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He swooped down above her, making all the humans scream or gasp in some form. The gusts of wind his heavy wings created while he hovered above her pushed the fire down and away from her.

He hoped they thought he was some form of demon she’d conjured rather than what he really was.

I cannot believe I am saving a Witch! Me!

Soldiers drew their swords, but Rurik ignored them as he curled both his back paws around the wooden stake she was attached to. Then, as if it was like nothing but plucking a long splinter from under his scale, he pulled the stake out of the ground and lifted off.

Unsure of where he was in this part of the world, he took her back to her home so he could land in the small clearing in front of it.

He didn’t fit in the space. He uprooted trees by knocking them over as he gently placed the wooden stake on the ground and touched the grassy dirt himself.

It wouldn’t be long before the humans made their way here, so he quickly blew a ring of fire and then chanted the single word he needed before it dissipated.

“Shift.”

That ring of fire drew back and started making its way over his body until he was encased in flames, almost as though his scales were covered in flammable oil.

When the flames died, Rurik was human – and naked.

He made his way over to the Witch to kneel beside her, crawling around on his hands and knees while breaking the shackle around her throat with his bare hands. He made quick work of the ones around her wrists and ankles.

He pressed his ear to her chest before pulling away.No breath or beat.For a short moment, he stared at her as he contemplated on what to do.

Then, with a disgruntled growl curling his upper lip, he bent over her face.

Imbuing his own magic into his breath, he breathed into her mouth. When he pulled away, he placed his hands on her chest and started pumping his arms.

“Come on, Witch. Count yourself lucky I am doing this for someone of your ilk,” he said with obvious disgust and anger mixed in his tone.

She didn’t take a breath, and he once again bent himself over her face so he could spread his magic and breath into her chest. Then Rurik pumped his hands against her chest again.

Does she no longer want to live?She had to have will for life for this to work.

With one last attempt, he gave her another one of his breaths, and a gasp followed before he even got his hands back to her chest.

There. She breathes.

His blood debt was paid, and he could leave.

Turning from her, he walked back over to where he had shifted into his human body. After he released that ring of fire again, he chanted the single word he needed to, and he was once more back in his beast form, waiting for the flames to die down.

Turning his head to the sky, he lifted his wings to take flight. In that position, with his wings raised and one swoop away from taking him into the air, he froze.

My blood debt is complete. Why should I care what happens to her now?

He’d given her life. He’d given her his breath.

They will come here for her.They would try to kill her again.Blasted!With a snarl, he picked her up in his forepaw and finally took flight.

He forced magic to fill his skull and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, the spell of sight he cast allowed him to see the tendrils of magic he wasn’t able to see before.

When he followed them, they took him deeper into the woods near her cottage until he came to another clearing. Sparkling magic was everywhere here, and he, once again, landed. This space was large and able to fit him.

His eyes scanned the ring of trees around him as well as the ring of mushrooms at the bottom of those trees. The area was dark, and to those that wouldn’t know better it would appear as if there was no life here.

“Fairies, I am in no mood. Stop cowering and come.”

“Why do you bring a Witch here?” A small voice said to him – easy for his large ears to pick up.