Tirashan

I have found a wonderful new home.

This forest is deep, and very dark. Sunlight rarely filters through the leaves here. I had been following some witches through the winding paths - they possessed books. Mother's books. As passed down through their coven, the legend of the Great White Witch. How I miss her.

I track them to a small, blackwalled house. A great eye stares out from the higher reaches of the house, encased in red ivy, gleaming with an icy and enchanted surface. It is beautiful. Inside, I corner the three witches. When I declare that I want my mother's books, they fall to their knees in worship. They call me a miracle, that they couldn't believe the White Witch actually created her progeny that she wrote so longingly for. They welcome me to this place, rife with dark magic, and name it "Tirashan".

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The witches treat me like a god. They tend to my every whim and need, even going out to catch prey for me. They prod and poke at my perfection, daub black ink and markings on various parts of my body. They are amazed by the markings on my face and back. They name it my "shem", although I do not know what that means. We engage in bizarre and unholy rituals, streaked with sex and sacrifice. I find it incredibly fun.

The two older witches say they need to leave, to follow the rest of their coven west, over the mountains and into High Rock beyond. They offer me the youngest and prettiest witch as a gift. Ever merciful, I allow them to leave and keep her for myself.

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I am distraught. She begged to see my true form, to be sacrificed to it. We became too excited. That black urge came over me and I crushed her throat with my fangs. A delightful end for such an incredible soul, but I am saddened by her leaving me. I devour her, so she never leaves me fully.

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I decide to stay in Tirashan, and make it my home. The ritual circles in the surrounding forest are ripe, reddened by death and debauchery. Rich in dark magics. I cast a spell that hides its location from the outside world, turning the already dark sky a pleasing shade of purples, pinks, blues and blacks. It is calming, very comfortable to learn magic and read through Mother's old tomes in. The absence of the witches strikes me sometimes. It is silent.

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While hunting in a neighbouring village, I come across a soldier drowning kittens in a barrel. When I ask what he is doing, he tells me he is killing vermin. When I look into his hands, I see he is about to drown two more. I take them from him while he looks on in bewilderment.

They are both so small and barely warm. One is jet-black, with one gleaming yellow eye - his other lost to some terrible wound. The other is brown and white, and looks up at me with sad blue eyes. Unsure of how magic might affect them, I begin to walk home. They mew and cry in fear.

I remember that I love cats. Their soft fur, their majesty. Their adorable purrs and cries. They will keep me company in Tirashan, as enchanted pets of the White Witches' golem. They will be happy in their new home. I name them after the two witches who left me. I catch fresh fish for them daily, and bring milk for them from the villages dotted around us. They grow larger over time, and doze in my lap while I study. I have grown unusually attached to them.

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There is a third kitten I wish to bring here, but I must catch her first.