It wasn't often we got visitors. Or rather, it wasn't often that Witch got any… it's not like I ever did, or ever would.

Staying quiet, I bent down a bit more as to angle my ears better at the crack in the wall. To hear just a bit better of the conversation Witch was having with the two women.

"They were asking about you, Lady Witch," the oldest said worriedly.

"In what way?" Witch asked, sounding a bit more calm than I had expected one to be upon hearing such news.

The two women were unknown to me, but not Witch. It seemed they were from the nearby human village… one that I myself had never been to, but have heard about in detail. Supposedly Witch was on very good terms with the village, since she had shown up here in the middle of a famine and had helped them all survive it. They saw her with what Witch had called reverence… and it seemed she had not been lying. The women were addressing her as Lady, and the older one who had just spoken had also bent and bowed upon entering the house.

"They said they were looking for a woman of insight. One to help them with some quest or problem they have… they spoke to nearly everyone in the village, even the children," the older woman said with a hushed voice, as if these people were nearby as we spoke. They weren't though; no one had followed them… I had made sure of that.

"A peculiar thing to look for. Not a medicine woman, or a healer, but one of insight?" Witch said with a hum, still not sounding too bothered by the whole ordeal.

"Very peculiar! We don't think anyone in the village told them of you, or where you live Lady Witch, but one can't be sure… especially with the children. Tiny minds are always making mistakes," the younger one said.

I smiled softly at her words, since they were so neat. Tiny minds…? I of course understood the meaning, children were indeed smaller than adults… What a way to phrase it!

"Ah, but one can't blame a child for what they don't understand. If one of them revealed anything, or even if one of you did, it is all well and fine. Either they are here with a genuine need for help, or they're here with bad intentions… and as such will find me anyway. At least they will if they search hard enough, it's not like I'm very far from you and there's even a clear path half the way here!" Witch said with a small laugh, still again showing she didn't mind much.

Which was so confusing to me! Witch, although had strange powers and was very smart in ways I couldn't comprehend… was actually rather weak. To the point it was concerning. There were times her lack of ability made me question her oddness, just this morning I had to help her free the axe she had gotten firmly lodged into a piece of firewood! I'd have laughed at how easily I had tugged it free if not for how badly I had seen her struggle trying to do so herself just moments beforehand!

Witch has made it clear that most humans, if not all of them, were weak like her… but I was having a hard time believing it. My family had, although looked down on humans to a crazy degree, had also claimed they had killed many of us. That they were a threat if not handled properly. I couldn't imagine anyone in my family, my uncle and father especially, claiming that humans were a threat of any kind if they were as weak in general as they were seeming to be. Their pride alone would have not allowed it…

"But Lady Witch…!" the older woman made an odd noise as she cried out in worry, and my ears fluttered because of it. That had been quite a crack in her voice just now! As if she'd just gotten hurt or something…!

Yet as interested as I was, I leaned back from the crack a bit… since I'd just made some noise thanks to my ears.

I squinted at my own knees and focused on staying quiet, even to the point of holding my breath… as I heard them continue talking.

"It's all well. I thank you, really, for worrying about me… but the world cannot be controlled. Fate always finds its mark, no matter what we will or wish of it. That being said, I've not seen or heard of any visitors lately other than you two. When did they arrive?" Witch asked. As she did I heard the sound of wooden cups being taken from a cupboard. Was she going to serve them drinks…?

"Yesterday, Lady Witch. We all wanted to come warn you last night, but wanted to wait until they left. As to make sure no one was followed here," the younger woman said.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

I felt my ear itch as it wanted to flutter again, but I didn't let it. I didn't want them to hear me or notice me.

It was… strangely humbling to hear them so concerned for Witch. To the point they even thought that far ahead.

Maybe this was why she was content with living here, so close to that village? And also willing to use her abilities for their benefit? She occasionally went down the mountain to help them, or villagers came up here requesting aid. Only a dozen or so nights ago she had left for nearly a whole day, since one of the older men had gotten hurt while cutting down a tree.

I wonder why some humans were… more open to those like us. While others were indifferent, and even more were hostile. What was the difference between them all, I wonder? And what was the separation between someone like me and Witch?

Right now, the reason I was hiding, was not just something I had wanted to do… Witch herself had told me to hide the moment I had warned her that people were coming. She herself has made it clear that the people here, the humans in the nearby village, would likely not welcome me as readily as they did her. Even if she vouched for me, she feared the possibility of them choosing violence or hatred over acceptance.

Was it just because I had ears on the top of my head…? My tail, maybe? If not for those, and maybe my sharp teeth and nails, I'd likely look like any other human. Within reason, at least.

I mean, Witch had glowing eyes… that was pretty startling. Even my own family had not had such things, and they were as non-human as one could get!

"Thank you, Lady," the old woman's voice pulled me from my thoughts as I leaned a bit closer to the crack in the wall. Sure enough, I saw steaming cups being handed to the two women by Witch… but I couldn't see much more from this angle.

Drinks. For visitors. Something Witch has said was something to be expected, and also a form of pride. For not just those receiving the warm welcome, but the one giving it. She had once told me that there were people who went through great lengths to take good care of their guests… to the point they'd even endanger their own lives and livelihoods to do so. She had told me of a culture to the east where one would take food from their own child just to feed a visitor, and it was seen as something proper.

A part of me liked such tradition. It was a kind gesture; kind of like saying you had no plans to harm the visitor or something. After all why would you offer something as precious as food and drinks to someone you hated? I couldn't ever imagine any of my family members doing such a thing, so to me it was… well…

Something to hope I could one day do myself. To not just be in a position where I could offer someone food and drink, but have someone wanting and willing to visit me in the first place.

Though I suppose first I'd need a place where they could visit. Even if they had a reason, without a location… a home, then there was no point.

"So, tell me what they looked like. Did they have names? Banners or crests, or strange appearances?" Witch asked as she then went to sit with them.

My ears fluttered again as I leaned closer once more to the crack… as to keep listening. Not just to the conversation, but also to the way Witch was handling it.

She sounded so calm, so… normal… as if the knowledge that strange people were on the hunt for her was nothing to even think twice about… Yet she still kept on asking questions, and did so in a way that didn't just sound calm and indifferent but seemingly kept the people she spoke to calm as well.

It kind of made me feel as if it was being done on purpose. As if by keeping calm herself, or at least pretending to be… she was able to keep everyone else calm too.

Still…

Shifting a little, I felt my tail bump into the shelf nearby. I turned a bit and glared at the jars of pickled food.

There wasn't much room in here. It was not a very small storage room, but it was full of stuff. Food and other things… so there really wasn't much room for me.

Taking in a small breath, I made sure not to sigh it out too loudly. Witch and the two visitors were now deep in a conversation, while drinking what Witch called honeyed tea, and as such likely wouldn't hear me… but I didn't want to risk it.

Wonder how long I'll be stuck hiding in here. Sometimes visitors from the village stayed the night, since humans weren't able to safely traverse the forests at night. And it would be night in only a few short hours…

Oh well. I'll just take this a lesson. Next time I'll hide elsewhere. Or at least do so in a way that didn't make me so uncomfortable.

After all I was kneeling under a rack of dried meat. I could probably stand up if I squeezed between the rack and the shelf by the door, but there were pots and pans hanging on the wall near it. If I bumped into them even humans would hear such a thing, so I was avoiding them.

I was fine. I would be. I was used to staying still for a long time. Did it all the time when I needed to hunt… but…

Glancing up at the dried meat strips, I squinted at them as I heard Witch ask her guests if they were hungry.

Which only made me hungrier.

Hopefully they left before my stomach started making noise too.