The Witch Among Humans

Chapter 48: The Hunter

"C'mon... Flapjack!"

The cardinal Palismen, despite not being able to move in staff mode, was struggling to move in a straight line. The mess ups almost seemed to be intentional. "At this rate, we'll lose them!"

Hunter looked down quickly, making sure that he didn't lose his targets. The two friends of Luz- of the witch were walking down the street. 

He was tailing them to find the witch. Hunter didn't exactly remember the house she stayed in, only the way it looked. Hopefully, these friends would be a good source.

As he tailed them, Flapjack was clearly upset with his plan. "Flapjack, I've already told you. Belos doesn't accept failure of any kind, and he won't let anyone stand by him on the Day of Unity that can't live up to his standards.

In his mind, he heard the bird once again object to him returning to Belos. "I don't have a choice. When he comes here, I need to have lived up to standard. The only way to do that is to capture Luz- I mean the wild witch! Dang it!"

With a small judgement on his conflicting statement, Flapjack temporarily straightened up.

"Thank you." Hunter sighed: while he cared for Flapjack, having a Palismen was not so easy. He almost had to have a bit more respect for witches with Palismen.

Well, the witches in one of the main covens. He didn't feel the same about wild ones.

The duo made a turn around the corner, so he hastily followed on his staff. He ended up flying directly over them.

As the pair set into a steady pace, Hunter pulled out an apple he acquired after first entering the city. Having a snack to tide him over for the next few hours would be really helpful.

Apparently, Flapjack saw this as an opportunity. He transformed back into his regular form for a few seconds, allowing Hunter to fall part of the way.

"Gah! Flapjack!" As the Palismen transformed back, Hunter grabbed on with both hands, dropping the apple. Before it hit the ground, he realized the situation he was in. "Go!"

Hunter immediately flew away at a high speed. He made a turn into an alley, slowly getting closer to the ground. The moment his feet his the ground, Hunter pulled the Palismen close to his face.

"What. Was. That?"

Flapjack simply transformed, flying around to land on his shoulder. He nuzzled against Hunter, letting out an innocent chirp. "Trying to be adorable won't make me change the subject."

"Are you talking to your bird?" A voice asked.

Hunter turned around sharply, only to realize that he wasn't fast enough. The girl that the wild witch was friends with was staring right at him. He could hear the gasp when she noticed his ears.

A younger sounding guy followed around the corner. "Hey Willow, why did you- oh."

They were all silent for a few moments, acknowledging the situation they were in.

The girl suddenly began charging right at Hunter. He tried pointing his staff... only to realize Flapjack was watching from above.

"You good for nothing- oof!" Hunter was tackled to the ground. He should have reacted faster, but his frustration and weak body bested him. He turned to see the girl above him, pinning his arms behind his back. He believed he heard the name Willow.

"You're a witch, right?" Willow asked. 

"How'd you know?"

"The pointy ears give it away."