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At first, Macy kept to herself, only staying in the cave when she needed to escape the rain, or to rest. Other than that, she stayed outside, close enough to observe her hosts, but not so close as to give them any reason to lash out at her. She was a bit surprised that the devil hadn’t left. It had stayed nestled in the cave with its two pups for the entirety of her stay thus far.
Now she sat on a fallen log, passing the time by staring up at the sky and watching the clouds. They’d dispersed greatly since the night, and the rain hadn’t fallen for a few hours. She knew the area was known for its rain, but really, they’d been incredibly lucky for the most part. The nights were uncomfortably cold, but the sun during the day warmed her up enough to get by. Still, she would have loved a fresh pair of pants.
Though sometimes feeling the edges of her mind cloud with panic, she had, for the most part, been able to enjoy the quiet. There was tranquility in these woods, and her trust in Miriam lessened the fear. Macy could hardly believe that she’d been bored the previous day even with a cellphone, and now she felt at peace, drinking in the towering trees, chirping birds, and, of course, the legendary creature in the cave. She really had encountered some seriously insane stuff since she’d met Miriam back in Rose Valley, and, in this quiet moment, she felt better for it.
Something like a groan echoed from the cave. Macy looked up to see the devil at the entrance, regarding her carefully. She waved without thinking, then giggled at herself for the absurdity of such an action. She didn’t know how to make it feel comfortable with her, but she felt certain that human pleasantries wouldn’t mean much.
“Hey, mama,” she said quietly, careful not to gaze too long into the creature’s eyes. She worried that would indicate aggression, the way it did with cats. “How are the pups doing?”
The creature huffed and turned back into the cave, only to come back out. It took just a few seconds for Macy to realize that it was turning around, looking for a comfortable place to lay. In the end, it curled up at the mouth of the cave, its head resting on its tail in a way so it might keep an eye on her. She couldn’t blame the thing. She wanted to keep an eye on it, too.
The devil pups peeked out into the sun, blinking their tiny, beady eyes, before looking back at the devil. Mama, as Macy decided she should be called, didn’t stop her offspring, instead watching them carefully as they ventured out into the mud and grass. The pups were timid at first, but quickly turned on each other, faux-attacking in turn and rolling around on the ground in a fearsome ball of fur. Macy watched with delight, a smile painted across her face.
After the death match between the siblings, they both started creeping towards the fallen log where Macy sat. Her muscles tightened as they grew near. She remained still and quiet. If Mama thought Macy meant harm to the babies, things would surely not end well. Curiosity seemed to be a driving force of the little guys as they both became enamored with her sneakers, sniffing them before climbing over them and rolling off. The braver of the two found a way up the log and sniffed at Macy’s jeans before climbing into her lap and standing on its hind legs to peer at her face.
Unable to stop herself, Macy let out a laugh as the whiskers tickled her cheeks. The pup recoiled into her lap, but didn’t run. Mama lifted her head, her eyes alert, shrewd.
“Sorry, Mama. It tickled.” Macy was no stranger to talking to animals. She’d always had conversations with her dad’s dog, and friends’ pets. And, as alone as she was, talking to Mama just made her feel more comfortable with her situation.
When the pup didn’t leave her lap immediately, Mama seemed to calm down a little, but not entirely in the relaxed state that she’d started in. It seemed odd that she wouldn’t object more, and perhaps even odder: the pups didn’t seem scared of humans at all. Had they encountered a human before? Possibly, but Macy was hardly a wildlife expert, especially of an animal that had never been discovered.
The second pup took courage from his brother and climbed the log as well, though it took a little more effort. The second was smaller than the first. Macy decided they were boys with absolutely no evidence to support her claim. She wasn’t about to lift their tails to make sure.
Before long, she had two otter pups vying for her lap, with barely enough room for even one. The battle commenced as they treated her lap as a Sumo ring, and Macy delighted in every second of it. Her instincts about the devil not being evil seemed to be true, though if they hadn’t been, she’d be dead.
Mama watched carefully, but didn’t try to prevent the pups from their game, and Macy was careful to keep her hands to herself. As much as she wanted to pet the little fellas, she didn’t want to take any chances. Not to mention, their teeth looked very sharp. She found it miraculous that neither brother had drawn blood yet.
Just as play time started to become more comfortable than scary, the pups skittered off the log in a hurry and ran back to the cave, where they disappeared behind Mama. For her part, she got to her feet and stepped out of the cave, lowering her head. The trees rustled. Worried about what was coming, Macy stood, considering hiding with the pups.
Glued in place, Macy’s eyes widened as a second monstrous otter emerged from the woods. This one, almost twice as large as Mama, walked slowly towards the cave entrance, stopped, laid on the ground, and opened its jaw as something tumbled out to the ground. From her angle, she couldn’t see exactly what it was, but Mama immediately ducked her head to inspect it.
At first, Macy suspected food, but Mama didn’t make any move to eat whatever the new otter had brought. Instead, she lowered her chin all the way to the ground and let out a wail that sent a shiver up Macy’s spine. No matter the species, there was no mistaking the tone of that wail. Sorrow. Sorrow that Macy couldn’t have imagined from an animal.
Macy froze as the new, larger otter turned to stare at her. It showed no signs of aggression, though, instead walking past Mama into the cave, and finally clearing Macy’s view. On the ground, limp and unmoving, lay another pup. Mama laid next to it, curling around it as if she could warm it back from lifelessness.
Macy’s chest clenched. From her vantage point, she’d only seen dried blood, but she pieced enough together to decide that this pup was the one Beatty had threatened to skin. In the confusion, he must have cut the poor thing, intentionally or not.
Nonetheless, this was all the proof Macy needed to know that these otters weren’t dangerous unless provoked. And Beatty had made the first move. He’d started the war when he reached into that den and pulled out one of these defenseless babies. Whether Mama or Papa, it had all been in service to their family, and now they’d been forced to retreat to this cave.
Was that why Mama and her pups hadn’t left?
The forest wasn’t safe anymore. These gentle creatures, who had evaded detection for decades, were now afraid in their own home. Her heart broke for them. This wasn’t what Macy wanted. And whether Miriam knew it or not, it’s not what she wanted either. They’d never hunted a monster that didn’t outright attack them on sight. They’d never had the choice to walk away. But if ever there was a reason, this might be it. What kind of havoc would the world wreak on these creatures if she and Miriam brought them to light?
Regardless, it wasn’t just them that threatened the otters. Though Beatty had been badly injured, Macy hadn’t seen Abby again after the otter had chased her away. Macy didn’t know Abby well, but she knew enough to know that the hunter would be back, if able.
This added a new dimension to Macy’s safety. Though she felt comfortable enough staying near the otters, and still believed it was her best chance to eventually find Miriam, she didn’t want to be caught in the crossfire when Abby returned to kill these things.
But she also couldn’t abandon them, so she had to protect them.
From a well-geared, expertly trained hunter.
No big deal.
