She was quiet a long moment, then she snorted. "I wondered when you'd muster the nerve to stop sneaking around like a rat," she told him in a powerful voice.
"Madam?"
"You've been crawling around here for a month now, human," she told him. "Watching me. I realized you weren't trying to mess with me. You were just watching. So I didn't do anything about you."
Garyth swallowed. He was rather sure he didn't want to know what do anything about you really meant. "Uh, yes, well," he chuckled nervously, "I certainly didn't realize you knew. I would have stopped if it bothered you. And I was just making sure everything was alright with you. As you know, you're living very close to us, and I've been worried for you. What, with all those Goblinoids that were here and all."
"That's very thoughtful. What are you carrying? Sweets? I smell honey and bread in there, and nuts."
"My wife Mara's sweetrolls," he offered, holding them out. "I know we're dreadfully overdue to welcome you to the village, but better late than never."
She looked down at him steadily for a long moment. "Come in," she said, stepping away from the door and turning around. He found his eyes locking on her posterior. Not because he admired her backside, but because of the sinuous, furry tail that sprouted from above it, what looked like a white snake writhing behind her, moving with her harmoniously as she walked.
She had done very little to the house, he saw. She had cleaned up the timber walls, and the hearth had been restoned, and she had very little furniture. All of it looked to be made by her, but it was solidly constructed and was very handsome. She could be quite a carpenter. The main room of the cottage held only a single wooden chair near the fireplace, a table with three chairs beneath it, a fourth chair, a high-chair for a baby, and a woven basket by that chair near the fireplace that held some kind of knitting or needlework. Sitting at the table, in the high chair, was what looked to be a toddler, a year old or so, a darling little girl with her mother's face, her mother's fur, and strawberry blond hair. She had the most precious green eyes, also like a cat's. The mother motioned for him to sit, which he did, setting the tray down before him.
"Mama?" she called curiously.
"My daughter, Jasana," she said brusquely, sitting at the table.
"My, what a lovely child," Garyth smiled at her, waving to her. "Her ears are adorable." He reached out to her as she reached out to him, reflexively.
"I wouldn't do that," the mother said calmly. "She'll rip off your fingers."
Garyth snatched his hand back so quickly it made the little girl blink in confusion. "Pardon me, madam, but what is your name?"
"Jesmind," she replied evenly.
"Jesmind. A lovely name, if a bit unusual. I've never heard its like."
"It's an old Torian name. It means 'jewel.' My mother gets exotic when she names her kids," she said dryly.
"Well, mothers tend to be like that," Garyth chuckled. "I know you know I'm curious, so I'll be to the point. Why have you come to Aldreth, mistress Jesmind? Surely living in the Frontier would be better for you. You are isolated here."
"She's why," Jesmind said, jerking her thumb at her daughter. "I wanted her to know where her father came from."
That made Garyth blink. "I, I don't know of any other Forest Folk that live in Aldreth, mistress Jesmind."
"Oh, you know her father, human," Jesmind said bluntly. "A boy named Tarrin."
Garyth gaped at her. "You mean-"
"Things are different for him now, human," she said calmly. "I'm a Were-cat. A Lycanthrope. I'm sure you've heard the myths."
He nodded dumbly.
"Well, some of them are true. Tarrin is a Were-cat now. I won't go into the details of how it happened. Truth be told, it was just a big huge accident. But him and me, we had what you may call a relationship. Jasana here is the result. I wanted her to know her father, to understand him, so I brought her here, so she could grow up where he grew up."
Garyth stared at her. She said it with such sincerity, with hidden emotion. This relationship must have been intense, for he could see that she held powerful feelings for the Kael boy. A Were-cat! Poor Tarrin! But then again, it explained the weird wording of the letters that Eron sent back to him, evasive and vague, only saying that Tarrin had had some serious personal problems, problems that required them to stay with him for a while.
No wonder!
"A strange tale, mistress Jesmind," he said compassionately. "I hope that you parted on good terms."
She sighed. "Good enough, I guess," she said. "We don't hate each other, if that's what you mean. He had things he had to do, and I realized I was pregnant, so I had to leave him to take care of his business. My kind don't marry, and the males have little to do with raising the young, human. It was probably for the best that things caused us to part when we did. We'd probably have killed each other. We're both rather stubborn," she said with a gentle smile.
"Oh, I could tell you stories about Tarrin Kael, mistress Jesmind," Garyth chuckled. "He's the most mule-headed piece of wood you'd ever see. That boy defined the word 'stubborn.' I guess he learned it from his parents."
"Well, let me get you something to drink, and we'll eat these pastries your wife baked, and you can tell me all about my Tarrin," she said with a strange smile, a strange look. A look of need.
Garyth only nodded. When she got up and moved into the kitchen, he looked at the beautiful little girl, a small smile on his lips.
So. She had come here because she loved Tarrin. She brought her daughter here so she could know her father, understand how she felt about him. She would teach her daughter about her father in a loving way. That she would bring her here, where Tarrin grew up, told him much. That she called him my Tarrin said everything else that needed to be said about it.
Jesmind loved Tarrin. Loved him deeply, judging by the very little he'd seen so far.
She returned with a mug of water, and sat down. Garyth relaxed greatly as they began to talk, even began to laugh with one another. He found her engaging, intelligent, intriguing, and very lonely. He felt for her, his heart went out to her, and he told her everything he remembered about the rambunctious boy that had been Tarrin, of his many exploits and misadventures in his youth, of his past. And it made her very happy.
When Garyth left, nearly at sunset that day, she stood on the doorstep with her daughter in her arms and waved at him. He had made a friend that day, a very good friend. He would be back tomorrow, to talk with her more, to gently show her that the people of Aldreth weren't her enemies, that she could come out and be among them. It would take time, but it would be worth it.
He had the feeling that nothing short of Tarrin himself would uproot her from what she now considered her home. She had come here to be where Tarrin had lived, to remind herself of him whenever she looked around. And she would not let go of him.
Garyth almost pitied the boy. He had no idea of it, but Jesmind had made her intentions plain over the course of the day. She intended to put her claws into that boy and hold onto him until time ended.
He almost wanted to see that. She deserved him, if she was willing to come all the way here just to bring her daughter closer to her father.
Whistling, Garyth made his way along the darkening path. Mara was going to kill him for being out all day, but it had been worth it. He should have done it a month ago.
The poor girl. He hadn't seen such a strong case of being lovesick in his life. And oh, boy, just wait until Tarrin came home.
What a surprise he'd find waiting for him.