Witch's Brew Kindle Preview

[Cute_Kitten]

This story is complete and is available on Kindle. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WN7H42M/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i4

 

 

WITCH'S BREW

by Cute Kitten

 

Joshua poked at the chocolate cereal puffs and marshmallow bats floating in the milk puddle on his highchair tray. His cheeks and chin were wet with milk; a couple of mushy bats stuck to his face. His plastic bib was as messy as his tray. He wore most of his food instead of eating it, despite his efforts to the contrary.


He poked at another cereal puff, trying to pinch it between his fingers. The soggy cereal smooshed under his uncooperative fingers. He puffed his cheeks out in frustration, staring down at his hands and the delicate, silvery webbing of scars on his porcelain skin. His skin was so pale the scars were barely visible. He turned his wrist and the spidery, thin lines shimmered with a pearly sheen.


Normal scars were varying shades of pink, red, and white. Not pearl and silver and covering nearly his entire body. The odd scars were souvenirs from a necromantic witch who had slowly burned and destroyed his nerves. He'd been very close to death. Aunt Gertrude saved him just in time. She even brewed him a potion distilled from the Font of Youth, to regrow and restore his injured body. Recovery was not magically instantaneous; his body was like that of a baby, and he had to relearn all over again.


Hence his infantile lack of fine motor skills and barely controlled gross motor skills. And Auntie Gertrude raising him like he was an oversized baby. Physically, he was a baby. He couldn't even manage to feed himself yet. Josh puffed his cheeks out and smacked one hand into the milk puddle on his tray. His fingers accidentally hit the rim of the bowl; milk and cereal arched through the air and splattered onto the floor.


He froze, eyes going wide as he realized just how big his mess was. He was in so much trouble; Aunt Gertrude would be furious. He wasn't supposed to feed himself; he wasn't ready for that yet. Aunt Gertrude had told his big half-sister Tabitha to feed him, but Tabi had snuck down into Aunt Gertrude's liquor cellar. So Josh had taken the opportunity to prove he was a big boy who could feed himself. He'd failed.


Claws clicked on the tiled floor then a snuffling noise near the high chair legs. Josh looked down to see a monstrous, fluffy black dog-like creature lapping up the milk and cereal. Pandora, Aunt Gertrude's familiar. Even at peace, Dora was terrifying. She was slightly larger than a Great Dane, bulky, and fluffier than a Tibetan Mastiff. Her cat-like claws and teeth were made for ripping into the flesh of her prey. She was a barghest, a hellhound; a beast who could only be controlled by a powerful witch.


Her massive pink tongue swept out, licking up the last of the spilled breakfast. Dora raised her massive head and started licking the highchair tray. Josh giggled in relief, patting the thick black fur with his clean hand. Orange ribbon was tied in a bow by each ear, making her look pretty for Halloween. Plastic bowl and rubber coated baby spoon clattered to the floor as Dora pushed them out of her way. Finished with the tray, she moved on to Josh's milk-sticky hand then his face.


Joshua giggled some more, squirming helplessly as her rough tongue tickled his baby soft, delicate skin. He kicked his feet, his soggy diaper crinkling audibly. A wave of warmth engulfed his crotch as he wet himself but he barely paid any attention. He was too busy being tickle-attacked by Dora's monstrous tongue.


"Pipe down. You're gonna attract the old bat with all that racket." Tabitha crept silently out of the basement. She scowled at her little half-brother. They had the same father but different witch mothers. Just looking at him annoyed her. He was so damn pretty; a soft, lovely, delicate baby doll she often just wanted to smash. She felt like an ungainly sow in comparison.


"S-sowwy." Josh gasped out in a toddler lisp. His lungs ached from laughing. Pandora sat on her haunches, licking the milk and marshmallows off her muzzle. "Doggy tickles." Shaggy, pale blonde bangs fell into his big green eyes as he ducked his head, looking down at his tray that smelled of doggy slobber. He poked at the mess on his bib. He hated making his big sister mad; it reminded him too much of all the times his mother had been upset with him.


"Whatever. Just don't start blubbering." Tabitha snorted, tossing her frizzy dark brown ringlets over her shoulder. She didn't even glance at his tray or bowl on the floor; she turned and went straight to the kitchen cabinet above the sink to fetch a glass. She held up the pilfered bottle to the autumn morning sun streaming through the window.


The light caught the pale amber liquid, making it sparkle and shimmer. The bottle should have been brown; instead it was clear to show off the liquor. A homemade label decorated with drawings of pumpkins covered in spider webs. She read the squiggly handwriting. "Spider Cider." She snorted. "Cute. How appropriate for Auntie's Halloween party." She sat the bottle down and turned to Joshua, who still sat quietly in his highchair. "You know, I'm 21. I'm finally old enough to go to the Samhain Feast. Become a full-fledged coven member. Instead, my Halloween is stuck here changing your diapers and handing out candy to filthy brats."


"Sowwy." Josh whispered softly, not daring to look up at her. Instead he looked around for his binky. He didn't see it, so he slipped his thumb in his mouth instead and started to suck. Pandora's wet nose bumped into his bare calf and he smiled a little at the ticklish sensation. The barghest stood in front of the highchair and just stared Tabitha down. She didn't growl or bare her teeth; she just stared at the girl.


"Dowa, dat not nice." Josh lisped at the barghest.


That dead stare trapped her like a cornered rabbit. It was the look of a dog that was considering attacking. Pandora often gave Tabitha that look. She found it almost as annoying as Aunt Gertrude's reprimands. Pandora never attacked her yet, but often looked at her like the damn mutt was thinking about it. Tabi tried to give the familiar a wide berth; all it took was one time, one incident. A barghest attack was hard to survive, and with her sealed magic it was almost impossible.


"I'm not scared of you." Defiance laced her tone. Her limbs were stiff and her knees shook. "Anyway, since this Halloween's gonna suck, I might as well have some fun while I can. The least Auntie can do is spare me one lousy bottle of her brew." She slowly, intentionally turned her back on the beast and tried to open the bottle. Her hands trembled and she waited with baited breath to hear a growl in her ear, pain erupt as teeth sank into her shoulder.


When no attack came, she let out her breath, hitched on a smirk and slowly, cautiously turned around. "Hey, baby pants, you want a sip?" She waved the bottle, amber liquid sloshing around.


"No, he doesn't. You aren't having one, either." A calm, firm voice filled the kitchen.

[Cute_Kitten]

?

[Cute_Kitten]

• ?

[YourFNF]

This is interesting. Curious to see where it goes always like a good urban fantasy story... ?

[Cute_Kitten]

?

[YourFNF]

That was fun ?

[Cute_Kitten]

2 hours ago, YourFNF said:

That was fun ?

Glad you liked it. I had fun writing it,  though it feels like many moons since I've played with these characters.