Page 13 of Hollow

He should move on. Staying here wouldn’t be wise, not for him or for Jack. Dimitri questioned himself, believing he didn’t have the strength to outrun the Hearst family, but he knew all too well that staying in one location would only result in his capture once again.

They were powerful and prideful. They would burn this forest to the ground to claim their quarry, to reclaim their tracker.

“Caw, caw, caw,” called several crows from above.

Since arriving, many crows had flocked to the forest, extending their friendship to Dimitri. As a Leshy, crows often offered companionship, serving as some of nature’s mightiest servants.

“Hello, my friends.” Dimitri tore pieces of the bread, leaving a trail as he wandered deeper into the woods. “Now, do not fill up on this. It is merely a treat.”

Every creature deserved a bit of flavor in their life. Sure, bread didn’t offer the full spectrum of nutrients a bird required, but who in life ate and drank purely based on the nutritional value alone?

The crows followed his path, some flying ahead and circling back. Dimitri listened to their calls as he lunged from one location to the next. The fog helped Dimitri lose himself to the forest, pretending the terrain was much larger than in actuality. An illusion for certain, but one he gave way to in order to explore for hours on end.

Dimitri jumped between trees, hopping from one spot to the next. He joyfully skipped through the woods for hours, contemplating his choices. With his strength nearly fully returned, he had to make a choice.

If he stayed, it would certainly endanger Jack. Though abandoning him to face the wrath of the Hearsts was worse somehow. But if Dimitri fled, surely, they would give chase. There were so few Leshy left in existence, and even fewer creatures that could pinpoint other monsters.

Dimitri paused, pressing against a tree and digging his claws deep into the bark.

“What would you have me do?” Dimitri asked nature herself. “Would you have me remain in these woods, aimless, or should I return to my home?”

An empty home, but one he could twist and turn into an armory now that he knew what to expect from hunters. The plants and animals of his home knew of his father’s touch, and thus, they would easily obey Dimitri’s commands.

The forest here, though, came with many differences. Trees here held more secrets. Beasts were more cautious. Even the soil reacted with hesitation to Dimitri’s call. Only the crows seemed friendly, but Dimitri knew they mostly wanted his food.

Everything here was so different, Dimitri knew he’d have to adjust, to change if he wished to fit into this new world. Part of him wished to return home, risk the distant travel, and hide in the frozen forests he was so familiar with, even if he knew those forests were now empty. No family would await his return. The risk of the hunters tracking him there once again also posed a danger, but surely, they would find their way through Jack’s mysterious fog and claim Dimitri once again.

“I do not know what to do,” Dimitri sighed. “Please, goddess, offer me any guidance. I have longed for your wisdom.”

The silence of the forest did not last long. A butterfly appeared, flying freely through the bitter chill of the autumn wind. The black wings held yellow spots lining the edges. Dimitri knew this beautiful Black Swallowtail should have already begun her migration.

“Thank you, goddess.” Dimitri offered his finger to the fluttering butterfly, who rested. The butterfly crawled until it reached the edge of Dimitri’s clawed index finger.

Dimitri listened to the soft whispers of his goddess through the beacon of the butterfly’s call. Her wings gently flapped, carrying a message of guidance that Dimitri had long since craved.

“All things in life are afforded a second chance,” Dimitri whispered. “The beauty of butterflies is nature’s proof of such changes. One of many examples. We all grow, we all transform, we all become something new.”

Dimitri stared at the butterfly, wondering what wondrous thing he might transform into if he remained here in the forest outside the town of Sleepy Hollow. Who would he become under the guidance of Jack Whoa Lantern? Dimitri wasn’t certain, but he decided that was okay.

Staring up through the trees, he watched the crows circle the sky. They couldn’t navigate the fog like Dimitri, but thanks to the bond he’d extended, they could follow his trail despite the magic. One of the crows swooped down, abandoning the flock, and zipped in close to Dimitri. Without hesitation, the bird snatched up the butterfly and ripped her to pieces with his beak.

“Nikolai!” Dimitri shouted. “You have already eaten. You are no crow, but a little piggy. Your greed knows no bounds.”

Nikolai cawed in response, then hopped up Dimitri’s arm and shoulder. Once he reached Dimitri’s head, he bounced up into the antlers and perched himself into a cozy position. While Dimitri felt sorry for the lovely butterfly who’d delivered a kind message from nature herself, he did take some solace in the fact that his new crow friend let his guard down as he rested atop Dimitri’s head.

“You are the worst,” Dimitri said, casually walking through the woods back to Jack’s magical not-so-little cottage.

Dimitri lingered in the yard, listening to Nikolai, who cawed up to the other crows. They continued flying close to the tree line, circling Dimitri and the cottage. Each of them was ready to issue a warning should the fog fail to uphold privacy.

“How was your walk?” Jack asked, carrying a bag of trash out to a large green bin.

“It was informative.”

“That’s…good?” Jack cocked his head, a single shadowy eyebrow raised. “I suppose an informative walk is the best sort of walk.”

“Do the garbage people have special privileges to navigate the fog for trash retrieval?”

Jack sighed. “I wish. Nah, I just haul it to the curb of the woods every other week. It’s a total headache, but the price of privacy.”