WARNING: Story contains:
Allusions to cannibalism

Allusions+discussions of violence and murder

Allusions+discussions of kidnapping

Cult-like living arrangements

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Cari stood in the kitchen, making dinner with one of the younger members of the Den; Hare and Fox’s daughter Quail. They were cutting up the freshly killed rabbit while Quail cooked the rice. She’d gotten better at it, Cari noted; all of Elk’s cooking lessons seemed to have helped the girl out a lot.

They appreciated it. It gave them less work to do, now that they didn’t have to teach as well as cook. Still, they weren’t going to let Quail use a knife on her own, especially not one quite this sharp.

“Cari?” Quail said suddenly.

“Mm?”

“That was a bunny, right? Like the ones in the garden?”

“Yes,” Cari answered simply. “It was.”

“And you killed it?”

“Well, I didn’t. I can’t hunt while injured.”

Cari pressed their lips into a thin line, displeased. They’d been stabbed while hunting recently; a woman twice Squirrel’s weight but only half as mean. Squirrel had taken exceptional pleasure from slitting the woman’s throat, once she fell victim to the trap, and the still-healing wound on Cari’s shoulder made them feel similarly.

“Do you think it was scared?” Quail asked now.

Caribou sighed. They were getting the impression this conversation may take a little while, so they set the knife down and turned to the girl. Cari crouched down to her height.

“It probably did, for a moment,” they admitted. “But it wouldn’t have felt fear for more than a moment. Just a split second of pain and fear. We make it clean, so they don’t have to suffer.”

Quail nodded, tugging on a blond curl, inherited right from her father. She was silent for a second, so Cari turned back to continue cutting the rabbit.

“What about the man in the basement?” she asked.

Cari almost dropped the knife, but instead made themselves set it down calmly and turn towards the girl. Any hope they’d had of denying the girl’s claims were quickly quashed by the certainty in her eyes.

“Quail,” they said, trying to sound calm, “How do you know about that?”

They were very confident no one had told her this yet. She wasn’t nearly old enough to understand.

“I followed Daddy,” she announced proudly. “I know where the secret door is, and where he keeps the key.”

Hare you idiot, Cari thought but decided not to say. They had bigger problems. Granted, the bigger problems were very much Hare’s fault, but that was a thought for later.

“And what did you see?” Cari asked, keeping their voice gentle.

“Um, there was a man in a cage…” The girl’s voice wavered a little. “He looked hurt. His leg was gone, and he was mean, then nice.”

Cari pinched the bridge of their nose, taking a deep breath. This was rapidly becoming way over their paygrade, and they weren’t even getting paid.

“Okay, Quail,” they murmured. “We’re going to go find your father now, He should be…”

“He’s in the garden!” Quail announced. “Grouse and Dove were helping him dig holes, but I’m a big girl so I don’t have to dig holes anymore, right?”

“Not right now,” Cari agreed, washing their hands before taking hers and guiding her out of the primary kitchen.

They’d made it to the hallway when there was a knock on the door. Cari paused, glancing at it as their eyes narrowed. A visitor? It was far too soon after the last kill to be hunting again, unfortunately, so it was hard to feel much about it except annoyance.

“Stay there,” they murmured to Quail, moving up to the door to peer through the small glass hole.

Outside were two men who were clearly guards—from the southernmost village, if Cari remembered the uniform correctly. They grimaced.

Cari took mental stock of where everyone was: Hare, Elk and the other kids out in the garden, Bobcat, Squirrel, Fox and Bullfrog out in the forest somewhere, hunting—animals, thank the Fables. Deer was up in her room, Bear and Grizzly were probably still in the basement, and they didn’t even know where Coyote was…

“Quail, go find your dad,” Cari orders, voice still gentle, but firm. “Tell him we have unwanted visitors.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll handle it.”

The knock came again, more forceful this time.

“We know you’re in there,” a gruff voice called from outside. “We can hear you, lad.”

Cari made a shooing motion to Quail. “Go,” they snapped, and finally she did, scurrying off down the halls.

They took a deep breath, put their gentle public smile back on their face, and opened the door.

“Yes, I did hear you,” they said pleasantly. “How can I help you, officers?”

The person in front, a gruff looking older man, gave them a look. Cari recognised him from previous visits.

“There’s been a disappearance in the area,” he said.

“I see…” Cari murmured. “They’ve not passed us by, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Something like that. Mind if we come in?”

“Bear isn’t home right now.”

“We don’t need to talk to Rick,” he said, listing off Bear’s real name with a degree of near-scorn that made Cari’s eyebrow flick up. They hadn’t realised this man knew Bear, and clearly from far enough back to know his birth name. “You’ll do just fine.”

Cari stifled a sigh. It was far more suspicious to decline the conversation, and besides, Cari already knew how this would play out. The guards would question them, they wouldn’t say anything, the men would ask to look around the house, find nothing and leave frustrated. The Den was far too careful to leave any trace for nosy fools to find.

“Then I suppose we’ll chat in the lounge, if that’s alright with you?” Cari put on their public-facing smile, the one Deer said made them look approachable, and stepped back to let them into the cabin.

The quieter, skittish looking guard looked to his partner, who nodded and ushered him inside, following after. Cari closed the door behind them.

Not for the first time, Cari wished they could just kill these people, these intruders into their home. But of course, it would be far too suspicious if guards sent to investigate the Den never returned. Safer to let them play their games, and the wolves would play along.

Cari led them to the lounge room, taking the large seat most commonly reserved for Bear. The man wouldn’t mind, not if it meant sending a message.

The smaller guard looked around the room, at the bearskin rug and mounted deer skull, the deerskin throw over the couch, and paled. Cari’s mouth twitched.

The older guard sat down and leaned forwards, toward Cari. Before he could speak, however, Cari did first.

“Might I ask your names, officers?”

“Kael,” he introduced himself, “and Evins.”

“Evins new, is he?”

“Relatively, yes. Thought I’d get him accustomed to the locals.”

Cari quirked an eyebrow. “We’re locals, are we?”

“All things considered, yes. What’s your name again, lad?”

“They call me Cari.”

Evins took note of this in a small notepad. Cari’s eyebrow rose even higher, as the younger guard avoided their gaze.

Kael nodded thoughtfully. “Cari, huh? Thought you lot used animal names.”

“We do.”

“And what animal are you then? Caribou?”

“That’s correct.”

Cari wondered if Quail had gotten distracted looking for Hare. They hadn’t heard anyone come inside, and while they could handle the conversation with the constable, they needed Bear and Grizzly to stay in the basement and the children to stay out of the way—especially Quail. If she repeated that little line about the man in the basement in front of the officers, it would force a distinctly unpleasant scene.

“How old are you, lad?” Kael asked now.

“I’m twenty five.”

Evins took note of this, too.

Oh, well. Let him. What’s he going to do with it, anyhow?

“You’ve been around a while, then,” he guessed. “I’ve seen you a few years back, too. You born here?”

Cari tapped their fingers on their leg. “With all due respect, officer, I don’t see how that’s relevant.”

“Just strange, isn’t it? You’ve grown up in this cabin in the middle of nowhere, no other kids…can’t be good for you. Were you educated?”

“I was. I can count, read and write, and I can use Handsign. I know how to write poetry and analyse literature, as well as how to forage and survive in the wild. Quite honestly, I think it’s a better education than many townsfolk, don’t you?”

Kael sighed. He smelled like cigar smoke, a bitter smell that varied just slightly from whatever variant Grizzly and Bear smoked out back when the kids weren’t allowed out.

“Don’t you ever want to travel? See more of the world?”

Cari shook their head. “I’m fine where I am, sir,” they replied. “Changing my mind is a waste of everyone’s time.”

He opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, a thump came from deep within the house. Evins whipped around, searching for the source of the noise.

“Ah, that’s probably Deer,” Cari commented idly, though internally they cringed. Was that from the basement? “She’s clumsy.”

Kael’s expression was unreadable. “I see…if you don’t mind, we’d like to have a brief look around the place.”

“Feel free, though I must ask you to be mindful of what you touch. This is our home, after all.”

“We’ll be careful,” Kael said, voice gruff. He stood up, slowly, while Evins shot to his feet, already three steps to the door.

Cari took two steps after them.

“Lad?” Kael said, glancing back at them.

“Yes?”

“Where are your parents?”

Cari paused. “I’m sorry?”

“Your parents. I know the residents of this house, and none of them line up to be your parents. The only other Arsa Sidhe are the young couple, correct?”

Hm. Seemed the officers had a deeper knowledge of the Den than Cari expected…yet not enough to know about their parents.

They considered for a moment, then folded their arms and stated simply, “My parents are dead. They died when I was very young.” A brief pause, then, “Happy?”

Evins lifted his pen to take a note, and Kael pushed it back down again.

“Not in the least,” he admitted. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

From down the hall came the sound of the back door opening. All three of them looked towards the sound as Fox stepped around the corner, bow strapped to her back and dirt on her knees. She held two dead rabbits in one hand, while the other was propped on her hip. Her lips were turned down at the edges, the beginning of a frown.

Cari felt a pulse of relief surge through them. They glanced back at the guards to see recognition in Kael’s eyes.

“Marigold,” he said. “You’ve grown up.”

“It’s Fox now, actually.”

“I see.”

Cari stepped forwards. “I thought you’d be out longer,” they commented to Fox.

“My bowstring snapped. Seems the timing was convenient, though: I didn’t realise we had guests.”

“I’ve been entertaining them.”

She nodded. “Go find my husband, please, Cari. I’ll show the guards around, if that’s what they’re looking for.”

Kael nodded, slowly. “It is,” he admitted. “Got a few questions for you, too.”

Fox nodded, moving down the hall and handing off the rabbits to Cari as the two passed each other. “I figured as much. Thanks, Car.”

“Of course.”

Cari left Fox with the officers, setting the rabbits on the end table temporarily before heading into the garden, down towards the greenhouse. Sure enough, Hare and the three kids were inside. Cari looked at Quail as soon as they entered.

“I thought I told you to fetch him,” they chided.

Hare sighed. “Don’t be mad at her, Cari. She told me, but I thought it’d be better to keep her outside after…” He trailed off, looking away with a guilty expression.

“Ah. She told you about that, did she?”

“Yes. Her mother and I will handle it.” He dusts off his hands. “Are they gone now?”

Cari shook their head. “Fox has it handled.”

“Good. Good.” He looked towards the house, mouth a grim line.

“They’re getting more persistent,” Cari commented. “Started questioning me about my upbringing.”

Another sigh from Hare. “They’re grasping at straws is what they’re doing. Looking for anything to pin us with.”

“Yes,” they agreed. “I’ll report to Bear once they’re gone.”

Hare nodded in agreement, right as the twins ran up to them.

“Cari!” Dove cried, grabbing at Cari’s leg. Grouse then proceeded to grab the other. “Cari, look! Berries!”

They shot a glance to Hare, who nodded. “We’ll talk about it later,” he said, then smiled to the children. “Go on, show Cari what we planted. I’m sure they’d love to see.”

Cari nodded, putting on their best smile as the children led them around the greenhouse. Later, they’d have to deal with the day, and the encroaching nerve of the guards, but for now…for now, they’d made it through.

They wouldn’t properly relax until the officers were long gone, but they let the children show them the berries.

It was enough for now.