I survey the town, a mixture of uncertainty and excitement and nervousness in me. Of course, I do not let it show in my face, keeping a calm and quiet demeanor. I hope my mentor was right when choosing this town to make my witch's debut. 

My mentor was a well-known elixirist, but unfortunately, I did not possess the same talent nor keen interest. I only knew the basics of crafting potions for only the most basic necessities, such as invisibility. My forte was in spells, charms, hexes, and the like. 

I find myself in front of an apothecary with a sign reading Bluebell's Brair: Apothecary. Perhaps I should go in to quickly restock on supplies for simple potions and spells. I glance at my familiar, a small silver cat with ice blue eyes, for comfort, the only thing I have for a reminder of my mentor, who gave her to me.

I slip in the apothecary unnoticed. The shopkeeper is conversing with an experienced-looking sorceress. I find myself shrinking a bit from her, thinking myself as an inexperienced magic user in comparison. I pull my cloak closer, as the two turn their attention towards a shadowy figure in the corner. 

Perhaps I should make my purchase quickly, I think. I would not want to interrupt any sort of important business between them.

My customer, Yvonne, pays for her sourdough, and she asks where the best place to get fresh produce is. "It's right next to the Apothecary," I tell her, "Do you know where that is?" She nods her head and leaves. "Come again soon!" I yell. It's almost closing time, so I switch the sign on the door to CLOSED. All the customers leave, and I sigh. I walk out the door with the stream of customers, lock the door, and head to the Sorceress's dwelling. When I reach her doorstep, I knock on the door to see if she's there. I need to get that spell, and quickly. 

Another day of work has begun. Today I will fill some custom orders. I must make a garnet ring, and a sapphire necklace. I will also craft a few swords for warriors and adventurers.

I place the "now hiring" sign in the window. I must find an apprentice to take over this place someday when I'm gone, and to help manage the shop. It is too much work for one person nowadays, with my work on higher demand than it used to be.

I draw my hood closer around my face, staring at my sodden boots as I splash down the cobbled streets of the town. No luck hunting today; the rain has all the creatures hidden away. A drop of cold water soaks through my cloak, sending a shiver down my spine.

I glance up at the dark sky, at the silvery sunlight barely shining through the gray veil of clouds. It's been raining since dawn--I couldn't even watch the sunrise.

A plaintive growl from my abdomen breaks me from my reverie, and that's when I remember that I haven't eaten since yesterday evening, and even then it was only some bread I had purchased with the last of my money.

I glance around and duck under the metal eave of a streetside home and sit in a dry patch, watching the raindrops trickle down from the roof in a steady stream. Twisting, I open my satchel and remove a loaf of bread wrapped in cheesecloth. Pulling away a corner of the thin white cloth, I take a few bites. Last night it had been fresh and warm still, but I suppose that I must appreciate what I have.

I rest my back against the wall and watch the street, hoping no one bothers me. I pull my hood a little further down my face. 

Outside, crowds swirl and separate, an occasional face standing out for a moment before fading back into the blur of everyone else. I step closer to the door to watch them, hoping no one's wanting to consult me while I'm here.

Suddenly the door swings open, and a younger-looking witch enters, looking somewhat shy and inexperienced. A small silver cat follows her. The witch glances nervously at me; less powerful users of magic often do. I flash her a smile. I always like to meet other witches and sorceresses; there's a sort of kinship between all of us.

Still, I keep having the feeling that I'm neglecting my business back home. Murmuring an excuse to the shopkeeper, I step away a little, waving my hand, to summon a sort of vision that allows me to see my house and anyone there to see me. Sure enough, someone's there - the baker, I think. How awkward. I slip further into a quiet corner of the shop. "Hello," I say to him. "Over here... I'm the sorceress. Is there anything you need?"

(I'm starting over again)

As I lightly tread through the damp fallen leaves of the underbrush, the sweet smell of rain filled my senses. Trees towered over me, their canopy blocking the sunlight from hitting the ground. The sounds of a mockingbird echoing through the woods.

I looked up, the rising sun managed to peek through the canopy, but in its light, I could not find my goshawk. "Fog?" I called. No answer. The only thing I could hear was the crunching of the leaves under my feet. I could no longer hear any birds. Instead it was the silence that spoke. I ran in the direction where I saw Fog fly.

My heart beating in my ears, I rapidly looked around taking in every detail. A mossy rock, a broken tree, was that a flash of red? I skidded to a stop behind a tree. My fingers were gripping the bark and my breath came out in ragged sighs. Slowly I looked into the cleaning behind me. I saw Fog mantling over a jay, plucking its feathers. I quickly calm down.

“Hey you” I whisper gently, not wanting to scare him away. Fog looks at me like he’s innocent. “Your first kill, aren’t you excited?” I say this as though I expected him to respond. Fog chirps as if to say “Stop bothering me”. “Alright, I won’t” I respond, talking with birds is easy, only if you have a little imagination left. Although he’s made his first kill, Fog is still a juvenile and needs to be trained a lot more. “Don’t go disappearing on me again” I warn. Fog pretends as if he didn't hear that. “The woods aren’t as safe as they seem.”

I lean against a nearby tree, waiting for the Sorceress. Finally, the door opens. "Hello," says the Sorceress, is there anything you need?" I take a quick glance at the Sorceress, wondering how to tell her I need a certain spell. "I need the...the Summoning spell," I tell her. She does a quick double take, frowns, and says, "I'll see what I can do."

Not me totally forgetting I joined this... 

-

I finally find the herb I need in the back corner of the shop. It's a bit old and dry, but it'll do. After making my purchase, I exit the shop, stepping out into the muddy dirt road. I turn right and head towards the forest. I can probably forage the couple of other herbs I need there---theyre not the type of plant that you find in an Apothecary, at least, not a respectable one. I doubt this Apothecary gets many people like me here---my type usually frequents a couple of shady shops in the big city that are well known (at least in certain circles) for carrying the more poisonous types of plants.