Tess woke up to the bedside alarm blaring in her ear. She rolled over, groaning as she turned it off. She closed her eyes and turned back over, only for the curtains to whoosh open, to her dismay. “Rise and shine!” Tom grinned as she glared blearily at him. “I thought you wanted to go on an adventure,” he teased as he went to get ready for the day.
“Adventure can start after lunch,” Tess muttered to herself as she pulled the sheets over her head. She heard Tom in the bathroom, brushing his teeth. He had most likely already eaten breakfast.
“If you wouldn’t stay up so late doing rituals…” Tom trailed off as he reentered the room.
“New moon, new me,” Tess mumbled, peeking out from under the sheets. She watched as his ears flicked around, taking in the sounds of the hotel. Probably answering trivia in his head from the TV two rooms down too, she thought, annoyed to herself.
“Hm, new you?” Tom walked over to her and poked her side. “Should it be a healthier you? We can start with actually eating breakfast.”
“I’m not hungry.” Tess pushed his hand away, snuggling deeper into the covers, closing her eyes once again.
Tom shook his head, sighing. “Well, I guess I could go back to the library while I wait for you to get ready.”
Tess jumped out of bed, throwing the sheets onto the floor after she untangled herself. “Give me five minutes,” she rushed to the bathroom to brush her hair.
Tom chuckled as he heard her rushing around the tiny room, cursing when she’d drop something. Probably the straightener she insisted on using. “Ready!” She called as she skidded out of the bathroom.
“Did you want to change at all?” Tom asked, looking her up and down. She had gone to bed in the clothes she had worn the day before. Which comprised a black shirt, jeans and some socks. The only thing that looked refreshed was her hair, which she had brushed and straightened. He glanced at her arm to see a new burn, probably from dropping the iron once again. What a klutz. He chuckled at the thought.
“I’ll be fine, let’s go,” she flung the hotel door open to see the hotel manager, making her stop short. Tom lost his smile as he looked past the manager to see a few staff behind him, along with the sheriff.
“Can we help you?” Tom asked, scenarios rushing through his head. He couldn’t think of a single reason they would get kicked out. He had paid for the room himself when they had arrived.
“We apologize,” the hotel manager started, fumbling with the papers in their hands. “But we need to ask that you pack your things.”
“Why?” Tom asked, his tail stopped wagging, while his ears started folding back. This took him by surprise just as much as it did Tess.
“We apologize, but we’ll be needing your room.” The hotel manager licked his lips, handing the papers to Tom.
Tom took the papers, then began reading them. A few seconds passed as Tess watched his mood go from irritated to completely irate. “We’re being kicked out because you ‘believe’ one of us is a witch?” The veins in Tom’s arms bulged, making Tess nervous. While Tom drew strength from the full moon, he could also force a transformation if he got mad enough. It always worried Tess when he forced a transformation, because it took so much out of him once he was done.
“Tom,” Tess grabbed his arm to calm him down. She looked towards the hotel manager, who was looking nervous. “I don’t know why you think one of us is a witch. I’m an herbalist that knows a few tricks.” Tess gestured to her basket of herbs and jars.
“I-I’m terribly sorry,” the hotel manager began again, before the sheriff shoved her way forward.
“You need to leave now. There is an angry mob coming to the hotel. They claim that there is a witch that controls stars staying here,” the sheriff explained. She looked tired. She had been up most of the night listening to the townspeople and travelers' complaints.
Tess put a hand to her mouth as the realization came to her. “But that’s not an actual star. My father gave that to me.” Tears formed in her eyes as she tried to think of a solution that would get them out of the hotel. She was so deep in thought it shocked her when Tom transformed next to her.
“A Wilkolak,” the hotel manager whispered in awe. He stared at the hulking black wolf standing in front of him.
Tess grabbed a hold of Tom’s thick fur as he let out a blood-curdling howl. The people in the hallway collapsed to the ground in fear. Tom bounded over the fallen people, then ran out of the hotel. Tess closed her eyes and pressed her face into Tom’s back as the scenery rushed by them.
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Tom woke up a few hours later surrounded by trees. He sat up, clutching at his head as it beat at him. He looked towards his right to see Tess sitting on a log, her chin resting on her knees as she tended to a fire. “You okay?” Tess’ small voice floated over to him, along with the smell of cooking meat.
“I’m fine,” Tom stood up, he glanced at his clothes hanging from his body. He was thankful for the clothing stores. They were good at taking different species into consideration for their merchandise. He velcroed the seams back together, then sat next to Tess. “Did I scare you?”
She shook her head no as she continued to stare into the fire. “Do you want to get your stuff?”
“You haven’t taken your recovery potion yet,” Tess glanced at him before looking back at the fire. Tom followed her gaze to see strips of bacon hanging from a stick over the fire.
“Do you have any made?”
Tess shook her head once more. “I was going to get more ingredients when we went to the next town.”
Tom gave her a small smile as he felt the fatigue from his transformation take over. “I’ll be fine. You should get our stuff before those people ruin it.”
Tess glanced over at Tom. He was trying to hide his fatigue, but she knew how much energy his transformations cost him. She had been living with his family for most of her life. That had been after-
“Hey.” Tom wrapped an arm around Tess’ shoulders when he noticed her eyes tear up. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Tess nodded as her lip trembled, holding back tears. She had thought about her parents.
“Hey, chin up,” Tom put a hand under Tess’ chin, making her look up at him. His chest tightened as he saw how sad she was. “I know you miss them, but they’d be so proud of you right now.”
Tess drew a deep breath before throwing her arms around Tom, letting her tears loose. “I left it behind!”
Surprise took Tom by her sudden outburst. “What did you leave behind?” Then he stopped when he realized what she was talking about. His transformation had happened so fast she didn’t have time to grab anything and left her father’s orb at the hotel. “Hey, I’m feeling better. Let’s get the stuff we left and go to the flower fields. Okay?” He lifted her chin once more and gently wiped her tears away.
Tess sniffled a bit before nodding her head, trying to regain her composure.
“Ready?” Tom placed a hand on her arm.
“Yes,” Tess took a shuddering deep breath before closing her eyes and pictured the hotel.
It took a few moments, but she could finally visualize the front of the hotel. She looked around to see people walking away from the hotel to go back home. They pulled a news station vehicle up to the front of the building. A news anchor talked into the camera as she walked past. She walked through the front doors and went to where their room had been.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
She stopped when she heard a cart wheeling down the hallway. It was a maid doing the room inspections. She passed through the closed door to see they had cleaned their room. Shoot, Tess thought to herself. The door swung open, passing through her as the hotel manager walked in with the news anchor.
“And you’re saying the Wilkolak was in this very room?” The news anchor asked, as the camera crew followed.
Tess gritted her teeth at seeing the red light on the camera. She knew the people in the room wouldn’t see her, but the camera would most likely pick up on a disturbance where she was. She moved behind the door, trying to keep her distance.
“That’s right. I saw it with my own eyes!” The manager exclaimed, moving their arms animatedly.
“You heard it here, folks!” the announcer said into the camera. “The long lost Wilkolak has made a grand reappearance today.” The camera shut off a few seconds later. “I thought they had all died out a hundred years ago,” the news anchor continued talking as they walked around the room. They picked up the covers and opened the drawers to the dressers.
Tess curled up her lip in disgust. She realized that their items most likely weren’t in the room since it was so clean. It still didn’t feel right to have someone inspecting everything. Tom’s hand tightened around her arm, making her look around as she remembered why she was there.
“Wilkolak were known as witches’ familiars,” the hotel manager offered, making Tess stop in her tracks.
Witches familiars? Tess thought to herself. She didn’t know any witches besides herself, and she wasn’t very good at it. Tom’s family didn’t know any witches that she was aware of.
“It’s too bad witches have such a bad rap in the area,” the news anchor answered. She looked at the carpet and gasped at seeing a large paw print. Tess followed the news anchor’s gaze to see Tom’s imprint on the soft carpet of the room. His transformation always amazed her. The magic and power that transformed him was always breathtaking to watch, if not a little scary. He was as big as she was, and his paws were massive. She remembered one time when they were kids and she put his paw to her face to compare the sizes. His parents had thought it was hilarious.
Tess, don’t take too much longer, Tom’s voice whispered in her ear, bringing her back to the present once again. She vanished into the wall and went to the front reception desk. The girl that had been working yesterday was working once again. Tess walked through the desk and went to the back room. To her relief, she saw their things sitting on a table.
I found our stuff; she thought back to Tom, knowing he’d receive her message as long as he kept hold of her.
Just grab the important things, Tom answered back.
Tess took a breath, then walked to their things and started rummaging through it. When she found something they needed, she pictured Tom and teleported the item to him.
Tess, you’re losing energy. Finish up, Tom’s voice intruded in her head as she finished teleporting the last of her ingredients.
But I haven’t found it yet. She cried back at him. Tears were falling down her cheeks, leaving wet imprints where they hit the ground. She felt Tom’s concerned gaze on her as she continued rummaging through their things. Tess was losing hope of finding her star.
“These are the things they left?” The news anchor asked, coming into the room.
Tess backed away from the table as the hotel manager walked in. He glanced at the table, then looked out of the room, confused. “It was. Some items are missing.” The hotel manager walked out of the room and went to the front reception to talk to the girl running it.
The news anchor rummaged through Tess’ things on the table. Accidentally shoving a small leather bag to the ground. Tess eyed the bag, her heart in her throat as she recognized it.
“Rebecca says nobody’s been back here,” the hotel manager walked back into the room. Stopping short when he kicked the small bag.
“There are stories of witches that can teleport things to their physical location,” the news anchor suggested as she looked around the room. Tess ducked under the table as she went to reach for the bag.
“Hm, so the girl with the Wilkolak was a witch,” the hotel manager mused. “Do you think she’s doing that now?” The manager kicked the bag once again, moving it further across the room.
“She could be done if all their valuables are no longer here.” The news anchor started rifling through their things once again. Tess began inching her way towards the small bag once again. “I see little of anything here. Just extra clothes,” the news anchor slammed her hands down on the table. Tess jumped at the sound and glanced behind herself to see the disappointed looks.
“Wait, what’s this?” The hotel manager rushed by Tess and scooped up the small bag he had kicked before. “This is that girls’.” The manager pointed at the bag. He opened it a bit, gasping when light began pouring out of it.
Tess, it’s time, Tom’s voice called to her. Next thing she knew, she was with Tom surrounded by trees circled by their things.
Tess looked at her surroundings in a daze, before collapsing in Tom’s arms sobbing. “Tess, I’m so sorry,” Tom rubbed her back comfortingly, as she soaked his shirt with her tears.
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It took a little time, but Tom could finally get Tess to calm down. He promised to go back to get her orb after the flower fields. “Come on,” Tom urged, as he packed their things. “We may live in a time with no big evils, but crime is still high.”
Tess followed his example and began packing her bag with her things. She could never understand why there was so much crime. When people had electricity and conveniences to help them throughout the day. But the one thing that she knew was most of the crime was committed by the “Mythicals” as the humans called them. Over the years of human conquering, the Mythicals began to lose their homelands. The Mythicals that could pass as humans wove their way into their cities and cultures. The ones that couldn't pass were left behind. Tess looked at the sky., It was around noon, so they would make it to the fields okay.
“Do you have your map?” Tom asked as he shouldered his pack.
Tess twirled her hand, making a soft light glow from it, then a paper map appeared in her hands. Tom shook his head, a small smile on his lips. She enjoyed showing off her gifts, but the way people acted towards witches didn’t allow her to show off very often. “Let’s go then,” Tom started walking off, Tess chasing him.
They had walked for a few hours when Tom’s ears perked up, putting him on edge.
“Is everything okay?” Tess asked, looking around for any danger.
“I’m uncertain,” Tom slowed to a standstill. He peered into the trees on either side of them, searching for the stick crack he had heard. He started growling, his hackles rising. “Tess behind me,” he moved in front of her, getting into a protective stance.
Tess stood behind him, looking around, trying to find the source of his unease. She soon saw a figure slowly appearing out of the trees. It was a tree nymph. It wasn’t often you saw a tree nymph; they liked to keep to themselves. Tess took in the mossy figure that stood before them. Their hair looked like willow branches waving in the wind. The nymph was easily as tall as Tom.
“Tom,” Tess started trying to calm him down before she noticed what the nymph was carrying.
“Give us what you have and nobody has to get hurt,” the tree nymph walked forward, holding a large branch like a club. Tess peered around Tom to see a small group of various nymphs following the aggressive one.
“We don’t want any trouble,” Tom barked at them, trying to get Tess to back up so they could get away. “We didn’t realize we were in your home.”
“Our home?” the nymph laughed, sounding like bark cracking. “They took our home from us! Polluted! Demolished! What do we get instead?” The nymph moved their arms gracefully, waving towards the nearby forests. Tess felt like she was watching a dance. As the nymphs came closer, they all moved so fluidly. “We get a tiny ‘sanctuary’” she sneered at the word, her brown eyes hardening.
Tom tensed, seeing the nymph grow before Tess did. Tess let out a small shriek when a splash sounded near her. A water nymph plopped near them, turning into a puddle. It raised to its full height, water rushing along its figure like a small waterfall. “Look at us,” the water nymph gurgled, holding out an arm to be inspected. “We are no longer pure,” she wept, her arm fell into the puddle she had made. The water at her feet was a murky color, most likely the color of the river she was from.
“We hold no grudges against you,” Tom tried again. They were getting circled by the nymphs, there were many more than they had originally seen. Tom slid his pack off, letting it hit the ground. Tess looked up at him, fear in her eyes. He was going to attempt another forced transformation.
“Tom,” Tess squeaked. She didn’t have a recovery potion ready for him. He still wasn’t recovered from his previous transformation.
The nymphs were no longer listening to Tom and were wailing as they moved closer to them. Tess had never seen so many in one spot before. She felt tiny pebbles hitting her, making her turn around, nearly tripping over Tom’s pack. A ground nymph was making its way towards her, its body made from soil and rocks. It stumbled towards her, its stone face staring directly at her, the eyes unmoving. Tess shivered as Tom changed into his wolf form. He let out a howl, making the nymphs cringe.
“Wilkolak,” they whispered as Tess grabbed Tom’s pack and jumped on his back, grabbing onto his fur. “Wilkolak!” the nymphs began wailing as they moved closer to them. Tess thought they were almost pleading with Tom to stay.
Tom reared on his hind legs, making Tess grab onto his fur tighter from fear of falling off his back. He howled once more, then swatted at a couple of nymphs that had gotten too close. He jumped over their heads and started racing out of the forest. Lend me some strength, Tess. Tom’s voice appeared in Tess’ head.
Tess concentrated her power and focused her energy into her hand. Laying it over Tom’s back once it glowed. His speed instantly picked up as the wails of the nymphs dissipated. Tom somehow kept his transformation until they made it to the flower fields. He jumped the hedges in one large bound, then transformed into his human self as he hit the ground. Tess landed near him. She rolled over to see Tom’s passed out form, his clothes strewn all over his body. She reached towards him, before passing out herself, her energy waning.