Wolves and Witches
Part 3: The End
By Chibi Hime
The elder Morningstar couldn't wait for his son to come home from boarding school. He missed his son dearly over the past few years and found himself longing to see his child more so than ever before. Distressed, the man had gone for a walk to clear his head.
It had been a crisp, autumn day, with the nip of winter in the air, but the golden colors of autumn still present. On the path to the village, he had encountered a strange black wolf. It was boldly following a human road in the daylight hours. It trotted along over the dip in the road and froze upon seeing him. The man had stood staring, transfixed by the creature. There was something about it...something familiar that tugged at him, yet for his life, he could not place what it was. His heart went out to it and he wanted nothing more than to throw his arms around the great creature's neck and hug its warm fur close to him. It had stood there staring back, as if it too sense some almost supernatural connection. The elder man reached out with his hands toward the ebon furred lupine. It seemed to take a tentative step forward and the man could feel his heart almost burst with a strange joy.
"Kevin!"
A youthful voice called out and the wolf looked away from the older man and bounded off towards the source of it without a moment of hesitation, disappearing back the way it had come, the spell of the man's presence seemingly broken.
The elder Morningstar felt illogically, irrationally moved by the chance encounter. Without knowing why, he suddenly found himself crying. Large, wet tears poured down his face and he found himself unable to stop. The man had no idea what made him do so, but quickly made his way back to his house. Once inside, he managed to collect himself, but he suddenly realized that he was no longer pained by his son's absence.
Six months later...
Back at the Morningstar estate, Mike was nursing a cup of warm apple cider and grumbling to himself. His father, a pale man, walked into the room.
"Good to have you home son. Anything interesting down in the village?"
Mike looked up at his father.
"Yeah. That Tennyson witch. The little one, Gwen. She had a black wolf with her, acted like it was her dog. But it wasn't it had to be-"
The elder Morningstar moaned and rolled his eyes.
"Oh, God, son. Not the werewolf story again,"
Mike's eyes blazed. It was and he knew it. He felt it.
"It was real! I saw it!" he cried defensively.
"Son, what you saw was a gypsy trick. They are full of wiles and all sorts of things. They'll try to trick you into anything . Believe me. I had my share of run ins with them when I was younger. I'm glad I got it out of my system. They are all showmen, tricksters and liars. That's all," he said, looking off into space as if recalling something from long ago,
Mike scowled.
"This wasn't. I could tell," he said flatly.
"Oh, for goodness sake Mike, why don't you ever let, pardon the pun, sleeping dogs lie?"
"Because it is real! Why doesn't anyone understand that? How can you rest knowing that...that monster is running around free?"
The elder Morningstar sighed.
"Even if it was real, did you ever stop to consider that it might not be the best idea to pursue it? If it was about doing evil, wouldn't we have heard about it by now? Maybe whatever it was just wanted to get away,"
Mike bit his lip. His father was right. It didn't feel right to the rich young man. None of it did. How could he explain how he had almost physically been drawn to the gypsy camp that night? How he had been called away from his dormitory, drawn by someone, something he had felt he needed to know? There wasn't any explanation. It didn't make sense, it had just happened. The younger Morningstar had wandered around until he had been attracted to a small scuffle on the outskirts. He saw three men grab a boy about his age. He saw the youngster feebly struggle against those stronger than him. Mike's heart had ached terribly, all of a sudden, as if a part of him was being injured. But that was impossible. He had nothing to do with these lowlifes. They weren't worth his feelings. They were like animals. To prove this to himself, he gladly paid the astronomical fee the underhanded showman had presented. He'd sat himself down and watched. He'd watch them drag the other boy in.
Mike had found himself conflicted in a way he never had before. On one hand, he loved the gruesome and the macabre scene which had been promised. On the other, he felt a strange attachment to this boy he had never seen before. He hated the way those brown, panicked eyes had looked at him, as if begging for help. He'd stared back icily. When the boy had somehow managed to struggle free, Mike had been sure to trip him and prevent his escape. That made him smile. It made him happy to know that he had undone this connection. Now, the little lowlife dog would suffer as he should. It was ridiculously entertaining. He reveled in the fact that it was his intervention that had both prevented the captive's escape and proven to himself the connection was meaningless. These scum weren't worth his time worrying about...and it was a wonderful, painful show they put on...until someone had decided to touch the object of their torment. Then everything had become a chaotic mess and the inhuman wretch had disappeared into the rising sun.
No.
He had no desire to tell his father any of that.
"It just isn't right. That thing running around out there,"
It isn't right because he still felt it. He wanted it to go away, this phantom link between himself and that...that...thing.
His father shook his head.
"Son, you really should stay out of those lowlifes' affairs. When I was younger I...had a few run ins I'd rather not remember. I think it would be wise if you learned from my mistake,"
It had been more than sixteen years since he'd left the girl in the snow. He'd denounced and rejected her, yet there wasn't a single day that went by that he didn't think of her. Didn't wonder what had ever become of the child she had been carrying. If it had been his and if it had been wrong of him to do such a thing. It had weighed heavily on his mind and had prematurely aged him.
On the other hand, it had caused him to lavish untold attention on Mike, lest something ever come of the whole mess. His wife had never asked about any previous relationships and he was grateful for that. He would have hated lying to her.
Mike huffed and left the room, leaving the old man to himself.
His father was an idiot. He didn't, couldn't understand what Mike felt and how it unnerved him. He didn't know what it was like to be so sure of his own superiority, and then have it come crashing down around him because of one single subhuman curiosity.
He hated it. He hated it so much that he would kill to be rid of it.
Screw the people and the money. All he wanted was to be rid of it once and for all so that this peculiar, nagging empathy would be silenced once and for all.
...
Gwen and Kevin arrived back at Verdona's cottage with their daily earnings and collections. The sun was dipping low over the horizon and the full moon was already peeking over the hill.
"You go get dressed. I'll meet you out back in a few minutes," Gwen said, smiling.
Kevin cocked his head before bounding to his usual spot in the storeroom. Gwen smiled and put her things away. She turned around, hearing her grandmother enter the room.
Verdona looked oddly solemn.
"What is it Grandma?" Gwen asked.
"Kiddo, you really love that fuzzball, don't you," she asked kindly.
Gwen blushed slightly at her grandmother's use of the term "love", but nodded anyway.
"Well, I've...I've been meaning to tell you something about him that I've known for awhile,"
Gwen felt her chest grow tight. The way her grandmother was talking, it didn't sound like it was a very good thing.
"He...he was born the way he is. He was cursed even before he was born. That magic is a part of him. It will be forever. I...I can't break the curse completely...not without endangering his life," the older witch said, sounding defeated.
Gwen sighed.
"So he's.."
"He's going to be the way he is now forever...for the rest of his life," Verdona said defeatedly.
"Well, that isn't so bad. I don't mind him the way he is now. That's the 'him' I like," Gwen said.
Just then, she heard the back door open and close. Without another word, she quickly made her way to the back door and outside.
She looked around, hoping Kevin hadn't run off in a fit of anger at what Verdona had said...if he had heard her...or...if he had heard what Gwen said and that had troubled him in some way. She hoped he didn't have any of those annoying "I'm not good enough for you" issues pecking at his mind.
Fortunately, she saw him just off in the distance.
Kevin sat on a large rock a little down the path from Verdona's cottage. He was easy to pick out. He was usually there at any given time, day or night if he was not with either of the witches. He'd just stare off into the trees as if he half expected someone to come out of them, like he was waiting for someone. Today however, his interests were elsewhere.
He looked up at the large silver sphere in the sky thoughtfully.
Gwen sat down next to him.
"It sure is beautiful up there, isn't it,"
"Yeash," he agreed.
Gwen smiled.
Few words, as usual.
"Kevin. Did you have family before...you know you came to stay with us?" Gwen asked. She didn't want to come out and ask him about her grandmother's revelation immediately, she didn't want him to think she was spying on him.
Kevin nodded.
"Do you miss them?" Gwen asked.
Kevin pondered this for a minute.
"Sometimes. I mean, I miss my mom. My grandma died a few years before I left. So there's only one person for me to miss," he said.
"What about your dad? Do you miss him?" Gwen inquired.
Kevin frowned than and Gwen wished she had not said anything.
"I never knew my father. My mom loved him a lot, though. Whenever she'd talk about him, she'd only say good things. I could never figure out why, 'cause he was never there for her. He left her for someone else. That was pretty low. It was like she...and I, I guess, weren't good enough for him,"
"I'm sorry to hear that. Did he leave before or after you were born?"
"Before. Way before. I don't look like him, though. I look more like Mom and her family, except for this. I'm pale as a ghost," Kevin said, tapping his forearm.
"Well, I think that comes from not being in the sun very much, personally," Gwen said.
Kevin cocked his head to the side. He did that a lot during the day. It was his body language for "What do you really want?"
Gwen sighed.
"Did you hear what Grandma said?" Gwen asked.
" 'Bout what?" he questioned nonchalantly.
Gwen gulped.
"You," she said.
Kevin rolled his eyes.
"When?" he asked.
"Now...she said.." Gwen started.
"I'll always be what I am," Kevin finished.
"Yeah," Gwen commented.
"That's okay, isn't it?" Kevin seemed to ask her specifically.
"Is it okay with you?" Gwen asked.
Kevin smirked.
"It had better be,"
Humor. He was getting a lot better at it. Two years with the witches had made him more open, more willing to experiment with language, opportunities not to be mocked and laughed at, opportunities to fail, but not be ostracized.
"I'm serious. Is it okay with you? Does it bother you?" Gwen asked.
"Nah. Not really. I mean, I know this must sound ridiculous, but I don't really know any other way to be. It isn't like, I dunno, I was normal and then got cursed into it. It isn't that bad to me. Is it bad for you?"
The last question was tentative, open and wondering, nervous, even. It was in complete contrast in tone to the rest of his speech.
Gwen suddenly felt very exposed and under pressure. He was asking her directly about himself. This was important. Their future together would be determined by her response.
She shook her head.
"No. It is not bad, just different. Different is fine," Gwen said, taking his hand reassuringly and smiling.
"You...you said you didn't ever want me to change...that you liked me as I was," Kevin said, suddenly looking uncomfortable.
"I meant it," Gwen said, feeling much more relaxed and sure of herself, it seemed as though saying it out loud, more importantly, out loud to him, made herself more positive of it.
"But...I don't know. I can't ever give you what you deserve..I mean...I,"
Gwen put a finger on his lips.
"Maybe not in your mind. But you can give me everything I need. You are helpful, you keep me safe, keep me company. You tell good jokes and you make me laugh. I just like being around you. I like to run through fields on sunny days and curl up by the fire on cold nights. You're always there and regardless of which form you are in, it feels the same to me. You might not think so, but there's a lot to be said for all those things, you know? That's what makes me happy. You make me happy. I want you to stay here with me, just as you are," she said.
Kevin flushed and looked at his feet.
Speechless.
Gwen smiled.
She edged closer to him, picking up his arm and placing it it around her shoulder and he left it there. Gwen felt so protected, so safe just being next to him. Without another word, she reached a hand to his face and turned his head toward hers and kissed him on the lips, softly at first, so as not to startle him too horribly, then a little more forceful to prove her point. To her great relief and joy, she found him returning it.
Until he stopped suddenly.
Gwen opened her eyes and saw a look of shock and horror on his face. Before her, his form had begun to shift, thick black fur emerged from his flesh and Gwen, not forgetting her promise from two years ago, quickly closed her eyes, but reached out with her hands. He was shorter now, she could feel the top of his head and the two pointed ears on top of it. He was fighting to stand up, she could tell from the way he was quaking.
"Kevin, it is alright," Gwen said, feeling tears prick at her eyes under her closed lids.
When at last she felt his movements cease, she eased her eyes open.
There was Kevin as he looked during the day, never the night of the full moon.
Kevin himself was frantic, his mind rushed and it was difficult to make any kind of coherent thought. Panic, despair, and anxiety all pulled at his mind with equal vigor.
No! No, No, No! I'm never like this on night's like tonight! Does this mean I'm stuck like this? I don't get it!
His thoughts were jarring, disjointed and panicked. The wolf boy's ears flattened against his head and his tail was between his legs. He whimpered and looked around sharply. But Gwen was there. She was there to be reassuring, supporting, and loving.
Gwen hugged his neck. He felt her warm breath through his fur and her soft, yet strong arms around him and he felt calmer.
"It is alright. We'll figure things out. Don't worry. I'm here! We'll fix this! Everything is going to be alright," she said, trying to sound comforting but feeling a little uneasy herself.
"You're right, Gwen. Everything is going to be alright,"
A third voice entered the mix.
Gwen gasped and Kevin growled low and dangerous in his throat.
There stood Mike Morningstar, in all his golden glory. His clothes were extremely fine, denoting both his family and social rank, yellow gold imported fabric. He had perfect skin and hair, perfectly cruel icy blue eyes.
And he was holding a gun.
"Just step out of the way, Gwen. I'll make it quick. The thing won't suffer more than necessary. I'm not cruel like some people. I just want to put him out of his misery. Honestly, what kind of life is a half life like his anyway?"
"His life is his own...and it is mine! I suggest you go home before you do something you regret, Mike Morningstar!" Gwen shouted.
Mike laughed.
"You can't shelter a murderer. It would make you an accessory,"
"He's not a murderer! Those people didn't have any right to do what they did! It was an accident, I'm sure," Gwen said, determined and sincere.
"Of course...it was only an accident that he not only broke the man's arm but bit it off as well. I saw it with my own eyes Gwen, he's a monster. Looks like this mongrel gypsy dog has the little witchie poo under his spell and you're just blinded by your misguided pity to see that," Mike whimpered sarcastically.
Without another word, Kevin leapt forward, snarling. His eyes burned with a fury Gwen had never seen before. For a moment, only a moment, she wondered if what Mike had said was true...but no...no! She had seen Kevin's thoughts with her own mind. He wasn't a cold blooded killer! He had been frightened, trapped...he'd lashed out.
Kevin heard Gwen shouting at him to stop, then some form of magic incantation. He couldn't tell which, his ears were ringing with rage.
Mike shot his weapon and Kevin felt the bullet fly past him and into a thicket behind him.
The wolf boy quickly dipped down and sprung up, a flurry of claws and fur. Mike fired again, this time grazing Kevin's ear. Those blazing blue eyes seemed to bore right through him.
"Remember me, freak?" Mike asked quietly.
Kevin slashed with his claws, Mike simply hopped back with grace and the wolf boy hit the ground. Kevin growled again. Of course he did. How could he forget the one who tripped him?
"Good. I'd do it again. I'd even bring your little witchie poo with me and we can all see a wonderful show together," Mike said, laughing cruelly.
What he didn't know was that Kevin knew what he was doing. He was trying to upset the wolf boy and his prey knew it. That did not make it easier to bear.
Without another moment's hesitation, Kevin leapt up at his attacker and seized his wrist in his jaws, not pressing hard, just grabbing.
If you ever touch her, I WILL kill you! Kevin thought, his brown eyes glaring at the golden haired boy's.
Let go of the damn gun and leave us alone and I won't shred you! I don't want to! I never wanted to! I just wanted to live! the wolf boy tried to reach his enemy, but his words were unheard.
Kevin saw fear well up in Morningstar's eyes and the young man did a very foolish thing. He tried haphazardly to aim the gun at Kevin. He fired the gun, but the bullet hit the ground and ricocheted off a stone. Kevin bit down hard, causing Mike's hand to fly open, dropping his gun.
Mike screamed. It was a terrible, blood curdling sound.
Kevin promptly let go and leapt back to Gwen. Still. their attacker kept screaming.
Come on! I didn't even bite him that hard...just enough to get him to let go of the gun! Kevin's mind commented.
"I know! I saw!" Gwen said.
Kevin flicked his ears.
You can hear me? Really? Now? he thought, questioningly.
"Yeah. I've been working on my thought reading spells," Gwen said.
Oh. Kevin's wolfish face pulled into a smile, but that was short lived. Mike was still screaming and cradling his injured hand.
"You bastard! You filthy mongrel! What did you do to me?" his frantic, strained voice demanded.
Gwen huffed.
"He gave you what you deserved! Honestly! Stalking around private property with a loaded firearm? What were you thinking? That's crazy! Do you know how many laws you just broke?"
Her further scoldings died on her tongue when she noticed golden fur sprouting from Mike's cradled hand. The holes left by Kevin's teeth were bubbling with blisters, as if they had been scorched by acid. Claws were curling forth from his fingertips. Gwen's breath caught in her throat and she stumbled backwards.
Kevin saw it too and he leapt in front of her.
I thought your grandma told you it wasn't contagious! Kevin thought.
"It wasn't! It has to be something else! It has to be!" Gwen shouted.
What else could it be?
"I don't know. It isn't you! That is for certain!" Gwen insisted.
Mike screamed horribly, his voice torn ragged by the ravages of his transformation. Gwen stared in dumb, disbelieving horror. Dear god, was this what Kevin had lived through his whole life? Gwen gasped and whimpered. It looked so terribly painful. It had to make one feel helpless.
The golden wolf stood before them, its clothes hanging off of it like torn rags. Its blue eyes glared at them with hate and malice.
I'll kill you.
Both Kevin and Gwen heard it in their minds. It was a disdainful, certain statement. Without repeating itself, the golden wolf flew at them with a mad rush fueled by mindless hate. Gwen shouted a quick incantation and the maddened creature hit an invisible wall in front of her. Snarling, it banged against her shield mercilessly, causing itself immense pain in the process.
He's crazy! Kevin thought.
"You said it! Except now he''s crazy and has a mouthful of razor sharp teeth!" Gwen squealed.
He's also dangerous, Gwen. Dangerous to you, specifically. Kevin noted darkly.
"Yeah...but I'm a witch and you are here," Gwen said brightly.
Kevin blushed under his fur, but knew she was right and inwardly smiled.
I can handle this guy. You just stay put behind this shield.
"But I can't cast spells to help you outside the field while I am in here!" Gwen protested.
I've got it covered.
"Don't be so sure. He looks pretty tough to me," Gwen commented.
Kevin leapt from the safety of the shield
The two wolves tore at each other. Claws slashed and teeth flashed. Little bits of black and gold fur flew through the air and landed on the ground. A splatter of blood hit the surface of Gwen's pink bubble, but she couldn't tell whose it was. The two of them moved so quickly that all she saw were streaks of black and gold. Their snarls and yelps filled her ears. Those she could tell apart. She could hear a lot more Kevin yelps than Mike yelps and that worried her, Mike was fighting to kill. Kevin wasn't. If he really wanted to, he could have torn Mike's throat out, but he didn't. He wasn't trying to kill his enemy, just stop him. His dark fur hid a lot of his small wounds, but there was a large, obviously damp spot near the back of his neck.
He shook himself off, but the golden wolf was on him again. It seized him by the ruff of his neck and flipped him over, slamming Kevin into the ground. It did so again and again, battering the smaller wolf without mercy. Kevin kicked at his attacker and managed to force himself loose. In an instant, the golden wolf leapt at him again, but never sank its teeth into its target.
A shot echoed out and the golden wolf fell to the ground with a whimper. Blood gushed out of its wounded shoulder. It tried to stand, but crumpled to the ground and gave a mournful howl of defeat. Kevin righted himself and limped to Gwen's side. The witch deactivated her pink force field and immediately began casting simple healing spells. Most of the wounds were small bites and scratches. They healed quickly. However, there were several wounds that would take weeks to completely heal.
A twig snapped and both Kevin and Gwen looked up to see Verdona arriving with the elder Morningstar, who held a large hunting rifle. Kevin raised his ears in interest. This man was oddly familiar to him. The man seemed to have the same feeling, for he kept staring at the wolf boy, just the same. Still, Kevin leaned on Gwen and made no move to approach the stranger.
"Where are your clothes?" Gwen asked him.
What? Kevin thought, taken aback by her question.
"They're not on the ground or anything. Where are they? I wasn't looking when you changed," she said.
I don't know! It is like they just disappeared! He thought.
As he spoke, the sun began to peek over the hill and golden light. Gwen heard the injured golden wolf yelp in sudden pain and the creature writhed as its body twisted back to its original shape. Kevin on the other hand seemed to simply flow back to his human self..with his clothes intact. It didn't hurt, either. It wasn't even unpleasant. It was a minor, momentary discomfort, as if his whole body had pins and needles.
"Well, that's new," he commented lightly.
Gwen eased him up and the two began to walk towards Verdona.
Kevin felt a hand pulling on his pant leg. He looked down and saw Mike weakly struggling to hold his head up. He looked terrible. His eyes were sunken and he was covered with little scratches and cuts. The young man's fine clothes were torn to shreds and he shivered in the chill of the morning air.
"Kill me," Mike whispered, looking into Kevin's brown eyes with his own arctic blue ones.
Kevin scowled and roughly pulled his leg free.
"No," he said simply.
The rich young man had a look of panic on his face.
"You...you have to! Look what you've done to me! Look what a disgusting thing I've become! No one will have me now! Please! Please, kill me! It would be better that way!" he begged, sounding pathetic.
"It isn't so bad," Kevin said casually.
"Not so bad? Maybe to you it is 'not so bad', but you were never more than some gypsy mongrel to start with!" Mike snarled up at him.
"Take your son home, Mr. Morningstar. Make sure he stays out of trouble," Kevin said, turning his back on Mike.
He managed to take a few steps before a bolt of pain flew up his left side. He started to crumple, but Gwen caught and supported him.
"Easy," she reassured him gently.
"You can't just leave me here! Take responsibility for what you've done!" Mike shrilly yelled after him.
"An excellent idea. Mr. Morningstar, if you please, keep this son out of trouble. If you had been responsible all those years ago in the first place, none of this would have happened. Now you'll just have to deal with reality as best you can," Verdona said, her eyes never leaving the rich man. The elder Morningstar looked at her with a puzzled expression, but the witch turned and followed the younger two home.
So life continued as it had, albeit with some modifications, for another few months. Life at Verdona's cottage was relatively peaceful, save for the occasional mournful howl that drifted through the trees on certain nights. The three worked together to build up the magic business and with their joint efforts, their fame began to spread.
One day, there was a timid knock out the door.
Verdona quickly opened it. On the other side was a very disheveled woman.
"Is this the cottage of the great witch, Verdona?" she asked quietly, as if the didn't have enough power to even speak.
Verdona nodded.
"Yes. It is. How may I help you?"
"I'm sorry. The sign out front said 'Wolf and Witches', so I had to be sure I was in the right place. Please...please I need your help. I'm looking for someone. I don't even know if he's still alive...but even if he isn't, I have to find him. I can't stand not knowing anymore,"
The dark skinned woman seemed terribly distraught. Verdona invited her in for tea to discuss her fee. A good witch never did anything for free.
"Who are you looking for?" Verdona asked.
"My son. He...he ran away two years ago. There was a terrible accident. I waited for him to come back. When he didn't I started saving for money so that I could go searching for him. Please, I need to find him. He's not like other people. It makes him harder to find. A number of charmers have already tried and failed. There isn't much money left, but this is what I have,"
The coins she dropped on the table were more than enough for the service she required. Verdona flushed. The other charmers had scammed her. They had taken more money for inferior magic. The old witch reached over and took one of the smaller coins.
"This will be more than enough," she assured the woman.
Verdona went about gathering all the necessary scrying materials. She handed her customer a crystal and bade her to think very hard about the person he wanted to find. She did so and in an instant, it began to glow.
"Hmm..it's not supposed to do that unless-" Verdona started.
In an instant, the door swung open and Gwen burst in with a basket full of herbs and fungi.
"Sorry I'm late, Grandma Verdona. Someone had to prove he could jump over the stream," she said, jokingly.
Kevin stepped in behind her, the seat of his pants was obviously damp.
"Hey, I made it didn't I?" he laughed.
"Yeah...before you fell backwards...into it," Gwen giggled.
"Hey! You know I-"
Now Kevin stopped because he saw who exactly was at the witch's table.
"Mom?" he asked.
Gwen gasped. Now that she looked at her grandmother's visitor, she could clearly see their similarities.
"Kevin...Kevin my boy...," she managed to stammer before hurling herself at him. She squeezed him tightly and sobbed into his shirt.
"Mom, listen...I,"
"I don't care. I don't care what you did. I was so worried about you...that you'd been shot or trapped or something. I was so scared that if you came back, they'd kill you! I knew something terrible must of happened and I worried about you so much. But...look at you! How did this happen?" she asked, gingerly tucking an out of place tuft of hair behind his ear.
Kevin shrugged.
"I can explain that. You see, due to Kevin's unique symbiosis with the curse he is under, it is impossible to break. However, under the right conditions, it is entirely possible to alter it," Verdona said smiling.
"Alter?" his mother asked.
Kevin nodded.
"Yeah...it is..ah, a little more traditional now. Not that I mind!" he quickly defended.
His mother just stared at him, smiling with tears in her eyes.
"You speak so well now. You must have learned so much more than I could teach you,"
Kevin shifted uncomfortably.
"You taught me a lot, Mom," he reassured her.
"Will you come home with me?" she asked.
Kevin froze. Gwen saw him stiffen and he looked from Gwen to Verdona to his mother to Gwen again. Gwen herself felt butterflies beat against the inside of her stomach as she waited for his reply.
"I...I can't Mom," he concluded.
"Don't worry about the others. We'll explain everything,"
"No, Mom. That's not it. I don't want to go home because...I found a new one," he said uneasily, "I don't belong there anymore. I belong here. With her. I love you, but I'm not going back with you," he said pointing at Gwen.
Gwen turned scarlet. Inside, she was terribly happy, but also terribly self-conscious. Mostly happy.
Kevin's mother smiled knowingly.
"I don't believe you are, my son," she said softly.
"I'll come visit you, though. Gwen and me both will," Kevin promised.
"Gwen and 'I'," corrected Verdona.
Kevin rolled his eyes.
"I know you will," his mother said, hugging him again,"My boy, you've grown up so much,"
"Stay with us for dinner, won't you? We've all got stories you'd love to hear," he encouraged.
"I'd love to," she answered.
"Excellent! Then business is settled. Gwen dear, close that door. Lord knows what kind of magic leaks out with it open like that," Verdona mumbled.
The older witch pulled Kevin's mother away and the two of them started talking. She felt Kevin's large hand squeeze her shoulder and his lips give her a slight peck on the cheek.
Gwen smiled.
"What was that for?" she asked.
"For helping me end the story," he answered.
Gwen stood on her tiptoes and rubbed her nose against his in a playful eskimo kiss.
"How does the story end?" she questioned.
Kevin cocked his head.
"Why, happily ever after, of course. But not in that boring way that most stories do," Kevin said with a raised eyebrow and a sheepish grin.
"That is so cheesy," she giggled.
Kevin shrugged. Gwen pulled his collar closer to her.
"I like cheesy, wolf boy," she answered sweetly and gave him a gentle kiss as she pulled the door shut.
The End