The Familiars of the Lost Witch (ONC 2024)

17. Teen

He felt a sense of unease being surrounded by witches. All his life he was taught to stay away from them, that they were dangerous.

But now he set next to them and they treated him like he was their equal. A witch shared his food with him. The familiars of a witch became his close companions. He even helped to rescue all those witches. Never would he have dreamed of doing all that willingly.

Strangely, his unease faded over time. These witches were just woman that had experienced something traumatic. They cried and soothed each other, sharing their stories and they all just wanted one thing, living in peace.

Why was he ever scared of them? Yes, there was still the thing about his curse. A witch cursing his ancestor so bad that all generations afterwards suffered. Maybe that was a little overboard, but maybe his great-grandfather had done something to deserve that, he caught himself thinking.

It all started with fear and hope. He had feared that if he refused the witch's request, she would curse him too, and hoped, that she was capable of removing his curse and giving him a normal life. He wanted to help her familiars because he pitied them, he wanted to find Cybele for his own selfish desires, but along the way his intentions changed, everything changed.

Now he didn't believe that she would curse him if he refused to help. Now he didn't even think of her removing his curse, he didn't feel like he needed it anymore. Here, nobody was affected by it, he was visible, he was there. For the first time in a very long time he felt like he finally belonged somewhere.

He wanted to help, truly be a part of it. It was his own wish. He wanted to do it for Asha and Kyrell, who he grew quite fond of in the time they had spend together, for Cybele, who gave him this new chance at life and for himself.

"Whatever you want to do, I'm helping you as much as I can", he declared, holding the empty bowl and looking straight at Cybele, who sat opposite of him. He could feel the eyes of everyone on him. The attention made him feel uncomfortable, he wasn't used to it, but he needed to get used to it, so he didn't flinch.

"Thank you. We will need your help", Cybele finally answered, a faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, a spark appeared in her eyes. "For the plan to work, we need everyone's help."

They discussed what to do about the witch hunter, the fisherman and the village and how to get their things back till the fire was burning low. The sun had already set and the moon had taken her place, followed by the stars.

"It's late, you should all go to sleep", Dhana exclaimed and shooed them into their huts like a mother their little children. "After a good night's rest everything will look clearer in the morning. You also have to sleep well so you have enough energy tomorrow and don't feel tired."

He didn't believe that he or anybody else could sleep after what happened today and what was about to come tomorrow, but he didn't protest. 

As Cybele, Kyrell and Asha entered the first hut, he turned around, wanting to find another hut to sleep. They were finally back together and hadn't got any time for themselves yet. He didn't want to intrude.

But Kyrell croaked behind him: "Where do you think you're going? Come inside." He looked over his shoulder and saw Asha aprovingly nodding, but waited for Cybele's approval.

She winked him inside too, so he followed. The hut was big enough for all of them and he was happy, that they wanted him there.

---

There were two low beds at opposite sites of the hut. Cybele already sat on one so he took the other. Kyrell and Asha hopped on the bed next to Cybele. Of course they would want to sleep next to her. To his surprise, after Cybele petted Kyrell, the bird flew over to him and landed on his shoulder. "Can I sleep with you?"

Perplexed, he just stood in front of his bed. The crow chose him over Cybele? "I want to sleep next to him too", Asha declared firmly. She didn't ask for anything, she just declared her intentions.

With a confused look he watched Asha jump down from Cybele's bed, walk past him and jump on his. While he just stood there, Cybele only laughed. Yes, she laughed. It didn't seem to bother her that both her familiars wanted to sleep next to him instead of her.

A warm feeling began to spread in his body. He hadn't slept with anyone in the same room since he was a little boy, although he had shared his sleeping space with a few stray cats during cold nights to keep each other warm. This wasn't much different, but it felt completely different, knowing that Kyrell and Asha weren't just some animals, but more like friends.

He sat down, nodding and Kyrell hopped from his shoulder down in his lap. "Is the roof leaking?", he croaked questioningly. Was it raining? No.

As he saw the concerned look in Cybele's eyes and touched his cheeks with his hand, he realised it. A tear had landed on Kyrell. His tear. He was crying.

Why was he crying? He hadn't cried in years or at least not before he started to remember. He had cried the night he dreamed about his parents, but why was he crying now? He didn't feel sad like he did back then. He felt... happy.

Where those tears of joy? His heart felt like it could burst at any moment. It hurt, but it felt good at the same time. Was that even possible or was he going crazy? He didn't know, he only knew one thing. That what he had now was precious and he didn't want to lose it by any chance.

Asha, Kyrell, even Cybele, he regarded them as his family. If possible, he wanted to stay with them after all this ended. He wasn't brave enough to ask yet, but he hoped the answer would be yes if he did.

"It's ok, I'm okay", he whispered hoarsly. Cybele nodded, Asha purred and Kyrell rubbed his beak against his belly. They welcomed him without knowing anything about him. He wanted to tell them, now.

"I remembered my name", he started nervously, looking at the ground.

"That's great, I knew you would", purred Asha, "I'm happy for you."

They didn't ask, but waited for him to say it when he was ready instead. He appreciated it.

After a deep breath he finally said: "You can call me Jeko. That's what my mother had called me." 

"What a beautiful name. Good night, Jeko", Cybele said with a warm smile and it felt so good to hear someone finally say his name after such a long time.

___

wordcount:
chapter: 1177 words
in total: 19.564 words

Yes, Jeko wasn't on the initial namelist. I found the name very recently, thought that he sounded fitting and decided to use it (and I don't have time anymore) xD

How do you like it?

I also just decided on the name Lunette, I had a different one before. ^^"

Enough with the names, I think (hope) this was a pretty emotional chapter (at least I got emotional writing it x'D).

What do you say about the boy/teen/Jeko's character growth?