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↬ "Feather" + "Sweets"

Monster. That's what they called her. A horrible beast, lurking unseen in the wolf's mouth of a forest that they seldom braved. The monster that parents told their children about at night, warning them to be wary of their own shadows. It steals your face, they warned, wears it like its own skin. A creature better not trusted or approached, rows of teeth glinting from its twisted mouth as it devoured wanderers whole before they ought scream.

A monster. Grand, and horrible, and .... Alone?

She stopped at the doorway, hand on the white frame. It was quiet. Too quiet. She peered around from where she stood- where'd the dog gone off to? The air stilled, and she wrinkled her nose at the lack of smells.

She snaked around the hallway, peering into the rooms as she went. Nothing out of place. The beds were perfectly made- a coin would've rolled off them without a hitch- and there were no scratches or marks on the unmoved furniture. No cobwebs or accompanying spiders. No accumulated dust, even in the study upstairs where the same book on medieval culture lay open on the table by the window. Slow, deliberate movements brought her back 'round to the kitchen- no sweets today?

Strange. The dog was usually here baking by now. Had they gone? She admitted she'd expected him to go after he'd grown bored of their play sessions, but not so soon. Seemed like wasted effort then, were that the case, for him to have lured her to live inside the house she'd long since abandoned after her last toy's sudden well-deserved disappearance. The dog's jacket was still draped around the chair at the kitchen table as it had been that morning. Odd, he never went anywhere without it.

He could've at least said bye. Dumb-

A twig snapped outside, drawing her near a window.

Dog?

She saw the hunter before she heard him, the ax on his back catching a glimmer of moonlight as he edged closer to the house's porch. He let out a string of silent curses, more so out of nerves than treading through her carefully raised flowers.

Not dog.

Though it'd been a while since lunch so readily came to her doorstep. She licked her lips, slitted pupils contacting to small diamonds as her form began to change to fill the darkness threatening to swallow the house's inside. One bite, two at most, and the hunter would be dealt with. She'd go for another stroll around the forest after, to make sure things were as they need be.

Just in case.

The forest stayed silent no matter how many times she rounded it, even the animals who loved the night tucked away into their dens. No stars to be seen in the sky, and no meandering humans as she lazed back to the house.

She stopped a few yards off, blinking with discomfort as her eyes adjusted to the warm light spilling out onto the porch and her no longer trampled flowers. It pooled on the doorstep, bringing with it the almost nauseating smells of baked sweets through the open window. The sound of singing greeted her as she stepped inside, closing the door behind her and uttering a protection sigil that glowed underneath her palm as it etched into the wood. She stalked to the kitchen, following the smells and peering inside to see-

"You're.. he- You're here?"

"I live here, don't I?" The man turned to give her a smile, motioning for her to sit as he brought out a tray of puffy sweets she hadn't seen before. He'd topped them with strawberries sliced to look like hearts when pushed into the frosting. "Where else would I be?"

She gave him a strange look, taking her place at the table.

"You know anything about the hunting bow I found outside?"

"Someone stopped by earlier." She shrugged, "They didn't stay long."

He nudged the tray within reach, motioning for her to take one. It had a gushy center that broke in twain when she bit into it, spilling something chewy into her mouth. She took her time eating the rest of it, watching him fidget with something under the table.

"Dog?"

"III... Here." He leaned forward, reaching across the table to drop a comically too large black witch's hat on her head. It was kept from sinking over her face by her torrents of wild hair.

"You got me a hat?"

"If you're gonna be the mean ol' witch in the forest, might as well look the part, right?" He paused, a slight flush growing on his cheeks as he scratched the back of his head. He produced a small box from somewhere under his sleeve, a golden bow too carefully placed on top. "Also made you this."

"... offerings?" She raised her eyebrow, "I was under the impression that we'd agreed to a physical relationship, I'm... unsure what you're trying to get at with these offerings."

"Gifts." The flush on his cheeks darkened as he cleared his throat, "They're gifts. Because... I like you."

She tilted her head to the side, drawing a laugh from him as the hat dipped to the side with her. He opened the box, procuring a silvery band decorated with what appeared to be a raven's feather- his feather. He met no resistance when he moved to put it around her neck, save a small curious noise that sounded like a hum.

She traced the feather with her index finger mindlessly, eating another pastry as she watched him moving around the kitchen. He pulled another series of ingredients from the cupboards, things she hadn't seen in all her years wandering the forest or nearby towns. He set to making something else- dinner? -humming to fill the comfortable quiet between them.

"... hey."

"Hm?"

"There's... a lot of dangerous things out in the forest, hunters and other beasts. It would be quite the blight on my reputation if my toy- if you... died. Be wary, dog."

She could practically hear the smile in his voice as he hummed an agreement. She pulled the brim of the hat down over her eyes, covering the heat that rose to her cheeks.

Well, she thought, at least the dumb dog was cute.