Encounter
"Hey there~! Are you~ alright~?!"
A booming voice snapped her out of her thoughts. On the riverbank, a burly man waved his arms wildly, shouting at her.
While she’d been lost in her panic, the gentle current had carried her further downstream. The moment she tried to stand at his call—
—her feet slipped.
SPLASH!!!
◆◇◆◇◆◇
Crackle, crackle.
The soothing sound of burning wood slowly roused her from unconsciousness.
"Heya, awake now?"
A deep, rumbling chuckle.
"Sorry ‘bout scarin’ ya earlier! Saw ya drownin’ and panicked a bit carryin’ ya here. Yer folks must be worryin’ sick. Ain’t seen ya ‘round these parts—where ya from, lass?"
The man looming over her could only be described as bear-like—not just in size, but literally. A pair of fuzzy bear ears twitched atop his head, his warm gaze crinkling as he handed her a steaming cup.
"Mr. Bear…?"
She clapped a hand over her mouth—had she really just blurted that out?! Rude much?! But the bear-man just laughed, unfazed.
"Wahaha! Right ya are! Beastfolk of the ursine variety. Name’s Alke. And what should I call you, little miss?"
He pulled up a chair beside the bed she’d been placed in, offering the cup. Her once-soaked dress and hair were now dry, the grime and stench miraculously gone.
"Mr. Alke, I’m Violet. Thank you for shawing me."
Shawing. The hell is shawing! I bit my tongue! So embarrassing!!
Burning with embarrassment, she forced herself to bow properly. Alke, however, beamed, ruffling her hair with a paw-like hand.
"Polite and grateful—ya must’ve been raised right. Best get ya home ‘fore yer family loses their minds worryin’."
His words triggered it—the flood of memories that had rushed into her during the drowning. Violet’s memories.
What do you think about this chapter?
