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The night dragged on as the budding witch poured over his books. Volumes of novels and scraps of scrolls lay scattered at his hooves. He grimaced and groaned as his eyes roamed over the endless pages. His frustration was growing. For some strange reason he was the only one in his family that hadn’t managed to conjure a familiar yet - it was the bane of his existence. How difficult could it really be? His brother had managed to summon his after only six moons. His father, four. And his mother held the fastest at only two moons of study. Brier had been practicing for nearly a full year and still…nothing. He shook his tail, its grip tightened on his wand. Nothing, yet again.

The annual scholarly tests were fast approaching and he had absolutely nothing to show for it. He flipped through one last book. There were some words scrawled in the margins, the ink had started to fade. He peered closer with his crystalline blue eyes. He struggled with the interpretation and muttered to himself, “Phir…Phur Mol- Moldorgh Mern..ax.” The draconic words made no sense to him, he had never seen them in any of his literature. A bit of the script trailed off the page. He skipped to the back of it. Whoever had penned the words had circled one singular word multiple times for emphasis. “Danu…noo.”

Brier pointed his wand at a basket across his quarters and repeated the last word with emphasis. “Danoo!” His wand sputtered and shook, then the bright blue spark ricocheted off of the basket to the wall and out the open window.

“Well that was eventful, so much for my tool, my wand is but a stick…and none of this is quick,” he broke out into a poor attempt at a doggerel.

Brier sighed. It was a preconceived fantasy of his to think he’d be able to summon a familiar so quickly. Maybe if he had spent more time studying than day-dreaming. The young stallion decided to call it a night. Though to call it night wasn’t quite right, what with traces of dawn on the horizon. He pushed aside the parchment and books, just enough so he could lay down. He paused, his gaze lingering on his wand as he held it up to the candlelight. He finally set it down then curled up and dozed off near instantly.

His dreams were filled with hellish things and stress with every twist and turn. Inky black demons materialized and began to chase. Brier ran as fast as he could, his body tossing and turning in the waking plane, but he could not outrun them. He turned and pointed his wand, one demon ruptured into a black stain. Another, and another…but it was useless, when one was vanquished three more replaced it. He woke up with a start, and kicked over some candles that he had stupidly left lit! It didn’t take long before the flames found the paper. The blaze was growing!

Brier grabbed his wand and struggled to push through his sleepy haze, “Aa…Aquinas!”

Only a small burst of water erupted from his wand. Not enough to douse the roaring blaze that had found the last of his scrolls. Smoke was filling his quarters quickly, so thick that he couldn’t recall where the exit was. “Danoo!” He could never be certain why that one little odd word left his mouth, later he would chalk it up to stress.

His wand shuddered in his tail’s grasp while emanating a bright blue glow that grew. The light seemed to push away the smoke and the flames flickered at its boundary. He watched in awe as the light erased the fire, only the charred remnants left behind reminded him that this was not a dream. What just happened? What was that light? What had he done? Had -he- done it? His whirlwind of thoughts were interrupted with the smallest of meows. He hadn’t realized he had an audience.



He blinked and looked down at his hooves, at a feline! She purred and rubbed her translucent form against his fetlocks. Her bright blue fur reminded him of his own family’s familiars - they all were of this nature though the hue could vary. This couldn’t be right, he thought to himself. His family familiars were avian in nature, typically crow but a few like his grandfather were from the halcyon family, kingfishers. “No…no…no no no.” He kept repeating the cutting words as he took a step away from the kneazle. “You can not be my familiar! You can’t! I am Brier Crow! A cat?! I can’t…no I can not have a cat as a familiar!”

Like a true familiar, the kneazle was besotted with him - her purr never wavered even after his scalding words. She took a step to get closer to him. This time he didn’t move. She stared up at him with her bright blue eyes. He sighed, “How do I explain this to my family?” Ironically, summoning his first familiar seemed to contribute more stress than not being able to summon one.

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It was a perfect warm spring day for the artisanal fair. Demure and Shelah giggled and smiled as they strided down the path to the main event. The duo were in search of some mushrooms for their garden. It was the main reason for them attending but certainly not the only. Shelah flitted back and forth in front of Demure, “Ooh I’m so excited!” We’re going to have to stop at every stall!”

Demure Lane smiled at her blue companion. “Of course. Just don’t forget that we need to get the fungi first. I’d hate for them all to be gone by the time we arrive.”

Though the sun was still in the East, the meadow was bustling with ponies and familiars. “Wow, it’s busy!” The bird did like stating the obvious.

The soquili nodded. Her sapphire eyes darted back and forth, trying to scan all of the booths. There were three main rows of colorful displays and a few scattered wooden carts off to either side of the fair. It wasn’t small at all. “Well where do we start?”

“Over here!” Shelah zoomed off towards the first row closest to them. She stopped at the first very cluttered stall. The small section was filled to the brim with everything and anything. It took a bit to take it all in. “No mushrooms.” Her small voice sounded disappointed.

Demure glanced at the shopkeep and offered a gentle smile. “No but look at these.” She gestured with her feathered wing.

“Oh! Rocks!” The songbird squealed in delight. “Look at this one, and this one…oh this one is blue!”

The shopkeep smiles and turns back to unloading even more trinkets to add to the already full table.

“We should take a look around at least once before we start to barter.” The bird started to protest but nodded instead. “Don’t worry we’ll be back.”

The next stalls were just as colorful but far less cluttered than the first. Raccoons had fashioned some leather skeins for water. They were beautiful but Demure and Shelah didn’t travel nearly enough to warrant one. The next was advertising something for the smaller local community. Shelah wasn’t interested and so they kept walking. Then from there it was more commonplace items that didn’t warrant much more than a cursory glance and a polite hello. The two friends finally stopped at the end of the row, the last stall being empty and roped off. “No mushrooms, yet. Maybe we weren’t early enough?”

Shelah glanced up at the sun to gauge the time. It wasn’t yet midday. “Maybe…but we still have so much to see so let’s not give up just yet!”

She put on a burst of speed and flew between passing fair attendees. Demure waited for the group to move by before following her companion. Ahead she could see the little bird zipping between each stall, pausing only for the briefest moments before continuing down the lane. By the time the mare caught up they were standing at the last booth in the row. Shelah bounced excitedly in the air. “Look! Look! I found a mushroom!”

Demure leaned in closer to see a garden gnome with a red mush cap hat sitting on the table amongst other painted gnomes of varying poses. She chuckled and admitted, “Well…that is true.”

“It’s perfect for the garden. We should get it!”

“But what about the other rocks?”

“We should get those two.” Shelah beamed.

Demure had a hard time saying no to her familiar. She paused as if she were contemplating her answer even though she already knew that the two would be bringing that gnome home. “Alright,” she said finally.

“Thank you!” The songbird flew into her thick navy mane and gave her a quick snuggle.

“Excuse me, we’d like this garden gnome.” She knelt down until her nose touched the brim of its hat.

The shopkeeper, an older greyed stallion, moved closer. He squinted his milky blue eyes before turning to her. “What are you offering?”

She lifted a wing so that Shelah could open the pouch and snatch a few rocks. She placed a clear quartz and a darker grey pebble onto the table. A small dark squirrel emerged from below the table to pick up the pebble and inspect it. “Anything else?” The rodent mused.

Demure nodded at her friend, “It’s alright.”

They hadn’t brought too much to barter with but they did have a few other stones that they could part with. Shelah grabbed two of those, leaving the pouch significantly lighter.

The squirrel held and examined each before pushing the second piece back to Shelah and Demure. “You can keep that one. We like these best.”

“The gnome is all yours.” The soquili bowed his head, “Thank you.”

They murmured their thanks and goodbyes once they pocketed the gnome in the other pouch intended for the shrooms. The duo took another stroll through the fair, stopping for some baked treats before finally making their way back to the very first booth. The booth was still surprisingly cluttered but most of the stones that had caught Shelah’s eye were still there. The barter session went quick and smoothly and then there was nothing left to do but return home. Demure glanced up at the bright sun directly above them, “I guess next time we’ll have to arrive even earlier if we want actual mushrooms.”

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The night was eerily still. No wind howled through the trees and the moon was hidden behind a layer of dense dark clouds. Not even a chirp from some wayward cricket could be heard. Edda paced the ruins they were temporarily calling home. Her feet leaving the barest of imprints in the dried mud. There would be no hunt tonight, she sighed to herself. Her mate watched her anxious dance but had remained silent. When she glanced his way she could see his all too familiar furrowed brow. He was worried about her. He was worried for her. Finally, she turned and faced him. Her azure eyes meeting his pale aventurine irises. “What?”

“Well…you’re-” She interrupted him before he could finish his sentence.

“I’m agitated. I know. It’s just been so long since I’ve been a part of the hunt.”

She resumed her anxious pacing. This time her claws left deeper imprints. “I can feel it in my bones. The moon is nearly just right…” Her words trailed away as her thoughts swirled around in her mind.

“It will be soon, my love.” Uzziah reassured the mare.

She nodded but kept walking back and forth. Then as she turned, her eyes caught sight of the ruined temple’s walls and the deep gouges that ripped through what was left of the half walls. Her eyes widened as a sudden memory coalesced in her mind. “Did I ever tell you the story about Ea and the shadows?”

Her mate looked at her, puzzled, his brow furrowed even more. A feat of its own. Edda inwardly chuckled. He was her little worry wart, emphasis on the worry. “No…” He was hesitant.

She shook her fiery mane and closed her eyes with a smile, “Really? Never?”

He shook his head. There was no hunt, so a story would have to suffice. She stopped pacing and sat down in front of Uzziah, her eyes locking with his for dramatic effect. “This was before I met you. Long before I found Ea. This happened when we were foals, before we lost her. Our parents attended every Hunt but alas we were too small to join. We were told to stay in place and hide away for bigger monster than us roamed nearby. We were young, of course we listened…at first.”

“A few hunts we would venture out of our hiding places, always staying close to home. Truly it wasn’t very far. We weren’t that stupid.” Uzziah nodded but remained silent so she could continue. “Each time, nothing happened. We could hear the Hunt far off in the distance, that was exciting. We would talk at great length about what we would do in the Hunt, how we would hunt and what.” She sighed happily, reminiscing momentarily.

“Then one night, like all of the other nights before, we left our hiding spots when we felt it was safe. Little did we know that we were not alone that night. Our parents were long gone. The night was eerily quiet and we spoke in whispers. Perhaps that was our first clue that something was there. Ea complained that the night was chilly but I didn’t feel cold. She kept interrupting our usual discussions asking ‘what was that’. I never knew what she had seen or heard. She never elaborated.”

She started to shift uneasily. Her tail flickered, matching her agitation. “The night was darker than usual. But I had attributed that to the new moon. Not every Hunt followed the full lunar cycle of course. Though it certainly helps.”

Uzziah nodded in agreement. Since officially wedding his beloved, he had learned so much of the Other Side and its inner workings. He knew the Hunt did occasionally attune itself to the moon, which made for some very powerful hordes, but mostly the Hunt had its own agenda and would ride when only it willed it.

She couldn’t sit still any longer, much like how her younger counterpart couldn’t stay hidden throughout the night either. Edda stood up and shook out her fur. She watched her claws trace scratches into the dry earth. She didn’t look up as she spoke, “The next morning our parents returned. We ran to greet them like we always did…but we stopped in our tracks - all of us - when we saw these deep gouges in the ground. They cut through the path to our clearing and disappeared into the nearby bramble. The bramble was undisturbed. And yet the dirt looked to be cleaved by some mighty claw. You know Ea now, well she is not so different from when she was but a foal. Her eyes were wide with terror! Ea, terrified! Can you believe that?! Though all of us were surprised, even Mother and Father.”

Edda had started to resume her anxious pacing, pausing to point a claw at the gouges on the stone wall. “They were deeper than this. And so jagged, not continuous.”

Her mate’s brow furrowed once again. “What was it?”

“I don’t know. My parents had seen nothing like it in all of their years. It was nothing they had encountered before.”

“Was it something from the Hunt?”

She shook her head. “No, it was the first thing they had considered. Nothing from the previous Hunt, or the ones before that, matched up to these tracks.”

She paused waiting for more questions but he didn’t say anything else. He was always so patient that sometimes she’d forget just how patient he could be. She pressed on, “Mother left to scout the area. She found nothing. Father inspected the clearing, and nothing again. We left it at that and went to sleep as we always did. At some point during the night Ea had woken. Her mumbling in her sleep woke me up and I found her standing at the edge, facing those brambles, eyes dark as if hidden in shadow - dark even for nighttime. She wouldn’t respond to me. I even tried to shake her out of her trance but she wouldn’t budge. The only words she said that I could understand were ‘wait for me’. I still can’t believe we didn’t end up waking Mother and Father. She stood at that edge for what felt like the whole night. I fell asleep next to her. And in the morning it was as if it never happened. She had absolutely no memory of it!”

She sighed and took a moment to catch her breath. “It wouldn’t be the last time I’d find her mumbling in her sleep, at the edge of the clearing, and unable to wake. It wasn’t every night but it had become a regular routine. Each time I’d fall asleep by her side. Maybe my presence alone was what kept her safe, kept her from crossing those creepy claw marks. Moons went by before more strange things started. We really didn’t put two and two together right away. At first it was broken tree limbs, normal right? Maybe the wind. Maybe a large squirrel. But then we would find deep gashes in the branches. And they would always be left on the path that led to our home.”

Finally her mate spoke. “That’s quite a coincidence.”

“The original claw marks had mostly been filled back in, practically invisible to a newcomer, by this time. We had nearly forgotten about the whole ordeal.”

“What about your sister’s sleepwalking?”

“It was happening less. Hmm, now that I think about it the branches were showing up more and more and she was sleepwalking less and less.”

“Another coincidence.”

Edda nodded in agreement. “But we still didn’t think anything of it. Our parents cleared the debris with little to say on it. So we followed their example and didn’t give it much thought either.”

“When did things start to change?” He paused a moment while she thought on it, then rephrased the question. “When did you realize there was more to this?”

“When everywhere we went claw marks would be there; some in tree trunks, dirt paths and even long grass. We couldn’t rationalize it anymore. There were too many to explain away. Then we started to see them.” Her voice placed emphasis on that last word - them. She glanced from side to side of her, as if searching for ‘them’.

“Them?”

“Shadows. It started out with little shadows darting through the forest. We thought it was a trick of the light. If I saw a shadow then no one else would have. Or if Ea had seen one then we didn’t. You get the idea. We couldn’t explain it, and we couldn’t prove it to anyone else. The claw marks kept showing up too, that never stopped.”

“Even now?” Uzziah tilted his head at her, his tone playful. He started to think that his mate was joking with him, telling him a ghost story to pass time and retain a bit of that mystery she reveled in.

Edda narrowed her eyes at him, slightly offended that he thought this was all a prank. “They never stopped.” She tilted a horn at the scratches in the wall, “See. They follow us wherever we go.”

He looked at the scratches then at his mate. “Why have you never told me this before?”

She shrugged. “They led me to my sister. And they led me to you. How bad can they really be?”

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Museum Prompt

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