Chapter Twenty

Cal

It is my turn to take the watch outside the cave, and I'm joined by Leo. We don't do much talking, as we need to be vigilant, keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings. I can see in his eyes that he is worried, wondering what will happen to the village with all these changes about.

"Are you alright?" I ask. He's a bit younger than me, and not as close to Rock, so I can imagine that there are doubts in his mind, creating all sorts of suspicions.

He looks at me, puzzled. "Yeah, why?"

I shrug. "I don't know, you just look worried."

He doesn't say anything at first, almost as if he's afraid to speak his mind.

"You can talk to me," I try to reassure him.

He inhales deeply, then reveals his worries. "Are we safe here?"

I smile. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"I… I'm scared, Cal," he admits, and I know that takes a lot of guts.

"It's okay to be scared," I tell him. "We all feel like that sometimes."

"What do you do then?" he asks.

"Well… don't let that fear control you," I advise him, realizing that I must sound like Rock. The thought pleases me. I've never been the one to give advice, especially to the younger generations. "You keep doing what is right and use that fear as incentive."

"I'll try to do that," he smiles back, a little nervously, but it is a smile, nonetheless. He looks somewhere behind me, and his eyes widen. I turn in the same direction, and I can see that a group of villagers are returning from their scouting mission.

As they approach, the lines on Rock's face reveal a mix of determination and concern. Leo and I exchange glances, silently acknowledging the gravity of the situation.

"Any news?" I ask once they are within earshot.

Rock shakes his head. "We didn't find any tracks nearby," he tells us. "But the threat is still here. I fear they just might be better at hiding than we give them credit for. Just… keep your eyes sharp, guys."

I nod, my gaze unwavering, while Leo tightens the grip on the bow in his hands.

"Got it, Rock," I assure him. "We'll stay and watch. Any sign of trouble and we'll be ready."

"Good," Rock nods. "We can't afford to make the mistake of underestimating our adversaries. The safety of our village depends on our readiness."

The group heads into the cave, while Leo and I remain on watch. The following three hours pass by uneventfully, and I notice that Leo feels slightly more at ease. I try to amuse him with funny stories, and it works. He's laughing, but at the same time, we're both remaining focused on our task. At the designated hour, we are substituted by another pair of villagers, who come to take our place.

"All's well," I tell Bruno, patting him on the back.

"Let's hope it stays that way," Bruno nods, and Leo and I head back inside the cave.

We part our ways in front of his cottage, and I decide to go and see Elena. I head to her cottage, knocking softly when I get there. I wait for her response, until I hear it.

"Come in!" she calls out melodiously from inside.

I open the door, only ajar, peering in. "Mind if I come in?"

She looks up at me from the bed, a faint smile on her face. "Not at all. Come on in."

As I enter, I notice that Elena is seated on the edge of her bed, a notebook in her hands. My curiosity, as always, gets the better of me.

"What's that you got there?" I ask, closing the door behind me.

She glances at the notebook in her hands, a momentary pause before answering. "It's just a diary. Something I've been keeping for a while."

I take a step closer, my interest piqued. That is a notebook that holds the very essence of her hopes and dreams.

"A diary, huh?" I raise an eyebrow. "What do you write about in there?"

She chuckles, with a hint of playfulness in her eyes.

"Everything and nothing, really," she reveals. "Thoughts, experiences, the beauty I find in the world. I guess, it's a way to make sense of it all."

I lean against a nearby wall, grinning. "Sounds like a lot of pondering. Mind if I take a peek?"

I didn't expect her to allow me a peek into her most private world, but she surprises me with her openness.

"Sure," she smiles. "Why not?"

She pats the place next to her on the bed, signaling at me to take a seat. I jump at the opportunity to do so. Gently, still holding the diary in her lap, she opens it, revealing a mix of sketches, handwritten musings, and snippets of her journey through the village and the surrounding woods. My eyes scan the pages, absorbing the essence of Elena's musings and introspections.

I look up at her before speaking. "You're quite the artist. These sketches are something else."

"They're nothing really," she beams, a touch of pride in her expression. "Photography is my real passion. This is just a way of… filling the empty parts of the pages when it's easier to sketch something than to write it."

"Can I see more?" I ask, eagerly.

Without a response, she continues to flip through the pages, each one revealing another piece of Elena's world. As she reaches the end, she closes it, but with it, she has opened a newfound understanding of who she is.

"It's like a piece of your soul on these pages. I like that," I tell her.

Her gaze meets mine, in a shared appreciation for the depth of expression.

"It's a way to keep the memories alive, even when they're just memories," she reveals.

"Does it help you when you miss your home?" I ask.

She shrugs. "In order to miss something, you first have to love it."

"You didn't love the place where you used to live?" I wonder.

"I'm not sure if it's the place or the people," she muses. "Maybe just the people, or maybe both." She pauses, but I can tell that there is more on her mind. I give her all the silence she wants, then she herself continues, without being asked to. "I think I never quite belonged there, so I don't really miss it. It is a feeling that lingers, isn't it? Like a shadow you can't shake off."

I nod, realizing that her voice has turned sad.

"I've felt like that sometimes," I admit.

"You have?" she sounds surprised. "Here?"

"Mhm," I nod. "Even here. I mean, I love this place, these people, but sometimes… I feel like I'm somehow different from them."

"Different how?" she wonders.

"Well, I wasn't born into this clan," I explain, opening up without planning to.

"Then how did you end up here?" she asks, more and more curious about my story.

"I was found as a baby," I explain, then I chuckle. "You know, every time I say it, it never gets any less weird."

"Well, no offense, but it is weird," she smiles. "Babies aren't usually found just lying around."

I laugh at her words. "True. Rock's parents found me and brought me here to the village. They first thought I was a human, and they wanted to take me to Pinehaven, thinking I came from there. But that very same night they found me, I turned for the first time, and they knew they couldn't take me anywhere."

She listens in disbelief. "So, you don't know where you come from?"

"No," I confirm.

"Did you ever wonder?"

"All the time," I nod. "But honestly, I doubt it would change anything. This is my home. This is where I belong. Just… maybe it would make me feel somehow better if I knew, you know?"

"I know," she smiles. Then, she looks down at my bare lower arm, at the long scar on the inside of it. "And that?"

"Oh, this?" I wonder, showing it to her. "I don't know. I've always had it."

"Looks like a scar," she says tenderly, reaching to touch it with the tips of her fingers. "You don't remember where you got it from?"

"No," I shake my head. "I remember being told that I had it when I appeared here at the village."

"Hm, that's strange," she muses.

"I know," I grin. "But that's what makes me unique, I guess."

"You didn't need anything visible to be unique," she corrects me. "The moment you open your mouth it's obvious how special you are." She says that in a playful manner, so we both chuckle loudly.

"What about you?" I ask.

"What about me?" she echoes.

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

She thinks about it for a moment. "That's a tricky question to reply to. We always think we're looking for a place. But, as I'm growing older, I think it's not a place at all, but rather the people. You look for people who make you feel seen, even in the darkest corners of your past."

I absorb her words, the weight on my own shoulders somehow lightening. "Maybe it's not a bad thing to feel lost sometimes."

"You think so?" she wonders.

"Mhm," I nod. "Because you keep discovering pieces of yourself in others, and that is what makes you feel whole."

Her eyes widen at my words. Her lips part, but she doesn't say anything. Not immediately.

"I think that is the most beautiful thing I've heard you say," she gushes eventually.

"It's nice to know I can surprise you," I grin.

"Everything here is a surprise," she nods. "A nice one."

"How do you feel here, at the village?" I ask softly.

"Well…" she hesitates, then decides to be honest. "I still feel like everyone is wary of me. And of course, I understand that. But I think I've noticed less suspicious glances, and more curious ones. I like those much better."

"I bet," I smile at her, relishing the sight of her beaming eyes and melodious voice.

The more time I spend with her, the more I realize that I can't let her go back. I wouldn't be able to live without her, and I know Rock wouldn't be able to live without her either. We've gotten too used to having her near, to being her protectors. Almost as if, with her gone, we would lose a part of who we have become. And neither of us wants that to happen.

Suddenly, we both hear unsettling growling sounds, breaking the serenity of the moment. My eyes narrow, my instincts kicking in, as we both turn our attention to the source of the disturbance. The growls, low and ominous, seem to echo from somewhere outside of the cottage, but still dangerously close.

"Did you hear that?" she asks, her voice trembling.

"Sounds like trouble," I tell her, placing my hand on her shoulder. "I need you to stay here, while I check it out. And lock the door behind me."

"But I can help," she urges.

"No," I shake my head. "You can help by staying here and making sure you're safe. We don't know what's going on out there. When it's safe, I'll come back for you."

I get up, and she walks with me to the door. I turn around one more time. "Lock it, El."

"Okay," she nods, her eyes wide and doe-like.

I lean closer and kiss her on the forehead, then I turn around and head out into the village.