A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed. I appreciate the feedback and encouragement.
"Hey, April!" a gruff, aging man exclaimed as he walked into the Plentywood bar five hours later.
He sat down on a stool in front of the bar, where April was washing it from the other side.
April glanced up from her work, and flashed him a friendly smile. "Hey, Charlie, long time no see. What have you been up to?"
"Just got back from..." Charlie paused, taking a look around to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation, before whispering, "Ogre hunting."
"Ogre hunting?" April questioned, surprised. She dropped the rag she'd been using on the countertop.
Michael stepped out from the back room, joining them. "I haven't seen an ogre in centuries."
Charlie cocked an eyebrow. He knew Michael from one demon hunt they'd done together with April when he'd stumbled on the same hunt they had ten months ago, but he didn't know Michael's past.
Michael waved him off, trying to send the message that he'd been exaggerating, that he wasn't one of the numerous immortal creatures they hunted, but Charlie frowned.
He was like most smart, aging hunters- he never brushed things off. That was what usually got the younger hunters killed.
After a few seconds though, Charlie shrugged and Michael relaxed, not realizing how tensed he'd been. He didn't want to explain his past to the man. He was grateful that Charlie had apparently decided to trust April's judgment, that Michael was no threat.
"Ogres exist?" April asked, amazement still present in her voice.
Charlie nodded. "They're no Shrek, that's for sure, but yeah, they do. They're rare, but they're big and ugly and nasty. They eat people alive without discrimination and they're always hungry."
April grimaced. "Guess I still have a few more creatures to learn about after all these years."
"A hunter never stops learning," Charlie told her. "I'm sure there are countless creatures I've yet heard of and I've been at this for nearly thirty years."
April nodded. "So what would you like to drink?"
"What do ya think?"
Charlie pointed and April laughed. "Whiskey from the tap, of course."
"In the biggest glass you have," Charlie said.
Michael gave April the glass and she poured Charlie his drink before passing it over to him. He took a long drink from the glass before setting it down on the bar.
"So what are you in town for?" Michael inquired.
"Just passing through," Charlie answered. "On my way to Reno; to a ghost hunt."
"Ah."
"Why?" Charlie asked. "Anything here?"
Michael shrugged.
"We haven't gone on a hunt for over five months," April said as she scooped up a handful of pretzels from a bowl on the bar. "But there are some disappearances we're going to check into."
"What's going on?" Charlie quizzed.
"Two campers disappeared in the woods last week," Michael replied. "One came back in pieces, the other is still missing."
"Wendigo?"
April shook her head. "Most likely a wild animal than that. Wendigos are a rare occurrence in the west, you know that."
She popped a pretzel into her mouth.
"Just because they're rare, doesn't mean they aren't here," Charlie argued.
April swallowed and nodded. "I know that. I'm just keeping my mind open to all supernatural creatures and ordinary ones alike until we know more. Michael and I are planning to go out Wednesday when the bar's closed to investigate."
As soon as she finished speaking, the sound of a police cruiser's sirens blared as it passed the bar, headed for the edge of town, where the forest began.
"Good," Charlie said, taking another sip of his drink. "Because whatever is in those woods, someone needs to kill it. Soon. And if it's not a wild animal, that cop, or any other cop, will never catch it."