The Witches Heart

In The Rain

It had now been two- or was it three weeks? Claudia didn't know. It was a lot harder to tell how much time passed out in the forest. But what Claudia did know was that she had been getting all sorts of weird feelings lately.

It had started with feeling tingly and giddy inside every time Rosalyn complimented her, or called her one of those sweet nicknames. But now it seemed she was blushing anytime Rosalyn looked in her direction, and every time Claudia would scramble to look at something else and pretend she hadn't been staring at Rosalyn.

Maybe it was just Claudia's imagination, but she felt like Rosalyn was making an effort to be closer to Claudia too.

Whether she would let her fingers linger on Claudia's when she handed her something, or she would ask to hold her hand when they went out under the pretense that she was worried Claudia would get lost.

However, Claudia was also conflicted. Her whole life she had been told that intimate relationships between two women were the devils work, and to participate in one would be wrong.

And yet she couldn't help but think about what it would be like to be in a more intimate relationship with Rosalyn. What it would be like to sleep next to her, to kiss her, or even to do more than kissing. She wondered what her fingers would feel li-

"Claudia?"

The woman in question jumped and she peeled her eyes away from Rosalyn's hands, which she hadn't even realized she was staring at.

"Y-yes..?" She said.

Rosalyn smiled, probably because Claudia was red as a tomato.

"Are you alright dear?" She asked.

Claudia cleared her throat and stood up straighter.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" She said.

Rosalyn stifled a laugh.

"No reason, you just seemed a little.. distracted."

"But anyways, would you like to go outside with me? I'm out of some herbs again" she said.

Claudia nodded her head and stepped away from the little collection of books in the kitchen. She joined Rosalyn at the door, who was holding her little basket. She pretended to fix her outfit, still feeling embarrassed.

The two exited the house and just like Claudia expected Rosalyn held her hand out and asked Claudia to take it, and of course she did. They went the same way they normally did. Rosalyn kept an eye out for the herbs she needed while Claudia's mind was.. other places.

The two walked in silence for a bit, Rosalyn occasionally stopping to put something in her basket. Claudia focused on the birds in the trees, and the squirrels that ran away when they saw Claudia and Rosalyn coming their way.

At some point, Claudia had noticed the silence. Normally the forest was bustling with life and that meant, noises. But at that moment there were no birds chirping, or any other animals or insects making noise.

Then Claudia felt something wet hit her face, but she brushed it off. That was until more wet drops hit her and thunder boomed in the sky.

"Oh dear.. it seems the weather won't allow to be out much longer" Rosalyn said.

Claudia looked at the sky, but all she could see was trees. She still wasn't quite used to that. But she didn't need to see the sky to know it would storm soon, and it seemed Rosalyn thought the same.

Rosalyn quickly turned around and led Claudia back in the direction of her house. They started off just walking, then their walk turned into a speed walk, and then a jog, and finally a sprint.

It had started raining harder, they were both getting very wet. Suddenly Claudia yanked Rosalyn back.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" Rosalyn asked.

"An opossum.." Claudia pointed to the opossum coming towards them.

"That's strange.. opossums hate the rain. And people" Rosalyn said.

Claudia crouched down, weirdly fascinated with this opossum. Oddly enough, the opossum stood right in front of her, not scared at all.

"Ah I see.." Rosalyn said, crouching next to Claudia.

"See what?" Claudia asked.

"You, my dear, have just found your familiar" Rosalyn replied.

Her familiar? Claudia's eyes widened as she looked at the opossum.

"How do you know?" She asked.

"Hm, when you've been a witch as long as me, you can sort of just tell when something is magical. I felt that way with you, you know" Rosalyn said.

"..you did?" Claudia asked.

She turned her head to Rosalyn, starting to smile. To Claudia's surprise, Rosalyn was already looking at her, and she smiled back.

"I did, and look at you now. You've already found your familiar after just a few weeks, it takes some people months to find theirs."

"I knew you had potential the first time I saw you, you were chasing Rowan and you'd gotten yourself lost" Rosalyn said.

Those words made something click in Claudia's mind. That silvery-white flash of hair hadn't been wolves, it was Rosalyn. And those strange, yellow lights had been her magic.

Suddenly Claudia felt a scratching on her foot, bringing her out of her thoughts. She looked down and saw the opossum standing on her foot.

Rosalyn laughed. "I think she wants to come home with you. Which we really should be going by the way, I think we've been out here long enough"

She was right, Claudia had gotten distracted by the opossum and hadn't realized they were getting soaked.

"Here, you can ride in the basket little one" Rosalyn said.

She set the basket down and gently picked up the opossum. The opossum didn't seem to mind, actually it seemed quite happy.

After that the two, well three now, quickly made their way home. Rosalyn sighed while throwing the door closed.

"It is unfortunate we got rained on, but still this is a very happy moment. I'm glad you've found your familiar" she said.

Claudia smiled looking at the opossum in the basket.

"Me too"

"Speaking of her, what will you name her?" Rosalyn asked.

"Hm, what about.."

"Rani"