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Unless this meant… he was revoking that safety.
Another shiver of fear passed through me as I stared at the rock held in paw-like hands. A whimpering sound escaped me, and the werewolf tilted his massive head.
There was a burst of flapping wings, and my crow friend flew down from his tree, landing on the Beast’s outstretched arm. Hekraah’d again, and shuffled up the Beast’s forearm to peck at the rock.
“Does the little bird have more bravery than you, woman?”
Every fiber of my body was screaming for self-preservation, but my rational mind knew the Beast wasn’t letting me walk away—or more precisely, run away—without speaking to him first.
They said the Beasts didn’t approach just anyone. Either I had something he wanted, or I was about to go the way of Artyom.
Thinking about the little boy I hadn’t protected was what gave me the courage to take a step towards the Beast.
And another. And another.
I looked up into the lupine face, the long snout and wide jaw, all covered with thick, dark fur. Patches of brown were interspersed in the darkness of his coat. He just crouched there, arm extended, watching me come closer.
“What do you do with the ones you take?” I asked, my voice sounding too loud in this dark forest. “What did you do with the little boy?”
An emotion I would’ve called surprise in a human crossed the Beast’s face. His lips drew upward, revealing the rows of sharp fangs.
“What does it matter to you?” he rumbled. “He crossed into the Wood willingly.”
The voice screaming to run was growing weaker, drowned out by a rising flicker of anger.
“It matters because he was a child. He needed to feed his family. Did he deserve to die for that?”
He cocked his head again, one pointed ear swiveling back and forth. This close to the Beast I could smell him—he didn’t smell like offal and blood, despite what the Father preached. He always said that you would know when the Beasts came for you, because the smell of rot and decay would give away their presence.
He smelled like firewood and smoke, with a musky tinge of fur. It wasn’t unpleasant at all… the complete opposite, in fact. He smelled almost comforting.
“You assume he is dead.” Now the way his lip crinkled made me think he was smiling.
“Is he dead or not?” Again the anger licked at me, hot and eager. Maybe I’d lost my mind to pick a fight with a Beast in his territory. “He was one of my people. His mother deserves to know if he lives.”
“Yourpeople.” The Beast snorted. He shifted again, and I saw he wore a belt fashioned of leather. A massive but crude knife hung on his hip, sharpened iron that would get the job done no matter how ugly it was. “Your people allow children to wander into danger. Your people keep you caged like a broken animal.”
I crushed the feeling that rose in me. The feeling that the Beast made more sense than I would’ve liked.
“I…” I fell silent after a long pause. There was no argument to be made.
“You do not disagree.” The Beast sounded so sure of himself, eyes glinting. I couldn’t help but think of honey and summer, the color deep enough to fall into.
Finally I shook my head. How could I disagree? Children shouldn’t be forced to provide for themselves. If the people of Vostok had any good in their hearts, they would feed those who couldn’t fend for themselves.
“Why don’t you break free?” He gestured towards the rest of the darkened Wood, his claws flexing. “You are beyond their bounds now.”
“Because my duty is to them. To keep them safe from… you.” My fists clenched at my sides.
“Ah. And yet, here you are.” The Beast’s chuckle echoed in my bones, a deep and drowsy sound. “In my Wood, alone at night.”
“You’ve been following me this whole time. You know what I came for.”
“For the herbs to save the lives of your precious people,” he said, nodding in agreement. “You did not think to ask first?”
I stared at him blankly for a moment. “I left an offering. Is that not asking for permission to forage?”
“Oh, Salem,” he said, and a thrill went through me. Was it fear or excitement that the Beast actually knew my name? How could he possibly know it? “You could have asked us. But you insist that you belong in a cage and must follow their rules. You try so hard to shut away that which must break free.”
