Chapter 2: The Apple

Peregrine could speak to most animals, but he found most humans incomprehensible. He did think it would have been nice to cuddle to Tala as he slept at night. He simply did not understand why she suddenly turned and went home instead of joining him with the Fox family. Still, it might have been nice.

Most animals. Peregrine found snakes and many other reptiles to be so single minded that there was no conversation to be had. Birds were fun, though they spoke in tidbits, not in whole stories. Usually, their news was of berries and insects to be had. Occasionally, they would talk of a terrible fright they’d had or how a predator had stolen an egg from their nest. In the spring, they talked of love and Peregrine found their discussion of mating to be almost as incomprehensible as that of the girl he’d left behind.

You might think that all mammals would be his natural companions, and it was usually true. Squirrels and rabbits were quite distractable. He would scarcely start a conversation and they would be off chasing after a scent on the breeze. When they returned, whatever conversation they’d been having would start again from the beginning. They did, however, like to be cuddled when they were small. He’d woken up one morning with half a dozen little rabbits asleep under his arm. They were soon off to tend to the day’s business of nibbling fresh green grass—especially clover.

Dogs of course, were always happy to hang around, and sometimes could bring useful information from one place to another. Peri just had to be sure the dog understood what information would be useful and to be careful of dogs that were overly territorial. A dog could talk about the scent of a rabbit for as long as Peri could scratch his ears. But dogs were also intensely loyal to their masters and would not tolerate a word against them, even if they’d been mistreated.

Cats were another thing entirely. They understood each other, but Peri found cats were simply not interested in talking to one not of their kind. If they felt friendly, they simply approached and waited patiently for him to pet them, finding the special place behind their ears that made them purr, or they might turn and scratch him without saying a word when they were finished with him. Cats were just cats.

Not big cats, of course. He would never approach a leopard or a lynx. He could hold a conversation with them, but not at close range. They were not interested in being petted, and if they swatted at him, he could be permanently dispatched.

But there were animals like foxes, otters, beavers, marmots, and deer who were simply a pleasure to be around and who always had a tale to share. Bears loved to share a cave and would stay up late telling stories of things that happened years before. Wolves were like an older wiser cousin to the dogs. Wolves knew the lore of the land and what to do in almost any circumstance, but they guarded their territory fiercely.

On the farm, horses were the wise ones. They worked and they grazed, but they were constantly looking and listening and observing. More than any other animal, it seemed, a horse understood the humans around him. They were not shy about telling other horses or Peregrine if their owner was up to no good. At the same time, they let them get away with it. They were not vested in whether their rider was sleeping with the innkeeper’s daughter. They were willing to do their work quietly and eat their oats and hay.

And so, as Peregrine wended his way southward, he picked up bits and pieces of information that helped him earn a meal and a bed.

“Ma Gabor has a new baby. Br’er Gabor has gone to town to work and left her alone. She is so lonely,” Br’er Hound said. “I do my best, but she is busy with the baby.”

“I’ll stop by and see her. Perhaps I can help fix her house up before winter.”

Peregrine stopped to see Ma Gabor and she was so glad for the company she fed him and asked him to stay a day. Peri worked at mudding up the cracks around the windows so the house would stay warmer. He checked to see that the cow was milked and found the cow complaining about a full udder.

“Oh, the suffering we endure as mothers,” Ma Cow said. “Leave a bit for my calf. He’ll be in before long.”

Peregrine milked and took the milk to the cool house. He separated the cream into the churn and spent a while making butter, which he took into the house where Ma Gabor had just baked bread to go with the evening stew. She was thankful for the butter and used a bit of the cow’s milk to satisfy her hungry child.

“Peregrine, don’t go to the barn to sleep tonight. My bed is warm,” she said later in the evening.

“I’m glad you are warm at night,” Peri said.

“Please come and share my warmth. It is almost All Hallows Eve. I don’t want you out where you might be eaten by a goblin or witch!”

“Oh! Thank you!” Peri said. He had never heard of a man-eating goblin or witch, but it was a frightening thought.

Peri crawled into the bed with Ma Gabor and she wrapped an arm around him. She did feel good as he snuggled into her bosom. Peri had strange dreams all night, though he slept soundly after the day’s work. Ma Gabor figured prominently in them and took his breath away. In the morning, Ma Gabor seemed especially cheerful and perhaps a little smug.

“Come and eat some hot breakfast,” Ma Gabor said. “You might even try a bit of the baby’s milk. I seem to be extra full.” She bared her tit and pressed it against Peri’s mouth, causing a reflexive suckle. The warm milk spurted into his mouth and he caressed the offered breast as he drank.

“You scarcely need the cow’s milk,” he sighed as she returned her breast to her dress.

“Hmm. Perhaps if you were around all the time, I would be able to feed both you and the babe. We’d still have the cow if I ran short. Will you stay, Peregrine?”