The Forest Witch's Home for Magical Creatures

Chapter 6: Stuck

He felt irrationally angry at the situation. How was this the witch he was worried about? This sad little thing didn't have the willpower to lift a rock never mind, trap and torture him. He was silent and nimble as he climbed and crossed the distance between them. He observed her for a few seconds right out of her eye-line. He watched the rapid rise and fall of her chest, the way her face was set in a grimace from the pain. His eyes scanned her body lying on top of the rocks. He noticed the divots where the sharp edges pushed into her skin. Her ankle disappeared under the rock, a little line of blood served as the divider from the skin to stone.

He moved to the left and cast his shadow over her. Her whole body jerked in shock then she immediately hissed out in pain. She stared up at him like a dumb little bunny caught in a snare. He stood up straighter and preened slightly. He rather liked the feeling of standing over the helpless, stupefied little witch.

"Are you an idiot?" He asked her.

She still looked bewildered as she shrugged.

It was exactly like bullying a dumb, little bunny. "Why don't you use, I don't know, your magic to get the rock off you?"

"I didn't want to scare you."

"Why the hell would that scare me?"

"You said my magic scared you!" She sputtered out, waving her hand at him.

He gave her a hard look. "I never said I was scared of your magic, you pathetic little witch.'

"You said you felt hunted when I used my magic." She argued.

He snarled at her, making sure to clank his incisors at her. "I felt hunted because you were hunting me!"

"I wasn't hunting you, I was checking on you!." She insisted.

He stomped over to the rock that was trapping her foot. His wings were twitching angrily. "Shut up, I'm not getting into this with you again."

She wisely did what she was told and shut her mouth. She watched him with open curiosity apparent on her face. Not an inkling of suspicion or weariness. She was trapped, and so much smaller and weaker than him. He could easily kill her where she lay. He was a fierce and terrible being. He has caused all kinds of harm to others, but this little Daisy looked at him in wonder.

He was careful as he lifted the stone. The weight of it was of no consequence to him. He didn't want to rip and tear her foot more than it already was. For all their magic that blessed them with extended life spans and increased healing, witches are very much human in nature. Many wore spells and sigils that enhanced them, but their skin was still as thin as a baseline human, and their bones were still fragile.

Her foot was looking a little bit smashed. Her ankle was twisted in a way that most definitely suggested it was broken. The top of her foot was bleedingly sluggishly from where the flesh was scraped off. The witch had her eyes tightly clenched shut as she took measured breaths in through her nose and out through her mouth. He sat back on his heels and watched her. She didn't appear to be a witch with any battle experience. She looked green around the edges from a broken ankle, he didn't know how she could handle the gaping wounds that came from a fight. She was weak. It disgusted him.

She dug in her pack and pulled out a thin rectangular box. She slowly peeled off the sock-like shoe she had on her injured foot. She unscrewed the lid off a tin from the box. The tin was filled with a yellow cream. It had a strong citrus smell that pleasantly tickled his nose. Unconsciously he leaned forward for a better smell. She smiled softly and offered the tin to him.

"It's a healing ointment with verbena and aloe."

The cream inside the tin had a thick consistency. Now that he was holding it he could pick up the light scent of aloe where it was being powered by the lemony scent. He looked at her for permission before sticking his finger in the balm. She nodded her consent. He swiped the pad of his index finger across the top of the ointment. The skin of his finger cooled and tingled pleasantly. He rubbed the cream over a scrape on the back of his hand. He could feel the effects immediately. A refreshing coolness settled on the cut, and the redness disappeared from the edges.