Snoe moved slowly as he sat up. Two fawns waddled behind the doe, one with white spots dotted down its spine. They seemed unafraid of Snoe even as he sat fully up. Snoe’s interactions with animals, mostly birds, had been minimal, although they’d always taken a liking to him. Still, Snoe reached out his hand palm up, drifting toward the doe in a nonthreatening gesture. She didn’t run even as Snoe’s hands came in contact with soft fur. He petted her in between the ears before pulling his hand back. It was darker outside than when Snoe had first fallen asleep. He doubted he’d be able to find his way to the town now.
“You wouldn’t know a place I could sleep, would you?” Snoe asked, knowing all too well there was no way the doe could understand him. He looked up, but he didn’t see the sky. The trees blocked his view, yet the moon shone bright beams of light that broke through the dense forest.
The doe nudged Snoe, and he got the feeling she wanted him to get up. He could just lie there on the cold ground and shiver all night. But what could he lose? It wasn’t like he knew the right way—it wasn’t possible to get even more lost than he already was. Snoe stood up, brushing the grass and dirt from his jeans. The doe nibbled at his clothes and tugged. She wanted him to follow.
Worst-case scenario, Snoe was going to end up sleeping in a small alcove with the doe and her two fawns. Snoe grabbed his bags, wishing now that he’d left some of his things behind. But no one ever thinks about the day their life is going to be abruptly uprooted and they’ll be forced to run for their life. Snoe sighed as he picked up the broken suitcase while pulling the other two.
They seemed to walk further into the forest, the trees denser than before, the brief glimpses of light he’d gotten before now disappearing. It was hard to see. Snoe tripped over rocks and almost fell. He nearly lost the doe a couple of times, but she’d wait for him to get back up or catch himself.
Just as Snoe was ready to call it quits—sweat beaded at the back of his neck, making his hair stick to him, and his legs shook, ready to cave from under him—there was a bright light up ahead. Snoe used the last of his reserves and pushed himself to reach the small clearing.
What he found there was a cottage that looked like it had been abandoned for years. Vines clung to the walls, and the door was half-broken on its hinges, but it was a place Snoe could sleep. He made his way to what he assumed was the door. It was barely hanging on and looked like some random piece of wood semi-covering a hole. He pulled the door open slightly, and it popped off, making Snoe fall with all his belongings.
“Damn it.” Snoe let the door go and rubbed his back.
He pushed himself off the ground and moved into the cottage. It was dark and musty inside. Plants had nearly taken over the place, winding their way through cracks. Snoe dug in his suitcase for a light charm. They were easy. He held it between his fingers, pushing his magic into the charm. It burned at his fingertips as the magic sparked a small globe to life.
The cottage was one large room. There was some broken wood in the middle of the floor, and on one side it looked like there was a sink, so Snoe was guessing it was the kitchen. He opened two separate doors. One led to a closet with nothing but cobwebs, and the other was a bathroom that smelled of death. Snoe closed it, and thanks to the fact that he’d emptied his stomach earlier, he had nothing to puke up.
“This…”
Snoe’s first reaction was to get away as fast as possible. But the problem with that was, where would he go? He didn’t have a home anymore. Snoe thought it ridiculous to speak to the deer as if she understood, but she had brought him to a place he could seek shelter. It was cold in the small cottage but not nearly as cold as outside.
“Thank you,” Snoe said, turning to the doe.
She didn’t leave, instead lying down on a pile of plants in a corner. Snoe looked around. The light charm flickered, and he knew he’d either have to do another one or let it go till morning. He had a limited supply of charms, so it was best not to use them all in one go. He moved his bags to the far wall that had the least amount of trash and opened one to get another sweater out to slip on over the one he was already wearing.
He picked a corner and lay down. Sleep took him with no struggles. Snoe almost felt more peaceful in the forest than he ever had at the estate.
Maybe this isn’t so bad after all.
Chapter Five
Snoe
Snoe woke up to a fawn chewing on his hair, memories of the day before assaulting him. Right. He no longer had a home or a soft bed to call his own. There was no servant to come get him for breakfast. His stomach rumbled. He’d missed out on dinner and now breakfast. The temptation to shut his eyes and fall back to sleep was strong. He didn’t want to face reality, not when it was bleak and unforgiving.
More hair was tugged out of his head as the fawn continued to pull pieces out. Snoe sighed, knowing he wouldn’t be able to get anymore sleep. Instead, he pried his hair free of the fawn and sat up. His back ached and his neck was sore, as if he’d slept in the most uncomfortable position ever.
Snoe massaged the tender muscles in his neck. He hoisted himself up from the ground, cracking his back as he stood. Snoe looked around the dingy cabin once again. It was worse with daylight breaking in.
Snoe rubbed his stomach as it rumbled in protest. He slipped out of the cabin, the morning sun shining brightly and lighting up the small clearing that was overgrown with plants. A little bit of tidying up and the place would look livable.
It wasn’t as if Snoe had anything else to do now that he was on his own. Snoe was grateful plants were his thing. He went rummaging in the forest for something to eat. Luckily, he found a couple of apple trees and picked a few apples, gathering them in his shirt. He also found a small creek behind the cottage. He made a note to go back to it for some water.
Snoe ate a few apples and berries he’d collected. It would not fill him up like pancakes, bacon, eggs, and grits, but it would do for now. With his day wide open and no roses to tend to, the only thing Snoe could think of doing was cleaning the cottage and possibly making it livable. He had nowhere else to turn.
Snoe started with the inside, clearing out the windows. He touched the plants and allowed his magic to seep through his fingertips and into them. They were stubbornly clinging to the house. But Snoe was patient. If nothing else, he stood there feeding his magic into the plant, trying to make it bend to his will.
Sweat beaded up on his forehead, and his body grew fatigued the longer he continued to push his magic. Snoe was ready to call it quits. Finally, ever so slowly, the vines receded, and the cracked stone fell to the floor from the wall and dust clouded the room.
“One window down,” Snoe wheezed out.
He waved his hand in front of him, trying to clear the air of the dust. A bright light shone into the cottage, flooding it with natural lighting and truly showing its beauty, or at least the potential beauty it held once Snoe finished cleaning. Tired and more than ready to sit down and rest, Snoe tied his shoulder-length brown hair back and went about making the cottage as much of a home as he could.
Snoe rummaged through his bags for the few charms he had. It was possible to do magic without charms, but it was a lot harder and required more skill than Snoe possessed. He grabbed one of the light charms, pushing magic into his fingertips, watching as the paper went up in flames and a small globe of light lit up the cottage.