One of the benefits of living in the forest just outside of a town was that it was rather peaceful in the mornings.
The cabin was just far enough away from Gravesfield that the treeline blocked the sound of the early morning work done there. All that could be heard was the peaceful chirping of the birds, and the sound of the leaves rusting from the soft morning breeze.
Caleb sat on a chair he had dragged from the kitchen as he enjoyed the early hours of the day. Yesterday had been a surge of good luck for the Wittebane Brothers, and now Caleb was hoping that surge would continue this morning.
He was planning on taking Phillip with him to town in order to get the papers necessary to be paid as an official Witch Hunting group.
To say Caleb was nervous would be an understatement. If the papers required Phillip to be older than 12 years old, he didn't know what else he could do that would be able to get him an easy weekly pay.
His stomach rumbled as he sat on the porch, but he ignored it.
There was only enough leftover stew for one bowl, and that bowl was going to his younger brother when he woke up. Caleb reasoned he would be able to suck it up, and wait until he's paid again to eat again.
But that still left the problem of what Phillip would eat for lunch, as there would be no stew left. Caleb would consider hunting... If he only had a bow, arrows, or even a sharp rock to use to hunt with.
The ash-blond boy sighed in annoyance, he couldn't just run off into the forest and stamp the life out of a starving or weakened animal, he wasn't a psychopath.
He leaned back in his chair, expecting it to touch the wall of the cabin... But it turned out he miscalculated, and the chair fell over with him in it.
"Agh... God, fucking dammit..." Caleb groaned as he slowly got up. If he wasn't awake before, he at least certainly was now.
He propped the chair back up, before hearing the front door creak open.
"Caleb? Are you okay out here?" Phillip asked, peering out from the inside of the cabin doorway.
"Yes, yes... I'm fine. Just sometimes stupid is all." Caleb remarked at his expense, "Did you sleep well?".
Phillip nodded, "I did, beds are rather soft for ones that clearly haven't been slept on in years." he replied.
Caleb agreed with Phillip, the beds were pretty comfy, especially for the amount of years they've been left to rot.
"Have you eaten breakfast yet? There's still stew left over." Caleb asked, and Phillip gave him a look.
"Have YOU eaten breakfast yet Caleb?" Phillip asked back.
"No, I haven't... Look, I'll just skip breakfast, you need the nutrients more than I do." Caleb said, as Phillip frowned slightly.
"And what will you eat later if not breakfast?" Phillip inquired, making Caleb sigh.
"Just go eat, there's not enough for the both of us... I'll figure it out." Caleb told Phillip, who sighed but backed down.
"Fine... But you're still not allowed to cook again." Phillip said as he walked back inside, making Caleb chuckle slightly.
Yes, he remembered the disaster that was yesterday's attempt at cooking stew was. They did manage to put out the fire, but Phillip clearly was adamant on Caleb staying far away from the stovetop... Which made planning meals a bit harder, but it was not a big deal.
What WAS a big deal, was getting the papers signed today with Phillip; the thought of which returned to Caleb's mind.
He knew there was a good chance this wouldn't work, but it had to be done if they wanted to start living comfortably again... Even if it did work, he wouldn't know how to even begin to hunt for Witches.
They didn't have anything in the form of weapons (Other than his cooking skills) to use in the hunts, nor any way to really track Witches down.
Caleb decided to put that problem aside for the future, and focus on what came first.
Once Phillip was finished eating, they would head to town and get the papers signed.
Hopefully.
Phillip ate the last of the stew with a slurp, and put the wooden bowl down on the cracked oak table.
As he stifled a belch, his mind wandered to what was in store for the day.
Caleb had mentioned getting the papers signed for their Witch Hunting endeavors, and Phillip was both happy yet nervous about that. He didn't know much about Witches beyond the stories his mother told him, and the stories weren't exactly the happiest ones.
One thing he knew for certain was that Witches were deceitful, lying, revolting creatures that wouldn't blink twice at tricking the common man out of his life... So he believed being a little nervous was a reasonable response.
But he couldn't shake the feeling, that Witch or not, that killing just felt... Wrong.
Now, he had hurt animals in the past thanks to his anger problems, but he had never... Killed anything before. The most carnage he had committed in his lifetime was limited to that of the annoying flies he's swatted, and the odd bee here and there.
Phillip was no fool, he knew what the outcome of Witch Hunts were for the Witches at the end of the chase: Burning at the stake, or a public hanging.
The boy instinctively grasped at his own neck at the thought of the horrid fate. But Phillip soon shook the feelings off... They wouldn't be doing the killing of the Witches after all, just the capturing.
They'd be like officers apprehending criminals... It wasn't on their hands what happened to the criminals once they're brought before a court, so it's not on THEIR hands what happens to the Witches either!
As Phillip nodded to himself, Caleb entered the room, wearing his coat.
"Done eating?" Caleb asked, adjusting his sleeves.
Phillip nodded, "I am. Ready to go?" Phillip responded, getting out of his chair.
Caleb sighed, a bit of unsureness in his voice . "I guess so..." Caleb finally said, trying to keep back his nervousness.
Phillip noticed Caleb's nervousness, "Hey, I'm sure it will be fine. They allow kids my age to do much more dangerous things than Witch Hunting." Phillip said, trying to calm his older brother's worries.
Caleb said nothing, but was thankful for Phillip's support.
"Come on, we won't know if it will be fine by just standing here. Let's start heading into town." Phillip directed, taking Caleb's hand and beginning to drag him toward the door.
All Caleb could think as they walked down the path leading to the mailing offices, was if it was too late to turn back.
But despite his nervousness, Caleb continued on walking, Phillip following close behind.
They soon had reached the building, and walked inside.
Caleb led Phillip past the shelves filled with various letters and envelopes waiting to be sent out, before finally reaching the counter. A man wearing a collared shirt was behind it, looking through multiple square shelves full of papers and other notes.
Caleb cleared his throat to get the man's attention.
"Oh, can I help you?" The man asked, turning to look at the brothers.
"Yes, we'd like to become Witch Hunters!" Phillip proclaimed, before Caleb could even open his mouth.
"Phillip." Caleb scolded, motioning for him to keep quiet. He cleared his throat once more.
"Well, that is what we're here for... But we wanted to know if it would be possible to start our own Witch Hunting group?" Caleb inquired, as the man came over to the counter.
"Hm, let's see. I have the papers for it here somewhere..." The man said, rooting through a pile of papers on the floor next to the counter.
"Aha, here it is! Gravesfield Witch Hunting Association." The man put a couple papers on the countertop.
"Requirements are that you need at two founding members, a place of residence near Gravesfield, and the ability to go on weekly hunts for said Witches." The man explained, "Members need to be above the age of eleven, and capable of signing these papers".
Caleb let out a sigh of relief, that age requirement meant Phillip could be his second founding member!
He could feel his nervousness melting away at the revelation.
"Do you want a pen?" The man offered, holding one out for Caleb and Phillip.
"Yes, thank you kindly." Caleb said, taking the pen. He found the two founding member signature boxes, and took the time to read the text detailing the creation of a Witch Hunting group.
"The Gravesfield Witch Hunting Association provides financial compensation for those who create and/or are a part of groups that hunt Witches. These groups are allowed to do hunts independently, without intervention from the monarchy. Groups can consist of any number of members, but are required to have a total of two founding members and a place of residence in order to be eligible for weekly payment. This payment can be revoked if the group either disbands, refuses to hunt, or takes part in any action to assist Witches. The latter reason is punishable by imprisonment and/or hanging. Please sign below if you accept the terms and understand the requirements along with meeting them." Caleb read out, with Phillip listening as he did so.
"Well... It seems as if we meet all the requirements then." Caleb observed.
Phillip on the other hand, seemed to notice the warning against helping Witches.
"Imprisonment and/or hanging?" Phillip asked, wondering if he had heard it right.
"Oh yes, the Association is VERY strict about that policy: If you try and help a Witch avoid capture, you will most likely be arrested for doing so." The man explained, leaning on the counter.
"Oh... I see." Phillip said, rather plainly.
He felt as if he should have known that. Of course helping Witches would be illegal, they are monsters from what the stories he's been told have taught him.
"So, are you ready to sign the papers Phillip?" Caleb asked, holding out the pen.
He had already signed one box, now only the other one was empty; awaiting Phillip's signature. Phillip hesitated for a moment... Before he finally took the pen and signed his name in the box.
The man overlooked the signatures on the paper.
"Alright, everything seems to be in order." The man said, pulling out a small bag out from under the table and giving it to Caleb.
He dropped it into his hand, and the two brothers could hear the sound of coins clinking together as it did.
"Consider that your upfront payment, you'll get another payment next week." The man explained, as Caleb looked in the small bag to see a good amount of shillings and pounds in the cloth-lined inside.
"Much obliged sir. Thank you for your time." Caleb said, beginning to walk out with Phillip by his side. As they walked out, Caleb accidentally bumped into a brown haired man walking in.
"Oh, sorry-" Caleb was cut off when he caught a glance of the man's face.
The right side of the man's face had multiple faded scars, with a large one near his eye socket. Speaking of his eye, it was red; much different from his other clearly natural blue eye. The man paid the brothers little attention, and continued over to the counter.
"Ah, Captain Lythrope. How can I help you?" Was the last thing the brothers heard as they walked out of the office.
"Did you see that man's scars?" Phillip asked his older brother, clearly entranced by the man's facial features. "Yes I... I did." Caleb replied, still taken aback. "Do you think he got them from a Witch attack?" Phillip inquired, "No, Witches don't have claws from what I know of... He probably was attacked by a wolf or some other animal like that." Caleb reasoned. He shook off the thoughts about the man, and turned his mind onto a better topic: The fact that he and Phillip were now officially Witch Hunters!
They'd be paid weekly for hunts they would only have to do once per week, and were paid upfront just for forming the group.
Caleb was happy he'd finally be able to support them both.
"Come on Phillip, let's go get some food for dinner." Caleb told his younger brother.
Phillip nodded in agreement, and they walked down the path toward the general store.
Yep, things were finally looking up!
Things could not be going worse.
The witch fled through the forest as she could hear the sounds of gunshots behind her, one of the bullets whizzed past her head and into a nearby tree.
"Titan, these people know how to waste bullets! And for what? ONE witch?!" She remarked to herself as she continued to run.
The witch regretted leaving her Palismen at camp. She knew she should have kept Flappy nearby in case something like this were to happen!
Eventually, she made it to the clearing she slept in last night and picked up her Palismen, thankfully in staff form.
Without a moment to lose, she got onto the staff, and flew off into the sky. She looked down at the riders on horseback coming into the clearing to find nothing but a deserted campfire.
A chuckle escaped her lips, another successful escape to add to her list. But she knew she was getting sloppy. Eventually she would get caught if she kept this up.
What she really needed was a place to stay, a more permanent place to stay.
But for now; all she really had was Flapjack, her wits, and a large bounty on her orange haired head.
But hey, that's all Evelyn needed right now.
Eventually it was all gonna work out, she knew it would.