Yrsa did not like telling people she lived out an RV. She already got enough curious looks for having an antelope skull for a head. Sure she could move back up north back to the Wendigo Reservation. There were more of her kind, but that involves work. Truth was she didn’t want to work on the caribou ranch anymore. Her little brother, on the other claw, was so keen on taking over he claimed a caribou skull to be his own as soon as he was able to hunt for himself.

You could tell a lot about a Wendigo by their skull. When a wendigo is born they could almost pass for pixies until they shed their first skin. After this shed, this leaves the wendigo’s head exposed to the elements. Like a hermit crab, they either find or take this protection from other animals. Except unlike the hermit crab, this new protection is permanent. Some families opt to buy their children a skull instead of having them hunt down an animal.

Yrsa’s families were not like those folks. They were expecting her to don the skull of one of the many caribous they raised for their meat. Yrsa showed her true colors during a visit to her aunt’s house in the desert. She disappeared for a few days to come back wearing the skull of a two-prong antelope. Her parents weren’t mad just…disappointed. The closer she got to finishing her mandatory education the more pressure she parents started to put on her. Feinting wanting to see the country more she convinced her parents to let her travel with her grandparents for a while.

This plan worked for two years until her grandparents stopped outside a city by the name of Oasis Spring. One night after splitting one of the many elk that wandered the land her grandparents climbed atop the RV to watch the sunrise. Tired from her hunt Yrsa laid out her sleeping bag for the day. When she woke up at nine twenty that night she knew something was wrong. She found her grandparent’s skulls burned black as if they’d been set on fire. Wendigo are not as sensitive to the light as Vampires so it wasn’t the sun that killed them. No, from the looks of it, it was their time.

Her family seemed to take the news well enough when Yrsa called to tell them. Yrsa’s mom insisted she mail the remains back up north for a proper burial. In the background, she could hear her father insisting she deliver the remains in person. Refusing Yrsa knew the second she parked the RV her father would sell it in an attempt to keep her there. That's how she came to live in her grandparent's RV. Not much changed after her grandparents passed on. She even kept most of their clothes.

Currently, she was rearranging the inside of the fridge to accommodate her hunts. Deciding on either keeping the half-eaten jackalope or tossing it to the wilds her alarm went off behind her.

7:00 am. Time for work. Stretching her arms back she tried shaking off the urge to sleep. You think after five years she would be used to being awake during the day.

Stumbling around the RV she managed to get ready to go to her job. Sure she could hunt for food no problem but the upkeep on the RV, her bike, and her solar panels added up quickly. Checking one last time to make sure her granddads old C/B radio was still turned on she decided to take her motorized bicycle. Her boss always contacted her with it if she had packages too large for her bike. Kicking off she took off for the Post Office.

The Post Office resided off the interstate that rushed past the little community a stone's throw outside the main city. Almost like an afterthought, there was a roadside diner and a gas station added on a further down the road. There was an old truck with peeling paint always parked facing the interstate. On the windshield, the owner wrote ‘For Sale’ with a phone number underneath. Parking her bike she made her way inside the post office to gather her day’s deliveries. The sound of gravel crunching under a truck tire caught her attention for a second. Glancing over Yrsa saw the same girl she’d seen almost every morning for two years hop out of the truck. The satyr looked around the same age as Yrsa so why would she drive from the city to work at a middle of nowhere diner? Where there no restaurants in the city?

Probably. Not that Yrsa would know first-hand. Nope, she was yet to set foot in the diner let alone make a trip to the city. She wasn’t able to make her way to the counter before her boss commented on her clothing.

“No uniform again today?” He commented judging her appearance through his one eye. It was more of a gentle teasing than a real criticism. As long as Yrsa had an official post office box strapped to the back of her bike she was technically in uniform. “It’s a little heavier today so be careful.” He warned sliding the box across the counter. Peering inside she noticed he had already sorted the box in order. Thanking her boss she carried the box on her hip out to her bike. This was her daily routine. No changes. No surprises. Was that wrong though? Was she supposed to be content with putting along life like this?

Compared to the rest of her family she looked like a major disappointment. Maybe it was the pressure coming from a family all possessed lofty goals. Her brother wanted to take over the family cattle ranch. Her sister wanted to write novels while raising her family. In comparison, Yrsa had no dreams or even hobbies for her to pursue. The smell of goats alerted her to she was coming up to the first stop her route. Usually, she doesn’t get to see the people she delivers to. Today she could make out the centaur that ran the place showing a small family of Chupacabra his herd. The mailbox squeaked when she opened it. She made sure not to rip the glossy cover of “Rancher Life Quarterly”.

Occasionally she wondered what about ranch life could possibly warrant such a frequent publication. Does her brother read that magazine too? Looking back over at the centaur she saw him laughing as the youngest Chupacabra chased after one the goats. Giving a small huff of laughter herself Yrsa kicked off to continue her route.

Yrsa swore it took half her tank to get to the top of the hill of her next stop. It was lovely white adobe accented with a dark reddish-brown wood. There were no signs anyone lived there though. Even the driveway looked straight out of a magazine. If it wasn’t for the bills she delivered she could’ve assumed it was vacant. Either way, Yrsa did not like the idea of living in such a large house by herself. She managed to stuff the new mail around the week-old mail the owners forgot to check. The door wouldn’t fully close with all that mail but that wasn’t her problem. Satisfied that she was able to fit everything in she looked back ahead to the downward slope leading to her next stop. If she could smile she would have the biggest grin on her face as she revved her engine to go flying down the hill. Whooping she lifted her feet allowing gravity to do the rest. Slowing down she was reaching her next stop, a farm…she thinks. It was hard to tell if the owners grew rows of those spiky plants for fun or for profit.

Compared to the last house Yrsa knew someone was living there. Personal effects littered the yard, as well as lawn ornaments, were driven into the rock garden out front. Looking at the bright paint job for too long caused her skull to ache so she made this delivery quick. Now it was the boring part of her route, the long stretch. Five miles of the most boring stretch of landscape in the whole county. Heck, the road wasn’t even real, it was only big enough for one vehicle at a time and the only one who used it was Yrsa! Due to zoning issues, the five houses got cut off from the county they were supposed to fall under. You think the harpies who presided over the maps would notice their county ended on Dragon Talon Avenue!

Her boss had written several letters trying to address the issue but he never received a reply. So Yrsa was stuck going over ten miles out of her way every day, except High Holidays like Samhain and Litha. Maybe one day off a week would be nice, like Tuesday. No one cares about Tuesday. Pondering what she would even do on a day off her thoughts were shattered someone yelling on her left side.

Completely taken off guard she let out a scream that sent every animal in a half-mile radius fleeing in terror. Still going thirty miles an hour Yrsa managed to hit a rock propelling her over her handlebars. She landed face down in the sand trying to get her bearings back.

“Hey. Are you ok?” Someone asked placing their hand on her back. Groaning Yrsa shook the sand from her skull cringing as the grains scrapped against the grooves in the bone. It didn't hurt but the sounds always sent chills down her spine. Her eye holes were the biggest offenders. “It takes more than that to hurt me.” Yrsa tried to sound tougher than she was feeling.

“Oh, you’re bleeding.” The male voice commented sounding panicky. “Here.” A dirty handkerchief that was once cream-colored was thrust into her line of sight. Looking up she finally got a good look at who was talking to her. It was a male Fairy wearing a pair of dirt colored overalls. Almost like a second pair of wings Fairy ears jutted on either side of their heads catching the light. His ears paired with the light streaming from his wings gave the man an aura almost blinding her.

“I’ll be fine. Just need to finish my route and get something to eat.” She was thankful she didn’t have a face to show how much pain she actually was in as she got to her feet.

“Where’s my bike?”

“About that…” The Fairy trailed off as Yrsa followed his line of sight to see the twisted wreckage of her bike. The front wheel was bent almost completely in half. To make matters worse the fuel tank shattered with all the fuel soaked into the hot desert sand.

“Tch. Now what? I’m right in the middle of my deliveries!” Yrsa tried to bend back her wheel with no success.

“Look, I’ll go get help. Just…wait here.” The Fairy instructed before taking back off down the road again. Huffing Yrsa pressed her ripped jean against her bleeding leg willing the wound to close up fast. By the time the Fairy had returned it had stopped she was able to pick up the delivery box to check the contents. Things were jumbled up but other than that everything was unharmed. A large white truck rolled up next to her and a green-skinned Gremlin hopped out. She wore a pale pink button up one piece coverall with oil stains scattered all over. When she walked pass Yrsa saw she had a lizard's tail.

“He was right. You did do a number to it.” She ignored Yrsa to examine the bike’s condition. The Gremlin’s stiff looking hair was cropped short so Yrsa was able to get a good look at the long pointed ears almost the length of her head. The woman prodded over all parts of the machine muttering under her breath. Yrsa was surprised she could see what those dark goggles over her eyes.

“Who’s this?” Yrsa asked the Fairy as he got out of the truck to join his companion.

“That’s my wife, Velda.” The Fairy answered standing next to Yrsa to admire his wife work. “My name is Alphonse by the way. I didn’t mean to cause you so much trouble; I just wanted to ask you a question before you got too far away. But after all this I’m the last thing you want from me is a job offer.”

“What sort of job?” Yrsa asked as Velda picked up the bike with one hand. Since Yrsa’s became a hermit she forgot little things like how tall other species were. Wendigos were considered tall compared to other species such as Gremlins and leprechauns. Yrsa was only six feet four inches while her rest of her family was over seven feet. This Gremlin tall for her species since she reached Yrsa’s hip as she passed by to load the bike into the back of her truck. Alphonse was a respectable five feet tall, normal for a Fairy.

“The fuel tank needs to be replaced as well as that front wheel. Also, the engine looks like it has never been clean so that might take a minute. So here’s what's going to happen. Al, stop us off at home so you can take the truck to help her with her deliveries. And since you were the one who caused the accident you get to ride in the back.”

“Fair enough.” Agreed Al. Feeling petty Yrsa climbed into the back of the truck next to her bike.

“Thank you but there isn’t enough space for someone like me in the cab.” She excused stretching out her injured leg to prove her point. The couple nodded before getting into the cab of the truck. Leaning back Yrsa tried to ignore the oppressing heat beating down on her. She shifted around until she was comfortable as the couple talked among themselves.

Yrsa awoke to Velda removing the bike from the truck. Startled she jerked her knee causing her to hiss with pain. Velda froze at the noise Yrsa was making. It was amazing how instincts always seemed to override all civilized thought. Once upon a time wendigos were feared as embodiments of pure evil. Folklore stated that they are so twisted they devoured the creatures they were created from. Or so the stories say. Scholars debate whether or not human beings actually existed.

Plucking back up her nerve Velda went back to take the bike to her workspace. “Come back after you’re done to see how far I am before you go home. Shouldn’t take me too long but you never know until you get in there.” She then smacked the side of the truck signaling she was clear.

“So…where to next?” Al asked through the back window of the truck.

“I was heading to the street at the end of that road you caught me on.” She paused for a minute before asking, “Speaking of which, why did you try and stop me?”

“Oh right. Sorry. I had a job for you, but after all this, I’m sure the last thing you want is anything from me.” Al laughed nervously.

“What sort of job?” Yrsa found herself asking. What could possibly be so important that he would come flying after her like that? Al looked a little startled for a second.

“Well, we were wondering if was possible for you to run an errand up to the big city for us. See, usually, we run the agave to our distributors ourselves. This year Velda will be out of town getting parts for her work. And this is the only vehicle we have right now.”

“What’s agave? Sounds illegal.” Yrsa stressed the word ‘illegal’ to get her point across.

“It’s not illegal.” Al chuckled. “It’s a type of syrup. You’ve seriously never had agave before?”

“Do I look like I eat syrup?” Yrsa asked feeling a little sheepish.

“I don’t know. Heck, I not even sure what you are.” Al admitted his smile turning to a look of horror when he realized what he said. Yrsa was a little taken off guard by such a candid statement. She wasn’t offended or anything just a little surprised he was so honest. Looking back at what she could see of Al’s face in the mirror she was able to see the man’s face turn almost as green as his ear fins.

“Well yeah. Don’t suppose you get too many Wendigos this far south.”

“Wendigo? Wow. Yeah, you’re the first one I’ve ever seen.” The Fairy admitted sounding more relaxed.

“Don’t feel too bad I’ve never seen a Chupacabra before moving down here so I can’t get too upset.” Yrsa tried to make her voice sound as casual as possible. She learned to emote with her voice since she didn’t have a face for people to read off of. Al gave a chuckle at that before clearing his throat.

“Alright, so the agave?” He started again glancing up to make sure Yrsa was still paying attention. Or at least she was looking in his general direction. “There are quite a few gallons this go-around so you will need to take your own vehicle. But since the other delivery companies won’t come out this far we were more than willing to pay you what they were going to ask.”

“I don’t know. I have to think about.” Yrsa looked over the side of the truck to see where she crashed. Al dropped the subject asking Yrsa if she wanted to listen to the radio instead. The head was still pretty intense since by this time of day she would be finishing up her work to go home to bed. The hotter the better she seemed to sleep.

“Yrsa? Hey. YRSA!” Al yelled shaking her shoulder. Blinking against the bright sun she tried to orientate herself for the second time that day. “Are you alright? Did you hit your head earlier? Do you need to go see a doctor or something?” He was standing on the side of his truck looking like he was on the verge of a panic attack.

“What? No. Look, it’s just a wendigo thing. Nothing to worry about.” Yrsa sat up straighter looking around to see they were parked right outside the Post Office.

“So it’s perfectly normal for wendigo to sleep like the dead?” Al tried to sound sarcastic but was failing.

“During the day yes. We’re nocturnal, like Vampires. But since my boss refuses to let me work at night I am forced to be up when I’d rather be sleeping.” Yrsa complained looking inside her work box to see it empty. Even her personal mail had been delivered! “Did you do this?” She asked already knowing the answer.

“Yeah. Tried to wake up several times but you just kept growling at me. You even scuffed up my window.” He indicated pointing to the three scratch marks etched in the glass. Using her thumb Yrsa tried to rub the scratches off with no success. Yeah, those marks were not going anywhere.

“Sorry about that.”

“Eh don’t worry about it. Let’s get you clocked out and get you back to the house. My wife should be about done with your bike.” Al indicated to the delivery box. Hissing in pain she managed to hobble out of the truck into the post office.

“When this is over I am so eating the rest of that elk leg,” Yrsa grumbled louder than she wanted to.

“Elk huh? Why am I not surprised?” Al opened the door allowing Yrsa an easier time getting in. Not responding she limped over the counter where she dropped off her box for the next day.

“What happened to you?” Her boss asked raking his one over her torn pant leg. His us

“I crashed my bike. I managed to deliver all the mail though.” Yrsa reassured him placing the box for her boss to take back on the counter. “If that’s all you need from me, I’ll be going now.” She went to go turn when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking back she saw her boss had reached out to catch her attention. His pinkish tan hand looked off against her charcoal black skin. Her boss was a braver man than she had originally thought, most people didn’t want to make eye contact with her let alone actually touch her.

“If you’re not feeling up to it you need to let me know. Can’t have you dying during your shift and all.” Her bossed released her arm to take a step back. Confused about whether she should have felt annoyed or deeply touched she replied back with a brief, ‘Thank you, I will’. When she managed to hobble back out to the truck she noticed Al wasn’t waiting for her in the cab. Looking around she spotted him speed walking back from the diner with a brown paper bag. Yrsa had already hauled herself up into the back of the truck by the time Al had slid back into the driving bench.

“You ready?” He asked looked back at her through the rear view mirror. Nodding Al smiled brightly before throwing the truck into reverse. Yrsa got quickly bored watching the ‘for sale’ truck and the diner get smaller in the distance.

“What happened to you?” Her boss asked raking his one over her torn pant leg. His us

“How about a little music?” Al suggested flipping down his visor to reveal a small collection of various CDs. “Let’s see. You don’t look like a pop or a rap fan. Oh here we go; you might like this, ‘Empress’s Greatest Hits’.”

It was not anything like she was expecting. First off for a band named ‘Empress’ the lead sounded like a male banshee. Second, she was not expecting the songs to change genre mid way through. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Al’s shoulders bounce with the beat on the second song. By the seventh song he completely forgot about Yrsa’s presence and began singing along. He was so engrossed when they pulled into his driveway he turned off the engine but kept the radio on to finish the song. Amused Yrsa kept quiet wondering how long he would keep going until he noticed she was still here. Velda came out from around the back of the house to check on them.

“Having fun?” She asked wrench in hand leaning against the open driver’s window. When she and Yrsa met eyes she gave the Wendigo a friendly wink.

“Oh hey, Hon.” Al stopped dancing to turn off the music.

“See what I have to put up with?” She asked looking up at Yrsa with a loving smile. Jerking Al peered through his wing to see he had, in fact, forgot Yrsa was there. Trying to keep his cool he said, “So, how’d you like it?”

“I loved it actually. Never thought I’d like a song about a bicycle.” Yrsa admitted scooting out of the back of the truck.

“Well how about I burn you a CD for you then?” Al offered following after making his way to his backyard.

“I don’t have a CD player?” She admitted using the truck for support to follow after him. “Well I did but it broke during a delivery. The convenient store doesn’t carry CD players, only cassette players. Like, who still uses cassettes?” She asked getting a laugh from the couple. Joining in the laughter she stopped laughing when she saw the old broken down cargo plane in the backyard. The paint job was old and fading but she could easily tell it was once mustard yellow. When Velda noticed she wasn’t following she looked over her shoulder to call out to Yrsa.

“Oh sorry, I was just wondering how I never noticed this before.”

“Oh, the C-17? Yeah, when we built our house we made sure it was hard to see from the road.” Al smiled leading her over to a small patio set complete with dark green umbrella bent at an angle. On the cement patio, Velda had laid down a tarp she used to dissect Yrsa’s bike on. Al motioned for Yrsa to take a seat.

“So, quick update. Since it appears this engine has never been cleaned I had to meticulously scrub all parts to make sure everything is in proper working order. This might take a while.” She admitted holding up a part to the light. Yrsa knew she was being scolded for her lack-luster maintenance on her machine. Feeling guilty she said nothing to defend herself.

“So I might have to call in work after all,” Yrsa asked sitting down to watch Velda work. The Gremlin shrugged before answering, “Not necessarily. If worse comes to worse Al could always drive you again.”

Looking back over at the Fairy he gave a shrug of his own. “I don’t mind. I’m up before the sun anyway. The best time to harvest is during the morning sunrise. Later than that all the dew drops dry up.” He explained. Not really caring Yrsa nodded half-heartily.

“As I thought,” Velda announced tossing the part she was looking at towards the edge of the tarp. “Hey honey, can you get me a carburetor from section F? It’s in the back so you’ll have to dig for it.”

“On it.” Al jumped up. “Oh right. Here. This is for you.” Al set down the brown paper bag he got from the diner in front of Yrsa. He flashed her a smile before flying towards the open cargo doors of the plane. Opening the bag she saw something wrapped in white butcher paper on the bottom. She was able to make out ‘Bottom Sirloin’ printed on a sticker holding the wrapping shut. She stared hard at it for a second processing what she was seeing.

“No good?” Asked Velda. Startled from her thoughts Yrsa looked over to see the woman looking over her shoulder at her.

“No. He did great. I just wasn’t…expecting this is all.” Yrsa admitted pulling out the steak.

“Yeah, that’s Al for you, always surprising people.” Velda went back to examining parts as she kept talking. “It’s in his nature I suppose.” When she said nature she extended her leg to place her foot on top of a nearby wrench. When she lifted her foot back up the wrench was sticking to the bottom of her foot like it was glue on.

“How are you doing that?” asked Yrsa.

“With my feet,” Velda smirked turning to show Yrsa the bottoms of her feet. Leaning closer Yrsa noticed a few things right away. For one, Gremlins only had three massive toes that reminded her of a cross between a bird and a lizard. The second thing she noticed was what looked like folds of skin layered all over.

“What are those?” Yrsa inquired. So intrigued by what she was seeing she thought nothing of taking a huge bite of her steak. She had to go under the skull on her head to reach her mouth. Velda, foot still held in the air went slack jaw as she watched the wendigo eat. Realizing she was staring she put down her foot to turn back to fixing the bike.

“Um, I think they’re little bits of skin to create friction on smooth surfaces. That’s how my mom explained it to me at least.” Any awkward silence settled between the two them when Al came flying back out of the cargo plane. He presented his wife with the part proud as can be. He placed his fist on his hips leaning down to survey the taken apart engine.

“Alright. Looks like there is nothing more we can do here. We’ll take you home when you’re ready.” Al looked over at Yrsa. Nodding the wendigo shoved the last bit of steak in her mouth getting up. Now that she had something in her stomach she felt like she could fall asleep anywhere. Velda gave them a wave as the two of them loaded back up into the truck.

“I’ll drop the bike off when it’s done ok?” Al asked the second they got onto the road.

“That’s fine. Just load it onto the bike rack please.” She requested leaning her head against the back window with a ‘thunk’.

“Oh fae, you look exhausted. Again, I cannot apologize enough for how today went.”

“It’s fine. How much do I owe you?”

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s just get you home.”

“Sounds good.” Said Yrsa. “Hey, Al?” He made a noise before turning off the radio. “Why did you want me to deliver your syrup…stuff?”

“Because you like delivering things. Why else would you be a postal worker?” Al asked rhetorically. He then laughed like he made the funniest joke in the world.

Alphonse would never truly understand the weight of his words. He, in essence, pointed out the two biggest cultural differences between Yrsa and himself. The world did its best to ignore it but underneath all the lip service, all species were inherently different. Yes yes, there was always the, “Everyone is a unique individual. No two snowflakes are the same. Yadda yadda”. When you get down to it, fairies can’t live at the bottom of the ocean and sirens cannot live as a Yukki-onna. It was so bad though. Almost all creatures managed to find where they are needed in the world. Though creatures of the day seemed to have a much easier in Yrsa’s opinion. Take Alphonse and Velda for instance: Al was clearly a Fairy drawn to plants. Everyone needs to eat so raising plants for their syrup simply made sense. Velda species was known for their curious minds for all things mechanical. Eighty percent of the world’s machinery is either created, built, and or worked on by Gremlins. The downed cargo plane in her backyard was a testament for the love of the skills she was born with. Creatures of the night have a harder time finding their place.

Vampires and Lycan found they’re place as doctors and veterinarians respectably. Wendigos…had a harder time adjusting. Granddad said it started when the sissy Sasquatch didn’t like their precious deer being hunted for their meat. Then the centaurs and satyr chimed in with their idea of raising animals in pampered enclosures their entire lives.

“Pompous hooven leaf brained hippies.” He would grouse every Yule insisting he brought his own hunted caribou than one of the ones Yrsa’s father would raise. “That’s no life for an animal. They deserve to roam where they please.”

“Before you eat them.” Yrsa’s brother added on sourly. Her granddad pointed his claw at his grandson, bits of caribou still hanging from the old one’s claws.

“At least my prey know what it is like to feel free and not kept in a pen with a number branded on their-“

“DAD!” Yrsa’s father admonished sending the rest of dinner into silence. It didn’t surprise Yrsa one bit when the old Wendigo bought an RV to move all around the country. Grandma said nothing but Yrsa knew she was more than supportive of her husband. This is the woman who when Yrsa got her skull she was slipped a bag of homemade Impala jerky as a congratulations present to her. In a way, it made sense for them to allow Yrsa to travel around with them in the final years.

“We’re here!” Al announced stopping the truck just Yrsa’s RV. Yrsa said her thanks and made her way inside. Not looking back she heard Al tear off down the road blaring his Empress CD. It was dark inside but she knew exactly where everything was so she managed to get to bed without issue. With her feet still hanging off the side of the bed, she nodded off instantly.

She gave a hiss as she was startled awake by the sound of thunder. Blinking she looked around at the glow-in-the-dark clock.

8:34 pm, technically after she normally starts her day. Realizing she was still was still wearing her shoes she kicked them off. Above her head, the soft pitter-patter of rain began to turn loud as the storm raged on. Usually, a little rain didn’t slow her down any. Tonight was different though. She could hear the lightning overhead crackle disturbingly close. Another bolt split the sky overhead so loud it rattled her skull a little. No hunting tonight, far too dangerous.

Changing out of her dirt covered day clothes she slipped into something more suited for lounging around. Looking around she couldn’t quite shake the feeling of utter restlessness. Her grandparents didn’t believe in Television she didn’t have that option. In her haste, she had completely forgot all about her books back home. Her grandmother did have a radio she would often bring out to the roof for star gazing. Turning the dial to the station with the weather report she waited. She didn’t care for the music but it always has the local weather forecast every hour on the hour.

She could patch up her ripped pants but the storm outside was making it hard for her concentrate. She kept thinking about Al’s offhanded comment earlier today. Did she like delivering the mail?

“HEY BONE-HEAD. Y’AH THERE?” Yrsa startled awake at the sound of her boss’s voice over the CB radio. Using her hand she guided herself through her RV to the front where the CB radio was.

“Yeah, I’m here. Over.” She replied back through the radio. The sun was already out in full force already. Looking at the radio clock she realized she was super late for work.

“Oh good, you're still alive. I told you if you needed a day off to tell me, didn’t I? Over.” He scolded making her hang her head a little.

“Yeah, you did. Over.”

“Don’t let it happen again. Now I have to deliver all this mail myself. Over.”

“I can still come down. Are there any big packages? Over.” Yrsa asked trying to keep the urgency out of her voice. For some reason, the thought of letting down her boss upset her.

“YOU WILL NOT! You’re going to stay home and rest up for your shift tomorrow. Over and out.” The line went quiet leaving Yrsa with a sense that the conversation was over.

Normally she would have been ecstatic to get the day off but for some reason, she felt hollow. That nap she took threw off her entire sleep schedule. She could do someday hunting. Disregarding that idea since it is a lot harder to do without the cover of darkness. Figuring she would go mad staying inside all she got dressed to go out. Slipping outside she walked around the RV to see if the storm damaged her home in any way. When she got to the back of she noticed there was a sheet of tarp strapped down over the bike rack. Excited she removed the tarp to reveal what looked like a brand new motorized bicycle.

It was the exact same color and style of her bike sure. Running her claws over the handlebars she felt excited to take it for a spin. Kicking off toward the road she noticed her mailbox flag was up. She doesn’t remember mailing off something so she pedaled over to see what that was all about. Inside was a light tan handwritten letter.

Dear Yrsa,

I forgot to get you these. I’m pretty sure you’re paying too much to repair your RV. If you have any questions just give us a call.

~Velda and Alphonse

Short, simple, and to the point. Funny, she barely knew the woman no more than a day and she could already tell her writing style. Inside the envelope were two business cards. Shaking her head she realized that Al didn’t quite give up on having her run that errand for him. She slipped the letter into her back pocket before reeving off down the road. Pushing the engine she felt like she was flying past the last house on her delivery route. In what felt like seconds she was already at the freeway. She was breathing hard holding her hand over her heart feeling it race under her blouse. Looking around she caught sight of the satyr she saw every morning.

She was reapplying the words ‘For Sale’ on the truck facing the freeway. If she had a truck she could easily make larger deliveries without having to take the clunky RV around just to deliver a forty pound box. Looking beyond the diner she could see the city clear than ever before. Maybe it was because the rain had cleared the air or it could be she wanted to see it this time. Crunching of gravel under hooves drew her attention back towards the waitress.

“Excuse me,” Yrsa called out to the retreating woman. “How much do you want for that truck?” The satyr looked a little startled being called out so suddenly. She smiled motioning Yrsa to come closer. “Come inside and see if we can work something out.” The satyr continued to walk towards the diner expecting Yrsa to follow.

Yrsa still had no idea whether or not she liked her job. Then again, how do you know if you like something if you’ve never really given it a shot?