Protector

A howl was heard in the distance, and the noise of heavy footsteps reverberated through the woods. Something was approaching them.

"The werewolf is coming for us!" exclaimed the man.

"Don't worry, it will have to get past me first," said Lily.

Lily raised one of her hands, which now had claws. She cast the protective shield spell by making a swift movement with her hand. The family was surrounded by a magical protective shield. Now no one would be able to harm them as long as Lily stood.

Lily turned towards the noise of the footsteps. She positioned her feet in a starting stance, ready to run towards the werewolf and attack. The footsteps were growing louder with each passing minute. The werewolf came into sight. The creature possessed a muscular, powerful physique covered in dark, coarse fur. Its eyes had an amber-coloured glow. Long, razor-sharp claws extended from its powerful paws. The werewolf was ready to rend and tear through anything that crossed its path during its hunt.

Lily unsheathed her claws to their full length, showcasing her long, razor-sharp claws. The werewolf began bounding towards Lily, its powerful stride propelled by animalistic grace and speed. Lily sprinted through the moon-dappled wood, edging towards the creature ahead.

With a primal growl, the werewolf leaped into the air, lunging towards Lily. Lily also leaped into the air and collided mid-air with the werewolf. Their claws were now intertwined, clinging to each other. They crashed back to the ground, locked in a savage embrace, their growling maws mere inches apart. Each of them sought to gain the upper hand. Lily fought to protect the family, while the creature fought to defeat Lily and advance on its prey.

Lily pulled one of her interlocked claw from the werewolf's grasp. With a sweeping motion of her freed claw, Lily slashed through the face of the werewolf, leaving claw marks etched upon the creature's face. The werewolf howled in pain and fury, pulling its interlocked claw away from Lily's grasp. It slowly backed away before turning and bounding away in the direction it had come from.

Lily turned to face the family, who were standing in their place, gasping in astonishment. They never thought Lily would win the fight.

Lily walked over to them and spoke, "You're safe now."

"Not really, our daughter was attacked by the creature," said the man. "We need to find a cure for her before she turns into a werewolf."

"I know a witch who can help," said Lily. "I'll take you to her. She said she can cure my curse, and she sent me to the woods to collect the ingredients for the potion, which I did. She's very nice."

"Are you sure she can help us?" inquired the man.

"Of course," replied Lily. "Perch, show us the way to Grimmore Cottage."

The four of them followed Perch to the edge of the woods where the cottage was. Smoke flowed out of the chimney, and the cottage glowed softly, illuminated by the light emanating from within. The light cast an inviting aura in the surrounding darkness of the night.

Perch flew up to the front entrance and knocked on the door. The square peephole opened, revealing a pair of emerald green eyes. The family took a few steps backward in fright.

"It's alright, no need to be afraid, it's just the witch," reassured Lily.

"It's you, Perch," said Gwen. "I see you and Lily are back quickly. I thought you two would take more time. Anyway, come on in."

Gwen opened the door, and Perch, Lily, and the family entered the cottage.

"Who do we have here?" asked Gwen.

"I'm Jack and this is my wife Daisy and our daughter Grace," said the man as he introduced himself and his family.

"So what seems to be the problem?" asked Gwen.

"My daughter was attacked by a werewolf," said Daisy. "She is slowly turning into one."

Daisy showed her daughter, who was developing a wolf-like appearance.

"You're looking for a cure?" asked Gwen.

"Yes," replied Daisy.

"Give me a moment to look through the "Cure Curse" book and find the cure," said Gwen.

Gwen walked over to the bookshelf and pulled out the book she had previously used to find the cure for the 'Moonbean Curse'. Taking the book, she went over to the sofa and placed it upon the coffee table before taking a seat. Sitting down, she flipped through the pages before pausing on one page.

"'Werewolf Attack'—to cure the victim from turning into a werewolf, brew a potion from these three ingredients: One Eye of Newt, Three Magical Mushrooms, and One Celestial Gemstone," read Gwen. "Let's go to the kitchen."

Lily and the family followed Gwen into the kitchen. Gwen placed the open book upon the dining table and pulled out two jars from a cupboard, placing them on the dining table. One was labeled 'Eye of Newt' and the other 'Magical Mushroom'. Gwen then went back to the cupboard and shuffled through the jars inside.

"We seem to be missing the Celestial Gemstone," announced Gwen.

"I just collected one tonight," responded Lily quickly.

"If we use it now, you'll need to collect another one," said Gwen.

"That will be a problem," said Lily.

"Why's that?" asked Gwen.

"It was the only gemstone that I saw in the stream," replied Lily.

"That is a problem," said Gwen. "We can only make one potion, and you both need a cure; otherwise, you'll both become monsters."

Gwen pulled a dining table chair and sat on it with her fist against her cheek.

"Grace can have the gemstone," said Lily.

"Are you sure?" asked Gwen. "You'll become a beast without the cure."

"If she doesn't have the cure, she'll become a werewolf and have no recollection of her human self," said Lily. "I fought a werewolf tonight in the woods, the one that attacked Grace. It behaved nothing more than an animal. It was ferocious and attacked anything that was in its path while hunting its prey."

Lily placed the gemstone on the dining table. Gwen got up, went over to one of the cupboard and got out a mortar and pestle. She placed both on the table. In went the gemstone in the mortar. With the pestle, Gwen crushed the stone until it was a fine powder.

On the stove, there was already a small black cauldron. Gwen began brewing the potion.

"Double, double, toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble,

In the cauldron boil and bake.

One eye of newt,

Three magical mushrooms,

And one Celestial Gemstone crushed into fine powder.

Double, double, toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble,

In the cauldron boil and bake."

After five minutes of stirring the cauldron, the potion was ready. Gwen poured the potion with a ladle into a cup. It was a lime green coloured potion. Gwen handed it over to Grace, who drank it. Her werewolf appearance slowly disappeared, turning her back to her human self.

"How can we thank you?" Daisy began.

"No need," replied Gwen as she took back the cup from Grace.

The four of them, including Ember, were all staring at Lily.

"Has my appearance become more beastly?" asked Lily.

"No," said Gwen reassuringly.

Gwen conjured a hand-held mirror with a wave of her hand and handed it to Lily. Looking at her reflection, Lily noticed that the ears atop her head had disappeared. She grinned in the mirror, observing that her teeth were no longer sharp. The thick hair on her arms had vanished, and her hands no longer had any claws. Miraculously, she had been cured of her curse.

"How?" Lily inquired.

"The curse can also be broken by doing a good deed," explained Gwen.

"You're telling me this just now!" exclaimed Lily. "You sent me to the woods where I could have died."

"I couldn't have you running around town doing every good deed that came your way. For starters, we don't know which good deed would break the curse," explained Gwen. "If you hadn't gone into the woods, Grace wouldn't be cured right now. You helped save a life."

Lily was quite pleased with herself. She had indeed saved Grace's life.

Lily heard a noise and walked over to the kitchen window. In the distance, an owl was flying by and hooting.

"What are you looking at?" asked Gwen as she came up beside her.

"The owl," replied Lily.

"I don't see any owl," said Gwen.

"It's also hooting," said Lily.

"Looks like you've retained some of your beast abilities, noticeably enhanced sight and hearing," said Gwen.

Lily stared at Gwen in fright, unsure of what to make of her newfound abilities.

"Don't worry, you won't be turning into a beast," reassured Gwen. "The curse has been broken."

"Can I still do magic?" Lily asked anxiously.

"Follow my lead," said Gwen, raising one of her hand.

Lily raised one of her hand and copied Gwen's movements. Gwen recited an incantation, which Lily repeated, successfully creating a ball of light that floated mid-air.

"I did it," said Lily excitedly.

Lily and Gwen went back to the family and bid them farewell as they left the cottage and headed back to their home.

"Will you continue to teach me magic?" asked Lily.

"I always keep my word," replied Gwen. "You'll be my apprentice."

Lily stood with her back in front of the closed door and said, "I am Lily, protector of the innocent and the witch's apprentice."