PlayerOliver

When you were a kid, you lived with your grandmother in the small town of Silvertree, on the edge of a magical forest. Grandma is a witch, and she taught you how to use your magic to affect the natural world, too. “Magic is a part of you,” she always told you. “Learning how to use it means figuring out who you are.”

Now you’re 19 and on your own. After years of living in the forest while you perfected your witchcraft, you’ve returned to take care of your grandmother’s house and crow-familiar while she’s gone. Figuring out who you are feels more important than ever - not to mention, figuring out what Silvertree is. A lot is just as you remembered: the friendly generous next-door neighbors with a kid just your age, the proud town council, the quaint little shops with quirky punny names, the gentle shadowy forest full of magic.

Stone in the shoe

With a little mew she twists herself around and runs back along the shelf, seeming very happy to disrupt every book that's balanced there.


Like you, she always knows what she's doing.


"Oh, good," you sigh. "I thought you were getting into trouble."


If she picks up on your sarcasm, she doesn't show it. Maybe you should call her name just to make sure she's listening.


Arctus stops and blinks at you slowly, but soon drops neatly to the floor. That's something, at least.


"So, Arctus," you ask her, "what do you think of the place?"


Arctus makes a little noise of satisfaction. The living room seems up to her standards.


"I'm glad you're settling in, girl, but let's try and make sure there's still a house left when Grandma gets back."


Arctus gives you another slow, understanding blink and trots over to your feet. You reach down for her, but before you know it, she's scrambling up your leg, so you pull her onto your shoulder before she can do too much damage. You hear her purring as she slinks behind your neck.


"Well, the house may be fine for you, Arctus, but I think it needs a little work."


Slowly, you turn around on the spot. The fact that not everything is packed away in boxes makes the living room a lot more inviting than the hallway, but there's no denying the layers of heavy dust and the itch of damp and the cold, limp, lifeless way the furniture is sitting around. This doesn't feel like a place to settle down in.


How can you make the house a little more cozy?


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