Tails Wishes
By WinterT

	"Angela, I'm home!" 
	Angela's ears perked up as her mother's voice resounded out through the small home. The ten year old fox had been waiting patiently in her room ever since she got dressed. With her big witch hat in tow, the young fox rushed out of her room to greet her mother. Angela got to her before she could even get both paws inside, bouncing in place with her little heart filled with excitement for a magical evening. 
	Her mother grinned and reached out to pat her daughter's head, happy to see her kit in good spirits. "I see you went ahead and dressed up for Halloween..." She looked down at Angela and saw her clad in her long dark robe with cartoonish grey and purple patches scattered across the fabric. "Promise you're not mad, sweetie?"
	Angela shook her head, "I'm not mad, mom. I know you have to go back to the library tonight." She gripped onto the brim of her witch hat tightly, "Did you bring the book I wanted?" Her tail wagged as she looked down at her mother's bag. 
	"Of course, sweetie. I had enough time to come and drop this off before they need me back at the desk..." She unshouldered and unbuttoned her bag to pull out an old, worn leather bound book. It was one of the oldest books at the library that they kept off the public shelves. Her mother had flipped through the odd little book before and was curious how her daughter found out about it. The book was filled with all sorts of strange information- Just some silly frivolous information about nonsense hexes and spells. She assumed her daughter just wanted it for some spooky Halloween fun that she herself sought for when she was younger. "Here you go, Angela..." She gave the old book to her darling kit, nervously fighting to keep her smile up, "Next year mommy will make sure that you go trick-or-treating. I'll make it up to you, I promise." 
	Angela gasped as the book was presented to her. After putting on her witches hat, she eagerly grasped the book with both paws. She stared down at the book with bright eyes, "Because next year I'll have a daddy around."
	"Huh? Oh I don't know about that, sweetheart... maybe if mommy meets someone nice but... hehe..." She bent down to kiss her adorable little witch on the head. "I'll be gone again for another couple hours. It's getting a little late, are you sure you don't want me to call my sister?"
	"Nuh-uh." Angela shook her head and lifted up the old book towards her mother, "She'll just get in the way of my magical spell." She spoke as she giggled as if it were a silly joke.
	"Oh bless your sweet little heart." The mother grinned and reshouldered her bag, "If you get worried, you know the number for the library. Don't turn our house into a giant frog okay, sweetie?" She brought her hand up to her lips to blow her an extra little kiss.
	Angela nodded and tucked the book into her chest, holding it secure with both arms, watching as her mother slipped out of the house in a hurry to get back to work. She took her book and quickly returned to her room with bright eyes and rising excitement as she carried the catalyst of her plans. Angela had thought about this for a long time now and decided that instead of attending the library event, she would use this night alone to dip into the world of magic. She felt that her mother was too beautiful to be alone and that she needed a caring, fun father to play with. This young red fox was determined to become a witch like the ones she's heard about from silly holiday tales. A witch that would cast hexes and brew potions to help her mother find the perfect husband.
	Once inside her room, she locked the door behind her and went to her bed to get comfortable- wiggling onto her stomach and adjusting her hat as she stared down at the book in front of her. With a shaky paw she opened up the book and read the introduction out loud.
	"To those that seek out my book, prepare thyself to study every nook. Within these pages lies my obsession, a lifetime dedicated to the profession. The path of witchcraft is wrought with strife, and on this path you may lose your life. Secrecy will be thy friend, as you practice witchcraft until the end. Hide away- study well, all inquiry you must repell. Now turn the page and prepare your senses, for a world full of magic and hexes."
	Angela gulped as she finished the introduction, but she shook her head and glared down at the book with all the conviction that the little fox could muster. She took a deep breath and turned the page to begin reading. Each page she read was filled with hand-drawn sketches with long descriptions of everything she needed to know about being a witch. She read through the author's knowledge of symbols and relics that would help her attune to herself and the earth. There were pages of ingredients, describing several items that she'd never seen before like a concoction called dragon's blood that had strong magical properties. Much of the information she read was difficult to grasp for such a young kit, but she trudged onwards through the book and tried to gain as much knowledge as she could.
	Angela turned through the book and took in every word, but came to a stop on a strange page with several faint sketches of creatures. Her eyes scanned across the sketches in silence as she felt drawn in by the images. After looking over every creature shown on the page, she began reading the information scribbled between them. "Both a guide and a boon. A familiar that is attached to you will serve and protect you as you practice. A familiar is a powerful entity that can be obtained from another, bestowed upon you naturally, or conjured." She returned to reading silently as her eyes ate up every word about these curious familiars. Once she finished reading the next few pages over the creatures, she mumbled the word, "Conjured..." and looked down at her paws. She was learning a lot about witches, but it seemed like she needed one of these familiars if she hoped to perform any witchly duties tonight. She looked up from her paws and looked around the room quickly, scanning for anything that she could use as a familiar.
	Her eyes rested upon her old plush white tiger, one that she had since she was a baby. It was a strange, silly creature that was always on four legs like in some cartoons. To her, the tiger would be perfect to guide her into her newfound profession. She wiggled off of her bed to 'conjure' her familiar, setting her new guide down on her bed to join in her studies. She resumed the comfortable spot from before, but now began to read aloud to ensure her familiar was getting everything as well. 
	Some time passed and she finished flipping through the first quarter of the book, reading everything to her stuffed tiger and sharing some pictures with him. But she nearly jumped up when she came across what she was looking for. "A love potion! Tiger look, look..." She began to read, struggling on some words and understanding some of the instruction. "Influ...influence the heart of another with a personal brew. A charged item meant for more adv...advanced witches who are pru... pru-dent in their methods. This is what I need for momma... All I need are a few things..." She read down the list of ingredients, ignoring the requirements advised on the page. "A vial of water, a pinch of sugar, and a rhyme of... vigor? Then add a lock of hair from the one to breed desire, and boil it over a bright red fire... Let the potion boil briefly, then wait for a puff in the shape of a heart. Easily disguised as a sip of water once strained." 
	Angela nodded to her tiger and closed the book to prepare for her first potion. Soon she gathered the three items necessary for the potion, getting a small cup of water from the sink, a spoonful of sugar from the kitchen, and a clump of fur from her mother's brush. Next, she took one of her mother's bowls and a little nib candle that she managed to light. When she returned to her room she prepared her space on the floor to begin.
	She poured the water into the bowl and stired in the spoonful of sugar, watching the liquid carefully as the spoon mixed in the sugar. Once the sugar was mixed in, she spoke a little rhyme that she struggled with, "Drink this water... so says her... daughter? Love my mother... and don't... be a monster."  She grabbed the clump of her mother's fur and dropped it into the solution once her rhyme was complete. Then she took the candle and raised the bowl with her paws, holding it right over the small flame for a while- waiting for it to boil.
	Angela held the bowl for what felt like an eternity, watching and waiting for the water to heat up and finish her potion. She began to worry that she made a mistake, not knowing that the tiny candle wouldn't be enough heat to make the water boil. However, after some more time passed, she grinned when she saw a bubble of heat rise up from the bottom of the bowl. She held the bowl above the candle for awhile longer and a few more lazy bubbles rose to the top.
	Angela nodded and pulled the warm bowl away from the flame, taking a deep breath to blow out the candle. She carefully set it down on the floor and waited for the heart-shaped puff of smoke rise from her concoction. Every few moments, her eyes switched between the bowl and her familiar as she watched and waited. The moments turned into minutes and she started to feel a little embarrassed. 
	"I guess it didn't work, did it?" The young fox stood up and smoothed out her witches costume. "Was it not enough sugar?" She tried to ask her familiar, hoping for some of the guidance that her book promised. "Maybe I didn't rhyme good." Angela shook her head and sighed, taking off her witches hat. She eyed down the 'potion' with a cautious glare as she tried to think of everything that could have gone wrong. She felt like she did everything right, but tried to reflect on her actions.
	After some thinking, she let loose a huff and tightened her grip on the hat. The potion was meant for better witches and she realized that now, but she felt a strong desire rise inside of her. The fire in her belly was growing, and she was becoming more determined than before. "I'll learn more and try harder next time," she promised to herself. She nodded at her tiger and placed her witches hat back on her head. As she tucked in her ears, she didn't hear the footsteps approaching her room.
	"Angela?" Came her mother's voice came from behind the door. It wiggled as she tried to open it. "I'm home, sweetie... why is your door locked?" 
	Angela was quick to unlock her door, grinning up at her mother, "Hey momma... I was just-" She stopped herself as she remembered the warning her book gave her. "...Having some fun!" She piped up, her tail started to wag idly behind her. 
	"All locked up? Well... as long as you had fun, sweetie." Her mother placed her paws on her daughter's shoulders and admired her adorable little witch. "I brought some leftover candy from the library. It's in my bag in the living room." She moved out of the way and gestured for her kit to go and get some.
	Angela nodded and her grinned widened, moving past her mother with the promise of sweet treats. "Just a couple pieces for tonight, Angela. It's almost bedtime." She watched her kit go towards the living room, relieved that her daughter at least had a bit of fun tonight.
	Her mother was about to go and join Angela, but she paused right as she started to turn away. She saw something strange in the corner of her eye that yanked her attention to the room. There was a bowl on the ground for some reason, but what caught her eye was something that looked like a trace of smoke coming from inside the room. She briskly eyed around the room, but nothing looked abnormal beyond the bowl. With a yawn and a shrug she turned away the room, closing the door behind her- off to spend the last few moments of Halloween with her daughter.