"You couldn't keep silent again, nya? If we tell Mrs. Susan, you will get hit, nya." The enchanted woolly cat spoke, mumbling every other word.
"I think it's interesting what she'll say when she finds out where her little fish have gone." I remember taking the blame for it saying that I mistook the spells and all the fish from the aquarium flew into the air. This wasn't very convincing considering that the aquarium was completly fine. I said then that I must be talented.
"And where's the miss hat, nya?" He asked, but now I was more concerned with looking at my feet. I rolled my eyes. Only whining!
"And the shoes, nya! Where are the ladies shoes?" He purred accusingly. I sighed loudly, hopping over the thick trunk.
"Gee, you're whining so much, Aggeo. I don't know where my shoes are. They will find themselves eventually. A certain witch once said that what's lost comes back to you sooner or later, even when you don't expect it." I paused a moment and leaned against a tree. The hair bristled on the back of my neck. I looked back, frowning. Aggeo also stopped and looked at me with button eyes.
"Something wrong, miss?" He asked looking at our footprints in the grass.
"Shhhh!" I just hissed and narrowed my eyes looking into the distance behind us. As if on cue, a strong wind moved. The leaves rustled wildly and the branches snapped shut. I held my hair out of my eyes and strained my eyes, hearing and everything I could. Every inch of my body that could detect something activated, but I only stared at one place. Toward the nearest border. It was in the opposite direction.
Aggeo looked at me carefully. Eventually I relaxed my muscles but still didn't look away.
"I have a very bad feeling. Something bad is about to happen." I said, then turned slowly and continued on my way. Aggeo caught up with me after a while.
"How does miss know this, nya? Had a vision again?" He asked me while meowing. I quickened my pace, feeling the soft grass under my feet, but even the scent of wild roses that I had missed didn't calm me down. It worried me even more. I pushed on.
"Not this time. It's just a hunch, but it's very powerful. I have never experienced one like this before. We'd better hurry up." I added after a while accelerating my pace to run. I felt trembling all over my body. The magic in me was restless. So was the forest. With each step I felt that something was changing. Something is coming. The trees couldn't go silent and the ground trembled slightly. The animals fell silent. My smells were mixed up and I could smell almost nothing. I only felt anxiety and I frowned.
"Come on, Aggeo!" I exclaimed to the kitten following me. He was lagging behind.
"Wait for me, miss!" He gasped, aligning his pace with me, then as if nothing had happened, he jumped onto my shoulder. I frowned at him, but immediately looked back at the trunks to jump.
"Just don't tell me you put on weight later. " I said, and when he wanted to answer, I just jumped over the moss tree trunk and the kitten had to shut up, sticking its paws into my arm.
I ran as fast as I could, avoiding the slaloms of trees and trunks. The wind was blowing on my back, adding speed. Something was really coming from that side. And it was very dangerous. A short clearing appeared, a jump over a swift stream, where I got my feet wet, and jump into the deep forest again. Run on. The wind grew stronger and stopped alternately. It was giving a signal. I frowned. I can't read it! Can Mrs. Susan?
Finally I saw a friendly little house situated in a small clearing by the well. I ran into the house with a bang, looking into every room. Bookcase, bedrooms, kitchen, storeroom, garden, laboratory. She was nowhere to be found! I started to get terribly worried.
"Mrs. Susan! Mrs. Susan! Where are you?" I started screaming, but only the wind answered me. I bit my lip. I don't know what it wants to tell me! I ran out of the house and looked around again. Where can she be? At this point when something happens? I don't even know what yet!
"Asti, take it easy, nya! Mrs. Susan went to gather some herbs in the clearing." Aggeo appeared next to me with a note in his mouth. I put my hand out and he handed me the paper. It was true. She went to pick up the beef herb. I took a deep breath and handed the note to the cat. I put my fingers to my chin and began to wonder. Which clearing did Mrs. Susan go to? And why now? Does it matter with what's coming? Well, but the cough herb is unlikely to be of use now...
I heard some noises surprisingly close to me that took me out of my thoughts. As if someone was crushing and tearing the paper. I tensed myself alert and looked around hurriedly. After a few turns, my eyes finally stopped.
"Aggeo? Why are you eating paper?" The kitten looked at me chewing the last piece of the paper, then even licked it.
"Mrs Susan pays great attention to the news, nya. Usually she has them disposed of so that no one can use them again." He explained proud of himself, and I frowned.
"I see..." It was sweet silly. I wasn't going to get him out of this mistake. Aggeo was probably glad he had been given a job from Mrs. Susan other than watching me. He was here, after all, thanks to her spells, not mine, and he would certainly prefer to follow the orders of the person who summoned him and be at his master's side.
After a while, I grew serious. I looked at the kitten carefully.
"Aggeo, stay home if she decides to come back. I'm gonna go find Mrs. Susan." I replied seriously, and the kitten nodded obediently. He walked towards the cabin and sat down in front of the door like a watchdog.
See? Although his job is to look after me, in choosing between waiting for his mistress or looking after the kid, he chose what was more important to him. I didn't hold it against him. That was the nature of summoned creatures.
I, on the other hand, turned and ran forward, disappearing among the restless trees. I was sprinting, jumping or rolling under. I wasn't missing anything. Is it a stream, a hole, a fallen tree. I pushed forward, bending my body as much as possible. Without magic, but with the help of the forest. I recognized that it was trying to get the obstacles out of my way as much as possible. Branches bent and roots hid. The bushes moved away, and the water in numerous streams became shallower. The forest helped me.
Therefore, I didn't expect that my run would end with a protruding root. It came out of nowhere and cut me so I landed on the grass. With a short groan of pain, I glared at the root as it began to hide under pressure. I puffed upset with my lips and started to get up. Have you got a joke on this beech? I don't have time for it!
"Asti?" Suddenly I heard a calm voice. I stopped moving. "Everything okay with you? You're all dirty! Why are you in such a hurry?" I looked up to see a skinny woman walking towards me with a wicker basket in her hand and a large, worn hat on her head. Mrs. Susan shook my hand and helped me up, and I relaxed a bit. She was fine.
"You don't feel it?" I started as the woman began to remove the grass from my hair. "Why are you picking up beef herb by the way?" I asked, frowning, but Mrs. Susan only brought me to order with a calm smile and gentle gestures.
"I don't feel what?" She replied finally. "And it's always worth going for medicinal herbs. I was just running out." She explained as if nothing had happened, then straightened up, took her hips and looked at me with a smile.
"Well! You look so much better now, you little dirty witch." I sighed loudly and looked closely at Mrs. Susan.
"You really don't feel anything? This restlessness of the forest, this strange impending presence? Nothing at all? Don't you feel this threat?" I asked with a serious look, and the lady looked at me a little surprised. She looked around carefully.
"Well, the wind picked up a while ago, but after that, I don't feel anything strange. The wind likes to play tricks. Probably just caught you in one." She replied, then passed me and started down the way I had come. I quickly followed her.
"Wind maybe yes, but the whole forest right away? It's impossible! Something's coming up, Mrs. Susan. I feel it." The woman slowed to take her pace with me, then looked at me carefully from under her hat. Her dark eyes suddenly felt razor sharp.
"Nothing is impossible in the life of witches, Asti." She replied with stern eyesight, but then lightened up. "And after what is coming? You also had a bad feeling when I ran out of oranges for the cake and honey for tea." I looked at Mrs. Susan, frowning. It was completely different. Why was she trying to change the subject? Or maybe she just didn't believe me? If she's going to recall previous visions, I will do the same!
"And when you went to get them, you were attacked by a bear." I kindly reminded her.
"It just got in my way." She corrected me, and I huffed. Always that old excuse. This woman was too much connected with nature to notice that it can be dangerous.
"Yeah, and he left you a nice souvenir in the shape of a scar at your elbow." I said delivering an unquestionable fact and delivering her a critical debating blow.
"Anyway" she changed the subject. "I don't think there will be any bears visiting me again, let alone threatening the forest. Here is their home." Mrs. Susan spoke in that teacher's tone. I knew she would change the subject again! Talking to her is like that! I rolled my eyes and didn't give up.
"I'm not talking about bears here, Mrs. Susan." I dug hard, and she listened patiently to me, but didn't get what I meant. She looked over her shoulder at me with her stern gaze.
"So what? What's this time, Asti? What's this threat?" I bit my lip and looked down uncertainly. I didn't know how to explain it to her. After all, it was just a hunch, but it was very strong, and you can't take things lightly in the witch's world! But...
"Aha! So you don't even know what!" Mrs. Susan said loudly. As if she had finally reached the winning point.
"But I know it comes from beyond the forest! I've never felt so much anxiety! You have to believe me! This is something very dangerous!" I was talking trying to block the way for Mrs. Susan to finally look at me, but Susan just waved her hand carelessly and kept walking. What a woman! She ignored her own student and didn't hide the fact that what I was saying wasn't interesting to her!
"Yes, yes, something dangerous, I understood. More importantly, where are your shoes? And the hat?" Ms Susan changed the subject considering my warning closed.
I stiffened.