Chapter 132: Village of Shadows

The small town was nestled at the bottom of this valley and almost sat the borderline of Alpha Lleus' kingdom. There were Small cottages lined by the street; it seemed the thatched roofs told stories of times long forgotten. From them were chimneys breathing smoke and scents from freshly baked bread from wood fires while the children laughed and played, running up and down the narrow alleys. Other noises which filled the air were farmers clattering amongst themselves of their produce as they went off in the direction of the market square. Viktor and Alfonso walked into the village, wrapping themselves up in their cloaks. Their journey at last had brought them this far to a place where they could stop, get themselves together, and reflect on what to do. "We need to blend in with this people," Viktor muttered low, as they passed a group of people tending to a broken cart. "No one can know who we are or where we have come from." Alfonso nodded in agreement, eyeing the village below. "Agreed. But how are we to pull that off? Every man, woman, and child here looks like they have known one another since birth. Outsiders will definitely stand out." Viktor stopped and looked into a window displaying tools of various kinds and clothes. "We can begin with changing our look. Nobody would hardly know us; we don't have to look the same." Both of them entered a shop as an old man sat behind the counter, looking at them through his eyes, and polishing some set of metallic tools. "Good day," Viktor greeted warmly. "We are travelers, merely passing through. Could we take a look at some of your wares?" The old man nodded, but his suspicious eyes didn't leave them. "Of course. We don't really get many travelers here. You boys running from something?" Alfonso forced a laugh. "Not running, sir. Just looking for a place to lay our heads and earn an honest living for a while." The man grunted, waved at the racks of clothes. "Help yourselves. The Prices are fair. Victor and Alfonso soon made their choice among simple, practical-looking clothes which were typical village clothes. Viktor had on a brown tunic with trousers of the same color and finished this costume with a hat and a wide brim pulled deep on his face. Alfonso had got an ash-green shirt with a simple waistcoat with long locks brought back at the back clasped into one bunch by leather strap. They paid for all that with a handful of coins they had managed to save during their escape and before stepping out. "Well?" Viktor adjusted his hat. "Do I look like a villager?" Alfonso chuckled. "You look like a farmer who has seen better days." "That is the point," Viktor said smiling "Now, let's find us some work. Best way to gain trust is to show them we are contributing." First up was the market square, where shopkeepers called to passersby hawking their wares. A burly man with a gray beard was working to unfasten sackcloth-wrapped bags of grain off a cart, puffing under the work. "Need a hand?" Viktor offered, stepping forward. The man stopped dead and looked at him up and down. "And who are you sir?" "Just a traveler looking to earn for himself," Viktor said with a warm smile. "Name's Everett." Alfonso stepped up beside him. "I'm Gale. We're not afraid of hard work, if you've got any to spare." The man rubbed his chin, then shrugged. "Fine. I could use some extra hands. But don't think you'll get paid much. Times are tough." "Anything is better than nothing," Viktor replied. This did not turn out to be easy: all day Viktor and Alfonso were pulling sacks full of grain, were repairing tools given up at failure, helped fix a patch place in this guy's barn, and many similar things. They worked Heavily till dawn. Their bodies were absolutely sopping with hot sweat. "You two ain't so bad", the man said as they sat around a small fire, eating bowls of stew he had offered them. Haven't seen work like that since my sons moved to the city. "Glad we could help," Viktor said with a tired note in his voice. "Why'd you leave the city?" the man asked. Alfonso fumbled and Viktor picked up. "City life is not for everyone. Too noisy, too crowded. We like the quiet." The man nodded seemingly contented. "Well, if you're looking to stay, the village council's always looking for more hands. Just don't go causing trouble, you hear?" "No trouble," Alfonso promised. As days wore on, Viktor and Alfonso tried to find their place within the village. They took odd jobs wherever they could, mending fences, tending to livestock-even helping to organize the stalls of the marketplace. Such dedication did not go unnoticed, and soon it kept the villagers talking to them. "You boys have been a real blessing," the kindly old woman said as they fixed up the roof of her cottage. "Don't think anyone's worked this hard around here in years." "Just doing our part," Viktor replied, wiping sweat from his brow. Alfonso snorted softly as they descended from the roof. "If only she knew the truth." But as the weeks started passing away, a sense of belonging found its place in Viktor's heart and Alfonso's too; deep down, however, inside their conscience, neither of them ever actually forgot why they they were there in the first place. It was one evening, sitting on that small fire-burning space in this meager room, Alfonso pulled closer to Viktor: "We are getting too comfortable." "I know," Viktor said, his voice grave. "But we do need these people's trust. We are going to have to have some allies if we're going to move forward here." "And what if they get to find out who we really are?" Viktor's jaw clenched. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, we do what we have to." Little did the villagers know, the two werewolves were still tuned in to everything happening around them . They were also keeping taps on where Alpha lleus body might be.