Chapter 2: Baby Squirrel
The sound of crickets kept Celia laid awake on the hard wooden floors of the inn. The only padding she had was that of her own dress which was by no means comfortable. She had been unsuccessful in finding to keys to the rooms where guests would sleep, so the floor of the lobby had to do. Before her lamp ran out of oil, she worked hard to remove a piece of wood that covered a single window. She wanted to be sure that when the sun came back out, it would wake her up like it would if she were home. Thoughts of her mother and father flooded her mind. They were, of course, worried about their daughter, especially with the consequences that night brought.
After tossing and turning for almost a half an hour, she finally felt herself falling asleep. Her mind went quiet, her body went limp, and her worries drifted away. The small girl was practically curled up into a ball, sleeping soundly despite the low temperature. Hours into her slumber, the sound of footsteps woke her up. Slowly, she opened her eyes to find the same eerie darkness that she saw when falling asleep. The sound of footstep still persisted. Her eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness allowing her see around more clearly. The sounds of feet moving around abruptly stopped. Celia could see a shadow in front of the inn entrance door. There was clearly someone there. Her first thought was that she did not want to find out who it was. She quickly crawled across the floor until she was completely hidden behind the keepers desk. The only door that locked was the guest rooms, so she knew whoever was outside could just walk in. As expected, the door opened fast and wide, allowing moonlight to pour into the room. As the door extended more, more light shined into the lobby.
"I know you're here. Could you be good girl and come out?" An orotund and smoky voice called out into the darkness.
Celia felt a chill push up her body. Her heart was beating so fast; she wondered if it was also loud enough to be heard. She was sure she was hidden before the door opened. Perhaps they had spotted her through the space in the window first. Again the mystery voice called out to her.
"I'll come get you if you don't just come out willingly." It was clearly a man that called out to her. His voice alone demanded authority.
Her eyes darted around behind the counter in search of anything to defend herself. The only thing she found was a knife like object that was used for cutting the wax seal off of letters and documents. It would not do much, but it was all she had. Adrenaline began to take over her body. The idea that she had to choose between fighting her way out or making a run for it felt like a lose lose scenario.
Celia finally stood up from behind the desk, she held the object she found tightly behind her back. They stared at each other for a moment, before anyone spoke. The man made the first move, stepping forward to remove distance between them.
"Shouldn't you meet me in the middle?" He cocked his to the side as if he was sad that she wasn't moving with him, yet his facial expression remained void of emotion.
The more steps he took, the more nervous she became. Finally, she revealed her weapon. In both hands she held it out in front of her. Despite her clearly being no match to the large man, she stood her ground. His strides toward her conveyed his cockiness. He was certain that she would not be able to get away from him.
For a moment Celia wondered if this was a situation the other women found themselves in before they were never seen again. She regretted not telling her mother that she loved her or that she appreciated everything her father did. Flash backs of her life flooded her mind. The time her mother bought her a book for the first time, the time her father brought home a new puppy, the time she was sick from playing in the rain; it all sprung back to life. A particular quote from her father came to mind in the midst of her memories. He had said to her, "Lia, hunting is more than just killing animals. There are also plenty that want to kill you. There are many situations where you will be one being hunted. Adapting is how you survive."
Celia did not fight when he came in arms length of her. He stood towering over her looking down at her as if she were a child. He had thin, straight, silver hair that stopped just below his neck. It was tied back into a low ponytail, which was not completely centered. The thing she had not noticed before was a pair of ashy back horns that curved backwards then curled right above his ears. Around his neck there was a metal cuff that looked like it was extremely heavy. The clothing that covered his body was tattered but not worn. It was like he'd just put new clothes on and then someone took a pair of scissors to them.
He breathed down into her face, trying to intimidate her. He wanted to feed off of her fear. The young girl only stared up into his glowing pale yellow colored eyes. Was this is thing that took women in the night? We're the elders right about the the devil punishing unholy girls? Celia thought about these things, while gazing up at him.
Finally she let a few words escape her lips.
"Tell me what you want."
She shivered at the sight she saw next. He made a sound by sucking the back of his teeth, and sighed. It was like he was annoyed by her. He wanted her to scream, to run, to cry, or maybe even beg. Instead she seemed calm, calmer than one should be in this situation.
"I want your soul." An evil grin crossed his face, awaiting her response.
"What will you give me in return?" She murmured, not breaking his gaze. She fixed her face to look very serious.
He abruptly broke into laughter. He lifted his hand and placed it on her should, making it seem like he needed her to support him while he hunched over to laugh. The fact that she had the temerity to ask for something in return genuinely entertained him.
Coming to a rest again, he nodded. He had not removed his hand from her but instead let it slide down her arm until it reached her hand. Was he holding her hand now? Celia twisted her face out of confusion. What was happening right now? She wondered if she may have still been asleep and this was just a dream. 'A goat man with an iron collar, is asking for my soul and holding my hand.'
She repeated this phase in her head several times trying to make it sound believable.
"You're an interesting baby squirrel." He let her hand go before taking a smooth step back.
For a moment he thought about what to do. No longer did he want to take this girl, kill her, and consume her soul; instead he wanted okay with his food a bit.
Being called a squirrel was not on Celia's list of approved nicknames. Her eyes moved down from his face to his neck. The metal choker was fascinating. It was held together in the front by two bolts that looked like they were faintly glowing. He noticed her curiosity and bent down to put his face in front of hers.
"I've come here to eat you, you know? I like my women scared though. I like to make them scream." His smirk came back, while looking her into the eyes.
He was on her level now and let his eyes explore her face. The button nose, the golden brown orbs with green flakes, the thick eyelashes; they all became etched into his mind.
Without much of a choice, she stared back at his face. If it were not for his odd colored hair and large horns coming from his head; she would have assumed he was just a tall man. Not to mention a good looking one. 'The things that are the worst for you always look the best,' she thought.
There they were, standing face to face without saying a word. A strange hotness began to fill her body, but not like anger would. Her eyes flickered behind him, noticing the outside world becoming brighter. Apparently she was not the only one. His body went back into a straight position, as he turned around.
"Think about what you want. I'll think about giving it to you before I eat you." With those words, he disappeared in front of her.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone