Forest Guardians Chronicles: A Matter of Humanity by Beth Roose (smart ebook reader TXT) 📗

the hotel. He asks if he had any messages. The clerk told him no. Travis thanked him and then decided to go downstairs to the bar. He thought the bar area was posh and noticed the bar was hand carved. As he sat down, he noticed that the bar chairs were also hand carved. The bartender asked Travis what he wanted. He ordered a Dirty Martini.

The bartender said, “Coming right up, SIR.” Travis immediately looked up at the person and noticed his eyes had turned into reptile-looking slit eyes. Then his face shape-shifted into a lizard-looking human. Travis stood up and told him, “Never mind.” The bartender said, “Don’t be stupid.” Travis flew up the steps, taking two at a time. He ran for the elevator. The door closed. He pushed for the 4th floor. The doors opened and there was the reception clerk standing at the open door. She muttered to Travis, “Don’t be stupid.”

Travis ran to his room two doors down. He slipped in the card to open the door. Travis was so nervous he dropped the card. He looked over at the girl, but she was gone. He took a deep breath and reached down for his card; and with hands still shaking, he forced it into the card reader and the door popped open. Travis stepped in and slammed the door shut and then leaned his back against the door. He closed his eyes for a second and then opened his eyes and walked toward the bed. He fell into bed and lay there with his eyes closed, replaying the shape-shifter moments and then Vue and Tas. It was darn frightening. Travis drifted off to sleep.

***

Bev was so excited she FaceTimed all her friends with the good news that she and Travis was engaged. Everyone was excited and talked about when and where and who would walk her down the aisle. Bev and her friend Marsha would go shopping tonight for a wedding dress. She envisioned getting married at the shelter building at the Ledges with a big fireplace and then a reception at Hale Farm and Village. At both locations Cleg and his tribe and Zonga and his tribe could watch from the protection of the woods. She could not wait to tell Princess Celia as well as Cleg and Zonga. She sure wished she could have Bitty as the flower girl. Maybe I could do a second wedding in the forest at Buttermilk Falls with all her Forest Guardian friends. So much to do and think about.

Then she sat up in bed and opened the drawer of her nightstand and pulled out a scrap book and placed it on her lap. She glanced over at the time. It was 5am. She thought, I have time to go through and visit with mom and dad. She opened the book and page after page she would smile and tell them how much she missed them and what she had done on the farm. She reached the last page. It was an image of her mom and dad at their wedding. She put her hand on the picture and told them how beautiful their picture was. She thanked them for the wonderful memories. Then she told them all about the Forest Guardians and how much they had done for her. Then she told them all about Travis. She told them that she loved him with all her heart. Then she choked back tears and told them how much she would miss them at the wedding. She told her dad she would miss him walking her down the aisle. Then there would be the first dance she wished would have been with him. She then put her hand on her mom and asked her to please be there when she picked out her wedding gown today. The tears fell. Bev closed the scrapbook and put the book back into her nightstand. She sat back on the bed and the tears turned into happiness as her mind switched gears to the joy and love she felt for Travis. She looked over at the clock as it was already 7am. She jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom to take a shower. The joy in her heart took over and she found herself singing “I’ve Got Joy Joy Joy down in my heart.” Over and over she sang that verse. After she dressed, she ran downstairs and started the coffee and poured a bowl of her favorite cereal.

She walked over to the beautiful yet sassy red refrigerator and pulled out milk for her cereal and her coffee. She sat down at the table and drank a sip of her coffee and realized she forgot to pour in some milk. She put down her coffee and added the milk. She thought of Travis and giggled a little. Then she wiggled in her chair and picked up her cup and looked out the window at the barn. The doors were open. “OMG,” she said out loud. “I never went back out and cleaned up the spilled rabbit pellets.” She stood and ran out the back door to the edge of the entrance to the barn. “NO NO NO!” she screamed as loud as she could as she ran into the barn to the rabbit cages. They're all dead. Again, she screamed, “NO NO NO!” The sound of flapping wings was at the barn door. She looked over and there was Freda with the look of horror on her face. Freda let out a blood-curdling word scream. Bev ran to Freda and embraced her. Both crying and holding each other. Then Freda yelled, “LOOK!’ pointing her wing to the cement floor. There was a bloody footprint, a giant barefoot footprint. Bev ran over and looked and yelled. It had to be Tas or Vue or both.

When she looked back at Freda, she was already at Coco’s cage with Coco in her cradled wings. She kept saying over and over,” I love