Daegal was rather happy with himself after that, and as he continued to look for Fiora, he practically radiated satisfaction. When he eventually did manage to track down Fiora, catching a heavy scent of herbs that led him right to her house. She was working in the garden around the back of the house, and when she saw him, she felt happy that he was back, and curious about why he looked so upbeat right now.

  “Welcome back, Daegal. Did something good happen to you?”

  “Yes, actually. I managed to talk to a group of men who were trying to move the cart I ripped apart. They let me help them, and one of them even thanked me for it!”

  She beamed a smile at him. “You see? All you need to do is show them that you’re a good guy and how helpful you can be.”

  While he was happy about what he managed to do, he still reigned himself in before overconfidence set in. “Sure, but it was only one person so far, and he might have just been trying to be polite.”

  Fiora shrugged. “Well, we have to start somewhere, and politeness is still a positive step forward.” She reached up and gave him a pat on the chest. “Don’t be so negative. We have a good chance to make a home for you here. I know I’d certainly like for you to be just down the road instead of a whole hike away.”

  Daegal allowed a short chuckle at that. “Yeah, I can believe that. Wouldn’t want to do anything to inconvenience you now, would we?” His voice carried the sarcastic edge to it, which surprised and delighted Fiora.

  “Daegal! Was that sarcasm I just heard? I’m so proud of you!”

  He scoffed. “Who’s being sarcastic now?”

  “No, I’m really happy to hear that you are comfortable enough to talk like that with me. I’m glad to see that you’re opening up a little more.”

  He grinned a bit. “Well, that’s just what happens when a crazy woman with more curiosity than sense comes crashing into your life. You learn to adapt, after a time.”

  It was a moment of good humor, a rarity in his life, and one that he savored. Just then, Emil came outside in a bit of a rush, worried.

  “Fiora, who are you talking- Oh, uhm, hello, Daegal.”

  Daegal dipped his head slightly, his tail twitching nervously as he spoke to Fiora’s father. “H-Hello, Emil. You seemed a little worried about her talking to someone, why?”

  He sighed and rubbed his head. “I’m still worried that someone might come and harass my daughter for standing by your side. I know for certain that Father Conrad isn’t happy.”

  “Father Conrad? I-Is he your parent, or something?” Daegal asked earnestly, much to Emil’s confusion.

  “What? No, he’s not related to me.”

  “Why do you call him father, then?”

  “Because that’s what you call an ordained priest of the faith.”

  “Oh... why do you do that? It seems rather confusing.”

  “You really don’t know a lot about human culture, do you? A priest is meant to guide, instruct, and protect those who come to them, especially from the influences of the unholy. In this aspect, they are very much like a parent, and that is why they are called father by all.”

  “I see...” He could sort of understand that, but it still seemed confusing to use the same name for both things. Besides that, there was that concern of people coming to harass Fiora, or worse. The idea of that made him angry, and his brow was dipping lower on his face.

  “They can complain about me all they want,” Daegal began, “but if they threaten Fiora, then I’m going to have a problem with that.”

  “Daegal, behave yourself, please,” Fiora said with the exasperation of a mother herding an unruly child. “We’ve just barely gotten them to tolerate your presence here. We need to take things slow, and we will probably have to endure some harassment before they get used to having you around.”

  “You don’t deserve that, though,” Daegal tried to argue.

  “I actually agree with Daegal on this one,” Emil chimed in.

  Fiora sighed and rubbed her face. “Good God, there’s two of them now.” She found it amusing, and concerning, that she now had two overly protective individuals hovering around her.

  Daegal and Emil shared a glance with one another, and Emil couldn’t help but let out a small huff of amusement at being compared to the towering figure of Daegal. The humor of the situation wasn’t lost on Daegal, and he cracked a small grin as well.

  He couldn’t stay forever, though, as night was quickly approaching. As much as he resented it, he needed to go to the barn and make a place for himself there. It wasn’t a glamorous task, especially considering the environment. Just nearing the barn made his face scrunch up from the smell.

  The animals inside largely ignored him as he passed through. He didn’t much fancy sleeping in a pen with the creatures, or on the ground that was covered in bits of straw, mud, and smeared dung. Instead, he turned his attention toward the rafters, and the stores of hay that they contained. Daegal climbed up to hay bales and began moving them around. It took a few minutes, but he eventually had a spot that could be used as a bed.

  Despite his efforts, despite his cloak, and despite his scales which nullified the normal discomfort of dried hay, he still wasn’t comfortable. Even though he was inside, it was still cold, and he shivered as he tried to tuck his limbs into the covering of his cloak. He missed his home, the warmth of his fire, and the soft pile of furs that he had collected over a lifetime.

  When he was younger, he dreamed many times about what it might be like to join the village and live with the humans. Now that he was living it, though, it was nothing like his dreams. He was scorned, cold, disconnected, and sleeping with animals. There was no warm house filled with light and conversation for him. He couldn’t even fit inside their homes! Daegal was having a hard time justifying his stay here.

  While he was lost in thought, he heard the door to the barn open, snapping him out of his spiraling mind. He couldn’t tell who it was at the start because his sense of smell was being smothered by the barn filth.

  “Daegal?” He recognized that voice, though, and his spirits did raise now that Fiora was here, but he wondered why.

  Crawling up from his makeshift bed, he looked over the edge of the platform he was laying on and saw her searching for him, holding a large bundle in her arms.

  “Fiora?” She snapped her head toward the sound of his voice. “What are you doing here? I thought you were going to sleep?”

  She shrugged. “Well, I was, but I realized it was getting quite cold out, so I brought you some spare blankets.” She held up the bundle of blankets in her arms for emphasis. It seemed a little unwieldly for her, so Daegal jumped down from above to collect her offered assistance.

  He gently facilitated the transfer, taking the blankets from her while being careful not to accidently cut them, or her, with his claws. They were thick, heavy, good for winter weather. Daegal was genuinely appreciative of Fiora and smiled softly at her.

  “Thank you, Fiora. This was very kind of you.”

  “It was no problem at all,” she responded with confidence. “It would reflect very poorly on me if I convinced you to be here and didn’t take care of you as best I could.”

  Daegal was reminded of his reason for being here, enduring this treatment. Fiora’s kindness, or insanity, he still wasn’t completely sure which one dominated her behavior at times, had drawn him out of his solitude. While he had his reservations, he would be there for her, protect her, he promised that.

  “Do you want me to walk you back to your house?”

  “No, it’s fine. We’ve all had a stressful day, and you deserve rest too. Besides, I’m sure my dad’s standing out front of the house waiting for me right about now. This is my home, I’m safer here than anywhere.”

  “If you say so.” He wasn’t sure how true that was after his introduction, but he was confident in his ability to hear if something happens to her before she reached home.

  She wished him a good night, and he reciprocated before she left him alone for the night. He took the blankets up to his improvised bed and settled in. They certainly helped him conserve his heat, but it was still a bit chilly for his tastes. He could work with it, though, and managed to fall into a light sleep throughout the night.

  The next morning, he was awoken by the sound of shuffling feet and whispered words. At first, he was concerned that the villagers had changed their minds and decided to try and be rid of him, but it turned out that his concerns were unfounded.

  “Are you sure it’s in here?”

  “My dad said it was and told me to stay away.”

  “Guys, we’re going to be in so much trouble if anybody sees us here.”

  “Are you scared or something?”

  “I’m not scared!”

  Children. There was a group of children, three by the sound of their voices and footsteps, outside the barn. They weren’t doing a very good job at sneaking with all the talking and noise they were making, even if in hushed tones. Of course, his standards were rather high in that regard considering how he learned to be silent at a young age for safety and hunting. He considered how he wanted to handle this situation, because they were getting closer.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  “Is this safe?”

  “Hey, you saw it, right? That girl tamed it.”

  Excuse you? Daegal was a little miffed by that comment.

  “We’re just going to get a look at it; stop being a baby.”

  Daegal let out a sigh. This had gone on far enough and would only get more complicated if they entered the barn. They were just children, so it probably wouldn’t take much to scare them away. Filling his lungs, he spoke in an elevated voice so they could hear.

  “You are doing a terrible job at sneaking.” His critique was met with silence for a moment before he heard all of them start to scramble away.

  “Go, go, go!” one of them said with urgency as they ran as fast as their little legs could take them.

  The whole situation did amuse Daegal, just a little bit, but it still wasn’t desirable to be treated as some oddity, or a tamed animal. With a grunt he crawled out from beneath the blankets, regretting his choice as the frosty morning air bit as his hide. The village was starting to wake up as he heard the tell-tale sounds of life in motion. He would have liked to sleep longer, at least until the sun warmed the world a little more, but he could not live by his desires alone anymore, especially when he heard Gregory enter through the main barn door.

  Daegal watched the man cautiously walked through the barn as if he was about to be attacked at any moment. With a sigh, Daegal climbed down from his bed slowly and in clear view of the man. Gregory froze for a moment, staring openly at him. Now they were both caught in a situation where Daegal needed to pass him to get outside. Clearing his throat, Daegal did his best to converse.

  “Good morning,” he began tersely.

  Gregory blinked, hesitating a moment. “Uhm... morning.”

  Silence. Awkward, prolonged, consistent. His ability to speak to people was still poor, and that was putting it favorably. In the end, Daegal nervously dipped his head.

  “G-Good day.” With stiff posture, he walked around Gregory, making his way toward the door while trying not to break out into a run. Gregory watched him every step of the way, though with a bit more incredulity than he had before, until Daegal vanished behind the barn door.

  With a long sigh, Daegal slumped against the outside of the door, leaning heavily on the wood. He could only hope that he would get better at this with time. For now, he was going to see Fiora and then learn how humans lived their daily lives, all while enduring the bitter cold of the frosty outside.

  Fiora was currently inside her house, helping her father with the morning chores. He was able to see a little of the work that Emil did through the window, and while Fiora did tell him about it in passing during their conversations, seeing it for himself was different. It was interesting to see a little of the process that came with turning herbs into medicines. The most Daegal had done in that regard was to eat a few herbs that helped settle his stomach.

  Watching them work, and looking around the village, Daegal realized that there was a lot of work and activity that went into the average human’s day. They moved about, interacting, providing services, selling their products, all things that went into having a society. It was quite fascinating for Daegal to watch.

  Sure, Daegal’s average day was filled with hunting, foraging, and gathering supplies for his home, but he had become quite proficient at that after so many years. His days were filled with a lot of empty time, something that wasn’t very present here. Everybody seemed to have a job, even those who were a little younger than an adult. He wondered if he would end up with one at some point, and if he did, what would it even be?

  He had more pressing concerns, though, namely getting food. He considered for a moment where he was going to take whatever he caught. He liked to prepare his meat, after all. He decided to ask Fiora about it.

  “Fiora,” she turned at the sound of her name. “I was going to go out and find something to eat. Do you know where I could take it for preparation?”

  “We can give you a meal here if you’re hungry, Daegal.”

  “As much as I appreciate that, Fiora, I don’t think you realize just how much I need to eat. The snacks you brought me were nice, but I need a large meal every now and then to sate my appetite.”

  “So that’s where all the meat was going,” Emil said to himself in a low voice.

  “How much are you talking about?” Fiora asked.

  “At least a whole deer to myself every ten-day.” Her eyes widened slightly at that. “Yeah, I know that meat is not a very common food source for humans and costs a fair amount. I do not wish to eat so much that you cannot live.”

  “Right,” she finally said after some contemplation. “In that case, the best place for you to have that much meat prepared would be the butcher’s shop. I’ll show you where it is, it’s not far. Do you mind, Dad?”

  “Go ahead but come straight back after you show him.”

  After an agreement was had between father and daughter, Fiora led Daegal out into the village. She was telling the truth about the butcher not being that far away as they barely even rounded a corner from her house before she pointed it out to him.

  “That’s Mr. Randolf’s butcher shop. He’s the one responsible for preparing the animals that are sent for slaughter or hunted. If you do catch something, you can bring it to him.”

  “Right,” he answered tersely, his tail already twitching nervously at the idea of speaking to another person he didn’t know. Fiora noticed his behavior, slowly becoming more able to identify his mannerisms.

  “Do you want me to be there with you when you talk to him?”

  Daegal considered for a second before shaking his head. “No, I... I want to try; I have to try to do it on my own.”

  She offered him an encouraging smile. “I believe in you. Just remember how you tried to talk to me when we first met.”

  He set a determined gaze on the butcher’s shop, already building up the courage he would need to enter on his own. First, though, he needed a catch, so, bidding Fiora farewell for now, he went off into the woods in search of deer or something else with an equivalent mass. That would come with time, though, as hunting was not a quick process.

  The tracking and stalking always took the longest. He needed to find a place where potential prey had wandered through to even start the process. It took him nearly an hour to pick up the trail of a herd of deer, and then he began to track them, following their prints, their scent, and their leavings as he moved through the forest quietly. His claws dug into the soft earth beneath his feet, making sure to avoid any twigs or piles of frost that could possibly create a sound.

  The sun was high in the sky by the time he found them. A group of several deer were idly picking around a small field, trying to get the last few easy meals they could before the snow started coming down. Daegal was familiar with this situation, but he still proceeded with caution, not wanting to waste the last few hours on a careless mistake. He scanned the herd, singling out one of the bucks that was large, healthy, and had a good amount of fat on them. Crawling low to the ground, he got as close as he dared, body tensing in preparation for the kill.

  It all came to an explosive head when he lunged forward, bursting forth from the brush as he dashed toward his target. The chase was on, but it never lasted long. His stride was longer and faster than the deer could manage. He was grateful that he could put an end to this quickly because he never liked causing fear in his kills. Reaching out, he grabbed the buck by the antlers, bringing it to the ground before giving a sharp jerk to the side, snapping its neck.

  The adrenaline faded quickly after that, and Daegal let out a long breath as he confirmed the animal’s death and then tossed the limp body over his shoulder. The walk back to the village was lengthy, a testament to how far he roamed for his meal. When he finally did arrive back at the village, it was closer to night than it was to the morning. Shifting the deer on his shoulder, he moved to the butcher’s shop, making mental preparations as he went.

  As he arrived at the building Fiora showed him, he smelled blood, meat, and a slight hint of decay. It seemed to linger in the air like a heavy blanket, putting his nerves on end despite him knowing what this place was and the reason for it. The front door wasn’t a valid entry point for him, but thankfully he was saved the hassle of trying to squeeze through that narrow space when he heard and smelled something around the back.

  A rhythmic dripping sound and the smell of fresh blood guided him as he saw another, smaller shed in the back. From the open door he could see the likely owner of the butchery, currently cutting up a freshly slaughtered pig on a hook, exsanguinating it as he removed the organs with a practiced hand. The portly man with a burly beard was absorbed in his work, and Daegal did not know if he should disturb him or not.

  It turned out he didn’t have to as Randolf turned away from the carcass he was carving for a moment and saw Daegal standing there. Daegal wasn’t trying to sneak up on him, but he basically did so, and the effect was apparent as Randolf jumped, half brandishing his knife from the shock. Both of them stood there for a moment, Daegal not moving an inch as he waited for the butcher to calm down. After a moment, Randolf did slowly come to his senses as lowered his knife but didn’t put it down.

  Randolf looked between Daegal and the deer he had on his shoulder. He swallowed a lump of nervousness before venturing to speak to Daegal in his gruff voice.

  “You’ve already got a meal, so I hope you’re not here trying to steal from me.”

  Daegal shifted his weight a little. “N-No. I, uhm, want to cook this.”

  Now Randolf raised a brow. “You cook?”

  “Yes. I... can eat it raw, but I like it cooked.”

  The man crossed his arms. “Okay, so why are you here?”

  “F-Fiora told me that you had a place I can cook this?”

  Randolf took in a breath and let it out as sigh, face contorting in a displeased manner. “Damn girl throwing her monster at me,” he murmured. “Aye, I do have the firepit and smoker. I take it you’re looking for the firepit?”

  “Probably, y-yes.”

  “Well, it’s over there,” he said as he thumbed at a charred, shallow pit with a rotisserie spit bridging over it. Daegal was just starting to wonder what he was going to use to light it up, but Randolf spoke to him again. “Are you going to eat all of that?” He waved a hand at the deer on his shoulder.

  “Yes.”

  “What about the hide and horns, do you eat those as well?”

  “Uhm, no, not usually.” Daegal was starting to wonder what this man was getting at.

  “Any organs you don’t like?”

  “I, uhm, don’t eat the intestines normally.” He found it difficult to wash out the taste of dung and it just wasn’t worth the time to him.

  Randolf ran a hand through his beard for a moment before making a proposition. “What would you say if I offered to buy those bits from you? I’ll let you use my wood and then pay you the difference in coin. You do know what coins are, right?”

  “Yes. H-Humans use them for trade.”

  He nodded his head approvingly. “Well, if you’re seriously sticking around here, you’ll need coins. What do you say? We have a deal?”

  Daegal’s tail twitched side to side as he contemplated for a few seconds before deciding there was no harm in it. “Sure.”

  With a nod of his head Randolf sheathed his knife in the leather apron draped over his front and went to pick from his store of wood. “You need me to skin it for you?”

  “I can do that.” Daegal set the deer down and got to work as Randolf built up the fire in the pit. By the time the flames were starting to crackle and grow, Daegal had managed to use his claws to strip half of the deer. Randolf watched him work for a moment before making a comment.

  “Good technique; interesting tools, though. Did you learn through experience?”

  “Y-Yeah... mostly.”

  “Hmm, well, you’re doing a good job at getting the skin off, and you managed to kill it without tearing the thing to pieces either. It will be a lovely hide.” Randolf paused, seemingly considering something as Daegal worked. “Say, how often do you hunt anyway?”

  This was the longest conversation he had with a human since coming to the village, and he was doing his best to keep his resolve. “For myself, e-every ten-day.”

  “Is that all?”

  “W-Well, there’s not much else that I know how to do, s-so I usually catch smaller things for snacks.”

  “I see. In that case, how about another deal? I’ll buy the furs of whatever you catch out there, and even the meat if you don’t plan on eating something. If you are interested in specific cuts I have in the shop, I’d also be willing to trade you pound for pound or prepare half the meat of your kill in exchange for the other half. That strike your fancy at all?”

  It really did. He had never eaten cow, sheep, goat, or even their pigs. He’d had wild boar before, but a human tamed pig looked so soft and delicious compared to their feral counterparts. Also, he could earn money which would allow him the opportunity to try many of the other strange things that humans had for sale. When he stopped to consider everything, he came to a bit of a realization.

  Would this be considered a job?

  If he had a job, then that meant he was part of the village, right? Of course, he wasn’t so naive as to think that would immediately change everyone’s opinion of him, but it wouldn’t hurt, right? Daegal couldn’t stop his tail from wagging slightly.

  “Yes, I think that I would like that.”

  “Then we have a deal. I expect you to bring what you hunt to me first. I’ll give you a fair price for it, and the less damage to the hide, the better.”

  “Of course.” His tail continued to wag a little as he continued to skin and gut the deer. This was all new to him, and he actually found himself excited by the prospect. Maybe he could make this wild dream of his work.