The Forest Witch's Home for Magical Creatures

Chapter 1: The Intruder

There was an intruder in her forest. She felt it cross her wards that border the entirety of her land. It felt as if her magic was made of strings and one was strummed. She tilted her face up towards the sun and mentally followed the vibrating string of magic. She expanded her magic and felt all the familiar life that lives on the ground, in the trees, deep in the lakes, and among the streams. She felt the hum of life from the grasses to the tallest tree. All was in the realm of normal. She was the only magical being in the forest. She and Ursa. Until she felt it. The magical being crossed her wards on the far eastern border. She brushed her magic against the intruders' magic, soft and curious. Its magic responded violently, thrashing out in aggressive pulses of red. The magic that touched hers was old and wild as a forest fire. It burned against her inquisitive wisps. She withdrew her magic and gave the being its peace. It would find her eventually. This was her forest after all.

She kept an eye on the magical being as she went through her day. She checked on it when she was blessing the new blooms in the field. It was present in the back of her mind while she was thanking the fruit-bearing trees in her orchard. It didn't move on the first day.

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On the second day, the witch packed a bag and headed into the forest. Her feet were uncomfortable in her shoes. She usually wore the least amount possible among nature, touching helped facilitate her magic. She liked to feel the dry dirt crunching beneath her feet. She enjoyed the mud squished between her toes. She thanked the grasses and flowers as they brushed against her skin. She was hiking out far today and it wasn't smart to walk that far barefoot. She left early in the morning. The mist was still hugging the ground, the dew drops still fresh on the leaves. She didn't bother locking her door, there were no humans this far out. She reached her magic out and felt for the unexpected guest. It was on the move today. It was no longer on the border but was slowly making its way further into her territory.

She walked away from her house. She whispered to the new spring flowers. Her fingers traced the grooves in the bark of the old trees. She walked all through the morning. She stopped to wave at the birds. She dipped her toes in the river and let her magic spread out through the water. She greeted the squirrels as they ran through her feet, chittering. She walked past the familiar two miles that extended around her house. It was where she spent most of her time. The state park was rather large. She couldn't attend to every acre every day but she tried to visit as much as she could whenever possible. Her house was miles away from the entrance of the park.

The park rangers cover the main entrance. The main part of the park had a little visitor center and restrooms. There was a small campground and miles of hiking trails. The park maps showed the hikers where they could hike and the rest of her forest was unmarked. The only trails she had were ones of her or the animals making. She had a dirt road that she could follow for 10 miles to her own exit from the park. There were several signs and road gates marked private property that kept most people away from her. The only visitors she had were the ones invited, except for her new friend in the east.

Her park wasn't the most visited in the state but it was quite large. It was the perfect fit for her. She wasn't a partially powerful witch, but she had an overabundance of magic that overflowed into the forest. Every touch, every word spoke released some of her pent of magic. It was the perfect relationship. Her forest flourished. Her forest was always one of the first options for reintroducing endangered animals and plants. Everything thrived here. Her magic blessed plants and animals alike and nature charged her magic in return. It was a mutualistic symbiotic system where everyone benefited.

She reached a wide portion of the river she needed to cross. She took her backpack and stretched out. She dug in her bag and pulled out a large dry bag. She took off her shoes and clothes and put them inside her backpack. She wasn't worried about being exposed. Her best magic happened when she was bare in nature. She shoved her backpack inside the dry bag and secured it. It was still spring and the water was shockingly brisk. Her skin pebbled up from the cold. She couldn't touch the ground at the deepest part of the river. She didn't fear the current. She thanked it as it pushed her to the other side of the bank. She was shivering and sought out a break in the trees where the sun broke through. She dug in her backpack for a towel and laid it out in the sun. She ate her lunch there. Naked and sunbaked.