𝐑𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐔𝐒𝐓 || skz

CHAPTER 5: WITCH IN THE WOODS

As they moved closer to the cottage, it was as if the forest held its breath. There were no loud sounds or sudden movements. They seemed to be allowed to approach the cottage in peace. There was still this sensation of being watched and it unsettled Felix. But he couldn't see or hear anything, so he decided to not think about it for now.

The clearing around the cottage was an almost perfect circle, as if the forest had just decided to stop growing large trees and unruly underbrush at a certain part; but as Felix glanced around, he noticed that one of the tall trees was standing just a meter or so closer to the cottage, its roots large and some visible as they stretched towards the cottage.

Changbin and Jisung walked ahead, inspecting the cottage closer while the other three hung back.

There was this warm, flickering light from within. But it didn't seem like there was much movement in the cottage at all. Looking through the windows, there were no shadows moving.

"Is anyone home?" Jeongin asked, his voice small and eyes shifting around nervously.

"I can't see anyone but there's a fire," Jisung said as he peered through a window at some distance. He took a step back and both he and Changbin began to walk back to the rest of the group. "Should we knock?"

Changbin slapped him lightly on the shoulder.

"What?"

"What do you mean what?"

"What did I do?!" Jisung asked, frowning as the other dragonguard walked up to the door.

"Of course we'll knock," Changbin said, rolling his eyes. "We can't just barge into her home. That's just rude. We need her help so the last thing we'll do is be rude to her."

"Let's go," Chan said, his voice tight and he grabbed Felix's hand, pulling him along as he began to walk towards the cottage.

Felix's heart picked up pace in his chest and by the time they reached the heavy wooden door, it was hammering against his ribcage. His hands were becoming sweaty and in an attempt to distract his thoughts, he let his eyes wander the doorframe of the house. It was covered in rune-like symbols and it seemed like they were emitting just the faintest, dark green glow.

The sound of Chan knocking on the door broke him out of his thoughts and he blinked, returning to the present. There was a moment of tense silence as they all stood there.

Felix tightened his grip of Chan's hand, glancing at the other.

Chan had his eyes fixed at the door, not looking away for even the shortest moment, but he gave Felix's hand a reassuring squeeze.

The door opened without a sound and they were suddenly face to face with a woman, maybe a couple of years older than Chan. She looked at them with wide, dark brown eyes, shifting her gaze between all five of them. She had a round face, further adding to her youthful look, and a straight nose. She was wearing a white shirt with lace details and a long, brownish green skirt that reached all the way to the floor. Her dark red hair was wild, curling into whatever direction it pleased.

"Hello," she said, her eyes wandering once again before settling on Felix. The first impression had been that her gaze had been soft, but as it landed on Felix, it felt as if she could stare through his very soul. "The birds told me you were looking for me."

"We are," Felix said, finally finding his voice again. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. "We- I need help," he continued, his voice growing quiet and weak.

The witch hummed, brushing some of her hair away from her face.

"What kind of help do you think I can offer?"