In a Cottage in the Woods There Lived a Witch

The Healing Process

Steve finally zonked out on the couch around three, when he was certain that both animals were asleep and not in danger of spontaneously dying in their sleep. When he woke, there was a small weight on his chest and a larger one across his legs, filling his heart with affection. He reached up with one hand and gently stroked the little bat down his back until he chirped weakly in half awareness. The wolf was the second to wake up, huffing and then snuffling back down into the covers that he'd taken off of Steve's body and wound around himself.

"Mornin' boys," Steve groaned as he stretched, one hand still on Edward's back to keep him from getting jostled too badly. "Ready for some breakfast?"

Jacob poked one blue eye out of the nest of stolen blankets, regarding Steve for a long moment before he stood, still shaky on his bandage-bound legs. Without looking back, he trotted to the kitchen, blanket still on his back and trailing behind him like a cape. Edward, on the other hand, climbed up Steve's shirt as he rose and tucked himself into Steve's neck, nestling under the hair that curled around his jaw. This close, he could hear every little chirp and trill the little bat made.

There was a clamor from the kitchen, like the scrambling of bandaged paws on the tile floors, and the sound of the fridge door being thrown open. Edward rubbed his face along Steve's pulse point and chirped again, this time with more awareness, and Steve heaved a sigh. He wouldn't get angry with the dog. Whatever mess Jacob was making, he could clean it up, even if the idea of cleaning and casting first thing in the morning sent his nerves to fraying. He was just doing what dogs did. And Steve was going to have to make the conscious decision not the be upset about it.

Rounding the corner, Steve braced himself for the most unholy mess. What he found, however, was only Jacob, his great wolfy jaws gently cradling a carton of eggs as he trotted from the fridge over to the counter. He hopped up on his back legs and carefully set them down next to a carton of strawberries. He then went back to the fridge and nosed open the lower drawer, scrounged around, and then pulled out a package of bacon. Once that was set next to the eggs and the fruit, Jacob shut the fridge door and sat himself down in the middle of the kitchen, watching Steve with something close to expectation in his blue eyes.

It took Steve a moment to react, but when he did, it was to laugh. He came into the kitchen expecting unholy chaos brought on by a nearly wild animal, but what he got was a very helpful... familiar. That was the only word for it. The way it looked like Jacob was working things out, the way he retrieved and gathered... that was familiar behavior.

"You're a familiar."

Jacob only huffed, and while that was neither affirmation nor negation, Steve could see very little evidence to the contrary. In his ear, Edward chittered again, and used his one good wing to flap in what Steve was choosing to interpret as glee.

"Okay," Steve laughed, hands on his hips as he considered the bore-looking animal in his kitchen. "You're... you're both familiars. Okay. That's... wow. Alright."

Jacob, however, was not as impressed with Steve's discovery, and turned his attention pointedly to the food gathered on the counter. He watched it for a long moment before he shifted his gaze back to Steve again. He'd never seen an animal raise it's brows before, but he got the distinct impression that was what the wolf was doing then.

"I did promise breakfast, didn't I," Steve agreed, retrieving the eggs and the bacon from the counter. He also grabbed some left-over scones from the recent celebration and popped those into the oven to warm up as the eggs and bacon cooked. Next to him, Jacob just... sat. Every once in a while he'd look up at Steve's shoulder, as though checking on his winged companion, but other than that and the occasional huff, he was silent.