Hunter's Walk

Hunter was slinking through the alley, looking for dinner in the trash that had been left out from the previous night. His stomach was growling furiously as it had been several days since he had found a full meal. Usually, he only found bits and pieces to eat, rarely enough to completely squash the hunger. As he peeked around the corner onto the main street in town, a large cat, as black as midnight, walked out of an even darker shadow and stopped a few feet in front of him. It let out a small mew before turning away to walk down the street. Before it had gone even ten steps, the cat turned back to look at Hunter as though urging him to follow. 

Hunter hesitantly followed the unknown cat, unsure of where it was leading him, but too curious to not find out. They headed down the street, over the rickety, old bridge that led out of town before veering off the road into the woods. Hunter hesitated at the edge of the forest; he had never ventured beyond the city limits. As he stood there, looking into the woods, the black cat came back and put its paw on Hunter's leg. Hunter felt his muscles relax, his mind empty, and his worries fade to the back of his mind. They set off together into the woods, a slight spring in his step.

It was darker in the woods than Hunter was used to, but not too dark to see. It sounded different too, the birds sang more sweetly, the wind whispered while blowing through the trees, even the sounds of his feet padding on the soft ground were different than he was used to. As the black cat led him across a bubbling stream, hopping from rock to rock, careful to avoid even the tiniest splash, Hunter noticed the smell of car exhaust was gone, replaced instead by the smell of wildflowers and pine trees. As they headed deeper into the woods there became fewer and fewer signs of human intervention. Hunter started to wonder if it was a good idea to follow this random, black cat, a complete stranger who had so suddenly appeared. He did not know where it was taking him or if this cat was just living its life while Hunter tagged along. This concern was dashed the next time the cat looked back at him, meeting his eyes for the briefest of moments. 

As the sun sank lower in the sky, the shadows deepened in the forest. If Hunter was not careful, he would lose sight of the black cat who was slowly looking as though it were becoming the shadow itself. The black cat began to stop more often, making sure that Hunter was still following, letting out meows that sounded irritated whenever Hunter was too far behind or starting to hesitate. The sun slid behind the horizon, leaving the pair in complete darkness. It was a darkness the likes of which Hunter had never seen. 

The moon shone feebly through the trees, giving only enough light to let him see the outline of branches above. Hunter realized the birds had stopped singing. Their cheerful songs had been replaced by the occasional hoot of owls and rustle of wings that made his hair stand on end. The wind was no longer whispering through the trees but instead howled around them. Hunter trembled, the urge to turn around and run home growing. The problem with turning back was that Hunter had no idea how to get back to town. He had followed the cat so absent-mindedly that he was not sure he would even head in the right direction at this point if he tried to leave. The curiosity that led him to this forest, to follow this unknown cat into the night seemed like such a poor excuse in the face of the icy fear that gripped him now. Just as Hunter decided he would be better off trying to see if he could make it home, he noticed lights appear from between the trees.              

It looked like the warm, flickering light of a fireplace through a window. As Hunter and the black cat drew closer, he saw that it was a single house in the woods, a warm glow coming from its windows and smoke coming from the chimney. 

The black cat walked directly to the door and pushed it open with its paw. The light spilling out of the open door was blinding after the black of night in the forest. The first thing Hunter noticed upon regaining his sight was the massive cauldron in the middle of the room above the flickering fire. His mouth started to water as the smell of the food flooded his senses. He realized now that he had been walking all day with no stops for food after only finding scraps for breakfast. He was so absorbed by the cauldron and whatever was cooking that he failed to notice the other inhabitant of the house. A woman in a wide-brimmed black hat, that was so tall it nearly touched the low ceiling of the house, watched the newcomers with interest. She smiled at the black cat before turning back to watch Hunter. 

”Ahh welcome back Circe, I see you brought a friend with you like I asked” the witch said. “Not quite what I had in mind. He will need to be fattened up a bit before he is useful.” The black cat meowed at the witch and she tilted her head to the side as she listened. “Hunter, I suspect you will make a wonderful familiar for my apprentice. Aubrey has been asking me for one of her own for so long. She is asleep upstairs right now, but you shall meet her in the morning. For now, eat and find a nice cozy spot by the fire.” The witch reaches down to pat Hunter on the head before giving him a scratch on the back right in front of his tail.