Ibhan's POV

I watched as she easily and eagerly commanded the group of younger werewolves before her. There was about 20 of them, listening attentively to her every word. They spread out in front of her, enough room that they wouldn't hit each other as they practiced the motions she showed them. I gritted my teeth and looked away when I noticed that I was staring, focusing on a small patch of flowers close by.

Standing up and dusting off my robe, I walked over and studied the small flowers. Plants were excellent conduits of magic and were known to strengthen spells and potions. I made a trip down to the Heavenly Thicket and the field of of Fae every so often just to take my own prime pickings of the more magical variety. I picked a few small buds, and put them into my satchel with the rest, the insides of the bag enchanted to stay cool.

Hearing a loud crackling sound, I whipped around to see the group of gangly teens shift into wolf form. It was unnerving to see the way their bodies stretched, broke and reformed. But it was also fascinating how they were able to withstand it. My eyes immediately sought out Kyda, standing at the front of the group. Like her hair, her fur was black and shimmered in the morning sun. She communicated silently with her group, most likely through the pack bond she said they had, and I found myself walking closer to where she was.

Huffing, I clenched my hands into fists and stayed put where I was. Suddenly, the younger wolves yipped and growled as they took off across the field, sprinting as fast as they could. Kyda turned towards me and padded over. She seemed more open in her wolf form than human as she brushed up against my side. I raised a brow as I watched her circle me, inspecting me from a whole new perspective.

"What? Is there something wrong with me?" I asked as she sat back on her haunches, head tilted to the side. She let out a small growling sound and looked over the field. The young wolves were running laps, taking turns to shift between wolf and human form every so often. Kyda laid down as she watched, satisfied her charges were doing as told.

Giving in to my curiosity, I crouched by her and gently held out a hand to her head.

"Can I?" I asked and she licked at my hand before laying her head on the ground. I groaned, wiping my hand in the grass. "Crazy wolf."

I rested my hand on the back of her head, surprised at how warm and soft the fur was. Her coat was thick, and I couldn't help but run my hand down her neck, just a little bit, to feel it between my fingers. I felt a small pressure build in my mind, and realised it was her, attempting to talk to me.

"Oh no, I don't think so, you are not getting in my head." I said sternly, sitting back in the grass, leaning on my hands. She huffed and turned, laying her head on my leg.

"Hey, I didn't say you could do that," I said, shifting aside, but she just laid a large paw on my leg to and stayed exactly where she was. I sighed and gave up, tilting my head back and letting the sun pour over my face. This much sunshine was a rarity at home.

We stayed that way for a while, maybe almost 10 minutes, before the thunder of paws on the dirt approached and Kyda stood, trotting off to meet her students. I groaned as I adjusted my legs, though they didn't hurt, in fact, the weight had been comforting. Shaking my head, I sighed as I squashed aside the way she made me feel. It was stupid. I saw the panic on her fathers face this morning when I used my magic. This was not something that would work and it was not something I would subject myself to.

I watched a while longer as they wolves split off into pairs, practicing some fighting moves on each other like how to get out of certain biting grips or to evade a certain pounce. It was entertaining to say the least. A lot of them were clumsy, too much limb and not enough coordination, but they didn't seem to mind. I thought back to my training, my mother and father were my teachers, and we mostly spent the hours quietly studying old texts. Now, I practiced spells in my own time mostly, rarely asking for any kind of help. I had just a few months more of training left before I would graduate from senior apprentice to a full warlock. That's when I would be given permission to roam the lands freely, with significantly less chance of being consumed the the valley of Kegsus should I find myself in there.

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I stood up and once again, wandered away from the group. I stretched my arms as I headed for the trees, feeling the need for some seclusion after being out in the open field for so long. I walked quietly between the trees for a while, picking at odd leaves and petals, grinding them together in my hands and making a little concoction.

"Mistelle vapross," I murmured quietly over my hand and the shadows swamped over the pile of palnts in my hands and it began to smoke. This combination of smells was used frequently at home. The shadows warlocks used in their magic had an intense effect on our mood, but this smell numbed all of those feelings we had, even the positive ones, it was what made us so recluse. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, letting it take the edge off of my racing mind. I hadn't done this is a while, but something about Kyda had stirred up emotions in me that I'd rather not have.

I heard a rustle behind me and closed my fist, smothering the plants in my hand as the shadows receded.

"Ibhan?" I turned to see Kyda, now in her human form, standing a few feet away.

"What?" I asked, hating the fact that the plants had had basically no effect.

"The class is over, are you okay?" She asked, no doubt smelling what I had just been burning.

"Yes."

"Hey, look, I'm sorry for what I did back there, I was out of line, but its just harder to squash the wolf instincts in that form," she explained, looking flustered as she ran a hand over her hair, pulled tightly back as it was yesterday. I suppressed a smile as I realised what she was referring to and walked towards her.

"Its fine, everyone knows wolves are... needy," I said dryly and she narrowed her eyes and swatted at my arm.

"I am not needy, I am nice and you are unapproachable."

"That's exactly what I was going for," I said with a satisfied nod and she rolled her eyes.

"Would you like to go and see the pond? Its very pretty this time of day," she said , her mind already on to the next task of the day.

"Fine," I said, resigning myself to at least another day or so of sightseeing.

"Your enthusiasm is infectious, come on," she held out her hand and I glanced at it and back up at her face. Nodding she dropped her hand and started walking. I felt a small pang of guilt, but I ignored it and followed her anyway.

She walked gracefully through the woods, leaving the flowers undisturbed, the sound of her steps almost imperceptible. In comparison, I wreaked havoc behind her, swatting at low hanging branches and trampling through the undergrowth. At one point she started humming under her breath as she walked along, so comfortable in her skin and her world.

I kicked myself mentally as I caught myself again, thinking too much about her, about the details of her mannerisms and how they just fit. Her energy was strong and I hated it.

"We're almost there," she said turning back to me, "quit scowling," she mock pouted as she parted two large overlapping branches. I pressed my lips into a thin line and gritted my teeth as she stepped through, narrowly catching the branches before they slapped against my face.

When I stepped through, I felt a bit of my anger ebb away. The pond was a rich blue, surrounded by flowers of all colours and sizes. The clearing had an entirely different feel to it and I found myself wandering slowly around it, taking it all in. I brushed my fingers over the petals of a large raised flower, its pollen glittering on my fingertips.

"You know, this stuff is great for scrying," I said absently as I picked off a small flower and put it in my bag. I turned to see Kyda leaning against a tree, watching me.

"Do you like it?" She asked, gesturing around the clearing. I looked around once more, feeling my mind settle as I took in the view.

"It's peaceful," I said and she smiled, ear to ear, and sat down on the ground.

"So, I have some questions for you," she said, stretching her legs out in front of her.

"Do I have to answer?"

"Please."

I huffed and looked her over once more. She was so relaxed, so in her element. I was fucked. "Go on then."

"Okay, so, I know you have a wand.Do you have a spell book?" She asked and I rolled my eyes and sat a few feet away from her. I undid my robe and pulled out an old leather bound journal.

"Warlocks share very few things, but spellbooks is one of them. This one is my own that I fill with the things I've learnt, be it standard practice or something new," I said, turning over the book in my hands.

"How often do you write in it?" Kyda asked and I opened up the journal to the last page I was on.

"I wrote this just a while before you found me yesterday, I try and write something everyday, keep on top of things." She nodded as she watched me turn the pages, her eyes gliding over the words and drawings.

"You have nice handwriting," she mused and I frowned.

"My mother told me it's chicken scratches," I grumbled and she laughed, a rich and full sound that caught me by surprise.

"I think mothers are required to say that, some kind of code," she said and suppressed a smile as I thought about it. Suddenly, she sat up a little straighter, head cooked to the side as she turned her attention elsewhere. Sensing her tension, I tucked my book away.

"What is it?" I asked and she slowly stood up.

"Someone's coming."