"To be human is to make mistakes."
Dirty Paws | Of Monsters and Men
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#F87531 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя: #EE9572】
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#F87531 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя: #EE9572】
Red hair is the mark of a strong witch, these were words that Zinnia had been plagued by ever since she was just a babe, sleeping in the comforting sway of her Mother's arms or the low hanging branch of a tree, bassinet tied in place with a red ribbon. Her parents would tell her stories of how she had summoned her familiar with crayon on the wall, standing on weak legs and citing the verses from her Father's spell books. They had told her that, that moment was the one that had made them come to the conclusion they could no longer care properly for her. Their daughter was too powerful for their little village and so, they had sent her away to live in the widely populated Constantina, the Capital City of all magic.
Zinnia Evernight had been the ripe age of 6 when she had stared down Dean Eincrad, the head of the University of Magic. Blithe had been by her side of course, supporting her quite literally, as the muscle weakness was quite terrible. Recognizing the symptoms of overwhelming magic with no where to go, Zinnia was enrolled that very day and was one of the youngest witches to ever wear the uniform. Now, at fifteen, she lay on the ground of her home on the edge of the city, staring up at the crescent moon. "Zinnia?" Blithe asked, in her fluffiest form. The young witch was wearing nothing but her dressing gown and slippers and yet, she had seemed to make a bed in the soil of her green house. "What is it Blithe?" The familiar crept closer, nudging Zinnia's hand with her white snout, her nine tails swishing. "I heard a sound by the river, come." Zinnia fixated her multicolored eyes on the nine tailed fox, wondering what could possibly have spooked such a fearsome beast.
"Alright, let's go." Zinnia rose, Blithe changing into a more human form in case her Master was in need of assistance. Zinnia crawled, setting herself down in her chair and propelling herself forward, outside of the green house and down the garden path towards the river. "You can't take your chair to the river bank," Blithe chided, jogging to keep up. The bell around her neck jangled with each step, warning animals and beasties away. "I know," Zinnia wasn't dumb, she knew the muck of the river would embalm the wheels of her chair the same way they would a mummy. "That's why I brought this," she held up a draught of strength, it would giver her legs and arms the energy they needed to take her to the banks, where Blithe believed she had seen something.
The young witch downed the draught, she had two more stored, just in case, and rose from her chair, parked in the whispering grass. "Zinnia, have you come to play?" A young dryad asked, her face alight with joy. "Not today," the red haired witch smiled apologetically, you never apologized to magical folk, it implied that you let them down and owe them a favor. "Wait!" Blithe called, braving the mud beside her Master, a small flame lighting the way for them. "What if it's an enemy?"
"Aren't you one of the Five Generals of Hell?"
"Yes, but what if it's a human?"
"Nonsense, humans can't come past the border, remember?" Blithe nodded, but was nervous despite herself. The two of them reached the bank of the river, Zinnia's dress stained in mud. Her eyes widened, spotting a figure, motionless, face down and stuck on a tree branch. "Hang on!" Zinnia ran towards the water, splashing into the waist-deep river. "Zinnia, wait!" Blithe ran in after her, knowing her Master would need help. "What is it? Is it a human?" Zinnia grabbed the figure by the shirt and began to tug, the wet fabric ripping. "Let me," her familiar lifted the limp figure easily as well as her Master and carried them both over her shoulders, towards the shore.
"Zinnia!" Someone called from the banks, the young witch groaning, she would recognize that voice anywhere. "Elder Ulrich! What a surprise!" The Elder scowled, he hated his formal title after all. "What are you doing here? A patrol caught her chair in the grass and thought you might be tangling with a nymph." Blithe set Zinnia down on the shore, the Elder's eyes going wide as he caught sight of the second figure, the one that was hanging limply from the nine tailed fox's arms. "She was in the center of the river, is she still alive?" Elder Ulrich knelt down, uttering something underneath his breath. Blue light came forth, swirling around the figure. "Yes, but barely."
"I have a draught of strength, two."
"Good, we'll need it if she's to make it to Madame Pomfrey." Madame Pomfrey was the University's best healer. Zinnia could already feel the effects of the draught she had taken wearing off, Blithe assisted her to her chair as Ulrich summoned his own familiar. "Zinnia, send Blithe away, she's draining your strength."
"No, Blithe stays with me."
"Alright, but come with me." Blithe took the handles of Zinnia's chair and propelled her forward, the odd party making their way to the center of the city.