He ran and ran as fast as he could away from the cave, legs growing tired as his body ached.
He took a deep breath, stomach cramping as everything squeezed his brain tight. Spinning coils, stretching the layers of his muscles, causing him to suddenly stop.
His legs nearly buckled against the pressure as salty crystals covered his whole body, only one howl escaping his body before his eyes shut again. The sound of a janky wheelbarrow was the last thing he would hear before trying to rest his mind.
Time and time again, his body fails to get used to this curse, the things it eats and craves. He fails to be a proper predator of the forest and instead falls victim to the forest's mutation.
The trees are calling for help as they grow weaker with each generation, no longer strong enough for the animals or humans. Trees cut down, but the bark is hollow, bare, barely even having enough wood to cover itself. A shame, but that is what the witches are for, what they trained for.
Born with the blessing of the earth, they are nurtured to be the representatives of nature, the human-like reincarnation of Mother Earth herself. But it is not an easy task, for the creatures of this land are not always kind to beings with magic. Beings with more power than they have, for it scares them; they are scared of what these beings could do.
So they use them for what they can, isolate them, and burn what they can after they get their use. Taking whatever medicine they can from the witches while tricking them into a false sense of security. For they will never be accepted in a place they never truly belonged.
There was a splash of water that woke him up, followed by a wet cloth put on his head as he woke up in a human-like state. A smile propped on his face as he felt his skin again, running his fingers along his arms and squeezing his two legs to see if they would disappear. But they didn't; they remained attached to the other half of his body along with his deep, colored sky hair. The long locs nearly sent tears through his eyes as he pulled on it with raised brows, "M-my hair is back."
A door creaked open with a person holding a tray in their hand, and with surprise, it was none other than the healer. The witch with ginger hair, and when she saw him, her eyes widened, "You're awake."
"You."
He crawled to the edge of the bed, almost taking a tumble over the metal railing, to see her. His hand reached out to her, and she took his hand gently, placing the tray on a side table.
"I see you have woken up-"
"I love you."
The words made her flush and jump back as the wolf quickly corrected himself, "Sorry, I mean, I love what you do! That is-that is what I mean, apologies." He placed his head on the rail, and she lightly laughed, tapping his head.
"It is okay, your words just caught me off guard, that's all." She touched her lip, and he looked up at her with starry eyes, embracing her tightly and taking in a deep inhale.
"I feel like I can breathe again, thank you."
She patted his back and smiled, "Of course, I figured you would be grateful, sadly, your wolf side is not gone, yet Leo, but I am working on something to transfer it."
He pulled back, "Transfer?"
She nodded, "The curse, the best way to get rid of it, is through transfer, or of course."
She drew a line across her neck, giving a dry laugh, "Death, but don't worry about that because I won't let that happen."
He tilted his head to the side, letting his hair fall on his shoulders, "You won't let me die? How can you be so sure?"
She frowned, linking her hands together as she began to pace in a circle, "Because I was one of the best healers in my class, and I know I can do it."
She turned to him, scrunching up her face, "You believe I can do it right?"
Admittedly, he was nervous, but he did believe in her. I mean, what choice did he have anyway?
He laughed to himself, and she flushed tomato red, arching her eyebrows, "What are you laughing for!?"
She playfully punched his shoulder, and he puffed up his face, "Ouch."
"Oh, sorry, are you still sore?"
"Not, really, I was just messing with you."
Regina's eyes widened, and she rolled her eyes, folding her arms, "Don't play like that, I thought you were serious. I used a lot of herbs to make sure you didn't wake up in pain."
He blinked back, biting down on his lip, his body falling back on the soft mattress as his fists balled. "Was it difficult? Getting me here, I mean, like healing me and everything."
She sighed, leaning on the edge of the bed, and cracking her fingers, "Not really, just involved a lot of skill, mixing and a great deal of your blood. But don't worry too much, it wasn't enough for you to bleed out, plus with that evil spirit attached, it actually replenishes blood quicker than you would think."
Leo folded his arms behind his head, turning to the side, "I see, sorry about using all your herbs."
She waved her hands in the air, ending with a touch between both her pointed fingers, "It is okay, I can always gather more, plus you can help me gather more once you eat."
She pointed to a tray of food containing some eggs, deer meat, rabbit, duck, and a mixed fruit medley of blood-orange juice.
"Tada! Three different types of meat for your growing appetite, fruit juice with the blood of each animal from your meal, and of course, some eggs as a bonus."
The witch twirled a finger around her ginger finger with a chuckle, "I hope you enjoy it. I caught it myself, which wasn't as easy as I thought, but fulfilling."
Leo smiled to himself, holding a hand to his heart as the gesture made him feel a warmth inside that he didn't usually feel. Not something of the thrill of the hunt, but more of something like endearment.