Daily Life with Appalachian Monsters: Ch. 1 - I Got You in my Sights
A cold December wind blew through the trees, spots of snow capped the ground as the forest began to wake. With what little light illuminated the dawn, a shape was seen rustling amongst the trees, a hunter sat in her deer stand wishing she were home. DJ pulled her face mask down as she sighed, her warm breath cooling the fabric and in turn freezing her already chapped lips. I don't even like hunting, she grumbled. The woman leaned back into her seat, rifle in lap as she waited for the dead forest to stir.
Once she had felt her lips beginning to dry out, DJ brought her face mask back up, and returned to scanning the forest floor. The feed she had set up here sat roughly forty yards away, awaiting the prey she had seen so many signs of. For the past few weeks she would come up here and see many large tracks surrounding the site. At first she thought it'd be a one time thing, but due to the increase in activity she thought she would go ahead and try her luck.
Whatever can keep me entertained she thought, watching her cool breath form a small cloud in front of her. It had been a year since she had moved to her brother James' place, him being out of the country for extended periods of time. Following a series of convoluted and unfortunate events, she found herself quitting her job and moving cross country back to Tennessee. For whatever reason, her brother decided to buy and renovate some huge dilapidated house. At one time she thought it was to settle and start a large family, but strangely he still remained taking contract work out of the country. She was lucky to see him once every few years, and that was back when she lived in Seattle. Now she found herself 'caretaker' to his ridiculous unused property, wasting countless hours on the internet and sleeping in. She pulled her camouflaged suit closer, and wondered if bringing blankets was against hunter code. Another stifled yawn, another heavy breath, and she was back to staring at the unchanging scenery.
It wasn't long until the sun truly started peaking through the trees, illuminating the cold and dead forest around her. It was alien almost, leaves and dirt occasionally interrupted by the odd bush or lichen covered rock. The silence only being punctuated by a trilling bird or the rustle of wind in the trees. DJ found it beautiful. This time of year was her favorite, and she fondly remembered the hikes of her childhood, getting lost in the woods, having her brother and father come hunt her down, and doing it again the next day. It was strangely cathartic, she didn't have to think, she didn't have to remember painful memories, she just had to breath, and watch the motionless world around her.
Two hours had gone by, and not a single sign of any deer. Well, at least we got out of bed today, she mumbled through her head, shifting her weight so that she could begin her descent to the ground. Just as she was about to climb down the ladder, a noise startled her into stillness. Just barely past her feed, DJ spotted movement through the trees. Quickly she brought the scope of the rifle up to her eye, settling the forestock of the gun on the bar in front of her. She could clearly see fur, behind a tree, a soft tail wiggling as the deer approached the feed. Carefully leading to where she anticipated her prey would walk, she carefully loaded a single round into the chamber, and slowly locked the bolt into place. Her heartbeat quickened, the moment sending electricity through her nerves.
The deer moved behind the tree, in a moment DJ knew it would be visible, and she could take her shot. Just as she was about to pull the trigger, the 'deer' came into full view. A small petite woman, a freckled face with a cute dark button nose appeared in her view, her legs were covered with short fur and her feet ended in hooves. Through the scope the woman looked up towards the hunter, eyes wide in fear. DJ was so shocked, that she pulled the trigger.
The gunshot shattered the beautiful silence of the morning, DJ's body recoiled and the rifle slipped from her hand, crashing fifteen feet to the forest floor.
"Fuck!" she screamed, followed by a more useful, "H-hey! Are you ok?!" quickly scrambling from her perch, DJ flew down the ladder, leaping off when she reached the appropriate height. She sprinted with all her might towards the location of the woman, tears springing at her eyes and fear rolling over her in waves. She came into the small clearing and saw the woman hunched over on the ground.
"Pleasedontbedead, pleasedontbedead, pleasedontbedead!" she muttered frantically, carefully rolling the girl over and searching for the presumed wound. Her hands deftly checking every inch of her body, searching for blood, a hole, anything. Her hand came up with a small trace of red and her breath hitched, slowly coming back down to where her hand had been, the girls left side of her abdomen. Hands shaking she pulled back the small tan sweater to reveal a surprising set of abs, almost as if etched into a roman statue. The source of the blood was nothing more than a cut, barely a few inches long, the source being a small branch on the ground, which had a torn piece of cloth hanging from it.
DJ's breath released like a flood, her tears freely dripping down her face as she wiped her nose on the back of her hand. A shaky laugh escaping as she began checking the girls head to see if she had hit it on anything. The girl was very pretty: cute, pointed, fur lined ears connecting to an acute face. Soft pink lips sat underneath a cute brown nose, freckles leading towards thick eyelashes. She had long brown hair tied into a braid on her right side, vines and flowers intertwining throughout, with a pair of small ivory horns poking through. She had a small bust, her waist was trim leading to wide hips and strong muscular fur lined legs. Just as DJ's hand reached up to check the back of the girl's head, her eyes snapped open revealing two brilliant dark green orbs, that promptly widened in fear.
"AHHHHHHH!" The girl offered.
"AHHHHHHH!" DJ countered.
"Get your hands off me you dirty hunter!" The small girl shrieked, quickly scrambling backwards on her butt before she connected with a tree. Her chest rising and falling incredibly fast.
"H-hey wait! Don't move too much! You're probably in shock!" DJ threw her hands up causing her 'prey' to flinch.
"Im in shock that some dirty old man would shoot at me and then come over to fondle their prey!" She shouted, a deep blush was slowly creeping across her face, she crossed her arms in a hug around her body.
"W-what? Im not a man!" DJ ripped off her face mask and scarf, letting her short red hair fall from out of its bun, the tips touched with a faded blue. She had multiple piercings in her ears, and a small stud in her nose. Her own face was covered with freckles, and her eyes were a beautiful pale blue, glistening with the tears recently shed.
The faun's mouth was agape, and surprisingly her blush grew tenfold. "I-i-it doesn't matter what your gender is! Don't you know to respect a girls privacy!" She shouted, her breathing slowing only slightly.
DJ groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Look, I'm really sorry but if you come back to my place I can treat your wound ok?"
The faun-girl's large eyes blinked, "My…?" Her eyes traveled down to her stomach, where she saw the small patch of blood that had stained her shirt.
"You shot me?" She asked weakly, "You… shot… m-" her accusation cut short, she promptly slumped forward and passed out.
—
Janna woke up warm and cosy. She blinked and wiped the tears of sleep from her eyes, finding that she was settled comfortably on a large couch, with a small blanket covering her lower half. She attempted to sit up, but winced as a small pain came from her left side. She lifted the blanket and slowly inched her shirt up, only to find clean bandages wrapped around her midsection. She then realized that she wasn't wearing her sweater anymore, instead a long baggy t-shirt with a weird cartoon girl on it, hanging off her lithe frame. Janna blushed fiercely, Did that woman take me to her house? Did she take off my shirt?
The faun-girl finally took stock in her surroundings, she was in a large foyer-like area of a house. It seemed as if it was a cabin, rows of pictures and ornaments hung from the walls, and much to her disgust, a few horns of animals hunted long past sat on trophied mounts. A large television sat on the wall opposite of her, rows of entertainment devices and movies lining a shelf underneath it. To her right was an open wall leading to a kitchen, and to her left a large fireplace roared happily. Surrounding her were smaller reclining chairs and couches, with an ottoman topped with blankets and pillows in the center.
As Janna sat up, the woman entered the room, happily sipping on a glass of water before freezing at the sight of the now awake girl. Janna now saw that her would-be saver was fairly tall, a little over six feet. She was much harder looking than most young woman similar in age, strong forearms and sharp shoulders were the cause of her early misconception of the woman's sex. Her face was sharp angles, littered with freckles. On her right forearm was a small feather tattoo, and her leg had a set of brightly colored flowers adorning it. She wore a long sleeve shirt, rolled up to her elbows, and a pair of sleep shorts loosely tied around her stomach. The two stared at one another for a good moment before the taller girl cleared her throat.
"Um, Hi?" She said softly, clearing her throat more after taking another sip of water, "How are you feeling?"
Janna stayed silent, clutching the blanket and drawing her legs inwards.
DJ sighed again, she was doing that a lot today, she set down her water and moved to the couch, stopping a few feet away as the faun curled tighter into herself.
"Hey, it's ok, it's ok. Im really sorry about what happened earlier today, I didn't mean to uh…" The red-head trailed off.
"Shoot me?" The small girl spat venomously.
"Right, well almost shoot you. You just fell and scratched your stomach a little bit. I just brought you back home to patch you up."
The faun-girl let her hand settle on her stomach, before sending another accusatory glare at the red-head, "H-how do I know you didn't take anything important? Why should I believe you?"
DJ looked at her in disbelief before letting a short laugh escape her lips, "Oh my god, how did you make it through life so paranoid?"
Janna's face lit up like a fire but her disapproving scowl never left her face. DJ threw her hands up before making her way to the couch, pausing slightly as if to ask her guest if she could sit down, before finally seating when she earned a curt nod.
"I used to be a nurse, and while scratches and cuts are a cake walk for me, I don't think I have the skills or training to remove a kidney or whatever you're thinking. Im just trying to make up for that whole incident outside. Im really, really, sorry ok?" DJ gave the girl a mournful look, trying to convey her guilt in any way possible.
Janna slowly relaxed, a few tears springing to her eyes that she quickly wiped away, "Um… It's ok. Im sorry for freaking out like that. The whole thing was… Really scary." DJ shook her head.
"You don't have to be sorry, it's completely my fault. You had every right to be scared, but I want you to know if there is anything that I can do, It's yours ok?"
Janna nodded, the two of them descending into an awkward silence, before the faun-girl mumbled something.
"Im sorry?" DJ asked puzzled.
"My name's Janna Forest-borne, it's nice to meet you."
DJ sighed in relief, reaching over and offering a hand, before the shy faun took it.
"Dorothy Jennings, but everyone calls me DJ. It's nice to meet you too Janna, I just wish it was in a better circumstance." She chuckled.
Janna nodded in agreement before looking around the house again, "This place is beautiful by the way, well with the exception of those horrible things on the wall."
DJ winced, thinking about her brother's extensive hunting trophies. "Yeah, sorry about that, this is my brother's house. He used to be big into the whole hunting thing."
Janna tilted her head, "Wait, then why were you out today?"
DJ shrugged, "Honestly, no idea. Im taking care of Jay's house while he's overseas for work. I've been so bored lately, and it is deer season…" She trailed off.
Janna's head tiled further, "But wait I thought you couldn't hunt around Faun colonies?"
"Faun colony? Theres no… Wait, you mean the one out in South Carolina? We're in Unicoi County, in Tennessee."
Janna's eyes widened before she groaned and slapped a hand to her forehead, "Oh Pan above, I did it again."
Janna peaked through her hair at her host before continuing, "I uh… Tend to have a habit to wander around and getting lost. A lot. I just couldn't sleep last night… And then I was walking through the forest and was enjoying the waking of the winter animals and…"
"Walked right into my line of sight huh?" DJ grinned but as she thought about what the girl said, she came to a realization, "You do realize you walked like 40 miles here right?"
Janna nodded, her blush returning as she hid her face in her hands, "I get lost. A lot. Not to mention I crossed the state border, left the colony and have been missing for…"
"It's four p.m." DJ offered, causing Janna to flinch.
"For a lot longer than I would like."
DJ patted the girls shoulder affectionately, mirth bubbling in her stomach before a cold realization hit her, "Oh no… I hurt a liminal. Im going to jail."
Janna jumped up grabbing DJ's hands, "It was an accident! Im not where I should be, and I wasn't wearing protective visible colors! Not to mention I look exactly like a deer! It's not your fault trust me!"
DJ was taken aback by the sudden outburst and defense of her actions, if truth be told she was quite relieved the girl didn't blame her, but it didn't stop her guilty conscious from harping on her.
"That's really sweet Janna, but I gotta call the police and get this all settled."
Janna paled, "B-but, I'm gonna get in trouble too! Cant we just, have you drive me back? Or I can head back after I'm feeling better!"
DJ shook her head, "Im sorry Janna, I gotta set this right. Plus we got to get you home."
—
Two hours and a call to the police station, and an even longer call to the local Liminal Exchange organization later, a sharply dressed Exchange agent was at DJs door. He wore dark sunglasses, despite it being almost sundown, his skin was a deep chocolate brown, and his hair was tied into neat dreadlocks that hung in a ponytail behind him. He was easily seven feet tall, and had hundreds of pounds on DJ, despite not having an inch of fat on him.
To say DJ was intimidated was an understatement.
"Um- welcome to my home, agent…?" DJ swallowed a large lump gathering in her throat.
"Reginald. Agent Reginald is fine." A deep bass voice boomed, the giant entered through the doorway and approached the large living room. "Is Miss Janna here?"
"Yeah, she's resting on the couch right now." DJ followed him into the house.
Janna was quietly sitting underneath her blanket, furry legs curled to her chest as she quietly watched the murmuring television in the room. Her wide eyes looked up as the large agent entered the room. Casting her eyes downward she let out a quiet, "Hi, Reggie." as the agent passed by the couch, patted her shoulder, and took a seat in the chair opposite of her. The two marinated in silence for a moment before the agent removed his glasses, revealing two deep brown eyes.
"Are you feeling alright Janna?" The faun nodded, eyes still focusing intently on her knees. The agent placed his hands on his own knees, "Janna, you aren't in any trouble." The girl cast a furtive glance from beneath her long braid, as if the curtain of hair was there to protect her from a scolding.
"However, I can't say anything about what the colony elders will say when you get back." Janna returned her gaze back to her knees, nodding before brushing her hair out of her face, sitting properly again.
"What about DJ?" She asked.
"While the situation at first seemed quite severe, the agency and the police have determined it an accident, and therefore no legal troubles will come of this."
Both women let out pent up sighs of relief, the atmosphere of the room lightening considerably, DJ herself began rubbing her forehead before taking her own seat on the couch.
"In fact I find it quite lucky that you were found by a former nurse, even if she was the one who shot at you." The agent shifted in his seat, one of his gargantuan legs crossing over the other, his hands connecting in his lap. "For that I thank you, Miss Jennings. However I would suggest taking a break from hunting for a while."
The red head let out a small chuckle, "I think i've had my fill of guns for a while Agent Reginald. So what happens now?"
The man nodded, "Well, all there is left to do is get Miss Janna home, and back to her very worried clan." Janna groaned but sat up, reluctantly she stood and made towards the exchange agent.
"No sense it putting it off I suppose." she grumbled, before shyly turning back to her hostess. "I'm sorry for all the trouble DJ, thank you for taking care of me."
DJ stood and pulled the faun into a tight hug, "I'm just happy things worked out Janna, and again there is nothing to be sorry about, if you ever need anything let me know."
The small girl returned the hug, hoping that her blush was not visible, as she was tightly pulled into the taller girl's chest. As the two broke apart, DJ perked up, "Before you leave I have something for you." DJ scampered from the room before quickly returning with Janna's sweater, the hole previously torn through the side was patched up, and the sweater washed, looking good as new.
"Turns out sutures and sewing weren't as different as I thought." She offered the sweater back to Janna, who gratefully accepted, hugging the article of clothing to her chest. "Thank you so much DJ! Oh I thought it was definitely ruined!" The girl hurried off into another room to quickly change.
DJ laughed before finding herself alone with Reginald, awkwardly she looked for something to say, "So… This happens often?"
The man's eyes crinkled, almost as if he was smiling, but his lips did not move, "More often than you know. Though I must say this is the first time she has come out of a situation so happy, and not completely terrified or hungry. I'd even go as far to say that she enjoyed her time here, near death experience aside."
DJ blushed, "I won't lie, it was nice to have a guest, even if it was only for a little while."
Reginald gave her a measured look, before flipping his glasses back onto his face, "Tell me Miss Jennings, have you heard of the exchange program?"
DJ nodded, "Of course, its all anyone has been talking about for the past couple of years."
The man returned the nod before reaching into the inside of his black suit, pulling a shining business card out of it.
"Despite the recent events of today, I believe that you might benefit from hosting a homestay, you certainly have the space and time. And I believe a little company is good for hermits who hole themselves up in the mountains."
DJ accepted the card, on it were only two lines: Reginald's name, and a phone number.
"Give me a call if you're interested." as he finished his pitch, Janna reentered the room, holding the folded shirt that DJ had lent her, "Thanks again DJ, I hope that this isn't the last time we get to see each other."
DJ smiled, "I hope it isn't either."
Agent Reginald led the faun-girl by her shoulder back to the front door, "I'm sure it won't be. Good night Miss Jennings."
—
Days passed, and DJ found herself immensely bored once more. Her mind constantly thinking back to the events of a few days ago, and to the words that the Exchange Agent had said to her. At first DJ had immediately disliked the idea. Janna was great, but DJ had found a lot of solace in the solitude of the mountains, a lot of the time she spent here was spent healing from her wounds from her previous life in Seattle. However, after a few days time, especially when the ever present feeling of boredom began to settle, DJ realized that she had been longing for company once more.
She found that going back to her old hermit-like habits was pretty unhealthy, and began to think that maybe living with and speaking to another everyday might be a better change of pace. With these thoughts in mind, a week later, she emailed her brother asking for permission before she carried out her new mission. Surprisingly, she got a rather terse email back in only a few hours, the entire letter containing only the phrase, Sounds good to me. With a shrug she dialed Agent Reginald, and within a few hours had received an email file containing documents to be signed and read. After familiarizing herself with the Interspecies Exchange Treaty, she happily typed away into the many forms she was required to fill out, before sending them back to the agency.
After another week of waiting, and a trip down to town to get her photo taken, DJ was in possession of a plastic ID detailing her to be a legitimate Interspecies Host. Happily she traveled home and phoned Agent Reginald, who assured her that they already had several applicants in mind to stay. He let her know that her first home stay would be arriving by the end of the week. When pressed to reveal the nature of the liminal, Reginald was surprisingly cryptic, simply saying he thought it best that their identity be kept as a surprise.
Grumbling, DJ spent the rest of the time cleaning, moving furniture, dusting and fixing up one of the several guest rooms in the house. Her brother's cabin was two stories, with another smaller room comprising of the third story, normally kept for storage of her brothers numerous documents and files. The basement, was built entirely for the purpose of housing a boiler, sat mostly empty, containing many construction supplies and tools, most likely left over from James's extensive remodeling of the residence. DJ decided to focus mostly on the livable parts of the house, and the week quickly sped by.
As the day of the move came, DJ found herself in a nervous tizzy in anticipation of the arrival. Her clothes were surprisingly neater than she normally wore, which wasn't exactly difficult considering that her normal attire consisted of sweat pants and spaghetti straps, bra optional. Regardless, she wore a nice pair of jeans, a nice button up shirt, and a favorite zip up hoody to fight the cold of the winter months. In fact, it turned out to be the day before new years eve, and DJ found it poetic that she should under take so much change in such an appropriate time period.
A knock on the door sent a wide grin across her face, she raced to the door before quickly steadying herself with a breath, and opened the door.
"Welcome!" She called, before her mouth hung open in a gape, in front of her stood a beaming Deer faun girl standing next to the hulking Agent Reginald.
"Hi DJ! Im glad to be back!"
