Chapter Two: Grimrane

Located outside of the woods, the town of Grimrane is home to humans lead by Elder Solomon Morley. This town wasn't built outside of the woods by accident, as it had fertile soil and vast trees, which is of important to the people of Grimrane and its success.

The town itself looks humble. With its ash wood rooftops, stone brick walls and calming forest front, Grimrane has an amusing atmosphere. Around the town are large watchtowers to keep a lookout for any form of dangers. The main attraction is the town hall, which was built 100 years ago and designed by the previous elders.

Grimrane has a prosperous economy, which is mainly supported by medicine, farming and weapon smithing. But their biggest strengths are a strong defence against werewolves and lumbering. But unfortunately, what this town lacks are the people who are skilled in hunting down werewolves.

Despite its strengths and weaknesses, Grimrane is most likely headed towards a beautiful future under the leadership of Elder Solomon Morley.

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It's been a few weeks since Poppy had last seen Kylo, for it's too risky to be seeing each other all the time. Fortunately, there is a way to stay in contact. They would write secret letters to each other. Poppy would go into the woods pretending to go pick wildflowers and slip the letter into the whole in the tree where Kylo would be there to pick it up.

Whenever she's not sneaking off to see Kylo or writing letters, she's usually seen helping her mother with maintaining the house such as cooking, cleaning and running errands at the town center. That's not to say all she does is work for she does have hobbies. Whenever she has leisure time, she's usually either knitting, baking, playing the lute, sewing and occasionally participating in the town's play. Poppy was in the main room with her younger sister, Juliana, who is seven years younger than her, knitting a blanket while her youngest brother, William is being trained by one of the woodcutters. As she was knitting, she started to feel a strange feeling in her stomach. She paused for a moment and laid a hand on her stomach. Not this feeling again; she's had that feeling yesterday and the day before that. Maybe it's something that she ate. A few minutes later, the feeling faded away. She picked back up on her knitting.

"Poppy, are you okay?" Her sister asked, worried.

"I'm fine, Juliana," Poppy assured her sister, "Don't worry about it."

Her mother came into the room. A little woman, this peach skinned woman has a very warm feel about her. A particularly notable feature is her crooked smile. She has a narrow face, a flat nose, large lips, and her blue eyes are thin. She has elbow-length, fine, red hair which is worn in a cascading style. She has short arms, a wide torso, and long legs. Poppy stopped knitting and stood up as soon as she saw her mother.

"Poppy, dear, will you do me a favor and go down to the market and run some errands for me," her mother kindly asked, holding up the list in her hand.

Poppy was about to answer when suddenly she felt the sickness in her stomach. Then she felt what was once her lunch coming up her throat. Poppy tightly pursed her lips to not allow any of the contents of her stomach to escape through her lips. Then with great force, she swallowed it down. Unfortunately, it still left a disgusting taste in her mouth. Her mother seemed to have witnessed the whole thing.

"Sweetie, if you're not feeling well, I can ask Juliana to run these errands instead," her mother offered.

"No, no, no, I'm fine," Poppy assured her mother, "I can do this."

"Well, alright," her mother reluctantly accepts, "but I'm going to send Juliana with you anyway in case you start to feel sick again."

"Don't worry, mother, I'll be fine," Poppy assured her mother, giving her a genuine smile.

Poppy grabs a basket, grabbed the list from her mother, said their goodbyes and she and her sister make their way down to market at the town center. All of the other women also wore red cloaks. When a young girl comes of age, she receives a red cloak as a sign that this girl had transitioned into a woman. As soon as the young woman is married and had consummated on her wedding night, she would no longer need her red cloak. While Poppy and her sister were shopping a voice that sounds angelic.

"Yoo-hoo! Poppy!"

Poppy turned her head to see who just called her. It was Poppy's only friend, Buttercup, the only young woman who doesn't wear a cloak. She felt that she doesn't need a cloak to remind herself that she's a woman. What is considered as the most beautiful young woman of noble birth in town with shoulder length golden curls, pearl white skin and sparkly sapphire eyes. Buttercup ran up to the sisters.

"Oh hello, Buttercup," Poppy greeted, "How are you today?"

"I'm splendid. Thank you for asking," Buttercup spontaneously answered, "I'm just on a walk to get some fresh air. What are you two girls are doing?"

"We're just heading down to the town center to gather groceries for mother," Poppy answered.

"Aw, well isn't that nice of you," Buttercup commented, "I don't really help out much because mother often do all the work."

"You should help your mother with the cleaning sometimes," Poppy proposed.

Buttercup thought about it for a moment before shaking her head and answered with a "Nah."

"Poppy!"

Poppy once again instinctively turned her head as soon as she heard someone call her name and his youngest brother waving to him. He was not alone but with his mentor: Hunter Holmes. Standing 6' 4" tall, this pale skinned man has a charming feel about him. He has a wide face with a pointed chin, a large nose, and puffy lips. His brown eyes are slanted and he has neat eyebrows. He has short, straight, deep brunette hair which is un-styled, and he has a Fu Manchu moustache. He has long arms and firm hands, a muscular torso with very small breasts, angular hips, strong legs, and average-sized feet. He has an animal tattoo across his entire left arm. He's often seen with his axe. He's a respectable woodcutter, one of the best perhaps. William ran up to his older sister and hugged her.

"Hello, William," Poppy embraced her brother, "How was your training with Hunter?"

"William has been excellent today," Hunter answered for William approaching the women, "Today William is able to chop down a tree all by himself."

"Is that right?" Poppy inquired.

"That's right!" William proclaimed, "I was able to hold and swing an axe without struggling."

"Wow, William!" Poppy exclaimed, "you're becoming a man!"

"Hello, Poppy," Hunter greeted softly.

"Hello, Hunter," Poppy acknowledged.

"And how are you three ladies doing today?" Hunter asked the girls.

"I'm doing swell," Poppy answered, "Thank you for asking."

"Beautiful as ever," Buttercup boasted, holding her chin up high.

"Juliana, I see your growing up so quickly," Hunter observed.

"Uh-huh, I can't wait to get my red cape when I come of age!" Juliana declared.

"Is that right?" Hunter chuckled, then he looked to Poppy. "Poppy, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Poppy had a feeling what Hunter wants to talk about.

"Juliana, why don't you and William go inside to Mr. Breeden's shop," said Poppy, "I'll catch up to you two in a moment."

Juliana and William ran inside the general store to continue shopping. The general store is a timber framed two-storey building, with a white tile roof and nicely trimmed hedges. A duck serves as a mascot and greets customers Hunter turned his head towards Poppy.

For a long time Hunter tried to profess his love to Poppy, however Poppy would deny him. It's not that Poppy didn't like him or that he's a bad person, she just doesn't feel the way as he does for her.

"Listen, I was wondering if you're not busy tonight," Hunter requested, "Maybe you might want to go with me to The Pilgrim's Princess tonight."

"Hunter, I'm flattered that you asked me out," Poppy politely spoke, "But I must decline."

"Why not?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah, why not?" Buttercup inquired, "It's not everyday that you get asked out by someone as handsome as Hunter."

"You flattered me, Buttercup," said Hunter.

"I'm just not interested in you," Poppy answered.

"But Poppy, you're a young woman " Buttercup pointed out, "You're old enough to date someone."

"I know," Poppy acknowledged, " But I'm still not interested in Hunter."

"But you can't remain unmarried forever," said Buttercup, "You're going to have to get married eventually."

"I'm fully aware of that," said Poppy.

"Then why won't you go out with me?" Hunter inquired.

Hunter and Buttercup continued to pry at Poppy, demanding to know the reasons. Poppy can feel the pressure building up inside of her. Finally, Poppy can't take it anymore.

"Because I'm already with someone else!" Poppy blurted out. Poppy eyes widened when she realized what she just said. Hunter and Buttercup's eyes widened and their jaws dropped.

"Really? I didn't know you have a boyfriend," Hunter remarked.

"How come you never mention him?" Asked Buttercup, "What's his name?"

"Uh, I can't tell you," Poppy refused to answer, "Just forget about what I've just said."

"No, you brought him up and you are going to tell us," said Hunter, "Now tell us. What's his name?"

"Yeah, Poppy! What's his name!?" Urged Buttercup, shaking Poppy by the shoulders.

Poppy hesitated for a moment before giving in.

"His name is Kylo," Poppy answered.

"Kylo, huh? That's a nice name," Hunter commented, stroking his chin, "Does he live around here?"

"Yes and No," Poppy sort of lied.

"What do you mean?" Hunter asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He's a traveler," Poppy definitely lied this time, "He's always moving from place to place, though he does come around to visit me every once in a while. Nevertheless, we were able to make it work."

"So, what's he like?" Hunter inquired.

"Is he handsome?" Buttercup pried.

Do these two have to be so nosy? Poppy wondered in her thoughts. She silently sighed.

"He's like...intimate. And I mean really intimate," Poppy described, "he's also romantic, has a wild side, he's loyal, though he can be impulsive, a little aggressive sometimes but he was never forceful or controlling."

"How romantic," Buttercup romantically sighed, swooning back and forth.

"He sounds like a nice guy, so long as he treats you well," Hunter commented, "I actually want to meet this guy."

"Me too!" Buttercup exclaimed.

"You do?" Poppy wasn't expecting that.

"Of course," Hunter confirmed, "So when can I meet him?"

"Oh, yes! Yes! Can we meet him?" Begged Buttercup, clasping her hands together.

"Uh... I don't think that it will be possible," Poppy vaguely told them.

"Why not? There's no reason for you to keep him a secret especially from your parents," Hunter pointed out, "So why won't you let us meet the man?"

"Well...Um...," Poppy struggled to come up with an invalid explanation. She felt her stomach dropping to the ground, her face starting to burn up, panic start to rise. She resisted the urge of blurting out the truth. What can she do? Should she just run away and leave her friends standing? Should she come up with another lie? She just can't tell them that Kylo is actually a werewolf. She just can't risk letting everyone know about Kylo and herself.

Poppy suddenly felt the nervous feeling turned to a strong churning inside her stomach. She clutched a hand on her stomach. She tried to keep her lips sealed as much as possible so she doesn't regurgitate but the pressure was too much. She slapped a hand over her mouth before any vomit could spew. The decision is made: run away and leave Hunter and Buttercup standing.

"Excuse me," Poppy pardoned herself, without removing her hand her mouth while speeding away from him. Juliana and William were just leaving the shop when they saw their sister running away.

"Poppy! Where are you going?!" Buttercup hollered.

"Poppy! Wait up!" Juliana shouted. Both of the younger siblings chased after their sister.

"What's the matter with her?" Buttercup wondered.

Hunter watched Poppy and her siblings ran off with a confused yet worried eyes.

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Poppy found herself a tree on the outskirts of town, where she ducked her head behind it and vomited. Juliana and William were standing a few feet away from where Poppy is, waiting patiently yet anxiously for her to be finished. She's been spewing nonstop for what felt like a half an hour. As soon as she was done vomiting, she let her head hung there above a heaping mess she's left behind panting heavily and her face completely damped with sweat. Finally, she pulled her head out from behind and wiped her mouth with her handkerchief. After she finished wiping her mouth, she started making her way to her brother and sister so that they can all return to town together.

"Poppy, what's the matter with you?" Juliana asked.

"What do you mean?" Poppy asked back.

"You've been feeling sick a lot for almost a month," Juliana explained.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Poppy assured her, "it's probably something that I ate that didn't agreed with me."

"But it's not something that happens everyday," Juliana disagreed, "but it's not just that, you're always tired all the time even when you're not lifting a finger."

"Maybe it's because I've been working too hard," Poppy suggested.

"But how do you explain that weird thing you did?" William inquired.

"That one time when you were eating...raw meat," William mentioned. Juliana shuddered when he mentioned that.

Actually, that part Poppy can't seem to find an explanation for this; in fact, he's right. Poppy remembered the time when her mother was cooking rabbit stew for dinner and Poppy was there to help out. As they were cooking the stew, Poppy actually took a small chunk of the meat and ate it. Her whole family saw her what she just did and were shocked. It was one thing for her to be feeling nauseous all the time but eating raw meat? What's happening to her?

"Poppy?"

Poppy looked up to find Elder Solomon Morley, her father. Standing 6' 1" tall, this tan skinned man has a knowing feel about him. A particularly notable feature is his distinctive walk. He has an oval face, a big nose, and very thin lips. His dark blue eyes are round and he has bushy eyebrows. He has shoulder-length, frizzy, aging black hair which is pulled into a ponytail, and he has a pencil moustache. He has broad shoulders, muscular arms, a stocky torso with defined muscles, and long legs. He has a unique tattoo on his neck, a tribal tattoo on his right forearm, and a diagram tattoo on his wrist.

"Are you alright?" Her father asked.

"Yes...I'm fine," Poppy assured her father.

"I don't know," her father denied, feeling concerned, "You've been awfully sick lately. I'm worried that you might have a disease or something. You should go see your grandmother since she's an expert apothecary."

"Father, I'm sure it's nothing," Poppy assured him, but her father was having none of it.

"It's not nothing if you've been sick for about a month," her father said, "This is serious. Not only am I speaking as your father but as your elder I order you to go see your grandmother."

Poppy hesitated for a moment before actually acknowledging her father.

"Yes, father," Poppy obeyed, "I will make that journey tomorrow."