"You want me to what?!" I demanded in annoyed surprise.

"I want you," Asra repeated. "To look after my apprentice for me while I'm gone."

I scoffed. "Why does it have to be me? Why can't you do it?" I folded my arms across my chest and glared at my friend.

Asra sighed. "You know why, Muriel. If I stay, Safia will keep bombarding me with questions. And I can't risk her going into a coma again. Besides," he added. "If Safia happens to see you, she'll forget about you." He looked down at the floor, his voice growing quiet. "Though I'd rather she didn't. I think you two would get along well."

I scowled. "It's already bad enough that you're always bothering me about taking care of your apprentice. I don't need someone else pestering me."

Asra laughed. "I wouldn't say she's the pestering type." He turned serious. "So, will you do it?" His pleading purple eyes met my green ones. "Please, Muriel. I don't want her to get hurt. I can't lose her again."

I continued silently scowling at Asra, before I closed my eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine, I'll look after her while you're on another one of your journeys."

The white-haired man smiled. "Thank you so much, Muriel. I know I can always count on you." His smile morphed into a smirk. "Who knows, maybe you and Safia might become the best of friends."

I rolled my eyes. "I highly doubt that."

"Well," Asra said, getting up from his stool and donning his feathered hat. "I'll be going now." He pulled up his scarf so that it was obscuring the lower half of his face. "Take care, Muriel." I grunted a good-bye, and Asra walked over to the hut's door. He gave Inanna's large wolf head one last pat, and then he was gone.

The only sound in the quiet hut now was the crackling of the dying embers in the fireplace. I leaned my head back against the wall, before slowly getting up and making my way to my bed. "Come on, Inanna," I said, as the wolf padded over to lay at the bed's feet. "It's getting late now." I lowered myself onto the cot and closed my eyes. "Good night."

I naturally woke up early, and today was no exception.

Inanna was already sitting up, her pointed ears perking up when she saw me awake. She affectionately nudged my hand with her nose. In response, I smiled and ruffled her fur. "Morning, Inanna."

The wolf whimpered and pawed at my legs. She was hungry.

I let out a snort, the closest thing I could make to a laugh. "Okay, okay," I assured my wolf companion. "Breakfast will be ready in a second."

I lumbered my way to the door, and stepped outside. The chickens didn't react much when I approached their nests. They weren't scared of me. They were used to my large, hulking form. So much better than people. Instead of running away, they flocked toward the seeds that I tossed at them. This gave me an opportunity to collect their eggs.

I then proceeded to gather berries from the nearby woods, Inanna happily trotting along beside me. After sniffing them to ensure they weren't poisonous, we went back to the hut and had our breakfast of berries and eggs.

After breakfast, I started my morning routine of gathering wood for the fire and renewing the protective charms around the woods. Those charms were important, because I was not about to deal with him today.

At this point, the sun was already high in the sky, and now came my least favorite part of the day: going into town.

Inanna whined and tried to follow me, but I firmly insisted that she stayed here. "I need you to look after the chickens for me," I told her. "I'll be back soon. And if he comes—" Inanna growled upon my mention of him—-"then you come find me." I patted her head. "Be a good girl, ok?"

The wolf wagged her long, black tail and licked my face. I smiled. "That's my girl. See you later." I pulled my hood over my face, and started my path out of the forest. Slowly, the trees grew fewer and fewer, until I emerged in a clearing near a cluster of buildings. Vesuvia.

It didn't take me long to find the magic shop where Asra's apprentice lived. Judging by the locked door and the cross-me-not charm on it, she was out. Having checked on her numerous times, I already knew her daily routine. I turned away from the shop and headed to the marketplace, careful to stay in the shadows. The hustle and bustle of the market streets were way too loud for my liking, but I trundled on anyway.

My sharp eyes spotted her immediately. She had fair skin, deep blue eyes, and long black hair that curled up at the ends. Asra's apprentice was currently chatting with who I assumed was a baker. The baker handed her a loaf of bread and said something that made her laugh. As I watched from the darkness, Safia gave the baker some coins and waved good-bye to him, then walked back onto the market street. While on the street, she accidentally dropped a pouch of herbs and some fruit from her basket, and stopped to pick them up.

She looked fine, so I proceeded to make my way out of the busy marketplace and back to the forest, when I saw it. A horse wagon, speeding way too quickly down the street.

"Out of the way!" the driver yelled. "My horses are out of control!" The wagon was heading straight for Safia, who was still in the middle of the street. She wasn't going to make it in time.

Driven by instinct, I rushed forward and pushed her out of the way, so that the horses' hooves barely missed my cloak by a few inches. The wagon harmlessly zoomed past us.

"Ow," a voice groaned from under me, and I realized I was pinning Safia to the ground. Feeling my face heat up, I quickly got up. The girl blinked several times and saw me standing over her.

"Be careful next time," I scolded her, before walking away. I did my job. She was going to forget me any moment now. I just needed to get away—

"Wait!" Crap, she followed me. Why is she following me? I tried to ignore her, and walked a little faster, but soon she caught up to me, panting from running after me. "I want to thank you for saving me back there!"

"I'm just doing my job," I grumbled. "Now go away." I turned the corner into an alleyway, and to my annoyance, the apprentice was still following me.

"Your job?" she repeated. "Wait, did Asra send you?" A spark of hope lit up in her blue eyes.

"That's none of your concern," I grunted, glaring at her. "Go away."

She sighed. "At least let me repay you first!" she insisted. "Here." She held out her bread. "Take this, as a sign of my gratitude."

"I don't want your bread," I said shortly. "And stop following me."

But the apprentice was persistent. "Please, I insist!" she cried, still holding out her pathetic loaf of bread to me. "I'm not leaving until you take it!"

I let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine, I'll take your stupid bread." I snatched the bread from her, and she grinned.

"Thank you again," she said. She turned to go. "I'll leave you now." As soon as she turned the corner out of the alley, I heard her footsteps stop. "Wait, how did I get here? Hold on, where did my bread go?! Maybe I forgot to pick it up? But I could've sworn I was with the baker before…" Her footsteps faded away, and so did her continued muttering to herself.

I rolled my eyes. "Clumsy girl." I glanced down at the bread. What am I supposed to do with this now? I shuffled out of the alleyway. Maybe the chickens will like it…