"Hey!" I heard a voice before I could see the cart.
Tanner had returned once again, but this time he wasn't alone. In the cart next to him was the young woman I hadn't seen in over a year. In her arms was a young toddler struggling to get out of her arms and failing. A year seemed to age the woman quite a bit. She had a shapely body with wider hips and larger boobs. Motherhood fit her well, although, in reality, she was still a teenage girl. What was her name again? Carolina…
"Mara!" I heard her cry as the cart came to a stop.
The squirmy child managed to slip from her grasp and immediately came tumbling down the hill as fast as her short stubby legs would take her. She was letting out a giggle as she raced right toward me. With her little body, I was pretty sure she wouldn't stop. The little girl would fall right into the pond. Carolina was running after her, but she was carefully going down the hill while her daughter seemed to be recklessly plunging forward.
Just before she fell in, I squirted out some water. The water smacked her in the face and she tumbled to the ground. For a second, she just sat there and looked confused. This was the reason I had hesitated. She was going to start screaming and crying, and then Carolina was going to take it out on me like it was my fault. This was why I hated people the most. They were so predictable with their bullshit.
The wet-faced Mara looked out at me, and then a wide smile formed on her face and she started laughing. She reached out her hands, crawling toward the pond. She managed to reach it a few steps ahead of Carolina and began playfully splashing the water with her hands, trying to get more to hit her face. Carolina finally reached the little girl and scooped her up. After making sure her wet daughter was okay, she glanced in my direction. Her look was much more guarded and wary than her husbands had been. That was women for you.
"Water spirit." She merely acknowledged me with a nod and then started walking away.
Her daughter wasn't satisfied with that and reached out over her mom's shoulder toward the water. Carolina didn't turn back around and that's when Mara started crying and kicking. I shivered inwardly. I had no comfort when it came to children. They were unpredictable little parasites.
"What's the matter with her?" I could hear Tanner innocently ask as he unloaded what looked like furniture from the cart.
I supposed his house was starting to look house-like. It probably wasn't easy for him to head there every week. Once he had enough to call it a roof over his head, he must have decided to bring the entire family. I didn't mind so much. I had found the weeks he was gone to be oddly boring. At least, it was livelier with a few neighbors.
"She likes the water," Carolina said.
"But why won't you let her near it?" Tanner asked.
"Because she'll get sick." Carolina insisted. "And what if she falls in?"
"The water is very clean, and the water spirit won't let anything bad happen to her," Tanner explained.
"I don't remember the water being clean before, but even if it is, we don't know what this water spirit wants."
"It wants fish…" Tanner spoke, looking in my direction.
"It probably just wants to be left alone. So, let's not disturb it, shall we?"
Technically, they were both correct. Although she seemed a bit more hostile toward me, I found myself taking her side. Tanner would have me babysitting his child if he had it to him. That said, that little girl was determined to get to my shores. I know she was born there, but that didn't mean that she was permitted to return. Carolina had a good eye though, and every time Mara's eyes or body started to lean toward my direction, she redirected the girl. She had to do this all while helping Tanner. It looks like he didn't just bring his wife because he was lonely, but also because he needed a helping hand.
I watched as Tanner brought the furniture in one piece at a time. The pieces looked heavy, but his freakish strength helped him carry stuff in that might have taken two people otherwise.
It took a while, but eventually the cart was emptied. Carolina and Mara had gone inside, and I could only guess what they were doing in there. As for Tanner, he immediately left into the forest to hunt. It had taken a lot of effort and time for him to get a house built, and now it looked like he was determined to get some kind of life started for himself and his family. They'd need enough food to last the winter.
After about an hour, Tanner returned with a few thin rabbits on a rope. The rabbit was skinned and cooked on a fire pit, and I could smell the delicious smell from across the shore. It made my mouth water a bit. Since tasting the alcohol, I had come to realize I missed the taste of food. Unfortunately, being in a body of water made it difficult to cook food, and I wasn't confident enough to eat anything raw.
When the meal was cooked, Tanner brought the meat indoors. I was a bit regretful that I couldn't see what they were doing. My mana sense barely reached that far, and the most detail I had was that there were three people in the home. If I didn't watch them enter, I wouldn't even know what people are.
Some time passed, and the couple worked hard every day. Carolina worked hard too. She often went to the forest too, except instead of meat, she'd return with some plant or another pulled up from the root. Some of these plants she'd dry and use as spices, while others she'd replant and try to continue to grow.
Slowly, a small garden formed. Meanwhile, Tanner continued to work on the house, and every day it looked more stable and homely. I couldn't see inside the place, but one day, the chimney started to spew out fire, and I considered that the day that for all intents and purposes, their home was complete.
A few days later, it snowed, and the couple remained indoors most of the time. Tanner would come out once a day to fetch wood and check the snares. Some days, he'd find nothing and sigh, while other days he'd come back. Either way, the food was meager, and I sympathized with him.
I felt bad enough to offer him more fish, but he vehemently refused, and I had to admit that I felt a bit touched by that. Slowly, the season of winter ended and spring came again. The household became active, and my fish successfully began their first spawn.
Tanner was out hunting, and Carolina was working the garden when Mara approached the pond again. She was a bit older now, nearly two. She could speak, although I had only heard her say words from a distance.
"Sprit." I heard her say.
It was the first time she had approached me since that first day. Her mother hadn't noticed her daughter had slipped away yet. I felt a bit of amusement. The little girl had blonde hair put up in ponytails. She was wearing a modest commoner dress and looked quite innocent. I bubbled in response.
"You want to play?" She asked.
Her voice was sweet and innocent. She might have been cute, but I didn't care about such things. I squirted water at her as an indication of no.
"Want food?" She offered.
Why was she bugging me? Didn't she have her mother to deal with? Speaking of which, Carolina seemed to finally realize her daughter was no longer with her. She stood up and glanced around in a temporary panic. I saw her tense up when she saw Mara near the pond's edge, and then she immediately began running toward us.
"Mara!" She cried out. "Stay away from there."
Mara's expression turned to one of annoyance. It looked like she had heard this from her mother multiple times, and was being defiant on purpose.
"Don't wanna!" She called back.
"I'm your mother! You have to listen to me!"
"Wanna play with Sprit!"
"You can't play with it. It'll eat you up." Carolina reached us, putting a hand on Mara.
Mara defiantly pulled away, turning toward me.
"You won't eat me, will you?"
I created bubbles in affirmation.
"H-hey!" She gave me a betrayed look.
Carolina's cheeks loosened for a moment and it almost looked like she was going to smile. However, before either of them could say anything more, there was a shout. Tanner came racing out of the forest. He had a look of panic on his face.
"It's goblins! It's a tribe of goblins! Girls, get inside!"