Page 40 of A Bridge to a Troll's Heart
Arlo listened for Toby’s howls and those of his family when they met under the full moon’s shimmering light.
The roars were joyous.
* * *
TOBY
Toby paraded back to Arlo’s camp with his head held high and not one but two rabbits clenched in his jaws. He hoped Arlo was hungry.
Night had set in, though the full moon staved off total darkness. Their camp glowed golden orange thanks to the small crackling fire Arlo had built.
The troll sat bundled next to the flames, book open but abandoned in his lap, his head leaning back against the broad tree trunk. His mouth hung slightly ajar, and he snored loud enough to scare the bears away. So much for not snoring. If Toby had been in his human form, he’d have laughed. As a wolf, he just snorted.
He set the rabbits on the ground and padded closer. Arlo looked peaceful in his slumber, giving Toby the opportunity to admire the dark freckles on his rounded cheeks, his long orange lashes, and plump, kissable lips. Too bad he couldn’t shift and wake Arlo with a kiss.
As the wave of longing crashed over him, a new feeling emerged. A funny tingling at his core, not unlike the sensation he got each time the moon worked her magic on him. The tingling left as quickly as it had come, and Toby shook it off as nothing.
He circled the spot next to Arlo, tramped the ground smooth, and plopped down against his thigh. Curled into a ball, tail over snout, he settled to wait for Arlo to wake on his own.
Toby must have dozed as well, for when he woke, Arlo’s big hand was stroking the fur of his flank from shoulder to hip. He lifted his chin and gazed up.
“Hello there,” said Arlo, his voice husky from sleep. “You been back long?”
Toby nosed into his palm and glanced at the rabbits.
Arlo petted his forehead, scratched behind his ears, and followed his line of sight. “I saw. I knew you must be a good hunter. Thank you. Shall I cook them now?”
Toby gave a yip.
“One for me and one for you?”
Toby stood, shook his head, and bent down low to stretch.
“Had your fill out in the woods, I suppose?” Arlo chuckled.
Toby’s belly was full as an overfed puppy. He felt warm and satiated, happy to be back with Arlo after hunting with the others.
“No need to cook the rabbits before you eat them when you’re a wolf, eh?”
Toby made a mental note to tell him later that he’d had deer, not rabbit. They’d taken down an elder buck as a pack.
Arlo rose, collected the rabbits and his knife, then settled back by the fire to skin them. As he prepared them for roasting, he chatted softly.
“My ma taught me to skin a rabbit on my sixth birthday. I didn’t want to learn. You see, each spring in the meadow near our bridge, there would be dozens of baby bunnies. Friendly little things, though skittish. It took days to earn their trust, but once I did, they’d eat right out of my hand. A few of the bolder youngsters learned they didn’t so much mind being petted either.”
Generally a man of few words, Arlo surprised Toby with a whole story. Apparently, the key to getting the troll to open up was to be unable to join in the conversation.
“So I didn’t want to eat rabbit. Ma said she understood and that she was sorry, but I had to learn to take care of myself.” Arlo shrugged.
He’d gotten the rabbits onto spits and set them over the fire. He didn’t look at Toby but stared into the flames. “I managed it. Wanted her to be proud. Teared up that first time, though the more you do it, the easier it gets. I didn’t feed the baby bunnies anymore after that.”
Toby laid his head heavily on Arlo’s thigh. He wished he could say something comforting or give the troll a hug. All he could do was lean into his side and hope Arlo understood.
The tingling sensation came back, the one Toby associated with the moon, but it seemed to originate inside himself. Before he could study it further, Arlo scratched behind his ear, and the feeling went away.
“It’s a good thing Ma wouldn’t take no for an answer,” said Arlo. “Preparing game for supper has been awfully useful over the years. Someday when we’re back at our cottage, I’ll have to fix my ma’s rabbit stew for you. It’s got cabbage and carrots and beetroot and…”
While Arlo went over each ingredient and all the spices in his mother’s stew recipe, Toby shut his eyes and concentrated on the troll’s low rumbling voice.
