“Ollie made Lucas cry!”
“Ollie, Ollie!”
He forced himself to ignore the little ones calling his name over and over and headed for Masa’s house. Just around that tree and he’d be there. Those kids really did have a set of lungs on them. Ollie poked a finger into his ear, which was still ringing.
“Masa!”
He arrived at her door and knocked loudly. With her hearing going the way it was, Masa wouldn’t even know someone was there unless he made this much noise. He knocked for a while until the well-oiled door swung open with a soft sound. Ollie stepped right in.
“Ollie! Shake off your shoes before you come in.”
“You’re going to sweep up before bed anyway.”
Masa followed behind Ollie with a broom, sweeping up the dirt. He paid her grumbling no mind and settled himself comfortably on the sofa.
Having finished sweeping the floor in no time at all, Masa put away the broom and brought out tea.
“Are you actually eating properly? You haven’t been taking the eggs either.”
“Of course I am. I eat so well it’d surprise you.”
Worry was written all over her face despite his words. Deciding she really had to do something, Masa got up and went to the kitchen. Eggs she’d set aside for Ollie were stacked up in a pile. She put them in a basket, walked back over, and set it down in front of him.
“What’s this. I told you I don’t eat chicken eggs!”
“Take them anyway. Eat one whenever you get hungry.”
“Honestly…… I said I don’t eat them, she never listens.”
He grumbled as he pulled the basket toward him all the same. He didn’t like filling up on vital energy through chicken eggs, but if he didn’t take them Masa would be upset, so he decided to bring them along. He pulled the jar of jam out of his bag and held it out to Masa.
“This is for you!”
The proud little smile on his face was so endearing that Masa let out one of her rare laughs. The wrinkled face with the smile sitting on it was a good sight.
“What did you make it from this time.”
“Fig.”
“I bet you made only mine again, as usual. Why don’t you share some with Kan or Danny.”
“They can make their own.”
Masa found Ollie’s withdrawn attitude — his refusal to get tangled up with anyone in the village — worrying. Someone needed to be around to look after him when she was gone. And yet he made no effort to connect with the villagers at all. Despite Masa’s worried gaze, Ollie simply smiled his bright, easy smile.
“I’m fine! I do so well on my own. I’m more uncomfortable when I’m around other people. That’s why I left Masa’s house too.”
“Skin and bones, all of you, and that mouth just keeps going.”
“That’s my best quality.”
He burrowed into her arms, and it tugged at her heart. Masa ran her thick hands slowly down his back. He was dressed in thicker layers than usual, perhaps because the days had grown colder. He’d always been sensitive to the cold since he was small. Masa thought she should go ahead and give him the scarf and sweater she’d just finished.
“I’m going to the library today.”
“……Why are you going all the way down to where the humans live. The air down there is stuffy — it’s no good for someone as fragile as you.”
“What do you mean fragile. I’m sturdier than Masa.”
“Why not buy a book and keep it here.”
Ollie turned the idea over in his mind. Keeping books at Masa’s would mean coming by often to read and seeing Masa too, which didn’t sound bad — but the village he’d have to pass through gave him pause.
“……No. I like going down to the village. It’s a change of scenery.”
“If that’s what you think, I won’t try to stop you.”
“Alright……. Rub my back a little more.”
She gave a small laugh, pushed aside the thick outer layer, and slowly ran her hands down Ollie’s bare back. Tucked into Masa’s generous embrace, Ollie thought the slightly wistful thought that it would be nice if they could live together forever.
“Okay, I’m off! Tell me when the jam’s gone. I’ve got plenty at home.”
“Alright. Be careful on your way.”
After a comfortable stretch of time together, he stood at the front door and pressed a quick kiss to Masa’s cheek. Her eyes, always full of worry, made him a little uncomfortable, yet also made him care — and so he made a point of acting even more cheerful than usual. Poor little Ollie. He turned away, pretending not to hear her murmur the words low under her breath.
He’d walked quite a ways from her house and looked back — and she was still standing there. It made something swell up in his chest. Ollie shook his head firmly and walked faster. Masa wouldn’t feel easy going back inside until he’d gone far enough that she couldn’t see him anymore.
A little under half a day’s walk down through the forest brought you to the human village. It had a market open every day, a square, and the library Ollie loved. All the Tree Folk came down here now and then to buy things, but most of them didn’t venture beyond the market — Ollie, on the other hand, often came down and wandered around. The air in the human village carried a murky quality to it, and Tree Folk generally couldn’t stay long. Ollie hardly noticed it, and he supposed it was because he had human blood in him, half-breed though he was.
“……So they’re saying the road north is opening up?”
“Word is the Emperor is gathering a delegation to make that journey. Trying to prevent any more harm, apparently.”
“Well, that sort of thing is all far removed from the likes of us country folk.”
“Don’t be so sure. Haven’t you heard? Ten people vanished from Davis. Those savages have come this far south.”
“The monsters quieted down and now the savages are causing trouble.”
The square was buzzing with talk of the northern savages and the Emperor. The mention of the road north opening up made his ears prick. He’d heard that in the city, people lived there in numbers that couldn’t compare to a place like this. That it was full of sorcerers and knights, and rich people crowded the very streets.
He’d imagined it before — leaving this place one day and going to the city. Getting a small house there, building a home. Having children, and all of them living happily ever after. Ollie smiled a shy smile as he turned the fairy-tale daydream over in his mind.
“Long time no see, Ollie.”
He ignored the old librarian and walked into the library without ceremony. The librarian, as if this were only natural, paid it no mind and returned to what he’d been doing.
Ollie walked with purpose to the shelf holding books on ornithology. He pulled out a few volumes from among the many. He moved to another shelf and pulled out a few more.
He passed right by the librarian without a single word. The librarian pushed down his glasses, glanced at him, and promptly looked back down. They had their own unspoken understanding, made possible by the librarian’s knowing that Ollie would be back with the books before long.
Ollie made his way through the bustling square and into a small café. He bought a glass of fruit juice, came back out, and found a spot on one side of the square. He opened his book and read with focus.
“This one’s not it either…… surely it can’t be a dragon egg.”
Nowhere in any of the books was there anything about the egg Ollie had seen. An uneasy feeling crept in, and his mind suddenly jumped to dragon eggs. He finally set aside what he’d been reading and picked up a different book.
“A dragon’s egg varies by individual, but…… it’s usually black or white.”
The dread that had been hammering in Ollie’s chest at the thought that he might have eaten a Dragon Clan egg settled quietly down. The moment it was ruled out as his worst fear, the worry dissolved quickly. True to form — generally easygoing and not one to overthink things — his worry didn’t last long. He snapped the book shut and got to his feet. His steps were light as a feather compared to on the way down.
Ollie figured he’d probably eaten the egg of some uncommon bird. That must be why it wasn’t in any of the books.
Keep it simple. The egg will come out eventually. And when it does, well — I can think about it then.
“Are you cold?”
He rested his hand on his belly and waited, and the egg sent back a faint vibration as if in reply.
“Pfft haha. That really is something. So does that mean you’re cold or not cold?”
He stroked his rounded belly as the vibration faded, then asked again.
“Are you warm?”
This time the vibration lasted a little longer. That seemed like a no. He took that to mean roughly what he thought and climbed out of the water. He had to make the most of the small waterfall before the forest froze over. But the egg, sensitive as it was, kept lurching around inside his belly, and he had no choice but to get out. The sound of cascading water followed him as his bare body was laid bare under the moonlight. His frame showed every rib with not an ounce of spare flesh, but his arms and legs carried just enough muscle to make him look lean and agile.
He grabbed the blanket sitting on top of a large rock, gave himself a rough dry, and didn’t bother getting dressed. Home was just a short sprint away.
