It was dark, shadows splayed across the road and spilling from the rooftops, and shying away from the sharp yellow of the streetlamps light.
Howl walked down the road, keeping to the thick of the shadows. His white blond hair was swept just barely from his gorgeous sky blue eyes, and he wore a soft smile. Just that day, Markl had been able to master a particularly hard spell.
Although he didn't show it to well, ever since Howl had met the little red haired boy, he had grown very fond of him. It was nice how he was always concerned for him when he was gone to long, and how, even at his young age, tried to counsel the older man. Really, Howl thought it was just nice to have someone caring about him for once.
He planned to up the difficulty now, and see how his small but clever apprentice could handle it. Of course he would lower the level of skill if it was too hard for Markl, but he didn't know that.
The wind swirled around him, making the colorful coat on his shoulders dance along with the night breeze. Stars could be seen, twinkling behind the clouds and smoke steadily rising into the air.
His stomach grumbled, in protest. Realizing his forgotten hunger, Howel turned down an alley, a shortcut to the castle. Gravel crunched under his dress shoes, and some little pebbles got kicked a ways away from his path. The houses on each side of the thin alley had windows, and even with the curtains drawn, some of the candle light seemed to soak through the fabric hiding their home from view.
Howl stopped, abruptly in his tracks. He looked up, seeing a small figure in front of him, meters away. Shadows hid her face, but he was able to make out pale skin and long brown hair that reached her waist. The figure was short, and quivering.
"Excuse me?" he called out into the dark. He stepped closer. Now he could see the small girl in a plain, grey dress with a small white apron tied around her waist, lacy around the outside. Goosebumps were on her arms, cast out by the light from a nearby window. He let out a small gasp when he saw deep red staining her grey dress, right in place sight, on her side. Her blood, looking black in the dark, had dribbled from the wound and was now dripping off the edge of her dress.
He opened his mouth to say something, but the girl turned and hurriedly limped away. Confused and a little concerned, he followed. Little droplets of ruby lead him along, as the girl weaved between buildings. Now Howl was greatly intrigued, and curiosity killed the cat, as well as his caution.
The mysterious girl came to a dead end, and blankly looked at the wall in front of her. Howel neared her, walking into the dead end. She turned around to face them, flicking blood at the fast movement. The drops landed on Howls loose white blouse, like ink blots as the red soaked into the snow white. He finally met her eyes, and saw her face in that moment. Her eyes were a pretty brown, rich like dark soil. Although they looked blank, behind that veil held a deep sadness. It was a small but noticeable glimmer in her eyes. Howel reached out for her unconsciously, but stopped as he heard scratchy cackling.
The sound of rolling oil echoed through the dark, as black blobs of henchmen seeped into sight. They cornered him easily, their hats and tuxedos slipping off their growing, nasty forms. Two, still in a humanoid form, were carrying a small sedan chair, bright orange and green.
They set it down with a clump, and the door swung open to reveal a tall, thick framed woman with so much make up on she looked like a pig in makeup. She was dressed in an elegant, stretched silky night black dress with a fur trim to it. A hat hide half of her face, matching perfectly with her dress.
"This is easier than I thought. After all, however, it is quite simple to catch a fool" she purred. Howel grimaced. Not this old hag, the Witch of The Waste. She still hasn't gotten over her heartbreak…
The girl behind him swiftly passed him, walking to stand beside the rotten woman. With a wave of her hand, the 'wound' and its blood receded, until it was if it hadn't existed. "Thank you Mistress" the brunette said, giving a slight bow, retaining her emotionless, blank face.
"What have you done to her?" Howel growled, concern spiking his words. The Witch of the Waste smirked.
"Oh, this little thing? She is my loyal servant, its nice having another human around sometimes you know, besides my other servants" she boasted, the ruby red fan in her bony hands waving a bit. "Now back to business…"
Howel glanced at the girl, who had her hands folded neatly behind her back, standing patiently beside her 'Mistress'. He then looked to the mass of fat that was the rotten soul of the witch, her dark blue eyes like fire as she glared down at him. Fisting his hands, he made a small and quick decision. Muttering something under his breath, he leapt into the air, gracefully avoiding the reaching grasp of the witch's henchmen. Landing on a rooftop, he hopped from roof to roof, just barely fast enough to be two steps ahead of the approaching henchmen.
"I'll be back" he had whispered into the wind. "This isn't right, I'll be back for you…."
(-_-_-)
Ello. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this little fanfic. Please be kind and leave a nice review :) constructive criticism is welcome as well, I'm always looking for ways to improve. Sorry if the characters a bit OOC, I'm trying to get it right :3