Cursed Blessing

She woke with the sun hitting her in the face, she blinked then stretched. She looked around and inhaled deeply. No danger close, easily standing she stretched again. Her stomach grumbled but she was getting used to it as she seemed to consume more food now that she was a wolf. She caught herself heading back to the camp, stopped and turned the other way. She needed to see about fixing her clothing problem when she changed. She scratched her head and began going through all the spells and things she had learned in her head. She wondered until she found a good spot, sat down and grabbed all the things she would need to cast some magic. She carefully mixed and said the words that she’d been taught. Picking up the bowl with the mixture in it, sat it down in the middle of the clearing then started another chant. Suddenly the ground shook and a large grey cloud exploded from the area. She gave a yell as she was knocked down.



She coughed and gagged as the smoke disappeared. The smell from her ruined spell was awful, she covered her nose and mouth looking around. A small red figure with small leathery wings, glowing yellow eyes and small horns on his bald head looked at her. “You called?” the creature looked around and pulled out a piece of meat from behind his back. “You better have a need for me; I was in the middle of dinner”



She fanned the ill smelling smoke from her face and stared at the creature. "Oh dear, what did I do. Your not supposed to be here."



“WHAT! You called me out here, so you got me” he flew over to her and looked her over.



“Wow, you are gooood looking, want to reproduce?” it asked as he took a bite out of the meat with his needle sharp teeth.

"Uhh No. I did not call you out. I set a spell for my clothes not little annoying imps. I am going to send you back."



“Yes you did! I’m here aren’t I? And now that you have summoned me, you are stuck with me”



She stood up. "I don’t have a need for an imp" She sighed. "Great, Just great. I\'ve got Cyclops, alpha males and now a damn imp." She glared at him.



“Hey now! No need to be rude!” it demanded as it flew to her shoulder and took a seat. “Nice boobs!”



She pulled her cloak tight. "Stop staring at those. I’ll figure out a way to get you back where you came from one way or another." she pinched her nose. "Ewww..go take a bath. You smell terrible."



The imp smelled his armpits. “What? I smell great; in fact I am surprised you are not throwing yourself at me”



"Ewwww... here if you smell like that you make people run. There is no attraction for that." She picked up her things and headed for the spring she and Christian had been at before. "You need to get clean or you are not hanging on me."



“I am clean!” it claimed. “If you think I smell bad, you should smell a dirty imp. My cousin …” he began a long and detailed story of his cousins, brothers, sisters and so on.



She felt her head begin to pound; she reached the water, sat on the edge and began disrobing. Listening to the creature name every person in his family, what they liked and what they smelled like. She may never eat again.



“Go ahead and take them off” he said and tried to look inside the cloak at her chest area.



"Hey, stop that." She smacked at him. "Go away. I need to wash. Shoo!!"



“How rude! You human females are soooo demanding” he took flight off her shoulder and settled to hover over the water. “Is this what you humans wash in?”



"Yes. It’s called water." She reached down and splashed some at him.



“I know water when I see it. Do you know how filthy that is” he made a ball of fire in the path of the water and it vaporized. “Now if you want something clean a pool of hot WONDERFUL lava. Now that is a treat”



She put her hands on her hips. "That was not nice. Humans cannot bath in lava. It’s too hot we\'d die. Now I will smell like you until I find more water. Pest."



“Allow me” he snapped his fingers and after just a moment he reappeared with a huge pot suspended over his head, he snapped his fingers again and a hole opened at the bottom and filled the hole where the spring used to be. “Here you go, boiled water. TOTAL clean, it should be cool enough for you”



She was shocked. "Thank you. Why are you being nice? "



“You don’t know much of Imps do you?” he snapped his fingers and the pot vanished.



"Well, not really. Do you mind, turn around or something, having you stare at me is a bit...unnerving.”



“Aw come on. I gave you clean water; at least you can let me watch you”



"You can watch once I am in the water. Now turn around."



“Ungrateful humans” he muttered to himself, thinking she wouldn’t hear him. He snapped his fingers and he vanished.



She stood there and looked around, sniffed. Then unclothed herself and stepped into the water taking her soap with her. "Mmmm...nice."



Christian had woken up and made had his way to the spring. “Good morning” he said as he gave a stretch just before he entered the pool. “I hope you don’t mind sharing the spring”



She turned around quickly. "Oh you scared me. No I don’t mind." She watched him enter the water. If she had been in wolf form her tail would have been wagging quite happily. "Morning to you." She dipped under the water and began scrubbing her hair with the soap.



Christian stopped and sniffed the air. “Damn, what is that smell” he smelled himself, but he realized it wasn’t him.



"I had an accident with my spell this morning. So it may be just me, it’s why I am scrubbing so well."



“Alright. Let me know if you need my help” he offered, he took a dip and when he resurfaced, he started to comb his hair and beard.



She rinsed her hair, washed her body, and then sat on the edge letting the sun dry her. She twisted the water from her hair. "Have you checked on the men yet today? "



“No, but they are probably still passed out from yesterday. I could hear them having a feast long in to the rising of the moon” he accidentally dropped the comb into the water. He dove into the water to fetch it and when he emerged, he caught her sunbathing in just her skin. A sudden urge to jump her right there washed over him. He was lucky that the water was over his waist.

"So I take it then that we will be here another day? " braiding her hair she looked up and saw the way he was looking at her. Her breath caught. "Is there something wrong? "



“No… Nothing at all” he said, forgetting the question just as fast as he heard it.



"Alright.” She gained her feet, turned and bent over to get her clothes from where she had dropped them. She gave them a good shake then sniffed.



A splash could he heard from where Christian stood, she had flashed him her goods right there and then. Sure he had seen her naked before, but NEVER like that. Now he was floating on his back, showing what he hoped he wouldn’t moments earlier. Standing like a flag pole, he had lost his footing and now tried to calm himself.



She turned around and looked at him. She blushed at his aroused state. Well he did deserve it after last night. She slipped on her clothes. "Looks to me you have a problem. I\'d fix that before walking around might frighten the women in the village." giving him a smirk she turned and headed back to camp.



“I should blame you for it” he stood back on the bottom and cursed that it was not ice water.



She just smiled. "Hey Imp. I know you can hear me. How about cooling off my friend for me huh? " she grinned.



“Who are you talking too? ” he asked, moments later he practically sprung himself out of the spring, the water had in an instant turned very cold. “Now that was cruel!” he cursed at her.



She roared with laughter. "Good boy."



“So may I see your boobs now?” he asked, appearing in front of her.



Christian was confused and he sniffed the air. “What is that damn stench!? ”



"Nothing. and to you NO!"



Christian started to sniff the air in an attempt to locate the origin. “It’s coming from you” he pointed at her; the imp pouted and crossed his arms over his chest. “So when am I going to get what I want out of this deal?” he asked.



She shook her finger at the imp. "There was no deal and I don’t stink."



“Deal? What are you talking about. And yes you do, the smell is coming from you” Christian smelled the air and followed it, when he passed he imp, his nose followed it and when he passed it again his nose followed, it looked like he was chasing ghosts with his nose.



She watched him. "He can’t see you. O great now they will think I\'ve lost my mind. It\'s not me. I swear"

“The deal is with you, you summoned me so you are stuck with me” the imp said. “You want me to burn him to a crisp? ” he asked as he made himself ready to snap his fingers.



"NO!! Behave." She lunged at Christian, putting herself between him and the imp.



“What did I do?” Christian asked, looked very lost at her. The imp looked at them both and lowered his hand. “It seemed like he was bothering you, so I thought…” he said.



"You didn’t do anything. Sorry. I thought I saw a bee or something. I didn’t want it to sting you." She gave him a lopsided smile.



“A bee? Are you serious? ” Christian looked at her a moment. “Have you stayed in the sun for to long or something, you are behaving VERY strangely”



"No I\'m fine, really." She turned and glowered at the imp. She was going to have to be careful and not talk to him when others were around.



He narrowed his eyes at her; he had to keep an extra eye on her. Something was affecting her in some way. He could feel it.



All the way back to the village, she would swat at him every now and again. The imp sang every bawdy song he could think of and every chance he got still tried to look down her shirt. Finally she had enough, stopped growled. "SHUT UP!"



Christian stood there and looked at her with his mouth wide open. “What did I say?” he was sure she was on the verge of losing it…



"It wasn’t you. It was...oh stop looking at me like that."



“Tell me then… How am I supposed to look at you? ” he crossed his arms over his chest.



She sighed. She wanted to say like a lover but bit that back. "Like I am not crazy."



“Really? Then answer this question. Considering what you have shown me the past hour from your behavior. How would YOU see it? ”



"Okay, point taken. Maybe I am." she looked around for the Imp because he was being quiet and saw him by one of the passed out men ready to take a bite. "DON\'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. DROP IT!!" She yelled. Then looked back at Christian with a sheepish look."Its complicated."



“What is the matter with you? ” he asked, now he was concern with her well being.



The imp looked at her as if he had nothing to do with it.



"Remember I told you I had a small oops with a spell this morning."



“Yeah, what about it? ”



"Well, I kinda sorta, got an Imp instead of what I was trying for. He\'s over there trying to eat one of your men."



“An Imp? If it is an Imp, I wouldn’t worry about it trying to eat anyone, they are harmless. I feel sorry for you though, I hear they are quite annoying”