Graypaw looked at Sally and said, "You should get to practicing."
"I know," Sally sighed. "Would you like to watch Holly?" When she didn't get an answer she asked, "Holly?" After a few moments she poked you and said, "Wake up Holly."
You looked at Sally and asked, "Why did you call me Holly?"
"Because that's your name," Sally said rolling her eyes.
"But my name is Rick," you said confused.
"That was your name," Sally said with a sigh. "Remember that you're a girl now and your new name is Holly."
You rolled your eyes and said, "Forgive me for not remembering. I had spent the last thirty-six years of my life as a male named Rick. I can't just switch to using a new name like you can."
Sally smiled and said, "It's not as easy for me as you think. I keep wanting to call you Rick but then I look at you and realize that you're a girl and that name doesn't fit."
"Well it's easier for you then," you said sighing.
"Especially with you being naked," Sally pointed out.
You remembered that you were naked and blushed. "Could I get something to cover myself up with?" you asked.
"Mom's getting you some clothes," Sally said.
"But I shouldn't be naked in front of you," you said blushing more.
"You're a girl now Holly," Sally said smiling. "Same as I am."
"What about Graypaw though?" you asked looking at him.
"I see naked bodies all the time," Graypaw said. "It's perfectly natural so there's no need to be shy around me. Now do you want to watch your sister practice her healing spells?"
You sighed and resigned yourself to remaining naked for the moment. "I suppose I should watch," you said wanting to see some magic. Sally took out a pen from a hidden pocket in her dress. Pointing it at a spot she muttered a few words and what looked like a mannequin appeared with a soft pop. "How did you do that?" you asked. "That doesn't look like a wand."
"You're forgetting that Mom said a wand can be just about anything," Sally said shaking her head. "A wand is a tool that allows us to focus our power."
"I've seen a witch that had a dildo for a wand," Graypaw chuckled.
You couldn't help but giggle and say, "So she has a phallic wand. That has to amuse whoever sees it. Though I wonder why she chose that."
"Oh you don't exactly choose the wand," Sally said. "It's a feeling you get when you see it. You just know that it's your wand."
"So when will I get my wand?" you asked.
"It can take a little while," Sally said. "Though I'm sure you'll find your first wand soon. Now dummy, I need to practice healing spells."
Several cuts and gashes appeared on the dummy and Sally moved her wand over each of them muttering. As you watched you decided to ask, "Graypaw, how did you get your name?"
"I was born with a gray paw," Graypaw said.
"You weren't born human?" you asked confused.
"You're thinking of the weres that are human but change into an animal," Graypaw said. "There's another type of were though. Those that are born as an animal but can shift into a human."
"But you seem to be a human that turns into an animal," you said.
"I'm a hybrid," Graypaw said. "My mother is a wolf were and my father is a human were. They mated while my father was in wolf form. As a result of that mating I was born as you see me, a humanoid wolf. In this form I have the best of both except for speed. I can shift into a human form or a wolf form."
"That must be nice," you said smiling. "Though only being able to transform during the full moon must be a drag."
"That is a myth that mortals made up so they could feel safe," Graypaw said. "The phases of the moon has nothing to do with our ability to shift. Of course we do encourage that myth."
A little bit later the dummy had said that Sally had removed the bones in it's leg while she was attempting to mend a broken bone. "Ninety years and I still can't get the hang of these healing spells," she grumbled.
"Ninety years?" you asked shocked. "But you're only thirteen."
"I think you should tell her now that you've let the cat out of the bag," Graypaw said.
Sally sighed and said, "Mom's the one that should be telling you this since it's her responsibility to teach us. Those of us that are supernaturals have longer life spans than mortals do."
"But you look thirteen," you said bewildered, "not ninety."
"Actually I'm one hundred forty-three years old," Sally said. "We witches physically age one year for every eleven years."
You were stunned. To think that Sally was that old. That means she had to have been born in eighteen sixty-seven. Then you did the calculations for Megan and figured she had to have been born sometime between sixteen twenty-five and sixteen thirty-six. That was pretty old. Then you decided to do the math with yourself. Since you were a witch now being physically nine you're age would be anywhere from ninety-nine to one hundred nine. "How old am I?" you asked.
"I'm not sure," Sally said. "It depends on when Mom had you born."
"How can she have me born in like nineteen hundred?" you asked.
"Well you weren't," Sally said. "Mom can explain it to you."
"To think Megan is over three hundred years old," you said smiling and slowly shaking your head.
"Mom," Sally corrected. "And that's not old."
"What do you mean?" you asked.
"Grandma Le Fay is six hundred four while grandpa Le Fay is six hundred twenty," Sally said.
"Le Fay as in Morgan Le Fay?" you asked.
Sally smiled and said, "She's our Great Great Great Great Great Grandmother. We're the eighth generation of girls to carry the Le Fay name."
"Why hasn't the name changed during that time?" you asked.
"Well the daughters of Morgan never married and so passed on the name Le Fay to their daughters," Sally said.
"Is Morgan still alive?" you asked fearing the answer.
"No," Sally said. "If she was she'd be one thousand seven hundred sixty. Most of us die before our one thousand one hundred eleventh birthday. That would be a physical age of one hundred one. There are rare ones that reach a physical age of one hundred fourteen which is our one thousand two hundred fifty-fourth to one thousand two hundred sixty-fourth birthdays. Speaking of birthdays Grandma Jasmine's eight hundred thirty-sixth birthday is tomorrow."
"Born on the fourth of July," you said smiling. "Though before it had any significance for us."
"Just six hundred two years before independence," Sally said smiling.
"So how long do weres live?" you asked.
"We age like mortals do until we turn twenty," Graypaw said. "After that we age the same as witches. After our twentieth birthdays we tend to live for another two thousand years."
"Wow," you said stunned. "So how old are you?"
"I have lived for one thousand years," Graypaw said.
"So born in ten ten," you said smiling.
"Ten nine," Graypaw said. "I was born in September."
"It's a wonder that the world isn't overrun with weres," you said shaking your head.
"We don't have children that often," Graypaw said. "Most of us don't even think about having children until we've lived for one thousand twenty years. When we do it's only one or two. Of course the war has whittled our numbers way down."
"War?" you asked looking at Graypaw.
Graypaw seemed to berate himself silently then said, "I shouldn't have said that. It should be for you mother to tell you."
"And I will," Megan said coming back in.
"Has it been an hour already?" Graypaw asked.
"A little over," Megan said.
"Where did the time go?" Graypaw asked chuckling. "Well I need to be getting back to my pack. I'm sorry about mentioning the war."
"She needs to know about it anyway," Megan said.
"Be careful," Graypaw said as he started to leave.
"You too," Megan said before Graypaw disappeared out the door. "Now, did you practice your healing spells Sally?"
"Yes Mom," Sally said sighing.
"She said she hasn't been able to get them down in ninety years," you said.
Megan sighed and said, "She does have some sort of mental block with them. I take it she already told you that we live longer than mortals." After you nodded she continued, "I guess you're wondering how old you are. Well your physical age is nine though you have lived for ninety-nine years."
"How can that be?" you asked. "I've only lived for thirty-six years."
"Well it's just a little bit of temporal magic," Megan said. "It's very hard to do and most witches don't do it because you can't just give someone those memories when they haven't lived it in their previous form. Instead most of them just regress the person to a newborn and block their memories. This way the regressed person will gain the memories of growing up in their new form."
"So when was I born?" you asked.
"You were born December sixth nineteen ten," Megan said.
"When were you really born Meg... Mommy?" you asked.
"I was born March thirtieth sixteen thirty-six," Megan said. "Now I should tell you about the war. It started as a civil disagreement over mortals. One side wanted to enslave mortals because they're a lesser race. The other side opposed it vigorously. Like I said it started out civil enough. Then one day a witch named Adam decided that talk was getting them nowhere so he gathered those who wanted to enslave mortals and attacked the others. A witch named Eve was able to rally those who wanted to leave the mortals be and thus the war started. And yes they're the same Adam and Eve as in the Bible with a few differences."
"A few?" you asked.
"Well ok more than a few," Megan said smiling.
"So what side are you on?" you asked.
"Well if I wanted to enslave mortals I wouldn't have wanted to marry you," Megan said. "Now lets get you dressed. I'll apologize now but I'm pretty old fashioned in that I believe girls should wear dresses. I can bend that a bit though to allow you to wear skirts but I draw the line at pants and shorts. Now lets see. I think this dress will be good for today." She pulled out a simple yellow sundress and handed it to you. "You'll also need these," she said handing you a pair of yellow cotton panties. "I also bought you a pair of sandals," she said pulling out the sandals. "Now put them on so we can see if they need any modification."
You took the panties and pulled them up. They were a bit too tight and Megan must have seen the discomfort on your face for she took her hand and a few muttered words later they fit perfectly. The dress was too large but again a few muttered words from Megan and it shrunk to fit. She did get the size for the sandals right. You looked down at yourself and ran your hands over your body. You actually liked how your new clothes fit you and the feel of them. They were more comfortable than your old clothes had been. You just may like being a girl.
"Well you look nice," Megan said smiling. She went to pick up the other bags and knocked her purse to the floor spilling it's contents. She sighed and started to pick everything up.
"Meg... Mommy," you said spotting the pen light on her keychain.
"What is it honey?" Megan asked putting her keys back in her purse.
"The pen light on your keychain," you said. "I think it's my wand."
"What did you feel when you saw it?" Megan asked.
"I felt like the back of my mind was being tugged toward it," you said.
"When you say mind do you mean brain?" Megan asked.
"It's more than my brain," you said. "It feels like it's right at the back of my head but at the same time I know it isn't. Does that make sense?"
"It makes perfect sense," Megan said. "Your mind isn't a physical thing and it can feel like it's in different parts of your body or not in it at all. Most of the time though it tends to rest in your head." She reached in and took out her keys again. Once she had the pen light off her keychain she gave it to you saying, "Here's your first wand. Take care of it and don't lose it."
"Ok Meg... Mommy," you said.
"Now to add a pocket to that dress," Megan said pointing her wand at a spot on your dress. After a few muttered words she said, "Now you have a pocket for your wand. Just slip it on in."
You did and once your wand was in your pocket you patted the outside but you didn't feel it. "I can't feel my wand in my pocket," you said starting to panic thinking you already lost it.
"Of course not," Megan said. At the look of confusion on your face she continued, "It's a magic pocket. Once I put more pockets in your dresses you'll be able to pull your wand from any of them no matter which one you put it in. Now how about we go out for pizza?"
"Sounds good," you and Sally said at the same time.
"Ok," Megan said smiling. "Send the dummy back Sally."
As the dummy disappeared with a little pop you thought back to how you became a girl. "Meg... Mommy," you said looking at her. "That explosion was an attack meant for you wasn't it?"
Megan sighed and said, "I'm afraid it was. And I'm sorry you were caught up in it. It wasn't my wish to involve you in the war."
"Well marrying you would have brought me into it anyway," you said a note of sadness in your voice.
"That's true and you might not of survived a different attack," Megan said. "At least you're still with us and a part of the family."
"I think I need to know about my daddy," you said feeling you should know about him.
"I'll tell you over pizza," Megan said smiling.