Witchcraft

Chapter 6 The Pup

Esmerelda's POV

Marcos and I trekked through the thick undergrowth of the forest, which I knew stayed through even the harsh winter.   It was slightly warmer today though, mostly because the breeze was stagnant, and there was no wind.  Sunlight barely filtered through the dense shadows of the trees overhead, and to take my mind off our impending doom I began to name the trees.  Oak.  Birch.  Magnolia.  Beech.

The Dark forest always appeared to be deciduous, but it was much colder than the usual.  I remember once, when I was 12, my mother and I had been looking for new herbs, and had passed the very edge of where the normal forest ended, and the Dark forest began.  I had stared into the looming shadows, and I felt as though they stared right back.

"We'll have to hunt again soon,"  Marco stated, breaking me out of my thoughts.  I nodded in agreement, staring into the abysmal darkness of the forest.  I had hoped that I'd have enough energy to fashion a bow for myself, but I was still exhausted from yesterday.

"Let me use your sword for a moment,"  I asked politely, reaching out my hand for the sword he clenched so hard his knuckles turned white.  

"Why would you use it, she-devil?"  Marcus sneered, backing away from my as both of his hands went to the sword I made.

"I'll tell you if you stop calling me she-devil."  I spat back, fed up with his childish game of name-calling.  For a moment he looked confronted, sharp features slackening in consideration.  Finally, he relaxed his stance.

"Esmeralda, why do you need this sword?"  He asked, tone still edged with hostility.  I was relieved he saw reason for once, and sighed.

"I want to cut off a tree limb to create a bow with, it would aid us both in hunting and fighting."  Besides, I made the sword, so it's technically mine, I wanted to add, but feared it would break what little trust we had.

In a single fluid motion, the tall soldier drew the sword and sliced through a nearby limb, felling it to the ground with a crash of leaves.  

"Take that one, you can start making it once I get back from hunting."  I was about to protest that I wanted to help too, but he continued.  "You can stay here and watch the stuff, this armor plate will only make me louder," He said, slipping off his iron breastplate for the tunic underneath.  "Don't touch it, it's coated in Wolvesbane,"  Marcus began to disappear into the foliage, and I stared at his back.  Wolvesbane not only killed shifters such as werewolves and skin walkers, but it also repelled magic.  It wouldn't kill me, just feel like unpleasant sparks against my skin.

I sat next to the limb, it was just thick enough, but not too heavy that I couldn't carry it.  I began snapping off the small twigs that were unneeded, wondering what I could use for the bowstring.  I had brought two other outfits in my stuffed satchel, I could probably use a piece of my linen tunic, or an animal hair if we came across a wild mare or another animal with long hairs of some sort.  

After about 30 minutes, I began to get severely bored.  I tapped my foot impatiently, and braided my hair back, tying it off with a strip of cloth.  I looked around, scanning the plant life for any sort of herb that would be of use. 

Bending down beside a patch of fern-like grass, I gently inspected the shape of the leaves. Looked a bit like sage, I only wish I had payed more attention to the book of herbs.  That was when I heard it.  A small rustle in the grass just beyond my sight.  I flipped around, scrambling to get to the branch, any sort of weapon I could use to defend myself.   I grasped the piece of wood firmly, holding it ready to strike.  The undergrowth rustled again.

Out flopped a tiny little animal, something I'd only seen a few times before.  A small wolf cub.  

I lowered the branch a bit, raising an eyebrow.  It made sense, if the pup had followed us from the lycan's territory, as unlikely as it seemed.   Wolves remained their with their lycan counterparts.  This might even be a young shifter, in his or her wolf skin.  I shuddered.  If it was, this would mean they would hunt us down to get their young back.  

The wolf stumbled forward on clumsy legs, shoving it's tiny muzzle into a nearby bush as it ignored me.  I had to smile, it was very cute.  Tiny legs, fluffy russet fur, and big amber eyes that still had a tinge of blue in them, meaning it had yet to reach it's tenth week.  I slowly lowered my makeshift cudgel to the ground, still a bit wary of predators.  I had to admit, it was very cute, but my main priority was getting this cub back to his or her pack.

"What the hell are you doing with that wolf?"  I whipped around to see Marcus, glaring icily both at me and the pup, holding out a sword in an offensive position.

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It's been FOREVER since I posted last XD, this was a pretty short chapter too!  Sorry guys, hope you enjoyed  reading it!