Quin's POV:
I plopped down onto the sofa and let out tiring breaths of air. I had just finished a run with my wolf, Rin, but normally it goes fine. The difference with this one is that Rin ran farther than we usually do and my witch, Finn, tried to interfere. Finn felt a bad arora around the place Rin ran. Finn, Rin, Lyn(Vampire), and myself all agreed to not try to force each other's cultures upon the other's form of control. But throughout our whole run, Rin and Finn were arguing.
I grabbed the notebook on the coffee table in front of the sofa and opened it to the first page.
"If you guys are done arguing, I'm going to list off our agreements we made to not have this happen. I'm not afraid to add more." I said firmly through the mind link. I heard groans from them and only smirked at their reactions.
"List of agreements. One. Only drink animal blood. Two. No using magic while in wolf form. Three. No Arguing In Mind Link! Four. No Doubting Others Cultures! Five. Never go into wolf territory. Six. Ask To Take Control! Seven. No going out after dark. Eight. No going into witch territory without Remi." I spoke aloud and said the things that went wrong, that were listed, louder than the other things. I heard more annoyed sighs and groans but closed the notebook and set it on the coffee table.
"You're lucky it was only minor things that you messed up on but I still have a headache. So we're going to collect herbs and none of you are allowed to talk the whole time. Got it?" I informed. They all agreed to my choice of actions and went silent but I kept my wolf unmuted. Finn and Lyn were wild and sometimes uncontrollable. Rin is the only reason I get to keep my sanity. Rin keeps me company and calms me. Though the downside of this "pureness" is that Rin is very sensitive to both words and actions.
We make rules in the hope it would help make Rin more confident. Lyn can't use vampire speed in wolf form and has to survive off of animal blood because Rin will simply spit human blood out. Finn isn't bothered by any of the rules. She understands why she can't use magic in wolf form so I'd say she is the most mature out of all of us.
I grabbed two baskets out of the cupboard and carried them outside. Next to a small herb garden, I created was a larger basket that is carried back. I slipped my arms through the straps and hoisted myself up with the unexpected weight. I wobbled at first but started walking East. The only direction I could go without a fear. The only direction I could go without a tribe of some sort that wanted to kill me.
10 minutes of walking later................
After about ten minutes of walking, I reached another clearing that was bigger than the one that my home was planted on. It looked so untouched and magical even though I'm here three times a week. It was practically a field of herbs.
Herbs that no human would imagine knowing about.
These were herbs that can make potions that only the greatest of witches could touch.
These were herbs that could poison an animal by eating it.
There were many flaws to these plants.
...
But those flaws don't bother me as they should. I mainly use them for healing, invisibility, barriers, energy, or anything else I find useful. People simply call them "forbidden" or "illegal" because they are used for badly more than good.
I sat down in the center of the field and started gently picking the herbs. Once the herbs left the ground they automatically floated into the baskets. After 20 minutes, I had finished two-tenths of the field and filled up the two smaller baskets. I was about to start filling the larger basket but I dropped everything and changed my scent once an unfamiliar presence came closer to my senses from about 2 miles away. But they were coming at an abnormal speed and got 11 feet closer by the minute. I double-checked that I smelt human and went back to picking the herbs, without magic.
The presence was close. Close enough that I could tell that it was a werewolf pup. I calmed down and whispered a spell to follow the pup. The pup was in a bush on the outskirts of the field. I closed my eyes and sat on my knees.
"I don't know who you are, little one, but I'm no predator," I spoke calmly. I heard some slight shifting from the bush but no one came out of it. I sighed and went back to the harvest. At first, I thought the pup ran off but then I felt a small and shaking hand grip my shirt with a tug. I turn my head and see the little werewolf pup.
They had short dirty-blonde hair that was filled with all sorts of leaves, dirt, and twigs. They looked around 6 years old and were 3'7. They looked up at me with odd but comforting, shimmering, silver eyes. Their entire body was covered in dirt and stains. They had cuts on their small limbs and holes in their clothes. They were wearing a dark green T-shirt that was missing most of the sleeves and black jogging shorts. I turned my entire body so I was facing them.
"What are you doing out here?" I asked. The pup shook its head and pointed at its mouth. "Oh. You're mute?" I realized. They nodded and held their hands in their lap. I reached into my back pocket and found a small notepad.
"Plumbum" I whispered. As I said that, a pencil appeared in my hand. I handed the pup the notepad and pencil, hoping they know how to write. They smiled at me and gripped the objects, ready to answer a question or ask one themself.
"Proper introductions first. I'm Quin and I'm 153." I re-greeted. "What's your name or age, kid?" I asked. They smiled and started writing.
"I don't remember my name... But I'm 6!" I frowned and looked at the confused child.
"How would you feel if I gave you a name?" I asked. They started jumping with a smile and frequent nods. I smiled and gave them head pats. They seemed amazed at my hand gently patting their head. What type of trauma has this poor child been through? I thought.
"What's your favorite letter? Or do you remember any letters that were in your name?" I asked. They thought for a bit and then started writing again.
"I remember E! E's are in a lot of names though. But it as a first letter sounds cool!" I smiled and gave an agreed nod. I looked at them for a long while, thinking of a name that resembles them well. I'm not good at naming kids though.
"How 'bout Ezra?" I asked. They slightly tilted their head in confusion.
"What does that mean?" They wrote.
"Not sure. I heard humans talking about it." I replied. Their eyes went wide.
"You've met humans!?" They wrote.
"Kinda. Let's just say I've been to a human village before but I've never become friends with one." I explained. Their eyes went back to normal but the shock and amazement were still there. "But seriously kid. What are you doing here? Where's your pack or family?" I asked. Their expression changed to a face I recognize way too well. It was a similar face I made when my family got mentioned.
"I watched my family get killed by other werewolves for crimes. I was going to be next but I ran away in time." They wrote. Tears fell from their eyes and silent sobs that you could barely hear came out of their mouth. I lifted them onto my lap and hugged them. I wasn't sure what I was doing but my body felt like I needed to do this.
"I'm in a similar situation, kid." I started. They looked up at me with their teary and red eyes. "My family left me when I was three. I don't even remember what they look or sound like." Their eyes widened slightly. "I think they are dead now though. They were wanted criminals and in their 1490's."
"What does this have to do with me? I'm going to get killed eventually." They wrote and looked into their lap.
"How 'bout you come live with me, Ezra?"