The Forest Witch's Home for Magical Creatures

Chapter 32: Under The Tree

The weeks passed in domestic bliss. She tried to picture how her life was this time last year. She was never unhappy, but she was starting to realize that she was lonely. She would spend her days in the forest with the birds and the trees. Her only companion was a grizzly bear. She would come home exhausted every day because she pushed herself. It's hard to be sad when there's always something to do. She would lose herself in chores and responsibilities and when she was finally home she would make dinner for herself.

Now, it was hard to find a moment of quiet. She was usually accompanied by someone when she saw to the forest. The chores were tackled together. The kids ran through the house. She could hear them typing on their computers in the living room. They shrieked and played in the yard.

She was never alone. Wren was always nearby. His magic was a constant presence in the back of her mind. She lived for the music of his movement. The whisper of his feathers, the shuffle of his footsteps. The rumble of his voice.

She could have never imagined her life turning out like this. Living in a house so full of love that it seeped into the foundations and soil.

She wouldn't be able to handle going back to how it was. This happiness rewired her DNA and changed her at her core. She could never go back.

Her bed remained unused. She fell into bed every night with Wren, in the comfort of his wings and nest. She woke every morning tangled in him. Their bodies pressed together like intertwining trees stretching towards the sun.

It was a rare morning. He was out of bed before her. She rolled to soak up his residential heat, hungry for any scrap of him. She watched as he took off his shirt and moved through stretches. He rolled his shoulders and spread his wings. The strong muscles in his back flexed and moved under the skin.

He moved fluidly, from one stretch to another. His body was as agile and strong as any predator. She shamelessly watched him, even when his head turned and their eyes met.

He gave her a judgement curl to his lip but she could see a flush across his scaled cheekbones.

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The boys had managed to feed themselves and get started on their homework. She made a cup of tea. There was a heart-shaped rock in her mug today. She made a quick breakfast for her and Wren.

She drank her tea on the porch. It had rained the night before. She breathed in the smell of a wet forest morning.

After a few minutes, strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her against Wren's chest. She willingly went. It was warm all wrapped up in him.

She lifted her mug of tea and offered him a drink.

He growled at it. She could feel the vibrations in his chest.

"Get your dirt water away from me."

She took a sip and made a pleasant noise in her throat. She will never understand his aversion to tea.

She looked out at the trees. Everything always seemed so bright and clear after it rained. The trees were various shades of vibrant green. The grass seemed fuller.

"It's a good day to forge mushrooms."

He made a noncommittal noise in his throat.

She tilted her head back against his chest and look up at him.

"My stores are running low." She continued, trying not to get distracted by his face.

"Do you want to forage in the forest with me?" She asked sweetly.