Hunter and the Hart

Homing Instinct

"What did you just say to me?" Clarissa turned to me in a mix of anger, confusion, and outright fear.

"I said, if you tell Ava anything about me, you will never see me again." I could feel my hands flexing at my sides, and Clarissa flinched away from me.

"I need to call someone. Your parents are probably worried, you've been here for more than a full day without calling, and Aunt Ava is usually the first person that anyone goes to for information on you guys, since she's literally the only person that your mom told your address to." She leaned back onto the door of the fridge, crossing her arms across her chest. Her eyes kept darting around the room, and I let out a sound oddly reminiscent of a snarl.

"You already called her, didn't you?" I shook my head as her eyes widened, looking anywhere but at me. "How long?"

"How long what, Elissa?" She tried for a light tone, but failed, it coming out as more of a squeak.

"HOW LONG UNTIL SHE GETS HERE?!" My voice echoed with a preternatural snarl, magic pulsing out from me, blood red in the air, shattering every glass in the pack house. The world went silent as blood rushed through my ears, deafening me with a whisper in my mind telling me to kill her, to burn it all to the ground.

"Clarissa!?" Alex ran into the room, freezing in the doorway, his wolf instantly surging to the front, whimpering as he fought between the instinct to submit and the instinct to protect his mate. "What has my mate done to anger you, Child of the Forest?" His voice was wavering, as he lowered his head slightly.

"Did you know?" The words crackled through the air like lightning.

"Know what, Child of the Forest?" I narrowed my eyes at the way he said it, like it was a title.

"That she had called Ava." My voice was harsh, and I felt myself inwardly flinch. I knew that it wasn't his fault. I knew that I shouldn't really even blame Clarissa, I never told them what happened. But the fact that she did this without even asking, it made my blood boil.

"Her aunt?" Alpha Alex nodded his head slightly. "Yes, she called her the first time you collapsed. I don't believe she told her anything about you." He looked to Clarissa cowering in the corner, holding her head in desperation. I could see the pain in his eyes, and the guilt began washing over me, overpowering the rage I had been feeling.

I turned and walked out of the kitchen, the pack wolves in the dining room all bowing their heads to me. I stepped through the broken glass and out into the clearing beside the house. "Do not seek to find me again, or you will lose everyone and everything you have ever loved." I felt tears streaming down my cheeks, quickly evaporating with hisses of steam against my skin.

I walked into the forest, choking back the sobs that wracked my chest. How could she do this to me? I had trusted her, and she called Ava. Without even discussing it with me.

Once I was deep enough that nobody could see me, I shifted once again into the form of the tyto, allowing the bird's natural homing instinct to lead me to the Matriarch's house, shutting my mind down so I wouldn't have to deal with the pain.

~~

"Remember, ladybug," Grandma Mira's voice was warm as she wrapped her arms around me in the garden, "if you ever find yourself in trouble, no matter what kind, if you come home, I will do everything in my power to help you."

"But Gramma, what kind of trouble could I even get myself into? I'm only five." I pouted up and her with my forehead wrinkled. 

"Trust these old bones, ladybug. Trouble finds everyone." Her voice was playful as she lifted me into her lap, reaching behind her back. She brought out a black stuffed wolf, and I immediately giggled reaching for him. "Let this guide you, ladybug. One day, this black wolf will save you. He will find you when you need him most." She kissed my forehead as I yawned, cuddling my new wolfie to my chest. 

"I love you, Orion." I whispered against his ears, burrowing into gramma's arms.

~~

My conscious mind returning was like fighting through a quagmire, slow and difficult, with the darkness constantly trying to draw me back in. I don't know how long it actually took me to wake up fully, but when I did, I was on a branch next to an unlikely creature: Jareth.

I looked around, still moderately dazed, and froze when I saw Grandma Mirabelle in her conservatory, sipping tea with the council of elders. The family usually just referred to them as "The Council." They were six women, though their exact ages I doubted even Grandma Mira knew. I watched them fondly, wondering if they knew I was there.

They walked into the garden, Grandma pulling her well-worn shawl up around her shoulders. She looked the same as she did the last time I saw her. Witches were known for their long lives, known for looking years younger than they actually were. None of the council looked a day over forty, despite having been elders since mama was a child.

A car pulled into the drive, and two tangles of hair walked toward the side. I froze, my body and emotions flashing back and forth between hot and cold. Ava and Lilah were stopped by the Council, and neither looked pleased about it. I couldn't quite make out what they were saying as they were directed to the main hall, but the glances they shared sent a shiver down my spine. Were they working together to murder my family?

My attention was drawn to a gathering of stray cats, Grandma always allowed them into the house. I smiled; I now had my ticket in. I swooped down, shifting mid-air into a long haired black cat. Grandma used to have one when I was little, but I didn't know if she still did. I ran in the cat door with the small pack, relishing the scent of drying herbs in the sitting room. 

"Mother, the main line is gone. You need to name a new matriarch soon." Aunt Ava was fidgeting with her teacup, tapping her fingers along the rim as she spun the empty cup between her hands repeatedly.

I followed the small stream of cats as they paced around the room, looking for a comfortable place to lay down, of which there was no shortage. After making a few rounds through the room, I settled on an empty chair cushion next to Grandma, purring softly as she reached down to scratch my ears. I felt a strange pulse against the base of my skull, somewhere between static electricity and magic, and pulled myself away to itch my ears. I shook myself a couple times, giving Grandma a wary glance as I laid back down.

Her eyes on me were full of both shock and fondness as she settled back into her chair.

"Mother, are you listening to us?" Aunt Lilah slammed her cup on the table, a spiderweb of cracks spreading like lightning from the base to the rim. "Katherine and her whole family are dead. Including your precious little Elissa, which means you need to pass the coven on to someone else." She pulled herself up like she was the obvious choice for the next Matriarch.

"If that is the case, then I will need to do a thorough investigation of what happened to my daughter and her family." Grandma's voice was cold, and I felt a shiver run up my spine as she merely sipped her tea.