The Witch On The Mountain

Chapter 8

"Azula" Nathan mumbled against my neck. He was laying on his back one arm wrapped around me.

The sound of rain was loud against my window, the natural light dampened by clouds. Rain this time of
year wasn't unusual.

I had a strange relationship with Rain. In spring it would water the gardens, rejuvenating the plants in the process, giving me less work. In times of harvest it would aid me in uprooting stubborn shoots and tubers. However, it's aftermath left the land unstable and hard to navigate, often leaving me covered in mud.

Squirming at the warm air hitting my collar bone I shifted to face Nathan. The rain usually confined me in my home, I could be in this small space with him until it stopped raining. Following the pattern of weather for this time of year I hoped it would be a long shower.

I allowed the sounds of the rain to sooth me. I wasn't sure what time it was, the cloud cover had a way of distorting my sense of time. My decision to sleep with Nathan was a good one, he was the perfect warmth for the dreary day.

"Azula" he said again.

Was he dreaming about me? I brought a hand to his face his muscles relaxed under my touch. His eyes snapped open.

" Were you dreaming?" I asked still caressing his face.

He reached over and caressed my cheek " Yeah." He said the tips of his fingers going into my hair. "But it was a good dream"

He rubbed his nose along my forehead taking deep breaths. "Did you dream of me?" He said his voice becoming a bit melodic.

"No, I didn't " I said enjoying the moments his skin would brush mine. I wanted to lean closer and engulf him somehow. Why would my dreams feature him? He had already engulfed my thoughts did he need to penetrate my dreams too? Sleep was my only escape from him, he was a greedy wolf to want my dreams too.

He let out a hard breath. "That's not fair, I dreamt of you" he said lightly running a hand up and down my arm.

So that's why he was calling out to me. " You were saying my name." I said quietly, enjoying the close contact.

He stopped and pulled me against him. " I should know you're above the things I think, you smell far too pure to think the things I do." He said his head in my hair.

Pure? What?

"What?" I said in confusion, leaning up to look at him.

The wolf laughed at me, again. I hit him in the chest and he laughed more. I didn't like when he laughed at me, it reminded me I was less than him in almost every way. I began to stand wanting to escape him.

He pulled me back down onto him my legs falling on either side of his chest. His eyes dazzled with amusement but he wasn't laughing anymore.

" Forget it, I'm sorry" he said an apology but the smile on his face betrayed his lack of remorse. His eyes wandered down falling between my parted legs and he suddenly became stiff as a board.

" This was a bad idea." He mumbled not looking away.

For some reason my face felt warm, I didn't like the way his eyes were glued there. I brought a foot up to kick hoping to snap his eyes away.

He caught my foot then slowly looked up at me.

"Don't look there" I said unable to look at him. Why was I getting so flustered? I cried out as he bit my toe, quickly pulling my foot away.

I looked down at him and watched the amusement return to his gaze. " Don't dangle delicious things in front of wolves. " he said holding back a laugh.

My eyes widened, he wanted to eat me? I quickly got off him retrieving my dress from the day before. Hopefully the deer would quell his appetite, I wasn't sure if he was joking or not.

He encircled me from behind as the dress covered my body. " I was joking" he said laughing at me, again.

I walked out his reach going to the kitchen. Even if he wasn't I wasn't taking any chances. I motioned to the deer laying on the table and he held back a laugh, again.

'Stop laughing at us' the voice whispered.

I watched as Nathan dismembered and ate a large portion of meat. If he ate this much I couldn't imagine a pack of him all tearing into animals, a trail of blood in their wake. I cringed as I heard him bite through bone.

I took an apple bitting into it, trying to get over the discomfort I felt watching his animalistic nature. Apples just appeared in this bowl , where they came I wasn't sure.

" Is that Magic?" Nathan asked finishing a bite of food. At least this time there wasn't such a big mess on his face.

"Yes it's an enchantment." I said as he came to inspect the bowl.

He reached in and took a Granny Smith apple, one instantly reappear it's place. He took another and the same thing happened. He reached to take another but I stopped him.

" You'll fill the cabin with Apples"

" I could do that?" He asked in amazement. He took  a honey crisp apple from the side of the bowl I couldn't reach. The apple was instantly replaced by another.

"Can you make anything else in the house do this?" He asked reaching for another apple., I slapped the hand away.

" I'm not the one doing it. All the enchantments in the house were cast by the covent." I said pushing him away from the bowl. He cradled all the apples in one arm allowing me to push him. " I can't use magic like that until after my awakening."

" Oh" he said dumping the apples on the table in the common room. He picked up an apple and bit into it.

" What's your covent like?" He asked curiously.

What were they like? I hadn't met any of them besides covent leader. I wouldn't be a proper witch until my awakening so in reality I wasn't one of them yet.

" I'm not sure,  I've never met most of them."

His eyebrows shot up in confusion. " I don't know much about witches because they tend to only associate with those in their covent but from what little I do know that doesn't sound normal." He said biting into another apple.

It was my turn to be confused, I didn't know any other convents but covent leader had said I'd have to stay here until I was ready to awaken my power. She said I wasn't ready to be a witch until I attained true power.

Last spring she had inspected me and said I would be ready in the next occurrence of the season, which was now.

I looked at him demolishing the apples and wondered, wolves were pack animals, he would be able to relate to being apart if a group to some extent.

"What's it like being in a pack?"

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