WITCH - The Queen

Chapter 99

Julia

A small wall surrounded the core of the small town. In front of the wall stood smaller houses with pretty gardens. Some werewolves were outside, looking at Julia's group skeptically. Some even put flattened their ears. Nevertheless, the group continued.

A wolf growled as Marko passed him. Marko ignored the other wolf and winked at Julia. He had returned to his human form. Finn held on to him restlessly. Josefine, too, had taken on her human form. Sluggishly, she walked beside Julia, playing with one of her strands of orange hair. Julia looked at Leopold. He raised his eyebrows.

"I'm nervous", Julia murmured, holding onto his arm.

At the wall, in front of a wide gate, stood two muscular werewolves. They sniffed and grimaced. "And you are?", one of them asked. He was between seventy and eighty. His gray hair fell in long thin strands across his shoulders. His beard was also long. Long and white. He wore wooden beads in his beard and hair. The other wolf, who was about Leopold's age, had short black hair.

The younger one lay his ears flat on his head. "Humans aren't welcome in our city. Just like other alpha wolves. And... What are the two of them?" He pointed to Josefine and Fiete. Immediately, Josefine showed her sharp teeth. The wolf blinked irritably. Fiete leaned his head on Peters with a grin.

"We're looking for a place to stay. And we have a request", Julia replied, regretfully letting go of Leopold and stepping forward. "Can we meet your alpha? Or who can we turn to? It's urgent!"

"Our Alpha doesn't receive unannounced guests!", grumbled the old man.

"Well. Then, please, announce us!", Julia replied. "It's important." But she didn't have a good feeling. Would she find help here? As hostile as these wolves were?

The old man snorted. "What?"

"Please, announce us", Julia repeated. "If your Alpha doesn't want to receive us, we'll leave."

Now the old man nodded. "Follow me. What kind of request can this be? Are you coming to get new wolves?" His gaze wandered to Marko and Finn. "Soldiers came yesterday and got two of our wolves. Among them the eldest daughter of our Alpha. A tragedy. If you want to cause trouble, don't worry, we're all very irritable right now!"

Peter and Leopold exchanged restless glances.

"No. I'm not here to kidnap wolves." Julia sighed in sorrow. "No one should be swept away from their family."

The old man just grumbled skeptically. He led them past small wooden huts and solid stone houses, to a large, somewhat dilapidated villa. There he knocked on the door. This was opened by a young werewolf. The little boy had blond curls and beige wolf ears that seemed far too big for his small head. "Grandpa!", he exclaimed happily. "Are you coming to play?"

"No!" The werewolf shook his head. "I have guests with me. They want to see your mother."

"Mom's in the garden! She harvests the first pumpkins. But they are all very small. Do you like pumpkins? I don't like any. Do you want our pumpkins?" The boy's gaze wandered to Julia and her family. "Hello! I'm Timmy! Do you want our pumpkins? Then Dad won't cook pumpkin soup. I'd rather have tomato soup. But we don't have any... Do you have tomatoes with you? Do you want to exchange?"

"No, I'm sorry!", replied Fiete, laughing. "I don't like pumpkins either."

The boy tilted his head. "Mom says all the grown-ups like pumpkin and so I have to eat it... Mom is lying!" And the boy ran away. He left the door open. The old man closed it, shaking his head.

"Come. We're walking around the house", he grumbled, leading them into a small, barren garden. On a tiny bed grew a few small pumpkins, some of which were ripe.