The Farmers were just leaving when a pixie zipped by them yelling. Henry and his kids stopped to see what the fuss was about.

“What’s wrong Laurel?” Lily asked the other pixie.

“A mob of villagers just left the village and are coming this way!”

“A mob?” I asked.

“They have pitchforks, spears, axes, and knives,” Laurel replied. “What else would you call them?”

“No torches?” Lily inquired.

Laurel grinned and shook her head. “Nope.”

“Darn! It’s not really a peasant mob then,” Lily replied snapping her fingers and shaking her head in mock sadness.

“I’m bonded to a madman,” I quipped. The pixies laughed. “We might need to hide Sara.”

“No. She’s fine sunning herself on the roof. We might as well be honest,” Lily said.

“Oh. Going to let them all know you talk?” I asked.

“Maybe,” Lily replied.

“I’m going to notify Elder Trillium. I’ll be back,” Laurel said and then flew away.

“Problems?” Henry called to us.

“Looks like Trinity has roused up the village,” I replied. I walked over with Lilly flying beside me.

“What do you mean?” Henry asked.

“It would probably be best to talk as we walk the path,” I answered. I briefly informed the Famers about Sara’s and the pixies’ prank as we walked toward the village.

“Doesn’t surprise me that Trinity has gotten the villagers to hunt the cougar down,” Prissy said.

“Me either,” her brother agreed.

“Well, it’s none of our business. Come on kids, let’s go home,” Henry said as we came upon the mob at my gate. The villagers fell silent. “Good luck Jase. It was a pleasure doing business with you.”

Henry’s kids waved bye. Lilly and I bid them farewell as well and the Farmers started making their way through the crowd of villagers.

“Have you seen the cougar?” Mohe asked them.

“Yes. It’s huge,” Preston answered.

“She,” Priscilla corrected smiling at him as the crowd started talking amongst themselves.

“Fine. She is huge,” Preston replied as his sister’s smile widened.

“Kids, you need to learn to keep your mouths shut,” Henry said.

“Where is it?” Mohe asked while tightening his grip on the machete in his hand.

“Where is what?” I asked fighting to keep a grin off my face.

“Don’t play dumb. You know I mean the cougar. It’s a dangerous animal that needs to be put down,” one of the other villagers said. He held a bow in his right hand and had a quiver of arrows over his left shoulder, so I assumed he was a hunter.

“The only dumb animals here are those like you,” Lilly quietly said. I laughed.

“You think this is a game boy?” the hunter shouted at me. A bobcat hissed beside him. Lily confirmed the bobcat was his familiar.

“No, I don’t think this is a game nor am I a boy,” I replied. “What I do think is that you guys want to trespass on my land.”

“Jase, this is not a normal situation,” Mohe said getting my attention.

“But it is Mohe. Wild animals can transverse where they will. My fence,” I said gesturing to the fence, “is something designed to mark my borders. It isn’t strong or large enough to stop an animal or person.”

“You just heard Henry’s boy say the cat was on your roof!” the hunter exclaimed. “That is not a normal situation.”

“Paul, calm down,” Henry said to the hunter. Lily was getting angry, and I decided I had had enough. So, I told them the truth.

“Sara is our guest and protector. I give you my word that she will not cross the fence unless it is to go further up the mountain away from the village,” I said. Mohe and the others turned to stare at me. “Yes, we know the cougar and had met her around Morrisville.”

“We should force Fisher to leave,” Paul said. Several others agreed with him.

“Are you saying you have bonded with this cougar?” someone asked.

“No.”

“Then how can it be trusted?” the same person asked.

“Because Sara is an intelligent and mutated animal,” Lily answered out loud from my shoulder. An outburst of voices erupted at my familiar’s comment.

“The pixie talked!” several men said at once.

“Well, that secret is out of the bag now,” I told Lily. She shrugged.

“Had to be done,” my pixie replied.

“You’re just diverting their attention,” I told Lily while sending her supporting and loving feelings.

“You know me well,” Lily replied returning the feelings.

A few minutes later, Mohe had gotten the villagers calmed from discovering that Lily talked.

“Let’s just go kill the cat and be done with it,” another villager said. Lily took flight and buzzed over the heads of everyone.

“That wouldn’t be smart,” I replied.

“Why is that?” Paul sneered. “Are you going to stop us?”

“Nope,” I replied.

“You should all go home now,” Lily added as she landed on a branch over my head.

A growl accompanied Lily’s words as Sara walked out of the bushes to my right. I turned at the noise. I didn’t know she had followed us. The eyes of every villager widened in alarm at the sight of the large cat. A few dropped their weapons and farm implements.

Paul pulled an arrow and aimed at the cougar. Sara hissed and he shot his arrow.

Instead of speeding towards Sara, the arrow slowed until it stopped. Sara swatted it to the ground.

“That was a mistake human,” an authoritative voice said from above us.

I thought I could sense the power in the voice. Everyone looked up. Pixies, including Trillium, surrounded us. The elder’s eyes glowed with a white light. The other pixies’ eyes started to glow various colors as well. I could feel the power that Lily channeled. Several of the villagers looked afraid now. I could even hear a few muttered prayers.

“I think you should return to the village and never approach my property again,” I told Mohe and the other villagers.

“This is just some trick,” Paul and a man that hadn’t dropped his spear said at the same time.

Both jumped as lightening was tossed at their feet by the pixies. The two men glared at the pixies, who giggled and waved at them in return.

“As long as the cougar doesn’t come near the village or won’t head into the eastern woods, I’m fine with it being on Fisher’s land,” a man I knew was a logger said.

“Sara won’t,” Lily replied. The man nodded, turned, and started walking back to the village.

A few others shrugged, cast glances at Sara and the pixies, and followed him. A few more minutes and Mohe was the only villager that was left.

“This probably won’t end well for you,” Mohe warned. He sighed. “Trinity is well liked, and you are not. You’re just too much of an outsider.”

“I am what I am,” I shrugged.

“Aren’t we all?” Mohe replied before turning back to the village and walked away.

“So, ice cream and some meat for Sara?” I asked.

“Indeed,” Lily and Trillium agreed. Sara chuffed and the rest of the pixies cheered.