Exodus 20:17

"So you noticed it too?" I asked Bobby, who was sitting in a chair with his knife unsheathed.

"Of course, I noticed it was following us, idjit. If you have to deal with a witch, you need to have your eyes everywhere," said Bobby and walked towards me.

*Caw! Caw!*

He looked at the raven that tossed around and then said, "We should end it. It's probably something the witch summoned to spy on us."

"Hmm, yeah, you're maybe right. Do it quickly. This thing can't keep quiet," I said, placing it on the ground and Bobby readied himself to strike it down.

*Caw! Caw! Caw! Caw! Caw! Caw!*

The strange raven seemed to understand us and started crying, but the net held it in place. So, I picked it up again before Bobby struck down on it.

"Do summoned creatures always hang like that for their life?" I asked Bobby, who shrugged at me and then said,

"No idea, but maybe it's also a witch who transformed into one or some other skinwalker type of creature. Lucky us, I have my silver knife with me."

"True, so what do you say, Mr. Raven? Should we see if the silver knife can hurt you, or will you show us your true form yourself?"

The raven kept quiet for a while, and Bobby said, "Well, it seems we have our answer. Keep it in place. I'll do it quickly."

Suddenly, the raven started to blur a bit and expand until it took the form of a dark brown-haired man around 30 years old. To our luck, he wasn't naked but wore a black sweatshirt and jeans.

He threw the net away from his head, then wiggled his hand in front of himself and screamed, "Wait! Wait! I'm not summoned or a skinwalker! I'm a familiar! And we have the same goal!"

Bobby puts down the knife, and says, "A familiar? Never heard of something like it. So, explain yourself, or we'll still still skewer you."

Meanwhile, I stood behind the familiar, taking out Bobby's notebook and my pen and start writing.

The familiar stays on the ground and says, "You can keep your dull silver knives to yourselves! A familiar can be hurt just like any other human... And like you, I'm also searching for Cassidy."

She got kidnapped by another witch before I could finally form a bond with her, and now I can't find her. So, I followed you guys to see if you found out something else."

"So, you want to tell us Cassidy Jones was a witch? And you are some kind of supernatural follower of hers?" asked Bobby skeptically.

"Yes, but she wasn't a simple witch, and I'm not a simple follower. When I would have formed a bond with her, I would be her guide, protector, and friend," said the familiar, sounding depressed.

I stopped writing and asked him, "What do you mean by not being a normal witch?"

He looks at me and says, "She wasn't taught witchcraft or given powers by someone. She was born as one, and that probably made her the target of the other witch."

"That also explains her behavior towards other people. She probably had the powers to feel emotions or something like that," I said to Bobby, who nodded.

"No, it was more than that. I believe she could even see into the future, but even that didn't save her," said the familiar.

"If you know so much, why didn't you help her?" asked Bobby, which made the familiar depressed again.

"It's not like I didn't want to help her, but I couldn't. She was very suspicious, and her powers only recently became that strong. So I waited for the moment where her powers would truly awaken... but a week ago, everything changed."

I raised my brow and asked him, "What do you mean?"

"Someone started pursuing her and following her around, but I couldn't come closer to find out who it was because the witch probably used a spell to keep me away.

At least until two days ago, when everything escalated and Cassidy ran out of the bar she was working in, followed by a male witch with a sinister energy around him."

This girl didn't have it easy...

"And a day later, she was gone, and her family was dead... if only I had formed a bond earlier, I could have reached her telepathically and found her...

~~~

Familiar:

Traits: Can transform into an animal, Forms a bond with a witch to be her guide, telepathically connected to the witch, seemingly harmless

Weaknesses: Nets and threats

How to destroy: Anything that can also kill a human

True Name: Not needed

First Encounter: Minot, North Dakota

~~~

I finished writing, then stepped in front of him and stretched my hand towards the familiar.

"I'm Aiden, and the grumpy one is Bobby. I believe you will be the key to finding her," I said with a smile. He looked suspiciously at me but then grabbed my hand and stood up.

"Leo Wyatt is my name. Do you really think so?"

---

Bobby raises a brow at this but says nothing and comes next to me.

"Yes, but first, how did you find her? How did you know you needed to come here?"

Leo thinks for a bit, then says, "As a familiar, I'm drawn to the witch destined for me. It's like a calling that I receive."

So, he should have a connection to her even when he hadn't formed his bond with her yet...

"Good. Then I want you to close your eyes and remember this call you felt before. Remember her face and think about the bond you wanted to form with her."

Leo looks at me for a while, then asks, "Are you a witch too?"

"Yes, Sim Sala Bim. Now, stop ta---!"

Before I could finish my sentence, I felt a dull silver knife cut my left hand. I look at the wound and see Bobby looking at the deep cut curiously too...

"Did you just cut me?" I asked him.

"Yes. Shouldn't you be hurt?" asked Bobby, confused.

"Yes, the pain is unbearable... Why did you cut me? You know I was just joking by saying Simsalabim, right?" I ask him, while Leo looks confused at us.

He gives me a towel, and I bind the already healed wound to not freak him out more, and he says, "Yes, but it was a good moment to find out what is wrong with you because you didn't see it coming.

At first, I thought you were a werewolf because you encountered some, and maybe got bitten. But now, I'm not really sure. Maybe I should have waited until you were finished with whatever you are planning to do."

"Okay... Can we talk about this after we find the girl?" I ask him, and he nods but doesn't sheath his knife yet.

If he cuts me again after this, I will shove his knife with the handle first, into his butt...

I turn back to Leo and say, "So now, stop talking and concentrate on the things I told you." He nods and closes his eyes, while I put my hand on his head and also close my eyes.

It takes several seconds before I can feel something... but the aura is weak, and I can't pinpoint her location yet.

"Concentrate more. We need to find her." I say to the sweating Leo.

"Yes, I feel her, but she is hurt..." says Leo. But this emotion helps the connection to grow, and I can feel her aura in the northern part of the city.

"Ah! No, don't hurt her!!!"

But suddenly, the connection is cut, and Leo falls to the ground, screaming.

~~~ Hanson Self Storage, Minot, North Dakota ~~~

Six people can be seen in a small storage room.

Four people stand in black robes around a red-haired woman who is lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious, while another blonde woman stands at the side.

One of the robed persons with a shining necklace steps forward and gives the blonde woman an occult-looking dagger, saying, "Kelly, now it's your time to take what should belong to you and then you can join our ranks."

"Yes, people will finally see that I'm the special one."

She grabs the dagger and steps above the unconscious Cassidy, raising the dagger.

The robed people around her light some candles and start to chant, (Power not awakened should not be held.)

"Virtus non evigilare, non tenere."

"Virtus non evigilare, non tenere."

"Virtus non evigilare, non tenere."

The flames from the candles start to get absorbed by the dagger, and it glows crimson red.

"Nicholas, should I do it now?" asked Kelly, the leader, and he nods.

She smiles and drives the dagger directly into Cassidy's heart. Cassidy's violet glowing eyes open in shock before she rapidly starts to decay, as if her life force is being absorbed by the dagger.

Kelly grins evilly at this, while the others start to chant again, (Power reborn in a new vessel.)

"Virtus renata in vase novo."

"Virtus renata in vase novo."

"Virtus renata in vase novo."

Then Kelly closes her eyes and enters a trance-like state. When she opens her eyes again, they start to weakly glow violet, similar to the eyes of the other members.

However, the leader's eyes remain unchanged, and only his necklace emits a faint violet glow.