The Familiars of the Lost Witch (ONC 2024)

5. Teen

For him, there had been a lot of "firsts" in the last two days. The first eye to eye meeting with the town's witch and the first time he met talking animals, her familiars. Everything after that was new to him too.

Sometimes, he thought he lived inside a fever dream, although he couldn't really say if it was a good or bad one, most of the time it was just weird. Playing the human servant of a cat and getting tutured by her -she had insisted that he learned how to read properly- and having to listen to a crow's singing -it sounded terrible- definitely wasn't what he had expected. 

Nothing was as he had expected. It was way more hard work, like cleaning the mess they had made, but it was also way more fun than he had thought. And he didn't feel as lonely as before, he had to admit. He could understand why the witch kept them as company and saw them as part of her family. Yes, they talked about each other with such a fondness only a real family could have.

Family. At one point he had one too, now he barely remembered their voices, faces, it all blured together. He didn't know if that was part of the curse too or just a result of his memories fading over time. His parents had long since vanished, he considered them dead. The only one that remained of his family was her.

"Why do you have such a sad look on your face?" Asha's soft voice startled him, he didn't hear her approaching him, not that he could have, as a cat she was very good at sneaking around. She also had been away for a few hours.

It seemed like she could see right through him, maybe she could read his thoughts. No, that was impossible and she wouldn't need to ask then. "It's nothing." He shook his head.

For a moment she kept staring at him with her big amber eyes. Then she blinked, raised her right front paw and gave it a quick lick. Her fur was as black as a starless night, the only white was a small dot on her chest shining like a little moon.

"If you say so", she meowed, "I just wanted to tell you that the fire is burning low." One look at the fireplace confirmed her statement.

Small flames were only licking at the firewood that remained, which wasn't enough to last the rest of the day. He took the rest of the firewood that was left in the bucket and placed it carefully on top of the flames.

"Seems like you have to chop firewood now", Asha stated. "Follow me." With a wink of her tail she lead him outside and around the house like Kyrell had before, but the other way around.

The was a huge stack of tree logs and an ax next to the house. Asha had to instruct him, but after a few trys he got the hand of it and chopped the wood into small pieces.

He filled two buckets with the new firewood and took them inside. Then emptied the bucket with the ash on the garbage heap.

As there was nothing left to do, Asha told him to take a book from the bookshelf in the living room and read them a story. Kyrell came flying too and hopped on the armchair next to Asha.

He sat between them so that Asha could read with him. She would correct him on words or help him when he didn't know how to read a word or didn't know the meaning. The more he read the easier it seemed to get, although he was still struggling.

After preparing and eating a warm meal, this time they didn't make such a big mess, he went to sleep in Cybele's bedroom -Asha allowed it. For the firt time in forever he wasn't hungry or cold and felt safe. For him, it could always be this way.

But what would happen when the witch returned? Would he have to go back to his lonely and miserable life on the streets? He really didn't want that, but did he have a choice?

He tried to remind himself that this was only temporary. He only fullfilled a job. After getting paid he would lead a better life on his own. And he would also give something to her.

But he still hoped the witch would stay away for at least a few days longer. The possibillity of her letting him stay here afterwards wasn't high and would he want to live with a witch? He couldn't find a difinitve answer.

___

After a few days his wish seemed to come true. The was no sign of the witch. He tried to hide his happiness in the presence of her familiars. He could see the sadness and longing in their eyes.

As time passed the longing changed into worry. "She should be here by now. She said she would be gone a week at most, now it has been a week." Even Asha seemed worried, although she tried to hide it.

After waiting two more days he couldn't take it anymore, neither could the others. "We should search for her. Maybe she lost her way or something happened, who knows. She could need our help", he suggested.

Shortly after it was decided, he packed food and water and they made their way in the direction Asha pointed. She was the only one who knew were Cybele had went. Hopefully, nothing bad happened to her.

Maybe the meeting just took longer than expected or she had to make a stop to help someone or make a detour to avoid something. Since it had already been eight years since she last took that journey she also could've just went the wrong way.

Whichever it might be, they would find her, even if that meant he had to say goodbye to his life at the witch's house. He couldn't bare seeing Asha and Kyrell so sad.

Somehow he knew that an adventure awaited them, he could feel it in his bones. Not literally of course. It was just a hunch, a tingling, a sixth sense you could say. There was something waiting for them that no one could have forseen.

___

Wordcount:
chapter: 1061 words
in total: 7033 words

Less than 1000 words till the second milestone and now the story finally starts for real!

What adventures will await the three of them? Let's find out. ;D