by Gavin Green
*
"Brody!" Kate yelled as she ran to him. He held her close while she squeezed herself against him. He murmured soothing words as he stroked her hair, and noticed that his brave dogs remained seated. "That was Lorcan you chased off? I wasn't just seeing things?" she asked.
He held Kate's head against him. "It was him."
"Why?" she asked into his chest. "Why was he back? Can't that evil thing leave us be?"
A grim smile grew on Brody's damp face. "I think he was here to tell me something, or maybe just to taunt me, I don't know. I didn't give him the chance to talk. But I don't think we'll see him again for a while. I gave him a good reason not to."
Kate pulled back and looked up at him. "My - Aldritch said he would be taken away, that he would be punished. I don't understand."
Brody scowled. "Yeah, me neither. I want a word with your ol' granddad sometime, especially if he's supposed to be the local badass. He won't like what I have to say about this fucking insanity."
With a frown, Kate said, "There must be a reason for all this paranormal attention; we just don't know what it is yet. We have to find the reason, or have someone explain it. Just because we can't fathom the motives of the Other Crowd doesn't make it madness, love."
He looked earnestly into her eyes. "Kate, I just punched a giant shape-changing pig."
She scrunched her eyes against the mist and then looked away, slowly nodding as a grin grew. Brody smiled with her, and at the absurdity of the situation.
Kate hugged him again, and then saw that the dogs remained seated, looking confused. Brody saw the direction of her curious gaze and said, "Yeah, one of those damn fairies is out there somewhere, messin' with the dogs' heads. Hopefully it's just Oriana. Can you see anything?"
She studied the field. "Yes, they're out in the nearest paddock. Both of their colors are cautious and reserved." Kate considered the distant hues a moment longer, and then spoke surprisingly stern and loud. "I believe we're being watched, and I find it unnerving and quite rude."
"Good point, darlin'," Brody agreed. He stepped over by his dogs and looked out to his southern paddocks. "Hey!" he yelled out into the morning mist, "I want a word with whoever's out there! I don't want to fight. I'm just protecting my loved ones and my property." He felt Kate move up to his side. "So you either tell us what you want, or get the hell off our land!"
