#familiar!ghost

You never thought you would be in this situation, running for your life as you try to get to your grandfather's cabin near the entrance of the woods as fast as possible.

Well, that's kind of a lie. You did expect something like this to happen at some point, but why now...??

Your biggest problem has always been the fact that you were a witch, born from the humid earth near a river source and blessed by the nature spirits of the forest.

Which, okay, it wouldn't be a problem...

If you weren't a witch without a Coven.

And you were so young too. Fate really dealt you the worst cards, making you, a small witch, barely in your teen years, fend for yourself without a Coven to protect or guide you.

It was dangerous, madness even. Young witches were easy targets. They didn't really have strong magic yet, couldn't interact with nature spirits that well or defend themselves. That's why they needed the protection of the older witches, who would keep their little ones safely tucked in the heart of the coven, only letting them out when they come of age (for witches), and in small doses until they get used to the world.

You... didn't have that luxery tho.

You have no idea what really happened to you when you were born. Usually, witches from the coven would all be present to a newborn's birth, help them settle and taking them with them as one more little sprout for the Coven.

But, all you had was your grandfather's story, about how he found a baby covered in dirt by the river bank, not crying or making any kind of sound, just peacefully laying there as the forest kept it safe for who know how long.

He knew you were a witch, that much was obvious. He knew you were just born too, but he didn't manage to find any other witch living around that place, much less a whole Coven of them.

So, he took you in, which you were pretty grateful for. You though that it would be fine, i mean... sure, you didn't have a Coven, but who needed them anyway?? You were doing fine by yourself...! Especially after you managed to control a bit more of your magic! Your grandfather told you were very powerful for a baby witch, which is nice! See, you didn't need a Coven...!

Except, being "powerful" for a baby witch wasn't really... that powerful in the first place, and now, you were being freaking hunted down after a mistake you made.

Ah, being hunted down by who? That's simple.

A freaking pack of familiars, four of them to be exact.

There's one little detail about all of this... witches have familiars, powerful creatures that were the most loyal beasts you could ever have for yourself. Usually, a powerful and old witch would never link themselves to a weak familiar, even if they could grow strong with time and a good master guiding them.

And you could imagine the same would happen to the opposite situation... except, familiars were freaking bastards.

One of the reasons older Witches kept their young very well hidden and safe in their Covens is because rogue familiars hunt down little witches to force a bound with them.

While mature witches look for familiars around their same power level, powerful familiars like to take in small and young witches to mold the to their liking. Teach the little witch how to properly use their magic, be their primary guides and protectors.

And you? You were a very young witch, with no Coven on sight, and that showed a very big potential since your magic was stronger than other baby witches your age.

You were a prime target.

And you were being hunted down by four bastards that were toying with you the whole chase.

You could tell they were powerful, just not... how powerful. Since you were still too young, it was quite difficult to identify these things. It's like you could feel the heat of the flame but not see how big the flame was.

But you had a hunch they were... very powerful... at least, that's what you thought, since there were four of them, bounded together. It means their last witch was probably old and strong enough to have four of these big beasts.

Not that your theory matters now, not when you are trying to run in this stupid thick forest from four big familiars that you could hear laughing and taunting you.

Tauting you gently, at most. They already knew they had you.

You already knew they had you.

Still, you were running, even if just because you were high in adrenaline and refused to just stop.

That is, until you fell harshly on the ground after tripping over a rock or some shit hidden on this stupid dense forest.

Goddammit.

"Aww, lassie, c'mere, did it hurt?" You widden your eyes in surprise as you hear the heavy scottish accent right behind you, big hands carefully grabbing under your arms to lift you up on your feet like a kitten.

You squirm momentarily in discomfort, settling down a little as he puts you down and gently pats your clothes. You wish you had more fight in you, but you were still young and just took a nasty fall. It stunned you enough to barely react to the big familiar gently fixing your clothes.

"Oww, baby, it's okay." Another one of them, the dark skinned one with a heart shaped mouth, approached easily, both warm hands immediatly cupping your face to check on you. "We're sorry for making you play until you got hurt, we're not doing it again...." He coos gently, a warm smile on his face.

He looked... so happy......... freak, the scottish-mohawk guy by his side looked ecstatic, such a big smile on his face.

Well.... familiars always prefered to be linked to a witch.

You jumped a bit as you heard the rustling of leaves in the distance, eyes falling immediatly on the big black wolf behind some trees. That's certainly one big bastard of a familiar, even in his animal form...

Wait... where is the last one then...?

"Darlin', we need to talk, don't we?"

You freeze for complete as you feel a heavy, warm hand hold the back of your neck, not hurting, not ever, just... locking you in place. His voice is low and gruff, authoritarian, but it's... soft enough. Enough for you to know that he's forcing softness to speak to you.

His hand feels so damn big around your small neck...

It's okay, it's okay... familiars rarely ever hurt a witch for no reason.

Besides, they don't seen that inclined on hurting you anyway... no, you know they are ready to claim you for them.

The mess you found yourself in...

"T-Talk...?" You murmur quietly, unsure, still a bit stunned as you try to look over your shoulder.

"Wee lass just took a fall, Price, little witch like this might've gotten hurt." The scottish one says easily, smile still on his face as he approaches you a bit more to gently hold on your head, inspecting you himself now.

"She's just a tad stunned, no harm done." This voice was new, and very low. Gravelly. Patient.

The wolf familiar went back to his human form, leaned against a tree as he observed you with crossed arms and a relaxed posture. Indeed, a big bastard.

"That's why we shouldn't play with the young ones like this. I told you that they get hurt easily." The dark skinned one sighs slightly, like he was scolding the big brute by the trees.

"Boys, focus. We are not yet marked to her, and she's out here, exposed and defenseless. We're taking her home." The 'Price' guy says slowly, his authority over the others obvious by how they all straightened at his command.

"W-Wait-" You manage to find your voice once again, only to be interrupted by the scottish guy.

"The Coven?"

"If she had one, wouldn't be wandering around 'ere by 'erself." The wolf one rumbles, still relaxed against the trees.

"A baby witch without a Coven?" The dark skinned one considers, eyes narrowing.

"Sometimes it happens. Rare, but it can happen. All the more reason to get her to safety." Price rumbles back, voice getting... grow-ly, the hand on your neck heavier. "Soap."

"Aye, Cap." He smiles easily, bending down closer to your height, meeting your big, scared eyes. "Let's go, wee lassie, ye're safe." He coos, and before you can protest, one of his fingers are touching your forehead, a wave of pure magic going through you. "Nap nap time, huh?"

“Aww, look at these sparks…” Gaz coos gently, watching your scared little figure curled up in the back of the nest as you try your best to use your magic to keep them away. “For a baby witch? Isn’t that just precious?”

A heavy grunt scares you enough for your magic to just die right then and there, your head whipping to the side where the big bastard of a familiar was sitting. His body looked completely relaxed, arms crossed and eyes focused on your little form curled against the wall.

“Careful, little witch,” Ghost warns, voice low and heavy, making you just stare at him with even more terror. “Might get hurt.”

“Ow, just let the lassie get everything out, she’s scared.” Soap smiles big, laying down on his belly, looking up at you with both hands holding his head up like a teenage girl in love or something.

He was so close to your curled-up legs too, almost asking for a kick in his face.

“We’re such good familiars, baby. No need to try to harm us,” Gaz coos again, crawling a little closer to your little form.

His movement was enough to startle you, magic immediately coming to life as your hands sparked hot red for a second.

Only to die right away thanks to big, warm hands enveloping your little ones and forcing your magic down easily.

“Our strong baby witch,” Ghost rumbles in an animalistic way, his giant hands holding yours close to his chest now that he was by your side. “It’s okay, calm yourself. You can get hurt like this, darlin’.”

“M-My magic…!” you manage to exclaim, a mix of indignation and fear as you look up at his face with big, wide eyes.

“No guidance, no preparation, no form.” Price’s voice immediately alerts you, making you look at the end of the room where the oldest familiar was quietly preparing something on that stupid high table of his. “It is pretty incredible that you have such high-level magic for a baby witch with no Coven, but it’s not good to try and use your magic at any given time like this.”

“I-I can use—I know how to use my magic…!” you protest slightly, now more indignant than anything else, little hands still stuck in the bigger familiar’s grasp.

You pretend not to notice the way he was rubbing your hands gently, not letting go.

“Never said you couldn’t, doll,” Price smirks a little as he spares you a glance from his chair. “Just saying it’s not smart. Might get hurt; even experienced witches lose control of their magic from time to time.”

“And no one’s expecting a baby to have the best control, mo leanbh,” Soap adds, still laying down with a big, dumb smile plastered on his stupid face.

It made you annoyed enough to uncurl one of your legs and… kinda kick his face? Well, not kick, more like push his face to the side as you press your little foot to his cheek. He didn’t seem to mind, though, a stupid grin as he lets you do as you want.

“Such a gentle little witch too…” Gaz mumbles, approaching once again to nuzzle against your side gently. Yeah, no, this jerk has to be a cat or something. “It has been ages since the last time I saw an actual baby witch….”

“They are always so well-hidden deep in Covens. A pity, too, that our last witch dinae take much interest in them.” Soap agrees easily, still not doing anything about your socked foot on his face.

You try to push him more, but he doesn’t really budge.

“Let go,” you grumble at Ghost, trying to free your hands as you glare (such a cute glare, he could look at your baby-ish, cute expression for decades) at him.

“Aww, but baby, what if you try to use your magic again?” And you know the second that you see the pout on Gaz’s lips that he’s mocking you. The audacity…!

“Boys, stop that, you’re going to overwhelm her—“

“G-Get away…!” You raise your voice a bit more, squirming against them, trying to free your hands from the restraining grip and trying to push the face against your foot farther from you.

And then you feel Soap grip your ankle. Gently, but he grips it nonetheless.

And then you’re crying, overwhelmed.

“Oh no, no, no, no, didn’t mean it, lassie!” Soap quickly lets go, getting up on his knees with a worried expression.

Ghost also lets your hands go, almost as if he was burned, and you immediately start to rub your face and eyes, sniffling as you try to contain your tears.

“I’m so sorry, hun, I’m sorry, I was being an asshole, wasn’t I…?” Gaz is also quick to apologize, lowering his body enough to be smaller than you as he bumps his head quietly against your arm, regret written all over his face.

Price lets out a heavy sigh from his chair, rubbing his face with the hand that isn’t working with something on the table.

“I know none of us are used to baby witches, but boys, you have to tone down. She’s not a mature witch; she can’t take your provocations like this.”

“Ah dinae even provoke…!” Soap immediately protests, hands hesitating around you as he tries to calm you down. “Gaz did it…!”

“Oh, shut it, Tav.” He growls quietly, shuffling a bit to your side as you keep sniffling and trying to control your tears.

And then, a black cat jumps onto your lap. A big, fluffy black cat. It confuses you for a second until you remember what familiars are, and you quietly settle down a little, hands hesitantly touching the cat now laying on top of your legs, looking up at you with big, yellow eyes.

The other familiars seem to calm down too as they see you calming down. Ghost is still unmoving by your side, but he doesn’t seem like a ball of anxiety anymore, and Soap also settles down in front of you, sitting on the mattress with a relieved sigh.

“Ghost, Soap, come ‘ere,” Price calls, approaching the nest now with what looks like four gold bands on his hands.

“Oh, we’re doing it already?” Soap asks, eyes big in excitement as he quickly grabs one of the gold bands. “Ah’ll start!”

You watch in almost shock as he quickly slashes a cut on his hand with just his long nails, rubbing his blood over the band before turning to you with a big, delighted grin, his hand coming up to gently, but firmly, pull your right leg closer to him.

“Johnny MacTavish, mah beirn.” And then, the band locks on your ankle, a flash of light blinding you for a second, your magic twisting inside of you in response to what you thought was his own magic coming into contact.

The cat jumps out of your lap in a quick movement, becoming a man in the span of a second and grabbing the other gold band, also swiping his nails against his arm to let his blood drip onto the gold.

“’M so sorry, sweetie, I’ll keep myself in check, yeah?” Gaz smiles gently, pulling your left leg forward with his hand. “Kyle Garrick.”

Another flash of light, another band locked in place, and once again, your magic twists inside you as soon as it comes into contact with his.

“Ugh…” You wince slightly, curling up a bit on yourself at the intense feeling.

“Is she hurting…?” Soap mumbles, unsure, looking at you worriedly.

“Probably a bit weirded out with some of our magic seeping through to hers…” Kyle says calmly, though he is also worried, pushing your hair a little out of your face.

“Even though we’re forcing the bond indirectly, she’s bound to feel some kind of discomfort…” Price nods, offering the third band to Ghost. “It would be way worse if we were actually doing the bond pact right off the bat. That’s for when she’s older.”

Ghost grunts as he bites down on his hand, rubbing the blood messily against the shining gold. You try to scoot away from him, but one of his hands immediately goes for your small back, pulling you close and grabbing your right arm.

“Simon Riley.” Immediately, the gold band locks on your wrist, a new wave of magic coming through you and almost knocking you out.

“Price, be gentle…” Kyle murmurs, frowning a bit at your pinched expression as he quietly tries to soothe you.

“Lass might pass out…” Soap observes, hand coming to your hair to pull it out of your face slightly.

“It’s going to be quick,” Price nods, approaching you and pulling your left arm close to him. He gently pulls it close, and with a small kiss against your palm, he locks the band in place. “John Price.”

The magic running through you is immediately bothered once again, twisting out of the way of a new presence as you squirm and whine in their arms. It’s getting hard to stay awake, your body still too weak and young to take the presence of four powerful familiars tied to you. Sure, it’s a weak bond, not a proper pact, but it would be unreal for a witch your age to manage to endure a bond pact. That’s probably why they chose this option in the first place; like this, you’re all tied together, and your young body and mind will be able to get used to them as time passes for a proper pact in the future.

You looked up at the cabin looming before you, its structure crafted from beautiful dark pine wood. The windows were adorned with extravagant details, and the doors, oversized and imposing, seemed designed for beings much larger than ordinary humans.

Well, maybe because, yeah, they weren't humans. Familiars would be offended if you ever compared them to humans.

Then again, so would witches.

You think.

Who would have guessed that such a grand and beautiful construction was hidden in the forest you’ve been exploring since you were old enough to walk?

It was clearly made with love and dedication too...

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Gaz smiled smugly, crossing his arms as he looked up at the place with you. "It’s been here since the 1800s. Of course, we’ve been updating and remodeling it for quite some time now."

You prefered not to think too hard about that date.

"Right..." You mumble, a little unsure what else to say, trying to avoid looking at his face for too long. His yellow, shining eyes made you a bit nervous.

You didn't even notice that your hand automatically went to stratch at the gold bands around your wrist, only jumping a bit in alarm as your small hand was grabbed by a much bigger one.

"Ey, wee lassie! No scratching, don't wanna ye hurting!" Soap smiled big even as he scolded you, making you frown a little at him.

"Right..." You grunted a bit more annoyed now, pulling your hand away from his quickly.

Soap barely reacted when you yanked your hand away from his, still smiling like an eager pup. He was leaning close, his wide stance unwavering, as if the thought of being even a moment away from you was unbearable.

Clingy...

Then again, weren’t Familiars usually like this? God, you wished you’d been born into a proper Coven, with real teachings about being a witch.

But nooooooo...

Instead, all you had were the itty bitty pieces of information your grandfather had about them and their life style. Sure, it was a lot of knowledge about witches for a human to have, but it wasn't enough.

You didn't know how they did it, really. Were your grandfather right about young witches never going outside the Coven? Like, never?

You doubt it that they were just being kidnapped left and right by solitary Familiars, so it had to be true, right...?

"What'cha ye thinking so hard about it, lass?" Soap questioned, inspecting your face closely, smile still present on his face.

"How to get away from you." You snarked quietly, a small frown tugging at your lips—though it looked suspiciously close to a pout. Not that it was intentional; your face just did that when you glared at someone.

"Aawww, lassie…" He crooned, a satisfied grin spreading across his face, his sharp smile making his eyes squint dangerously.

You trembled, instinctively stepping back at his reaction, your mind screaming 'danger' for a few panicked seconds. You’d grown bolder without the two scariest-looking Familiars around, momentarily forgetting the truth: no matter how they appeared, they were still ancient and dangerous. And goddamn, was his reaction terrifying…

"Tav." Gaz hissed, approaching you two with an annoyed look, immediatly slapping the back of Soap's head. "Baby witch, remember?"

"Tsc..." He grumbled at the hit, but immediatly softened as his eyes went back to you. "Sorry, mo leanbh... 'm not dangerous, not for you, never for you..." He crooned slightly, kneeling in front of you easily. "Would never hurt ma witch..."

You could only nod stiffly, still on edge about his behavior. Their behavior. Ever since you woke up a few hours ago, your emotions had been swinging wildly—mad, angry, annoyed… then terrified, scared, hesitant…

You wanted to go home.

Oh, God, please, don't cry again... you don't want to cry again, you're better than that....

Gaz and Soap watched your face for a few moments, quickly noticing your bubbling emotions once again. The cat Familiar immediately dropped to his knees beside Soap, intent on calming you down before you could get worked up again.

"It's okay, kid... you're okay, we would never hurt you, Soap was right..." Gaz soothes, voice quiet and gentle, big hands hovering above your arms, unsure if he should touch you or not.

"I know..." You raspy, a weird mix between emotional and annoyed. "Wanna... wanna go home...."

"Aw, lassie..." Soap murmurs, much more tamed now, one hand carefully touching your limp arm, trying to comfort you.

"......where did you even lived, hon'?" Gaz frowns a little as he asks, like he was thinking this over for the first time now. "You are not part of a Coven, right?"

"I..." That makes you hesitate a little, also frowning as you try to explain your situation. "I'm not... part of a Coven.... I... I, like, lived with my... grandfather close to the forest entrance... near the south part..."

"Gran'father?" Soap repeats, face immediatly scrunching in strong distaste.

"W-Wha-, what's with your reaction??" You question, eyes going a little wide as you take a step back, now frowning more than ever, almost glaring even. "It's my grandfather...!"

"Witches don't have gran'fathers." Soap grunts back, clearly annoyed but holding back so he wouldn't scare you again.

"Well—!" You caught yourself, suddenly remembering the dangerous creatures you were speaking to, taking a small breath to try and calm down a little. "W-Well, I do..." You murmur, quieter, but still annoyed.

"Soap, stop provoking her." Gaz sighs, shaking his head slightly. At least you don't look like you would cry now; good thing Soap has a way to always make everyone annoyed at him. "We'll take this to Price and Ghost, have a proper conversation..."

Soap grunted softly but nodded obediently, taking your small hand in his and bringing it closer, gently rubbing his face against the smooth palm with his eyes closed. Gaz studied you for a moment, but when he saw you standing still, just looking mildly annoyed, he smiled slightly.

Gentle little Witch. No mature Witch would let a Familiar have their way like that. Were all baby witches this cute? They lacked the danger and wild nature of older witches, making them seem so soft.

"C'mon lassie, we need to have a good, long chat, uhm?" Soap murmured, getting back up to his feet, not letting go of your small hand.

"Why...?" You almost whined, keeping your voice quiet, but still letting your displeasure obvious.

"Because some baby 'ere never had proper teachings," Soap smiled humorously, tugging you along with Gaz immediately closing in beside you, smilling gently down at you.

"Grandpapa!"

Nothing. Not even a sound.

"Grandpapa!! Grandpa!!!"

"Atch, what's all this noise??" The old man yelled from inside the house, clearly annoyed.

"Grandpapa! It's me, open the damn door!!" You yelled back, just as annoyed as him as you hit your small fist against the wood.

The door was opened quickly with a heavy tud against the opposite wall as both you and your grandfather glared slightly at eachother's face. That is, until your grandpa properly fixed his glasses on his face to see your face.

"Ahh!! You decided to finally come home! I was about to call the cops to look for a 7-year-old lost little girl!" He said ironically, though clearly worried as he crossed his arms with a grumpy look on his face.

"Not 7, grandpapa." You huff, a little offended as you walk past him to enter the house.

"Eh, could've fooled me!"

"Besides, if you actually checked your phone, you would see that I did send you a message saying that I was sleeping in a friend's house."

"Oh no, I did see that. I just thought it was suspicious, didn't know you had any friends."

Both you and your grandfather stared at each other with squinted eyes and displeased expressions until you conceded with a heavy sigh.

"I'm sorry, Grandpapa. I'll tell you sooner next time. Yesterday was just... a special occasion." You mumbled, frowning slightly as the memory of the day before surfaced.

"Back in my time, a 'special occasion' with a 'friend' at their house meant loosing our virginity." Grandfather deadpanned, slamming the front door shut with a bang.

"Goddammit, not what I meant." You retorted, not amused.

"No, no, that's fine. I remember I lost my virginity when I was thirteen years old! Back then, we weren't as slow as you young lot—"

"Oh my god—"

"She was a beauty too! Three years older than me at the time! I made all the boys at the Academy jealous when I told— God, what is that annoying tap-tap sound??" He suddenly stopped, frowning as he looked around the house, confused.

You were thankful for the distraction, quickly schooling your expression to hide the disgust brought on by hearing your grandfather talk about his love life as the old man walked up to the living room's large window.

"Oh, would you look at that! Nature has truly blessed us today!"

"Huh? What do you mea—?"

You freeze slightly as your eyes catch the sight of a giant eagle sitting on your windowsill, looking all majestic and proud, just as you knew his human form was.

You were slightly less grateful for the distraction now.

"Look at this majestic guy! Ohoho... truly amazing! He was tapping the window with his beak—smart, right? This is a Golden Eagle! Did you know, kid, that this species is much more aggressive than the Bald Eagle??" Grandfather commented excitedly, his explorer side coming out in full force while you just stared in horror at the bird sitting there.

"If they’re more aggressive, shouldn’t we just... make it go away?" You hissed in slightly annoyance, squinting your eyes at the animal.

Price almost seemed to send you a smug look back. How could a bird even look smug anyway...?

"And lose an opportunity like this? Never! You don't have to worry; they rarely attack humans anyway! And if he came here, he must be hungry! One second, I'll grab something from the fridge! Don’t scare him away, kid!"

You could only watch in shock as your grandfather ran to the kitchen, leaving you alone with the eagle sitting on your window, still looking as smug as ever.

"Is this—w-what—Price?" You mumbled, eyes wide with confusion and a hint of despair as you stepped closer, a little shaky.

"What is it, doll? I did tell you we'd meet this grandfather of yours, did I not?" he replied, amused. His voice almost seemed to come directly through your head, rather than from his mouth—or... beak, you guessed.

"W-Woah, what...?"

"Don't be scared, witchling. This is just how familiars communicate with their witches when they're in animal form." Gaz explained with an amused tone, his black cat form leaping onto the windowsill beside the eagle.

"H-Hey... I-I though that... that you would just watch from afar..." You mumbled, voice barely above a whisper, growing even more anxious as you heard the old man’s footsteps coming back.

"You see, baby witch, we familiars aren’t too comfortable leaving our newly bonded witchlings alone," Gaz drawled, his voice and behaviour very lazy and cat-like.

He sauntered into the house as if he owned the place, brushing his head against your leg as you just stood there, looking down at the animal in almost shock.

"Here we go, I knew it we still had some of that jerky...!" Grandfather came back, excitedly holding on some beef jerky on his aged hands. "And he's still here! That's— a cat?!"

You didn’t even know what to do, staring between your grandfather and the two familiars. Your shoulders tensed as you tried to make sense of the situation. How could you possibly explain this to him? He wasn’t stupid, but he didn’t know much about witches either….

"It just… j-jumped in through the window...." You look away, trying to hold in your anxiety.

"This is… certainly getting weirder." Your grandfather muttered, his brows furrowing as he stepped closer. "I guess he’s not that hungry if he didn’t attack the cat..."

"Heard that, Price? Gonna eat me up?" Gaz quipped smugly, his voice dripping with amusement as he leapt onto the old couch without a care in the world.

"If I could, would've already done it." Price laughs back, all of this in your head, as you watch your grandfather try to coo at the animals, offering the jerky he brought.

Truly, this must be what going insane feels like.

You were momentarily distracted from your thoughts as you felt cat Gaz rub against your torso, standing on his back paws to stretch as if he was trying to climb you. Instinctively, you reached out to his lean body and lifted him into your arms, noticing that he was much smaller than the last time you saw him transformed like this.

You watched, almost stunned, as Price devoured the piece of beef jerky like it was prey. Your grandfather turned back to you after successfully feeding the eagle, his gaze shifting to the cat lying contentedly in your arms, and then....

...to the gold bands encircling your arms.

"What's that, kid?" He asks, a frown coming to his aged face as he walked closer, a hand reaching out for the bands. "Since when do you wear jewelry—?"

You gasped in shock as, in a slip second, the cat in your arms was gone—replaced by a tall man standing between you and your grandfather. Gaz was gripping your grandfather's wrist with just a bit too much force for someone dealing with an old man.

"Don't touch that, yeah?" He smiles gently, his eyes half-lidded and voice soft, tone and actions contradicting each other in a way that only made your eyes widen further.

"W-Wha...?" The old man's voice barely came out as he looked up at the intimidating man in front of him, his hands shaking in Gaz's grip.

"G-Gaz—Kyle, n-no!" You protested quickly, clutching the familiar's shirt and tugging hard, desperately trying to make him release your grandfather's wrist.

When the familiar didn’t react to your tug, your expression immediately darkened with anger. How dare he touch your grandfather—practically hurting him—and ignore you??

Fine. So be it.

This time, your tug worked. Your magic surged through his entire body in an instant, yanking him back harshly and slamming him against the opposite wall with a loud thud.

You huffed and puffed from the exertion, your body feeling tired and heavy from the amount of magic you had used in such a short span of time.

"Playtime's over." Ghost announced neutrally, appearing out of nowhere as he gently lifted you into his arms like this was just a small chore, nothing serious for him to worry about.

You struggled against his hold, trying to summon your magic to free yourself, but it was useless—his own magic blocking yours easily. You could literally feel it deep in your core—one of the drops of ancient magic paralyzing everything, leaving you numb.

"Let go...!" You growled weakly, your breath still coming in ragged gasps.

"Shh. You're okay, breathe." Ghost conforted you, resting your body against his chest and shoulder, his heavy hands giving you light pats on your back to try and calm you down.

Your body felt so heavy—so, so heavy. You could barely see your grandfather over the familiar's shoulder, his wide eyes locked on you, you and them, full of horror. His body was frozen in place, but he still trembled, clearly in shock.

"Wow, Kyle, nice one. She send you flying." Soap snickered, helping Gaz on his feet with an amused smile on his face.

"Can't say I was expecting it, but I deserved it." Gaz sighed softly, shaking his head slightly as he adjusted his clothes with a calm demeanor, clearly not even a little bit hurt.

Bastard.

"Come on, boys. We're going back home. We've seen what we came here to see." Price drawled gruffly, now back in his human form, sending a small sidelong glance at the frozen old man in the middle of the modest house.

"W-Wait—!" You tried to protest, desperation creeping into your voice.

"And put her to nap. Witchling like that can't possibily not be tired after her tantrum."

"What?" You asked, your voice quiet and laced with a hint of snark, just as annoyed as you were cautious of them.

There you were, pressed against the big, red armchair they had placed you in, staring back at the four familiars with a mix of annoyance and fear, eyes never leaving their intimidating figures.

Yes, they were your familiars now, but... it's a big adjustment to get used to so quickly.

You were still cautious, that's to be expected...

"We're going to have a talk." Price says simply, though his serious expression just makes you sink deeper into the armchair. "It's a bit overdue, but we wanted to ensure the bond had settled nicely before addressing any of this."

His comment makes you glance down at yourself, glaring at the gold bands still snugly wrapped around your arms and legs.

"First of all, let's start by the most important part. We can see you're not a part of any Coven. Where did you use to live, doll?"

You huff slightly at his question, since you were pretty sure Kyle and Johnny already told him about your little conversation outside.

And, by the way, why is this jerk speaking in the past?? 'Used to live'??

"I live with my grandpa at the edge of this forest..." You answer quietly, still clearly annoyed, but toning it down to avoid being rude to these ancient beings.

Your comment made Johnny scowl once again, huffing in annoyance as he crossed his arms quietly in the corner of the couch. Kyle still wore a pensive expression, tilting his head slightly as he listened to your words once again. Simon merely cocked an eyebrow, maintaining his relaxed posture as he leaned against the nearest wall. And Price, he simply nodded slowly, a slight frown forming on his face.

"Right..., your grandfather, you say?" John repeats slowly, watching you nod with conviction.

"Witches dinae have 'grandfathers'." Soap grumbled, still pretty much annoyed with your insistance.

"Watch it, Soap." Gaz sneered, slapping the back of his head.

"Ah won't! How do ye want me calm when all I can hear is that a human man kidnapped a baby witch??" The snarl he let out with his words made you flinch back in the armchair, looking between the two of them with hesitant and scared eyes. "A fuckin' man, Gaz! Are ye not worried??"

"The two of you, out."

Silence fell over the room as Soap and Gaz turned to fix Price with piercing stares, their expressions etched with angry defiance, making it painfully clear they had no intention of leaving.

"Do I need to repeat myself, lads?" He snarled, turning to stare back at them with a face you wish you never see directed at you.

"We're leaving." Gaz huffs in controlled anger, getting up from the couch and grabbing Soap so he can pull him by force out of the room.

Soap resisted a little, just a little, but as soon as he saw your scared expression, body pressed firmly against the armchair, he relutantly matched steps with Kyle, leaving the room.

Ghost seized the opportunity, pushing off the wall and walking to the couch to sit beside Price, where the other two were sitting moments ago. He was bigger than the others too, such a large man that was impossible not to be overwhelmed by his presence. Then again, the one they call their captain, Price, is just as bad when it came to intimidation.

"Sorry about them, doll," John drawled in his gruff voice, though it still carried a gentle undertone. He was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, hands clasped in front of him, bringing himself almost to your eye level. "Those animals don't know how to behave in front of a kid. But don't blame them too much, first time actually interacting with a witchling."

"Talk a bit more about your gran'father, won’t ya?" Ghost rumbles gruffly, his voice so much like Price’s that it catches you slightly off guard for a few moments, just blinking slowly in his direction.

Now that you were alone with these two, the atmosphere felt completely different compared to being alone with Soap and Gaz. Sure, they were all powerful and intimidating, but these two were in a league of their own—much scarier, more imposing. Maybe it was the way Price spoke with unshakable authority, or the way Ghost sat manspreading on the couch, leaning back as if he couldn’t care less, his face almost entirely masked except for his piercing eyes.

It was intimidating, and it made you freeze up in fear of saying something wrong. You weren't sure why they had taken such interest in your grandfather, or why Soap keep insisting 'Witches can't have one', but you knew something was wrong here (which isn't impossible considering that you knew basically nothing about real witches).

"He's... he's just... it's just my grandfather..." You mumble quietly, keeping your eyes on your own lap, away from their intense expressions.

"I understand tha', but could you talk a bit more about 'im?" Ghost says simply, slowly, leaning forward on the couch similar to Price's position. "Human, innit?"

"A-Ah, yes.... he's... he's nice, mhm... short too, but that's because he's already old..." You were still speaking quietly, but you felt a bit more confident talking about your grandfather, eyes slowly going up. "He's... 79 this year, but he doesn't like celebrating his birthday... says it makes him feel old...... ah, he always lived around here, never liked living too close to people. Likes nature and all that..." You shrugh a little, not really knowing what they wanted to hear.

You're pretty sure your grandpa is a very simple old man; There's no reason for them to be so cautious. Even if that guy was some kind of criminal in his younger years, he's surely no threat at all now a days, not when he's already this old and thin.

You feel the need to voice your confusion, this is going too far.

"He's... very normal, I don't understand what's... the problem here..." You mumble, frowning a little as you finally gather enough courage to stare back at them.

"How much do you know about witches, darlin'?" Prices asks back, still pretty much patient and calm.

That's good. Except that he's still not actually answering your damn question-!

"Dunno, not a lot." You grumble back, shruging once again. "What does that has to do with my grandpa? He's human."

"You see, witchling… witches don’t usually live with humans," Ghost says softly, as if trying not to offend you.

You continue to stare at him with an impassive expression. You’d already deduced as much, but you still didn’t see the problem here.

Price lets out a small chuckle at your confusion, shaking his head slightly.

"What we're trying to say, kid, is that it's pretty rare to find a witch not living in a Coven. It's dangerous for witchlings to be alone. And… the only male interaction a witchling should have is with other witches' familiars."

The way he speaks is surprisingly soft, but it’s clear he’s trying to clue you in on the fact that your situation is highly unusual. In truth, he also seemed a bit unsettled by the idea of a witchling like you living with a man. They were all uncomfortable with it, actually—trying their best to remain at least somewhat civilized, resisting the urge to immediately lock you away in their arms and ensure no one ever got close to you again.

"Ah… so all witches are women?" You had sort of deduced that a while ago from things your grandfather had said, but it was good to finally have confirmation.

Their reactions, however, told you that maybe you shouldn’t have said anything. Ghost, his face mostly hidden beneath a skull balaclava, immediately widened his eyes in surprise, his body going rigid on the couch. And Price, who had been wearing a faint smile, dropped it instantly, his expression turning more intense than ever.

They spent a few moments in complete silence, simply staring at you, before Price finally spoke again, his voice cautious.

"…Yes, witches are all female." He then closes his eyes, seemingly gathering strength and patience—or something like that. "I guess that's to be expected... you're clearly new to this."

"And all familiars are male." Ghost adds, now calmer, his eyes serene and his posture more relaxed.

You blink slowly at that, nodding a bit. That's new information for you, so does that mean...?

"So... witches have babies with familiars?" You ask innocently, tilting your head slightly to the side.

And once again, their entire demeanor shifts as they freeze, shocked expressions plastered across their faces (or, the most shocked their mostly expresionless faces went).

"YA GOT TO BE FACKIN' KIDDIN' MAH!" Soap yelled from somewhere deeper in the house, causing you to sit up straighter in alarm—though the quick sound of Kyle shutting him up with a slap quickly followed.

Was that a stupid question to ask?? What's with these reactions??

"No, no, witches do not have kids with familiars." Price quickly interjected with a firm voice, his brow furrowed in a mix of concern and disgust.

"Price, it's a baby witch…" Ghost reasons, still a bit rattled but mostly unbothered by now. "She doesn't know any better."

"Then we'll teach her," Price says with finality, getting up from the couch in one fluid motion and approaching your small curled up form on the armchair.

You let out a small, indignant sound as he picked you up effortlessly in his arms, patting your back gently to calm you down. One of his hands went to caress the gold bracelet on your arm, a satisfied smile crossing his face, as if reminding himself he had a witch once again.

"Mhm, me and Kyle will take our time teaching her everything she needs to know. Gonna be a proper witch, aren't you, witchling?" Ghost rumbles gently, his voice so low it almost sounds like a growl.

You watch him get up from the couch to stand by Price, your gaze lifting to meet his face. You’re just a little alarmed as he rubs your cheek with the back of his gloved hand in a gentle caress, rumbling quietly from his chest.

You keep forgetting these beings are not humans like you're used to.

"Why cannae be a teacher too?" Soap drawls from where he’s now leaning against the farthest wall, Kyle just smiling in amusement as he stands by his side, arms crossed.

"You're not cut for it." Ghost deadpans back, still rubbing your cheek with the back of his hand.

"Ah'll let ya knae I'm totally cut for it." He smiles back deviously, approaching you all with confident steps and an amused Kyle right behind him. "Right, lassie?"

Ghost rolls his eyes slightly at Soap's antics, hovering close to you as Price gently lowers you to the ground, in case you lose your balance.

"I still don't get it..." You mumble, a bit confused as you look up at their faces. "And... my grandpa... he must be worried about me... I-I have to... go back..."

Johnny immediately frowns at your words, approaching you instinctively like you were gonna run away any second now, but Price nods slightly, pensive.

Read your foster parent au and it’s probably my favorite thing I’ve read on this app lmao

I was wondering though

I’ve seen a lot of hcs about price liking spicy food because of yknow- fire breathing.

Do you think they’d avoid giving the baby spicy food?? Or do you think they’d be unaware that it might be too spicy for them?

(Really I just got curious about what they do if the kid is struggling with spicy food-)

That's an interesting ask, considering i'm allergic to pepper kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk (Well, pepper, or spicy stuff? I'm not sure how to put it in english, but i'm alergic to that).

I can see Price liking spicy stuff easily, him and Ghost kkk

No, but for sure, the 141 probably searched a lot about humans, before and during the reader's stay. They searched a lot of safe foods for humans too, since different species have different diets.

They would probably not give them anything spicy, nor anything that they don't think it's healthy or safe for them. They did buy a lot of little snacks for humans, but still mostly healthy things.

They do, it's in a familiar's blood to know how to care for their witches.

The only problem, really, is the fact that reader has been living as a human till now. Not even she knows what she needs as a witch.

It depends a lot.

For example, witches usually see a familiar as someone they can depend on, and vice versa. Trust is fundamental in their bond—it's practically mandatory. Without it, they wouldn’t even have a bond to begin with (reader's case is a different story).

What they do after forming the bond is up to them. Some witches see their familiars as friends, family, or even lovers. While witches and familiars can’t have children (witches don’t even have uteruses), they can still form loving relationships and be intimate with one another.

That said, it’s also common for witches and familiars to have sex without being lovers.

In the reader’s specific situation, the 141 treats her like a daughter. Because of her young age for a witch, her inexperience, and her innocence comparable to that of a normal human child, they don’t see her as anything other than their little girl who needs guidance.