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Kana stood and smiled at her new acquaintance. “So, what now?”
Kabyl lifted her head and sniffed the air. “Smells like stew and bread for lunch. Also, my parents appear to be visiting. So, this is going to be a little busier than I anticipated, but the folks around here do enjoy visitors.”
“You are very remote.”
Kabyl shrugged. “Stuff still happens, or I would never have woken. Now, let’s get you inside and warmed up.”
Kana nodded and followed her mentor onto the porch and into the house.
The wide first chamber had hooks for jackets and cloaks, where Kabyl removed her outer layers and set her boots on a rack. “You can hang your cloak there.”
Kana took off the cloak and hung it up, removing her boots as well.
Kabyl smiled. “We keep fuzzy slippers here for walking around on the plank flooring.”
Kana stepped into a pair of thick, felted booties and wiggled her toes. “They are warm.”
Her mentor smiled. “We also keep a hot rock at the bottom of the pile to keep them toasty while we are out.”
“So, you have attention to heat?”
“Of course. Here, it is essential to know how to work with heat. No being can live below freezing for very long if they don’t know how to keep themselves warm.”
The uniform that Kabyl wore under her jacket was unfamiliar, but when they walked into the front room of the home, it was worn by the two men who were looking toward the door as they came in.
It was the woman with the friendly grin and wide-open arms that walked toward them. “Kana, I am so happy to meet you.”
Kana froze in place as she was hugged.
Kabyl snorted. “She just wants to find out if you are warm. She moved up here for my father, but the winters are not her favourite.”
Kana gently removed the stranger. “I am pleased to meet you. I am Kana Pyrar Lem.”
The older woman smiled. “I am Morningwell Ambermarle; this is my husband, Mander Ambermarle, and Kana’s partner, Elioth.”
Mander bowed and smiled. “Welcome to this portion of the wilderness, Kana.”
Elioth smiled slowly, and his eyes sparkled. “Welcome, newcomer, to this world of ice and snow.”
Kana looked at him and cocked her head. The tips of his ears were pointed, and his features were clearly cut and fine. There was a grace in his limbs that was unmistakable. He didn’t match those around him. He was something else.
Elioth grinned. “So, only a youngling and you can see the difference. Well done.”
“I can see it, but I don’t know what it is.” She turned her head from Mander to Elioth and scowled. “You wear the same clothing. You move differently. He smells like fur, and you smell like trees. You are younger, and your ears are pointier, but you are both men.”
Kabyl snickered. “My father is a wolf. Hence the fur.”
Mander smiled. “Our daughter takes after her grandmother.”
Morningwell smiled. “She does.”
Kabyl grinned. “But I have my father’s cooking skills.”
Morningwell blushed. “Good thing, too.”
Mander put his arm around his mate and kissed the top of her head. “Don’t worry. You have people skills.”
Kabyl grinned and wagged her eyebrows. “I got those, too.”
