Part 9.

"GET HER!"

The wolves all charge at once, and with a swift flick of her cane, she controlled the murky swamp water below her, carrying herself high into the air on a pillar of water. The greenish waters pool at her feet and rushes towards the ground at high speed like a jet stream.

"You're going to have to try harder than that, the boy needs time~"

Alyssa was slowly circling to the back of Mags, but was caught off guard when the vines under the water she stood in had wrapped around her legs, her whines alerting the others.

"Stay out of the water!" she tries to warn them as more vines shoot from the depths, trying their best to clasp around the now clambering pack. The more splashes they made, the more vines would come for them, but Cara was completely focused, quickly rushing over to Alyssa while dodging the swarming attacks thrown at her.

Adrian and Zayne were facing off against Mags, keeping her attention on them as they leap up to snap and bite at her, her form zooming through the air expertly.

Cara was biting down on the vines, slowly but surely releasing her from her binds.

"We need to get her on the ground!"

"I'm on it!" Adrian charged full speed at a nearby tree, the sounds of its creaking wood splintering with each shoulder barge, Zayne was busy distracting the witch, who continued to throw a barrage of spells and chants his way.

"Motiferum Osculum!" she snarled, pointing her cane downward and pressing her lips at the brunt of her cane.

"Zayne move!"

Before she could hit the spell off, Adrian bashes the tree for the last time as it slowly begins to falling in the direction of her, its long branches knocking her from the sky and slamming her into the ground roughly. She grunts in pain, letting out a cacophony of different sounds like fear, pain, betrayal and grief all in one.

"NO! My trees!" She screamed, crawling from under the branches with a raging expression, staring daringly at the wolves all attempting to corner her again. She was raggedly breathing with her teeth bared matching her ambushers.

"yooouuuu...after giving you a safe home...yooou betray ME like THIS!" Her voice was gravely serious and deadly, the very air around her was electrifying, her hair floating just around her head, Cara wasn't backing down, so neither was the pack.

"I wasn't going to kill you...but breaking our arrangement...is punishable at BEST!" She growled, placing her bare hand on the trunk of the now dying tree, its form began to tremble as all of its leaves fall out, and after all had been shed the tree began to split and tear, turning into a ghastly sight.

The tree had shifted its shape into the body of a praying mantis, two large arms that stretched in front with the bark jagged and spiked in-between its raptorial legs, mimicking the chomping of its mandibles while it charged at the pack, leaving them as vulnerable as prey.

*

Kyle in the mean time, had been playing charades in the hut, safe away from all the fighting outside he was oblivious to. The branches had tried their best to offer its condolences, but Kyle was, as usual, confused.

"You want me to shave the tea cups?" he looks at the branches with an odd glance.

The arms flapped about, voicing their frustration, clasping its hand like a prayer, pointing them down towards the cups then bringing the hand back up then bringing them back down again, repeating it in swift sassy motions.

"You know, just because you cant talk doesn't mean you can sass me"

The arms then folded and turned away from him, bending over to a draw in the corner of a room, a tiny bed next to it where Kyle assumed Mags slept.

It came back and was carrying a device of sorts, it was made of wood and was engraved with intricate designs of flowers and nature, it looked a lot like a flute but chunkier and more bendy.

"What the hell is that?"

then as the arms placed their palms to the table he sat at, the wood began to curve and wind, the patterns of the tree rings began to flow freely like ink, the words on the table morphing into a sentence.

You wont get anything done with that attitude.

Kyle was a little annoyed by this as he stares over the table at the arms who had retracted and folded their arms again.

"You could do that the whole time while we stupidly played charades?" he questioned them as the writing moved again, rearranging.

Oh please, Charades is fun

"Ok, fine, charades is fun! yaaay, can we get back to what really matters please? do you have a name?" Kyle says, exasperated at the situation in front of him.

Mags calls me Hutty though I've never been a fan of that dreadful name myself.

The arms were waving their fingers, the writing shifting again.

Got any better suggestions?

Kyle looks around at the space around him, it was beautiful decorated and the time Mags must've lived here showed through all the collections she had, even the mounted heads of unknown creatures hanging on her wall above a purple fireplace were pretty magical.

"I'm not sure, I've only been here a few minutes"

Look around, I'm sure you could help me, then ill help you pick your teacup, sound fair?

"Oh sure, go looking around it a witch's hut...surely nothing will jump from the shadows to eat the poor boy, taken against his will!" Kyle's tone dripped with sarcasm, Which Hutty didn't appreciate.

Kyle, did she hurt you even once? has she done anything other than bring you here, to a place where you are safe from harm? Hells I'm her talking house you think she'd leave you with just anyone? You dont even know who she is do you?

Kyle watched as the writing dissipates, leaving a blank surface once more.

"How am I supposed to know who she is?! this woman who I had near met in my life, interrupted me and my boyfriend! and you thin-" Kyle was cut off as the hands shoot out, grabbing him lightly on the shoulders, as the writing comes back in quick fashion.

Wait, You have a boyfriend?! Oh my god, who is he? is he Cute? have you known him for long? do you two use human protection or is it like-

"EWWWW what kind of question is that?!" Kyle had immediately wiped the writing of the table, his face embarrassed and frightfully red.

The arms start to do a sort of jig, waving its arms as it shrinks into the walls again, leaving him alone with a weird thought in his mind, What the fuck was that about...

*

Back outside, the fighting turns brutal as Adrian is thrown into the side of the hut, the building remaining strong as his wolf cried out in pain, the mantis was quicker than them and had a large advantage, Mags hid trying her best not to be seen in the midst of the brawl.

The mantis tried clamping them in its front legs but each snap of the tree bark misses by a hairline. Zayne was holding back, waiting for the opportune moment as the back of the mantises head looked weaker than the rest, making a an easy target for anyone who could reach it.

"It weak-spot is on the back of its heads guys"

"Good eye, turn it around!"

Cara and Alyssa attempted to bait it into turning its back on Zaynes crouching position. And after a good few fake outs by the mother-daughter duo, the mantis was now in prime position. Zayne bolts from his spot and runs along the mantises back, taking a large crushing bite to the back of its head, taking away the bark and reaching a soft centre, which was soon punctured on Zaynes sharp teeth.

The mantis lets out a screech of death as its body flops over onto its back, its legs curling into the foetus position while its wooden body erodes like termites were eating it away.

The wolves take a moment to catch their breaths as they sniff around the area, to discover that Mags had escaped, covering her scent with an overwhelming odour of Rafflesia, which she had spread all around the hut for the wolves to enjoy. The stench of rotting flesh was too much to bare as the wolves attempt to help Adrian and try to make their way through the vine walls.

"Are you sure we'll even get to him in time?"

"Dont worry, we dont have to"

Panning back through the Vine walls where Kyle was now holding a teacup, and the odd flute like thing Hutty had given him...he decided to blow in the flute like object to see if anything would happen, but the sound that came out was one he hadn't expected.

THWAAAAAAAAARRRRRP

It reminded Kyle of a fog horn, a gravely sound that even the wolves heard from the outside, hurrying in there digging, he placed it down feeling a tingle shooting through his fingers.

"That was weird"

"Psst...Kyle" he heard a familiar voice whisper from above him, looking up and spotting his brother peeking his head through a trapdoor in the ceiling he hadn't noticed before, a great smile on his face.

"Shaun?! what are you doing here?"

"Zayne convinced me to come and get inside while they distracted the witch...pretty sweet plan bro" He said, throwing down the rope that was wrapped around his chest. Propelling himself down into the hut as he stares at Kyle happily, who was very livid he was anywhere near here.

"You shouldn't be here, I thought Zayne would've knew that!"

"He didn't have a choice, they knew they'd have trouble fighting her off, they needed me to get to you first so we could get you out and back to the house, come on" he walks over to Kyle and tried pulling him towards the front door, but Kyle stops.

"Wait, there's so much here im not finished with yet, This place...its connected to everything Shaun"

"Oh for gods sake Kyle define everything?!"

"Mum, I am talking about mum!" he said, dragging his voice as he stares around at the home, which was fairly silent aside from the scratching and biting coming from the front door.

"What? Kyle how do you know that?"

"She told me, she said mum used to need help with some stupid fucking teacup thing, I have no idea what she means but im not done"

"She's a witch Kyle, why are you listening to her like she didn't kidnapped you?! are you out of your mind?!

Kyle shakes his head at Shaun, refusing to listen him.

"There it is, you cant handle the thought of them can you?"

Shaun was silent as he looked on at Kyle like he had slapped him across the face.

"They. abandoned. us...even if she did know her, why should we care? cause she clearly didn't!" Shaun yelled at Kyle as the tearing of vines get closer.

"What if mum...was a witch?"

"SO WHAT?!"

"What did that mean for us Shaun, we couldn't possibly know that...what if us not knowing the right things could hurt the very family that took us in? do you want to find out you're suddenly a witch too when fire bursts from your fingers?! Charring someone to death?"

Shaun shakes his head in disbelief.

"You're over thinking this..."

"How do you know? I stood on that doorstep at 3 years old in the pouring rain! with you bawling in a basket, no idea where I was or where our mother was...how could you understand this when all you know is those ABUSIVE MONSTERS!" Kyle spat, clearly full of rage at his brother dismissing what he was saying so quickly.

Like he had written off all existence of his mother.

"You know what, fine! Stay here feeling sorry about being an orphan and when you've come to your senses, come home" Shaun spat back, leaving his brother to himself as he opens the front door, stepping out just as the wolves had arrived, they looked at him confused before noticing Zayne through the doorway.

"He's not coming, lets go!" Shaun said, not daring to look back at Kyle who watched on sadly, he saw the look on Zaynes face as his ears go flat, a slight whine slipping out of his snout before slowly turning his back, the rest follow, leaving Kyle in Magse's hut as the door closes by itself and Kyle looks back to the table, where the teacups sat taunting him.

Then back to the door, where he imagined the pack were heading back to the house without him, the strain he felt in his heart at what he had said to his brother. He didn't really mean it, He always told himself Shaun was just acting out or going through the motions of growing up. But Kyle knew he was in the wrong, and needed to make it right.

He also wanted to stay, but he wasn't willing to sacrifice everything he had gained in the very rough week he had had, adjusting to his new life.

Zayne was walking back home with his head hung lowly, slumping his paws through the dirt as Cara sneaks up on his side, rubbing her head under his chin and raising it high.

"Chin up my boy, He'll realize his mistake soon enough"

"I cant believe he chose to stay..."

Adrian was deadly silent, unhappy at Kyle's decision.

"I can, that was probably the first time he's seen magic ever...I was pretty amazed the first time too~" Alyssa hums, her head held high remembering.

"Magic is dangerous Alyssa, it may protect us and our home, but it can cause great damage and do much more harm than good more often the-" Her head flicked behind them, hearing a branch snap in the distance, not seeing what was approaching.

"Somethings coming!"

Zayne tries to gain a scent on it, and immediately wags his tail in unbridled happiness.

"Yes!" he says, rushing forward through the bush just as Kyle explodes from it, jumping up on him with a giant wolf-like hug.

"Zayne?" Shaun looked behind his to see his brother had caught back up, his eyes widening as he approaches him slowly.

Zayne was licking his face happily, Kyle was smiling though it before standing and facing his brother with saddened eyes.

"You were right...I shouldn't care so much about her...she's gone"

"Well...I'm glad you made the better decision" Shaun said with a flat smile.

"Yeah...me too"

Kyle slowly slipped something into the hem of his pants tightly, unnoticed by anyone as they turn around in the direction of home, slowly walking next to Zayne, who never left his side for a single second.

*

When the pack had gotten home, Kyle and Shaun wait for the wolves to shift back in their rooms before they entered, the lot of them sitting in the kitchen with a clouded gaze in their eyes, apart from Zayne who was just happy Kyle came back.

"Kyle, we need to talk about why you wanted to stay there"

Kyle was took back, he wasn't expected to be interrogated when he entered as Shaun crosses from him and joins Cara, Adrian and Alyssa who were awaiting an answer.

Zayne noticed how singled out he was, walking over and joining him on the other side.

"Hey, that's not fair, this seems way too personal to just put out into the open!" Zayne says, seeming protective of Kyle now. But Kyle put a hand on his back, the touch calming him instantly.

"Its ok...me and Shaun have been meaning to fill in a few holes in our story..."

"What holes?" Shaun said, his face scrunching in doubt.

"Mags said she had to hold her hand whenever she was there...so what i wanted to know was...why she left us there, was it a good reason?"

Cara's eyes soften at this, and Shaun hides his emotions under a blank stare.

"And then that started opening more questions about who we are and where we belong...but it seemed too good to be true...who is she by the way? Mags?"

Adrian stands, the chair creaking under his large weight as he stares down Kyle.

"That woman is the person who created this forest...she protects us from humans who intend to harm us or the other creatures in here...we were forced to leave our home in search of sanctuary, and our pack was much larger than it is now, if it wasn't for her then my family would be no more"

He approaches Kyle and places his hand on his shoulder.

"That protection came at a cost, we cant go into the forest as Mags enjoys nature to live peacefully, without interruptions...she didn't have to do it for us but she did, and now she's gone"

"So what does that mean?"

"It means, her spells are most likely not active anymore, meaning anyone can come here...and anything can come back out" His voice was grave.

"Back out?"

"We aren't the only pack to live in these woods, and now there's no spell separating us now, we should expect visitors"

Kyle was shocked at this, he had no idea how much Magse's protection was needed so badly, it was what saved their pact from whatever they were running from, and continued to protect them was null and void now. A dread sinking down his spine

"I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry you had to fight her"

"She wasn't attacking until we destroyed a tree" Alyssa chimes in.

"Yeah, then she got really pissed" Zayne said looking down to Kyle with a worried glance.

"It doesn't matter...our pack is whole again, and that is cause for a celebration, come! we feast tonight!" Cara said, trying to alleviate the tension in the room, causing the rest to smile as Cara started to pour drinks for everyone but Shaun, who disapproved but sipped on juice as Cara had began to get the massive catch of venison that happened to be in the forest.

"Why does the forest feel so big?" Shaun asked as everyone looked up from their drinks at the table.

"Well, the inside of her hut was bigger than the outside, perhaps its the same with the woods"

"Its possible, we've never hunted far enough to reach the brim of the forest" Cara said, slicing into he venison meat as its medium rare centre made everyone hungry.

"Hey, can i be excused to use the bathroom?" Kyle asked, as Cara nods with a smile as Kyle walks upstairs, secretly entering Zaynes room quietly and pulling the secret item out of his pants, looking deeply at the book he had propped against his back under his shirt.

It had fancy writing on the book cover that read:

𝓢𝓹𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓘𝓷𝓬𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓫𝓮𝓰𝓲𝓷𝓷𝓮𝓻 𝓦𝓲𝓽𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓼.

𝓐 𝓰𝓾𝓲𝓭𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓬𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯.

𝓑𝔂 𝓜.𝓑. 𝓦𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓽𝓸𝓷.