Free Web NovelChapter 18: The Witch Who Started a Religion
After a few minutes of gathering dry sticks and building an average-sized stone pit arc, Nuan sits down on the ground, saving her bad ankle.
"Everyone look here," Nuan orders. The pack quickly forms a big circle around her, but they still keep a safe distance, knowing the Red Evil is about to be summoned.
While the young males and females of the pack gather around Nuan, up on top of the den cliff, Kael’s mother stands tall, keeping a sharp watch on the territory.
"Now, first of all, as you can see, I chose a clear patch of ground. No green grass, no wet soil. And then on this dry dirt, I made this almost-circle stone pit with a small opening." freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Koda stares at the curved rocks and murmurs, "Like the moon!"
"Yeah, exactly! Like a crescent moon! This is needed to keep the fire... I mean, the Red Evil, trapped within these stones."
"Ohh..." The crowd immediately starts whispering in awe.
"To trap the Red Evil."
"Within stones."
"Like moon power!"
"Yes, yes, silence, students! Now I’m going to use these dry sticks." She starts snapping them into tiny pieces, arranging them properly into a little teepee shape inside the pit.
"You see this? You arrange the sticks just like that. Now..." She spots Koda in the front. "Koda!"
"Yes?!" he squeaks, ears popping up.
"Find a dry, flat, not-so-thick wooden slab. And someone else bring me some dry grass fluff. The fluffier, the better."
"Yes, Witch!" Koda and two other young wolves shout. They quickly scramble around and gather a handful of dry grass fluff and a flat wooden slab.
"Very good! A+ marks for you guys," Nuan says with a grin, taking the materials from them.
"Now everyone watch this carefully. This is how you summon the Red Evil without a magical rod," Nuan says. She puts the wooden slab down on the dirt and takes a sturdy, straight dry stick.
She presses the tip of the stick into the slab and starts rubbing it back and forth, twisting the stick rapidly between her palms. She moves her hands fast, friction building up until her palms burn, and a tiny wisp of smoke starts to rise from the wood. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
"Whoaaa!!!" The wolves gasp, their eyes widening.
"See, everyone? Watch closely now," Nuan pants, her arms getting tired. Her arms were shaking now, but she didn’t stop.
She carefully dumps the tiny, glowing black coal that formed into the nest of dry grass fluff. She handles it like a fragile egg, ensuring it doesn’t die.
She cups her hands around the grass nest, brings it to her mouth, and blows gently—a soft, steady stream of air.
The ember hesitates for a second... then bites. The orange glow spreads through the dry grass fibers like it suddenly remembers how to live.
Fwoosh!
The grass nest bursts into a bright, dancing flame right in her hands.
The whole pack panics, jumping back in fear.
Kael immediately steps forward, his hands reaching out to pull Nuan away from the danger, but Nuan casually sets the burning grass right into the stone pit beneath the dry sticks. Within seconds, the sticks catch fire, crackling happily.
She wipes the sweat from her forehead, looks up at her terrified audience, and smirks. "And that, students, is how you summon the it and trap it inside the moon circle."
Kael stepped forward and dropped to his knees, grabbing her hands and immediately licking her palms with a worried look on his face.
"Ack! Huh? Hahah, stop, it tickles!" Nuan said, pulling her sticky, wet hands away and wiping them against the dirt to get the wolf spit off.
"What are you doing, Kael?" she hissed.
"Red Evil burned your hand!" he rumbled, his ears twitching anxiously.
"Aww... it didn’t burn me," she said, softening a bit as she ruffled his messy hair. She stood up on her good leg. "Alright, everyone! Now you are all going to gather the required stuff and try summoning the it yourself. This is your homework!"
The older wolves were still pretty hesitant, but Koda and a few of the younger ones were excitedly wiggling their tails, already scrambling around to gather sticks and flat wood.
But suddenly, a young female beastwoman stepped forward from the crowd, her arms crossed and her lips pulled into a snarl. "I’m not going to summon any Red Evil!!! You are a witch! The evil witch Nyxara! The evil from the prophecy!"
Hn? Nyxara? Nuan thought, blinking. Who the heck is that? Some legendary villainous witch?
Another female beastwoman stepped up right beside her, nodding aggressively. "Yes! You are summoning the Red Evil, you are the evil witch Nyxara! Everyone stay away from her! Alpha, throw her out of the pack! The good witch Aestra will take care of her!"
Hm? They have a good witch in their lore too, huh? Nuan thought. A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. She limped a step forward and looked right into their eyes, putting on her best dramatic actress face.
"I am Aestra, you kids!" Nuan declared, her voice echoing across the clearing. "I am the good witch! I didn’t summon the Red Evil to commit evil. I did it to trap the evil using moon power! I controlled it! And now, I am teaching you all how to control it too."
The pack instantly started mumbling, looking at each other in confusion.
Some of the younger wolves looked excited, but the older ones stayed silent, watching Nuan like they were trying to decide whether she was a blessing... or a very patient disaster waiting to explode.
"I am Aestra!" Nuan continued, stepping into the role completely. "And I want to help you all spread good! We will turn evil against evil. Just like I did yesterday—the evil intent of the tigers got countered by the Red Evil. I turned evil against evil to preserve the good... your Alpha!"
The logic, though completely made up on the spot, totally blew their minds. A few voices started first—uncertain, testing the words.
"Aestra... sees."
Then others joined, louder.
"We follow..."
But not everyone spoke. A handful of wolves remained still, eyes sharp, still weighing her like an unknown threat.
Ohh, nice! Not bad at all! Praise me more! Nuan thought, completely enjoying the ego boost.
She threw her head back and struck an iconic anime T-pose right in front of the crackling fire, looking like the ultimate, majestic savior.
