Long before I got to The Stag energetic strands of music were floating by me, getting louder as I got closer. Pretty soon I could see The Stag. It was apparently unable to hold the celebration which spilled out of its double doors out onto the street in front of the inn where couples laughed and danced while Chelsy, The Stag’s owner, wove her way through the revelry deftly, carrying a tray, delivering drinks and collecting pay. She looked up at me, smiled and waved. She glanced to my side where the watch horn hung and her expression went tight and angry. I sauntered over toward the gyrating crowd she served. Chelsy waived one of her workers over, handed them the tray she was carrying and came over. I always enjoyed Chelsy. She is one of those people who was small in stature but had a huge presence. Her red hair framed a freckled face that focused its intense gaze on me. “I don’t care if I’m ‘disturbin the peace’” she said making a face saying the last bit, her voice thick with mockery. “This town needs a break from being scared” she said squaring on me. I said “I’m not here to break this up, but have you thought that perhaps you are making a target of your establishment and these people?” Her eyes jerked to the people behind her, worry twisting her features a brief moment before smoothing. She looked back at me. “If they weren’t here they would be hiding at home, stewing in the fear this creep has the town in. Here they are dropping that, spending time with others rather than being terrified that their neighbor’s out to get ‘em.” She paused a moment her face losing its normal animation as she went serious. “I’ve heard the stories. This town tore itself apart the last time. A good number of innocents died at the hands of their neighbors. Do you know kind of scars that leaves on people? I do.” She ground out forcefully. A specter in her families past might be driving this, I figured. “I just want them to still be a community, maybe this will help them stop jumping at shadows a bit.” Chelsy said. I nodded and shrugged. “You’re right. This is a good thing. I’m still a bit concerned though so I will stick around. You keep them happy, I will keep them safe.” She searched my face a moment and nodded to herself. Then she nodded again, smiling and turned back to her patrons.

  I wandered around the back of the building to shoo some of the more romantically inclined couples back to the party. It would embarrass them, but it was better than them being caught out here on their own by something with a more sinister purpose. With all the noise it was hard to hear anything but I caught the noise of someone else coming as I started rounding the corner. I raised my hand knowing I couldn’t avoid the collision and managed to cushion the impact. Opening my eyes I glanced down see Mowris looking up at me, surprise evident on her face. Quickly that surprise dissolved as she glanced down then back up at me, her eyebrows creeping up, her face a question.

  I glanced down as well and realized with shock that I had one of her breasts firmly cupped in my hand. She smirked as my face flushed. I wanted to jump away, stammer an apology and a corner of my brain screamed at me ‘Wait! This is your chance!’ She hadn’t moved away, so I closed my eyes and leaned in for the kiss I’d dreamed of more than I would like to admit. A stinging slap popped my eyes open. Her face was twisted in anger. “Animal!” She growled “Disgusting beast!” Instead of stepping back she concentrated, her hand moving weaving a spell while she continued “After all I’ve done for you. All I’ve given up so you could feel like part of us!” I braced for the impact of whatever spell she was casting. I hadn’t seen this one before.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  The spirits voice cut in “Pah! Tiny spirit. Command it all you want, clown wizard. You dabble in a world you know nothing of.” She blinked, surprised at the complete lack of effect. Sputtered she settled instead for driving her fist into my gut. It was perhaps one of the weakest hits I’d ever taken, but hurt the most. She spun, striding away from me. “I raised you up and you…” She sputtered. “you…” She sputtered, turning back towards me.

  Confused I shook my head. “I thought“ I started to say. She quickly cut me off. “You thought what?” She sneered. “Since I didn’t run screaming, since I gave you a look and hid my horror that you had a shot at playing at being human with me?” She concentrated, hands flashing again as she shouted her next spell. A dark humor rolled through my mind “You are lucky I’m feeling generous” I heard from my spirit and then I felt energy ripple coming from me. Whatever she cast failed again but my spirits energy did not seem to affect her either.

  Mowris stamped her feet in rage and screamed her frustration and anger to the sky. She glared at me “You are barely more than a… a talking animal!” She hissed venomously at me and ran into the night. I stood, stunned a moment before realizing she was alone at night. I had no clue yet how I felt about what had just happened outside of hurt, but I remembered May’s unconscious face slapping against the back of the beast and I knew regardless of how I felt no one deserved that.

  I ran along the wall, remembering why I was there. I reached the corner and sure enough there were several intertwined figures on the back wall. “You all get back to the front!” I yelled, startling them. In a scramble shoulders were covered, limbs disentangled, skin disappeared beneath cloth but they disengaged and started toward the front. I watched long enough to ensure they were going. Turning I ran after Mowris. Soon her angry footfalls and muttering caused me to slow. Following her at a distance I made sure she got to her door and got inside.

  After I wandered back toward the party numb. A dark mood settled in like a cold mist. I should’ve known. I shook my head and sighed. Something hit the road behind me. I turned to see the beast down the road, one claw bracing itself against the corner at the roof of the building. It turned from looking down the street away from me to looking up until it faced me. Time seemed to freeze a moment as it and I looked at one another. Both the beast and I exploded into motion. The beast darted away behind the building. I raced after it seeing its ankle disappear around a corner heading back toward the party. I poured on the speed. It’s dark. No one’s going to see me. Hopefully. After a lot of glimpsing traces of it and I came to the wall of the mountain behind the town. I stopped and concentrated but could not hear or see any trace of it.

  Looking around without finding any trace I realized it had lured me a good way away from the party. Turning I sprinted back toward the party. I noted with relief that there were no screams of alarm or pain and even a couple pairs of people behind the building. Angrily I shooed them away and headed back to the front. I wandered the edges of the crowd, checking every so often behind the building to keep everyone up front.