[ P ] gingerbread house [M]

Each day Zoltan had tended to his ailing mother like a dutiful son, keeping down her fever and fetching water to hydrate her. He had left bloody offerings and prayed for her recovery every night. The fae must have noticed his worship on his mother’s behalf because she was getting better. The boy had never felt so helpless and afraid before, at least not since coming of age. What would he have done without her? He couldn’t bear the thought. He needed her.

He’d come close to crossing a line that he hadn’t before without being instructed by his mother. The desire to save her outweighed any vague morals that he’d clung to. The stranger that he’d tried to subdue had escaped and he had failed to complete his sacrifice. If the fae were displeased with him they showed no signs of it. His mother continued to thrive and he tried to forget how close he had come to murdering someone on his own whim.

”Ma? I brought dinner,” he called out to her, and picked up the rabbit he had dropped at his paws. It was missing a few vital pieces which he had gifted to the fae in thanks for healing his mother.


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elwynn stepped into view, coming to her sons beckoning as if she were a ghost materializing before him. her tail swayed behind her as she walked towards him; eyes alight with new life and perhaps subtle appreciation. she was loathe to admit that she had needed someone else, that her situation had been so dire... but at least it had been him— the one wolf she trusted. she looked down at his offering and smiled, taking it willingly and hungrily. once she devoured the corpse she began to lick the blood clean from her jaws. it didn’t take her but a few minutes to scarf down such a small hare but it would do nicely to fill her stomach. thank you, darling. she crooned before brushing her muzzle against his.

where have you been off to today? other than hunting. she asked curiously. did he want something from her or was he simply bored. they did usually spend most of their time together so she could understand if he simply wished to do just that. she didn’t mind, she had no plans for the evening. heathy i hope. she added. was that a tinge of... worry in her voice? he hadn’t seemed to have caught whatever mysterious illness that had plagued her so they should count themselves lucky. perhaps the fae had spared him from whatever arbitrary punishment they’d seen fit to set upon her.

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Nothing pleased the boy more than seeing his mother regain her strength. The blue witch had done his best and by the grace of the fae she still lived. There was still a flicker of worry in his blue eyes when he glanced over at her, fearing that her recovery might be a fluke. Zoltan leaned in eagerly when she offered her affection, lapping it up like an attention starved puppy. He had missed her and although they had not been parted the sickness had taken her away from him for a time.

She inquired about how he spent his time and he was more than willing to tell her. There were no secrets between a mother and her son. “I made an offering to the fae as thanks for saving you. I don’t know if it’ll be enough. I tried to do it properly like you taught me, but he got away,” he explained, bowing his head shamefully. There was nothing he hated more than disappointing his mother, but he had and because of him the fae went hungry during Samhain.

His head bobbed weakly when asked if he was heathy. If he could have taken on the sickness himself and left his mother heathy he would have. He hated to see her suffer.

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tell me about it, dear. she said softly before sitting down and wrapping her tail around her paws. her lilac eyes lingered on his face as she waited, with baited breath, to hear the details of his sacrifice. whatever he had done had obviously worked; or was it sheer luck and skill that had helped her through? whether it was wholly zoltan or the fae, elwynn wasn't so sure. she had truly thought that this might've been the end for her and what a bitter pill that had been to swallow. she was intrigued, if not mystified by death but she had so much more to do yet.

if she were to listen to her mother she would have to reform the blackwoods and being the only one left... well that meant having children. she cringed at the thought and wondered if perhaps she could just... adopt a new family entirely. zoltan had been a chore when he was younger, but she'd miraculously managed to bring him to age without trying to kill him again. she wondered sometimes if he remembered her looming figure standing over him. oh, and the blood. it had stained him so beautifully. she blinked and cleared her throat, lashes fluttering as she refocused on the present.

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The bitter sting of his mother’s disappointment did not lash him like a whip. She gently coaxed him to tell her about his failure to do his duty and he was grateful for her patience. Zoltan relaxed and lifted his drooping head to meet her loving purple gaze, tongue nervously trailing over his bottom lip. It was his first attempt at taking down a wolf himself and he had been unable to subdue his sacrifice without her assistance. Perhaps he had been misguided in his choice of offering and the man was not meant to die that night. “He was lost so I thought the fae might have led him here for me to give to them. I chased him, but he was so fast. I don’t think he was the sacrifice, ma. I think I chose wrong because he managed to get away. I’m sorry I can’t find them like you can,” he apologised again, knowing he had endangered her by not providing a proper sacrifice for fae during Samhain. Rabbits could only satisfy them for so long. They needed a wolf to stay strong.

“I caught prey every night to make up for it,” he assured her, knowing how important it was to satisfy the fae. “I’m so glad you get better, ma. I thought… I thought,” he sniffed, trying to snuggle up to her like he had done as a puppy. But the child she had tried to sacrifice and then kidnapped was much larger than the boy he had been, larger even than the witch he had imprinted on.
"speech"

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“He was lost so I thought the fae might have led him here for me to give to them. I chased him, but he was so fast. I don’t think he was the sacrifice, ma. I think I chose wrong because he managed to get away. I’m sorry I can’t find them like you can,” he said. elwynn shrugged dismissively. you just have to be creative darling. it's best to lure them in with false promises, though that might be harder for you. she said with a small smile. “I caught prey every night to make up for it, I’m so glad you get better, ma. I thought… I thought,” shh, shh. let's not worry about that. you did your best and it was enough. i'm still here and i'm just fine. we will find a proper sacrifice soon enough; the fae must be sated for the winter. she warned, though her voice was still gentle.

they still had some time for all that, though. for now she was just glad to spend some time with zoltan that wasn't him caring for her. when the roles were reversed she did not like it. it made her feel weak. she would much rather retain the power by being his caretaker. her nose twitched and she stood up, what would you like to do today, darling? she asked, giving him the lead. she was in no hurry, no rush... not today.

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Ears pricked forward to listen to the words of wisdom given by the expert herself. Big bright blue eyes shined with admiration, eager to learn everything she had to teach. Zoltan still considered himself a novice in witchcraft compared to his mother despite his years of education at her side. He didn't radiate the same magnetic energy that she did, the fae magic, that bewitched her victims to follow her into her web. "Can-Can you teach me?" he breathlessly requested, desperate to learn her technique. He realised that he still had much to learn and he needed to do it quickly if they were to survive the winter. The fae would seek retribution if blood did not water their circles.

The shift in their power dynamic had been distressing for Zoltan. He was wholly dependent on Elwynn for his happiness and wellbeing. Without her he became a ball of stress and now that she was returned to him he felt safe again. Her reassurance was the balm to soothe his anxiety at having almost lost her. Words sounded sweeter than honey even when she warned of their dire situation. For her he would become the master of deception to make up for his failure. Together they would make it right. A sacrifice would be found even if Zoltan had to do it himself.

Murder had frightened him at first. Such violence and gore revealed a side of him that he was ashamed to acknowledge. His mother had coaxed the monster out of its lair and now he held no doubts about their mission. The first sacrifice had freed him, unburdened him of his guilt and baptized him in sin. "I want to know how you lure them. I'll try. Even if it's hard I'll do it," he promised her, earnest in his desire.

"speech"

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"Can-Can you teach me?" he asked. oh... he was so innocent."I want to know how you lure them. I'll try. Even if it's hard I'll do it," he added eagerly.

oh my sweet baby, she crooned, drawing near and wrapping him in her arms. i can't show you how but... she paused, looking past him thoughtfully. well, have you ever lain with a woman, darling? she asked curiously. she wondered if he'd known what she was talking about at all.

she loved luring men (and even women) in this way, because not only did she snare them in her web but she got to have a little fun herself before she decided whether she would let them go or... well, they both knew what the other option was. my tricks work much more easily on men, for their desires are usually much greater than women. but for you it will be different. she said. she had no idea what he liked in a partner, it had only ever been them. elwynn wondered if she'd sheltered him too much but ultimately she didn't care, so long as he always returned to her...

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M for innuendo that Zoltan doesn't even know he's making.

The innocent shining eyes reflected childish ignorance and wonder at the magic his mother worked to lure others to an unfortunate end. Zoltan wanted to know what this forbidden knowledge was and how he could use it to secure them a sacrifice. Oh my sweet baby. His heart leapt with joy to hear those sweet words come from his loving mother and he snuggled into her chest like he had done as a baby. Disappointment caused his chest to swell with air and he let out a sigh when she informed him that she could not show him. He was clueless about the gravity of what his mother spoke of and cocked his head like a curious puppy. Of course he had laid with a woman. “Yeah, ma. I sleep next to you,” he answered, although he had a feeling this was not the correct answer.

The blue witch didn’t understand what lying next to someone had to do with magic, but he indulged her with attentive ears. She explained that her magic worked better on men, but it would work differently for him. This made him frown. Couldn’t he make it work on men too? “Won’t it work if I try?” he asked, not wanting to disappoint her by not being able to. He didn’t mind what gender the sacrifice was as long as they fed the fae. It sounded like a man would be easier to trick so it seemed logical to Zoltan to try with one first. He didn’t want to mess it up again and risk his mother getting sick. He would rather sacrifice himself than lose her.

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it was clear that zoltan did not know what she was referring to and elwynn could only think to herself ‘oh, poor boy...’

he had not a single clue as to what he was missing out on and she wondered if she should even reveal it to him. he would figure it out eventually, she was certain, but he so desperately wanted to learn her ways that she supposed she might as well teach him. after all, she’d already taught him so much thus far. the dark woman stood and took a few steps away from her boy before turning to look at him once again.

i suppose it would, depending on the man. she said, mildly amused. with a sigh, she simply shook her head. but i’m not talking about literally laying with someone, or sleeping next to them. i’m talking about intimacy and carnal desire; sex, dear. she said plainly. it didn’t phase her one bit to tell him this, he was an adult despite being her ‘baby boy’ and it seemed it was the only way to truly explain it to him.

she turned around to face him before sitting down, her gaze lingered on his face for any signs of surprise or disgust with what she had just said. you probably don’t want to hear this about your dear mother, but it’s the easiest way to lure our kind to their destiny. and, admittedly, it can be quite fun too. she said with a light laugh. though she hadn’t exactly been keeping up with her duties as of late but she attributed that to the season. she had other interests on her mind at the time.

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