I listened intently, hoping to learn something useful. When I’d asked Kenji the previous evening how our partnership was supposed to function, he’d ignored me and carried on eating the snack he’d stolen from the kitchen.
Maybe I could speak to the professor after class and seek his advice.
The class was almost over when someone asked if there was any possibility they’d meet their familiar sooner than year three. Glynda smirked at me but said nothing.
“It does sometimes happen, as was the case with Mabel Golightly, who met her falcon in year two at the academy, but don’t expect to meet your familiars until year three.”
“Raven’s met hers,” Demelza piped up from behind me.
Professor Oakman looked at me with surprise and suspicion.
“Is that true, Miss Blackstone?” I flushed red under the combined weight of every student in the class staring at me with a mixture of envy, jealousy, and disbelief.
“Umm…” Before I could expand, Kenji popped into view on my desk with a gold watch in his fist. I stared at the watch. Diamonds twinkled back at me. This was no ordinary watch. Even I could see that. He tossed the watch into my lap and turned to face the professor.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
“Extraordinary,” the professor gasped eventually. Kenji puffed up his two tails and preened, clearly enjoying all the attention. The cat sitting on Professor Stone’s desk hissed loudly, the fur along her spine spiked in territorial aggression. Before I could stop him, Kenjibarked with excitement and shot across the room, knocking books and phones flying as he scrambled over desks and chairs to reach the cat.
The professor yelled, but it was no use. My kitsune was way too caught up in the excitement of chasing a disgruntled cat. He nipped the feline’s tail as she swiped furiously at his nose, claws extended. A small bead of blood appeared on his muzzle, but that seemed to egg him on even more.
“Kenji! Stop!” He half turned as the professor blasted him with water magic, sending him careering into a bookcase.
I stared in horror as my bedraggled, soggy kitsune lay motionless, his eyes closed. Tears burned my eyes. Oh my stars! Had the professor murdered my familiar? The magic sleeping in my veins surged forward, ready to exact vengeance. Shadows darkened outside, and the room turned from day to night.
Fire sprang to life in my palms, but when someone nearby yelped in fear, Kenji spoke in my mind.
“I hope you have air magic, witch, because I need a fucking blow-dry before my fur gets matted.”
Some of my panic faded.“Oh my goddess, are you hurt?”
“Only my pride.” He scrambled to his feet and shook vigorously, still searching for the cat.
“Class dismissed! Everyone out but you, Miss Blackstone.”
The other witches and mages filed out while casting curious glances at my familiar, who’d decided the cat was no longer worth chasing and was busy grooming himself.
As soon as the door closed on the last student, Professor Oakman turned to me with a huge grin.
“This is exciting, Miss Blackstone!”
His reaction was unexpected. “It is?”
“Yes! You’re the only student in the academy’s history to meet their familiar in their first year!”
“I told you I was special,” Kenji huffed, but I ignored him. It was only through the grace of the goddess I wasn’t in trouble because of his antics. “However,” Professor Oakman continued, “it’s clear you need some control over your familiar. He seems a rather willful creature.”
Kenji looked up and bared his teeth, emitting a low growl. The cat, which had been hiding behind a pile of books, peeked out and hissed.
“He’s just excited to be here,” I said, trying to defuse the situation. “We only met a few days ago, and I have no clue how this relationship works yet.”
“Honestly, it’s simple,”Kenji told me.“You make sure I am well fed with premium meats and snacks, provide a comfortable bed, and I occasionally help you if my schedule allows.”
I threw him a glare, fairly certain that wasn’t how the witch-familiar relationship worked.
“Yes, yes,” Professor Oakman muttered, still gazing at Kenji with stars in his eyes. “And such an unusual familiar too! Nobody’s seen a kitsune in decades.”
“Probably because the mages hunted us to near extinction,” Kenji hissed.
