#daniel.

The woods at night had become a new scenery that Jenny was starting to grow used to. Sometimes she tried to go out there to hunt, trying to mimic what Metzli had been trying to teach her. She was no good at it, at trying to be swift and quiet before striking. Her hunger often tended to strike first, making her an uncontrollable monster that sometimes did manage to kill an animal or two, but often just slammed her tongue at trees.

Tonight she was not out for a hunt. She was doing something more mundane: walking Edward. This too, she preferred to do in the woods. Neither of them had been the type to go on forest walks before she had transformed, as they were both former city dwellers. Jenny had found the woods too uneven, too dirty, too unpredictable. But now, the woods were very much preferred. Especially at night, they tended to be relatively deserted, leaving less chance for her to bump into other pedestrians that might entice her. Some of her late night walks had become rather close calls, after all. The memory of Emilio holding her down as she dreamed of killing that woman was still strong on her mind.

Edward was doing fine in the woods, though, and so was she. Now that she could no longer sleep, walking around in the dark was a good distraction. Jenny watched the shih tzu waggle around in front of her. When she halted suddenly, he kept walking. Something new had joined the scene. A human. She smelled and heard him, as well as his dog, before she saw him, appearing behind a bunch of trees. Remaining standing, she pulled Edward closer to her. “Good evening,” she said, eyeing the other with a small level of suspicion. “Don’t worry — he’s friendly.” She nodded at her dog. 

—

Tree loved going for walks late at night, giving her the opportunity to sniff out whatever animals skittered around in the woods. Daniel rarely used a leash on her during the day, which gave her the opportunity to run around and burn her energy. But at night? When she could easily disappear into the darkness or run into some sort of beast? Daniel kept her on her leash. She padded along slightly ahead of him with her nose to the ground as she sniffed out animals. He let her lead the way as he followed whatever animal she sniffed out. 

The redbone hound stopped in her tracks for a moment, lifted her head up in the air as she sniffed something in the breeze. Daniel paid her little mind, accustomed to her catching the scent of something new. Tree pulled him in a new direction as she hunted down whatever caught her nose now. The two wandered through the trees until Daniel heard something else not too far in the distance. Footsteps hit the ground, something that sounded human, and he heard what might be another dog. Tree continued on her path towards them, and he grumbled as he realized she was dragging them towards the random other person walking their dog at night in the woods. 

But the hound dog was on a mission as she dragged him towards a woman walking her dog. He stepped out from the trees with his dog leading the way. He didn’t want to seem weird or suspicious for walking around at night, but he looked down at the small shih tzu. Tree wagged her tail and let out a little bark in excitement. “She’s friendly too,” Daniel said. She tugged on her leash and he stepped forward a little bit, giving her enough leash to approach the other dog and sniff him. “She’s always gotta say hi to every dog she meets.” He shrugged. “And always gotta stretch her legs at this time of night.” 

—

The scent of the other human and their dog were strong, filling the air along with the smell of pine and other woodland creatures. Jenny had fed before she’d come here, but the bagged blood had been stale, even when warmed up by her microwave. She wasn’t prepared to be faced with another human, especially one whose heartbeat was slightly picked up due to the walking and who had a very cute dog with him. She watched her in stead of the guy, seeing her sniff Edward and trying not to think of the parallels between herself and the dogs. She too was picking up scents.

She stopped breathing altogether, hoping all breeze would end so she could simply stand there and not notice the richness streaming through the other’s veins. She just stared at the young dog, feeling an intense need to squeal and fawn over it. But squealing usually involved breathwork, her voice box tragically requiring a stream of air. And that kind of breathing could swiftly turn into more sniffing, by her. 

“She’s super cute,” she eventually said, her voice still having a bit of that excited quality that naturally came with seeing a puppy. “How old is she?” She watched Edward circle around the dog to sniff its butt, letting him do what he needed to. His tail was wagging, which was a good time. “We’re beholden to our dog’s schedules, aren’t we?” She smiled a little, looking up at the other finally. Jenny forced her eyes to stay at his eyes, not drifting lower than his mustache. Staring at the neck was a sure way to get on the wrong path. “They’re the real ones in charge.”

—

“So is he,” Daniel said, nodding at the smaller dog. He wanted to seem as casual as possible and not strange towards the woman alone with her dog. If it was up to him, he’d drag Tree away and be on their way, leave the two of them alone, but both dogs seemed excited to meet each other. He wanted Tree to get along with other dogs, so he felt stuck there for the moment. “Uh, not sure. I found her back in November. Tried finding the original owner but no one claimed her. Decided to keep her.” He never attempted to find the owner because he decided that if she was out that deep in the woods, she might as well be his dog. “She was just a tiny puppy when I found her though. Was probably two or so months old. How long have you had him?” 

He looked up from where he watched the two dogs, only to find that she was looking right towards his eye level. He found it a little strange, so he glanced back down to the dogs before looking back up towards her. “They really are,” he agreed. “I think she has control of just about everything I do. Can’t do anything without her permission.” He grinned softly at that, thinking about how comfortable she was with him—how she yapped at the cabin’s back door, demanding that he let her run around outside and roll around in the grass. 

Speaking of, she flopped over onto her back and rolled around on the grass. Daniel chuckled and shook his head. “Or she’s just gotta do stuff like that. At least she ain’t trying to hunt down a squirrel right now.” 

—

She smiled brightly at the other as he complimented her dog, glad that there was some sense left in the world. Edward was her pride and joy, the closest she would ever come to having a son of her own. But the smile turned into a frowning expression swiftly. “Nooo, did someone abandon her? That’s horrible.” She pouted a little. “But not horrible for you and her now, I guess? Sometimes the dog distribution system needs some cruel people for it to keep working. But gosh, I can’t imagine just doing that! Especially a doggie as cute as that. Look at her ears – they’re too big for her damn head.” She looked down at Edward, who was practicing a wide stance to initiate play times. “I’ve had him since he was a puppy. He’s four years old now.”

Jenny didn’t want to think too much about how much Edward had ruled her life when the two of them had still lived together. She had been trialing taking her dog home, letting him stay over some nights. She always ended up returning him to Baz and Joel, though, getting sick with the fantasy of eating her dog. He would probably not even taste good. “Well, that is their damned right! If they were any less cute, maybe we’d be able to have a say But Edward …” The way he looked at her when he wanted his greenie could move mountains.

“At least it’s just grass, and not something stinkier,” she said, “And her fur is not as white as Edward’s! You made a good call there. Does she wield any results with the squirrels? Edward likes to think he can eat them all, but he’s quite bad at hunting in reality. Not that she concerns herself with reality.”

—

“Ah, I guess? Probably,” Daniel replied. “But it worked out for me. I was wanting a dog.” Not really. He had been almost annoyed when he took the tiny puppy back to his camper knowing that he was suddenly in charge of another living thing. But he had secretly been missing having a dog. He had visited Molly often enough back then and gotten so used to seeing her cat, that he started imagining himself with a dog going on hikes with him. Then he happened upon a dog in the woods. It worked out just fine for him once he got over his initial qualms. “God, I’m sure he was absolutely tiny as a puppy. He’s still so small.” 

He grinned softly and nodded along with her. “Yeah, fair,” he said. “I’m pretty good at ignoring her big sad eyes when she wants to eat what I’m cooking. My girlfriend on the other hand? She folds instantly. I think Tree has figured out how to get all the snacks.” He paused for a moment. “We’ve also been making treats for her. Got a wide variety of them. There’s this frozen berry yogurt treat that she loves.” God, he was such a softy for this dog. He knew that he’d do anything for her. 

“Definitely a benefit of the dark red fur, yeah,” he agreed. “I’m sure he looks like a dirty mess whenever he rolls around.” He laughed as she talked about Edward’s lack of hunting skills. She had been awful at hunting just a few months ago, but at this point, she was getting better and faster at her little hunts. “I think she’s figured it out. She’s caught a few squirrels. I think she’s starting to think she’s top dog because of that.” 

—

“The pet distribution system works wonders once more!” Jenny craned her neck to look up at the sky, as if speaking to some kind of pet-delivery god. “I would be open to receiving a cat any time now!” The moment she said it, she knew it wasn’t quite true. While a cat would work well with her aesthetic of being a mostly homebound, reclusive woman with some kind of dark supernaturality running through her, she was not sure if she wanted another pet to worry about eating. She looked back at Daniel’s dog, and nodded. “And yet bigger than mine. Can you imagine how small he was? God. It was so cute, it’s a good thing he grew a little. I would have died otherwise.” 

Hearing the other speak about his dog, she was happy to hear the affection in his tone. Some dog owners were so neutral about their pet. As if their dog was forced upon them. Sure, sometimes going on walkies was frustrating (like when it rained, and she was having a good hair day), but that was the sacrifice one made! “Gosh, I totes get that. My friend loves to spoil my dog when they look after him.” Baz and Joel were pretty good dogsitters, though she was sure Joel was the more responsible one. “That’s amazing! I’ve never tried my hand at making my own. I’m a disaster in the kitchen. Edward deserves better.”

Jenny was suddenly struck by how lighthearted she felt. Having a chat with a fellow dog owner was so mundane and normal, and it almost felt like she was back to a normalcy she had lost. If she were to ignore the ‘walking in the woods in the dark’ of it all, of course. “He gets so dirty and hates baths. But he doesn’t roll around too much. He’s a proper city boy, after all.” She snorted softly. “I mean, compared to mine, she probably is top dog. Never mind seniority.” She looked down at the dogs, who had ceased their roughhousing to stare intensely at some bushes ahead. “Oh!”

—

Daniel would be lying if he said that he didn’t like having this simple conversation with a stranger. He tended to prefer keeping to himself these days, but there was always that thought in the back of his mind that he missed just chatting with people. His teens and early twenties were filled with talking to random strangers about whatever, that it almost felt normal again for him. He even felt like maybe this was that normalcy he often longed for throughout his life—to just exist as a regular human. No hunter or supernatural nonsense. Just small talk with someone who loved their dog. 

“Ah, luckily they’re easy to make. Some are easy to make. Just mixing plain yogurt and berries together. Or freezing peanut butter into balls as a treat,” he explained. Sometimes Daniel had to remember to explain the steps to cooking actual meals, but those treats? Just combine a few things and freeze it. As simple as this conversation. 

He grinned at her comment. “City boy going for a walk in the woods. Good for him. And I guess she does have that top dog position between these two. Just prepared to jump into a hunt.” He paused as he realized that Tree was suddenly taking that top dog role seriously, as she turned her attention away from playing with her new friend to staring at some bushes. “She probably sees a squirrel or a bunny or something. Always tries to chase on those.” He tugged lightly on her leash. “Come on, girl.” She ignored him, her focus still on the bushes. The bushes weren’t a bright green that Daniel expected for this time of year, and they all looked rather dead to him. He thought that odd, and as he looked around a bit more, he realized that a few other plants looked dead. His attention returned to Tree as she let out a low growl when a small bunny hopped out from the bushes. “Ain’t no need for that,” he chastised. The bunny hopped a little closer, as if unafraid of the two dogs.

—

The other made it sound easy, but as Jenny imagined rolling peanut butter into balls she could already imagine the mess. Never mind how sticky it would feel to her hands and how oily they would become, no matter how much she scrubbed. Her kitchen was mostly an aesthetic part of her home, where the most culinary things done by her were the drinks she mixed. Baz ate from there sometimes, but they weren’t quite the cook either. Still, she loved the green cabinets. 

“You underestimate how bad I am in the kitchen,” she said with a sense of foreboding. At least she no longer needed to cook to eat these days. It wasn’t like she preferred the alternative (ripping people apart) but she had to try to find the good where she could! “He’s really going out there, isn’t he? I could write a storybook about it. Preppy little city boy goes on a nighttime adventure in the woods.”

While Tree had been established to be the better hunter, Edward was definitely attempting to prove himself by honing all his attention onto the bush. Jenny inhaled, attempting to make it inconspicuous (as if breathing in and of itself was not normal behavior) to see if she could pick up any new scents. There was something there, though she could not quite place it. She tugged at Edward’s leash too, but he was unwavering in his stance just as Tree. When the bunny appeared, she resisted a squeal. “Oh but it’s so cute,” she said, watching as another bunny hopped from the bush. And then another followed, with two smaller ones in tow. “Babies!” Edward was no longer as unwavering in his stance, she noted. From deep in his throat a low rumble came. “I thought rabbits slept at night? Maybe they’re just having a party.” That last bit was more directed to her dog than the other person with her.

—

In Daniel’s mind, there was no way that someone could mess up the peanut butter treat. It was literally just peanut butter. But he wasn’t going to argue with a random stranger about that. Wasn’t going to point out how it was literally just peanut butter rolled into balls and frozen. Instead, he chuckled at her suggestion of a storybook about her adventurous dog. That was probably the better option right then. “He sure is. I’m sure he can have all sorts of future adventures too.” 

Soon enough, more bunnies appeared from the bush. Tree continued to growl at the bunnies, her focus entirely on them. She yanked on her leash as she tried to get at them, but Daniel kept his grip and held her to him. In another situation, he would probably just let her try to catch a bunny—though, probably not with the babies. He’d stop her from chasing after those. A single adult though? All just part of nature. “Yeah, I don’t think they usually do much at night,” he said. It was a little odd how these ones were out and about. It was way past dusk, but maybe something interrupted their sleep, had them moving around right then. 

“I should probably get going before she tries to eat one of them,” Daniel said, tugging on the leash once more. But Tree wouldn’t budge. He was tempted to just pick her up and carry her away. As he considered that, he realized that these bunnies were acting rather odd. They didn’t seem scared of the two dogs growling at them or the two humans with the dogs. They seemed kind of brave. Maybe curious. Like they had nothing to worry about from any of the larger threats. Daniel narrowed his eyes as he thought about what these bunnies might be. He didn’t sense anything, but that only got him so far. And maybe these bunnies were just really stupid and didn’t care about the two dogs growling at them from just a few feet away. He looked at the few dead plants around them again, trying to solve whatever mystery was happening here. 

One of the bunnies hopped closer to Tree. And closer. And closer, which led Tree to release a loud hound dog bark. “Stop,” he grumbled, as she howled into the night. He heard rustling from behind him and turned around to see a couple more bunnies, as if they were all surrounding them now. “Maybe … maybe we should both get outta here.” How could he begin to explain that he didn’t trust these random, innocent-looking bunnies?

—

Maybe they had manifested this adventure, she thought. The kind of small town adventure she had imagined for Edward certainly didn’t include encountering a bunch of bunnies post midnight, but here they were anyway. It wasn’t like she had anticipated walking her dog late at night in the woods anyway, at least not until she had died and come back a creature of the night. Jenny was not interested in reflecting on all the consequences of her actions, though, especially not now.

“Sounds like a solid plan,” she said determinedly, getting worried about the prospect of one of the dogs ripping up a bunny and filling the air with the scent of blood. If she had a heart that functioned, she imagined it would be picking up now with dread. In stead, she just felt herself grow tense at the prospect of bunny blood. She’d eaten a few before on a hunt, though not intentionally. They were more fluff than blood, after all — but there was little logic to the way she ripped living beings apart when lost in a frenzy. 

Tree wasn’t budging though. Edward wasn’t either, though Jenny heard the low growl coming from his threat change into something more close to a whine as more bunnies got close. So her dog was a coward compared to a puppy — but it didn’t matter. One less risk at a bunny being ripped apart and Jenny causing another massacre (potentially involving two dogs) was somewhat good news. With the way Tree was howling though, she wasn’t feeling super assured.

The bunnies that started circling them were even less assuring. Her eyes scanned around, finding the image one she could appreciate in a movie or illustration or even if she had been here all alone. Right now, though, it seemed like a disaster waiting to strike. She felt a phantom heart beat in her throat and bend over quickly to gather Edward in her arms, feeling all his muscle tense even as she pulled him close. His scent pricked at her nose and she tried to focus on the earthy smell of his fur rather than the blood underneath his veins. “Yep,” she said, “I’m out of here.” The bunnies were circling closer to them and Jenny did not want to deal with all the possible outcomes that were promised. And still, the bunnies did not smell like the rabbits she’d eaten before. They seemed to lack in any smell besides their fur, none of the sweetness that usually came with creatures joining a scene she was in.

—

Tree wouldn’t stop her howling, and the last thing Daniel wanted right then was for his dog to rip into a bunch of bunnies in front of a stranger. The woman grabbed her dog, who seemed more scared of the bunnies. Not exactly what he expected from a dog that seemed ready to growl at the bunnies just moments ago. Whatever was going on with these things, he didn’t like them. Neither did Tree. He had taken her hunting for wild animals, so he knew that she would chase down animals far larger than her—and he assumed that if he still patrolled and hunted supernatural beasts, she would probably chase down large terrifying creatures. 

The bunnies hopped in closer, surrounding them, seeming very interested in Daniel and Tree. He did the same as the young woman, and he picked up Tree. His dog growled at him at first, awkwardly kicking her legs in confusion—she wasn’t exactly a dog that he picked up and carried around—but she accepted her fate after a few seconds. “All right, well,” he paused briefly as another bunny hopped closer to him, “enjoy the rest of your night.” He stepped away from the bunnies, though a few hopped to face him, as if watching him. As if inspecting him. “I probably should be getting home soon anyway. It’s late.” He turned around, still holding his dog who seemed shocked by him holding her, and walked back off into the direction he came from, back towards his place away from these weird bunnies that just didn’t seem right. 

—

Jenny felt Edward tremble underneath her hands. Or maybe that was her, imagining all the disastrous scenes that could start playing out if something were to go wrong. The bunnies were closing in, their scents absent and something entirely wrong with them. When the other started to say goodbye, there was a part of her that wanted to protest. Why would he abandon her – a young woman with a dog that had all bark and no bite – when there were bunnies threatening them both? Should they not be getting out of here together? 

But then, Jenny wasn’t just a young woman alone in the woods any more. She was a serial killer, a ticking time bomb, already fretting about leaving another corpse in the woods surrounded by rabbits. (She might not have to call Eve for that one — maybe the bunnies could be blamed and this dog owner could turn into a local legend?) “Oh yes, yeah, it’s late, these bunnies are definitely going — God, they’re fucking creepy! Best be on our way.” Part of her wanted to follow him. To tie Edward to a tree and stalk him for a long while, until she was sure that her darling dog was at a safe distance. It had been so long since she had tasted human blood. But she ground her teeth and told herself that cravings were just mental urges she could suppress (it was really no different than trying to resist devouring a bag of M&M’s, except for the murder).