The Quest

Chapter Twenty One - Changes

Tess and Tom took a few days to figure out where they were going to go from their home. Tom couldn't sell the house since he wasn't of legal age yet, so it would sit empty for a few years. Tess reasoned it would be a good idea to have a place to stay if necessary. Once they were ready to move on, they packed up and headed north. As they made their way to a new town, Tom became restless because of the upcoming full moon.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Tess asked as Tom itched at his ears. She was becoming worried about him the way he kept rubbing at his arms and mouth.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Tom reassured her once more. He felt like his inner wolf was going to jump out of his skin if he would let it. He swore he was becoming more aware of the moon's movements, almost as if he was seeing it during the day. "This will be the first time I've transformed since becoming an alpha. I think it's just my nerves."

"Should I brew a relaxing potion?" Tess asked, going through her herb satchel. "Or I saw a calming spell in my book." Tess stopped rummaging through her herbs and reached for her spell book. She loved flipping through the book, looking at the pictures her parents had drawn. She even realized that her ancestors had written in the book as well. Some pages were old and brittle.

"Have you finished going through the beginning of the book yet?" Tom chided, as they continued down the path. He felt like something was off, but he wasn't sure what yet.

"No," Tess sighed, her head hanging down. "Protection spells are so boring," she whined, waving her hand around as she continued. "It's all, 'picture a light surrounding you'. 'Draw this circle'. But there's no way of knowing if it's there until someone attacks it. You're just supposed to feel it's there!"

Tom chuckled at her exasperation. "Do you want me to test the protection circle you do at camp tonight to make sure it's there?" He nudged her gently, making Tess glare at him.

"It won't work like that," Tess began explaining. She grabbed at some low-hanging branches and examining the leaves that pulled off into her hands. "When I make the circle, I need to make sure we can come and go if need be. So the circle won't stop anything we do to it, but if someone else comes through, then it's supposed to stop them."

"Maybe a squirrel will come and steal some food," Tom teased, as he guided Tess off the trail so they could find a spot to camp. Tess grumbled something as she allowed herself to be directed to a small clearing off the trail.

They had camp made up within an hour, Tess finishing the protective circle around the camp then sat down. Tom threw an acorn at the circle, eyes widening when it burst into a small flame when it reached the boundary. "I thought-" Tom started, sitting up, at a loss for words, looking towards Tess in bewilderment.

"I got annoyed." Tess crossed her arms, leaning against a log, a small smirk on her face. "We can still pass through it, anything with nuts can't."

Tom paled and pressed his legs together tightly, making Tess laugh at him. "Edible nuts you dork, but I can be convinced to make it the no edible ones too."

"You wouldn't," Tom gasped in mock horror.

"Try me," Tess growled, inches from Tom's face, her grin growing.

Tom shook his head, pushing her back into her seat. "What spell are you practicing tonight?"

"Haven't decided." Tess pulled her book out of her pack. "I saw a self storage one that seemed interesting."

Tom laid back, looking towards the tops of the trees. He could see the stars through the leaves. "Hey Tess," Tom called, pulling her attention from her book for a few moments. "What's that book say about shooting stars?"