Chapter Text
This is important, Evelyn.
Don't screw it up, Evelyn.
Why don’t you let your siblings help you, Evelyn?
The familiar admonishments bled over from the Boiling Isles in the soft chilly wind and the chitter of strange creature playing in the trees. Evelyn was foolish to believe she could completely escape them in the Otherworld. Evelyn groaned, closing her eyes and knocking her head against the old oak tree she sat against. She cracked open one eye to stare disdainfully at the catalyst for her misery: a beak and two slanted eyes sticking out from a block of Palistrom wood.
“That beak is set too low, Evelyn!”
Is what her father would say, gesturing to her three brothers and sister whose beautifully carved hawks and owls stood proudly on their staffs. Her siblings who never stepped out of line and carried themselves like respectable citizens instead of whatever Evelyn insisted on being. Gossip said she was an unruly force of nature, a blur of wild russet hair and skin smeared and smudged with scrapes and scars. The disappointment who spent more time pulling pranks in the human world than studying to improve her magic. The untamed youngest Clawthorne and her half-a-Palisman.
Carving your life-long companion was not a task the Clawthorne clan took lightly. Their work centered around the sanctity of the bond between witch and Palisman, believing that a different person simply touching the surface could blemish the strong magic contained in bark. Evelyn thought that dedication would get her father off her back, but apparently the need to put their family in good standing trumped observing ancient rites. To be honest, the human realm offered a danger absent from the pleasant and painfully boring community back home. Opossums lurked in dark corners and "witch hunters" who couldn't tell the difference between a broomstick and a bedpost roamed the forest. The latter was less a threat and more a convenient way to relieve stress during particularly bad days. But she enjoyed the peace and quiet, free from parents breathing down her neck and point out everything she did wrong. Evelyn could do that just fine on her own, thanks.
Evelyn scowled and brought the unfinished Palisman close to her face. Part of her wanted to cry. The other wanted to physically bite the thing in half.
"I hate you!" Evelyn shouted in frustration and threw the hideous object to the forest. She crossed her arms, pointedly ignoring the distant thud. What she couldn't ignore was the unexpected yelp of pain immediately following it.
Oh, Titan. Oh, Titan! What life had she condemned this poor thing to? Grotesque phantoms of strangled chirps begging for death, cursing her for its miserable existence clouded her brain, a terrible prophecy.
Vaulting over the tangled roots, Evelyn tracked the sound through the trees toward the worn dirt road which cut through the woods. Following it south led to a small human village. Evelyn regularly terrorized travelers when she needed to blow off steam. She burst through the trees, brimming with apologies that died the instant her eyes found the figure sprawled haphazardly across the road.
The (thankfully inanimate) Palisman lay inches from a human boy in plain clothes holding his temple. He was around her age, scrawny and plain. A few stray freckles stood out on his cheeks and across his curved nose. If Evelyn cared, he could be described as mildly handsome.
Evelyn recognized him instantly, her mouth falling open. During her adventures being chased around by the throng of "witch hunters", she'd seen him among their ranks. Usually, he was wrangling a little boy wearing a wooden mask. Sometimes, Evelyn saw the pair in the early morning patrolling, the elder holding a lit torch and softly obliging the younger's request for stories about the horrors they might find today. She half expected the child to jump out and defend his brother. But nothing happened.
Bewildered brown eyes peered vehemently around a springy lock of blonde hair.
It was at this moment Evelyn realized in her haste, she'd forgotten to pull her hood up and conceal her pointed ears. Evelyn groaned.
The boy scrambled to his feet, tipping slightly to one side. This, plus the fact he was slightly shorter than Evelyn, made the witch snicker.
Blushing fiercely, the boy straightened his spine. "You –" he started, but broke off with a comical squeak as Evelyn snatched the Palisman and held it threateningly above her head.
"Say one word more, witch hunter, and I'll hit you again!" Declared Evelyn, curling her lip in a semi-snarl. She wasn't afraid, per say. Simply that her default setting for interacting with humans was messing with them. Their fear made for incredible entertainment.
Stammering unintelligible protests, the boy lifted his palms placatingly. "Stay your hand! I meant–wait, you struck me first!"
"So?"
"So you instigated this, not I." He said, scowling. "Apologize and leave this place. Or else."
Again, Evelyn resisted the urge to break out in laughter. Never before had she been asked to remember her manners by someone she'd clocked in the head. He could at least try to be intimidating. "Or else what?" Evelyn questioned, tilting her chin. "You gonna send those lug heads after me, huh? Is your mommy going to teach me a lesson?"
The boy stiffened, going from mildly angry to stricken to angry again. "I have none." He muttered, clenching his fists.
"I'm sorry," Evelyn apologized. He refused to look at her. She swallowed, lowering her improvised weapon as a sign of good faith and clutched it to her chest. "Even us demons have feelings, y'know." Framing herself in a way which confirmed his amusing and absurd beliefs seemed to reinvigorate his fight. "Spare me your pity, witch."
"My name is Evelyn, moron."
"Caleb. Caleb Wittebane." Responded the boy shortly.
Evelyn scoffed. "As if I care."
Caleb flushed indignantly, crossing his arms. The two entered a tense staring match.
In the moment, Evelyn had half a mind to hit Caleb over the head again and make a run for it. Where there was one witch hunter, there was bound to be others who weren't as willing to speak with her as Caleb seemed to be. She doubted he could move quickly given his injury. She'd fallen out of enough trees to know how big a headache he was currently dealing with.
Had she been paying attention, Evelyn might've noticed the way Caleb's agitation simmered as he finally took a good look at the thing he'd been threatened with.
"Do you carve?" Caleb asked suddenly, bringing Evelyn back to the present. He was staring at the Palistrom wood in apparent curiosity.
"Pardon?" She said, caught off guard by the sharp shift in tone.
"Your bludgeon," Caleb clarified, "It vaguely resembles a bird."
Evelyn opened and closed her mouth, at a complete loss.
Caleb grinned, reaching down. His fingertips grazed the leather hilt of the dagger hanging on his belt and Evelyn tensed, ready to defend herself, but Caleb passed the weapon and rifled around in his satchel. "I ask only because I carve. Mainly small things that I take into town to sell. They don't fetch much but it opens doors to other, substantial work. The bulk are toys for my little brother, Philip." Caleb rambled on.
The passionate explanation was somewhat lost in Evelyn's desperate attempt to comprehend what the absolute hell was going on. Without her noticing, Time seemingly reset itself and they were back at the start of this encounter, the earlier hostility erased from the narrative. This was a completely different person. Or the Caleb she would've met if she'd hidden her ears.
Evelyn's mind cleared just enough to register that Caleb had found whatever he was looking for and now held it out to her. It was a tiny wooden rabbit, its hide a speckled white. Standing alert, two blocky antlers sprouted from its skull between its perked ears.
The perfectly carved animal deflated the ego Evelyn had been projecting thought this bizarre experience. As much as she wanted to fire some snarky comment along the lines of "Rabbits don't have antlers, idiot.", the excellent craftsmanship spoke for itself. Because, yeah, it figured that a human would be better at this than her. Some witch. Some Clawthorne she was.
Her sourness must've translated as disapproval because Caleb's expression neutralized. He quickly put the toy back in his satchel.
"Wait, no," Evelyn said hurriedly. Caleb lifted an eyebrow and she sniffed, relaxing her muscles and resuming her mysterious and dangerous posture. "Your little toy is quite good. I was just taken by surprise because Clawthornes are master carvers, so to see a human make a high quality piece is unprecedented."
Caleb narrowed his eyes.
"Ugh, fine. The master carver gene must've skipped me because we can both see I'm a hopeless case." She shrugged.
"Ah, well..." Caleb trailed off, rocking on his heels. He was apparently searching for the right words through a series of ridiculous facial expressions, eventually settling on an uneven smile. "Truly, it's recoverable," offered Caleb weakly, gesturing vaguely.
Evelyn glared. "I'd rather burn than have some like you mock me."
"I wasn't mocking!" Caleb exclaimed, his face growing red up to the tips of his ears. Evelyn bit her lip on a smile and Caleb ducked his head, toeing the leaves with his boot. "I'm honest," he murmured, sounding adorably hurt.
"Gee thanks."
"Pray, spare an hour? I can help."
Oh, he looked so earnest Evelyn really wanted to believe him. She supposed he hadn't reached for the dagger during the entire conversation, but no human would abandon his convictions based on carving. Carving, of all things! And in such a short conversation. Unless, of course, he was insane.
"Shall I sharpen the prongs on your pitchfork, too?" Evelyn huffed, burying the blush creeping along her cheeks and crossed her arms protectively over her Palisman. "Perhaps that little brother of yours is waiting to spring a trap."
Caleb raised his eyes like he was a puppy Evelyn had just kicked. He fiddled with the strap of his satchel. Then his eyes widened. The confidence unsettled her. "You do owe me," he said slowly, deliberately. "Letting this despicable human aid your is sufficient punishment for near decapitation." To prove his point, he pointed to the massive bruise blooming on his temple.
"Aye, and I should've finished the job." Evelyn shot back, though it sounded more teasing than she intended.
Caleb beamed, the intense warmth sparking a nameless warmth in Evelyn's chest. She sucked in a breath as he shyly offered a hand.
Against her better judgement, Evelyn took it.