Moon Witch

Tobias

Tobias sits perched upon his witch's shoulder as she writes the millionth email of the week. He cocks his head to the side, watching her deft fingers fly over the keyboard. Of all the magic Tobias has seen those fingers perform, typing is the most bewildering to him. His talons squeeze Maggie's shoulder tightly as she slams her laptop shut in frustration, clinging for dear life lest he flies off his human perch.

"I don't know what to do, Tobias. I feel like the Elders aren't even reading these," His witch confides in him, putting her head in her hands. He caws in response, human words much too tedious for him even though Maggie charmed him to speak long ago, "You're right. I need to be patient. All Hallows isn't until the very end of October, I have time." Despite her revelation, however, she bites at her fingernails.

Maggie opens her laptop again, her email still open. A little red notification next to her inbox. Her heart stalls. She hopes against hope that this is the email she's been waiting for all these years: That she will finally get to spend Halloween at home as intended, instead of being ushered into hiding against her will. She clicks on it, holding her breath as the page loads.

Dearest Margot,

Thank you for the emails regarding your concerns. Unfortunately, we will not be able to lift the All Hallows tradition. The Hunts may not have happened in over a hundred years, but there are still Hunters out there looking for us. To abandon the tradition is to make them come sniffing around for us. We do look forward to seeing you at the meeting next week.

Kind regards,

Elder Cybil

Maggie leans back in her chair, sighing heavily, "Well, I suppose that's that," She gets up from her desk, Tobias still gripping her shoulder in his sharp black talons. He chirps softly, nudging the side of Maggie's head with his own. He's never known his witch to give up easily, "There's no point on sending another email, Tobias. We'll go to the meeting, but there's not much else we can do." She reaches over to stroke his oily feathers. He closes his eyes in delight against her touch.

"Perhaps we can convince the elders in person," Maggie muses to herself, sitting on the couch and crossing her legs. Tobias hops off her shoulder finally, opting instead for the faux tree branch perch mounted to the wall. His claws click on the vinyl as he grips the perch. He ruffles his feathers, "Or we could go to the meeting, discuss the plans for All Hallows, and then not follow through with them."

Tobias looks down upon his witch, chirps once then turns to face the wall. He knows she's smarter than that. The elders wouldn't hesitate to bludgeon down her door, and he knows Maggie knows that.

"You're right. That's practically begging for disaster," Maggie harrumphs, crossing her arms and slouching back against the couch, "This is ridiculous." She grumbles, resting her head on the back of the couch, staring at the off-white ceiling. Tobias turns back around to observe his witch's frustration, cocking his head to the side to get a better look. He finds Maggie asleep, her face the most peaceful he's observed in days.

He may be a mere raven, charmed to understand and use human language and not much else, but he knows his witch has been driving herself too hard. She barely sleeps; always awake until the first rays of sunshine start to peer through the blinds. Only eats when the man that lives with them cooks (Tobias knows this man to be Maggie's husband, but out of a fit of jealousy has decided only to address him as "man"). Tobias observes the greasy hair and oily skin on Maggie's face, and he worries for her.

"Maggie? I'm ho-" The man that lives with Tobias and Maggie walks in through the front door, starting to call out, but stops when he sees the young witch asleep on the couch, "Right then. It's about time you get some sleep." He says, fetching the blanket off the back of the recliner. He drapes it over Maggie before looking up at Tobias.

"Did she brew something for sleep?" The man asks the bird. Tobias turns to face the wall again, "Still not talking to me, eh? No matter." The man leaves the room again, and Tobias turns back around. He stares straight ahead at the dark TV screen, waiting patiently for his witch to wake up.