Feathers & a Dash of Magic

Chapter 7: The Two Weirdos Finally Meet

Virgil's whole body was sore as he woke up and he groaned in pain before he could stop himself. He was on his back, and everything was heavy. Something was laying on top of him, it kept him warm. When he opened his eyes, he saw it was a thick fluffy blanket, and he realized there was a wet rag on his forehead.

He didn't recognize anything around him, this wasn't his room. Before he could take anything in though, there was a small yip next to him and fast movement. He flinched before realizing it was a fox, the fox from before.

It was clearly happy to see him up since it was now running in circles on the bed, trying to avoid stepping on Virgil. The fox yipped again, getting low before pouncing up and towards Virgil. He flinched back again as it licked his face.

"Okay, okay," Virgil said with a slight smile, though his voice sounded rough. Did he really scream loud enough to damage his throat? That'll take a little bit to heal.

He reached out to scratch behind the fox's ear. It leaned into his touch, moving around slightly so Virgil could scratch under its chin. The fox was stuck in a trap earlier, he could remember that much. Then he was chased by hunters, and then there was iron. A bear trap. He could feel his leg burning where he was caught, and his wing-

His wings! He quickly sat up, agitating the bruises and making the towel on his head fall off but he didn't care. His cloak and shirt were off, his wings were showing and... one of them was wrapped against his torso with bandages?

Virgil gasped when he heard footsteps, and the fox yipped loudly again. He grabbed them, pressing himself against the wall that was next to the bed as he held the fox tight to him. Someone was coming, someone he didn't know, and they saw his wings. They know. What will they do, what can Virgil do?

The door opened and the fox squirmed out of Virgil's grip before he could stop them. They yipped at the person behind the door as they jumped off the bed, rushing over. Who was there? What did they want? Will they try to hurt the fox?

"I'm here, I know," an unfamiliar voice said. "Is he awake?" The person stepped into the room as the fox moved out of the way. The person looked up at Virgil, worry in his eyes when he saw the fairy curled up in the corner, holding the blanket over himself. It was the scarlet man.

The fox yipped again before rushing back to Virgil, jumping on the bed as they chirped in excitement. Virgil looked at them only for a moment before focusing back on the scarlet man.

He held his hands up to the fairy to show he wasn't a threat. "I know you're scared and confused-"

"Why am I here?" Virgil asked quickly. His heart was pounding hard in his chest, the fear drowning everything out. "What happened- what do you want?"

"Nothing! I'm not going to hurt you!" The man stayed by the door to show nothing was going to happen to Virgil. "My name is Roman-"

"Alastor. I know. Everyone knows. Where am I?"

Roman sighed, dropping his hands and leaning against the opposite wall. "You're at my house. Darrell told me that you were in trouble."

"Darrell?" Virgil looked over to the fox in confusion. It smiled at him, it's tail wagging as it gave a small yip.

"That's his name. He told me that there were hunters, and that they were going to hurt you because you helped him. So I came over to help."

"And I'm supposed to believe that why?"

"Well, for one Darrell is here because he didn't want to leave your side. Then I wrapped up your injuries for you, no one else did that."

Virgil took a deep breath to calm himself. "Is-is anyone else here? Did anyone else see...?"

"Your wings? No, no one else is here and no one saw your wings."

"Aside from you." The fairy brought the blanket closer to him.

Roman gave him a soft look. "I won't tell anyone. I mean, I have no one to tell that to. You can trust me."

"How do I know I can? I-I can sense magic here, how do I know it's yours and not... not stolen?" The negative feeling that Virgil could feel hidden in Roman grew for a moment before he seemed to push it down.

"I can promise you that I would want nothing to do with the monsters that would hurt other creatures. I am one hundred percent a witch." As he said it, his brown eyes glowed red. Virgil let his shoulders relax, not realizing how it was agitating the bruises on his back. "If you need more proof, just ask."

Virgil looked around, he was still guarded but less so. The room was small, and everything was built from wood. Not cut wood exactly, it was as if the trees grew to form the walls, floor, and roof. There was a dresser across from the bed that had a mirror, on it was his shirt and cloak neatly folded up. Next to the bed was a nightstand with a cup of water.

"What happened to the hunters?" he asked.

"I scared them away with the forest. I made the trees and bushes move to attack them just enough to scare them away."

Virgil frowned, going to fidget with his fingers before realizing they were bandaged. Right, they must have been burned by the iron. He could feel the bruises on him slowly healing, but his fingers and leg wouldn't heal as fast. Patton will- wait, Patton!

His eyes widened in panic. "Wh-what time is it? Is it dark yet?"

"Not yet, though the sun should be setting soon-" Roman cut himself off as Virgil pushed the blanket away and tried to get out of the bed. "Wait! You're still hurt!"

"I need to get home." Virgil stood up only to stumble as his vision went black. He felt Roman grab him and tried to push him away in panic, but the witch held him firmly to keep him from falling. "My... my brother..."

"Careful." Roman lowered him to the ground as his head spun. "I don't know how long the iron was in you, but you're going to be weak for a while."

Virgil held his head as he sat back, pushing himself away from Roman. Darrell jumped off of the bed and sat next to him, chirping in worry. "I-I need to get home. My brother will worry."

"Another fairy?"

"Human. He's human." Virgil leaned against the bed as his head stopped spinning and his vision returned. "I really need to go home."

"You shouldn't be walking like this, you could get hurt. At least stay the night?"

Virgil frowned. "You can't keep me here, and staying isn't an option for me. I need to leave now."

Roman sighed in defeat. "Okay, but at least let me walk with you? To make sure you get home safely."

The fairy hesitated before answering. He really didn't want Roman to find where he lives, but he had a point. Virgil could either pass out on his way back and hurt himself when he falls, or he could run into more hunters. Plus, he didn't exactly know where he was, other than the fact that he's in the forest.

His shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine." Virgil was just going to have to watch his back. Hopefully this witch, if he really is a witch, doesn't have anything bad planned.