Page 3 of Magic in the Woods
Changing into my kitten form to forage for bugs along the ground would produce the same outcome. By the time I’d transformed and eaten, the summer weather would’ve melted the ice in the pail.
I just had to keep moving.
My dress stuck to my skin as I sweated out what little liquid I had left in my body. Through the dense trees, there was little breeze, and the air grew warm and thick. I kept a close eye on the pail, using my magic to continually refreeze the ice. It was melting quickly. Too fast for me to become complacent for even a moment. If even a single paw thawed, my mother could use her magic.Thatwould be a problem. I had no doubt she would conjure some magic to end me right here in these woods for what I’d done to her.
Refreezing her took energy I didn’t have. Energy I couldn’t replace.
It became harder to pick up my feet. I let out a yelp as my toe crashed into a root that stuck up from the ground.
“Who’s there?” a voice called out ahead of me.
I instantly froze, the pail squeaking as it swung back and forth on the handle I held steady.
“I can hear your breathing…”
I pressed my lips together tightly, trying to contain my ragged, adrenaline-fueled breaths. “Come out with your hands where I can see them!”
A string of giggles followed the man’s command. “Dad, you sound like Judy Hopps fromZootopia.”
There was aclick.
“I’m…I’m gonna shoot!”
“Wait!” I pushed through the branches that separated us, stumbling over more roots and branches on the ground.Does he have a gun?Three gasps met my ears before I balanced myself and raised my eyes.
There was aman. I immediately flinched. He had a silver gun in his hand pointed right at me. His black hair, turning gray along the temples, was in stark contrast to the tan camouflaged shirt he was wearing. Two little girls with matching curly blonde pigtails stood next to him. I glanced around, looking for more threats. A green tent stood pitched behind them, and a small campfire crackled inside a nearby ring of large rocks.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” I said as I raised my hands in the air. I kept the handle of the pail hooked on my thumb. The tendons in my hand trembled, holding its weight. My nostrils flared as the scent of grilled meat hit my nose. Patties of meat cooked on a grate over the campfire. I missed the chicken and burger meat from the packhouse. Maybe they’d share…
One girl took a step closer to me, standing on her tiptoes, trying to get tall enough to sneak a look inside my pail.
I pulled the pail to my chest, the icy cold metal burning my skin.
The man grabbed ahold of his daughter by her elbow,pulling her back behind him. “We don’t have anything for you here.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” I said, looking down at the faded green sundress I was wearing, my shins scratched up from stray branches in the woods. I probably looked like something out of a horror story.
My stomach rumbled again. The smell of the cooking food consumed me. Saliva flooded my mouth.
The man followed my eyeline to the campfire and the food cooking over it. “We only packed enough food for ourselves.” He pulled his daughters in a little closer—like there was something wrong with me. LikeIwas something they needed protection from. All three of them stared at me, waiting for a response.
My mouth opened, willing words, but none came. I slammed my mouth shut, my cheeks feeling warm. I hadn’t expected him to ask me to join them for dinner—but just flat-out refusing someone food that obviously needed some…that was rude, right? They could’ve thrown me a patty or something, anything.
“Get!” he yelled.
I flinched.
“Leave us alone!”
I staggered back as my nostrils flared, unfortunately inhaling the scent of the food on the grill. With my lips pressed together, repressing a hiss, I ran around their campsite, giving them a wide berth so they couldn’t sneak a peek inside my pail.
I heard the girls’ voices as I ran back into the woods. They were surely talking about me…asking their dad questions about the dirty, scratched-up woman with a growling stomach who had approached their campsite. Maybe he’d make up a story about me to make them feel better about shooing me away, one that would make me the villain.
Why had I expected anything else from aman?
What was I doing? The people out here were prepared. They had camping supplies. I should’ve asked Elise for supplies before I’d left, or at least some food to take with me. My stomach rumbled again.
I’d never walked this far before. My muscles ached, and my head hurt from the mental thrashing I was giving myself. I hadn’t prepared for this—I’d been too excited, too impulsive. I was Dafni Sarracenia, a powerful witch. I should be able to take care of myself in these woods.
