Fangs and Fur- Beta Read Along
All rights reserved. Copyright © 2025 by LA Magill. All distribution rights reserved for the exclusive use of Wicked Women LLC.
A familiar purple beanie bobbed into view as the figure rounded the curve. Beneath it, Dili recognized Jasmine Henderson’s signature big cheeks, flushed crimson. The girl clutched her backpack straps tightly as she hurried toward them. The teenager’s eyes darted nervously back along the path, checking if anyone had followed her.
Dili’s shoulders relaxed. “It’s Jasmine,” she murmured.
Toad’s tail swished once. She came to the clinic last autumn for… was it an ear infection?
“Yes,” Dili said.
As Jasmine drew closer, Dili felt certain her face burned with shame, not just physical effort. Something had happened, but nothing too serious if she could hurry like that.
I bet you she’s pregnant, Toad projected smugly.
Dili hummed thoughtfully, watching Jasmine’s approach. Her long legs carried her up the hill with ease, and though she huffed, she breathed without difficulty. Covered up in the morning chill, Dili could not see much more of the girl’s physique, but she moved as if uninjured.
Jasmine was eighteen, studious, and came from a religious family. She’d visited the clinic a few times with her mother for basic health needs, but had once snuck in with her older sister for birth control information.
“I don’t think so,” Dili whispered. “If she were pregnant, she’d have skipped her soccer practice and come during regular hours. The clinic’s private enough for that.”
Twenty salmon snacks say I’m right, Toad insisted, his orange eyes narrowing with confidence.
“Twenty?” Dili snorted. “Jasmine’s careful, and she’s a planner. This is something else—something that couldn’t wait for normal hours, but that she doesn’t want Vanessa to know about.” Dili straightened her posture as Jasmine drew closer.
Toad’s tail twitched with skepticism. We shall see.
The girl finally reached the gate, breathing hard.
“Good morning,” Dili said first.
“Good… morning…” Jasmine huffed. “I’m sorry I… didn’t want to wait…”
Dili tilted her head toward the front door. “Why don’t you come inside?”
Dili led the teen into her house, Toad following behind them.
“Wow, it’s so much warmer in here,” Jasmine said. “Why is it—”
Jasmine gasped as she took in Dili’s storefront just inside the door. Light spilled from the tall windows on either side of the door onto shelves and display cases stuffed to the brim with her medicinal wares. Vials of potions in every color, jars in every shape of salves and creams, and bottles of oils in every size. Raw, salted, and glazed ingredients lay prettily packaged in baskets lined with beeswax cloth.
Apart from the overwhelming amount of products, Dili’s storefront was otherwise quite minimal. To the right of the front door was the single counter where she recorded her trades, and to the left, a pair of plain wooden chairs with an ornamental cauldron set between them. The orchids currently blooming from the cauldron were still lovely even after so many years, but the witch sensed her customers often didn’t spare them the attention they deserved.
“It’s better for the orchids,” Dili said.
The witch sat in one of the chairs and gestured Jasmine toward the other. The teen sat in a daze, still gaping at the rest of the room. Toad was much quicker to sit at Dili’s feet, wrapping his tail around his front paws.
The tightness around Jasmine’s eyes softened as she took a deep sniff.
“What… what smells so good?” she asked.
“Likely the garden rose candle burning in the kitchen,” Dili said. “Now, what couldn’t wait?”
Jasmine’s blue-eyed gaze snapped back to the witch. A fresh wave of shame glowed from her crimson cheeks. She slowly pulled off the purple beanie, revealing brown hair cut short, and began twisting the hat in her lap.
“I… I made a mistake,” Jasmine said, barely audible.
“One you think I can fix, I presume?” Dili asked matter of factly.
Jasmine nodded jerkily. “It’s embarrassing.”
Toad’s ears perked forward with interest.
Dili waited in silence, peering at the girl with mild interest.
Jasmine gulped, then her words tumbled out in a panicked rush. “I… uh… found a carrot, that… well, it was the right, uh, size and shape.” Her eyes pinched shut. “Then, I… well, it…” The girl trailed off, too mortified to continue.
Dili paused, then she spoke gently. “Whatever it is, I promise I’ve heard worse.”
Jasmine whispered her secret to Dili, who then flashed a grin at Toad while the ashamed girl hung her head.
“A carrot, hm?” Dili said.
“I know! I know! I was stupid,” the girl burst out.
“Hardly,” Dili said. “What you did is perfectly natural, if perhaps uninformed. I have just the thing already made.”
She stood and walked over toward a shelf full of potions near the window. She picked one up, no bigger than her pinkie finger. The violet potion sparkled as the glass caught the sunlight, but when she handed the small vial to Jasmine, the liquid began to churn with new color.
“What is it?” Jasmine asked hesitantly, as the potion swirled from green, to silver, to blue.
“Exactly what you need.” Dili walked to the door that led from the storefront to the rest of her home and opened it. “The bathroom is at the end of the hall. Take the medicine, then take five deep breaths, and then try again. Take your time.”
Jasmine clutched the small vial and nodded jerkily. She gulped, then strode toward the bathroom. Alone, Dili muffled a chuckle, while Toad wrapped himself around her legs. He stared up at her.
“Not a pregnancy,” the witch whispered.
Toad’s mental voice was flat. But I was close.
Jasmine emerged after several minutes with a relieved sigh. Dili met her eyes, and though the girl flushed again, gratitude filled her eyes.
“All better?” Dili asked, already knowing the answer.
Jasmine nodded. “It came out pretty easily. I was worried since I had so much trouble at home.”
“Thankfully, it was just a carrot,” Dili said. “Quite a long time ago, I treated another patient in a similar situation, though she unfortunately had a harder time considering some of the corn kernels came off.”
Rather than laugh as Dili had intended, a look of horror made the girl’s eyes go wide and her jaw go slack.
“Yeah, thankfully, just a carrot,” she murmured. “What was in that potion? Like a muscle relaxer or…?”
“Just a little liquid confidence,” Dili said.
Jasmine blinked in surprise. “That wasn’t medicine?”
Dili shook her head gently. “Not in the traditional sense. You weren’t in pain; you were panicking. Sometimes all we need is a little support, not medicine.”
“Oh.” Jasmine looked down at her shoes.
Why is she disappointed? Toad asked mentally.
Dili pursed her lips, glanced at her cat, then turned her gaze back to the teen.
“It may not have been a medical emergency, but you still did the right thing coming to me,” Dili said.
“If my mom finds out I snuck out to come here, she’ll ask questions I really don’t want to answer,” Jasmine murmured. “And I didn’t even really need to come here, did I?”
The teen turned somber eyes on the witch, and the look swept Dili away with nostalgia. Countless patients had looked at her just like that, pleading for disease to vanish, for pain to cease, for life to be fair.
“It is not my place, but if I may make a suggestion?” Dili asked.
Jasmine nodded.
“A yeast infection would be a reasonable explanation. They are commonplace and quite uncomfortable, which would explain why you rushed to see me. I have a draught that works in under an hour, so she would not question your lack of symptoms, either,” Dili said.
Jasmine looked at the witch doubtfully.
Dili sighed. “Unfortunately, there is no magic that can… ease a difficult home situation. But if you are interested, I can offer you an elixir that will elevate Mrs. Henderson’s mood.”
“If anything, I’d rather have more of that liquid confidence. How much are they?”
“It is only a common brew, so three fresh eggs? Or would flour be easier?”
Jasmine’s face brightened instantly. “Really? Just three? I can bring six eggs tomorrow morning!”
“Excellent, though you need not sneak away again. You can drop them by the clinic after school.”
“Okay, cool. Thanks!”
Dili smiled. She fetched another vial, but before she handed it over to the teen, she held the girl’s blue eyes.
“Now, before you leave, let’s talk about safe sex practices—both solo and with partners. There are better options than vegetables.”
A sheepish smile crept across Jasmine’s face, followed by a genuine laugh. As the girl’s shoulders finally relaxed completely, Dili felt a wave of warmth wash over her. Eon after eon after eon proved the truth she held dear, and that morning proved no different; true healing never came in a bottle.
Next chapter coming Friday, July 25th.