As the sun set over Wylder Wood, Vic and Rhys drove through the winding trees toward town. Rhys felt as if he shouldn’t have been in Vic’s expensive car. It was fancy, with leather seats and the heaviest window tinting he had ever seen. It was hard to see the town as it came into view through the dark glass, but Rhys could easily make out the flicker of large string lights that bounced in the soft breeze.

Vic pulled his car into a parking spot and turned it off.

“The parking lot needs re-paved but everyone leaves their cars here and walks to where they need to go so we don’t crowd the town with vehicles. You're free to park anywhere you’d like,” he explained.

Rhys stepped out of the car and took in the town of Wylder Wood for the first time. The parking lot was split by the road, with twenty spots on each side. The road turned into cobblestone paths with wooden buildings of various types sitting in neat little rows on either side. He could see a town center in the distance that was lit up by large street lamps. Rhys felt a sense of calm as he stepped out into the early evening air.

“That building off in the distance, directly down the way, is the town hall. My office, our dinky little police station, and the post office are all in that one building. My house is on the backside of it,” Vic explained as he locked the car with a flourish.

“The town has police?” Rhys inquired.

“A sorry excuse for some, yes. Lee and Lynn Papadopoulos are our resident officers. They're gorgons and drama queens. They spend the majority of their time doing anything but working.”

“Is there a need for their services? Things seem so peaceful.”

“They have a lot of duties, actually. They keep their eyes on the town, on the national and global news, do our censuses, make sure the forest is safe and there aren’t any fires or hunters trespassing in the area. They’re more ‘safety’ officers than police, so any disturbance is an issue for them, especially when it comes to how thick the trees are around here. We also don’t need any violent or wicked beasts trying to disrupt the peace, outsiders who aren’t too keen on how domesticated we are, so they keep an eye on those details, too. They also work close with the park rangers in the area, a lot of them are Fae folk. We have some cabins deeper into the woods, near the mountains where they live and work, but we also rent them out during festivals."

Rhys followed Vic with his hands in his pockets into the town. He saw the first business on the left was Molly’s Midnight Café, and across the street was a tavern that had its windows open. The sound of a guitar warbling slipped through the open panes. A pharmacy was beside the café, and a general store took up the majority of the righthand side after the tavern, just before the road opened out into the town square. 

He noticed a bulletin board with random requests near the center of town. A small group of patio furniture was tucked up under a big sign that read Inn in cursive font. A stone fire pit sat at the dead center of intersecting, X-shape streets that the town of Wylder Wood was built around, and people were happily sipping ciders and lattes around the warmth.

A row of what appeared to be townhomes stretched off toward the mayoral offices on either side beyond the town center, and everything felt quaint. It reminded Rhys of a cute, idyllic town one would see in a Christmas movie, and his heart was excited.

“Want to stop in and see Mols first? That way we can bounce with the excuse of needing to see the rest of town if she gets too chatty, she’ll keep you for hours if you let her,” Vic noted.

“I don’t think I’d mind that, normally, but my sleep schedule is a mess and 6am will come early so I don’t want to be out too late,” Rhys replied and he fixed his grip on the tiny box of tea bags.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love a good chat with her, but she can be… intense if you aren’t prepared.”

“Good to know.”

They walked into Molly’s café. Rhys’ eyes grew wide as he took in the rows upon rows of tiny cakes, fresh baked loaves of bread, and pastries with delicate swirls of frosting. The aroma of fluffy biscuits and sweet vanilla bean cake hit his senses immediately upon entering the store. The sound of a coffee grinder whirring away somewhere behind the counter beat in time with the pop music that came from the speakers.

“Hey, Mols!” Vic called.

Molly skidded out from the back room with a large smile, “Hiya! Oh, Rhys! Hi! Hello!”

“Hi, I brought you some tea samples,” Rhys said with a grin.

Molly thrusted her arms up in the air and began pumping them up and down with excitement, “Yes! My body is ready!”

“Have you been busy?” Vic asked as he looked at the cookies, trying to decide which one he wanted to buy for a late night snack.

“Yes, with the weather being so nice and everybody being trapped inside cause of that pesky rain last night, it feels like the whole town has come to say hi!” Molly said with glee.

“Good, how are your supplies doing? Do you need Cane to grab anything tomorrow?”

“No, momma and I are going to have a girls trip into the city next week! I’m excited!”

Molly took the tiny box from Rhys and opened it up. She pulled the blue-purple tinted tea bag out and gasped with excitement. Rhys set his hands behind his back and leaned down to look into the pastry case. Tiny carrot cakes with fondant carrots sat in little orange wrappers, slices of beautiful blood-red velvet cake were adorned with ribbons of pink icing, and cookies the size of his head were laid in neat little stacks.

“These teas are amazing! Thank you!” Molly said with a happy bounce.

“I made three of my signature blends, let me know how many you want—if any—and I’ll make more,” Rhys said as he squatted down to look at some cute mini cheesecakes.

“Mols, can I have a blood orange cake slice, to go? Rhys and I are going to walk around town and I plan on having it for a snack when I watch TV tonight,” Vic requested.

“Sure thing, boss! Oh! Oh! Oh! I was supposed to tell you, Carliel came into town!” Molly stated with wide eyes.

Vic’s demeanor changed and Rhys picked up on it quickly. The mayor stood back to his full height and tilted his head to the side.

“Is he here now?” Vic asked.

“I’m not sure, I heard it from Byron when he stopped by for his nightly latte about twenty minutes ago, we were talking about Rhys and I was telling him why you weren’t in town, cause of the whole angry—”

“Thank you, Molly,” Vic interrupted.

Molly’s antenna wiggled as she skipped over to the counter to set the new tea bags in a safe space. Every time she moved it looked like she was on the verge of exploding, she vibrated and bounced with such intensity her frame seemed unstable, like the lines of her body were phasing out of existence. Rhys tried not to stare too hard and went back to the dessert case.

“Molly, can I have a drink?” Rhys asked.

“Sure! Do you like lavender? I make a mean lavender latte, and it’s great with the vanilla bean cookies!” Molly offered.

“That would be great, thank you!”

Vic took the small cardboard box with his cake slice and the bagged cookie for Rhys so he could enjoy the warmth of the drink he was about to receive. He hoped Molly would be busy tonight, he knew it would be slower in the coming months with the days being longer and hotter, so a weekend filled with good company and a lot of sales would be beneficial for her mental health.

As Rhys took the coffee, Vic began making his way toward the door.

“We gotta go, Mols. Rhys is going with Cane to the city tomorrow so I want to get him home early, but thank you for the cake,” Vic said, already halfway across the building.

“Oh, have fun! Road trips are great! Thank you for the tea!” Molly shouted happily.

“Thank you! I’m looking forward to working with you!” Rhys called as he raced after Vic back out into the chilly spring air.

“We’re going to have to detour to the pharmacy, but that building across the way is Monroe’s, our bar and tavern. It’s owned by the Monroe family, same with the general store next door. It’s got basic necessities if you need anything. It’s also got a section in the back for our farmer’s market events during the colder months before the holidays. They also own the bed and breakfast,” Vic explained as he began walking down the street.

“Which is where?” Rhys inquired.

“The building that says Inn, Emily Monroe recently took over it and she’s currently… rebranding. She decided to call the place Mutual Pine Inn.”

"Rhys pondered for a moment before he giggled. “Wait, like mutual pining? Like, the book trope?”

“Yes, it’s obnoxious but she’s doing a great job with the old place so I can’t complain. It’s usually busy during our festival seasons and the holidays. The Monroe family is as prominent and wealthy as the Wylder family is, but there are a ton more of them around. I think we’ve got about eight Monroes in town right now, but the youngest daughter is pregnant with triplets so that’ll change soon. Melissa Monroe is a doctor who works at the hospital that's about a half hour out from here.

“A large amount of our residents live in those townhomes down the way, makes it easier for everyone and keeps the amount of deforestation in the area down. The Kline family lives down that road that heads beyond the town into the woods, and they run a winery and vineyard. They’re humans, so they’ll like having you around and they’ll be more than happy to help with your farm if you have any questions. There’s also a salon, Cane has a small storefront where he sells his excess furniture and another resident sells art supplies when he’s in town. Cane gets antsy when Cas is busy so he tends to churn out furniture like a madman. That’s pretty much it, we have a handful of empty storefronts that I’m hoping people will take over at some point, but it’ll happen when it happens so I’m not too bothered by it. This is the pharmacy.”

Rhys looked at the boxy business with a bright green neon sign that said ‘Open’ flashing in the window. Peering in, he could see rows of bottles with concoctions and pills along the far wall. Behind the counter, Rhys laid eyes upon something that took his breath away. He nearly dropped his latte onto the ground as he stared at the intimidating stature of the beast inside and, when the tall creature locked eyes with him, his lips parted in shock.

“Bigfoot…”