made us take a blood oath when we first joined the coven though, so it wasn't easy to just walk away from it all. Fortunately the goddess showed kindness to me and gave me Fenrus. With his help we were able to escape from the others and make it north, which then led us to you."
Anna looks to me sharply. "So my suspicions were right. It also explains why I don't sense a Devotional Amulet on you. Your pet really isn't your pet. He's your amulet, your familiar, isn't he?"
"Yes."
"And when you said that your goddess blessed you with him, who did you mean? Who is your central god?"
Anna's direct tone and reaction completely surprise me. "My goddess is Gaea, the earth mother. Same as Tobias."
Anna nods. "I see. Please don't be offended Devin. I mean no disrespect with my questions but in all my years in the Craft I've never met another witch with a true familiar. I'm sure Tobias has no doubt told you they are very rare and only given to the most skilled of witches. I don't doubt your deservedness, but I am puzzled that with the amount of training you still require, one of the Powerful Ones still deemed you worthy to receive. There must be something about you very special."
"No offense taken. Her blessing is a mystery to me as well. But did I hear right, did you say you've never met "another" witch with a familiar? Does that mean you have one too?"
Anna smiles. "Yes, I do. His name is Sekhmet. He's named after an ancient Egyptian war goddess."
I interrupt, "The daughter of Bastet, the cat goddess."
Anna smiles even bigger. "Very good Devin, yes. In some versions of her story, Sekhmet is said to be Bastet's daughter. My Sekhmet was given to me when I was about your age. Whereas you've taken the Gods of Olympus as your Wiccan deities, I instead chose to honor the Gods of Heliopolis: the Egyptian gods. My two central gods are the goddess Isis and her most fierce protector, Bastet."
"Ms. Whiskers!" I suddenly say and stand from my chair. "Is she alright? I feel awful that I completely forgot about her."
Mika laughs. "Ms. Whiskers is alright. She's upstairs playing with the others."
"Others?"
Anna chuckles, "You don't think a follower of Bastet wouldn't have a small tribe of cats of her own, do you? Your feline is fine, and I must say very outspoken. Despite being on the mend she's made it quite clear to the others that she is not to be trifled with without a severe swipe of her claws. The others are giving her space but are also completely amused at her rambunctiousness. Sekhmet even seems to have taken a shine to her."
Suddenly confused I say, "Wait, Sekhmet was given to you when you were my age? 24 years old? How is he still alive? Aren't cats only supposed to live for 10 to 15 years?"
Mika then chimes in, asking me, "He might look like a dog, but do you really think your familiar is an animal Devin?"
"Well...yes. Isn't he?" I look at Fenrus and he looks back at me with meaningful eyes.
Anna says, "Your familiar is many things but don't be fooled. He is not truly a dog. That's simply the form he wishes to manifest as. Underneath it all Fenrus is a divine being made from the primal magic of ancient gods but he is also made of human magic, a part of your own soul. It's because of this tie to you that makes him want to interact with you on a human level. If he wishes to eat food for example, it's to savor the flavor and to experience what you are experiencing. If he wishes to howl at the moon, it's to experience the feeling of emotion it provides. He can do many things that an ordinary dog can do but ultimately though, he doesn't need to do any of these things to survive; only for amusement and understanding. Food, warmth, breathing, even relieving himself...Fenrus isn't tied to these things in the way we are. The one thing he does have a tie to is you. As a part of your soul, if you were to get hurt, so would Fenrus."
"And if I were to die?"
"Fenrus will then die as well. No man made weapon will ever have a single
Anna looks to me sharply. "So my suspicions were right. It also explains why I don't sense a Devotional Amulet on you. Your pet really isn't your pet. He's your amulet, your familiar, isn't he?"
"Yes."
"And when you said that your goddess blessed you with him, who did you mean? Who is your central god?"
Anna's direct tone and reaction completely surprise me. "My goddess is Gaea, the earth mother. Same as Tobias."
Anna nods. "I see. Please don't be offended Devin. I mean no disrespect with my questions but in all my years in the Craft I've never met another witch with a true familiar. I'm sure Tobias has no doubt told you they are very rare and only given to the most skilled of witches. I don't doubt your deservedness, but I am puzzled that with the amount of training you still require, one of the Powerful Ones still deemed you worthy to receive. There must be something about you very special."
"No offense taken. Her blessing is a mystery to me as well. But did I hear right, did you say you've never met "another" witch with a familiar? Does that mean you have one too?"
Anna smiles. "Yes, I do. His name is Sekhmet. He's named after an ancient Egyptian war goddess."
I interrupt, "The daughter of Bastet, the cat goddess."
Anna smiles even bigger. "Very good Devin, yes. In some versions of her story, Sekhmet is said to be Bastet's daughter. My Sekhmet was given to me when I was about your age. Whereas you've taken the Gods of Olympus as your Wiccan deities, I instead chose to honor the Gods of Heliopolis: the Egyptian gods. My two central gods are the goddess Isis and her most fierce protector, Bastet."
"Ms. Whiskers!" I suddenly say and stand from my chair. "Is she alright? I feel awful that I completely forgot about her."
Mika laughs. "Ms. Whiskers is alright. She's upstairs playing with the others."
"Others?"
Anna chuckles, "You don't think a follower of Bastet wouldn't have a small tribe of cats of her own, do you? Your feline is fine, and I must say very outspoken. Despite being on the mend she's made it quite clear to the others that she is not to be trifled with without a severe swipe of her claws. The others are giving her space but are also completely amused at her rambunctiousness. Sekhmet even seems to have taken a shine to her."
Suddenly confused I say, "Wait, Sekhmet was given to you when you were my age? 24 years old? How is he still alive? Aren't cats only supposed to live for 10 to 15 years?"
Mika then chimes in, asking me, "He might look like a dog, but do you really think your familiar is an animal Devin?"
"Well...yes. Isn't he?" I look at Fenrus and he looks back at me with meaningful eyes.
Anna says, "Your familiar is many things but don't be fooled. He is not truly a dog. That's simply the form he wishes to manifest as. Underneath it all Fenrus is a divine being made from the primal magic of ancient gods but he is also made of human magic, a part of your own soul. It's because of this tie to you that makes him want to interact with you on a human level. If he wishes to eat food for example, it's to savor the flavor and to experience what you are experiencing. If he wishes to howl at the moon, it's to experience the feeling of emotion it provides. He can do many things that an ordinary dog can do but ultimately though, he doesn't need to do any of these things to survive; only for amusement and understanding. Food, warmth, breathing, even relieving himself...Fenrus isn't tied to these things in the way we are. The one thing he does have a tie to is you. As a part of your soul, if you were to get hurt, so would Fenrus."
"And if I were to die?"
"Fenrus will then die as well. No man made weapon will ever have a single
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