Page 3 of Wandering Witch

“Maybe you should consider getting a room at the hotel next door, love. That is if you’re so tired that you can’t even stay awake long enough to order your dinner.” The waitress, an older lady, looked down at me from the other side of the counter with her notepad in hand. “You feelin’ okay, darlin’? You’re looking a little pale.”

I nodded before placing an order for the first thing I could focus on enough to read.

Was that what I wanted to eat? No. Did I even want, or possess the energy to eat? Again, no. However, I also knew that the moment I gave my body half the chance, I would find myself passed out for several days. So, I decided that the plan would be to order the first thing I could. Eat said food once it was delivered. Mosey my skinny, white ass over the hotel suggested by the kindly waitress, obtain a room and sleep off the last week of running for my life. How hard could that be?

Farren

My body felt weightless, free as the winds that often guided me on the toughest decisions regarding my survival. My spirit, now one with the breeze, flowed high over trees, mountains, and plains. Across the vast span of land and wilderness, I flew with no apparent destination in mind.

All too soon, my carefree flight was brought to an end as I closed in on a thick patch of wood that appeared to emanate a foreboding darkness. With all my might, I tried to pull my spirit up and away from those shadows, to no avail.

Closer and closer, I was pulled into tighter and tighter circles around the woods until I found myself able to peek through gaps in the shadows and saw a small town, cold and abandoned, in the center. Something about the town pulled even stronger at my heart.

The wind picked up, collecting enough forest detritus that it blocked my vision for a moment before it cleared. In its place stood a continental map of the United States with several locations circled.

One of the circles appeared to be in the northwestern most corner of the map, while several others were placed along the eastern coast. Near the top on the east side, just below the top circle was a bright yellow star that I just knew in my gut was the location of the unsettling woods.

With a start, I bolted upright and placed a hand over my racing heart in an effort to ease the rapid pounding in my chest.

“Ugh, what was that dream?” I muttered as I swung my legs over the edge of the hotel bed. With shaky steps, I walked towards the window and pulled back the curtain enough to see the night sky.

I gasped as I caught sight of the state of the moon. In place of the usual brilliant yellow-white orb, it was caught in the grasp of the claws of a blood moon that appeared larger than I’d ever seen it before.

Something about its brilliance told me it was responsible for such a strange dream. And my gut told me I needed to find the town in the star.

I pulled out my map and a pencil and placed circles over the corresponding locations from my dream.

It looked like the closest place to start would be the northwest stop since I was only just a short distance away.

Locke

As I awoke, I groaned at the scent of stale fish and rust flooding my nostrils.

My massive maw cracked as I released a yawn before I stretched out my limbs, taking time to flex my razor-sharp claws. The sound they made as they scraped across the worn wooden floorboards soothed my weary bones.

It took me some effort to push my bulk up, but as soon as I did, I felt the rumble of my stomach that told me it was time to go hunting. Such a shame that the locals had taken to avoiding the area due to my voracious appetite.

How I missed the ease that came from this cannery being active and staffed. Hell, I even missed the sweet taste that came from the lumber yard nearby despite the toughness of the meat.

I sighed as I pushed myself to leave my den to lumber through the abandoned village and sniffed the air. Nothing close came to me, but as I focused on the outer edges of my territory, the sweetest, most tempting scent I’d ever come across teased at me.

Intrigued, I turned and plodded in that direction ever hopeful that the scent would lead me to a most delicious meal.

It took me several hours of tracking before the scent trail took me to the edges of the nearest town. Right to where the strongest concentration of the scent appeared to have settled. Unfortunately, the scent pool was also cold as though its source had stayed here for some time before leaving.

In the very same direction I had just come from.

I grumbled lowly before I approached a nearby butcher shop, closed for the day, I shattered the door that barred my way to easy food. If I were to continue on my hunt for the delightful smell, I would need my strength. And besides, there was no human alive that would dare stand between me and my food.

Eventually, my hunger was sated enough that I felt I could return to my hunt to discover just what it really was that awoke me from my deep slumber. One which has been maintained for the many decades that have passed since the last member of the village had fled.

“What a pain,” I muttered as I returned to my hunt. Perhaps if I remembered, later I would consider the possibility of hunting a moose or two as recompense for the large amounts of meat I had consumed.

Then again, the pitiful humans of this town should be thankful that I only chose to help myself to their store of meat in place of their homes for their flesh.

Regardless, now that my need for food had been dealt with I was able to focus all of my efforts on locating the source of the most appealing scent that had crossed my path in forever. Perhaps I will be lucky and its meat will be sweeter than that of a tender young moose calf.

I licked my chops at the thought of tasting such a rare and new delicacy. As great lobs of drool oozed down my chin, I turned myself onto the path and plodded along the scent trail.

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