“And she does well living around people?”Daiyu asked carefully.
I nodded fervently, because I couldn’t send Ripley away, and I wasn’t ready to travel yet.So the warden needed to be certain that it was safe having my “pet” lion in her town.
“Yeah.Like I said, this time of year, she’s mostly sleeping,” I said.“She is wary of strangers, but that just means she stays away from them.When the weather’s nicer, we spend a lot of time out in the woods, hunting and hiking.But we’ll probably be on our way by springtime.”
“So you’re not planning on staying here?”she asked, tilting her head curiously.
“Not past winter, no,” I said.
“Most people passing through here are on their way to or from Glacier Valley.Since Jordy found you heading west, can I assume that was your destination?”Daiyu asked.
“Yeah,” I said, since there was no point in denying it, but I didn’t elaborate more than I had to.
“So where were you coming from?The Fort Lately area, perhaps?”Daiyu’s questions were friendly but probing, and I was beginning to suspect that this little fireside chat was really an interrogation to see if I was safe for her town.
I shook my head.“No, I passed by it on my way here.I’m from much farther south.”
“Emberwood?”she pressed.
“No.I wasn’t part of a community like that.I lived on my own with my family,” I lied.
She straightened up slightly.“You weren’t part of the Loth Family Ranch, were you?”
“No.”I shook my head again, and I hoped that Jordy hadn’t found my copy ofThe Book of Mercyin my belongings.“I’ve heard of them, but I never had any dealings with them.I don’t even know where their ranch was.”
“So you were living on your own then?”Daiyu asked.
“No, I was living with my family.”
“But you came here on your own?”
I nodded once.“Yep.”
“Where’s your family now?”she asked.
“They’re not here,” I replied simply.“What does it matter to you where they are?”
“Daiyu, I already told you a lot of this stuff,” Jordy said.He was standing at the end of his bed, his hands on the footboard as he leaned against it.
“I know,” Daiyu said, and she gave me an apologetic smile.“I’ve always been a very inquisitive person, and now with safety such a concern, it’s more important than ever to know as much as you can about the people you surround yourself with.”
“That’s fair.But like I said, I don’t plan on staying here that long.I’ve never been the kind to wear out my welcome.”
“Most folks who make it past the gates end up staying here as long as they’d like,” she said.“We work together here, building our community and taking care of each other.Our currency is barter or trade, and we welcome anyone willing to contribute.”
“Remy still needs more time on her recuperation,” Jordy persisted.“When she gets better, we can talk more about contributions.But right now, she’s exactly where she needs to be.”
53
Remy
As the days grew longer, the darkness slowly retreated.My recovery felt like it moved at a glacial pace sometimes, but I was recovering.After my first visit with Vince, I started going downstairs every day to see him.Within a few weeks, I was able to brush him with my good arm and do other basic care for the mule and the lion.
Jordy had managed to quickly earn Ripley’s trust, thanks to him feeding her.Almost right away, she let him take her out on her leash to do her business, but even months into our living arrangement, she still wouldn’t wander too far away from me.Maybe it was because she knew I was unwell, or maybe she just didn’t trust Jordythatmuch.
Either way, she was a big cat, and she needed to be able to roam.Eventually, being cooped up like this would be too much for her, and I wanted to be more proactive about it.
On a sunny afternoon, Jordy and I decided to take Ripley out for a walk around town.The weather was finally warm enough, and Ripley seemed to enjoy leisurely stretching her legs.As we wandered through the quiet streets together, Daiyu and Trevor “happened” to cross our path, but the whole interaction went really well.Trevor couldn’t stop smiling when he got to meet the lion up close, and Ripley was receptive to pets and meeting new people.
