Second Chances

Chapter One: The Beginning

The sun was bright, and the air smelled like yesterday's rain. I was laying perfectly; still, my arm spread out, my hands intertwined with the grass. I listened to the lively forest around me. I could hear the whole forest, from the squirrels to the birds to the smallest insects crawling around. I took deep breaths, slowing my heart rate, matching it with the movement of the earth under me. It was so peaceful, being one with nature. I loved being here, just feeling the world move around me. Mother taught me how to feel the earth, how to become one with the forest. It was important for witches like us to be in tune with the earth. The forest creatures will bless our magic as long as we respect and tend to their home. We must harm the forest or its creatures without good cause. If we take a life to nourish ourselves, we must use it all and not waste what we take. These any many lessons my mother taught me. I became a powerful witch of the forest with her guidance—she, not my true mother. However, I did not come from her womb but from her heart. Mother found me broken and abused many years ago. She took me home and healing me, teaching me the ways of her mother and her mother's mother. Mother always wanted a child, and she said the forest blessed her with me. I was happy to be her blessing, and she is a kind and loving mother.

I have become a strong witch under my mother's care and guidance, and now I spend my days looking after the forest and all of its creatures. Mother is growing older and can't keep such a watchful eye any longer. I spend my days gathering and caring for injured creatures. I watch the forest borders and tend to the wards that hid us from those who wish to harm. We must keep all outsiders away from our forest, and danger lurks just outside the treeline. The only people who can pass through our wards are those who are sick and those who don't have the heart to cause harm. As long as we protect those in the forest, the wards and creatures will protect us.

There are many supernatural beings in our world, werewolves, vampires, witches, and fairies, to name a few. Though I have not seen many, I have heard stories from my mother. I study them learning about their nature. I have met many fairies and witches during my time with my mother. We all live in the forest together in a small community. We trade and care for each other, and they also help maintain the wards. However, this is the job all, families, not just mine. How I love this community, we all have one goal: to maintain and protect the forest.

I lay still for a few moments longer before coming to my feet and opening my eyes. The sun is lower in the sky, and it was time to tend the wards. Each family had their part in the forest to watch over, and mine was the most important. It was close to a pack of werewolves who would love nothing more than take our forest. The wards worked well, making those who view our land see nothing but dead wood and grass. The forest looked cursed to outsiders, and no one dares enter, fearing a painful death. Our wards will not kill those who enter but will simply show them their greatest fears. However, if they are pure of heart, they will be welcome into our oasis unharmed and welcome to stay. Anyone injured or near death will be pulled to one of us for healing. They will only be allowed to remain in the forest if it deems them safe. Once someone is cast out from the wards, they will forget all they saw in the woods, knowing nothing of us or the land. I have healed many people during my time here, and only a small number have remained. The forest is careful with who it chooses, and not all many remain in its domain. I was lucky to be one of those few, and I was not born here after all. My heart must have been pure, or I would have been cast out long ago. I headed for the edge of the forest, I was not far from home, but this was dangerous. The wards were at their weakness during this time. I walked with my wand in hand, a wand made of pure wood with the core of a unicorn horn. At its tip was a large piece of amethyst. The wood was the forest, gifted by the tree of knowledge at its center, the unicorn horn from a unicorn who died of old age, and finally, the amethyst from a wondrous cave, gifted from an old witch who lived within.

I had got all the pieces myself during my final training. I took many months of being alone in the forest, following my inner guide, and completing many tasks. When all was done, I perform a magic ritual and combine all the pieces into a wand which I could now use to cast magic. I didn’t need the wand truly, but it increased my power and was a forest gift—a symbol of all I had done. I cast my wards to strengthen the old wards that had been placed long ago—smiling as I saw the border light up in front of me. The others were making the rounds as well, and the border could be seen for miles in either direction.

“Ember!” I heard a familiar voice call. I look in the voice direction and see the outline of a young fairy floating a few feet off the ground. I see them trying to wave me down as they fly towards me. They come closer into view, and I know that it’s Cherry. Cherry is a young faerie from the neighboring family. She had the appearance of a young girl with muddy brown hair and a slim figure. But she was the age of my mother, if not older. Faerie’s lives are a lot longer than most supernaturals, and their children are older than most humans.

“Hey Cherry,” I called out, waving. Cherry stopped only a few feet away from me, smiling.

“Ember, guess what?” Cherry said in a childish tone, spinning around in the air. She was always like this, so full of energy and childlike wonder.

“Let me guess. Mhmmm..chicken butt.” I said, laughing.

“No,” Cherry said laughing, “We found something.”

“Oh, what did you find?” I asked like you would ask any child a question.

“We found a werewolf,” Cherry said, laughing.

“What?” I asked again. I had never seen a werewolf before and managed to find one in the forest. I couldn’t believe it. They must have been messing with me. It wouldn’t be the first time that Cherry had either. Cherry was always doing something, pulling some prank on someone in the forest.

“I’m not pranking you this time, promise,” Cherry said before taking off. I followed her to the edge of my zone, and there it was a half-naked werewolf, covered in blood, laying on the forest floor. He looked awful, and he had blood leaking from every inch of his body. There was something oddly attractive about him. I could help but look over his whole body, drinking every fine detail of his face and his muscles. He was very tan with long black hair braid and pulled back. His face was covered in a heavy beard. He was pretty tall, at least over six and a half feet. His shoulders were broad, and he was covered in multiple tattoos, most of which were tribal. He let out a painful growl before opening his green eyes. They quickly found mine and stared into the depths of my soul. I couldn’t stop looking at them as he studies my face. There was something about those eyes that made me want to look into them forever.

“Mate,” he whispered before closing his eyes again.

“Well, he is in your zone. That means you need to take him home and heal him,” Cherry said before flying away. I realized the real reason she came and found me was because she didn’t want to deal with our new visitor. Well, she could have helped, at least. I quickly cast a spell on him to make him weightless for the time being before throwing him on my back and carrying him back home. Mother was waiting for me, and for a good reason, I was late. Even his body was weightless, and it was no easy task to carry an injured full grow werewolf through the forest. I was covered in his blood. It had soaked through my dress and covered my hands. If we hadn't found him, we did. He would have died during the night.

"We have a guest, mom," I said, carrying him through the door and into the living room. We lived in a simple cottage with two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, living room, alchemy lab, and a large greenhouse. Everything was built and made by hand, finely crafted by mother's great grandfather long before she was born. We made our own clothes too, everything we owned came from the forest.

"Take him to your room, and I'll go get everything." my mother said, zooming past me into the alchemy room. I carried him into my room, throwing him into the bed and releasing the weightless spell. He wasn't awake, and I told tell he lost a lot of blood. I went to work stripping him of all his clothes which were covered in mud and blood. I went to the kitchen and got a clean rag and some warm water before cleaning our guest as best as I could, avoiding his member and the lower area completely as, for some reason, it was hard and sticking straight up. My eyes keep wandering back to it. For some reason, I felt something brewing in my core just thinking about touching it. I covered his shame before my mother entered the room with medicine. We went to work applying healing lotions and warping his injuries before casting a healing spell and leaving the poor werewolf to rest and heal. Mother and I ate a simple dinner before heading to bed for the evening.