Changeling Witch

Making Friends

"Well, Hunter," Eda said, elbowing him, "did you ever in your life think you'd see something as breathtaking as this?"

Lying on the beach in front of them was the rotting body of a gigantic slug, and all around its body was just... trash.

"This is the most disgusting thing I've ever seen, and I've witnessed how they make cafeteria food," Hunter told her.

Eda didn't seem to hear him. "Yep, it doesn't get more inspiring than the trash slug," she declared, climbing up to its maw. "It survives and gains its purpose from what others have left behind, until---bam!" She slammed her fist against her palm. "It gets blasted by a wave one day and croaks from all the salt, and then we get to sell the stuff it ate."

She waved a pickaxe at him.

Hunter shook his head. "Yeah, no, I'm not touching that thing."

"Oh, come on, Hunter!" King said sarcastically, pulling out a beach blanket. "It's not every day you get to go to the dump and pick apart a garbage carcass."

Eda shrugged. "Eh, nuts to you both." She swung the pickaxe at the slug's maw.

"Say, Eda," Hunter said, doing his best to ignore the god-awful sound, "what if we tried some new lessons for my apprenticeship? Like, oh, I don't know, learning actual spells?"

"In due time, kid, I keep telling you that."

He let out an exasperated huff. "At the very least, could you teach me how to make a potion? Or tell me a little bit about the history of the Isles, so I'm not a clueless idiot?"

"Eh, that sounds like a bunch of magic school stuff," Eda scoffed, waving a hand. "No thanks."

Hunter perked up. "Wait, is there a magic school here? Like, winding towers, cool uniforms, dark plots that threaten your life kind of magic school?"

"Mm-hmm," she answered. "What's worse, they teach you to learn magic the 'proper' way---but magic isn't proper! It's wild and unpredictable, and that's why it's so beautiful!" She shouldered the pickaxe and gave Hunter a grin amid the trash pile. "I didn't finish school, and look at me! Who wouldn't envy where I am right now?"

Hunter blinked. "Do... uh... do you really want me to answer that?"

Eda paused, then sighed. "Okay, here's a lesson. A good witch is resourceful---like this!" She stuck Hunter's hand into a puddle of slime.

He closed his eyes until she finally pulled it out, opening them to find something tiny in his hand.

Hunter looked up. "This is a slime ball."

"And use it wisely, young witch," Eda proclaimed. "Now, c'mon, help me with this slug! We'll be hitting the stink nodes first."

"Actually, if it's okay with you, I'm gonna go back to the house and look at pictures of animals that are---well, alive," Hunter decided, kneeling down and giving King a belly rub. "Have a nice beach day, okay, fuzzball?"

"Yeah!" King cheered as Hunter left.

..............

A walk through the woods didn't help Hunter feel better, unfortunately. If anything, it just made it worse.

"If magic means digging for slime balls, I doubt I can handle it," he grumbled, sticking the offending object into his pocket.

"You can do it!" a little voice piped up. "You can!"

Hunter looked around wildly for the source of the voice, then realized that it was coming from the other side of some bushes. He pushed past them and spotted the source.