I love the witch brother au so much? I think my favorite part is logan being a wolf and also Virgil's familiar, i love those two so much. But also patton baby i hope roman's hypoallergenic. Anyways, if you're still taking prompts would you consider showing us how virgil came to find his logan and/or how their relationship developed and their dynamic?
(I love this too and I will always take prompts for my witchy bois omg I got so into this again I just speed wrote this all this morning)
Read more of my writing at @hiddendreamerwriting!
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It had happened one late afternoon in mid December. Virgil had just become of age, but it was hard to think of himself as any sort of capable witch when he couldn’t even cast a simple location spell.
Virgil grit his teeth, pressing his mittened hands together to try and form a flame to keep the cold at bay. It felt as though the spell did nothing, and Virgil’s feet still got soaked as he trudged through the snow that was knee high.
“Great.” Virgil muttered, shoving his hands into his armpits instead, hunching over against the howling wind. “Just great.”
He was going to die out here, wasn’t he? Virgil was such an idiot. Don’t worry Patton, it’s just a bit of juniper. I’ll be back by sundown. And now Patton was going to be worried out of his mind. Virgil was such a terrible brother, he couldn’t even keep them safe through the winter.
It was Virgil’s fault that they even had to come out into the woods in the first place; the village had not exactly been welcoming of a family of witches when Virgil accidentally spooked off the neighboring farm’s herd of horses. It seemed with every task Virgil took on, his magic always found a way to screw it up. He couldn’t even complete normal mortal tasks, like finding a simple sprig of juniper. Now Virgil was forced to cower home empty handed, if he even managed to make it home at all.
A howling different from the wind made Virgil come to a stuttered hault. He looked up, finding himself standing at the edge of a clearing. Standing in the center was a large wolf, fur grey to the point of being almost blue in the reflection of the snow.
The creature had already spotted him, looking over Virgil consideringly as if deciding if the witch was a threat. The rest of the world faded away, the wind quieting down as if watching with hushed tones, curious which predator would make the first move.
Virgil internally cursed, eyes darting around the tree line but never leaving the threat in front of him. Wolves always hunted in packs. How many were watching through the shadows? A good witch would have no trouble with creatures of the forest, and maybe even bend the pack to his whims. Frankly, Virgil wouldn’t be surprised if one wolf alone would be enough to overtake him and make an easy meal.
“I mean no trouble.” Virgil spoke up, hoping the magic edge to his voice would be enough to deter an attack. Yes, fear me, i’m definitely a capable witch who knows what he’s doing.
The wolf seemed unswayed with Virgil’s attempt at intimidation, giving Virgil an unimpressed look as it tilted its head to the side.
“Please, just-” Virgil cursed himself for showing weakness, shivering as his meager warmth spell continued to fade. “I just want to go home.”
Now, the wolf took a few steps away, turning its head to send Virgil a look. The wolf took another few steps in the opposite direction, looking back at Virgil again.
Virgil paused, his mind trying to process what was going on. From the body language alone, it was clear that the wolf wanted Virgil to follow, which despite the fact the wolf hadn’t shown any signs of aggression seemed like a terrible idea.
“I- no, I can’t play games.” Virgil huffed, wondering if this wolf was really just a large village dog that had also gotten lost. “I have to go home.”
The wolf gave a low growl, annoyed, and Virgil jumped. Perhaps it wasn’t a great idea to ignore the wants of what could be a magic and almost-sentient creature that wanted him to follow. Especially when said creature could easily tear out his throat.
So, hesitantly, Virgil stepped forward. He felt exposed in the clearing, and the eerie silence that had befallen the woods was no help. The wolf sat, patient, until Virgil could almost reach out and pet it (provided he wanted to lose his hand). Only then did it stand to lead the way once more, staying just a few paces ahead of Virgil despite the fact it could have easily outrun him through this snow.
Their progress was slow, and Virgil was keenly aware of the sun setting in the distance. Still the wolf made no motion to stop. It led Virgil in a straight line for the most part, every so often raising its nose and sniffing the air to ensure they were still headed towards the wolf’s destination.
“…you’re not a normal wolf, are you?” Virgil commented, beginning to put the pieces together. A shape-shifting fae, perhaps? Or an enchanted creature? Both would explain the apparent sentience, but neither would explain the wolf’s peculiar interest in Virgil.
The wolf glanced back at Virgil, and Virgil swore he saw an eyebrow raise as if mocking him.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Virgil nodded, still trying to figure out the wolf’s exact origins. He pulled his cloak tighter around himself, the early night air colder than before. “A-are we almost there?”
At the sound of Virgil’s teeth chattering, the wolf’s gaze seemed to turn pitying. He gestured with his nose, a bit forward to the right. Virgil started to follow the wolf in that direction, but this time the animal stayed at his side, seeming very intent on the way Virgil swayed with each step.
Virgil grimaced, his eyes shut tight as he fumbled to keep moving forwards. His feet felt as though they were made of solid ice. What he wouldn’t give to be back home, safely tucked in front of the fireplace with Patton curled at his side…
As if reading his thoughts, the trees suddenly parted, revealing the hut Virgil now called home. The witch let out a surprised gasp, which manifested itself as a small cloud in the chill atmosphere.
“How…?” Virgil turned to ask the wolf how it had known, but suddenly the creature was dashing back into the dark cover of the forest. “H-hey! Wait!”
“Virgil?!” Virgil’s attention was once again torn back to the hut, where a worried Patton was silhouetted in the warm door frame. The younger witch came rushing out, hurrying to help Virgil inside. “Virgil, what happened? You’re freezing.”
Virgil allowed himself to be guided inside, but his mind wandered back to the wolf. Would it be alright, alone in the woods? Of course it would, it was a wolf, if a peculiar one at that. Who ever heard of a lone wolf? A cruel irony, really, reminding Virgil how he himself had been exiled from his ‘pack’- er, village. Was that what happened? Had the wolf taken pity on him simply because Virgil was alone? He hadn’t gotten a chance to thank the creature for its assistance-
Virgil stiffened in the chair by the fire, his muscles tensing as all at once he realized what had happened. He had heard tales of gaining a familiar after he came of age, but Virgil had never considered himself enough of a witch for that to be true. Or when he did indulge that fantasy, Virgil always expected to be paired with a mouse or a toad. Something small and unassuming to prove he wasn’t a threat.
Instead, out of nowhere, Virgil seemed to have been gifted a magnificent beast. Not gifted, no, that implied that Virgil owned the wolf. He could never own something so powerful, and so tied to nature just like himself. But why a wolf? Virgil was more often a healer than anything else, despite his magic quirks. He was protective, defensive, but not aggressive. At least…he tried not to be, because he didn’t want to be feared. So what did having a wolf familiar say about him?
And more importantly, why did the wolf leave?
“Virgil?” Patton asked hesitantly, watching the elder witch rise.
“I think I need to find someone.” Virgil said cryptically, knowing Patton was still watching him as he headed to the door.
“Virgil, it- it can wait until morning-” Patton attempted to argue.
“I’ll only be a second.” Virgil pulled on his cloak once more. “I promise.” He had also promised to be home by sunset. He ignored the fact he was unsuccessful that time.
“But-!” Patton’s cry of protest was ignored, Virgil opening the door and immediately regretting his decision to go back in the cold. Still he stepped out, shutting the door. A few lazy flakes of snow began to fall down onto his head.
“Okay, Mr. wolf, where are you?” Virgil asked to himself, stepping forwards a few paces.
He didn’t need to go far. Out of the shadows the wolf emerged again, first its glowing blue eyes that looked ready to scold Virgil for coming back out. As it got closer, Virgil could see something was clutched in its mouth.
“So…” Virgil glanced down, suddenly hesitant. What if he was wrong about this? What if he just offended the most powerful wolf in the woods by claiming it was somehow Virgil’s servant?
But then Virgil knelt down, and the wolf nudged its offering in Virgil’s direction. A juniper sprig, just as Virgil had gone searching for in the first place. Virgil took it delicately between his fingers, reaching out a cautious hand to test his claim. The wolf did not recoil, in fact it leaned its head into Virgil’s touch.
Immediately Virgil felt a new warmth tingling up his arm, and he gasped at the feeling of the bond being formed. For a person with trust issues, the idea of breaking down his mental walls so quickly was almost startling.
The wolf seemed to react in a similar manner, giving a surprised sniff of its nose and a small shake of its head. Logan. Something in the back of Virgil’s mind told him. This is your familiar, Logan.
“Thank you, Logan.” Virgil smiled gratefully, scratching Logan behind the ear.
