Kiara excitedly places a box in my lap. 

“Go on, open it!” 

I open the box to find a pair of black and white sneakers. They still have tags on them.

“What do you think? Mama bought some shoes for you since you only had half a pair when we found you.”

 This family never fails to stun me with their generosity. My stomach churns. They must be planning something, trying to make me feel welcome like this. What though?

“I cannot repay her,” I say.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s a gift. Go ahead and try them on.” She watches me intently as I try on the shoes. “How are they?” she asks. “They look good.”

“They fit.”

“Sweet!” 

A moment later, a beeping alarm is heard from the kitchen. Kiara jumps up to turn it off. 

“The cookies are done,” she says and grabs some towels.

She then takes out a couple of trays from the oven and sets them on top of the stove. The aroma intensifies and I find myself wondering how they would taste. She then takes her apron off, coming over and laying it over the back of one of the chairs.

“Now they just have to cool. Anyway, the thing I wanted to show you is outside,” she says.

“It is not shoes?”

“No, but I figured since we would be going out you might want some decent shoes. If you’re up for it, that is,” she says.

I give her a nod. Her eyes light up again and she smiles. Why does she seem so happy about such a thing?

“Great!” she says and trots to the refrigerator.

I follow Kiara to the barn with a plastic bag full of carrot sticks and vegetable scraps in hand. I see a truck backed up to the open doors where Jeremiah and Nicky are out, unloading big squares of hay.

Upon seeing us they wave. “Hey,” Jeremiah says. “Good to see you moving around.”

I nod in acknowledgement but remain quiet. Kiara heads into the building, waving me in, so I follow her. The first thing I notice is the stench. It almost smells like a sewer, mixed with mud and grass. Inside are several stalls housing four horses.

“This way. You can set that bowl down on the bench here.”

Next thing I know, we are throwing the bread scraps to a flock of hungry gold and red chickens. Yet one remains in its nest, unmoving.

Kiara hands me the bowl. “Here, go ahead and throw out the rest of it.”

“Ah…okay,” I mutter.

She then goes to the nest and kneels. I squat down, doling out what is left. Oddly enough, this is slightly amusing. No matter where I throw something, at least one of them always goes after it.

“Hey Shyba, hold out your hands,” Kiara says.

“Eh?”

“It’s okay. I promise,” she says, smiling gently.

I hesitantly hold out my hands. She turns around, her hands cupped around something. She smiles at me and then places her hands over mine. My hands shake a little, but I am able to refrain from flinching.

When she removes her hands, I find a baby chick in my palms. It is like a ball of golden fluff, softly chirping. For a moment I stare at it, never having held one before. It is so small and fragile I could so very easily hurt it if I move, so I remain stiff as a board.

“Cute, huh?” Kiara asks, giggling. “They hatched yesterday.”

“So small…” I mutter. I do not even feel its weight.

She reaches up and strokes it with her finger. It chirps and I carefully hold it out toward her. She scoops it up and puts it back in the nest. 

We return to the horses, where she stops in front of the door for the black horse, opening the bag of carrots.

“This here is Blackjack,” she says. “He’s Jeremiah’s pride and joy, but if you ask me, he’s just a big baby.”

She holds up a carrot and the horse leans his head over, taking it out of her hand. She strokes his nose before leading me to another white and red splotchy horse.

“This is my baby, Sugar,” Kiara tells me. “She’s actually the one that found you first.”

“She did?” 

“Yup! Jeremiah, Mama and I had gone out riding when the horses spotted you. I’m sure they must have smelled all the blood.”

My heart twinges. “I see,” I mutter.

She takes out a carrot and extends it toward me. “Here. You can give it to her as a token of appreciation.”

I hesitantly take the carrot and hold it out towards her. She leans forward, sniffing at it before taking a chunk out of it. I watch silently as she finishes it off before she nuzzles her nose into my hand.

“Ah…” I exclaim slightly, not knowing what to do.

Kiara giggles. “She wants you to pet her.”

I recall the way Kiara had stroked Blackjack’s nose and mimic her. Her nose is so soft, like nothing I had felt before. She then raises her head, her nose close to my face. My body stiffens, unsure what to do.

“It’s okay,” Kiara says. “She’s just getting to know you. Horses know people by their breath. At least that’s what my dad always said.”

The horse then lets out a big breath and starts sniffing at the top of my head. Next thing I know I can feel her playing with my hair. I duck away, reaching up to check the top of my head. Was she trying to eat my hair?

I hear laughter and look over to find Jeremiah a few feet away. “She don’t mean any harm,” he says.

“What do you think so far?” he asks. “Pretty nice place, ain’t it?”

I nod. The house itself is huge, not to mention all the land they seem to have. It is so peaceful; unlike anything I have ever felt. The air here is completely different.

Kiara then takes me to see the other horse, a light tan with blonde mane and tail. She tells me the horse will be having a baby sometime in the winter, though she does not look all that big yet. This one too, nuzzles up against me and I find myself flustered. I did not know horses could be so, I guess, cuddly.

After that, she shows me where they have a few black pigs. I immediately notice several babies suckling their mother, again in awe for never having seen any up so close before. Upon seeing us though, the pigs all run up to the gate, grunting and squealing as they bump into each other. I am taken aback by how big they are and the sounds they make. Kiara only laughs and throws out the vegetables for them.

Once all the scraps are gone, we head back to the house. Out of habit, I take my shoes off at the door and follow her to the kitchen. The pleasant aroma still fills the air.

“What did you think of the animals, Shyba?” she asks, getting out a plate.

I stand idly by. “I did not see them close before.”

“Really? Did you live in the city all your life?”

“Mm,” I mutter with a nod.

“I see. Well, now you have,” she says, grabbing a spatula, which she uses to load up with cookies before handing it to me. “Here, tell me if you like them. Oh, do you like milk?”

“Ah… yes,” I mutter, staring down at the plate in my hands.

“I don’t know if milk and cookies are a thing in Japan, but it definitely is in this house,” she says, going to the fridge. “I’m going to have some. You can try it if you like.”

She pours two glasses of milk for us, setting them on the table. I sit down diagonally from her and she breaks one of her cookies in half, the chocolate pieces still oozing. Then she dunks one into the milk before taking a bite.

A smile spreads across her face. “Mmmm, so yummy,” she murmurs before glancing at me. “What’s wrong? Oh, wait you’re not allergic to anything are you?” Her eyes are wide.

I look down at the plate once more. “No.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” she says, seeming to melt back into her chair. “I guess we should have asked you that from the start. Is there anything you just don’t like to eat anyway?”

“Spicy,” I say before realizing, my gaze shifting to the side.

“Okay, no problem. No spicy foods,” she says, taking the other half of her cookie and dunking it in the milk. “Are you going to try it?”

I glance back at the cookies before me, the aroma still beckoning me. I take the one at the top of the pile, bring it up to my mouth, and take a small bite. The warm sweetness fills my mouth, and I am astounded by how flavorful it is. I am hit with nostalgia from the melted chocolate, not having tasted it in so very long. Overall, if the aroma was any indicator, these are probably one of the best things I have ever tasted.

A gentle smile appears on Kiara’s lips. “Good, huh?” she asks. “This is Mama’s special secret recipe. There’s just something about it that warms the heart more than it warms your stomach.”

Mulling over her words, I glance at the glass of milk she had set before me. I have done so many new things today I may as well go ahead and try this. After dipping the cookie in it I take another bite. This too is really good.

“What do you think?” she asks.

I pause and my eyes rest back on the table. “It… is good.”

She smiles. “I’m glad you like it.”

Taking a bigger bite, I find myself enjoying it. As I chew though, I begin to ponder. What is all of this for? I know they have to be up to something, but I cannot figure it out.

“Why does your family… bother for me?” 

“What do you mean?” she asks.

“You take care of me, but do not know me,” I mutter, drawing my arms back toward me. “I… Why do this? What do you want?”

Kiara gives me a look like she doesn’t believe what I am saying. Then, realizing I am serious, she chuckles a little. “Do you want to know what most of our animals have in common?”

My brow furrows. Why does she bring up the animals?

She continues, “We rescue a lot of our animals. When we got Blackjack, he was just a baby, his mother had died from starvation because her owners wouldn’t feed her. He nearly died too. Sugar was rescued from an illegal breeding farm. The pigs were saved from various places too. Even a few of the hens.”

This intrigues me. They collect abandoned and worthless creatures and nurse them back to health? Why would they go through the trouble? Maybe to eat them later?

“Hunter was a stray we picked up off the road out here. Someone had dumped him off instead of taking him to the shelter,” she says, looking off into space. “We take in all kinds of rescues. It isn’t limited to just animals though. We rescue people, too. Nicky is one of them.”

I am struck by her words. They rescue people. I did not know that was even a real thing.

She smiles. “We don’t really get anything out of it. No money or trophies or anything, but we don’t do it for anything like that. We do it… because when someone needs help, we don’t just turn our backs. That’s all.”

With that, she continues eating, elaborating on the different stories of all the rescued animals. But what she said hit me deep. If it is true that they are only trying to help, what do I have to lose by staying here? I have nowhere else to go anyway.

Still, could I really trust them? And how long could that last? The brand on my arm suddenly feels heavy. 

Am I even worth saving at all?