The Human, The Witch, And The Wolf

Chapter 3: Magic School Encounters

Open the sun, panning down to show Luz, Dante, Eda, and King standing on a beach.

Eda: "Well, Kids!" [elbows Luz] "Did you ever in your life think you'd see something as breathtaking as this?"

She gestures to the corpse of a trash slug that towers over them. It's surrounded by trash and muck. Flies audibly buzz around the corpse.

Luz: [shaking her head] "I don't like this." [plugs her nose]

Eda: [walks to the trash slug] "Yes, it doesn't get much more inspiring than the trash slug. It makes a home, a life from what others have thrown by the wayside." [pulls a rubber chicken from the trash slug's mouth] "Until, blam, it gets blasted by a wave one day and croaks from all the salt. And then we get to sell the stuff it ate." [pulls out a pickaxe]

Luz: "Please don't make me."

Dante: "Have fun Luz. I'm sure you'll have a great time taking it apart." [Sits on the beach and takes out a sketchpad and starts drawing at fast speeds]

Luz: "How come you don't have to do this?!"

Dante: "Because I'm not her apprentice anymore. Remember?"

(Flashback to the previous day)

Dante, Luz and Eda were all in the living room. Luz was trying to touch Dante's wolf ears, but he wasn't letting her.

Dante: "Luz stop."

Luz: "Come on. Just a little bit."

Dante: [moves away from Luz] "No." [Looks at Eda] "What do you mean I can't be your apprentice?"

Eda: "Your magic works differently from anything else on the Boiling Isles. The only way for you to learn anything is what you teach yourself."

Dante: "Does this mean you're going to kick me out?"

Eda: "Of course not. Don't say something so stupid." [Gives Dante a serious look] "You have to be extremely careful from now on. You should be fine so long as you don't shift forms in front of others. If you do then a fate far worse than death could await you. Do you understand?"

Dante nods in understanding before Luz attempts to touch his wolf ears again only for him to move making her fail.

(Flashback Ends)

Luz: "That's not fair. It's so gross."

King: [walking away] "Aw, come on, Luz." [unfurls a towel] "It's not every day you get to go to the dump and pick apart a garbage carcass."

Eda: "Ah, nuts to you all." [swings the pick at the trash slug.]

Luz: "So, Eda..." [Glass shatters] "What if we tried some new lessons for my apprenticeship? Like..." [Something crashes] "Read ancient scrolls or mix together potions, or‐"

Eda: [while tossing things from the trash slug's mouth] "Ugh. That sounds like a bunch of magic school stuff."

Luz: "Wait. Is there a magic school here? Like, winding towers, cute uniforms, dark plots that threaten your life kind of magic school?"

Eda: "Mm‐hmm. What's worse, they force you to learn magic the "proper" way. But magic isn't proper. It's wild and unpredictable. And that's why it's so beautiful. I didn't finish school, and look at me! Who wouldn't envy where I am right now?"

Flies are flying around the pile of trash Eda is currently standing in. Luz's expression falls.

Eda: "Uh... Hey, here's a lesson." [drops her pick] "A great witch is resourceful," [sticks Luz's hand in a puddle of trash slug bile] "like this."