Leo and Heidi

Sternenberg, Switzerland

“Where are we going again?” Leo asked Heidi, observing the thickening forest around them. He had an uneasy feeling in regard to what she was about to do to him, given her sudden enthusiasm. Never before did she advocate to train together, preaching Leo knew nothing of how magic worked.

“Common, Leo. I said we are going to train. Of course, we cannot do it in the house. Seb said it was okay to use the forest nearby. The Alpha has granted us free reign,” Heidi replied cheerfully, picking up her step.

Leo frowned but wisely kept his mouth shut, in hopes that she really will help him to bring his casting along and give some pointers where they were due. He did not want to knock himself out like a dumbass again to wake up hours later.

They walked for another ten minutes before arriving at a clearing in the middle of the forest. Large pine trees loomed over them, giving just enough sunlight to make out their immediate surroundings. Leo looked around and noticed that the forest was eerily quiet. No birds flew over, nor did anything make a sound.

“Alright, this seems to be as good a place as any,” Heidi stopped in front of him and took a stance. “Let's start with something simple then,” she said and made motions with her hands before saying the words wind wall. A shimmering wall of air appeared before her, disturbing the immediate area around her.

“Come on now, Leo. I know that you managed to cast some sort of fireball before we had to run away from the cabin. Show me what you are made of,” she said with dedication and smiled.

Leo looked at her and shuffled nervously. Sure, he managed to form something resembling a fireball before, after much consideration. Though, he felt that replicating the feat would be harder, especially in such pressing circumstances: performance issues and all that.

Seeing that her patience was running out, Leo went ahead and concentrated on replicating the spell formation process, after closing his eyes in concentration. He felt the mana leave his core and form a wisp of fire right on his outstretched palm. Without opening his eyes, deep in concentration, he did not notice the wisp grow fifty times its size and he threw the spell construct at Heidi.

After a second's pause, he heard it - the boom of fire impacting the barrier of air. Opening his eyes, he was met by a rush of hot air, Heidi’s barrier spell dissipating the spell he cast, throwing her back and on the ground. The leaves on the ground rose up and were blown back in a twenty-meter circle.

“Are you alright?” Leo asked hurriedly, running up to Heidi who was already getting back up from the ground.

“Damn,” she grunted and patted her clingy black jeans and a knitted jumper. Then she looked at Leo wide-eyed and asked, “What the hell was that?”

“What do you mean? You asked for a spell and I threw one,” he answered, evaluating what he did. “I mean, I went through the same motions as before when I first managed to cast the same wisp of fire I could back at the cabin. What happened?”

“You cast a meter-wide ball of fire - that’s what happened. That was supposed to be a small wisp, I expected you to throw my way. Luckily I managed to cast the wall before or I would be toast. You even managed to kick me on the ground from the impact.”

“What do you mean?” Leo asked, baffled. “Was it that impressive? I mean it felt exactly the same as when I was back in the garden.”

“It was damn scary, Leo, that is how it felt to me. You are not supposed to cast such large spells. Crude, sure, but still too powerful. Even during the time when the Church attacked the fire missiles they launched did not do as much damage as you did just now. It is crazy,” Heidi stated and evaluated their surroundings, noticing how the fire had scorched the grass around them and devastated the tidy forest floor.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Leo looked at her again and noticed the slight anxiety she was displaying and then he understood her. He was not supposed to evolve so fast. That is what she expected at least. “Why did you bring me here?” Leo asked.

Heidi looked at him and answered, “Because I was a bit pissed, to be honest. I mean, I overheard the Stump brothers and wanted to give you some pointers, as Evan calls them. Turns out I went in and over my head.” She looked at him again and noticed a pair of guys walking through the forest behind Leo. “Great,” she muttered.

“What?” Leo asked and turned around, noticing the same two lads who were at the dinner table last night. He remembered them as Aurel and Fadri, Alpha’s sons. Aurel was the oldest son and a literal powerhouse. Leo was surprised to see him at the dinner as the man was almost his father’s size. Leo summarized that in no time he would either start his own pack or replace his father, regardless of how that worked as he was not privy to werewolf politics.

Fadri was scrawnier and reminded him of a rat, while still sharing the same similarities with that of his brother and father. During the dinner the youngest of the Stump brothers interrupted Evan multiple times, aiming poorly worded insults at him, as he was flirting with the wolf sisters, all caution be damned.

“Well, well, who do we have here?” the ratty wolf asked, standing behind his brother.

“What do you want, Aurel?” Heidi asked, standing her ground, having learned that while they were powerful, she could hold up her own, as their father had forbidden them from acting out.

The oldest frowned and placed a palm on his brother's chest, stopping ten meters from both of them, and said, “We want to have a talk, that’s all.”

“What talk?” Heidi did not back down.

“About what happened yesterday with Lis. Your mud pup over there eyed her whole night and now she did not join us at the training in the morning,” Fadri said.

“That is a lie!” Leo interjected, a bit louder than he wanted.

Fadri scowled and said, “Yea, sure. The next thing after her no-show we checked her room and there was a trail on her doorstep. It reeked of you, pup. And I can hear your heartbeat, so do not try to deny it!” Fadri snarled and took a step forward, his brother stopping him again.

Heidi, trying to act like a grown-up in the situation, besides her own pissed-off feelings at Leo asked, “Assuming you are right, what is it that you want? Your father has granted us sanctuary and according to the old pact it means you will give us hospitality.”

“The hell with that!” Fadri shouted again, visibly agitated. “We do not grant hospitality to mud whelps to come into our house and defile our sister’s honor!”

Aurel grimaced at his brother’s words but did not contradict him, feeling the same way. He understood what the old pacts between mages and werewolves meant, meaning he could not directly harm those under his father’s protection. But if the guest attacked them? Surely no one would bat an eye at their response. “Leon was it?” Aurel asked.

“You can call me Leo,” Leo responded a touch timidly.

“Leave your girlfriend behind. Let’s have a man-to-man talk,” he gestured to the forest nearby. Leo frowned at him and a memory resurfaced of the macho moves his Russian neighbors pulled when they were little boys. That usually resulted in him getting his ass and honor kicked, right until he grew up reversing the roles. He did not see that happening here with the giant.

Leo decided to trust in Heidi and kept his ground, saying, “Guys, common. Let’s keep it civil. You are acting unreasonable and frankly childish. Even if something did happen, your sister is a grown woman and can make decisions on her own.”

It was time for Aurel to growl at the insolence of the mud. He was a guest in their house for five minutes but was already doing what? Showing them how to live and treat their sister? “We will do no such thing, pup. You either come with us or-? Aurel asked but could not finish his sentence as his brother jumped out behind him and ran straight at Leo.

He covered the distance in a blink and was right in Leo’s face, his eyes yellow, face scrunched up in a snarl. The next thing Leo saw was Heidi on the ground, having been pushed by the enraged teenager. A clawed hand went up for his throat, and before Leo could think how and what to do, he reacted instinctually.

Leo pulled mana from his core and expelled it all around him in a desperate attempt to keep the crazed werewolf teenager and his deadly claws off him. Everything happened in a blur. One second Fadri was in Leo’s face, then next he flew back right past his brother, through the trees, vanishing from sight.

Then a deafening boom sounded from the trees indicating that the wolf had landed. The blast of mana from inside Leo blew Aurel and Heidi further back. Leo looked at his hands in disbelief. His reaction was shared by Aurel who looked at him wide-eyed before asking, “What the hell are you?”