Directly across the street stood the mayoral manse. Under no possible circumstances was I going to apologize to anyone for anything. Tossing my braid back over my shoulder, I stepped away from the magister’s office and back on to the street.

That’s when I saw the massive stag that belonged to the elfin ranger standing off to the side of the manse. Immediately my bad mood evaporated. Somehow my feet gained a mind of their own and I found myself wandering towards the beast slowly.

It perked its ears towards me, listening to my approach, but didn’t make any other movement. It didn’t move towards me but it also didn’t shy. There also happened to be no type of hitching post in sight. The stag simply waited on its own for the ranger to return. How much training had it taken to accomplish that feat? I knew farmers who took years to train their herding dogs to do something similar.

“Dílis… that’s your name right? It’s what your master called you.” I said softly. At his name, the stag shifted a step closer to me. His large, intelligent eyes watched me closely as if appraising what I was trying to do. I set my hand hesitantly on it’s nose. Soft as velvet and warm too. The sun reflected off of his russet coat. “You are handsome aren’t you. Prettier than any other animal in Woodhearst by far.”

That seemed to catch his attention. Any of Dílis’s hesitation vanished and he settled into my touch. My breath caught in my throat, stilled my hand, and rendered me motionless. The minute I stopped petting him, he butted his head against my hand. I laughed. “Sorry, sorry. A little on the needy side I see.”

I threaded my fingers through his coarse fur again and he almost seemed to stretch out under my hand. Like a cat did when you scratched them under the chin. If stags could purr surely this one would be doing so.

“Dílis,” called a vaguely familiar voice. The stag pulled its head away from my hand. We both swung around to see the elfin man standing at the manse’s door. He looked between the two of us, one of his eyebrows creeping up towards his hairline. “What are you doing?” he asked me.

“I was just petting him is all sir.” I said quickly. The stag bumped against my hand once more. Absentmindedly, I continued petting him. “No harm meant. He’s very hard to ignore.”

The elfin man heaved a sigh and closed the gap between us. He sat his on top of Dílis’s head and rubbed between his antlers. “He is incredibly difficult to ignore and he knows it. So much so that he tends to forget his manners,” he explained to me with a small smile. “You’re the farm girl from this morning if my memory serves me.”

I brightened. “You remember me!”

“It was only a few hours ago.” He raised an eyebrow once more but didn’t say anything else.

“Well, I guess that’s right. I’m glad you found the mayoral manse alright.”

“You were right, it’s very hard to miss.”

He stopped talking and started to turn away from me. “Do you need help finding anything else around town? An inn? Tavern? Shops?” I asked, racking my brain for things to keep the conversation going.

“No, I think I can managed just fine. Thank you though.”

The elfin man bowed his head to me politely. He moved around me to dig through Dílis’s saddlebags. “I’m Magdalena Rivers by the way… Lena to most people.” I held out my hand for him to shake. “Welcome to Woodhearst.”

He glanced up at me and then at my hand before shaking it without much warmth. Just simple courtesy. “I’m Aust.”

“I don’t think our little town hasn’t had much excitement ever. The entire market is practically buzzing about you being here.”

“Ah-hm,” he nodded. He played with the bag’s straps.

“Do you think you’ll be here long?”

“Hard to say. It will depend on how long it takes me to do my job.”

“That makes sense,” I nodded too as I scratched Dílis’s nose. “How long do your jobs usually take you?”

“You ask a lot of questions.” Aust told me simply. Finally he looked up at me from his bags.

“Sorry,” I mumbled.

He leaned against Dílis’s side. I couldn’t really read the look on his face though. He didn’t seem irritated with me though. Aust shrugged. “It depends on what I’m tasked with hunting.”

“Oh, I see. How long do you think it will take to track and kill the beast that’s wandering around the outskirts of town in the forest? Do you know what it is? Have you seen something like it before?”

Aust froze midway through running his hand through Dílis’s fur. “How did you know that?”

“It makes sense. Father told me about some kind of giant beast in the forest last night. Then you, a King’s Ranger, show up the next day. It’s not really that hard to put two and two together when you think of it that way.”

Aust didn’t say anything. His mouth still hung slightly open like he was trying to piece together what he was going to say next. His shoulders looked like they were pulled back tightly. My eyes widened at another thought. “They don’t call King’s Rangers to tiny villages like Woodhearst for dire wolves or cougars. Not worth the money or the hassle. So that means whatever it is has got to be bigger and more dangerous right?”

The next thing I knew, Aust jumped away from Dílis, stepped in front of me, and whispered, “Lower your voice for the gods’ sake!”