Chapter Text
You have no idea how the travel agent in London talked you into going here for your vacation. You wonder why you didn’t go somewhere warm or at the very least somewhere that wouldn’t cause your feet to become numb. A cabin in the woods is cozy but you still have to trek to and from the general store for supplies. It’s exhausting and you certainly didn’t bring the appropriate gear necessary for such things. By the time you return your feet are soaked and frozen. You groan miserably as you open the door but then startle as movement catches your eye.
Fearful of an intruder or a wild animal you pick up the baseball bat in the umbrella stand by the door. You creep gradually toward the movement, ready to swing at whatever is there. You hear it. There are scratching sounds coming from behind the armchair. You move toward it and place your hand on the large chair. You take a breath and yank it forward.
You stop and put down the bat as your eyes are filled with what is hiding behind the chair: it’s a tiny boy with a plump scaly tail. He’s curled into a ball and squeezed his eyes shut in fear. His clothes are soaked and muddy. He must have come in to the cabin seeking refuge from the cold.
“It’s ok. I won’t hurt you.”
He doesn’t move. He’s probably hoping you can’t see him. You reach toward him and he suddenly uncurls his body, squeezing himself back against the corner. He growls nastily at you, showing you his sharp little teeth. He snaps at your hand and you pull it away just in time. He hisses and growls at you some more. You don’t really know what to do.
“Are you hungry?”
His angry little face shows no sign of changing but his stomach makes a loud sound at the mention of food. He continues his hissing and posturing in the corner, his little tail poking forward over his head. You decide it’s best to back away for now and go to the small kitchen to unpack the groceries you bought. He watches you curiously from under the chair. When you look at him he puts his angry face back on and hisses.
You start chopping vegetables and meat to make a nice hearty stew. You can hear him sniffing at the cooking odors from under the chair. You wonder how long it’s been since he’s eaten. You catch him looking longingly at the pot on the stove but he hides under the chair when you look at him. You finish preparing the stew and let it simmer on the stove for a while, letting the entire cabin fill with it’s aroma.
When the stew is done you fill two bowls and place several slices of bread on a plate. You put one of the bowls of stew on the floor in front of the chair. You back away and wait. You watch from across the room as the sharp little fingers snatch the bowl and pull it under the chair. You hear a squeak and imagine it’s because he tried to eat it without blowing on it first. You look under the chair and are immediately hissed at.
“I won’t take it from you. Blow on it first. It’s hot.”
You leave a glass of water and a plate of bread in front of the chair and back away. Those items are quickly snatched and pulled beneath the chair. You sit down at the table and eat your meal. You can hear muffled growling sounds mixed with eating sounds coming from under the chair. These sound more like happy growls so you feel slightly relieved.
You watch as a small clawed hand pushes the empty bowl and plate from beneath the chair. A moment later the cup is pushed out as well. You go to retrieve the dishes and hear the hissing begin. You take them to the sink to wash them. You can see his little face peer out for a moment before disappearing again.
“Do you want a blanket? It’s cold and you’re not near the fireplace.”
Angry hissing sounds.
“Are your clothes wet and muddy? Do you want a warm bath? I can give you some clean dry clothes.”
Even angrier hissing and growling.
You decide to leave a folded blanket in front of the chair since he’s still too scared to come out. The moment you’re across the room it’s snatched and pulled beneath the chair. A short while later you notice a small pile of wet muddy clothes in front of the chair. When you pick them up you don’t hear any hissing or growling.
You take the little pile of muddy clothes and wash them in the tub. It’s a pair of striped woolen knee socks, a turtleneck sweater, little shorts with dots on them, and tan colored pants with strange buttons all the way down the butt. You chuckle imagining these buttons are for his chubby little tail. You hang them to dry on a drying rack near the fire so they dry more quickly.
You sit down on the couch near the fire and start reading a book. You’re tired from your excursion to the general store earlier so you begin to drift off. You didn’t mean to fall asleep there but you were more tired than you realized.