The next day, Harlow and I took turns sharing our encounters with Chaiyn with Naomi. She agreed to come help, so the three of us headed down to the woods. Dusk came running up to us as we were about to turn onto the path towards the shadow part. “Wolf!” they called, stopping at the crossroads. I turned around. “Hey, Dusk.” They nodded. “Hi. So, you know the shadow part, right?” The three of us nodded. “Yeah. Why?” I asked. They were still panting from sprinting down the path. “I’ve been seeing unusual shadows around my area. Like, they’re there but there’s nothing there to cast them. I thought, you know, since you’ve explored that part you might know a bit about why that happens.” I hated to disappoint them, but I had no answers. “Sorry, but we don’t know much about that part. We know someone who does, though. We could ask him.” Dusk nodded. “That’d be great, thanks.” I smiled. “No problem. See you.” They nodded again and turned around as we headed down the path towards the Seer’s lair. Naomi walked next to me while Harlow walked in front of us. “You said he’s an elf and also fading, so, like, what should we expect?” Naomi asked me quietly. I thought for a moment. “Half-elf,” I corrected. “His ears are pointed like any other elf type, but they’re usually hidden by his hair. He’ll occasionally flash, kind of like the invisibility powered kids do, but parts of him will do it, not all of him. And he can’t control it. He’s a Sight-Seer, so his gaze is kinda creepy, but other than that he’s relatively normal.” Naomi nodded, and by that point we were at the shadow part. Naomi reached out and grabbed my hand, and Harlow and I guided her through the mysterious part of the woods. Harlow dramatically pulled aside the curtain of vines separating the Seer’s lair from the rest of the world. There was something about this part of the woods, like the shadows couldn’t settle here as much. Naomi blinked a few times, then released my hand. I could tell that she could see a lot clearer here than other parts. “I see you held true to your word, Acwulf,” Chaiyn said, back to us, pen hovering - no, it wasn’t a pen, or at least not like any of ours. Anyways, his writing utensil hovering over the notepad in front of him as he stared at his green hourglass. I nodded. “I usually do. Naomi, this is Chaiyn. Chaiyn, you probably know this already but this is Naomi.” He nodded absentmindedly and turned to face us, smiling. “Nice to make your acquaintance, Memoria.” Naomi nodded slowly. /I told you he was observant,/ I told her telepathically. /I know, but I didn’t expect this,/ she replied. “Your friend group has no real rules, Acwulf. You’re friends with a Memoria, a Shade, a Shifter, a Froster, a Glower, and yet another werewolf,” Chaiyn said, turning back to his notebook. “Can you read minds?” I asked incredulously. He smiled and shook his head, replacing the journal on one of his many bookshelves. “Nope. Just observant. And I’m sure you have a few suspicions about the other werewolf. Ren, isn’t it?” I nodded. “Yes. He shot some sort of electricity at the monster when we banished it the second time.” “Sounds like a Shocker. Or maybe a Fielder. Maybe even both,” he mused aloud. Harlow snapped her fingers. “He’s a Fielder! I knew I was forgetting a field of magic,” she exclaimed, no pun intended. Chaiyn smiled and nodded, walking over and pulling out a different notebook. He opened to a seemingly random page and started writing. I made eye contact with Naomi. /Try to get him talking,/ I said telepathically, using the mind link she’d set up after the monster attack. /What do you mean?/ She asked. /You have a talent for getting people to talk, about themselves or about others. If we want to help him we need to know more about his curse. Get him talking and we’ll have a chance./ She nodded and walked over to one of the shelves. “Are these where you write your observations?” He nodded. “Yes.” “What do you write about?” “Anything, really. People, places, objects, ideas, anything I can look at and observe.” She nodded. “Do you have anything on me or my friends?” He nodded and pointed to a shelf, not looking up from his book. “Shelf closest to the Wolf fruit tree.” Naomi walked over to it. “Which book is mine?” “The maroon-spined books with the /N/ written on it. Top right corner.” She reached out and pulled one down. “How many do you have on me?” “You’ve been here for a while. Probably three or four.” She nodded and flipped through the pages. “You’re really observant. This is all accurate.” “I’m a Sight-Seer. It’s kind of my power.”
Notes/Credits: If you're reading this, you probably know I wrote The Wolf Boy. Well, here's the sequel: The Monster's Curse. This is Chapter 22 Pt 1. Previous Chapter(s): Chapter 1: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/652476202/ Chapter 2: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/652950608/ Chapter 3: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/655177024/ Chapter 4: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/655177565/ Chapter 5: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/655621072/ Chapter 6: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/656955201/ Chapter 7: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/657580423/ Chapter 8: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/657583863/ Chapter 9: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/657586191/ Chapter 10: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/657668860/ Chapter 11: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/658404211/ Chapter 12: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/659115920/ Chapter 13: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/659116659/ Chapter 14: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/659117186/ Chapter 15: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/659420154/ Chapter 16: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/661425573/ Chapter 17: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/661428771/ Chapter 18: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/661974554/ Chapter 19: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/662108449/ Chpt 20 Pt 1: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/663144219/ Chpt 20 Pt 2: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/663156194/ Chpt 21: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/663760516/ Credits: Me, for being the author Shannon Messenger, JK Rowling, Eoin Colfer, and many other authors for inspo @aqua_di_angelo, @AL600AWESOME, @Lanze_cupcake_face11, and @Yayabinks for inspo and supporting the story! QOTC: Why do you think the shadow part is spreading to Dusk's area?
