Chapter Text
Robin was aware that it was probably a dumb idea to be wandering through the woods at night. It had only been a few scant months since the rash of disappearances in Hawkins. Will Byers had been found, yes, but Nancy Wheeler and…and Barb were still missing. So yeah, the fact that the ones still missing were girls her age was grounds for concern, and she probably should have been more careful.
But…well, she'd left her book of Emily Dickinson on the bench in her backyard to go use the bathroom, and when she'd come back the book had been gone and there was a trail of strange tracks leading to the bench and back into the forest. So she'd chased after it. That was a library book after all, and she hadn't finished it besides. She wasn't going to pay the fine if she didn't have to, never mind the lecture her mother would give.
She'd brought a flashlight at least, though the tracks were so large that it wasn't hard to follow them. They started out deep and careful, but once they were out of sight of her house they got lighter and started breaking branches and occasionally swerving right before hitting a tree. Like whatever had taken her book had run off, then slowed and started reading while walking through the woods. Robin wasn't sure how to take that, so she decided to just table it for now and focus on following the tracks.
She was aware that she was moving deeper and deeper into the woods, and that it was dark and tricky, but she could probably follow the tracks back. It would be fine. She needed the book back, that was the most important thing.
Eventually she clambered over a log and into a clearing to find…a giant furry… thing sitting on an uneven park bench that had clearly been ripped out of the ground and relocated. It was sitting under a roughly made rain shelter, just some tarps strung up on clumsily tied together poles made from tree trunks, with its back to Robin and its shoulders hunched. There were bedsheets tied together and wrapped around it, like a toga, but Robin could see the furry limbs, the long tail and bestial head.
She blinked and took a step forward, and the creature stiffened and its head whipped around to stare at Robin. Robin stared back at the surprisingly delicate features of the creature. It was animalistic, to be sure, somewhere between a wolf and a deer, but its eyes were wide and intelligent. It slowly stood up, and Robin swallowed. Oh. It was tall . Huh. "Uhm…hi." Robin said awkwardly, cause she honestly wasn't sure what else to do. She pointed at the book, which the creature was delicately holding in its large…paws? Hands? She wasn't sure. "I'm Robin, nice to meet you, I'd like my book back please."
The creature blinked, startled, then pressed the book to its chest. "I…It's a library book I have to return soon." Robin hurried to explain. The creature blinked its large blue-gray eyes and lifted the book up, examining the label on the spine before slumping and holding the book out sheepishly. Robin inched forward and carefully took the book back, unable to believe her luck. The creature knew about libraries? She honestly hadn't expected her explanation to work. "I…you like Dickinson?" She asked, uncertain but feeling like it would be rude to just walk away. The creature blinked again, then shrugged and wiggled a hand in a so-so gesture. Robin raised an eyebrow. "Well what do you like then?"
"Novels." The creature responded in a small, feminine voice. Robin jumped. She hadn't expected English. "I used to love fantasy and romance but…less so now I think." The creature took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for stealing your library book. It's just been months since I even saw a book…I got excited." Robin nodded, like this wasn't insane and absurd and she wasn't about to scream at any second.
"That's okay, totally, I get it. I'd be a little impulsive and jumpy if I had to go months without anything to read either. I guess you can't really go into bookstores or the library. I just can't really afford the late fee, y'know? And my mom would get really upset and say stuff, and that's never fun either." The creature nodded along in surprising understanding at that. "Uhm…do you have a name? Something I can call you?" The creature blinked, then shrugged.
"...Beast." Robin blinked back.
"Beast? That's…literal." The creature shrugged again.
"It's what I am." The despondency in her voice, combined with her knowledge of books and libraries and the fact that she'd bothered to make clothes all suggested to Robin that she'd stumbled into a real life fairy tale, that she'd found herself a cursed princess. She didn't know how to handle that, so she decided to just shove that down and worry about it later.
"...kinda derogatory, but if that's what you want to be called then that's what I'll call you." She said finally. "Okay, so…Beast, I have some books that I actually own. No fantasy? How do you feel about sci-fi?" Beast wrinkled her pointed snout, which was surprisingly adorable. "Okay, tomorrow I'll put out some Agatha Christie, how's that? You can take it and keep it." Beast's eyes widened.
"Really?" Robin shrugged.
"Sure, I can always get it from the library if I want to read it again, it's fine." She said, "Is the bench okay again, or do you need me to sneak it further into the woods?" Beast shook her head.
"The bench is fine, I'm good at moving fast. People don't usually see me." She says, then slowly drags a foot through the dirt, hunching her shoulders. After a second, Robin is startled to realize Beast is bashful. It was odd seeing that emotion coming from a fantasy monster that's eight feet tall with claws, fangs, and horns. It wasn't bad, in fact it was rather cute, but it was also odd. "I…thank you. For offering to give me a book, for not being mad that I took your book, and…for not screaming or trying to attack me or something."
Privately Robin thought that anyone who did anything other than back away slowly from Beast was an idiot, but given how self-conscious the creature she was pretty sure used to be human seemed to be she kept that thought to herself. Instead she just smiled and shrugged. "Anyone who loves Emily Dickinson can't be that bad, furry or not." Beast gave a deep chuckle and makes an expression that Robin knows is a smile but sure shows off her fangs real well. "I do need to get going though, it's late and my parents will eventually notice I'm gone." Honestly it'd probably be another hour before they noticed, but her parents weren't always predictable and Robin wasn't really in the mood to just hang around outside at this hour.
Beast blinked and looked around, like she was just realizing the darkness. "Ah, yes. That's fair. Would…I could walk you? Just back to your house? I've got good night vision, and the woods aren't the best at this hour." Robin blinked, then smiled.
"Sure, thanks!" Beast smiled again, and Robin shoved down her prey response again. That wasn't fair to Beast and she knew it.
OoOoO
Beast waved shyly to Robin as the pretty, gangly, girl headed back into her backyard. It had been nice, meeting and walking with her. She thought she may have made a friend, her second ever since…since her punishment.
"Barbara is dead and it's your fault! You were supposed to be there for her, help her, and you abandoned her for some…some boy! You slut, you…you beast!"
Beast swallowed and fled back into the woods, putting distance between herself and Robin. She needed to stay away. She didn't deserve friends anymore. Not after what she'd done. She just…had trouble remembering that she deserved to be alone sometimes.
She clambered up a particularly large tree, and into the hammock she'd managed to craft for herself out of sheets, bungee cords, and rope, slung between two sturdy branches. She missed having a bed and a roof. She had a pillow and a blanket, but that only did so much. Better than nothing though.
As she drifted off to sleep, Beast couldn't keep the smile off of her face. She'd made a friend!