Hearthway Hollow

Jasper

Nonbinary Reader x Male Monster

As a child, you were always moving, going from one place to the next as if carried by the wind. You had never enjoyed it despite the bravado of your family. They always made it a point to tell you that you should be grateful, and that some people never got to see the world like you did. Well, those people had a room to themselves, and beds only they had slept in. Those people had friends, and didn't have to worry about the night.

Your father insisted that this was best, and that the work he did and you would do someday mattered more than all those things you wanted. Even when your mom was killed, it didn't matter to him. It was as if there was one less anchor tied to him. He dragged you and your siblings to hell and back.

You were sixteen when you left - one too many fights with your dad resulted in a permanent break. You had nothing but the clothes on your back, what little was in your backpack, and the stash of money your eldest sibling gave you. The cash was enough to get you by for a while, but eventually you had to get a job. That was a challenge in itself, because on paper you didn't exist. You found under-the-table work wherever you could get it - sometimes jobs that were less than reputable, but they were nothing compared to the things you saw as a kid. Eventually, you had enough money saved to get a car. That became your home, and you went anywhere you wanted to go.

One afternoon while driving, you saw an actual chicken in the road. Just like all the jokes, only the poor thing wasn't crossing. It was skittering back and forth, terrified. You managed to grab the chicken, and the poor thing seemed eager to be held. It sat serenely in the passenger seat of your car while you tried to find a vet or shelter. You had always wanted a pet as a kid, but living on the road wasn't fair to you, let alone an animal.

You ended up keeping the chicken, and named her Ginger. Sure, it would have been better to keep a dog, but Ginger worked her way into your heart. Ginger is also what convinced you to chase after another seemingly far-off dream.

It's dark, and you've pulled over on the side of the road just outside a national forest. A massive sign bears a map of the local area. The Hearthway Forest is a nature reserve for the endangered red wolf, and a historical site.

You are walking Ginger, letting her stretch her legs, peck, and do whatever she needs to do. You glance up at the map, which Ginger is stalling under. She preens and coos, scuffing her feet in the dirt.

"You know what?" You glance down at Ginger. "You're right, we should stay here."

Ginger cocks her head to the side.

You step up to the map and run you fingers over it. Just beyond the forest, there is a town called Hearthway Hollow. Having a place to call home, a place you didn't have to move - you thought it was only a pipe dream. But you never stopped long enough to find out if that was true or not.

After a quick rest, you and Ginger find yourselves in Hearthway Hollow. It's early morning and the only things open are a cafe, a hole-in-the-wall diner, and a tool shop. The place looks like the sort of town you see in old TV shows and movies. It looks perfectly serene.

As you get out of your car, holding Ginger in yours arms, you started to feel a momentous weight on your shoulders. You have no idea what you are doing, or even what you could possibly could do. Where should you turn? How can you expect to live here?

"Hey, Dorothy?" a gruff voice calls out to you. "You far from Kansas?"

You turn, glancing back towards the tool shop, where the biggest man you have ever seen is standing. His pitch-black hair is peppered with gray, and he has the sort of look a mob boss would have.