The Gamma’s Secret Witch

TABITHA “It's not safe for you to go out right now Tabitha," was the anxious response I was met with as my mother, Navia Brynn entered my room with pursed lips as I prepared to venture out into the forest. A place which we once called home, became a threat to our continuing existence. It’s not like I wanted to go. Leaving the safety of our coven’s sanctuary was daunting, but I had to. There was no other choice. I had to leave to gather the last few ingredients I needed to finish the potion. So, without paying her any further attention, I turned my focus to what needed to be done. The potion, the one thing I had been working on day and night without sleep to achieve. Sorren needed me, having been poisoned by dark magic, this was the only way to ensure he survived the night without succumbing to the darkness. "I can't believe that Willa would do something so stupid, so reckless, as attacking one of our own" I mumbled in frustration. It had been six months since Willa had turned to the darkness. Dark magic had been banned in Colorado, in exchange, the Alpha of the Dark Woods pack protected us, our secret and our location. However, since Willa had gone and broken the treaty our ancestors spent the last few hundred years keeping intact, the same Alpha that once protected us, was actively hunting us down like animals and holding us captive, all in the name of protecting his pack. "Tabitha, please, you need to stay home tonight. I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you, too." My mother begged, as I continued to slip on my favorite black ankle boots. I grabbed my worn leather satchel, adorned with all my favorite pins reflecting my sassy nature, I slung it over my head and across my body. I turned and gave my mother a light kiss on the forehead before running out of the door into the vast forest. My mother's warning still weighed heavily on my mind as I trudged deeper into the dense forest. Willa wasn't just my sister, she had also been my best friend. She was younger than me by a year. But, at just eighteen years old, Willa abandoned the coven, she abandoned the teachings of light magic, she abandoned me. After being inseparable for eighteen years, the fact that she just upped and left focusing solely on gaining more power by turning to forbidden dark magic is what hurt me to the core. Willa didn't like that mother had chosen me to follow in her footsteps. In our coven, the title of high priestess was not automatically passed down to the eldest daughter. This meant that until mother had announced her decision, Willa had stood just as much of a chance to succeed as the next leader of The Half Moon Coven as I had. Father’s position had only been granted to him as the twin flame of the High Priestess. I had been studying the art of light magic for as long as I could remember, and I had gotten pretty good at it from a very young age. Mother and father, the leaders of our coven, decided it would be me who took her place. They were getting ready to step aside, and they needed someone capable to take over their mother's position. Sadly, reliable and capable were not words that could be attributed to Willa. While I saw this opportunity as a great honor and privilege, one that I did not take lightly, Willa was just looking for a fast way to the top. That's what irritates me the most about my now estranged sister. Magic is our life's essence, we spend our lives learning how to control the elements and produce effective spells so that we can heal, improve, and benefit those around us; not so that we can embark on a selfish pursuit of personal gain. I had gotten well acquainted with these forests, having walked their vast depths hundreds of times before. While the Alpha wolf's warning serves as a constant threat to many, it does not worry me. I learned how to mask my scent at a young age. The wolves would likely suspect I was a witch if I was in fact caught, but they wouldn't be able to prove it just by smelling me. So, with that thought in mind, I proceed on my search, safe in the knowledge that I'd be fine. Sorren needs my help, there is no doubt in my mind about that. I would protect any member of our coven without a second thought. Though, Sorren had quickly grown to be my best friend. He was there when Willa decided to abandon us and start her own coven; a coven that relied on the dark magical arts to perform their spells. As I picked my way through the thick, autumn brush in search of the clearing I knew grew several necessary ingredients, I noticed the brilliant purple streaks that grace the snow white petals of the Arctic Gentian Flower. ‘Luck must be on my side!’ I thought, as this is one of the ingredients that is imperative to the success of the potion. The trees are not completely gone, but spaced so that there is more to the forest floor than the thick bramble that tangles and snags at my legs as I walk. I can see the clearing as I make my way closer to the brilliant leaves of a quaking Aspen, mid-change. Yet as stunning as the amber, sunflower, and sunset hues of the fall foliage is, the kind I seek are special and unique for their own particular properties. While I continue trudging along with my search, I begin collecting other useful herbs, roots, berries, and mushrooms within reach. I gently organized these into the different compartments of my satchel, with what I knew I would need on my journey in easy to access spots. I always try to be prepared for anything that is thrown at me, by calculating my every move, but tonight, my mission is more personal than anything. Sorren means a lot to me, he is my rock and he held me up when Willa abandoned us for the darkness. So, it is my job to return the favor and heal him as quickly as I possibly could. I continued to creep further into the woods, in search of leaves of gold and onyx. I was thankful I had excellent eyesight and paid great attention to detail, as it didn't take me long to discover the grove of quaking aspens that I needed. I rushed towards the glowing golden leaf and stretched as far as my reach could extend and plucked one free from the tree. Tucking the leaf safely away in my satchel, from the corner of my eye, the fungus infected black leaf just across the clearing made its appearance. I hurried over to collect it as it is the final ingredient I need. Suddenly, I felt the air around me change. A shiver raced down my spine and tingled throughout my whole body. It felt like the air has gotten thicker, my senses have piqued and I know I am potentially in danger. I shoot up, balancing my weight between the pads of my feet. I feel the rush of air down my neck and spin around, only to come face to face with a rust-coloured wolf. I had never seen a wolf in person before, only in my fathers grimoires that I had studied. Still, I knew this might not end well for me. Wolves and witches did not exactly see eye to eye at the time, and since I had left the safety of my home, knowingly I had put myself in this position. The large wolf towered over me even though I was standing at my full height. What instantly shocked me was that he hasn't tried to attack me yet. It gave me hope that maybe, everything will be alright, after all, not launching a vicious attack has to be a good sign. I felt his hot breath on my face as he breathed through his snout. I felt paralyzed; I knew there was no way I would be able to outrun a wolf this size. Magic was forbidden outside the coven and even if it wasn't, I would never use it on a werewolf, not after they have protected the secret of our coven for years. I respected the wolves too much to use magic against them. I carefully watched the wolf who hadn't made an attempt to move. It seems like he is rooted to the ground where he stands. The air feels thick and electric around us, the sounds of the forest create a haunting backdrop. The rust-coloured wolf with vibrant green eyes stared back at me, his gaze piercing straight into my soul. I have to admit the colouration in its fur is beautiful, from the amber colors of fall leaves, to the deep earthy brown with just a hint of golden highlights and paired with those eyes, this creature was simply mesmerizing. I wondered what this wolf would look like in its human form. I can’t tell just by looking at its face if it is male or female but I guessed by its sheer size alone that it is a male wolf and, an important one at that if his size is anything to go by. “He must be on some sort of patrol”, I think to myself as we continue the stare down. I pulled as much oxygen as I could into my lungs and started to take a step towards the wolf, that’s when I heard it, a deep snarl coming from his gigantic mouth. I froze, rooted to the spot I had been advancing from. The wolf's teeth were bared and I could see the eerie white fangs easier. I gulped the fear down, this is no time to be afraid. I tried to think of something to say, something that would disarm the situation. The last thing I wanted was to be killed by this wolf before I was able to get back home and make the potion that would help Sorren. The wolf took a step towards me with his oversized paws. I was still surprised that he hadn't shifted back yet, was this some kind of intimidation tactic? Or was this creature simply stalling for time? After all, I didn’t know if he had backup coming. Out running a creature this size was nearly an impossible feat. I didn’t want to find out what my chances of surviving were, especially when his friends joined our little rendezvous in the dense woodlands. I have no intention of being a sitting duck and having my fate determined for me. I bravely took another step closer to the wolf. Each time I moved closer a noise emitted from the wolf mouth. I was running out of patience at this point, I needed to get back. I had people, well, I had a person counting on me to return. Sorren was counting on me, the poison was slowly coursing through his system and I won’t be able to forgive myself or Willa's new coven if anything happened to him. I slowly took another step forward, only, this time the wolf didn't growl at me. He was frozen in his place which meant that I was able to approach him easier. I made the quick decision to introduce myself, if I could maybe make this wolf trust me, maybe he would let me go and be on my merry way back home. "My name is Tabitha Brynn. I am a member of the Half Moon Coven that resides in these woods." I say in the clearest voice I can muster. "I do not mean you or your pack any harm," Whilst taking another step towards the wolf. He was watching me as I moved, his green orb-like eyes never left my form. I didn’t know what else to do, none of this made any sense to me and I was growing tired of playing this game of cat and mouse. "Look Wolfy," I started to say, as I began to lose the little patience I had left as a result of this encounter's delay. Yet my frustrated statement had only earned me a fierce growl that ripped through the wolf’s snarling lips as a response. I had gotten even closer to him, almost close enough to reach out and touch his snout. I was debating back and forth in my head about what to do next, this was going nowhere fast and besides, Sorren, my parents and the rest of the coven were probably worried because I hadn't returned yet. “Mom will be losing her mind right now. I will be in for the lecture of my life when I get back”, I internally thought. I should have just listened to my mother's warning and not come here, but the reasons why I did, are so much more important than any warning. I had lost enough already, Willa had crushed me. Her need for power provoked more harm than good on everybody that came close to her. I decided to try one last time to get the wolf to either shift back into its human form, so that we could have a conversation, hopefully that would lead to him letting me go, or to attacking me in this form and being done with it. "Look, Mr. Wolf. I don't have time for this. So, if you're going to kill me for being here, and being a witch, just do it! I have already come to terms with it and will make my peace. But, I don't have time to just sit around and wait for you to decide" I say with as much attitude as I can summon. I have everything I need now to help Sorren, it was just this wolf who wouldn't let me go that was causing the problem in the first place. I was waiting for a response, a reaction, anything that I could go off of; still I am given nothing. "What is your problem?" I scream at the wolf out of pure exasperation. I was beyond annoyed now, I had lost track of time, and it had begun getting increasingly dark out. The forest won’t be a safe place for me much longer if the wolves are patrolling this close to where our coven is. “Maybe he is making sure I stay put”, I thought to myself. I was used to having one-sided conversations, especially with myself. It helped me control my tongue so I didn't say every little thing that came to mind. I was used to getting myself into a lot of trouble with not just my parents, but also with most of the people that held ranks within the coven for speaking before I thought about exactly what it was that I wanted to say. The standoff was going nowhere fast, I was still trying to find a way to get far away from this massive wolf who had seemed to have cornered me but had not done anything but stand there. I was getting pissed off, I didn't have time to play games right now and the longer it took me to get back the less hope I had to cure Sorren in time. Finally, my patience had run out. I squared my shoulders making sure I kept my head as high as I could. I was not about to back down. It was now or never, I had decided to try and make a break for it. I turned around and took off running, making sure to dodge any obstacles in my way. I needed to lose this wolf before heading back home. I was already going to have my mother breathing down my neck for taking this long to return to the sanctuary of our home and causing her overwhelming worry. Especially when she didn't want me going out in the first place. The last thing I need is for her worry to be proven right upon my delayed return by having a wolf hot on my heels hunting me down. At first, I didn't hear any footsteps behind me. Then it was as if I had spoken too soon; I could sense his presence right behind me. My brain had started to register the madness of the situation I had found myself in. I was trying to outrun a wolf, I didn't know why I thought this was a good idea in the first place. I was struggling to get air to go into my lungs as I sprinted across the leaf covered forest floor. I gave it my all, I was trying to get away but my lungs quickly seemed to give out on me, and I began gasping for air. Stumbling over my own feet I came crashing down hitting the ground beneath me with a thud. I tried to scramble and get up, but it was no use. In mere seconds, the wolf was on top of me, I could see nothing but a black nose and vibrant green eyes. I was trapped, and this time I wouldn't be able to escape. I turned my head to the side, exposing my neck in complete submission and accepting my fate. I closed my eyes and waited for him to strike. "Make it quick wolfie," I breathed out barely above a whisper.