Beams of sunlight woke Ophelia from her slumber on the porch. Takoda was, understandably, gone but she couldn’t help the pang of longing she felt in his absence. She wanted to test the strength of their newfound mental bond but decided that would be better saved for after she got a few more hours of sleep.

She moved inside, grabbing her forgotten shotgun from the hallway and checking on the still sleeping Antoinette before shuffling to her room and passing out.

***

A few hours later, Ophelia woke up yet again, this time feeling rested and alert. She got up and found Antoinette had already departed, leaving a note behind in her loopy extravagant handwriting that thanked Ophelia for getting her home safely and always providing her with a place to sleep off her drunkenness.

There was a bright pink kiss mark on the corner as a signature and Ophelia had a feeling her friend put on the lipstick solely for the purpose of signing her note with flair. She chuckled and put the note in her bedroom, grabbing a fresh towel and heading to her bathroom to shower.

When she was all cleaned up and presentable, she checked the time and found it was late afternoon. Pondering the events of the previous night, she decided a visit to her parents was in order. She had a lot of questions. Plus, she hadn’t seen them in nearly a week, which was a long time when you’re as close with your family as she is.

Maybe her mom would make some of her famous baked macaroni and cheese. It was one of Ophelia’s go-to comfort foods and no matter how many times she tried to make it, it just never tasted quite the same.

She picked up her phone to call her mom, tidying up around the house as it rang.

“Hello, my sweet Fefe!”

Ophelia rolled her eyes and groaned. “Mooom come on. I’m a grown woman now you gotta stop calling me that.”

Her mother scoffed on the other side of the line. “Oh please, your dad still calls you Mosi, why can’t I call you Fefe?”

Unable to give a real answer, Ophelia grumbled a nonsensical response to which her mother laughed and gloated about winning the argument.

“So what’s up my little hummingbird?”

Ophelia chuckled at that. “See that one is all right. I like hummingbirds.”

She heard a dismissive ‘psh’ from her mom and could picture the look on her face.

Ophelia continued on, “I was hoping I could drop by for a bit, I wanted to talk to you and Dad about a few things.”

Her mother’s tone shifted, just like Antoinette she was a sucker for some juicy gossip and Ophelia could tell she had piqued her mom’s interest. “Oooh sounds serious. Do we finally have a partner to introduce to the family? Should I set four places for dinner? Are they kind and thoughtful? Do they know you sing in the shower? You might want to warn them about that, honey, you can get loud sometimes.”

Taking a deep leveling breath, Ophelia responded, her fingers pinching her temples as she felt a headache coming on, “No, Mom. It’s not a partner. I just had some questions about the creature Dad talks about. Some guys were bugging me for information and it got me thinking, is all.”

Her mom sighed, clearly hoping for something more exciting. “Ah, the vampire again. Well, I’m sure your dad will be happy to answer your questions. And we’re both always happy to see you. I miss having you around the house, Fe.”

Opting not to comment on the nickname, as Fe was decidedly better than Fefe in her mind, Ophelia let out a light chuckle. “Mom, I’ve been out of the house for years now. And I was over for dinner, like, five days ago.”

Tutting, her mother dismissed her perfectly valid points, “That doesn’t matter. It’s not the same, hummingbird, we miss your energy. But anywho, we’ll see you soon. Do you want me to make my mac n’ cheese for dinner?”

Ophelia grinned. “I would love that. Thanks, Mom. I’ll see you soon.”

***

Coasting into her parents’ driveway, Ophelia noticed it was just starting to get dark. The realization bred a swarm of butterflies in her stomach as she now knew what hid in the shadows and she was becoming quite the fan.

She knocked on the front door, giving the handle a turn and finding it unlocked. Letting herself in, she called out to alert her parents to her presence.

“Hellooo, I’m home!”

Her father was the first to greet her. A large man, he stood tall enough that he had to crouch ever so slightly to get through most doorways. He was thick and imposing, with intense features and a booming voice.

Most people were afraid of him initially, but once you sat down with him you realized he was one of the most emotionally aware and truly kind people you’d ever meet. Ophelia couldn’t ask for a better father. He instilled a deep appreciation for nature, life, and other people in her at a very young age and for that she was grateful.

Both of her parents were good people. She had always felt safe around them, and considered herself very lucky. Sure, they had their disagreements, as all families do, but overall they were her rocks and she loved them very much.

Her father bounded toward her, his voice echoing as he bellowed, “Mosi! My girl is back home once again!” And captured her in a hug reminiscent of the suffocating embrace of a boa constrictor.

She attempted to return the action but found herself unable to pull her arms from their spots, pinned to her sides by her father’s enthusiastic expression of love. It didn’t matter much anyway, she’d never been able to wrap her arms around her father’s barrel chest, as a kid she always just hugged his legs and arms as she couldn’t get a proper grip on the rest of him, the gargantuan man that he was.

Peeking around him, she saw her mother, donned in a pretty blue dress and a complimentary apron. She was always done up and color coordinated, it was a bit of a compulsion for her. Her light brown curls were arranged in an ‘elaborate but not trying too hard’ up-do, one of her mother’s signature styles.

Delilah waved at her daughter, blowing a kiss and returning to the kitchen, yelling over her shoulder, “Dinner should be ready in about fifteen. Why don’t you two set the table and get chatting while I finish up.”

The father-daughter duo broke their embrace and headed to the dining area to get the table set while Delilah brought the food over one dish at a time.

Ophelia’s mouth was watering and she briefly forgot why she had come to her parents’ house in the first place. Remembering her mission, she got her dad’s attention. “Hey, Dad, can I ask you some questions about the creature that everyone talks about?”

Mato perked up at this. “Ahhh, my daughter, you know I am always happy to discuss our fanged flying friend. What is it you want to ask me about?”

Pausing, Ophelia realized she hadn’t thought out all of her questions and needed to be sure she didn’t say anything that gave away the events of the previous night. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish as she worked out the right question to start with.

“Well, I guess my first question is, have you ever had any experiences with it? Have you seen it before?”

Her father ran his eyes over his daughter’s face, curious about why she had such a sudden interest. “I have, in fact. I’ve seen it quite a few times. It never troubled me though, it kept to itself and seemed docile enough. Did you see something, Mosi?”

Ophelia debated for a moment before deciding she could probably get away with mentioning the initial sightings she had on the way home from the bar with Antoinette. But that was all she would say. It was just enough to explain her interest while also leaving out the… intimate details.

“I did, actually. Both Antoinette and I saw it in the treetops the other day. I was pretty sure I heard it flying behind us for a bit too.”

Mato hummed thoughtfully. “Ah, okay. That makes sense. Well, you remember what your grandparents used to say about the creature, right?”

She nodded and he continued, “They raised me to know that the creature is just another child of the land, the same as us. It means no harm. It may survive on blood, if the stories are true, but it cannot help that. You know it never kills those animals? Clearly, it values life, just like you and me. I wouldn’t be nervous. Next time you see it, give it a little wave and go about your business.”

Her mother spoke up, “You know, Fe, I saw the creature a few months ago when I went for a walk to see the stars. I couldn’t sleep and you know how hard it is to wake this one up.” She elbowed Mato, though the jab seemed to almost be absorbed into his tree trunk arm.

“I was strolling down the trail in the back, you know, the one that leads to that little river with the clearing? I think it was where you found that skunk you loved so much. Anyway, I was walking and I saw this shadowy figure dart through the sky above the trees. I didn’t feel threatened though, I think your father is right, it doesn’t seem to mean any harm.”

“Later, when I was laying in the clearing by the riverbank stargazing, I saw these two reflective eyes looking at me from the shadows in the trees overhead. I can’t be sure, but I have a strong suspicion that it was the creature. I like to think it was keeping watch or maybe it was just curious. I would be if I were in its shoes…Well, I suppose it probably doesn’t wear shoes, but you get my point.”

Ophelia was surprised, her mother was always a fan of nature. The marriage simply wouldn’t work if she wasn’t. But she had never championed ‘the creature’ as passionately as Mato did. Maybe it was her first real encounter with Takoda, and that was why she had never joined in on their conversations about him much when Ophelia was a girl.

Delilah had always been in and out of the discussions, popping in to lend her support to Mato and assert to her daughter that any living being on this Earth deserves respect and understanding. But she never stuck around long when it came to those talks, always busy with something else.

Humming thoughtfully, Ophelia responded to her mother, “That is interesting. I could’ve sworn I got a glimpse of its reflective eyes the other night too. I wasn’t sure if it was my mind playing tricks on me.”

Delilah shook her head. “No, I saw it too. I think it’s got those things cats have, that help them see in the dark, you know…” She tapped her fingers on the table trying to remember the term.

Chiming in with a mouth full of food, Mato came to her rescue, “Thapethum luschidm, mah luhb.”

Delilah stared at her husband, cocking an eyebrow and blinking slowly at him. “Darling, you must know we couldn’t understand a lick of what you just said.”

He laughed, which turned into a cough and a moment of choking before he was able to force the enormous bite of food down his gullet. “Tapetum lucidum, my love.” He winked and continued to explain, “It’s almost like a little mirror that most nocturnal animals have in their eyes. It helps divert the light differently and enables them to see in the dark far better than you or I.”

His wife nodded in understanding, leaning over to give him a peck on the cheek. “Thank you, my sweet. You always have the answers to my questions about the natural world. So smart. And so very handsome!”

Mato blushed at this and opened his mouth to flirt back, but Ophelia cut him off, “Ew you saps.”

Her mother gave her a playful glare, before sticking her tongue out and grabbing hold of her husband’s face with both hands, drawing their lips together in an aggressive and exaggerated french kiss.

Ophelia gagged and opened her mouth, ready to complain about the excessive PDA, when there was a rapping at the door.