“You must know that werewolves are physically superior to vampires and witches, but vampires have special talents. For example, they can read and control the thoughts of others. The werewolves are also able to read thoughts, but only from their peers and only when they have transformed. That gives them a big advantage when they're hunting.“
The little one wrote everything down diligently, never interrupted me and only asked a question when I stopped talking.
“What do you say we go to the werewolves' village together so you can meet them? Witches and vampires are welcome there.“
“Yes, please.“
The girl seemed all excited. I gave her great pleasure with it. I didn't care what Lucia thought. She gave me permission to train her daughter, and that's what I did. We walked comfortably through the forest over to the village of the wolves. At the entrance of their community, they had built two huge pillars of salt from Kunolf and Leila, their tribal fathers. In the great halls of the Castle of the Vampires stood the same. If one passed the salt columns, then one came over an extensive area on the large place, where in the evening always a fire burned and all gathered. Things that had been decided in the Council, Stephan always announced there. The simple huts of the wolves were mostly settled in the forest. But most of them lived in the country, as well as the vampires. Their buildings were completely different from those of the bloodsuckers. While the vampires liked it more playful and conspicuous, their dwellings were simpler. Simple huts made of wood, stone and clay, some of which didn‘t even have proper doors, but only a curtain made of skinned fur. The main thing is comfortable and warm. Stephan lived together with his family in the largest property. He, as the leading wolf, had nevertheless furnished himself a little more comfortably and so his house was the only one with two floors and a cellar. There were also large warehouses in the village in which the people's merchandise was stored. When I arrived at the village with Larissa, the joy of our coming was great. The kids already knew me and loved me for my magic tricks. Larissa wasn't a stranger, they didn't let her feel it. She was immediately warmly received. A boy even turned before her eyes. My protégée knew no fear, she immediately ran to him and scratched his ear, which he enjoyed very much. Yes, sooner or later she‘d also transform, only her strength would far exceed that of the others. A whole group had gathered around the girl; everyone wanted to see Ephraim and Lucia's daughter. She seemed to like that. With her cordial nature, she was very well received. Then Stephan approached me from behind.
“Welcome, Emily. Good to see you. Are you taking a little trip with your student?"
“Yes, I started teaching her a few days ago and today we were talking about the vampires and werewolves. She didn't know much about your species, so I thought we'd better go straight to the source.“
“She has grown up very much“, he looked at the girl in a very special way, „Ephraim often tells me about her, what she’s already able to do. He's very proud. I don't understand that Lucia won't let her come here, when her brother visits us very often.“
“I think you can answer the question yourself, Stephan“, I looked deep into his eyes, „you know how Lucia ticks. And you know her way better than anyone else. After all, you grew up together.“
On this subject, he remained silent and didn‘t make a face. He wasn't sure if it‘d be wise to go into my sentence any closer. I was convinced, he had understood.
“Many of us know Lucia well, not just me.“
With this little hint, he tried to stray from the subject. Well, I hadn't come here to tear open old wounds either. You can't change the past.
“By the way, I think it's good that you take her under your wing", Stephan had taken a normal attitude again, he didn't seem to care about discussions either, „she can learn a lot from you. For you‘re the eldest among us.“
“Thank you very much for this judgment.“
The girl came over to us. I was curious to see how she‘d face the leader.
“Larissa, you know Stephan, don't you?"
“Of course. Greetings, Stephan“, she made a small, polite curtsey.
“Greetings, too. You're very well-behaved. Would you like to meet my son? I don't think you've ever seen each other before.“
“I'd love to.“
Then, at the call of his father, the young heir of the wolves, Sven, appeared. He was now eight years old and gradually began to lose his childlike face. The two children stood opposite each other, but Sven faltered, became very stiff and only brought out one sentence.
“Are you an angel?"
“That's enough, you old charmer“, his father warned him, „she's not an angel, but a vampire and her name is Larissa. She's Tim's sister.“
Sven just stood there, silenced and stared at her.
“It's getting late, my dear. Let's go back. I'll take you home.“
“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Sven. Maybe we can play together sometime.“
Sven just nodded. We said goodbye and went our ways. Halfway along, she suddenly took my hand.
“I thank you for this wonderful day, Emily. I wish I could go to the wolves more often. But with you at my side, I feel the future will be full of adventure and new things for me. You're the best, I really like you.“
Then she embraced me and for the first time in a long time, I felt love in my heart again.
Demonstration of power
After Lucia had told me her anger about my little excursion with the girl to the village of the werewolves, I decided to only encourage the child even more in her project. I didn't like being reprimanded by Lucia, especially in this relationship. Her daughter had every right to go wherever she wanted, as long as she followed the rules I had explained to her. I didn't understand why her mother rehearsed such a riot. The children of the clans have always played with and among each other; this should also promote cohesion. Probably she was only afraid that her daughter might turn there in front of the assembled team. But I knew this would never happen. And still, the girl was a small child and not sixteen years old.
I continued my lessons. In spring I usually took her out into the great outdoors. Then the plants, flowers and herbs began to bloom. The forest was the ideal place to show her all the known plants as shoots. In the early summer, when all the buds of the plants had opened, the birds filled the air with their singing and the forest and the gardens with their unique scents perfumed the air, I taught her the plants and herbology, the little basics of witches. I told her, among other things, about the milk thistle, the mugwort, the bearberry leaves, the nettle and the stinging winch as well as their properties on the human body. That they‘re anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, heal liver and kidney diseases and help with skin complaints. I also told her about the poisonous plants, because you should always know both sides. I knew of the belladonna, the autumn timeless and the blue wolfsbane, once taken they led to rapid death. We spent days naming the local and exotic plants and herbs that are invaluable to a witch's life. I noticed her talent for drawing. She always had a book with her, painting everything in detail and writing down the characteristics next to it; she absorbed the information, I gave her, like a dry sponge on the water. I loved watching her do it, she warmed my heart more and more. As she roamed through the forest, as gentle as an elf herself, yet as strong and solid as the rock in the surf. It had become midsummer and before the splendour of the trees began to wilt again, we enjoyed our time together once more in the forest. Larissa was incredible. She wasn‘t even five years old and climbed between the trees like a squirrel. She skilfully swung from branch to branch without injuring herself or the tree. When she didn't feel like it anymore, she let herself fall from the top of the tree into the depth and landed like a cat on her legs.
“Come to me, my child, sit down“, I asked her, “I want you to concentrate on the forest, what can you hear?"
She slipped to the floor, closed her