“What's that sound?” Lomi asked, drawing closer to me.

I smiled as the sound reverberated in the air. I didn't know if she could also hear the rustling of the leaves, and the complaints of the birds, but I knew even a human could hear the slamming sound.

“Our destination. That is probably Elk, felling a tree,” I said, patting her head.

Her thick hair and ears shifted under my hand, and I wondered once again why her people hadn't ran. They were so, so, skittish...

I hadn't asked her. Because all it would do would make her cry. Make her feel blame. And I didn't want her blaming herself. It wasn't her fault.

It was mine.

“Elk? The deers?”

“His name is Elk. I know, unoriginal, but what do you do?” I asked her.

“Pick a new name?” she complained, as if it was insulting to her.

I laughed and nodded. If only she knew how common it was. I could think of more than a handful of our people who had similar names.

Lomi sighed and stepped away, out of reach of my patting. She didn't seem to mind, but at the same time did. Maybe it was just because she was a young girl.

The sound came again. Rolling through the dense forest, the small layer of snow only aided in making the sound last longer as it echoed. Thanks to how close we were, the sound was loud... and it caused Lomi to step back towards me again. As if she sensed danger.

“What's he doing? To make that sound?” she asked, concerned.

Although I wanted to answer, there was no need to. We were nearly upon him. I could smell him, and the broken trees he was most likely surrounded by.

“You'll see,” I said to her as we rounded a large tree. Sure enough, off in the distance, I saw him in-between some trees.

He was readying a large hammer, hefting it up above as to swing it.

The tree he was felling was the biggest in the area, and had a large metal spike sticking out of it. Lomi paused upon seeing the sight so I stopped walking too, as she and I both watched him swing the hammer onto the spike's head.

Upon hitting the spike, the whole tree shook violently. Leaves and branches fell thanks to the violent shaking, and the sound echoed for some time.

“He's hammering the tree?” she asked.

With her questioning voice, Elk finally noticed us. He startled, and turned quickly. So quickly, he almost dropped his large hammer.

It was a worrisome sight, to see a shirtless man who was twice my size look so... frightened, as he studied us.

“Vim?” Elk shouted, and I noticed the worry in his voice.

“Hey Elk,” I said, stepping forward. I left Lomi behind, mostly since I knew she was still worried.

Elk visibly relaxed, releasing a pent up breath as he looked around. “Jeez, you startled me,” he said with his deep voice, and for a moment his face was covered in white smoke from his earlier deep breath.

I smiled, and glanced at the clearing nearby. More than a dozen trees were stacked into a small pile nearby. Already stripped of branches and ready for transportation.

Trees big enough that I knew no human could move without great numbers or help from an animal. Yet Elk was the only one here, and I knew the only one who had been for some time.

Once again, I had to be reminded at how strong our kind really were. How powerful we could be.

Yet he had looked scared enough to pass out earlier, just because we had startled him.

“How are you, Elk?” I asked, drawing near.

“Oh! We've been fine Vim... everything's been normal. Been awhile since I've seen you,” he said, putting his large hammer down. I noticed the way he stared not at me, but the young girl behind me.

“This is Lomi. From the village across the mountain,” I said.

“Ah! I figured! A fox yes? Nice to meet you,” Elk said, smiling. He was happy to meet one of our own. It was so very rare, after all.

“Yes. Nice to meet you too, Mr. Elk,” Lomi greeted him politely, but I knew it wasn't because she herself was polite. She had walked up to us, but had chosen to stare at him from behind me. Using me for cover.

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She was still shy, as I had remembered her from years ago. Seems her comfort with me was just simply her relying upon me, in a moment of discord.

“There was...” I wondered how to phrase it, but knew I couldn't sugar coat it. “Her village was attacked. By a Bishop,” I said to Elk.

Elk's smile immediately died, as he looked at me. I nodded to him, to confirm the thoughts obviously written on his face.

She was all that remained?

“Oh... oh my... I'm so, so sorry Lomi,” Elk knelt down, and I felt Lomi stiffen at his sudden closeness. She might have turned and ran, if not for the very visible emotion on his face. He was nearly crying.

“I just wanted to check on you and your family, before taking her elsewhere. Since we were in the vicinity,” I said to him.

“Yes. Of course... Let's head home, quickly,” Elk nodded, and I could tell he was now worried. Worried for his own family.

“When was the last time the humans came to collect wood?” I asked Elk as he went to put his hammer up against the tree.

“Just last moon, like always. There's... been no hint of anything off, Vim. Same as normal, as always,” he said.

“That's good,” I said. And meant it. Although this area was a few days from Lomi's village, it was still close enough that I had worried for it.

“I have a son about your age, Lomi,” Elk said as he gestured for us to follow him. I knew where his home was, but allowed him to guide me.

“I see,” was all Lomi said.

“Any new residents?” I asked him.

“No. Old Frank died a few moons ago, but did so from old age. He died in his bed, surrounded by family,” Elk said.

While Elk gave me an update about the few humans that lived in his little village, I startled when a small hand snuck itself into my own.

Glancing down at Lomi, I noticed the way her ears twitched as she firmed her grip onto my hand. She wasn't looking at me, nor Elk, but I knew it was because she was still unsure of him.

She was probably just unsure of herself.

I gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Her ears twitched again.

“The price of wood went up, as well. We got nearly fifty renk a foot this time,” Elk said, continuing his update. I usually didn't care much for such things, but little details were sometimes important.

“That's good. Or maybe not, if everything else is getting more expensive too,” I said.

“Hm, actually most of what we buy from the traders have gone down in price. Pelts were rather cheap last month,” Elk said, scratching his bare chest.

He should be cold. There wasn't much snow on the ground, but it was still more white than green.

“Has your boy started helping with the logging?” I asked him.

“Yes. But he's still young. Takes him all day to bring a single tree down, and clean it of the branches,” he said with a laugh.

A whole day? “Maybe let him use an axe?” I asked.

Elk scoffed. “Never.”

I kept my mouth shut, since I knew it was a losing battle. He'd never actually argue with me, but that was one of the few things he'd not give in on. A part of me was even happy for it, even if it was ridiculous.

So what if an axe killed your mother? The tool didn't do it, the man who swung it had.

“Should I worry, Vim?” Elk then asked, pausing for a moment. Although he looked at me, I noticed he was doing his best to not look at Lomi.

“No. I don't believe so,” I said, and meant it. After all, there was a rather plain reason as to why Lomi and her people had suffered so... while Elk and his would be fine.

Elk smiled in relief, and I noticed his large teeth. Not that much bigger than most, but enough so to be noticed. It was as if each tooth was twice as big as they should be.

“Will you be staying the night? Or?” Elk asked his next question, and I knew it wasn't because he didn't want me to stick around. Like most, they wanted me to stay as long as possible. It was safer when I was nearby, after all.

“Just tonight. We have a small journey ahead of us,” I said.

I could tell that Elk wanted to ask where we were headed, but he kept his question to himself. Not that I intentionally kept some places secret, but I knew he was afraid of saying something that would make the young girl next to me cry.

“Ah, good. The fireplace is going,” Elk gestured to the sky, and I noticed the few plumes of smoke. Probably three houses worth.

“Not everyone likes to prance naked in the snow,” I said to him.

Elk smiled, and I noticed the way he looked down. Lomi stiffened as she looked away. She had smirked too.

Stepping into a larger clearing, I noticed the white of the snow that surrounded the scattered buildings.

The snow was clean, and not just because it kept piling up or was too cold to walk around.

Did even the humans here learn how to walk like Elk and his people? His very obvious lack of footprints, or trail, as he walked next to us was glaringly obvious.

Lomi kept trying to mimic him, to the point of gripping my hand tightly as to step as lightly as possible.

“Ah, look. My lovely family,” Elk said to himself, noticing the figures on a nearby porch. All five of them stood waiting, and I knew they had smelled their father returning from a distance.

Following Elk to his home, I noticed a few humans off in the distance. Talking to one another. Ignoring us. Fellow loggers like Elk. They were large, burly men.

I knew none of them knew of Elk and his family's secret. Unlike most of our kind, Elk and his family were lucky. Their outward appearance was not strange. Even their teeth, being a little larger than normal, didn't seem that odd. Just a unique trait to their family.

If only the rest of our kind could blend in so easily.

If they had, then...

Glancing to Lomi, I smiled gently as I watched her study Elk and his family. She watched with keen interest as Elk was hugged, as the family greeted one another.

Yes. Even this young girl noticed why they had nothing to worry about. Even with her young age, thanks to her experiences... she now knew. I gave her hand a small squeeze, and she glanced up at me. I saw the way her eyes softened... as if she somehow knew what I was trying to say.

Nodding to her, she nodded back.

I continued to hold her hand as we were welcomed into Elk's home.