The Wolf And The Fox

Chapter 3: Pints At The Crane

Wolf locked up Maeve's Booknook, still trying to make sense of the day's strange events. Felix had been an enigma—someone who looked like a mirror of Wolf, but with a warmth and ease he wasn't used to. And then there were the stains, the same smoky purple hue on both their fingertips. Wolf's thoughts were knotted, like a riddle he couldn't solve.

The walk to The Crane wasn't long. Just enough time, to calm the nerves with half a cigarette, the cool evening air swirling around him as he hurried to the pub. It did little to shake the feeling of unease, though, and by the time he walked through the heavy wooden doors, his mind was still buzzing. Inside, the pub was busy, full of people chatting and clinking glasses, the smell of beer and warm food filling the space. A cozy, familiar atmosphere.

Felix was already there, sitting at a table near the back with a pint in hand. He looked relaxed, that easy grin on his face as he waved Wolf over. "Wolf! Over here."

Wolf managed a smile as he slid into the seat across from him. "You don't waste time, huh?"

Felix chuckled. "Impatience, Wolf. Sometimes it's a blessing."

Wolf got up briefly to grab a pint from the bar, feeling slightly more at ease as he settled back into the seat, taking a sip of his drink. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable, but charged, full of questions neither had asked yet.

Finally, Felix raised his hand, fingers curled slightly as he revealed the purple tint staining his fingertips. "So, this... this is a little weird, right?"

Wolf set his pint down, holding up his own hand to show Felix the same stains. "Yeah, no kidding. It freaked me out at first. But when I saw you had it too... I don't know, it was kind of a relief. Like I'm not going completely mad."

Felix nodded, leaning back with a thoughtful look. "It happened while I was reading this notebook last night. I found it in this small shop just outside the city. Handwritten, old, and full of weird symbols. I was flipping through it, and as I was reading, I saw the writing disappear from the page—like it was being absorbed into my skin. And then, next thing I know, my fingertips are stained."

Wolf blinked, his heart thudding harder in his chest. "Same thing happened to me. Maeve had this notebook, said it was just some old thing she thought I'd like because I'm into fantasy stuff. But it was weird. Not like anything else in her shop. And the writing... it just vanished when the purple stain crept into my skin."

Felix leaned in, lowering his voice. "Did the writing in your journal reappear?"

Wolf shook his head. "Nope. Pages are blank now."

A heavy pause hung between them as they both tried to make sense of the connection. Wolf couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this than coincidence. The notebooks, the stains—they were tied together, somehow. His mind was racing, trying to puzzle out the how and why of it all.

Felix broke the silence, leaning forward again. "What was in your notebook? Mine had symbols—sigils, maybe. And one page in particular stood out. It talked about different kinds of magic, like basic herbal magic and 'healing through energy'."

"Healing through energy?" Wolf asked, intrigued.

Felix nodded. "Yeah. Like... mending wounds and such. It was insane, but I didn't have time to really read past the headline before it disappeared."

Wolf ran a hand through his hair. "Mine had symbols too, but I could't make out specific spells or anything, it all happened quite fast. They disappeared just like yours. I tried scrubbing the stain off after, but—"