The Witch & The Wolf

Chapter 10

Looking at the wolves surrounding her Sapphira tried to determine her next move. Without her wand, the magic would be unfocused and with the lingering effects of the potion, the use of it would be reckless.  

She could risk it, but it could mean serious injury for the wolves if she made a mistake with a dangerous spell. Sighing her eyes landed on who seemed to be the leader of this group. 

"Now if you please come back with us then everything will be fine." He said extending his hand for her to take. 

Sapphira didn't respond as she simply stared at the man. If she came with him what would happen? Would she be locked away because she disrespected the Alpha? Would they harm her if necessary? 

Quite frankly she was scared of the answer to those questions. And fear is exactly what fueled her actions, for she knew that even if she hurt the wolves they would heal quickly. 

Black smoke started coming out from underneath her dress, quickly wafting up and surrounding her. The wolves seemed to be confused as to what they should do. One or two moved forward, only to be met by an intense heat that burned them. It was then that they noticed a fire in the place where the witch had been, who now had disappeared. 

"Spread out!" The leader said, "She can't be far, we need to find her." 

Sapphira panted as she sat perched on a tree branch, right above the wolves. She knew that there was no chance of outrunning them. Plus they could easily trace her scent. The fire, however, would throw them off of that and shield it for the moment. No, her best option was to get to the device that brought her here. And as cliche as that may sound, it was a broom.

From where she was sitting now she had a great vantage point from where she could easily spot her broom, gently resting against a tree, not too far from the entrance. All she would have to do was jump down, run to the broom, grab it and fly off. The only problem, however, was the young wolf that was standing not too far from it. 

Somehow she would have to lure him away from it and make a dash for the broom. But she also had to make sure that in the process she didn't alert him to her presence. Looking around she realized that there was absolutely nothing she could use around her. 

For a moment she contemplated using her pumps, but she soon realized that those were still laying in the spot where she'd been moments before, on the ground. 'Shit, I need to grab those too...' 

The wolf, however, started moving closer to her, and she held her breath to keep him from hearing her. It was at that moment that she had an idea, that was somehow both good and bad at the same time. 

'Well here goes nothing...' She thought as she jumped the wolf from the tree taking him by surprise. Together with the man, she went down to the floor, taking him off guard. Now she had to make sure to knock him out before he could raise alarm. 

Quickly she got up and turned around to face the still slightly stunned wolf. Grabbing a large fallen branch from beside her she used it to wack the wolf on the head, effectively knocking him out. 

'Well that could've gone worse,' she thought as she turned her attention to the broom. As fast as she could she ran over to it and grabbed it. Mounting the broom with a dress was difficult and she didn't feel like sitting sideways, so she mounted it like she would when wearing pants. As soon as she pushed off she realized that the wolves had spotted her as they started running towards her. Quickly she flew over to the pumps and grabbed them, before flying up and putting some distance between her and the wolves. 

As she did so she felt a hand graze her ankle, as the leader tried to grab her, but failed to do so. 

With her heartbeat in her throat, she sighed as she soared over the treetops, making her way home. Normally she didn't fly that high, but right now it gave her a sense of safety. 

It didn't take long for her small cottage to come into vision. A smile crept onto her face as she approached it, landing right next to her front door. 

As fast as she could she got inside, quickly closing the door behind her and locking it. 'I'll be safe here.' She thought to herself as she placed the broom next to the door. Normally it didn't go there, but right now she didn't care. 

She placed her pumps on the door as Percival walked into the room. From the look in his eyes, she could tell that he had been sleeping, but he still came up to greet her. Sapphira smiled as she petted the kitty, who in return started purring. 

"At least I have you" She smiled as she started making her way up the stairs and to her bathroom. Once she got in and noticed her reflection in the mirror she cringed, 'Dear god I really look like I went to hell and back. 

There was blood and dirt all over her and her dress. Her hair was in a complete state of disarray as was the makeup that she'd worn. She sighed as she turned on the faucet of the bath, slowly letting it fill up. 

She then walked to her bedroom, stripping herself of the dress and placing it on her bed. Grabbing her wand from the nightstand, where she had left it before she went to the party, she pointed it at the dress and muttered an incantation. A blue light emitted from the wand and engulfed the dress, which was cleaned in mere seconds. 

Smiling she grabbed the garment from the bed and placed it back in her closet. Taking her wand with her she made her way back to the bathroom and added some bath salts to the water. 

Slowly she stepped into the tub, careful as the water was very warm. A sigh left her mouth as she sat down in the bath and she placed her wand on the edge. 

For a moment she closed her eyes in relaxation when she heard a soft miaow at the door. "You can come in you know," she said as Percy walked into her bathroom and laid down on her towel.