The Shaman's Revenge

Recovery

~Shaman's P.O.V~

Even though Crow wasn't human, he still kept an eye out for me, we communicated through thoughts and small actions, some days he would sit on my shoulders while I plotted revenge, other he would gather information and show me what he's seen. Usually it's one pack or another sending scouts into my forest, but with the protection spell on my grounds and house, they couldn't find exactly where I was. Every now and then, they would come close and I could hear them shuffling around looking for my hut, but big surprise they wouldn't find it.

If I needed to hunt, between Crown, my cloak, and quick spells or mediation for my wolves to search for me, I never got caught, and never planned to, hunting or bathing at the hot springs had to be quick and precise. Out of all the scouts that have invaded my grounds, none of them were Thorn's members. Each pack member has almost a secondary scent from their individual ones, like someone would smell like vanilla, but also rosewood, with vanilla being what they smell like to everyone in their pack, but the other pack could smell the rosewood.

Three months had past since the incident that had blinded me. Seven of the Eight of the council were sending stronger and stronger pack members to find me, the question still burned in my mind why wasn't Thorn sending anyone? Naturally the only reason I thought reasonable was that it was a trap, he was after all in the top ranking three packs of the council. They wouldn't find me though, unless I wanted to be found, even if Grace lead them here herself, she would just think she had lost her way. I took a long drag off my hookah.

Something was in my woods that shouldn't have even been in this area, I opened a window and let Crow fly out, he could see it and with all the spells and enchantments on him, he was even close to bullet proof. Not saying if a bullet hit him he wouldn't be injured but as long as he could make it back to me he'd be fine, to keep connected to him, I made him a pendant that was attached to his leg.

A type of dark magic I wouldn't have ever used until now, and I knew it would only get darker from here. It was a binding spell of sorts, in that pendant had some of my hair, and it was clasped at the top of his leg so it wouldn't be easily seen, and in my hair, a hair clip of 3 of his feathers. He would know where and how I was, and the same of me to him.

The smell came in much clear now, there was a human in my forest, would they think I'd help a human, was it to lure me out? I couldn't tell exactly where the human was, but from the open window, I heard the sound of multiple packs of wolves, I slipped out of my hut, Crow had returned and was very quiet, he didn't even want to talk to me, he was scared very scared. What could make a magic bird scared?

I followed the pack of wolves, they had torn the human up, he was barely alive when I got to him, we were surrounded, twenty or twenty five wolves, all smiling, all dripping with blood, the smell was horrible, the human was gurgling "he....lp....me.... pl...ee.sse." I got defensive, I could uses a decent fire spell and injure them enough to make them leave, but i didn't have to. One howled loudly and the rest scattered, were they finding more scouts? Alerting the alphas? No, one by one these wolves brought back various parts of deer, foxes, mice, wild cats, any thing they had caught the last week, the decay and fresh blood mixed was horrible. It was a message, they killed most or all of what would be my food.

The eerie human-like laughs coming from them became unnerving, no one should kill unless they intend to use what they have killed. They all ran off howling in joy. That's what scared my poor bird, seeing the forest so quiet and empty. The human started gurgling blood again, i could barley make it out but he said "I'll do anything, save me." My knowledge of the dark magic is vast, and since I've started using it, I might as well put what I know to use.

I laid the human down, spread out, the deer's head with it's majestic antlers,  the fox at his feel, the cat and mice around in a circle to his left, and the bird like animals circled up to his right. He coughed out "I'll give my..s..soul." made a few more sputters and died, I said a chant over him, made a cut in my hand and put the print where his heart would be, and made him "drink" a couple of drops of blood. After the chant was finish I took my staff and plunged it into his stomach, setting him and the animals on fire all at once. I sat next to the fire meditating, the sun rose and all that was left were half burned flesh dripping off them carcasses. I guess I didn't do it right, I stood and went back to the hut, heated up some stew, and tea, and just left the day alone, Crow wouldn't tell me what he had seen but he was at least coming around and sitting on me again, I wouldn't push him, my familiar needs to know that he's safe around me. Night fall came, I had my windows shuttered closed and my doors locked like normal, I was just laying in bed but I couldn't get to sleep at all.

Suddenly there was a scratching noise on my walls. I sat up, it scratched again. I heard the human's voice in a gurgling tone "save me save me" he was talking but like through water? It was a little scratchy, "save me save me"it was like someone had recorded that and was just playing it on repeat,  all i could smell was the decaying bodies that I had burned, no wolves around. Another scratch "save me save me."

I stood up and told crow to sit over the door so he was safe, I opened the door, Crow absolutely lost it, he started Cawing like he was being attacked, I could "see" this thing, through the energy he was putting off it looked like a human with antlers but no feel, just claws, long claws. "Save me save me." The voice was coming from him, he slammed into me and knocked me into the ground, crow was trying to attack him but he just knocked crow into the wall, I was scared, I had no clue what this was. The thing put his head on mine and started showing me what had happened, hearing clearly from his thoughts, he said "you saved me."