7. Lorin

Chapter seven

Lorin

H e had folded and refolded the blanket on the sofa about five times since he'd woken up. The dishes from their breakfast were washed, and the living room, kitchen, and bathroom areas were as clean as they were going to get. And the pawprints that had mysteriously appeared during the night had been mopped. Again.

Kit pointedly looked everywhere but at Lorin and his mop while he was cleaning up. As if there was another fox in their vicinity who could have done it.

"I know it was you," Lorin said, looking at Kit's tail where the fox had turned his butt to him, seemingly very interested in the shadow of a vase on the wall.

Lorin scoffed, shaking his head as he stood in the middle of the living room. He had no excuses anymore. Nothing else was left to do except maybe unpack. Find a place for his few belongings and make the place feel more…his than it did at the moment. At least temporarily.

The only places left for him to go were the main bedroom and the upstairs area, where Lorin was fairly sure his mother's magic room was. And that was another can of worms he wasn't really ready to face.

He had just, somewhat, barely wrapped his head around the fact that his witch heritage wasn't going anywhere and that there was a strong possibility of him staying in Oak's Hollow after all. Being submerged into his mother's magic so deeply didn't feel like something he could do just yet.

He would. Soon.

But not today.

"So." He spoke out loud, feeling like Kit should be involved somehow, even if he couldn't exactly respond. "What do you think we should do today?"

Kit blinked up at him, unmoving.

"Super helpful," Lorin said. "Thank you."

He walked around the small space, feeling like he was a game character nobody was interacting with anymore, so he was just wandering, pointlessly, waiting for someone to give him some direction.

Thankfully, his phone rang, and he ran to pick it up when he saw his grandmother's name flashing on his screen.

"Hey," he said.

"Are you up and dressed?" she asked, never much for pleasantries.

"I am, yes."

"Good," she said. "I called Sandra, she's the vet in town. She can take a look at your familiar."

"Kit," Lorin said. He looked at Kit, who perked up at the sound of his name.

"Sorry?"

"His name is Kit."

"Oh, you named him," she said. Lorin didn't correct her that Kit had sort of named himself. "Kit suits him. Anyway, like I said. Sandra can check him over and make sure he's healthy since we still don't know where he came from."

"Nothing?" he asked.

She hummed. "We have a few communities left to check with, but as far as we can tell, you got yourself a wild one."

"I didn't know that was possible."

"Magic makes everything possible, Lorin. It makes sure what needs to happen, happens. Sandra will be waiting for you in about an hour. Don't be late. Makes it seem like I raised you wrong."

"You're not picking me up?" he asked, eyes widening.

"Did it look like I was a professional chauffeur to you, Lorin?"

"No, Grandma, but—"

"Exactly," she said, cutting him off. "Because I'm not. There's a bike out in the shed. I made sure it was working well and had new tires and all before you arrived. You feel free to use that."

"A bike?" Lorin asked incredulously.

"Think of it as temporary transportation until your private jet is delivered," she snarked before hanging up on him.

He stared at his phone for a long moment, blinking at it in confusion before he decided to just not bother trying to figure her out. Taciturn old witch, she was.

He put his phone on the table and grabbed his winter jacket, walking out into the back yard. He felt Kit pad after him, keeping close to Lorin as they walked toward the tiny shed in the far corner of the garden.

The dark wood looked even darker from the moisture, and the door was slightly stuck, creaking when Lorin tugged it open. He peeked inside, not seeing much. Some gardening tools, a few plastic boxes with lids placed on a narrow shelf, and the bike his grandma had told him about.

It was beige, with shoehorn-shaped handles, two brown leather satchels thrown over the back wheel, and a woven basket over the front one. It looked to be in perfect shape—even the paint on it looked fresh, and the basket appeared to be brand new.

Lorin couldn't remember the last time he had ridden a bike, but if everyone else was telling the truth, it wasn't really a skill you forgot.

He pulled the bike out of the shed and walked it around the house and onto the narrow road that led from his cabin into town. He leaned it against the fence, returning inside to get his phone and wallet.

Kit opted to stay next to the bike, curiously examining it from every angle available. Lorin grabbed his things in a few seconds, already at the door when he realized Kit would have nowhere to sit but inside the little basket, and that might get uncomfortable for him.

The blanket they'd used to sleep under wouldn't fit into the basket. Frowning, Lorin walked to his duffle bag and pulled out one of his older hoodies, figuring that would have to do until he could get something more suitable.

He walked out, placed his phone and wallet in one of the satchels in the back, then tucked his hoodie inside the basket, making sure the bottom was well padded.

"Okay," he said, turning to Kit. "Let me help you get in."

Kit looked slightly bewildered, but still allowed Lorin to lift him up and place him in the basket. He fidgeted, peeking and leaning over the edge with his paw resting on it. He seemed comfortable enough.

"You gonna be okay in there?" he asked, and Kit dropped down, settling himself on his belly inside the basket, his ears and the tip of his fluffy tail sticking out of it. "I'll take that as a yes."

Lorin straddled the bike and, after a second of hesitation, pushed himself off down the road. He wobbled and wiggled slightly, trying to activate muscle memory to help him through. It didn't take too long before he got his stride, able to hold a straight line as he pedaled. Kit raised his head, looking around as the woods whizzed past them.

Lorin had underestimated just how far his parents' cabin was from town. The sweat forming on every inch of him despite the nip in the air was testament to that. He didn't know how he was going to make it back, let alone how he was going to make it back with more supplies weighing him down.

He took to cursing his grandma with every push of his feet, his thighs burning in places they never had before until the blessed sight of the edge of town appeared through the tree line. Thank the stars!

Lorin wheezed and panted into town at a sluggish pace, getting off at the earliest opportunity near the pharmacy. His legs almost collapsed underneath him, feeling like jelly, and his feet felt like bricks. His vision wavered as he tried to get enough air into his tight chest.

He hadn't realized just how unfit he had gotten.

Once he felt like the world had stopped spinning, he straightened himself up, glancing around. Old-fashioned lampposts with delicate filigree lined the cobbled streets, every house done in its own style. The only thing uniform about them were the pointed roofs and chimney stacks. Like rows of witches' hats in different colors.

He wheeled the bike along the pathways, Kit getting antsy inside the basket to be let down.

"Give me a second," Lorin murmured. He could admit he was a little paranoid about letting the fox out in such a big location. The midnight trip Kit had clearly gone on had worsened the anxiety already sitting in his chest.

It was the idea that Kit could disappear on him. Could leave or be taken. That something could happen to him and Lorin wouldn't be able to stop it. Just like he couldn't…

He pushed the morbid thoughts away as he found a bike rack near a small playground that held a wooden swing and climbing set. He wheeled the bike into the rack, grabbing his belongings from the satchel before scooping Kit up and out.

He hesitated before placing him on the ground, but pushed past his irrational fears. He couldn't carry the fox around for the rest of his life, even though it felt suspiciously like he was setting his heart on the floor outside of his body. But there was nothing he could do. Leashing a familiar was unheard of. Witches didn't even like to do that with domesticated pets.

He straightened up, satisfied when Kit just stood there instead of immediately sprinting off into the unknown.

A little girl of about five who was playing nearby gasped and rushed forward, clearly reaching for Kit's tail. "Ooh, pretty!"

Kit screeched, scrambling at Lorin's leg to escape and be held. Lorin gathered him close, his own heart hammering as a mother rushed after her wayward child. She grabbed her little arm to hold her back.

"I'm so sorry!" she said, glancing at the fox and then Lorin's hands, the clear markings of a witch. She put two and two together quickly. "She hasn't learned about familiars yet. Or pet etiquette in general. We keep ours away from her for now."

"It's fine," Lorin said a little tightly.

Kit sniffed like it was clearly not. Lorin silently agreed.

The mother examined him for another second, her apologetic expression vanishing, to be replaced with suspicion. "Are you Morana's grandson? The one that left for the city? Someone said you were back for the ceremony."

Lorin shifted on his feet. It was one thing to guess that the entire town was gossiping about him, it was another to have it confirmed. "Yeah, that's me."

"Wonderful to run into you," she said, like they were long-lost friends. "I remember you running around when you were a child. Never thought you'd be gone for so long. It was quite the shock when you left."

He shuffled awkwardly, a knot lodged in his throat. He didn't really feel like explaining himself to people. "Circumstances change, you know," he said finally, knowing they were just empty words.

She gave him another once-over and smiled. "And you got yourself a familiar and everything on the first try. How lucky, when a lot of us had to wait for several years for our familiars to appear."

There was a slight bite to her words as she lifted her hand. Lorin spotted the pointy head of a snake poking out of her thick sleeve. It was clearly coiled around her forearm, tucked in for warmth and safety.

"I guess it all worked out in the end though!" she said, veiling her emotions with politeness.

"I guess it did," he said, refusing to get into a discussion about what she considered to be lucky and what he considered to be turning his life upside down. He didn't think it was the right time or the place. And he also didn't think she'd ever see his point of view anyway.

"Wonderful," she said. "All's well that ends well, I always say."

He nodded, looking around himself for a second when no other words came to mind. "I, uh, have an appointment I need to get to…"

"Of course, don't let us keep you. Do you need any help finding anything, or do you remember?"

"I remember." The town seemed like it had frozen in time, exactly the same in every way. "Unless the vets moved?"

"No, no, it's still there," she said, ignoring her child tugging to be free. "Sorry again for the delay."

Lorin nodded and walked off with a quiet sigh. He looked down at Kit. "You okay?"

Kit licked the tip of his nose, then his mouth, and Lorin felt comforted.

Maybe he could hold on to Kit for just today. It wouldn't harm anything right?

Mind made up, he walked along the streets, Kit's head swiveling and tail swinging in front of them loosely. Heads turned to follow their path, people staring without shame. Lorin tried not to let it get to him. At least he wasn't alone. It seemed like both Kit and him were stragglers in this town, moving against the flow of how life naturally progressed here. Maybe that was why they had connected.

He made it to the vets, the green building covered in ivy and carved depictions of various animals. He pushed through the heavy wooden door and was met with the smell of animals and medical grade sanitizer.

Kit tensed in his arms, huffing and puffing against the unpleasant scent.

"It'll be okay," Lorin said, looking down at the fox.

Something inside him felt pleased at the opportunity to soothe and comfort his familiar. He felt like he owed it to him.

"You're good," Lorin whispered, trying to avoid any stares. "We're just making sure you're all healthy and I'm doing everything I can to keep you that way. It's more for me than it is for you really. I… Maybe you haven't noticed but…I don't really know exactly what I'm doing here."

They held eye contact for a second before Kit nuzzled his wet nose against Lorin's neck. He relaxed against him in something like acceptance, and Lorin breathed out a sigh of relief. With Kit secure in his arms, he walked over to reception to check them in.

Kit

Yeah, he didn't like the vet one bit. The woman was fine as a person, Kit supposed. She greeted Lorin very politely, didn't ask about where he'd been, or why he was away for so long. She didn't pry too much or make Lorin feel uncomfortable.

The mate in Kit was very pleased, because he could sense Lorin settling down and relaxing as the seconds went by. And the presence of the vet's familiar made Kit relax too. The lazy-looking iguana was just chillin' on one of the shelves, looking completely unbothered, and Kit figured that was the atmosphere they were going for. Just chill and relaxed.

But then the attention turned to Kit and all the appreciation he had for the young doctor went right out the window.

No, he didn't want to get a rabies shot. He wasn't rabid and he didn't need one.

He got it anyway.

They took some of his blood, there wasn't an orifice on his body that wasn't poked and prodded, he was looked at from every imaginable angle, and Lorin had been given pills of some sort to combat parasites Kit might have picked up somewhere.

He was pretty sure he'd know if he had parasites.

He'd be spitting those pills right out, no question about it.

And if the checkup wasn't enough, he'd been taken away to be given a flea bath, and wow, rude. He didn't have fleas, and he had taken very good care of himself living alone and in animal form for so long. He regularly dipped himself into creeks and lakes along the way, and overall looked very fluffy and nice, thank you very much.

Still, he had snipped and huffed through the bath, and then through the blow-dry. The only thing that had kept him from escaping altogether was the small hope that the vet might have been able to find a physical sign of the spell, or curse, or whatever the hell had been put on him to stop him shifting. He'd never trusted anyone enough to get checked out since it had happened five years ago, so maybe there was a trace of something .

Just like everything else, it wasn't going to be that easy.

He was proclaimed to be in perfect health. No abnormalities. The brief hope he had of Lorin learning that something had been done to him was squashed, and no matter how fleeting it had been, it still felt draining. He'd have to find a different way to tell Lorin. Some way to show him.

But it would happen another time. Now that it was all over, he was very much done with the day and wanted to go home.

Lorin's open arms felt like the best reward ever after the whole thing was done, and being tucked back into the bike basket again felt like his favorite thing in the entire world.

Lorin stopped by a grocery store on the way and Kit followed him around to grab a few essentials for them both before taking them back to their cabin. By the time they were back, Kit was half-asleep and ready to snuggle into their blanket on the couch.

Honestly, vets were the worst.

Wouldn't recommend.