The Great Witch of Pidngar Du Gathe

Chapter 2: The Mayor's Son

Jason never understood why the mayor, his father, ordered for the herbalist woman to be killed, even if she was a witch. She helped cure his mother, but apparently his father had forgotten about that. So Jason, his father and some other men went after the woman's daughter and wolf. The mayor told one of the men that had brought a bow to go in another direction. While he went that direction, the rest of them followed the paw prints. While they were running after the girl and wolf, they heard a loud howl and ran towards the sound. The group saw the wolf lying on the ground dead but the girl was nowhere in sight. The mayor's son heard a rustle in a bush and saw a black rabbit running away.

He was intrigued because he had never seen a black rabbit before, only white, gray, and brown ones. So, he decided to follow it but making sure he kept his distance so it wouldn't see or hear him following it. It finally stopped at a grove of trees and hid behind one of the trees. He moved closer so he could see what it was doing. But he didn't see it anymore, only a little girl. He was about to go up to her when she pulled something out of her bag, it was a book.

She hugged the book to her chest and started crying softly. He was confused, why was she hugging the book? Then he heard a noise behind him and the girl heard it too. They both looked and there was a cat stuck in some brambles. He looked back at the girl and saw that she was getting up. He hid behind a different tree so she wouldn't see him. He peeked his head out from behind the tree and saw that she was going to help the cat.

"Hello there, how did you get stuck little one?" She asked quietly.

The cat just stared at her. She leaned down and separated him from the brambles. He noticed that her fingers got all scratched up and were bleeding a little. She then gently picked up the cat.

"There you are," She said to him, "That's better. Can't let that pretty fur of yours get all messed up, now can we?"

The cat licked her fingers and she giggled. The cat watched her for a moment until he heard something or someone coming towards them. He started to tense up and she felt it.

"What's wrong, Mr. Kitty?" She asked him.

She looked around to try and figure out what could be making him so tense. Then she heard a twig snap behind her, causing her to whip around and be on high alert.

"Who's there?" She raised her voice slightly, "Come out this instant."

He stepped out of his hiding place with his arms up, showing her that he meant no harm. He looked at the girl and she looked at him in surprise. She realized that he was one of the children from the village. She huffed and looked behind him, watching for any other villagers.

"Why are you here? This thicket of aspens is very far from the village, won't your parents be looking for you?" She asked him.

"Oh, I was following a black rabbit..."

"Oh my, those aren't very common in this part of the woods," She said, looking down at the cat in her arms.

The girl suddenly looked behind him, frightened. She grabbed his wrist, leading him out of the grove.

"You need to go back to your village and never come back here, it's dangerous here."

"Wait, come with me."

"I can't, my kind isn't welcome among humans." She said, finally looking him in the eyes.

"You're the daughter of that sorceress!" He gasped, after seeing that she had red and blue eyes.

'They are actually very beautiful.' He thought.

"My mother was not a sorceress, she was a witch as am I." She said proudly, "Now leave and never return."

With that he nodded and ran off toward his village. Jameson, his father, and the other men met him on his way back.

"Where have you been, Jason?!" His father asked.

"I'm sorry, Father. I saw a black rabbit and... Sorry for running off." He said. telling him only half of the truth.

"Well, next time tell me where you're going." Jameson said.

Jason nodded and looked in the direction that he met the girl in, before looking back at his father.

"So did you find..." He trailed off upon seeing the wolf over one of the men's shoulders.

"Hmm..." Jameson followed his son's gaze and grinned wickedly, "We found the wolf, the girl however slipped away. But we will find her eventually, don't worry." He patted his son's shoulder.

'But I am worried, I don't want you to find her.' Jason frowned.

"Okay, father." He pushed past the group of men, "I'm going home to mom and Ruth."

His father looked after him, suspiciously and turned to the man with a bow.

"Ezekiel, check the path that my son just came from."

"Yes, sir!" He followed the path until Jason's footprints strangely stopped before a grove of aspen trees.

"Well?" Jameson shouted to him.

"The tracks stop before this aspen grove, sir. Should I check it out?" Ezekiel yelled back.

"No, let's all head home." The mayor tells the archer, turning around to head back to the village.

The men looked at him confused, but they all followed him back to the village anyways. Ezekiel takes one last look at the grove before sighing and heading back to the village with the rest of the men.