Dammit, where do I even start?"

  My inn stayed silent. Typical.

  What I needed was intel. And what better place to gather it than at the bar? I just had to wait till evening.

  Or so I thought.

  It started off pretty well. I managed to piece together a nice little net of witnesses who saw Eilias head into the woods. And what happened there?

  Well, every forest-dweller had their own guaranteed truth.

  I gave up around the tenth… or maybe eleventh.

  “This is some bullshit!” I groaned, lying on the bar with all the grace of a dead swan. If any of my customers minded, they knew better than to speak up. My inn, my rules.

  Listening to idle chatter had always calmed me.

  “...and the whole gang is going to the woods! And I... I want you to come with.”

  Blessed be my selective hearing. I focused a bit more. It wasn’t hard to pinpoint the source. Young wannabe couple, about sixteen. I knew them both. The boy, who was trying his hardest not to stutter, was Luke. Black shirt, brown trousers — bold choice for a date. His cologne just barely masked the scent of a wolf. The girl with red hair in a flannel shirt didn’t seem to mind. Her name was Remi, and she reeked of fur, ground, and timber — a scent I associated with foxes. Good kids, wrong time and place.

  I appeared behind him like a bad omen. My hand fell on his shoulder.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “You are going nowhere.”

  Luke almost jumped.

  Remi just smiled.

  “Hi, Emm! I heard about the old man. My condolences,” she chimed in.

  “Oh... thanks. ...So, why would you youngsters want to go into the woods?”

  “To go mess with the new one in the ranger’s outpost! He’s still fair game, isn’t he?”

  A sigh of genuine surprise escaped my lips.

  “That mutt is still alive?!”

  “More than alive! He’s the main talk of the town! No one claimed him as prey yet.”

  How did something like this escape my attention? Kids did stupid things, and teenagers even more so. Sometimes, not even I had seen them coming. But this was different. Dangerous.

  Remi, seeing my expression, began to explain with a smirk.

  “The ranger drank with fae. The poor critters didn’t even steal his name—they barely made it back to town. I think they went blind from his booze! A few other folks tried their shenanigans; none of them succeeded so far"

  “How come?” My eyebrow shot up.

  Luke shrugged his shoulders. “No one knows. Bit of stubbornness, smidge of ignorance, if you ask me.”

  Remi continued, playing with her locks.

  “The funny thing is, no one has anything against him. He didn’t kill anyone, didn’t break any laws of hospitality, fought only in self-defense...”

  “He’s just lucky! Folks are still afraid to go to the woods. Only the bravest dare to hunt,” beamed Luke, almost proud.

  He shriveled under my gaze.

  “Only the dumbest go there! And I don’t want to see any of you near the woods.”

  Remi’s interest was piqued.

  “Are you going to hunt him? That would be the first time since I’ve been alive.”

  “...Maybe. If that’ll keep you out, think of him as my prey.”

  And maybe I will go take a look. After all, he was the first to see Eilias after...well. Anyway, he might have some answers.

  “Little word of advice...” My hand landed on Luke’s shoulder again. “If you want to win her heart... take her on a hike.”

  And with both of them red as cherries, I returned behind the bar. I could just about pick up excited whispers about a safe route around the town. A smile curled my lips, and not just from messing with the kids. Finally, I had a plan.