A Gift of Magic

Chapter 2

            Leigh woke up with silver cuffs on her wrists and silver shackles on her ankles, both were attached to a silver chain and wrapped around a wooden pole. She didn’t realize how much power it would take doing the funeral ceremony after bringing so many trees to fruit. She had forgotten that she wasn’t safe in the rain-forest anymore, she was in danger in the world of man.

            Looking around she noticed that she was surrounded by a small community. There are many homes and businesses all made from cut trees in a log cabin style, the buildings are in neat lines with packed dirt roads between. The entire community seems to be built around this round this clearing. The clearing seems to have amphitheater seating again made by cut wood and a ridiculous throne-like chair at the apex of the clearing. The community branching off from the clearing goes in a starburst pattern in six directions. The apex of the clearing where the throne-like chair is has the open forest behind it.

            As I am taking in my surroundings and moving slowly children come to me like moths drawn to flames and start to sit in a semicircle around me. A small girl maybe four in age with large hazel eyes and dirty blonde hair looks me directly in the eye. She speaks softly but I hear her clearly, “can you tell us a story?” It strikes Leigh odd that children would come to a prisoner and ask for a story, but she decides to comply. She will whet their appetites with a story of their god.

            “Does anyone know the story of how werewolves came to be?” Leigh looks around to the children’s cute but dirty faces. They all shake their heads no. How odd that their pack doesn’t tell their creation story. Leigh begins quietly, “For today’s story I will focus on the god Cernunnos but be aware that this story is the beginning of all magical beings. Long ago when the world was young the goddess Eire created beings attached to each of her children.” The children leaned forward as she speaks and gasp. “To honor her beloved son Cernunnos the god of beasts and wild places she altered her original creation of humans to create beings of half beast and half human that would have the power to change shapes from human to one of several beasts. Some changed into boars, some tigers, some lions, some bears, and others” Leigh paused, and the children chorused, “wolves.” The children smiled. “These beings were to honor the god Cernunnos through their connection in the magic of their shifting and other special gifts, but most importantly these beings were to honor their god by maintaining and caring for his wild places where they find their refuge.” The children started nodding and a few elbowed their neighbors to whisper, but when she got to the point about caring for the wild places the children became silent and stared at her. “But some of the beings of the were became selfish and self-absorbed and stopped honoring their god and stopped caring for his wild places. Through their arrogance they thought that the world was made for them to take from.” The children were riveted on Leigh and were silent. “Communities were built that didn’t adhere to the old ways and cared little for the land in which they took from like ravenous beasts.”

            A little boy with short black hair raised his hand tentatively. Leigh raised both her hands since she was shackled and acknowledged the boy. He said in a quiet voice, “how are the were supposed to honor the god?”

            Leigh smiled at the boy, “That is a wonderful question. The were should give thanks to their god Cernunnos for their abilities like enhanced sigh, smell, hearing, and taste; but especially the ability to shift. Most importantly though is to care for his wild places.”

            The same little girl from earlier raised her hand and Leigh acknowledged her, “We are just kids. How can we care for the wild places?”

            “That is a marvelous question young lady. Thanking the god Cernunnos for a kill made, no matter how small, is a good start. Not killing more than is needed to feed the community when you are older. Not trampling the wildlife, planting trees to replace those that are killed to make housing is something children can do. Showing the other animals in the wild places respect and allowing them to share the forest unmolested unless the community needs the food. As adults remembering to not poison into the soil. Those are some ways you can care for wild places both now and as you grow older.”

            Another little boy calls out to Leigh, “How do you care for the wild places?”

            Leigh smiled, “My gifts are symbiotic to the wild places, and I give of my gifts freely. Through my gifts I ensure wildlife eat properly, repair mild forest damage, and I never take more than I can eat that day.”

            The little girl asks, “How can we believe your story?”

            Leigh places both hands on the ground, closes her eyes, and feeds a little power into the land around her. The hard-packed dirt under her and the children suddenly sprouts a lush grass carpet making the area much more comfortable to sit upon. The children all gasp and look at each other, then at Leigh. They begin to murmur, witch. At that moment a woman walks out of one of the shops not far away from Leigh and the children. She calls out, “children you should not be talking to the prisoner.” The children jump up and scamper off in several different directions. Leigh sighs and starts inspecting her restraints.

            Logan was furious. They chained her in the center of town with silver. Those idiots! He was keeping an eye on her and was surprised to see the pups gather around her. It looked like she was telling them a story. He listened intently but could only make out the murmur of voices since she and the pups were being quiet. He would have to grab one of the pups to find out what they were talking about. The pups were listening intently and asking questions. Logan had been here for a month, and this was the first time he saw anyone take some interest in the pups and they were eating it up. She seemed to be answering their questions with a smile on her face. Then suddenly a thick blanket of grass grew under all of them. The pups were in awe when they were caught talking to the witch and scattered. Good to know that apparently silver didn’t affect her. He was sure she was powerful enough to escape but she just sat there inspecting her restraints. He absently wondered how long she would allow the pack to hold her when he got a text message reading “12 hours” good backup was coming. He poked his head out of the doorway of the building he was in and got one of the children’s attention and told them to come to him. The child obeyed immediately.

            “I noticed you all talking to the witch,” Logan said to the pup when the door was shut. The pup was a male with a dirty face and short black hair. When Logan spoke, the pup got a look of fear on his face. Logan continued, “you are not in trouble, and I will not tell anyone, I just want to know what was said.”

            The pup visibly relaxed and said in a small voice, “we asked her to tell us a story and she did.” He smiled remembering her story.

            Logan asked, “what story did she tell you?” He wondered what tale of witchcraft she told them that would end in the magic she demonstrated at the end.

            The pup answered, “she told us the creation story of werewolves.”

            Logan was surprised, out of all the stories that was the last one he thought she would tell them. “Was it the same one you grew up hearing?” Now he was curious.

            The pup shrugged, “we were never told a creation story, so this was our first time hearing it.”

            Logan said, “tell me what you can remember.” The boy relayed the story, the questions, and the witch’s answers. Logan released him and looked again at the witch. She told a story more detailed than he heard growing up. Curious she knows so much. Now he was even more intrigued by her and even more determined to keep her safe.

            Lunch time came and went but no one seemed to be willing to feed her or give her water. Several times he saw a few ferrets bring her berries and fruits to then scamper off. Dinner time came and went and still she was not taken care of by the pack. Again, Logan saw the ferrets bring her fruits and berries. He had never heard stories about animals taking care of a witch, something is different about her. As dark began to settle over the land the center area was lit by old fashioned oil lamps and pack members began to trickle into the seating. A large man stood silhouetted in shadow the way the current lighting was set up; Logan knew this was an intimidation tactic. He stood to the right side of the throne-like seat at the head of the arena staring at the gathered crowd and the chained woman.

            A tall muscular man walked up to the arena after the last pack member was seated. The assembly rose when he came to the clearing, and he walked up to sit on the throne. Once seated the entire assembly sat except for the shadowed mountain next to the throne. The man on the throne was Jason. An oil lamp was lit by his throne to cast him in an eerie mix of light and shadow. His face was long with a sharp nose, sharply angled cheekbones, and a broad chin. His hair was a dirty blonde and loose around his shoulders. He spoke in a raspy voice, “we are gathered tonight pack to discuss the punishment for the witch that has trespassed our borders and invaded our land. What say you, witch?” His smile was cruel as he gazed upon Leigh.

            Leigh was caught off guard by his words, “the land belongs to all living beings. One can own land as easily as one can catch a moonbeam in the hand.”

            A cruel smile stretched across Jason’s face, “you will not be given another opportunity to plea your case witch. Why have you invaded my land?”

            Leigh took a steadying breath; she should have escaped earlier during the day when she had the opportunity. She had assumed that the pack would be reasonable and there was just a simple misunderstanding. “The land called out to me, and I responded.” Leigh shrugged feigning indifference, “It is my duty to care for the lands of the goddess Danu and the wild places of the god Cernunnos. I follow where I am needed and then continue when I am no longer needed by the land.”

            Jason nodded, “very well then witch, your life is now here with us. You will not leave.”

            Leigh’s eyes grew wide, definitely  not the reaction she had expected from him. “I appreciate the offer, but I have obligations elsewhere.”

            Jason roared in rage, “you will stay here!” He took a shaky breath and growled, “for your disrespect you will be given to my Beta Robert to be broken and taught manners.” He gestured to the shadowed mountain standing next to him. In that instant he broke into a dark smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

            Without saying a word Robert took a silver collar out of his pocket and walked up to Leigh. She didn’t move a muscle. He placed the collar around her neck and swiftly unlocked the chain from around the pole to thread through the collar. Great now her leg shackles and wrist shackles were not attached to her collar by this chain. As soon as the collar was secured, he tugged hard on the end clearly expecting her to follow behind him. Some primal instinct told her that this man was extremely dangerous, and she should not be alone with him. When he dragged her to a point that left a clear shot to the forest, she murmured a spell and instantly changed into a large black bear. Since the bear was so much larger than herself the silver shackles and collar broke instantly while her clothes fluttered in tatters to the ground. She took off to the forest in her bear form at full speed while everyone else was still stunned with shock. About five feet into the forest, she released the spell next to a large tree. She shivered standing naked next to the tree and placed her hand on the trunk thinking of the clearing she was taken from earlier in the day. Her bag must still be there. Either was she had to get away from here. With a firm push she walked into the tree and out into the clearing from earlier.

            Stepping into the clearing with the cottage and the burial from earlier she heard one lone wolf’s howl with was joined by a chorus of howls. She had to get out of here and quickly.