Drider Boyfriend: Kerekes (special preview)

There are cows as far as the eye can see. They come from the barn, they come from the field, they range from prize winners to prize breeders. All my life, I have been surrounded by cows. Not that I mind, I often prefer them to people. I have raised many cows on my family’s dairy farm. Our products have been used in the Miror royal palace, they have made delicacies in Pirlipat, and they grace the homes of many of the people all around.

Muffet Farms is known far and wide as the best dairy in all of Miror. It was started when Grandpa Horner had been working at the royal palace and had been kicked by one of the royal farm’s cows. As payment for the accident, Grandpa Horner was given the cow that had struck him to do as he pleased. Rather than using the cow for meat, like most would assume, Grandpa Horner began his dairy farm. He was just sixteen at the time, now he’s eighty and happily sits on the front porch, watching the farm he built with his own bare hands.

Like I said, I often prefer the cows over people. My cows are sweet, gentle, and have the most beautiful eyes. I have raised dozens on this farm, taking care of each one until they mature to be milkers, breeders, or sold to other farms. I have a relationship with a dairy in Pirlipat who exclusively buys my cows. I thought we were on friendly terms, but the man who owns it has other things on his mind, I’ve come to find out. His friendliness stems from a desire to join our two farms together by making me his wife. My mother just told me he has spoken to her and father concerning the matter.

I hate it. Mr. Porgie is a fine enough man, but he is not someone I would want to marry. He is not someone I would consider husband material at all. Grandpa Horner agrees with me. He’s always been a good judge of character, even if people do consider him daft these days. He’s never liked Mr. Porgie, and has often played pranks on him when he visits the dairy.

“I’d rather you marry one of our bulls than that fool,” he grouses one day while carving a wedge of hard cheese.

“I doubt we’d have much to talk about, Grandpa. But I think me and Mr. Porgie would have even less to talk about.” I lean back in my chair, watching the distance stretch out beyond my vision. The horizon grows, showing the hills and valleys and deep lush forest of the Tulgey Wood.

“Better you marry a bull than shit.” Grandpa Horner spits.

I smirk to myself, enjoying that Grandpa had the common sense to realize Mr. Porgie was not the glitz and glamor he portrayed to my parents. I want to believe my parents are considering my best interest, but it feels like they aren’t paying close attention to Mr. Porgie at all.

“Oh dear,” Grandpa says softly. “What’s that?” He points into the distance I had just been staring. Where the horizon had been turning lavender as night crept in, was now turning grey with smoke.

I grow frightened, the smoke came out of nowhere, and there is so much of it already. “Is there a fire?”

“There hasn’t been a fire in Tulgey Wood since the last Jabberwocky hunt,” Grandpa’s tone is stoney and cold. He squints through his glasses as the smoke begins to turn black. “This doesn’t bode well for the critters in the woods.”

“What should we do?” I look around frantically but Grandpa takes my arm and holds me still. “We’re too far away to be of any help. I’m sure by now those boarding the woods are doing what they can.”

News about the forest fire spreads pretty quickly. Part of the Tulgey Wood was set on fire, although nobody knows now exactly what caused it. They said that luckily the part of Tulgey Wood that was burnt was a rocky terrain mostly filled with caves and sand traps, unfortunately, though, it had been home to a clan of Driders who were now rendered homeless.