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Hope dragged her feet. She didn’t really want to hear what her mother had to say. She heard the bells ring out, signaling that she had been found. It wouldn’t be too long before her brothers and dad came home.
“Hope, where have you been?”
“I don’t know Mom. I don’t know where I was.”
“Right. What have you been doing? Or need I ask?” June’s voice was sharp.
Hope’s face reddened.
Her lips tightened. “How long have you been sneaking out to see him?”
Hope was shocked. “Mom! I just met Ari! He saved me from a cougar attack and then he just carried me away. I finally convinced him to bring me home.”
“So you’re saying he stole you. And he brought you back just like that? Your father and brothers have been looking for you for three days.” June’s voice was filled with anger. “We had no idea if you were alive or dead.”
“No. Yes. He brought me back when I asked. It just took that long to get back. He thought I was on my own, plus I couldn’t walk after the dog attack.” Hope had never seen her mom so mad.
“What dog attack?” Now she sounded exasperated, too. Hope wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t want her mom to stay angry, but Hope couldn’t help what happened.
“I was treed and a pack of wild dogs attacked. I think the cougars came after me because they smelled blood.” Hope gestured to her leg. “Ari and Crag patched me up and wouldn’t let me walk. I couldn’t get home.”
“Let me see.” June came over and checked out Hope’s leg. “This is healed. Don’t lie to me Hope.”
“No, Mom, I’m not. They have this really good poultice. I can’t believe how well it works.”
“I’ll have to find out what’s in it. Then what?”
“Then what, what?” Hope wasn’t sure what her mom was asking.
“What happened after they healed you?” June was tapping her toes and it was making Hope nervous. But it was best to brazen it out. No way would she believe in dragons.
“Oh, I met Ari’s brothers and we headed back here.”
“Somehow I can tell you are leaving a whole lot out.”
“Mom, I’m okay. Does the rest of it matter?” Hope really wished her mom would stop asking questions.
“Why did you go out? You had only set the snares the day before.” June went back to stirring the stew on the stove.
“I heard Faith sneak out. I saw her head in the direction of the snares. Once I got dressed, I followed her.” Hope frowned. “I never did see her after I saw her sneak out, though. Just the path she took.”
June shook her head. “No one’s seen her. We weren’t worried about you until we found your bow. You can at least survive in the woods. Your father was sure the blood was Faith’s. When he found your bow and both you girls were gone, he was frantic.” June sighed. “We all were.”
“I told Ari you’d be worried.” Hope nodded. “He wanted to take me to meet his parents.”
June looked over at her frowning. “He was planning on keeping you.”
“Oh he’s still planning on keeping me.” Hope smiled. “I’m not going to give him a choice.” Hope heard Ari laugh in the dining room. She had a feeling he was listening to every word.
June laughed and shook her head.
“I’m glad you’re okay, Hope.” June leaned against the stove, her head down. “I thought we’d never see you again.” She looked up. “That gives me hope that we’ll find Faith also.”
Hope went over and hugged her mom’s back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry anyone. I couldn’t get back any sooner.”
June turned and hugged her back.
“Now explain to me what happened to your clothes and what you are wearing.” Hope’s face turned dark red. June’s eyes narrowed. “I think that young man is definitely going to answer to your father.”
“No, mom.” Hope was so embarrassed. “My pants were torn up from the dogs and they ripped them to treat my leg. I fell in a lake and ruined my vest.” Hope frowned. “I’m not sure what happened to my shirt.” Hope could hear Ari groaning at that statement and realized what she had said. “Mom, Ari had nothing to do with it! I ripped it, but I think it ended up in the fire.”
“Not helping, Hope.” Ari shouted. Hope heard his brothers laughing and teasing him.
“Listen to, Ari, is it? It’s not helping.” June was not happy. Hope saw it in her face. Her mom looked older than she’d appeared just a few days ago.
“I don’t know what to tell you.”
“What are you wearing?” June fingered the material at Hope’s arm. “I’ve never felt anything like this.”
“It’s awesome isn’t it? It’s an animal skin. Ari had some in his bag and let me make a dress so I wasn’t still naked.” Hope heard Ari’s groan. Hope realized what she had said. “I had on a blanket, Mom. I couldn’t fix my pants.”
“That really doesn’t explain what happened to your shirt. It was long enough that with your panties and shirt you would have been fine.” June looked at the dress. “I think your shirt was longer.” Then she looked into Hope’s blushing face and sniffed. “So what else aren’t you wearing?”
“Mom.” Hope couldn’t help the whine in her voice. “Once my shirt was wet, it shrunk and it was totally see-through. What was I supposed to do?”
“And I suppose your panties were see-through and shrunk, too?” Hope’s face burned. She was in trouble now.
“No, I accidentally ripped them.” Ari shouted into the kitchen.
“So not helping.” Hope shot back.
Ari strode into the room and pulled Hope into his arms. “It doesn’t matter. I’m keeping you.” Ari looked straight into her mother’s face. “Hope is mine. I only brought her back so her family wasn’t worried.”
June put her hands on her hips, a spoon still grasped in her fingers. “Around here, a man forces a woman and they are hung.”
Ari looked shocked. “I didn’t force Hope. I may have saved her, but I didn’t force anything on her.”
June looked at Hope. “Is this true, Hope? Just because he says he’s keeping you doesn’t mean you have to go with him.”
Hope looked alarmed.
“No, I want to go with him.” Hope wrapped her arms around Ari’s, holding them to her waist. “He never forced me to do anything.” Hope scowled. “Except make me sit still so the poultice worked.”
“Hmm. We’ll see what your father says.” June scowled at Ari and pointed the spoon towards the table. “Now go sit down. Hope needs to finish helping me with supper.”
Hope grabbed the silverware out of the drawer and put them on the counter, ready to be set out when dinner was ready. She heard her mother snort.
“I’m not going to yell at you, Hope. Quit fiddling and make the biscuits. Those men you brought look like a hungry group.”
Hope smiled. “That they are. Shall I make a double batch?”
“Yes. When you have them done, go get your grandma. She’s been worried sick. Just kept mumbling about evil beasts snatching you.”
“Why would she even think that? I’ve never seen any evil beasts around.”
“It was something to do with the volcanoes waking them.” June shook her head. “I think she’s going senile.”
Hope laughed.
“Grandma’s not going senile.” Hope pulled out the ingredients she needed and started mixing. She wondered how Grandma knew about the dragons. The kitchen was quiet and the only sound the deep murmur of voices of Ari and his brothers talking.
****
Ari watched while Hope was grilled by her mother. June kept shooting glares at him when Hope wasn’t looking. Ari had a feeling that stealing Hope again might be the only way of keeping her. He was glad that he had changed her already. Ari wasn’t sure that if he hadn’t, that she would be willing to leave her family. At least this way, able to fly in, she would be able to visit her family easier than they would be able to visit her.
Hope was at home in the kitchen. Ari watched her concentrate on making the biscuits her mother wanted without needed to consult a recipe book.
Ari considered what they had seen. The surrounding countryside outside of their town looked barely touched. The faint ribbons of long ago roads were the only scars in the wilderness. The houses, the blocks as Hope referred to them, were homes from long ago. Maintained to last, they were similar to those Ari remembered from the past. They were in squares surrounding grassy areas that held gardens and livestock. Most of the blocks were fenced between the houses, obviously to keep the livestock in and people out.
Ari had noticed that the way to enter those areas was through the houses, and only a single large and small gate for entry. Ari figured that was how supplies were moved in and out. He hadn’t seen any of the gates just left open. Most of the fences were six foot or more, obviously to keep intruders out. Ari wouldn’t have known what was back there, but coming into town on the slight incline of the path gave a view into a few of the yards.
Still, it was not very defensible. Nor were they large enough to feed a large group of people. It was no wonder Hope was out hunting. If they didn’t supplement, they would probably die. A dragon would never survive here. Ari still wondered why they didn’t keep cattle in the outskirts of the town. He might have to investigate, maybe help them set it up. After all, Hope was his and these people were hers. A dragon always helped family.
Ari heard a laughing voice sharply called to order. It sounded like the younger ones were coming home. Ari never did find out how many were in Hope’s family, but it looked like there was an extensive family living together. Kind of like a dragon Weyr, many generations with the elders imparting wisdom by passing down stories for the young to learn from.
The door slammed open and feet trampled through, the herald of the children of the group heading for supper. They all piled into the kitchen and suddenly stopped, causing the woman he guessed was Hope’s grandma to slam into them. Ari looked up.
“Dammit. What did you young’uns stop for?” She looked up and narrowed her eyes at Ari and his brothers. “Go wash your hands and get your plates out. Dinner should be just about done.”
Ari watched her while she stared at them, suspicion in her gaze, all the while directing the children in their tasks. Somehow, Ari knew she did not trust them. He had a feeling it was going to be a long road ahead of him to convince her different, especially if being an elder, she led the family. Hopefully, like most humans families he used to know, they were patriarchal. He had only heard about Hope’s father, not a grandfather.
The children left in the direction he assumed were the sinks. Hope’s grandmother approached him.
“Grandma!” Hope ran over and threw her arms around her. “I wondered where you were.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Mom thinks you’re going senile.” She widened eyes at her grandma and laughed.
“Never mind your mother, she has absolutely no clue.” She nodded towards Ari and his brothers with a suspicious look on her face. “Who are these... men, Hope?”
Hope’s face glowed. She gestured towards Ari. “Grandma, this is Ari and his brothers.”
“Where did you meet them, Hope?”
Ari knew from the tone of her voice this wasn’t going to go well for them. Somehow, her grandmother was suspicious but more so than just meeting strange men.
“In the woods, Grandma. Ari and his brother Crag saved me from the cougars that were attacking me.” Hope smiled at Ari. “If they hadn’t saved me I would probably be dead.”
Ari watched her grandmother frown. “They saved you?”
“Well, yes. Why wouldn’t they?”
Ari watched a little of the suspicion dropped from her eyes. She shook her head. “No reason, Hope. Did they hurt you?”
Hope looked surprised. “No Grandma, of course not.”
“That’s good, Hope.” She sniffed the air. “Better run if you don’t want those biscuits to burn.”
Hope squeaked and ran to the oven to rescue her biscuits.
Ari chuckled. He watched her frown at him over her shoulder.
Hope’s grandmother approached and stood in front of him. She moved quietly and leaned toward his head. “I know what you are.” She glared at him.
He raised a brow.
“You better not harm Hope, or anyone else here.”
She stood up and stepped back. She turned away and followed the path the young ones had taken. Ari shook his head.
“Do you think she’s going to be a problem?” Crag asked.
“No. I hope not.” Ari answered.
“We could take care of her; make sure she’s no longer a problem.” Crag snickered.
Hope flew to the table and cracked Crag across the hands with a wooden spoon. “I heard that,” she hissed. “Touch my grandmother and you’ll be sorry.”
“Ow.” Crag quickly pulled his hands back rubbing them.
Ari’s laugh boomed across the kitchen. He grabbed Hope and dragged her into his lap, nuzzling her neck. “Nothing will happen to your grandmother, little dragon.”
“Then why did he say that?” She twisted to face Ari. “Why?”
“I assume he wanted to get a rise out of you.” Ari grinned at her. “And he did.”
Hope sniffed and glared at Crag. “You better watch it. I have big teeth now, and I will bite.” She leaned over and kissed Ari on the chin and hopped up to go back in the kitchen.
Crag glared at his brothers, they were all laughing at him. “Hmpf. She’s dangerous, Ari. Are you sure you want to keep her?”
A biscuit sailed across the room and hit Crag in the head. They laughed harder. “She’s a menace.” Crag’s grin was crooked. “I sure hope my mate is not like her.”
“You’d be lucky to have a mate like her.” Ari interjected.
“You have to say that. She can hear you.” Crag snickered. Rog and Hark laughed. They had been busy looking around and obviously not paying attention until the biscuits sailed through the air.