Page 6 of Glow

It didn’t take him long to rule out a second poacher or hidden recorders. But Quinn could still feel how the area’s vibe had been disrupted by the threat. Most people wouldn’t notice, but birds and animals were usually very attuned, as were trees.

Before, when he had arrested the poacher, Quinn had done a quick cleanse. Now that the danger was past and he had the time, he wanted to make sure the situation was as smoothed over as possible.

He parked and walked back to where he had caught the intruder. Although birds sang and the forest would seem normal to the average hiker, Quinn could feel that the natural energies were still tense.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, reaching out with the second sight like his mother had taught him, tuning into the vibe of the location. It wasn’t communicating in words; more like sending out a feeling on a wavelength nature could pick up on and respond to.

Quinn held the connection for a few breaths, feeling the tension ease. He sent a special wave of reassurance to the white-tailed deer, and he ended with a sense of gratitude for all the plants and animals surrounding him.

When he opened his eyes, the air around him felt lighter, as if the stain of recent danger had been wiped away.

Quinn went back to his interrupted patrol. With his nature whisperer ability, his role as a park ranger was a little different from most, enabling him to soothe frightened animals and shifters. He could ease panic and help de-escalate tense situations, but he wasn’t a healer, although he often helped rehabbers who took care of injured shifters or wildlife.

In fact, part of his job lay in finding ways to strengthen community ties between shifters and regular animals, as well as to look out for the smaller, less popular, and more vulnerable creatures.

Quinn yawned and blinked, trying to get a second wind. Even the large coffee didn’t completely counter how tired using his abilities made him, especially on top of the adrenaline of the arrest. Quinn finished his rounds, relieved to find nothing else amiss, and headed back to his cabin, ready to take the night off.

Some evenings, Quinn drove into Fox Hollow to meet with friends for dinner or a movie, or he went to one of the many community events the local library offered. Tonight, he just wanted the comfort of his home, a hot dinner, and a chance to relax.

His cabin dated from the 1930s, a rustic style often called “Parkitecture” for its distinctive use of local materials, including stone and hand-hewn logs. It was solid enough to withstand storms, with a steep roof to shed the snow and well-insulated walls. The three-bedroom home was on the edge of the state park, not too far from the ranger station.

Despite the cabin being built almost a century ago, it had been upgraded and well-maintained, outfitted with good heat, hot water, and internet. That meant that while being a park ranger was still probably not a fit for raging extroverts, the peace and quiet suited someone like Quinn just fine.

He turned on a pop music channel and hummed along as he heated beef stew for supper. Along with the sourdough bread he had picked up from Bear Necessities earlier in the week, it would be a filling meal, topped off with a few cookies and a couple of fingers of whiskey.

He scanned his shelf of DVDs, full of favorite old monster movies and all of the Transformers flicks. Quinn chuckled at that, now that he lived in a place where people really did shift into something else. Subconscious preparation? he wondered, not for the first time. Movies were good, and he had a couple of books he’d started reading, but tonight he wanted something a bit more social.

Feeling warm, full, and settled, Quinn logged into the long-running online RPG he had been playing for a couple of years. The core group had remained surprisingly committed, although he was sure that over that time some of the other players had probably moved and changed jobs like he had. He could join several in-person groups that met at the library in town and had gone to a couple of sessions for fun, but he liked the camaraderie that time and shared experience had built in his online campaign.

Quinn settled into the comfortable banter as the group slayed orcs and zombies. Liam’s comment about dragons came to mind, and he pushed it aside to think about later. Tonight’s game was fast-paced and challenging, and lifted Quinn’s spirits by the time the group claimed their fictional treasure.

An odd note came from Tracker, the only member who didn’t live in Fox Hollow. Quinn had gotten to know him well enough outside of gameplay to know his real name, Dan. He didn’t seem quite himself, and Quinn picked up sad vibes despite their virtual connection.

When he offered to chat privately with Dan after the game ended, Quinn was glad and relieved the guy accepted. “How can I help?”

Dan shared the things weighing on his mind. Quinn had the feeling there was more left unsaid, but he didn’t want to push. He didn’t know if Dan had supernatural abilities of some sort, but he couldn’t shake the sense that might be the case. Whether it had to do with his daemon whispering ability or not, Quinn’s intuition was rarely wrong.

When Dan admitted that he had somewhat unusual abilities that weren’t a fit in his small town, Quinn smiled, happy he had read the situation right. Even better, Dan was located in Massachusetts, not terribly far from northern New York.

“I live in Fox Hollow, which has a long tradition of supporting people with special supernatural talents,” Quinn told Dan, hoping the other man could pick up on his excitement. “At the least, you could maybe talk to folks here and get a fresh perspective. And if you like what you see, there’s always room for new residents. I’d be glad to introduce you to people and show you around.”

“I could use getting out of town for a while,” Dan said. “I work from home, so I’m pretty flexible. Give me a day to wrap up a couple things, and prep the house to be gone, and I can head out.”

“Awesome!” Quinn responded. “You’ve got my phone number now, and I’ll send directions to Fox Hollow. You’d be welcome to stay with me, but I understand that you might like to actually meet me first, so how about if I help with a hotel reservation for you once you know when you’ll arrive? I’ll message you with your options and my recommendation so you can check them out.”

“I’d really appreciate that. Thank you for going to all the trouble.”

“No trouble at all,” Quinn assured him. “Looking forward to meeting you in the real world.”

The conversation ended, and Quinn sat looking at his computer for a moment, surprised at how quickly everything had come together and how enthusiastic he had been to reach out to someone who, despite their gameplay, was still a stranger.

He didn’t think his nature spirits would be much help in determining whether Dan might be a good prospective love interest and wished he were more of a psychic.

I don’t want a fling. If we start something, I want it to last. Might Dan be the one? Would he really move to Fox Hollow? Could we make it work?

Quinn knew he was getting far ahead of himself. Get him here, show him around, help him solve his problem, and try to make a good impression. After that…we’ll see if there’s an after that.

Four days later, Quinn got a call from an unfamiliar number early in the morning. He almost didn’t answer, but his intuition told him it was important.