I love animals, and so they appear in all of my novels, usually as fully-formed characters. In the August 29th excerpt from The Witch of the Meadows, I introduced you to Hilda, the guinea pig who lives with Fern’s Gran. Today, we’re venturing further into the novel…Chapter 16!
Excerpt:
Around the next corner, the shrubs ended and a field of wildflowers spread across a gentle slope. The path rose easily now in zigzagging switchbacks and the soil was dry and firm. Fern hiked along quickly, trying to make up lost time. It calmed her nerves to see the familiar plants. She knew them all—buttercup, harebell, scabiosa and knapweed, among others—so she’d have lots to talk about with Lady Soila. They’d hit it off, she was sure. They’d trade plants and Duffy would take her home.
Fern rounded another switchback corner and spied a different plant. She bent to inspect the dark, five-lobed leaves and cluster of small, creamy-white flowers growing a little taller than her knees. It reminded her of spirea.
Grrrr, a growl rumbled. Close.
Fern’s gaze shot toward the sound. Not five feet away, squarely in the middle of the path, stood a badger, his lips curled back in a snarl.
She straightened and inched back, the edge of the cape swinging between them like a flimsy barrier.
The badger stepped forward.
Oh, no. She froze. She knew wild animals lived here, she’d just never run into any threatening ones. What had Gran said about them? With the badger staring back, Fern couldn’t think.
His black and white patterned face rose slightly, his nose sniffing. He took another step forward.
Despite her intention to remain calm, she backed up too fast, stumbled over her feet and fell on her rump, dropping everything.
Another snarl broke from the badger as he leapt—backwards.
“Ahhh!” She snatched at the canvas bag, dragging her plants as she scrambled away. “Nice badger. There we go. You’re over there, I’m over here and we both have plenty of room to get away from each other. You take the path and I’ll cut across the grass.”
The badger growled again, sharp teeth bared.
Oh, damn, damn, damn. Her hands were shaking and, worse, she could feel the tingling spreading up her arms. She clenched the bag tighter. “Or not. I’m not going to hurt you. I just need to see Lady Soila about some plants.”
The badger unwrinkled his snout and plopped into a sit.
What the heck? Fern bit her lip. Gran had said, Just move on, the animals won’t bother you.
The badger sniffed again, raising his pointed black nose as far forward as it would go and poked at the cape that had dropped between them.
“Uh, you can have the cape. It’ll make a nice bed, I’m sure.”
The badger cocked his head.
Fern got her feet under her and crouched. The badger didn’t move. He looked from her to the cape.
“Yeah, you can have it. Really. I only need the bag of plants to trade.” He seemed to be listening to her. Maybe. At least he’d stopped growling and moving forward. Was he afraid to cross the unfamiliar material? She straightened slowly and when that went well, sidled back a few steps. The badger sniffed at the cape again, then settled back on his haunches, his back flattening into a broad platter of gray fur with its solitary white strip cleanly splitting it.
I won’t run, or turn my back on him. Better to step to the side, off the path, and angle her way uphill with him in sight. “You’re a beautiful animal,” she crooned. Hilda always liked hearing that. “Yes, I’ve never seen such a beautiful coat.” The badger cocked his head. He was listening—and he liked it, too. Probably a stress-induced fantasy, Fern. Her whole body was zinging with nerves. Just make the first step and go
~~~
Want to read more? Pick up The Witch of the Meadows on Amazon in either ebook or paperback, or read free with Kindle Unlimited.
Or try my The Luminated Threads series, in which the hero and many of the folks who work at Wellspring Collective are animal shifters–and not only wolves!
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