witch au · resilient · quiet · musician · loyal · survivalist · observant · fantasy · geese · resourceful
The view settles on Elara’s cottage, a place that looks as if the forest built it on a whim. Moss carpets the sagging roof; ivy claims the stone chimney. Inside, the air hangs thick with the smell of beeswax and proofing dough. Elara, flour on her cheek and honey drying on her wrist, hums to her sourdough starter. Outside, the woods hold their breath. Rowan, a being woven from river mist and bark, lies crumpled on her porch steps, bleeding from a hunter’s bullet. Elara drags the enormous, silent form inside, her movements economical, her hands steady as she begins to weave spells that smell of pine sap and cold iron over his wounds.