Rayne and Magnus go to see the wolf witch to find out what might be going on with the little mystery child.

MINE.

~Angel~

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She felt the ground shake. Not an earth tremor, but an actual jerk like something large fell over. Had a tree fallen in the forest? She ignored it and finished off her meal for the time being. Later she would go see what the damage was and if she could do anything about it.

She heard rustling and then footsteps coming towards her home, her ears twisting to meet the noises but her eyes still fixed away from the door.

“How could you just leave without asking her name?” a female voice accused loudly from outside her small home. “Honestly, Magnus...”

“I did not think it was important,” the familiar voice rumbled. She sat straight in her stool. It had been nearly a week of no dragons, disguised dragons or anyone else for that matter. She thought that he wasn't coming back because he was simply crazy. So many mortals were crazy one dragon being insane made sense to her and she'd put him from her mind. She honestly had forgotten about him and her promise to him but he obviously hadn't.

The knocking came. She stayed where she was, barely breathing and hoping if she didn't answer the door they would think she wasn't home and leave.

“Hello?” a female voice asked close to the door. She closed her eyes, just go away...

“I can hear your heartbeat, witch,” the dragon announced. “We know you're in there.”

She resisted the urge to slam her head against the table, scooting her stool back and walking to the door. She got up the courage to open it and was somewhat blinded by a brighter magical aura.

“WOAH!” she exclaimed before she could think, covering her eyes like she had looked up into the sun.

“I'm sorry?” the female voice questioned. “Are you okay?”

“Just—give me a moment,” she responded before blinking a few times and pulled her hand away. When her magic sight finally got used to the light coming from the female, she saw two things. A tigress with fire magics swimming in her veins like blood, tied to a scale in her chest and the light being she had seen in her vision. The consciousness without a body, the magic within red. It wasn't merely sitting there, it was pulsing with power. It seemed to be all she could concentrate on, her heart beating loudly in her ears over taking the other sounds around her. Blinking a few times, she didn't know she was falling back until the tigress reached out and caught her shoulders to steady her.

“Are you feeling alright?” she asked, tilting her head in concern. Alright? No. She wasn't alright, but before she could open her mouth to tell the tigress anything she had already slumped forward and blacked out.

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Rayne caught the female wolf before she could hit the ground, making a strangled noise when the new weight was put on her.

“She didn't do that last time,” Magnus pointed out, but the great big oaf didn't move to help Rayne with this particular situation. “So it must be you.”

“Magnus, please help me,” Rayne strained as she hooked the wolf under her arms but nearly stumbled backwards off her feet, almost taking them both down to the ground.

“I...don't want to,” Magnus grumbled. “She could have put a spell on her or cloak or something, make me turn into ice or sprout feathers and start cawing.”

“Magnus!”

“Alright!” He snarled behind her before scooping up the witch in one arm and hefting her up onto his shoulder like she weighed no more than a twig. “Better?”

“Lets get her inside...” Rayne groaned as she pushed the door open, observing the little home and holding the door open for Magnus to step under the lower door frame. “Put her on the bed—nicely please.”

He growled but did as she bade, setting the wolf down onto the straw packed mattress and quickly backing away like she would spring to life and try to strangle him. Rayne knelt down next to the she-wolf and opened one of her eyes, staring into the silver milky iris.

“Did you see a well on the way up here?” Rayne asked Magnus as he stood uncomfortably in the middle of the small house.

“...A what?”

Rayne tried to keep from groaning before standing up and walking around. Luckily there was a basin with clean water on the table and a rag hanging from one of the pantry handles. Magnus chose to poke at the small stool before taking a seat on it and crossing his arms, leaning against the table. The wood of both objects groaned with his weight but he didn't seem to really notice. Rayne folded the rag into a nice even rectangle before dipping it into the water and squeezing it damp, lying it over the she-wolf's forehead.

“Well this has gone swimmingly,” Magnus scoffed from his seat, “At least my mother didn't faint at the sight of you.”

“Your mother left three weeks ago. It could have changed since then,” Rayne stated as she began to wander the small house, looking at the small plants in pots, a cauldron in a narrow chimney and searching the pantry. By the gods the witch had so many different dried plants and herbs Rayne didn't recognize most of them, and even more powders and roots. The odd thing was they were labeled with hand-written home-made pulped paper. The she-wolf was blind, how had she done that? Then again Magnus had said she could see his true form somehow, maybe she could write in special inks and read it.

Rayne found a dried herb she knew, grabbing the small canvas bag and opening it. The scent that came from it was definitely stronger when the plant was dried and hopefully would help wake the wolf. She held the open bag near the wolf's nose, knowing most species of canine had superior senses of smell, and this should have been like a slap to the face. If this didn't rouse the wolf, she didn't know what would except time, but the wolf coughed and pushed the bag away, jowls lifting slightly in annoyance as her head turned away from the smell.

“Come on, miss,” Rayne urged, “Time to get back up.”

The blind eyes opened, staring at Magnus before she scrambled backwards on the bed, her back hitting the wall as the cloth flopped onto her lap.

“What are you doing here?!” she yelled and pointed her finger at him. Rayne set her paw on the cloaked shoulder to calm her and the eyes focused on her next. “...You...I didn't see you...I just saw...” She looked down at Rayne's abdomen and swallowed. “That.”

It. Something. That. Baby never seemed to be in anyone's category when talking about the cub. Magnus just kept calling It his offspring, but that seemed very standard for baby in dragon speak.

“I'm Rayne,” Rayne decided to be friendly and try to calm things. “That is Magnus. Magnus stop scowling.”

Magnus grunted and didn't stop scowling but instead chose to look at the wall.

“You don't understand,” the she-wolf suddenly interrupted. “I saw—before in a vision...a month ago at least. I didn't know what it was...but now...”

Rayne shook her head, not understanding the she-wolf's babbling. The she-wolf took in a deep cleansing breath before standing off the bed and planting herself firmly in front of Rayne, the rag dropping to the floor, forgotten. They were nearly eye to eye in height, the blind iris' seeming to focus on Rayne's own in serious concentration.

“I saw your baby,” she replied. “In a dream nearly a month ago, a vision. I didn't know what it was or what I was supposed to do. Usually they are—tonal and sort of misty but this one was...particular.”

“You saw it? You can see it?” Rayne demanded. “What is it?”

“A being of power,” the wolf responded, “Its magical aura is almost like staring up at the sun for me. I can't see a shape, but I might be able to if I can block out the power. Not easy, but possible.

“Please, where are my manners...” the wolf muttered to herself, offering Rayne the bed to sit on. “Sit down, let me take a look at you first. Rayne, is it?”

“Rayne, yes,” she nodded a bit as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

“My name is Kara,” the she-wolf said in a far more lucid tone as she rolled up the sleeves of her cloak before putting her paws under Rayne's chin and gently began running them there. Magnus let out a healthy warning growl, but Rayne held her paw up to shush him. “How is the nausea? You would be...two months?”

“My stomach's been better lately, but the nausea started about a month ago,” Rayne explained. “How did you know I was two months?”

“I've seen several different pregnancies,” Kara responded. “I know the size of babies at two months even if I can't see a direct shape. Yours I can mostly see, others I have to search for with my own magic.”

“Isn't it rude to go poking around others insides with your magic?” Magnus suddenly popped in. Rayne was about to reprimand him when Kara spoke up instead.

“Well, obviously you did,” Kara snapped over her shoulder at Magnus. Rayne couldn't stop her snicker in time as Kara turned back. “How are your breasts? Swelling? Anything tender?”

“Can I go outside now?” Magnus almost begged from his spot on the stool.

“I'm sorry, is the big, bad lizard uncomfortable with this sort of thing?” Kara mocked slightly. “Wouldn't want to know the discomfort you've caused now would you?”

“Alright,” Rayne snorted as Magnus stood up, the stool skidding across the floor angrily. “At the risk of this place becoming a magical crater, I'm going to just stop this now. Magnus, you can wait outside.”

Magnus snarled, teeth bared but turned and ducked under the short door frame, slamming the door behind him to emphasize his anger.

“Is he always that charming?” Kara asked as she listened to Rayne's heartbeat with her large, pointed ear against her chest.

“You get used to it,” Rayne answered with a little smirk. Kara leaned back and stared at Rayne's shirt, eyes squinting a little and making Rayne look down. “Is there something on my shirt?”

“Under it, I think,” Kara answered. “A dragon scale.”

“That's—complicated,” Rayne muttered as she rubbed her nose nervously.

“I've never seen one this close before...not attached to anything living,” Kara murmured in somewhat awe. “Is it painful?”

“No,” Rayne shook her head, “I don't even think about it most of the time.”

“Older witches told stories told about something like this...” Kara leaned back. “Said dragons made mortals into their slaves using scales as a way to keep them in line.”

“As far as I know,” Rayne responded, “I haven't been enslaved by Magnus.”

“I can see that,” Kara snickered. “I doubt a slave would tell their master he could wait outside.”

“But you're still afraid of him,” Rayne surmised. “Like he is afraid of you.”

“He's afraid of me, is he?” Kara gave a wicked grin. “I'll try not to use that to my advantage.”

“I hate to be blunt but...why are you helping me?” Rayne questioned as she stared at the she-wolf. Kara's grin was gone and her eyes darted down in cautious thought.

“The magic has never steered me wrong before. When it shows me visions or gives me feelings, I cannot ignore them. I am supposed to help, no matter what the circumstances,” she answered calmly. “And I did promise your mate I would look at you, although at the time I thought he was mad and that it would make him go away.”

“So even though he's a dragon, you still feel the need to help us?” Rayne inquired, briefly looking at the door.

“I am meant to help you, I believe,” Kara responded. “You are not a dragon. Your baby may be partially—something but I cannot fault it for its parent so soon in life. It is hard to say which way fate steers us, but fighting it has never been very good for me. Besides, its not all dragon so I can make an exception.

“Now how about any strange cravings? Or aches?” she inquired as she began to walk towards her cabinets, tripping slightly over the stool but ignoring it.

“I don't think so...is that something to expect in the future?” Rayne answered with her own question.

“Oh yes. Some crave raw things, fish and meats even kinds of bugs,” Kara replied. Rayne's eyes grew saucer-like as she watched Kara busy herself with something.

“Bugs?!” Rayne squeaked, “I'm going to want to eat bugs?!”

“Its different for everyone,” Kara answered with a small hint of amusement. “Raw things are more common with carnivores and you are having a carnivorous baby...”

“You think...you think its got...extra limbs?” Rayne asked in a quiet way.

“We shall find out,” Kara answered simply in a sort of attempt at a cheerful tone. She was mixing some sort of pea green paste in a small wooden bowl, it smelled musty and made Rayne scrunch her nose a bit. “Lift up your shirt and lay back, please. Just above your ribs, if you feel uncomfortable about it.”

“Can you even see my shirt?” Rayne asked in a curious way.

“No, not really,” Kara answered, taking no offense to Rayne's question. “Mostly I don't want to get your clothing dirty.”

“Anything else you want me to take off?” Rayne questioned with a small laugh as she slipped off her shirt.

“Pants would be helpful as well—or are you in a skirt?” Kara questioned, not knowing which.

“What can you see?” Rayne inquired as she stripped off her pants and set them with her shirt.

“Almost—just your fur,” Kara stated. “The magic from the scale lights you like a magical being, all the living flesh and fibers. But clothing? Not a clue. It has no life nor is it enchanted. The—dragon's ring I can see very clearly, but he—both of him were very naked to me. I didn't think dragons wore clothing though and I've become accustomed to nudity, so most of the time I don't even notice.”

“What if they're not magical?” Rayne questioned as she lay back onto the bed, Kara kneeling beside the mattress after tripping over the stool a bit.

“I can do lots of things to make them appear to me. A little good luck spell does wonders,” Kara winked at Rayne before spreading the cold concoction onto Rayne's lower abdomen. She shivered a little, making a small groan of disgust as Kara spread it deep into her fur. “I know it feels gross. But just bare with me. Once it dries, I think I will be able to see your baby without a problem.”

“You're not what I expected,” Rayne said honestly, looking up at the ceiling and putting her arms behind her head.

“What were you expecting? An old wrinkled furson with yellow teeth sacrificing someone's soul to the underworld gods?” Kara suggested.

“You left out the cuts and bleeding but Magnus only told me you were young and blind,” Rayne said plainly. “Not to be offensive.”

“Certain covens have—worse reputations than others,” Kara replied as she set the bowl aside. “But of course all witches are hellish devils that procreate with demons according to the new doctrine. If they know magic, they are evil.”

“I've never been one for the new gods,” Rayne murmured as she felt the paste dry like mud would in her fur.

“I don't think they would accept you much either, with your choice of mate,” Kara smirked a bit before leaning over Rayne and looking carefully. “Hmmm...”

“Please don't 'hmmm'...that makes me nervous,” Rayne pleaded a little. For a week Malandra would “hmmmm” and it usually meant she'd accidentally set the forest on fire, or Sini was about to pounce Magnus, or the worst Arjun was about to pounce Magnus.

“Oh, I'll stop then,” Kara accepted as she brushed some of the dried substance away. “I see...four limbs, a head and a tail...I believe that's it. Its still very small but no wings, I know what wings look like, you'd be surprised how many bats come and go.”

Rayne let out a long sigh, closing her eyes and relaxing into the bed. A great weight was off her shoulders for the time being as well as a fear she kept bottled inside.

“For all intensive purposes I'm going to say this looks like a two month old cub. Now let me fetch some water so we can clean you up,” Kara said as she stood up and grabbed the bowl, turning carefully but once again tripping on the stool. “GODS BE DAMNED THAT STOOL!”

The door burst open and Magnus looked around with a sort of crazed worry, looking at Rayne and then Kara. Rayne couldn't help but start laughing as Kara kicked the stool across the room, mostly because she would have done the same thing.