With a great sigh as though his coming task was an anathema to his very being, Alex pulled himself out of bed, his blanket wrapped tightly around his torso. The floor of the tiny cabin felt ice cold. The air itself was equivalent to the inside of a refrigerator. Opening the woodstove revealed the dimly glowing remnants of last night's warmth. With shaky hands, Alex piled a haphazard stack of thin sticks on top of the coals. Blowing vigorously, the tiny cinders sparked momentarily back to life, trying mightily to consume the new fuel. Within minutes the flames were reaching for the cast iron roof of the stove, bleeding its light and warmth into the room. Alex let the heat warm his hands before filling the stove to the brim, placing a teakettle on top, shutting the door, then diving back into his warm bed. When the kettle started whistling, the room would be warm.

***

Megan looked up to see who had just entered. It was a young man about five foot nine. Boots, blue jeans, and a coat, he had pale skin, dirty blonde hair, and a short scruffy beard. Megan hadn't been working at the bar long, but living in such a small town she instantly pegged him as an out-of-towner. As the man removed his coat her eyes were instantly drawn to the pistol on his hip. A slight tinge of concern flashed through her, she glanced over at Carl in the far corner. Apparently River's Bend's one and only police officer had also taken notice of the guy. His eyes moved from the out-of-towner's pistol, to the man's face, then back down to his hashbrowns. A bit of relief washed through her. If Carl wasn't concerned, then she wasn't concerned. Carl ran the carry permit courses, so maybe he knew the guy from there, or maybe just an acquaintance from Watersmeet. It didn't really matter.

"Double bacon cheeseburger with fries and… a cherry soda please."

"Huh?" Megan asked dumbly. "Oh, sure. About fifteen minutes."

The out-of-towner gave a slight nod and turned to find a spot on the opposite side of the bar from everyone else.

"Hey Alex."

The guy, Alex apparently, turned toward Carl who gestured to the seat across from himself.

So Carl did know him. Megan thought to herself.

Alex spread his coat over the back of the chair and sat down.

"How's it going?" Carl asked.

"Oh it goes. Not sure where." Alex replied while getting comfortable. "Not much change since winter started."

Carl piled some hashbrowns and bits of egg onto a slice of toast. "Do any hunting in the forest behind you?"

"No. I've mostly been working two jobs. Haven't had a lot of free time. That'll change real soon though."

Carl nodded, chewing his breakfast before washing it down with coffee. "Come spring some of the locals will be back there, so keep an eye out ok."

"That far east?"

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Mmhmm. There's a lot of trails back there."

"The river is back there somewhere too, yeah?" Alex asked.

"Mm. A mile back. Maybe a little less."

"I'll have to wear in a trail or something."

Megan watched the two men bullshit about mostly nothing. Carl stayed until the newcomer finished his meal. The two of them started heading out together. Which was not what Megan wanted.

"Ah, Carl? Can I speak to you for a moment?"

The officer gave her a chin up nod and said his goodbyes to the out-of-towner.

"Hey don't be a stranger."

"Ha." Alex laughed. "That's kind of my thing."

"Megs?"

Megan pointedly waited for Alex to leave. "Where's he from?"

And there it was. To be perfectly honest, Carl had been a bit surprised when Megan had left the man alone to talk. Now Carl was stuck with the decision to give Megan the run around or throw Alex to her, and by extension, the rest of the Matriarie. Then again there had been something to his "don't be a stranger" comment. Alex was a stranger. The guy had lived a two minute drive from the center of River's Bend for the last six months and Megan was only just now catching his scent. Alex was a nice enough guy. The quiet loner type with a fiercely independent bent that bordered on the unhealthy. Maybe Megan and her gang would be good for him. In the end Alex was the stranger here, and Meg was practically family.

She hooked a stray hair behind a black horn and stared at Carl patiently with golden eyes while Carl debated how to proceed. It wasn't her fault. It was the nature of the Tel'ani and the Matriarie. A confluence of biological and social pressure.

"You know the old Nelson place just down the road towards Watersmeet?"

Megan nodded.

"Well he split half of his land off and sold it a few years ago."

"The one with the new driveway that goes to nothing?"

"Yeah. Though it now leads to a shed. A little thing, maybe eight by twelve. That's where Alex has been living for the last six months or so."

"Six months?" She said, disbelief evident in her voice. Likely skeptical that someone who lived a stone's throw away could have hid from her for that long.

Carl nodded. "Yeah, six months. He works in Watersmeet. Doesn't really need to come in here for much."

"Is he single?"

Carl shrugged. "Don't know." Carl figured the guy was, but didn't see a point in adding fuel to Megan's fire. "Don't scare him off ok."

***

The video was mostly just a timelapse with a voice over giving instructions. It lacked any funny jokes, special effects, or even a narrative. It was a pure how-to.

"He makes fantasy armor." Molly said with a squeal of excitement.

"That's so awesome." Serena added with a similar tone.

"The small room makes him look bigger than he is. The guy's like, maybe three inches taller than me." Said Megan, her tone more critical than amazed.

"Ehh, he's okay I guess." The three other Tel'ani girls huddled around the screen turned to stare down Liana. "What?"

"Just okay?" Said Sarena.

Liana shrugged. "He's human. Been there, done that, didn't get the t-shirt."

There was a moment's pause before Molly spoke. "I propose we set aside a portion of the budget to get Liana a shirt that says exactly that."

"Second!" Shouted Serena.

"Mmm, third." Came Megan's reply a heartbeat later.

"Seventy five percent majority." Said Molly.

Liana shrugged again. "Make it black or I'm not wearing it."

"Deal." The other three chorused.

"We should invite him to the Cherrywood picnic." Molly suggested.

"He lives here." Liana broke in. "Isn't he automatically invited?"

"Yeah but, does he know that?"

All heads turned to Megan.

"Hmm, I'll ask Carl."