~Torin~

Even from the safety of the tree line, Torin had a well enough view to see the witch. He didn't need to be any closer to smell the magic on her. An old one, then. One whose magical lineage runs deep. Only the blood of the old witches smelled as potent. She spotted him. He had been so focused on her scent that he'd let her see him. Foolish; a pup's mistake. He dipped out of her line of sight between one blink and the next. He followed her as she continued her path, although he had no real need to. He knew exactly where she was going. A witch showing up on his land in the middle of the day? There was only one place she could be headed.

Strange. No one had lived in that cabin in years. The last inhabitants passed on and that had been years ago. Torin was almost too young to remember that witch his father had introduced him to. But since then — nothing. The old cottage in the forest stayed vacant. He checked up on it from time to time or sent one of his pack mates to have a quick look. But no one had seen anything in years. Until now, apparently.

Once the witch had entered the cottage, Torin waited until smoke began to billow from the previously unused chimney before turning tail for home. He'd have to come back first thing tomorrow. He needed to know why she was here. What her purpose of coming here was.

Running through the thick woods pushed the witch to the back of his mind for the moment. His large paws found footing easily amongst the twigs and fallen trees, but it was no time to let his mind wander. The woods around here held many secrets and he didn't have the energy to entertain any of them today. Moss and earth gave way to gravel and mud as the road that would lead to his home emerged from the thicket. He took a moment to listen, make sure no cars could be heard — although it would be strange indeed if any car other than his sister's was in the area — before he took off towards the house.

It was an old brick thing, covered in the typical lime whitewash, like so many of the buildings in the area. The thatched roof was bright against the green of the hills, having only been redone the past fall. Once an old manor house for some of the nearby town's elite, the house was perfectly suited to a pack of Shifters. Stone fences and wooden gates separated the yard into smaller sections and led Torin to the covered doorway. Only once inside the house did he allow his form to shift from wolf to human once more. A pair of pants and a long-sleeved shirt sat on the small entry table, right where he'd left them that morning before heading out. Slipping them on, Torin made his way further into the house, following the sounds of his best friends laughing. Hopefully, they were clothed this time. One could never be too sure with them.

Walking into the kitchen, where they had renovated and constructed a giant island in the middle, stood two of Torin's pack mates and friends. Ciaran and Flynn had been there since the beginning, their families having long been friends. Torin had vivid memories of getting into all sorts of trouble with the two when they were pups. It wasn't until Ciaran and Flynn had stopped dancing around each other and confessed their love that things changed. But for the better; most of the time. Torin has walked in on them in more than one precarious situation over the years. Thankfully, whatever he was interrupting this time involved everyone being decent.

Flynn was mid-laughter when Torin walked in. His friend's eyes only seemed to lighten up more. "There you are! We were beginning to wonder where our fearless leader ran off to. You headed out at sun rise!" He didn't seem very worried, considering he was still laughing through the words as Ciaran shook his head, a fond smile on his face.

Eyeing his mate with slight exasperation, Ciaran turned to Torin with a much calmer demeanor. "You were out for a long time today, did you find trouble amongst the sheep?"

The teasing never ceased, it would appear. Slightly saddened to ruin their fun, but needing his friend's input, Torin sighed. "I saw a witch arrive at Ash Grove."

The laughter on Flynn's face vanished in a blink, his brows pulling tight on his forehead. "A witch? You're certain?" The look Torin gave him was answer enough. "What's a witch doing at Ash Grove? There hasn't been anyone in that house since we were kids."

Shaking his head, Torin ran his hand over his face with a sigh. "I don't know, but we're going to need to find out."

Ciaran tapped a finger on the table top, thinking. "If she's arrived here, clearly she knew of the house. Perhaps she knows of the Shifters guarding it, too." He didn't sound so convinced and the look he was giving Torin didn't add any confidence, either.

"I think if she knew, she would've stopped here first, or sent word ahead. I don't think she knows about us."

"But she knew about the house." Flynn pointed at him when he spoke as if he needed to make the point stick. "So she clearly is of that family line. No one else would even know that old house exists. That means she could be a friend."

Cocking his head from side to side, Torin licked his lips. "Not necessarily. If she comes from abroad, she might not have ever encountered a Shifter before. You know how uncommon and hidden they are in the States."

"Perhaps," said Ciaran as he laid his hand over Flynn's on the table. "Or perhaps she was simply tired from her journey and will come knocking tomorrow. Did she give you any reason to believe she'd be here to cause harm?"

He had only watched her from afar, but even then, he couldn't exactly say she had been threatening in her jeans, knit sweater, and colorful duffle bags. But one could never be too sure these days. "Maybe. Maybe not." His eyes left his friends and looked towards the doorway. "I need to speak to my father about this. Is Orla home yet?"

Ciaran shook his head. "She said she'd be back late tonight. Something about a tourist bus rolling into town. She rang an hour ago to let us know."

Making a sound in the back of his throat, Torin frowned. He didn't like it when his baby sister drove alone so late at night. He'd never say that, of course, she'd hit him if he ever tried to act so protective of her. It wasn't that she couldn't protect herself. An alpha Shifter herself, Orla was perfectly capable. Still. Torin worried.

As if reading the look on his face, which he probably could, Ciaran smiled. "I asked her to let us know before she left the pub. Flynn and I will run down to the main road to meet her and make sure she gets home."

Relief and gratefulness for his friends filled Torin's chest. He never would be able to be the pack alpha if it wasn't for their aid. Clapping both on their shoulders, he made his way out of the kitchen and towards the den. It had become his father's favorite room in the house since his retirement. The smell of pipe smoke met Torin's nose long before he even made it to the door. Knocking twice, he didn't wait for a word before pushing the old door open. Beside the fire, in the comfiest armchair in the house, sat his father. If it wasn't for the gray hair and beard, one wouldn't know that Rowan was in his late sixties. The man still held himself with such purpose, a smile always on his face to any passerby. Age was doing him well, in Torin's opinion.

Wrinkles appeared beside the man's eyes as he looked at his son. "Ah, there you are, my boy. Flynn was about ready to send out a search party." The laughter in his father's voice was only barely contained.

Rolling his eyes, Torin took a seat opposite his father. "Yes, he told me such when I found them in the kitchen. He didn't look all that worried to me."

Rowan pointed the end of the pipe in his direction. "He's just gotten good at hiding it when you're around. What kept you out so late today, hmm?"

Taking a breath, Torin focused on the flames dancing in the fireplace. "Something concerning." He focused back on his father, the frown on his face evident. "I saw a witch, arriving at Ash Grove. I followed her straight to it."

Moments passed where his father continued to smoke his pipe. Torin was beginning to wonder if the old man had heard what he'd just said but then Rowan hummed in his throat. "And did you go speak to this witch? Find out what her business here is?"

Suddenly his plan to speak to her tomorrow seemed childish. "I was...going to speak with her tomorrow. I felt I needed to watch her from a distance first. There hasn't been a witch on this land in years."

"Perhaps not. But does that instantly mean that she must be here to cause harm? I've taught you better than to judge people like that, Torin."

Feeling properly chastised like only his father could ever do, Torin growled low in his chest. "Of course, it doesn't. I was caught off guard is all. Didn't expect anything in those fields except sheep and birds."

A small smile worked its way onto Rowan's face. "I'm not trying to poke at you, my boy. I'm simply trying to help you see things differently. Tomorrow is just as good as today to introduce yourself. She clearly doesn't appear to be going anywhere any time soon." Clearly, the look on Torin's face was not convinced, because Rowan leaned forward to pat his son's knee. "Don't fret so much. Perhaps having a witch back on the land is exactly what we need."

Thinking of the dying land around him, he hoped his father was right. Maybe this witch had arrived at the perfect time. The alternative, after all, would be disastrous.

~~~

The next morning, before the sun had crested the hills, Torin ran through the deep forest towards the witch's cabin. There was no doubt that his friends would be asking him what in the hells he was doing, if they had been awake to see him off, of course. No one ever woke up as early as he did. He just wanted to observe her a little more. His father might not see any threat in the witch appearing so suddenly but Torin isn't convinced. Their land is slowly dying and it wouldn't take much ill-work from a witch to do real damage. He's just doing his job — protecting their land and his family.

Flynn would tell him he's being creepy. Ciaran would call him a stalker or worse. But there's an itch under Torin's fur that he simply can't ignore. There's something about this witch; she's different. He just needs to determine if that's a good thing or not. He won't put his family at risk.

Jumping over a fallen tree, his paws skid in the dead foliage that covers the ground. Slipping to a stop, he takes a look around him. The grass and other fauna are all dead and dull, the brown color of it blending in with the bark of trees. A strange black liquid lay in puddles around the roots of trees. This area hadn't been affected only a few days ago; everything had been lush and alive the last time he'd come through here. Things were escalating. It was getting worse. Heaviness settled into his chest. They really needed to fix this, somehow. Before the entire landscape around his home turned to dust.

With a low growl, Torin took off through the trees at new speeds. This area wasn't far from the witch's cabin. Maybe his fears were correct. Maybe she is doing something in that old house to inflict damage on his home.

The small clearing where the cabin sat came into view with an abrupt drop off of trees. A semi-circle of stone fence surrounded the property but left it open where the front of the house sat. He remembered this house as a child, when a witch still lived in it. Everything had been so bright and alive; flowers of every kind sat in bunches throughout the yard; the garden was always full to bursting. The only thing that looked even remotely the same was the purple door, although it could clearly use a good coat of paint.

There was little sign of life in the cabin. If it wasn't for the small plume of smoke coming from the chimney, Torin could almost convince himself that he imaged the woman the day before. With careful steps, he made his way onto the property and away from the safety of the trees. He kept his senses stretched as far as they could go but there didn't appear to be any sort of wards or things set up to keep out intruders. Interesting. The witches he's met in his time have always been sort of paranoid creatures. Inching himself through the yard, he put his nose to the wet earth. There was the barest hint of someone walking through but the ground was too wet to hold much of a scent. But what he could smell was more clear than it had been in a long time — magic. The ground was already beginning to smell of the witch's magic.

It's hard to describe — the smell of magic — it's like fresh earth and the way leaves smell in the autumn. It's a fresh rain when there's been drought for weeks. It's the first snowfall of the season on the breeze. The scents activate a very primal part of the brain, one the majority of the human race has simply forgotten even exists. It's home, in a very visceral way.

The door creaks loudly as it's opened, scaring a few birds out of their nests in the trees. Torin freezes. One paw in the air, his nose still poised to smell the ground. His eyes land on the witch just as she sees him.

He's let her see him twice in the same amount of days. Flynn was never going to let him live this down.

She's smaller than he first thought, having the grasses of the field obstructing his view. Shorter than him by a foot if not more, although he realizes he is on the taller side. Her brown hair is wild where it falls over her shoulders and arms, the waves and curls in it only made worse by the breeze on the air. An overly large knit cardigan covers her body where she clutches at it. Her eyes, impossibly big and green, stare right at him. A light is held in the palm of her free hand, but no flashlight shines like that. It's like she's holding fire in her palm. Her mouth parts in shock — perhaps to say something; a spell maybe — but he doesn't stick around to find out.

Torin turns on a dime and dashes out of the clearing and into the trees. He doesn't stop running until he's almost home; his heart beating away wildly in his chest.

A/N

Say hello to Torin, everyone. He's been looking forward to introducing himself. But he's wondering if maybe you have any insight into the strange witch on his land? ;)

Thanks so much for reading!! <3