The Forest Witch's Home for Magical Creatures

Chapter 5: The Wait

Wren

Wren had accepted the fact that he was being a tad creepy and hypocritical. He told the witch not to stalk him with her magic and now he was the one stalking her. He to make sure she didn't pose a threat to him. So far she had kept her promise to keep her magic to herself. It wasn't hard to follow her around. She didn't seem to have any survival instincts at all. She rambled through the woods all day, never checking her surroundings for danger. She took naps outside. He could almost guarantee that she didn't lock the doors to that fancy house.

He followed her into the forest and was almost disgusted by how oblivious she was. He didn't even try to step lightly and she never knew he was there. He watched her stop and chitter at squirrels. She crouched down and talked to rabbits. She sang along to the birds in the trees.

It was disgusting.

The first day he had spent a lot of time investigating the forest surrounding her house. He checked for traps or ensnarement. He found none. He checked the woods for any sign that she was malignant but the forest showed no signs of being occupied by evil. Magic had a way of influencing the world around it. Violence and evil can seep into the soil. It can poison the air.

This forest was thriving. The trees were tall and strong. The grass was clean, and flowers were starting to bloom. There were no traces of rot, no bloating corpses, or animals slowly dying.

The witch seemed to ooze goodness wherever she went. Her forest clearly reflected that.

It was horrible.

On the second day, he watched her. His plan was to catch her in the act of being cruel. Pop out and kill her. It wasn't an elaborate plan, he stuck to what he knew: killing evil witches. He realized his plan was futile before the morning was over. The idiotic animals in this forest adored her. Animals called to her, they ran around her feet for attention. They jumped branch to branch desperate for her attention. He sort of hoped that she would kick a baby duck just so he would have a reason to hate her.

On the third day, he sat up in a tall tree and mourned the fact that he couldn't kill this witch. Wren was not mopeing. He was a dragon. He was a legendary creature that struck fear in the hearts of man. He did not mope.

On the morning of the fourth day, the witch sat on her porch before sunrise. She was wrapped in a blanket to ward off the chill. She just sat and stared at the tree line until the sun rose above it. It was the stillest he had seen her be. Usually, she flittered around, moving or talking constantly. She hummed or sang while she walked or worked. Seeing her sit so still and quiet was quite unnerving. Possibilities flashed through his mind.

Was she sick? Maybe she had trouble sleeping. Was she eating enough? Did something happen?

Deep down he knew what had the witch staring forlornly at the sunrise.

She clearly had hoped he would show up. He could imagine it clearly. He would stride right up to her and her face would glow. She'd move around like a hummingbird, not knowing what part of him to focus on. She would take him inside her home. Feed him, care for him. Give him a place to heal. She would give all this without asking him for anything. Without expecting anything.

Wren didn't know if he could bear it. Being in debt to a witch was a serious thing.

So he stayed in his tree. He watched her as the sunrise painted her in its morning glory.

Massie

She spent the morning feeling sorry for herself. She watched the sunrise and hoped that Wren was watching, wherever he was. He was safe in her forest. He probably found a place to rest and to heal. Even if she desperately wanted that place to be with her, she was still glad he had a place at all.