Whisker's Brew

Chapter 1 - Hooded Figure

Summer was starting to come to a close. Everyone could feel it on the napes of their necks, in their joints and in the way that the caramel sun had started setting earlier each day.

Cattarina had just spent the last parts of her shift sat with close friends, Eliyah and Nordan, discussing nothing important. They had drank enough coffee to fill a bath tub, eaten their fair share of plum muffins and giggled at each others suggestions for the village Dress Down.

Some days the fawn and succubus would just bring whatever book they were reading and mull over the complexities of something else entirely. Their days were leisurely and today was no different for them. For Cattarina, however, today had been busier than usual. She'd had customer after customer from opening this morning all the way trough till an hour ago when Whisker's Brew had closed. Then Eliyah and Nordan had turned up and she had wished they hadn't - a quiet patch of me time was needed but Cattarina sat with them nevertheless.

Whisker's Brew, as the name suggested, was a quaint coffee shop centred in between two towering town houses on the main street of Elondi. It had inviting, glowing windows, creaking floor boards and beautiful pine coloured tables and chairs lined in rows. The pastries behind the counter would glisten and the scent of plum muffins - which "The Brew" was famous for - would waft down the high street inviting all manner of folk in for their coffee fix.

"You reckon I'll pass as a warlock this year?" Eliyah asked, her green hair moved almost independently from the rest of her. It twisted round her horns like vines reaching for sunlight, she shook her head and all of a sudden her hair flopped back to her head. It would do that sometimes, when she was day dreaming - pondering something deep and personal.

"You're far to doe eyed to be a warlock!" Nordan replied. Eliyah narrowed her sage eyes at him and scrunched up her nose. The freckles on her face darkened. "Besides, we all know who will be crowned Dress Down Deity!" Nordan continued. He was a fawn of the shore, his blue skin sparkled with a pearlescent sheen and his sapphire eyes would change depending on his mood. At present they were the colour of the morning sky, tinted with the orange of the rising sun. He shot both Eliyah and Cattarina a smirk.

"Stop winding her up!" Cattarina chided, the corners of her mouth turning ip ever so slightly. She knew who would be crowned, it was the same every year and this year would be no different. She turned to Eliyah, "I wouldn't let Margarite Starlily get under your skin so much Eli, you're better than her and far smarter!"

Nordan sniggered. Margarite Starlily was the daughter of the head of coven of witches. Her mother Marianne Starlily, was also the Mayor of Elondi and had been continuously parading her daughter round since she was born. The girl was vile, spoilt rotten and privileged beyond her own recognition. Eliyah hated her and made no artempt to hide it.

"Yes! I am! But intelligence doesn't get you crowned! Being the daughter of the Mayor gets you crowned." Eliyah replied, spinning her empty coffee cup round and round on the table. She huffed and looked up to the darkening sky as iff trying to find some part of herself, "I just -" Eliyah stopped speaking and sighed again. Eliyah wanted out of this place... but with her studies and prospective job at the university she probably felt tied to this place. She kept spinning the empty until it settled on its own. Cattarina took that as an opportunity to start clearing away their mugs and saucers.

"Well I hope you don't become infatuated like last year, steer clear of Margarite, her bewitching powers can strike at any moment!" Nordan wiggled his fingers in jest, pretending to cast hexes and spells. Eliyah rolled her eyes, freckles deepening with internal frustration.

"Catt, you think anything exciting is going happen at all? I'm so bored of the same things over and over. There's the Dress Down, Mabon, then Samhain arrives and then there's Yule and before you know it were back here again, trying to figure out what to do with our lives and I just end up taking another year of classes! There's only so much studying I can do..." At this point Eli was almost shouting to her friend who was clatteriring cups and saucers while loading them into a dishwasher.

"You could always take a year out with me?" Nordan leaned over her to pull his sweater off the back of a chair. Eliyah sighed, a year out would mean spending money, money that she didn't have, she stayed silent and up-turned their chairs onto the table and waved goodbye to Cattarina.

"Make sure there's enough plum muffins tomorrow!" Shouted Eli into the back, "We might see you in the morning for breakfast. Got a late lecture." Catt was head and shoulders deep in a shelving unit and waved blindly behind herself. The coffee shop suddenly became very calm and quiet.

This is when Catt would start her 'after work' schedule, which comprised of systematically checking the doors, lights, switches and electronic appliances slowly as she moved to the front of the shop. All the pastries had been put away safe for the morning. The butter and cinnamon rolls had been baked and would be ready to frost when she came in. Then all that was left to do would be to grind her special coffee and put a pot on to boil. She stood in the doorway and breathed in the last remnants of the shop - her pride and hard work.

Finally, stepping out into the late summer night, she could feel a chill starting to settle in the air. Her tail whipped back and forth and her whiskers twitched slightly as locked the front door.

I must bring a coat tomorrow. She thought as she pulled her jumper closer to her chin. Even the fur on her body wasn't helping with keeping the chill out. It shone, silver under the emerging moon and Catt looked to the sky to see if she could spot any stars. Out of the corner of her eye she saw something move. "Hello?" At this point the darkness at the edges of the streets had become like jet, Cattarina squinted and could just about make out a hooded figure stood facing her direction. Odd, she thought, I must be really tired. "We'll be open from 7 tomorrow if you want to come then?" The figure stood stock still, it unnerved Catt but she continued hoping it would reply "Do you need help?" Nothing. Catt shuffled though her bag looking for a flash light. It seemed ridiculous to be shouting into the darkness.

Finally, after what felt like minutes, Catt found what she was looking for... she clicked the button on and shone it in the direction of where the figure had been stood. The circle of light illuminated the corner of the building. Did I just imagine that? she moved the beam of light from right to left. Nothing still. Frowning, Catt searched a little more with the torch but could see nothing. A shiver ran up her spine. I think it's time I went home She'd thought as she turned and swiftly walked in the opposite direction to where she'd thought she'd seen the figure, she still clutched the torch in her hand as she sped home.