Ivy grinned and crouched down to Maura’s level. “Hi Maura, my name is Ivy and I would love to be your friend. I don’t have very many.”
Maura smiled excitedly, “Me either! Oh we’re going to have the best fun ever. I’ll be sure to show you the best spots to pick flowers! Oh oh! We can watch Nala as she teaches her baby, Bambi how the forest works! Oh and—”
“Maura,” Zeke said sternly. “You can talk Ivy’s ear off later, but right now I bet she’s exhausted. How about tomorrow morning you give her a tour of the village?”
“Well,” she sighed, “I suppose that’s okay.” She gave Ivy a quick hug and then looked at Zeke expectantly. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you around scamp.” Giggling with happiness, Maura scurried off with promises to visit Ivy in the morning.
Ivy glanced over at Zeke and returned his smile. “That was interesting,” she commented.
Zeke chuckled, “Yes, Maura can be a little overwhelming, but she really is an angel. Her mom spends all her time taking care of Rancor, her younger brother, and many of the other girls here don’t like hanging out with Maura. She’s too mature for them. So, in a way, she’s become like a little sister to me.”
“Well she’s adorable.”
“I’m glad you approve,” Zeke said warmly. He took Ivy’s hand again and led her down the main ‘street’ of the village. Women and children came out of their tents and huts to greet Zeke, and to Ivy’s surprise, to greet her. They didn’t seem to care that she wasn’t one of them.”
She looked up at Zeke and whispered, “Why don’t they care that I’m not a demon?”
He gave her a sympathetic look, “They just don’t care. I told you, we have other things that are more pressing than hating someone because they’re a certain race. You aren’t the ones that did this to us, so we have no reason to hate you.”
The fact that these demons, creatures she had been warned about all her life, didn’t care that she was a shifter, didn’t care that her race had declared war on their’s, just astounded her. It made her feel like the lowest of scum that she had so quickly judged them based on the actions of a few.
Zeke led her to the largest tent in the village, stopping outside of the entrance. He turned around and wished the village goodnight before ushering Ivy into the tent. “I know this isn’t the best of accommodations, but I have the best house in the village.” He looked disgusted for a minute and commented bitterly. “I’ve tried to put others in here but they refuse to let me live anywhere else. I don’t need this whole tent to myself.” He shook his head and sighed, pulling a blanket out of the corner.
“It’s really okay, I’m not going to complain about having somewhere to sleep,” Ivy said softly, helping him lay down the blanket.
He smiled gratefully at her and motioned to the floor. “It doesn’t look soft, but it’s actually pretty comfortable to sleep on. There are pine needles under the tent that provide a cushion. I’ll be right outside the tent if you need me for any reason.”
Ivy started to sit down on the floor, but turned and frowned at him. “Won’t it be cold outside?”
“I’ll be fine,” he said stubbornly.
She crossed her arms and glared at him. “No you won’t. I don’t mind if you sleep in here. The tent is big enough for the both of us, and it’ll be warmer.” Before he could protest, she said quickly. “I won’t sleep if you’re not in here with me.”
Zeke glared at her, trying to find a way out of the situation. “I don’t want people to judge you,” he said. “They will if we sleep together.”
“Oh for goodness sakes,” Ivy huffed. “I don’t care that much. I’d rather have you warm with a couple of rumors than freezing cold and dead.”
When Zeke really thought about it, he was arguing over something stupid. Ivy was offering him a chance to stay in the warm tent with her. It was an opportunity he wouldn’t pass up. “Fine, if it’ll make you stop whining, I’ll sleep in here tonight. But, tomorrow we’re going to find another tent for one of us to sleep in, no arguments.”
“Fine,” Ivy sighed, “as long as you’re not out in the cold.”
She settled down on the floor, wrapping the blanket around her and stared at the tent walls. She heard Zeke settle down on the other side of the tent, and smiled to herself. “Hey Zeke,” she whispered, “Can I ask you a question?”
He moved around to adjust the blanket and replied, “Sure.”
“How come only the women and children came out to greet us?”
There was a beat of silence before Zeke replied in a bleak tone, “Because all the men and boys older than thirteen were taken away.”
KHC Sequel [Chapter 8]
Start from the beginning
