It was rather hard to manage.
Now it had started out easy enough, with the sweeping of the floors and dusting of a couple shelves. But problems arose when Phillip began to sweep the stairs, as one of the steps broke and his foot fell through.
He was stuck there until be managed to use the broom to pull himself up... Which snapped the broom handle in half in the process by putting his weight on it.
Sighing in annoyance, he went to try and find something to fix the broom handle. He found some loose rope in one of the closets, and used it to tie the handle (He thanked his late father for the knot lessons he gave him) back together.
He finally finished sweeping, and put the broom away in the same closet he found the rope in.
Phillip then moved on to fixing up the kitchen cupboards so his older brother could later store food in them without the cupboards breaking.
He found a hammer along with some nails, and got to work nailing the cupboards back onto the wall so they weren't tilted... Managing to hit his fingers a total of five times while doing so.
Phillip winced and kept back squeals of pain with every finger that was crunched under the strike of his horrible aim with the hammer.
But soon the cupboards were nailed back onto the kitchen wall, and Phillip's fingers were spared from anymore pain.
Until he went upstairs to fix up the bedrooms. Where Phillip found that the beds, while intact with mattresses, were covered in pieces of broken wood and debris.
He began to clear it off, getting a couple splinters in the process.
Soon, the beds were clean of the mess... And Phillip was outside at a nearby stream, trying to muffle his sounds of pain once more as he washed the last of the splinters off him in the water.
As he was doing so, he heard a small chirp from a tree. Phillip looked up to see a red cardinal sitting on a branch, looking at him.
Phillip scoffed, "What are you looking at?" he asked it rhetorically.
The cardinal chirped once more, and Phillip was irritated enough from his pain that he took a small stone from the stream and tossed it at the bird.
It quickly flew off in response to the act of aggression toward it.
Phillip sighed, somewhat regretting throwing the stone. His mother had always said he needed to control his anger better, or else he wouldn't get far in the world.
Caleb especially would tell him that. Phillip would always take out his anger on wildlife or objects near him when he got angry.
He sighed as he finally finished up at the stream, and began to head back to the cabin to rest for a bit. As he walked, he wondered how Caleb had been doing in town...
The general store's bell dinged as Caleb waltzed in through the door.
The shop was rather small, with only a basic selection of food, supplies, and a couple manuals stacked next to the counter. A man was at the counter in a collared shirt, with brown hair and blue eyes.
"Hello there, how could I help you?" The man inquired, glancing over at Caleb from his spot at the counter.
"Oh, hello. I just wanted to know if you were possibly offering any work here?" Caleb quickly replied.
"Hmm, well... It doesn't pay much but-" The man began, but Caleb cut him off.
"I'll take it, I'm new in town and I really need the money..." He explained, glancing at a picture behind the man.
The picture was of what looked like an older version of the man standing in front of what seemed to be the same store he was in now, a plate below it said 'Harvey Shamlow'.
"So, what is the job... Mr. Shamlow?" Caleb asked, hoping he got the name right.
The man chuckled, "If you got that name from behind me, that's actually my father. My name's Peter Shamlow." the man explained
"The job's just picking up store supplies from the wagon drop-off, and bringing them back here. I'd be able to pay you about a couple pounds for every delivery." Peter finished.
Caleb thought it over for a moment, before deciding.
"I'll take it, when do I start?" Caleb asked.
"You can start today actually, I got a delivery due here in about an hour's time. The drop-off is a good few house that way" Peter replied, pointing a direction to the right.
Caleb nodded, "Consider it done sir". With that, Caleb walked out of the store.
He smiled as the door closed behind him.
He'd successfully gotten his first bit of work in Gravesfield. Now all he had to do was go pick up Mr. Shamlow's delivery and bring it back to the store, and he would get a day's work of payment in exchange.
Caleb began to walk down the path toward where Peter had directed him, looking for the wagon drop-off. As he walked, he noticed what seemed to be a large group of people talking in a fenced area.
Caleb's curiosity got the better of him, and he peered over at them for a few moments past the wooden fence. He couldn't clearly make out what they were discussing, but with what Caleb could tell from their body language that it was something they were very interested in.
He noticed how the group had long coats with dress shirts underneath, all the coats were the same shade of light gray, some darker than others due to clear aging in the material. On the coats were various pockets and holsters for various knives, and each one of the group members had at least one or two satchels.
Caleb was still looking them over when he noticed their talking had stopped, and they all were looking at him silently.
"Oh, uhh... I'm sorry, didn't mean to intrude." Caleb quickly said in reply to the stares, and backed away from the fence.
The group said nothing as they watched him back away for a moment, before turning back to each other and continuing their discussion; albeit quieter than before.
Caleb was a bit taken aback by the group's silence, but continued on his way.
He couldn't help but get a weird feeling from those people, and was rather curious who they even were. Even if he had asked them, he doubt they would have actually responded, didn't seem like the type of people to be talkative.
He especially wondered why they had so many knives and sharp weapons on their coats. Was it for self-defense? Or did they have different reasons for carrying so many of them? Whatever the reason was, it interested Caleb. He always was the curious kind of person.
Soon, he had spotted a wagon slowly riding down the path the same direction he was going.
Caleb followed it for a while, until it turned into an open yard with many crates, boxes, and supplies scattered about.
"This must be the place." Caleb remarked to himself as he walked in.
He looked around until he spotted a man with a clipboard standing near one of the wagons, writing on what Caleb assumed to be a ledger of some sort for incoming and outgoing supplies.
He walked over to the man, and cleared his throat to make his presence known.
"Hello, I'm here to pick up supplies for a Mr. Shamlow?" Caleb said, the man looked at his clipboard for a second.
"Ah, yes... You must be his new supply runner." The man said after finding the correct name in his ledger, "That would be correct sir" Caleb confirmed.
The man directed for a couple of the drop-off workers to unload a couple small crates.
"Don't think I've seen you in town before, you new here?" The man inquired, Caleb nodded.
"Yes, just arrived here yesterday night. Looking to get any work that pays enough for food and supplies. So I took up some work with Mr. Shamlow." He explained.
"Well, if you're looking for money... Why don't you try and join up with the hunters?" The man suggested, but Caleb seemed confused.
"Hunters? You mean deer, and animals like that?" Caleb asked curiously.
He had never been much of a fan of hunting, at least for sport anyway. He would happily hunt small animals if it meant he and his brother didn't go hungry, and it seemed very likely he would have to do that in the near future.
"No, no. I mean those Witch hunters that have been forming in groups in town." The man explained, seeing Caleb's confusion.
Oh. Caleb had heard about Witches before from his parents and old friends from his hometown.
Beings who would go around, snatching children from their beds as they slept, cursing those who crossed them, and being rather unpleasant to be around in general. He knew that Witch Hunts were a common occurrence in the colonies.
I mean, who wouldn't fear their children being taken in their sleep?
"They get paid rather well... Supported by the locals through donations, they get a portion of tax revenue I hear as well" The man went on, and Caleb's eyes lit up.
"Tax revenue? The hunters get paid from the town's taxes?" Caleb was surprised, he hadn't heard of Witch Hunters being paid for their work before.
"Are they accepting new hunters?" Caleb inquired, and the man chuckled.
"Oh, always. It's just a matter of finding a Witch Hunting group that'll accept you into their ranks." The man said in reply, putting his ledger down on a nearby crate.
"The Witch Hunting groups around here are VERY selective about who they take with them on hunts, and who they don't." The man explained, "You'd have better luck striking out on your own and hoping you get lucky. And even then, you'd have to find a Witch, capture and/or kill it, and bring it back to the town as proof of your work.".
Caleb thought for a moment, it seemed like a good way to make money. But on the other hand, he couldn't just venture out into the woods every night hoping he'd eventually encounter a Witch. He needed a steady income.
"What about the Witch Hunting groups? Are they paid per Witch they bring in?" Caleb asked, levying his options.
"Well, yes and no. They do get paid for Witches they bring in and kill, but they also get paid weekly due to being a group and spending a lot of their time doing Witch Hunting in the first place." The man explained, leaning against a crate as he spoke.
Caleb perked up. That would be a guaranteed weekly pay, and he'd still be able to spend downtime at the cabin to take care of his brother.
"But I doubt they'd just let a new Witch Hunter join that has no experience." The man added.
Caleb groaned a bit. Why didn't he think about that? They would turn him down almost instantly, he was young and completely inexperienced in Witch Hunting.
But then an idea came to him, and he it said out loud without thinking it over twice.
"What if I started my own Witch Hunting group?" Caleb asked the man... To which he started laughing.
'Wait... Are you serious?" The man said in reply, calming his laughter down as he saw Caleb's unamused face.
"Yes, I'm serious. Would that be possible?" Caleb asked again, crossing his arms.
The man thought for a moment, thinking it over.
"Well, from what I remember... The only requirements is that you need at least two founding members, both need to know how to at the very least use a dagger, and need papers signed by a town official." The man explained, listing off the requirements with his fingers.
"Hmm, I think I could manage that..." Caleb said, mulling it over.
The man glanced over to see that the supply crates had been unloaded.
"Alright, those two crates right there are yours... Good luck carrying them to Shamlow's Store." The man said, gesturing at two small but still rather bulky crates on the ground.
Caleb leaned down, and heaved them both into his hands with a grunt.
"Thank you sir, you have a good day." Caleb said in reply, beginning to walk off.
The man returned the thanks and wish of a good day, and waved him off. Caleb walked down the path as he carried the heavy boxes. It was hard on his back, but it would be worth it if it meant he got paid and was able to buy some food and basic supplies.
As he walked (Careful not to drop either of the heavy crates), he couldn't help but mull over the possibility of becoming a Witch Hunter.
It paid well if what the man said was true, and he did say he'd take whatever he could get in order to be paid a decent amount of money. But he didn't know if the risk was worth it...
He had never encountered a Witch before, obviously, but he didn't know how truly dangerous they even were.
If the stories he was always told when he was younger were to be believed, they mostly preyed on children, and only went after desperate men who wanted wealth or a better life-
Oh, wait.
Caleb shook the thought off, he would never be stupid enough to make a deal with a Witch of all creatures.
He decided that Witch Hunting may be dangerous, but the pay would probably be worth it.
After all, he had his little brother to think about as well.
Caleb turned the corner he had once come from, and saw that the group of coated people were gone.
"Must have went home." Caleb shrugged, continuing on his way.
He soon made it to the general store and walked inside with the crates. "Ah, you're back!" Peter said as Caleb slowly walked over to the counter.
"Where do you want the crates?" He asked, trying to keep his fingers steady on the seemingly growing heavier by the minute crates.
"Right in the back, just put them down anywhere." Peter answered, pointing to a door behind him.
Caleb obliged, and walked into the back. Putting down the crates next to one of the shelves. He sighed in relief, happy to get the weight off from his arms.
He returned over to the counter, where Peter slid him an envelope.
"There you are, payment. Thank you for the help." Peter said, giving Caleb a semblance of a smile.
"No problem." Caleb replied, looking around at the shelves.
"Do you mind if I use that payment to instead buy some things from the shelves?" He inquired.
"Sure, go ahead. Anything that can be covered by the money in that envelope." Peter said, not looking up as he began to read a newspaper.
Caleb began to collect various food items and supplies from the selection that he had, before he caught a glance at the front of Peter's newspaper: Witch Hunts Arise! Multiple sightings of Witches reported around the Gravesfield Area.
"So, this town is really big on Witch Hunting, isn't it?" Caleb asked, hoping to start a conversation with Peter about it.
"Oh indeed, been that way ever since it's founding. Some people say it's because we're such a new colony, that we're easy pickings for the Witches, especially the children." Peter replied, glancing up from the newspaper.
"Well, what do you say?" Caleb inquired, and Peter put the newspaper down on the counter.
"I say although Witches are a rather nasty sort... It seems weird how excited a lot of people are about hunting the lot. Seems like they're doing it less out of fear, and more out of want and recognition." Peter remarked, leaning on the surface of his counter.
Caleb could see where Peter was coming from.
As he heard earlier, Witch Hunting was apparently rather lucrative around these parts.
He could definitely see how some people would not hunt Witches for the safety of themselves, but for the money that came after the blood was spilled.
"You thinking about becoming a Witch Hunter yourself?" Peter asked Caleb, snapping him back to reality.
"Actually yes, I was thinking about it..." Caleb answered, Peter chuckled a bit humorlessly.
"Well, take this as a word of warning: The Witches can be dangerous, but they aren't the only danger you'll end up facing in that line of work" Peter advised.
"Well, that's not ominous at all." Caleb thought to himself as he waved goodbye to Peter, walking out of the store with his now purchased food and supplies. He wondered what Peter meant by his warning.
Other dangers? Caleb thought that maybe he meant the wildlife that was out in the woods, he knew bears and wolves were a common sight around here. But with how Peter worded his warning made Caleb believe he meant... Something else.
He decided to shake off the thought, and focus on what was important at the moment: Getting home and feeding himself and his brother.
Caleb just hoped Phillip hadn't gotten into too much trouble while he was gone.
Phillip had managed to kill the last of the wasps stinging him. Bashing them with a rock he found nearby with a crunch underneath.
He sighed in relief, the nest he found in the closet was now gone, and he was pretty happy with how much he had gotten done in the cabin. He perked up when he heard the front door open, and rushed down the stairs (Nearly tripping in the hole he had made earlier as he did).
"Caleb! You're back!" Phillip exclaimed. Caleb put down the stuff he bought from the store on the kitchen table, and smiled.
"I found work at the general store, didn't pay much... But it paid enough for some food." Caleb explained.
He looked around to see that the cabin had been slightly spruced up.
The dust was all but gone, the cobwebs had been cleaned up, and the furniture put back right side up and neatened.
"I see you've been working on the cabin." Caleb remarked, impressed by the progress that had been made.
"Yes, just like you wanted me to!" Phillip responded, looking through the food that Caleb had gotten.
He shooed Phillip away from the food. "You have to wait till I cook it first, then you can eat." Caleb chuckled at Phillip's enthusiasm.
Phillip looked at Caleb skeptically. "You know how to cook? He asked, not seeming convinced.
Caleb shrugged "I've seen mother do it countless times, how hard can it be?"
"PHILLIP, GET THE FUCKING WATER BUCKET ALREADY!" Caleb shrieked, as the fire billowed from the stovetop.
Phillip rushed in with a bucket, and tossed it onto the stove... Extinguishing the flame.
The two brothers sighed in relief.
"Caleb... Never try and cook again please." Phillip said as he panted.
"You don't have to worry about that... I'm never so much as touching a pan again." Caleb replied, also panting.
He holds a small pan of slightly burnt stew. "At least I saved dinner..." Caleb remarked, looking at the stew in the pot.
Phillip gazed at it as well, "You call that saved?" he deadpanned.
The mood as they ate was mostly silent (With a few gags at the burnt food from Phillip), before Caleb spoke up.
"There's Witch Hunts occurring in this town." He said, rather bluntly.
It was enough to catch Phillip's interest. "Witch Hunts? You mean, like the stories mother used to tell us?" Phillip inquired, now curious.
"Yes, like those stories. There's apparently groups of Witch Hunters that go out into the forest at dawn and dusk to hunt Witches that are rumored to prowl the woods" Caleb explained, taking another spoonful of the burnt soup.
"Why are you bringing this up?" Phillip asked.
"Why not? I figured it would be nice to have a conversation while we eat." Caleb reasoned, but Phillip didn't buy it.
"You either want to scare me with that information... Or you're considering becoming a Witch Hunter." Phillip deduced.
Caleb sighed, "Yes, I'm considering it." he noticed Phillip's gaze, "Don't give me that look. It's good money, and we need that money in order to even dream of fixing this cabin up!" Caleb exclaimed.
"I don't know if you were paying attention during mother's stories, but we are the exact type of people Witches like to prey on: Desperate men looking for money and purpose!" Phillip argued, making Caleb sigh once more.
"Well, it wouldn't matter either way... I would need another person willing to do it with me in order to even get the papers for weekly payment anyway." Caleb said, slightly disappointed. It had looked really promising too, but he didn't know where he could even find another person to-
"Why don't you take me with you?" Caleb was cut off from his inner monologue by Phillip's suggestion, looking at him in surprise.
"You?" Caleb inquired, looking at his younger brother like he just grew a second head.
Phillip nods, "Why not? If you need a second person to get money weekly from it, why not me?" Phillip suggested again.
"Well firstly, you're young! You'd be at greatest risk than I would be!" Caleb argued, which Phillip deadpanned from.
"I can hold my own when it comes to defense, father taught me how to use a knife just like he did for you" Phillip argued right back.
Caleb was silent, his little brother was right. As soon as Phillip had turned to the age of ten, their father had taught him how to use a knife in hunting and defense, and Phillip learned very quickly. He wouldn't admit it to Phillip's face, but his little brother might very well have been better than he himself was at it.
"I still don't know..." Caleb replied, unsure if we wanted to bring Phillip along with him on this Witch Hunting business.
"Come on, we can do it... Plus, we'd be doing the town a favor hunting the Witches that plague it!" Phillip encouraged Caleb.
"I thought you were against Witch Hunting a few moments ago!" Caleb realized, giving Phillip a look.
"I never said that, I only said it would be fairly dangerous." Phillip plainly replied.
"Yes, which is exactly why I do not want to take you with me on the hunts." Caleb said back, making Phillip groan.
"Come on, I'd be safer with you than I would be alone here at night during the Witch Hunts!" Phillip snapped back.
Caleb considered that fact for a while. It was true that if Caleb was off on a Witch Hunt, Caleb would be alone at the Cabin for long periods of time, heck, a Witch could attack the cabin while he was out and about! Who knows what a Witch would do to Phillip...
Caleb shuddered, trying not to think too much about it.
He looked at Phillip, and sighed; making his decision.
"Okay... Fine. I'll try and see if you are at the age where you can apply to be a Witch Hunter." Caleb said, as Phillip's smile grew.
"You won't regret this Caleb! I promise!" Phillip said excitedly.
"Calm down, we don't know if what we're trying to do is legal or not... We can only hope for now until tomorrow morning." Caleb said, trying to quiet Phillip down.
"Okay, okay... Fine. But this could be what defines our new lives Caleb! Aren't you at the very least a little excited?" Phillip asked, still smiling.
Caleb did smile slightly. He was happy they had a new home, each other, and a very possible way to make a good steady income. So yes, things were looking up for the Wittebane Brothers...
...And nothing was going to get in the way of that.
The cardinal that had irritated Phillip earlier flew through the dark forest, chirping as it went.
It eventually landed in the middle of a small grassy clearing, chirping again. The clearing suddenly was lit up by an orange glow as a small controlled fire appeared in the center of it.
A figure sat by the flame, their long hair orange, ears pointed, and skin a pale white.
"What took you so long buddy?" The figure asked the canary, who hopped onto their finger.
The cardinal chirped, "Oh, someone finally moved into that abandoned cabin you say?" the figure remarked, listened to the bird.
"Rock throwers, huh?" The figure rolled their eyes, humans could be so aggressive for no reason.
"Well, at least you're okay Flappy." The figure said, nuzzling the cardinal with her cheek.
The figure looked up at the night sky, sighing longingly.
"We're gonna get home soon... It probably won't be tomorrow, or the day after that... But some day very soon, we'll get back." The figure promised themselves, as the fire next to them continued to crackle and bring warmth to the lost Witch.