The Witch and the Wolf

"Never forget the Lord's sacrifice for you," Serah repeated the preacher's last words to her in a mocking tone and kicked a stone out of her way. She was pacing alone behind her Aunt Ann and Uncle Albert's old barn and hiding from their snotty son, Eddward. He was only 10 to her 19 years and he irritated her. The preacher's words irritated her. Honestly, everything was irritating her at this point and she'd only been staying in Melrose with her family for a week. Mother and Granny Reed had stayed behind in Salem with the coven to help and protect the others during the trials, but they had sent Serah to safety, saying something about the future of the coven being in her hands. Of course, this made no sense to Serah as she knew that Merry - another daughter of the coven - had also been sent to Melrose. Serah didn't know Merry well, but they'd met at one or two high ceremonies and Merry was the daughter of Salem's finest tailor. Granny Reed said Merry thought herself better than others in the coven. Mother said not to think ill of others. Mother was the kindest, prettiest, and most gentle being Serah had ever known. Granny Reed was practical and powerful. Aunt Ann and Uncle Albert were strict and very religious - they had no desire to be associated with witches or the supernatural. Serah giggled imagining them finding out she was a witch. However, for all they spoiled Eddward horribly and imposed their dress codes and religious beliefs on Serah, she knew that they meant well. She caught Aunt Ann singing quietly to her roses one day as she was in the garden, and Uncle Albert had the softest heart when it came to the dairy cows and other animals. Serah wished Eddward had inherited any of his parents best traits but - “Ohhh Seeeeraaah, I know you’re back there!” Eddward’s nasal voice sounded from the front side of the barn. Serah didn’t even stop to think. She ran as hard and fast as she could into the woods behind the barn. The hard shoes Aunt Ann had given her pinched her toes and she slipped more than once, tearing the stiff, dark material of her Aunt’s borrowed dress. She could still hear Eddward’s voice whining behind her and put on a burst of speed, darting through the trees like she was home in the woods behind Granny Reed’s house. She slowed when she could no longer hear Eddward and followed a small creek for a while. Suddenly, as she walked, Serah’s eyes pricked with tears. She missed her cozy room in Salem. She missed the stack of family journals she kept hidden in the pantry floorboards to read by candlelight. She missed her altar with its colorful cloth and bright candles. She missed Granny Reed’s flavorful cooking and Mother’s musical laugh. She stopped and sat on a log that had fallen across the creek and just let the tears fall. After a few minutes she took a deep calming breath and wiped her eyes. She would be fine, she affirmed with herself. A twig snapped not too far from her and she whipped her head around to see who was there. Her eyes landed on the largest grey wolf she’d ever seen and she let out a small, involuntary gasp. Neither she nor the wolf moved for a long minute, then the wolf slowly and deliberately took a step towards her. Then another. Serah didn’t move even when the wolf was no more than an arm’s length away. The wolf’s eyes caught her attention and held it. They were golden and bright with intelligence and empathy. The wolf kept its eyes on her but lowered its head and took the torn hem of her skirt into its mouth and tugged lightly. Serah let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Slowly she stood and stepped forward. The wolf quickly stepped around her and leapt up onto the log she’d been sitting on, then turned and whuffed lightly at her. Serah took this as an invitation to follow. She was certain the goddess and god were trying to give her a message because she’d never seen or heard of a wild animal communicating in this way. The wolf trotted slowly across the log and hopped off on the other side of the creek. Serah put one booted foot on the log, then thought better of it. She took off the boots and held them, then crossed the log. She was much more sure-footed without the shoes. The wolf watched this curiously, then when she was across it padded away through the woods. Serah had to walk quickly to keep up. After about a half hour of travel the wolf stopped in its tracks and looked back at Serah. She wasn’t paying enough attention and almost ran into it. Before them the trees opened onto a moss-carpeted glen. A small spring gurgled up through a pile of rocks at the northernmost point of the glen, and it's waters split to form an island no more than ten feet across before joining again and continuing into the forest. Sunlight danced through the leaves above and sparkled on the shallow water, reflecting over the moss like a thousand tiny fairy lights. Serah took it in breathlessly and unconsciously dropped her hand onto the wolf's neck. “Oh it's perfect. Thank you so much,” she whispered to the goddess. She stepped lightly over the stream and reveled in the feel of the moss between her toes. A laugh bubbled up and she giggled, then spun in a circle. Quickly she dropped the boots she held and pulled the dark dress over her head, dropping it on the boots. Dressed only in her shift she spun again and again, laughing joyfully. She stopped and fell to the ground panting after a few moments. When the world stopped spinning around her she glanced over to where the wolf had led her in. To her surprise, he was still there. He sat watching her with his head tilted. He straightened and stood when she looked over at him, then trotted onto the little island and sniffed her face. Serah laughed again and threw her arms around his neck. She felt the wolf stiffen almost imperceptibly, then slowly he relaxed. He didn’t move at all other than to sit next to her. Finally Serah laid back in the moss looking up at the wolf. “Thank you, for showing me this place. I don’t know how or why you knew I needed a ritual cove, but I have to assume it was the goddess at work. I’ve never met a wolf before, though I like to sing at the moon with them sometimes.” The wolf looked at her with unreadable eyes. As dusk fell around her and the insects began to chirp loudly Serah stood slowly and pulled the dress back over her head. She didn’t put the boots back on. She turned to the wolf one last time. “I’ll be back, when the moon is right. I hope I see you again!” She left the way she had come, retracing her footsteps to the log over the creek and then to her Aunt and Uncle’s house. It was dark by the time she made it back. Aunt Ann was sitting on the porch in a rocker. She stood when she saw Serah loom up out of the darkness. “Oh you silly girl! You gave me such a fright. Look at the state of your dress; and no shoes either?” Serah’s homesickness crashed over her in a wave again and it must have shown on her face. “Oh, don’t worry child. Dresses can be mended - I’m not cross about that. It’s you I was afraid for. There are wolves in these woods!” Aunt Ann led Serah into the house and made her a cup of bland tea before instructing her to wash her feet before going to bed. Just inside the treeline across from the house a pair of bright golden wolf eyes watched until the light in the guest room window went out. Then the wolf turned and loped quickly through the forest until he reached a low hill. Other wolves gathered around the hill, looking up at the Alpha who sat at the top. “Cassian, you’re late,” the Alpha’s gravelly voice sounded in the wolf’s head. Cassian winced internally, still unused to this new voice in his head. “Apologies, Alpha.” He offered no other explanation. The Alpha - Cade - looked at Cassian for a long moment but didn’t push it. He knew Cassian was still adjusting from having lost his entire pack. Joining a new pack so soon after his loss couldn’t be easy, especially since it was the only way for Cassian to survive. Cassian knew Cade was giving him allowances for grief and to adjust - and that the allowances wouldn’t last much longer. Soon he would need to acknowledge Cade formally as Alpha and join in the pack duties. But not yet. Cade started the meeting with formalities before moving on to the reason the whole pack had been called out - it was rare because there were so many of them and it left few available to make excuses for their absences in town and home. “Everyone here knows some of what is going on in Salem. They are not far from us. Yes, they are persecuting witches there, not wolves, but we still must be more vigilant than ever. We know of at least one young witch who has moved here from Salem - Merry. She stays with the baker’s family. It is likely more will be sent out to preserve the coven traditions. We do not know this coven nor its members. The last coven to live in our area moved south over a generation ago. We had a peace pact with them, but no one since. I say we must be wary and avoid the witches if possible. We don’t know if they might betray us to save their own skins from the fire. Pass this on to those who are not here.” Cassian stopped listening. He’d never met a witch before today, but he was sure this slip of a girl who’d cried on a log wouldn’t betray the pack. He wasn’t particularly keen on testing the theory, but he wasn’t going to cut all contact with her. She was the first person in this town that he’d felt any connection to. It seemed like she was feeling the same pain that he was. That was why he’d shown her the little glen he’d found. He didn’t know anything about rituals or what she meant by the moon being right, but he wanted to see her again. The meeting ended with a group howl. It was beautiful and Cassian longed to join, but he hadn't had a group howl since before the wolf hunt that had decimated his pack and he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He trotted back slowly to where he'd stashed his clothes and Changed quickly, then started the short trek to Cade’s home. Cade was kind enough to let him stay there indefinitely, and all he asked was help around the farm and occasionally at the general store his family owned in town. They were introducing Cassian slowly to the townsfolk as a cousin from the South. So far there had been no suspicions. Cassian pictured the witch again as he walked. She’d been very pretty. She was short and slender with dark hair and sparkling brown eyes. She'd been sweaty and red-faced from running and crying, and her hair was pulled back into a tight knot, but Cassian was sure that wasn't why she was pretty. It was something in the way she wasn't afraid of him. The way she spoke to him as though he were a friend, even though she couldn't have known he was a Changer. Cassian knew the house the girl had gone into belonged to Albert Fens - Cade had taken him to the Fens’ for the milk delivery when Albert wasn't able to deliver earlier that month. He knew that the Fens went into town with the delivery every day and if he wanted to see the girl again, that would be the most likely place. Cade was already at the house by the time Cassian made it there. He was scraping mud off of his boots on the porch edge. “You walked?” Cade asked curiously. “An old habit, for when I need to think.” “Did you get your thinking done?” “Yep. I think I’d like to start helping more in the store, in town.” Cade looked at him for a long minute, then, “You’re sure you’re ready?” Cassian shook his head, “No. I’m not going to get any more ready by avoiding it though.” Cade nodded approvingly, “You can go in with me in the morning then. Get some rest.” He kicked his boots off by the door and went in. Cassian stayed on the porch for a few more minutes staring up at the moon, then made his way to the small attic room he slept in. Tomorrow he would see the witch. Tomorrow he would know her name. Tomorrow would be a good day.