The Herbalist

Lost and Found

-Agneska-

After being abandoned by my so-called ‘destined’, the gang distracted me with some brutal training sessions. I had power mastering classes with Tobias and Thaddeus, I had ‘bewitched’ class with Camille and I even had self-defense with Daniel. I didn’t really have time to drown in my sorrow as I realized my new family was taking care of me. Camille told me she had a vision a while back of me teaching her how to control the wind and fire. I laughed so hard, but she was dead serious. I also started to have this weird sensation that I could talk to plants, animals and… call me looney, but also the forest. At some point I wondered if I wasn’t stuck in the matrix and was not just dreaming all this… or I suspected the faes to put something in the water, but Camille and Daniel told me not to joke about this… whoopsie, sore subject for them, maybe.

The training was intense but it was a good mix between physical tasks and mental, witchey stuff. So I was not too tired and I silently thanked my friends for being considerate and attentive to both my emotional and physical states.

Camille was explaining how to manipulate the water when Iaraelyn and Caioverde came to see us.

“Alpha, could I request an audience with you and the Ursars? Yaraqui had a vision” she demanded.

“Sure, we can all come” Daniel casually said with his usual calm assurance.

“Alpha, with all due respect, I would prefer the witches not to be present… we noticed… some… erm… lack of control over some elements, like fire and most our village is made of wood. The vision is of importance. Please” She softened and almost sounded desperate, very un-Iaraelyn-like… Daniel looked at Camille, who nodded, then to Tobias, who looked conflicted, then to Thaddeus, who just shrugged his shoulders, looking completely unfazed.

“Caioverde will stay with them in your absence and will report anything suspicious immediately” She reassured them. Caioverde approached us, smiling in a friendly way.

“Ok, let’s go then, we won’t be long” Daniel said, giving Camille a peck on the lips before following Iarealyn, with Tobias and Thaddeus in tow.

I sensed a wave of reassurance overtaking me and I knew instantly it came from Camille. Dang, this witch-spidey sense would get some time to get used to it. We resumed our training by the stream, and Camille was patiently explaining how to proceed, what to feel, and how to visualize the bending of water. Caioverde got a spot a bit further away and got comfortable, casually lounging on the grass. I was not grasping it and apart maybe teeny tiny disturbance on the surface of the water, nothing was happening. Then I thought I had a brilliant idea.

“Hey Caioverde, your father told me earlier on that there was this amazing whispermane lynel nearby and he was as tame as a cat, could you take us to see it, please?” I asked with my best pout. Camille smirked and rolled her eyes at me. Well, she couldn’t say anything to me, she was happily mated… and a bit of flirting to see a magical beast? I was totally game.

“We should not really venture out that far, you know…” Caioverde replied, but I sensed he just wanted to be cajoled a bit more, cheeky fae.

“But I have never seen one, and Kuriman told me they were almost extinct… pretty please…” I batted my eyelashes a bit more than usual and I could see his resolved waving.

“Oh… that is true, and they are really majestic… it would be a shame to miss it and I must admit, they are shy, so it might be difficult in a large group with two intimidating bears and a wolf… Ok, let’s go, but let’s be quick” He stood up and started to walk further into the forest.

“Yay!” I squeaked, eagerly following him. She might deny it, but I could sense Camille was just as excited as I was to go on a whispermane lynel ‘hunt’. We walked for a good fifteen minutes in the depth of the forest, where it was starting to get darker. Caioverde slowed down his pace and signaled us to follow closely. He found a spot behind a huge boulder just next to a tree and crouched down behind. Camille and I copied him.

“Fluffy is close by, we must hide if we don’t want to spook him.” He whispered to us.

“Fluffly?” I enquired. Caioverde looked back at me and smiled fondly.

“You’ll see…” he just said.

We waited for a little while longer and then we heard the bristle of leaves, followed by the thump of heavy paws. And then, I was in awe, the animal before me was otherworldly. It looked like what I could only describe by a giant lion, with a golden silken mane that rustled like wind through leaves. It moved with the grace of a cat, despite his size. Its body was a light brown which accentuated the golden color of its beautiful mane. It looked so soft I wanted to run my hand through it. When it turned, I could see its piercing yellow eyes, and it looked straight at me.

“What is your business with me?” I heard in my head. I looked to Camille, then Caioverde, but they were transfixed by the beast themselves.

“What is your business, answer me.” I heard again. Then I looked at ‘Fluffy’ and it sat down, still looking intently at me.

“Can… can you talk to me” I said tentatively.

“Well, yes, I sensed you can talk to animals, can you not?” I heard the voice in my head again. As I was about to reply, I noticed Camille and Caioverde were now looking at me funny.

“I wish you no harm, I’m a friend of Kuriman” I tried. Camille was looking at me, confused, while Caioverde was proper gaping at me like I’ve lost my marbles…

“Kuriman” the voice said fondly, and then the beast came towards us. “Friend of Kuriman are friends of mine” Fluffy said.

“Can you not talk to the other witch?” I then thought clearly in my mind, rather that uttering the words out loud.

“She is special, and she can talks to the forest, but not to animals, but her energy is soothing” Fluffy said.

“Can I… pet you?” I tried timidly.

“I thought you’d never ask! I have this itch right between my two shoulders, and I’m dying for a good scratch” He said as he tumbled forwards lowering his head as an invitation to pet him.

“This is amazing, only my dad can touch him” Caioverde marveled.

But just as we were about to pet Fluffly, he bared his teeth and spat, like a cat would when threaten. A dark cloud appeared out of nowhere and a man was there, standing before us.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here? Two little witches in the making, far far away from protection…” the strangers sneered. Caioverde stood before us, but with only a flick of his wrist, the stranger discarded him like he was nothing. Poor Caioverde landed harshly against a tree, unconscious.

“Let’s go for a walk” The man reached forward and grabbed us both. We poofed into the same dark cloud he arrived with and we all landed in a dark place. He poofed again and appeared behind bars. I tried to adjust my eyes to the darkness and I noticed he put us in a cell, not a prison cell, but more like a gloomy dungeon one, cold and humid. Lovely.

“Who are you and what do you want with us?” Camille asked, and I noticed she didn’t use her powers, so I kept mine undercover too. I’d follow her lead.

“Who I am is insignificant, but we know who you are, future little witches… “ he gloated, and then I saw them… the fangs. My instinct whispered-screamed ‘vampire’ to me, but I could not lose my cool. The man didn’t linger and poofed away, disappearing.

Just as I was trying to get my bearings, Camille made a beeline for the far corner and kneeled down.

“Hey, are you okay?” she was talking to someone, so I lingered at the back and then I saw her, another girl, crouched down on herself.

“I’m Camille, and this is Agneska” She introduced us like it was the most normal thing in the world. “We’ll get you out of here, don’t worry… Iris? Is that right?” She continued talking to the frail woman like she was trying not to spook her.

“Y….yes, how do you know?” The girl – Iris – replied, her voice thick like she hadn’t used it in a while.

“Because you are our sister, and we found you.” Camille declared, trying to hug the poor girl, who obviously suffered malnourishment and maybe other physical abuse. I was gobsmacked, just as shocked as Iris. I didn’t know if I was shocked by what just happened, or by how cool and collected Camille was, or because deep in my bones I could sense that her words rang true. The coven was reunited.