman shared glances with one of the local hunters, or how they could both be found sitting together some days, light flushes on their faces. Completely accidental, the sun was just hot that day after all. It was accidental that everyone began complaining about how it was just 'so hot out today' when a tax collector seemed to be insinuating something while yelling at the two of them after seeing the blushes on their cheeks. An utter accident.

Little villages such as these all have their own peculiarities, but those peculiarities stem from such a strong sense of unity that they will defend even their most hated rival in the village to their dying breath. But of course, they would never say they were defending anyone. It was all just a strange series of accidents.

Just like how it was an accident that no one ever happened to report to the church that the local healer happened to be a werewolf, nor that the kids were fond of calling him 'Puppy!' and using him as a furry jungle gym. It was completely accidental that no one ever commented on him running around on all fours and playing fetch to entertain them, or licking their faces like a dog to make them laugh. How no one ever commented on how he battled a demon to save them, or how they had thought they would lose him in the days that followed.

The only problem with these accidents, was that they all happened a bit too far in the future to coincide with this narrative. Because while all of the people mentioned above are indeed in this town right now, the healer as of this moment is still indeed a werewolf as he slumbers within his home, curled next to his wife.

The only problem is, he doesn't know it yet.