Ordinarily  Ewan would've protested being pulled by the wrist, but he allowed the disheveled bride to tug him along. The witch's stable was another few paces and they'd soon put everything back to their host's specifications. Angel's howling would have to wait.

"Sorry. It was a dumb idea," Ewan looked down and muttered, trying to fit the rope and collar back around Shaggy. The wolfhound was having none of it and squirming out of every attempt. "I don't know what's gotten into him. Think you could hold him steady?"

Magic was the sort of thing you honed with age and experience. Maybe it was physical maturity, or maybe it was the patience that adulthood brought, but Ewan didn't have the same hold over his powers. A faerie called Gylawyn promised a short-cut if Ewan recovered an acorn stolen by her former lover. It seemed a simple affair.

Of course there was a wyvern ambush during their ascent of Kilanthro which scattered his companions. Ewan spent the better half of an afternoon wandering the forest alone. The boy tried to at least work a spell to find his dog. Either Shaggy was dead or far away and he felt sick. It was easy to forget how scary the woods could be without food, shelter, or a road to give you direction. As close as he was to Connlaoth he'd welcome any traveler at this point.

Ewan broke for lunch near a stream to gorge on a blackberry bush he found. Most were rotten or unripe. That's when he saw a campfire across the way.

"Course I won't forget him! I ain't careless," Ewan hissed, creeping barefoot after Angel. Shaggy followed when Ewan gave him a tug, but he could feel the dog's muscles tensing up. Something in here sure was bothering him. Their second journey across the threshold was nerve wracking, though it took less than a minute. Getting caught would be humiliating.

And then Angel tripped.

The boy could see it happened, and rushed forward to grab her, but it was too late. The bride fell forward with a loud thud onto the creek floorboards. He dropped his whisper, "Angel, are you okay?!"

"Children? Is everything alright?" came old Mara's tired voice from down the hall.

Ewan wriggled his fingers with a smirk. "Bet I could give Shaggy fingers and he could do it..."But you better howl good in either case."

"So just through these holes?" Ewan rolled over and sat cross-legged on the bed, taking the gossamer lace and staring at it in confusion. He felt dumb for asking and began sloppily lacing the gown from the top. He missed a few holes and pulled it a little too tightly in places. The muscles he'd had as an adult were replaced with the baby fat of a small boy, after all, and he'd had to overcompensate.

"Do up the laces?" Ewan groaned and rolled over, pulling up the old blanket to cover his face. He was more tired than he thought and sleep was beginning to gnaw away his energy. "You're supposed to do stuff for the dare, not me!"

Shaggy slid off the bed as Angel rose to change. The mutt padding over to the door, loudly sniffing about, before falling onto his haunches like a soldier at attention.

"What? I think its just as good as yours. And a dare's a dare" the boy shrugged. It actually was silly.

An impish smile crossed Ewan's face as he late back in the bed. A pang of jealousy flared in his brain as his dog snuggled into Angel.

"I don't know much about dresses and don't care to learn. You don't need to do it proper, anyway."

Without a sound the cat drifted from its post in the doorway, slinking in to the darkness from whence it came. Shaggy let out a low whine of alarm. The dog didn't like this.

"I dare you to kiss Shag-," the boy groaned "I probably wouldn't even need to dare you to kiss a dog."

"Put on that silly dress of yours, go outside, and howl at the moon. We'll watch," he pointed toward the window with a smile.

Meanwhile a ragged, feline shank peered through the doorway. The familiar's yellow-green eyes watched in silent judgment.

(OOC: Sorry for the delay!)

The trip across the cottage was nerve-wracking. The click-a-clack of shaggy's nails was sure to rouse Old Mara. That wasn't even counting Shaggy's loud panting, or if he barked. But what the hell was he afraid of? A scolding? His little heart was still pounding. Only a cool, sweating glass of water on a hot summer's day... unbuttoning your collar after a stuffy funeral... or a long piss after a night of drinking could match Ewan's relief at reaching the bedroom.

Shaggy leapt up beside Angel, and laid his head into her lap with a mur of satisfaction.

"I should have used a window, huh?" the small boy crept to his side of the bed, grateful to be burried beneath the wool and down blankets again. "And he can sleep on you. Hasn't even had a bath, you know,"

Had the children allowed some silence to pass between them they might have heard the creak of floorboards elsewhere in the house.

"Oh. And truth or dare?" he remembered their game.

(EDIT: Sorry if that move too fast. We can rewind if you wanted to insert anything!)

"But she said-" he felt a small pang of guilt. Slobbery as the wolfhound was, Shaggy hadn't left his side since they met. "Fine. But he's sleeping on top of you. I just had a bath."

Ewan rolled out of the bed and tip-toed toward the hallway. At the far end Old Mara's bedroom door was shut. He'd not need to pass it, and old people slept a lot anyway. So the boy pressed on. It was dark save for what moonlight could filter through the windows. Fortunately he didn't trip, but the real obstacle proved the barred door. Ewan had to stand on his tip-toes.

Shaggy, tied to the stable-post, let out a soft whine at the boy's approach

Ewan crouched beside the dog, scritching his ears before unfastened the tether. The dog bowled him over, assaulting his face with a rough tongue.

"Ugh! I'm sorry I left you out here. But we're going to have to be quiet if you want to go indoors," The boy brushed the straw from his nightshirt, guiding his dog by the shoulder back towards the front.

"You're not a total bumpkin then. Dragons. I've only ever seen one. Hard to think of them as just being farmed. So're you clinging to being a kid on your parents farm, or keen on seeing bigger and better things than dragons before you settle?"

"And it wasn't such a dumb question I learned-" he laid back and side softly, "Sorry. I'm not much fun am I? You start to forget how to be silly at twenty four. If I have to grow up again what would I even talk about to boys my age? I'd just wind up even weirder."

The boy was lost in thought for a moment, "Dare."

"Because this is truth or dare, and I'm not a cheater! I still don't see why its so hard to believe... didn't they have any mages where you grew up?"

Ewan snaps fingers, "Okay. Kind of lame for a truth or dare question: but where'd you grow up? What was your home and parents like?"

"Well, I liked my old self," the boy splayed his fingers, counting off with a cocky smirk "I was smart, I was handsome, I knew a lotta magic. But don't feel much like that person anymore; you hardly believe me!"

"But, I guess lots of people would give a lotto be a kid again. All I had to do was sniffle and you came right to my rescue!" Ewan cracked a smile. He had to admit it was nice to feel looked after...

"So round two. Truth or dare?"

"Lot of brothers," Ewan stuck out his tongue. "Explains your knack for annoying me.

"Truth," his lips formed the word dare. He wanted to be daring, especially after sniffling in the well, but was trying to avoid further embarrassment for the time being.

"If you have one wish-" Ewan screwed up his face, "No, that's dumb. If suddenly you were a boy, what would you do and what would you look like?"

He hadn't played that in years!

"Truth or dare's for kids-" An impish grin crossed the Ewan's face and he sat up, "'kay then. Truth or dare?" Surely he could think of some way to make her blush.

In the very back of his head the boy knew it wouldn't end well.

"Wouldn't dare! And there's no such thing as a man's dress. You made it up! I... hope." Ewan was familiar with all sorts of ridiculous wizarding robes. They were mostly stupid and impractical.

He returned the book to night stand and curled back up beneath the covers. It seemed rude with company. "Sure feels like I've known you longer than a day. Though I hardly know much about you, all the same," he cracked a smile. "How bout you ask me three things and... I ask you three things?"

"Other silly outfits to put me in or ways to mess up my hair?" Ewan rolled his eyes. The boy unfastened his vest and was left in a billowy white tunic.

He fluffed his pillow and climbed into the bed. It was comfy. And being swaddled in blankets was much nicer than sleeping with a dog. All he needed was a book. There was a stack of old romance serials; a mystery; and a dusty book of fables. He made a face at the romantic rubbish and wouldn't dare leave a mystery unfinished. The book of fables were the sensible choice, even if it was for children.

Book in hand and blankets drawn up to his chest Ewan was ready. "Now come on, tell me! You really don't plan for us to sneak off, do you?" he asked in a strategically small voice, trying to sound sleepy. He made sure to look settled in. Whether or not he screwed up their well adventure he was not going anywhere tonight!

"Gah! Hey!" Ewan yelped in surprise. He'd been hit with a pillow, then had his ears covered and his hair mussed. What the hell was she whispering anyway? It was nice to be looked after; even if he felt like a stuffed doll.

He slid from Angel's grip and retrieved the blankets Mara intended for his stay on the floor. "Thanks for takin us in and all."

"Not a hair of trouble, lad, and company does me well now and again," the witch gave a faint smile. "Breakfast's when the rooster crows." And with that she turned on her heel.

The boy gave his companion a rueful glance, trying to pat his tussled hair into place. He wasn't having much success. "So's this part of your escape plan or are you just being nice?" he dropped his voice, a little dubious after all her teasing. "And just what did you say to her?"

"And What's the worst that could happen? You become Missus Wonderful, your parents pay off the guy, and I get shipped off to some... ugh... orphanage?" he cracked a weak smile. None of that sounded good. But less sympathetic horse thieves would have it worse.

"I'd feel awful bad running off. And whose gonna know we're at a little farmhouse anyway?" He didn't even like the Mara all that much. But something about ducking out on a lonely old lady filled him with guilt.

The boy hopped off the bed to examine the loom in the corner. He laid a hand on the dark wood, trying to feel the spellwork. Ewan's discerning taste for magic had dulled since the transformation. A mischievous smirk crossed his face. "I guess it would be good to try for the shears again. If it works I bet we could go the rest of the way on a magic carpet, or something."

Just then they heard the creak of the floorboards, announcing Mara's return.

For a split second Mara gritted her teeth in frustration. She was so close to her prize. The spider died to poison months ago; but gods knew she couldn't make it down the well herself. This was work for young backs. Years of selling curses and boons to the desperate gave Old Mara a good eye for people.

Both children were filled with fire. Failure would spur them to try again. If she pushed too hard they'd ask questions, and that would make trouble. She gave a gentle smile, "Don't trouble yourselves. The well's old. Grown man would have reservations too. Do a week's worth of chores round the orchard and I'll see ya outfitted for travel, how does that sound?"

Old Mara lead them indoors. The cottage had one spare room. It was a bedroom, but filled with an odd assortment of mementos and personal knickknacks. Most prominent was a mahogany loom, cut and sanded into a floral motif. No doubt the arcane relic Mara had referred to. "You can sleep here, lass. I'll throw some blankets on the washroom floor for the boy." With that she left to prepare Ewan's sleeping arrangements.

The boy walked over to the bed and flopped down. It was ear-marked for Angel but he needed to sit. "Thanks for getting me. I'll try and do most of the work. Was my fault for being stupid and crying and everything," he sounded tired and defeated. "I wasn't lying about there being a spell on me. It makes me think different!"