Witch, Wolf, Woods

CHAPTER 23: OF PASTS AND PAPER

"If you want to go ahead to the workroom, I'll catch up to you," offered Katja the next morning. "I was just going to stop by the kitchen..."

She let her words trail off, uncertain what to say and feeling bad for mentioning food around Wolf. It seemed being bound to the necklace kept him functioning perfectly fine without the need for food or water, but Katja didn't like rubbing in that she was able to do something he couldn't.

Wolf glanced up at her. "I appreciate you being considerate, but you still need to eat. As I've told you before, it doesn't bother me."

Katja nodded and directed their path towards the kitchen. Thankfully, only Tante Frieda was there, and she pointed towards a tray of cinnamon rolls, fresh from the oven and recently iced.

"Help yourself," she said with a smile, which Katja returned as best she could while also trying to keep her face turned away to avoid showing her scar. She placed two rolls on a plate and was about to thank her aunt and leave when Tante Frieda gestured towards Wolf.

"It's not every day we see something like that in the castle," she grinned. "Look how well-behaved he is! I think he deserves a treat, too."

Katja's heart began to beat faster as she watched Tante Frieda disappear around a corner, only to emerge with a large cookie in her hand.

"It's only oatmeal, no raisins or chocolate," she said, extending a hand and offering it to Wolf.

Katja had no idea how Wolf would react, but she desperately hoped he remembered not to speak out loud. To her relief, Wolf gently took the cookie between his teeth and gave a few enthusiastic wags of his tail.

"Well, would you look at that!" marveled Tante Frieda. "I know some Hexen who could learn a thing or two about manners from you."

She reached out and patted Wolf's head, which, to his credit, he tolerated wonderfully.

"Thank you for the food," interjected Katja, "but we better be going."

Tante Frieda waved goodbye before heading towards the sink, and Katja hurried to her workroom, Wolf at her side. Once in the room, Wolf immediately spat the cookie into the trash can, making Katja wince.

"I'm so sorry!" she said. "I had no idea Tante Frieda would do that. From now on, I'll tell anyone who tries to feed you you're on a very strict diet."

"Thank you," said Wolf. "That was very nice of her, though."

"It was," Katja agreed, even as she wondered again about the peculiarities of Wolf being bound to the necklace...how did he remain healthy without the need for food or water? Was everything inside of him in some sort of suspended animation, frozen in time the moment he was bound to the jewelry?

She tried to remember if she'd heard a heartbeat when she'd held him and cried, but she hadn't been paying close enough attention to know for sure. Did that also mean Wolf wouldn't age like a normal person?

Obviously she hadn't known him long enough to expect him to be changing any time soon, but she certainly wouldn't want to spend eternity exactly as she was now, and she wondered if he felt the same. It seemed too personal to mention, though, so she focused on eating the cinnamon rolls.

She'd just licked the last bit of icing from her fingers when a knock rang out. Wolf turned towards it, ears pointed upwards, and as Katja unbolted the heavy wooden door, she was surprised to see Tante Maedra standing there.

She'd never interacted with the woman much, even though she had been one of the two Hexen who'd last seen Katja's mother and agreed to take in her daughter. Something about Tante Maedra had always intimidated Katja, and even now she folded in on herself ever so slightly.