Witch Verse Tag Tba. - Blog Posts

@blackvials   /   fantasy sc.

     “ you’ve been sneaking around here an awful lot lately. ”

  observation comes from some distance behind the assassin, where shiro stands next to a large tree, arms folded and a stern, SUSPICIOUS look set across his features. while, granted, the guy is good at leaving few traces, it’s near impossible to escape the nose of a werewolf. a few glimpses have been caught here and there but, for the most part, shiro has only caught SCENT of the stranger through the woods lately. he’s glad to finally have an opportunity to CONFRONT him.

     “ mind explaining your purpose here? ”

if he had to wager, he’d say this guy has no idea there’s anyone living this far out in the forest, but he’ll be damned if he takes any risks. the last thing he and dox need is someone out here ACTIVELY LOOKING for them, regardless of reason.

@purposeclaimed   /   fantasy sc.

     ‘ lance, ’  amusement is EASILY felt through telepathic connection, and almost visible in the puff of breath that rises in a thin cloud from the werewolf’s maw.  ‘ it’s not that cold. ’

  he can feel the small dragon burying himself DEEPER into the thick white fur of shiro’s neck and, while it’s funny, it seems a bit excessive. the snow is falling gently in TINY FLAKES, and none has yet to remain on the ground for long. it’s a little CHILLY, sure, but nothing a dragon shouldn’t be able to handle. picking his way carefully through the undergrowth, shiro shakes his head.

     ‘ you’re being overdramatic. ’

@starwritten​   /   fantasy sc.

     ‘ weren’t you told to leave these woods? ’

  during his regular herb-gathering for the month, wherein he goes around the forest and collects bunches of the herbs which dox uses on a regular basis, shiro had come across an UNFAMILIAR SCENT. one which, upon being followed, has unexpectedly led him to a faerie. he’s never seen her before, but it’s easy enough to assume that THIS is the fae dox was complaining about last week.

despite the nature of the question, there’s no harshness to his tone --- merely SUSPICION. a shuffle of paws, and the werewolf shifts his stance, jostling some of the herbs tucked away in what is, effectively, the saddlebag across his back. head tilts, and his eyes watch her CURIOUSLY; it’s not often that he meets a magical being who isn’t a witch or a shaman or any of the more commonly found types. most magical creatures, for lack of a better term, don’t like to cross the boundary into dox’s forest.

     ‘ showing up uninvited around here isn’t the best idea, you know. ’

@grimesucker​ sent:  look it's nothin' special , he's just got fresh flowers poking through the floorboards right by where shiro sleeps , & a cloth set beside these at whereupon rests a still-warm chocolate chip muffin, fresh from his oven . // platonic v-day gifts in the witch verse pls thank u ;;;

  soft scents rouse him slowly from his sleep, though they don’t initially REGISTER in the haze of fresh consciousness. a tongue-curling yawn paired with a big stretch, forepaws extending out in front of him as far as they can, hindquarters rising slightly from the heavily cushioned bed, and eyes finally blink open blearily. body relaxes, and it’s THEN that both eyes and nose clue in to the morning surprise.

a puff of air leaves the werewolf’s snout: a FOND LAUGH. it honestly is a surprise, but it’s a nice one, one which dox will no doubt NEVER bring up. his kindness has always been expressed... in interesting ways.

nosing at the flowers before him for a better whiff of their sweet scent, shiro would smile if this form were capable of it. as it is, fluffy tail instead thumps a soft beat against cushioning. he thinks he might LEAVE the flowers there, if he can  ---  it’s a pleasant sight, and he doubts that dox will have a problem letting them be.

TEMPTING as it is, once he’s finished appreciating the flora, to simply devour the delicious-smelling muffin still waiting for him, that almost seems disrespectful. plus, given it’s still warm, it should be SAVOURED. thus, rather than hork it down between large jaws, wolf shrinks and mere seconds later a hand reaches for the pastry. now the smile that has been waiting finally SHOWS ITSELF, spreading wide as two fingers pinch a chunk of the muffin off to bring to his mouth.

glad to have taken the savouring route, shiro makes note that he’ll have to find something nice to do IN RETURN. ---not because he feels it owed for the nice surprise, but because he WANTS to do something kind for dox. maybe some people like to keep this day exclusively for romance, but he’s always been someone who much more enjoys using it to treat EVERYONE he cares about to something nice. he wouldn’t have thought dox would be the same, but... somehow it’s not all that shocking to discover that he is.

grimesucker‌.

during the process of shiro’s physical shift the shaman stands, hands finding placement upon his hips. a brow ARCHES in reaction to the boy’s words, followed by a NOD. he’s already AWARE of the trouble in the woods, & has been speaking with the roots & the leaves in search of a TRAIL - but all the nature tells him is that there’s an unfamiliar DARKNESS, not one that WELCOMES nocturnal existence ; the roots remain hidden beneath the earth , & the shaking to the leaves is not always by cause of a BREEZE—something out there FRIGHTENS them, & dox is having some difficulty in PINPOINTING it.

there’d been a time some days ago wherein he’d tried to project his consciousness into the woods, meld into the earth & astral travel to find the SOURCE of the wickedness, but there’d been something that CUT him OFF—whatever corruption has intruded his woods is VILE & jam-packed with it’s own runes & enchantments meant to BLOCK him OUT—not only had dox hit a BARRIER in his search, but he’d been forcibly SHOVED back into his body, & had been met with a churning SICKNESS that had him spitting up thick, black BILE for two days.

his concerns towards the source have him wondering towards the FORM it takes—the tenebrosity is, itself, more a GLOOM than anything else, a SICKNESS, but where it sprouted from has the shaman curious - a curse ? an angered spirit ? a practiced warlock’s phylactery left to spit forth darkness where it’s been set ? whatever it is, it’s causing a DISEASE to his WOODS, & dox will see the infection dealt with.

                                          “ i know - i’ve been looking for it, but it blocks me. ”

the shaman is certain that if shiro COULD pick up on the scent, it’d be rather NAUSEATING - as it is, even the werewolf’s capable nose is deterred by whatever warding the entity protects itself with.

                                    “ so far there’s been no DAMAGE, but it sure as shit                                       doesn’t feel PASSIVE. just—be careful goin’ out, yeah ?”

…urges the shaman who keeps sending the werewolf on ERRANDS. LOOK, he ensures the kid’s got his charms on, & things on this side of the forest haven’t faced the worst of the Gloom - as it’s to be henceforth referred as ; whatever it is is spreading, certainly, but it’s SLOW-GOING, & while dox carries CONCERN for the ENTIRETY of his domain & that which lives within, he has to keep asking tasks of shiro to ensure he’s stocked up on what he needs - were dox to step off the grounds of his woods, his forest would be severely weakened, even more susceptible to the affliction.

                                         “ —but i’ll get it, it’ll be handled. c’mon, you hungry ?”

  that’s news. this is all news, actually. the fact that there’s some... ---WHAT? force? entity? --- in the woods alone is something he hasn’t realized, but the fact that dox ALREADY KNOWS this is what catches him more by surprise. how long has he known? and why hasn’t he said anything? especially if he’s already been trying to look for it?

eyebrows furrowing further, shiro shoves himself up from the floor, wiping the dust from his hands  ---  both that of FLESH and that of FOLIAGE and MAGIC  ---  and pursing his lips. he hates it when dox hides things from him. he doesn’t want to be protected, he wants to HELP when something’s wrong.

     “ yeah, starving, ”  he nods slowly, though the expression doesn’t leave his features. having spent most of the day walking, yeah, he’s pretty darn hungry, so he’s not about to TURN DOWN food even if he does want to have a serious word with dox.

     “ how long have you been aware of this... thing? whatever it is? ”  question comes as the boy steps further into the kitchen area, coming to lean back against one of the counters. “ and why haven’t you SAID anything? you had to know i’d notice something’s wrong at some point, even if i’m not as in tune with nature as you are. ”

grimesucker‌.

it’s with a fluid, albeit LAZY action that the shaman sits up, his floating flora coming to circle around his head like an earthen halo. as the werewolf provides DENIAL, a slow smirk begins to overtake dox’s mouth. YEAH, he doesn’t believe shiro for a SECOND—

but he doesn’t FAULT the kid ; SHIT, part of the reason he’d sent SHIRO on the errand was so he COULD swing into the bakery - he’s earned some GOOD KARMA, & if his good karma is the baker’s son, than dox will cheer him on. —reaching to take the coltsfoot from where it’d been dropped to his lap in his rise, the shaman pushes further to his feet, free hand landing on the wolf’s head & giving a slight RUFFLE to the fur ; 

                                                                     “ thanks, romeo. ”

& across the space he moves, bare feet padding across hardwood flooring ; sunlight illuminates the inside of the cabin, motes dust caught in the rays of light that speckle the floor through dirtied glass windows—not in FRAMES, simply SET into the wood & clay walls.

above the clay & copper appliance that serves as KITCHEN SINK does he go to hang the herbs amid a collection of various others ; after letting it SETTLE for a few days in the glow of the sunlight, he’ll store half for medicinal purposes later on, & SMOKE the rest.

—after tying the bundle to the cord from which his other herbs hang, dox turns to shiro & drops to a squatting position in order to better meet the werewolf face-to-face, teetering mildly from side to side in INSPECTION ;

                                                            “ you made it in & out okay ?”

there’s been TROUBLE in the woods lately, & while dox never lets shiro leave without a DEFENSIVE ward strung around his neck, it could be said that he’s a little OVER-PROTECTIVE of the kid.

  another huff, this one something more along the lines of EXASPERATED at the dumb nickname, shiro gestures with his head to insinuate a rolling of eyes. he doesn’t, however, shove dox’s hand away from the brief affectionate gesture. moving along behind the shaman, tail swaying behind him, he watches the herbs be set to hang, gaze following when dox drops to his eye level.

     ‘ yeah. i didn’t even SEE anyone or anything that far out in the forest. ’

this is where he pauses for a beat, brow furrowing some at the prompt about his trip bringing back some of the things about it which had... bothered him a bit. for a few moments, shiro doesn’t say anything more, even glances AWAY, trying to decide how to word his observations. another beat, and he shifts  ---  where previously an abnormally large white wolf stood now sits a semi-gangly seventeen-year-old with white hair.

“ but it’s QUIET out there, dox. weirdly quiet. ”  grey eyes meet dox’s gaze once more, uncertainty clear across the boy’s face.  “ it feels like something’s wrong, but i don’t know what. i couldn’t even smell anything out of the ordinary. ”

@grimesucker​:  ( x )

IT’S FINE - dox has spent his OWN time lying on the floor, a handful of various objects floating above him under the influence of his magic - a mushroom, a ball of moss, loose petals from a flower ; like a druidic mobile . the items remain floating even as dox turns attention towards shiro, returned from what was meant to be a simple errand run ;

                     “ s’okay. time is fake. it means nothing to the trees, it means nothing to me.                                                               —were you at the bakery again ?”

  padding across the room, eyes on the objects floating above dox, one of shiro’s ears simply twitches to acknowledge that he’s heard the response. ---THEN a half-second later, the question brings him to a screeching halt, his gaze snapping to dox, looking both STARTLED and perhaps a bit found out.

     ‘ what? --no. ’  the answer is immediate, and shiro internally curses himself for reacting on that denial instinct. it only makes him sound more guilty. in an effort to LESSEN his obviousness, he continues;  ‘ the bakery’s nowhere near where i had to go, why would i... ’

trailing off, allowing the words the HANG in the air like dox’s ball of moss, he realizes it’s no use. dox sees right through him and already knows that yes, he went to stare at the cute bakery boy again. conceding, though not without some embarrassed irritation, the werewolf puffs an exhale through his nose and moves to stand over the prone shaman, DROPPING a bundle of herbs onto his chest.

     ‘ --just take your coltsfoot. ’