Page 10 of Whispers of the Elderoak

It looked back at her as if it understood.

She removed her sweatshirt and wrapped the bobcat, minding the injuries while it watched her with curiosity. She carried it back to the house and laid it down on the floor of the kitchen, rushing to the bathroom for her first aid kit.

Ava washed her hands and donned a pair of latex gloves from the kit. She found a bottle of saline solution and flushed out the wounds as she sang. A song her mother used to sing to her when she felt scared.

“Hush now, little bird.

Don’t be afraid.

All your fears,

Let me unlade.

You’re safe with me,

Don’t you cry.

While I sing to you,

Our lullaby.”

She couldn’t keep the tears in as she finished cleaning the wounds and bandaged up the feline. She hadn’t thought about the song in years, and it had come to her out of nowhere, the grief raw once more.

Her tears fell as more memories of the farm surfaced. The smell of lavender in the kitchen as her mother brewed tea; the songs of chickadees who nested outside her bedroom window; her mother sewing pretty dresses so she could pretend to be a proper princess; grandfather sitting on the porch with his morning coffee; spending every holiday in the kitchen cooking extravagant meals for just the three of them. Her heart ached as she thought about how much she missed her mother and how desperately she wished she were here to help her.

But she wasn’t here anymore, and Ava only had herself to rely on.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her arm and spoke to the animal. “You’re safe here with me.”

She grabbed some old towels and blankets from the hall closet and piled them in the corner of the living room, creating a temporary bed for the animal until she could get to the store for supplies.

After a moment, the cat got up and padded over to the blankets, looking at Ava as it curled up and breathed a sigh of relief. She walked over to it and reached out her hand as she crouched. Without hesitation, it purred and rubbed against her. Now that she had a chance to look closer, she realized this was not a bobcat.

The fur was lighter, almost white, and had a mix of swirls and stripes in place of the usual bobcat spots. The tail was long, and solid black paws faded into stripes just above the ankles.She—because Ava had discovered it was a she—still had ear tufts, but they were much longer, more reminiscent of a lynx. Then there were her eyes. They were a lavender color, something she had never seen before in her years of working with wildlife. Perhaps it was some exotic pet that had gotten lost?

Now Ava had a project for Henry. She’d swing by the hardware store and look for a pet door and ask him to install it.

“I’ll be back in a little bit,” she said to the now sleeping cat, hoping it would be fine alone for a while. She was probably crazy for leaving a feral animal alone in her house, but somehow she knew nothing would happen.

5

“Ouch!” Ava exclaimed as she smashed her thumb with the hammer for the third time.

Henry chuckled, taking the tool from her. “Here, you hold it again and I’ll finish.”

They were working on the back porch today after Ava realized they had missed some wobbly pieces and she had insisted she try nailing some of the supports in, irritated no one had ever taught her to use a hammer when she was younger.

“I’m not the most coordinated,” she huffed, sucking her throbbing thumb as the chill breeze rustled Henry’s hair.

Had she offered to help to be close to him? Maybe. Probably.

Yes.

Henry smiled, his gaze dropping to her thumb in her mouth and his eyes slightly darkened before he turned and began to hammer the railing. “It’s cute,” he said.

Was he flirting with her?

“I’m glad I’m cute, I guess.” She laughed, blushing as she grasped the top rail to hold it still.

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