She had no idea how long she had been asleep for, but the cat kept urgently meowing and pawing at her face. She followed him through twisted halls and winding staircases of earth and stone, she went up, up, up until she saw sunlight, her eyes adjusted as she moved closer, she didn't notice her companion had left. She was out in the forest again, she turned around when she heard a soft rumbling, the earth was closing underneath her. She turned back and began walking, hoping to get out of the forest, to find her mom again. She eventually found her way back to town, but it was no longer bright and happy anymore, it was mostly undamaged but a lot of emotional pain was here, fogging the air. She wandered through the streets for a sign of anyone, then she remembered the meeting place they all went to when something happened, which was rare. She began walking to the center of the town and saw silhouettes of people, angry people, crying people, people just standing not knowing how to feel. Someone touched her arm gently and Vivian twitched, it was Angela.

"Vivian! You're okay!" She looked at Vivian like she just vanquished a demon, with admiration, but also relief.

"Yeah, but, where's my mom?" She asked her.

Angela held back tears and looked down, then gently took Vivians face in her hands.

"I'm sorry baby, she's gone. They took her."

Vivian collapsed and started sobbing into her arms, she felt like everything was collapsing around her, her protector, her mother, her best friend, her life, her being, who she was, where she came from, it was all gone.

The ground trembled, Angela's eyes widened, people turned to look at them. Once they realized it was Vivian they either walked away or glared at her. Soren, the voice of the town approached her, with hatred in his expression.

"They came for her, now they want you, but we don't. We don't need them coming back, so you gotta go." He told Vivian.

"What?" She asked quietly.

"SOREN!" Angela screamed at him.

"Why did they want my mother?" Vivian asked, tears streaming down her face.

"Leave." Soren hissed.

"Why?" She asked again.

"Go. Get out of here." He growled.

"Soren she's just a kid, she can't survive all alone, no one can." Angela pointed out.

"Good, then they'll never come back." He said matter-of-factly.

Vivian kept crying but made no sound, where was she supposed to go?

"They wanted my mom, not me." She tried reasoning with him.

"Until they learned that you exist, they took her and left but they left those three hunters here and I don't want them." He explained.

"They won't be a problem anymore." Vivian told him.

"And how do you know that?" He questioned.

"Because I saw them, shredded and thrown into the trees." She recalled.

"There's no way that happened, you don't have that strength, you're lying." He narrowed his eyes on her.

"I'm not lying, and I didn't do it, someone- something else did."

Soren sighed and grabbed Vivian by the back of her head.

"I don't care for your excuses and lies, you need to leave, you can't be here anymore." He finalized.

"Vivian, I'll help you find somewhere to go, I promise." Angela spoke up.

Soren walked away, the damage had been done, Vivian was cast out.

Angela walked with Vivian through the woods.

"You know, a cabin in the woods does sound nice." Angela pointed out, trying to lift the gloomy mood.

"The town is full of witches, why did they want my mother specifically? Why her? Why not someone else?"

"Because Belladonna was more bound to Gaia than any of us, she was the most powerful, she killed a few of those hunters before they got her and sailed away on their ships, like your father did all those years ago."

Vivian stopped dead in her tracks, a few words of that statement gained her attention.

"Gaia, Mother Nature, The Earth Goddess. My father, no one told me what happened, was he a hunter? Or did he become one? Or do you mean that he was taken as well?" Vivians head was filled with confusion.

"The women in your family were the first to discover this place, the first to meet Gaia and accept her gifts and become witches, they were guardians of the forest, they used to ride atop mighty beasts that were elegant and terrifying, but that was a long, long time ago, over a hundred years back. Your great-grandmother didn't want all the responsibility so she just became a regular witch like the rest of us, although I'm sure you still have spellbooks with the old magick in them. Anyway, there were no more guardians, and yet the forest waits for one, a female of your family, your mother told me this when she was pregnant with you, worried about your future. Your father always tried to soothe her nerves, telling her that everything would be fine, that he would make sure of it, so when the men on their ships came years ago, you were only four at the time, he said that he came from the women in your family and that he had the power, so to keep you and your mother safe he let them take him. I have no idea what they did with him or what will happen to your mother, but she was my best friend and I want to know she'll be back one day, but we need power, we don't have ships of our own, but maybe," She looked at Vivian with an awed expression.

"If we had a guardian we would never have to worry about the men from the sea again, I saw small sketches of those beasts in old, old books your mother had stashed away, they were terrifying, extraordinary, powerful, mystical, obedient, they engulfed people with fulfillment and determination, there were only three that were ridden, the most powerful ones. Most of these creatures were wrapped in vines and stone, looking like the earth made beast, but the ones that were ridden, they had certain patterns of fur on their skin, they wore skulls to conceal their faces, they had enormous antlers, exotic eyes colors too from what I read, well, what I could read, they had their own language only your family seemed to know."

Vivian thought back to the lines on the lid of the box.

"Right here is perfect." Angela declared.

Vivian looked at the space before them.

"I'll tell them to build here, we are all willing to help you." Angela assured her.

"Angela, do these creatures... Do their voices sound like thunder, like, when they growl quietly?"

Angela stopped and stared at Vivian wide-eyed.

"They do, voices that could snap trees, crack stone, shatter glass, and incapacitate men," she recited.

Vivian had no idea what incapacitate meant but she could take a guess with the context.

"Vivian... How do you know that?" Angela asked carefully.

"I heard it, after I saw the bodies of the hunters, I heard it right behind me, I felt its breath on my neck." She explained.

"That means there is one alive, but then why wouldn't he come to our aid when we needed it? When your mother needed it..."

"He came when I needed him, after my mom told me to run here."

"Your mom knew, or she hoped something here would protect you. She probably believed Gaia would send a 'knight' of sorts to save you, which she clearly did." Angela confirmed.

"Angela, you said my mom was close with the Goddess, do you know what Gaia looks like?" Vivian asked.

"Bella told me she had beautiful ebony skin, like polished burned wood, black hair that had streaks of gold which shone in the sunlight, her eyes are an unnatural green for humans, similar to yours, whimsical, bright. Vivid. She wore a green dress with oak leaves decorating her shoulders, and surrounding the bottom of her dress. She also had a dark leather belt with a blue gem in the center, framed by golden twigs winding around it, and a golden necklace with a sun pendant dangling from it, and a bracelet which held the moon. That's all I can remember at least." Angela finished. Vivian took a moment to imagine the sight, she looked at Angela.

"Do you know anything else about these creatures? Like, perhaps a way to summon them?" She asked.

Angela thought for a moment, diving deep into her memories searching for an answer.

"Not all these creatures came from the Goddess, some were made by certain types of witches, they were only allowed to create a certain amount in their lifetime, but they could be allowed more if they needed it, usually it only means three, symbolic of the other Goddess or Goddesses. The maiden, mother, and crone, I do not know if they prefer to be identified as one or as separate deities. Anyway, three was the magic number, and they could only be made during certain ages as another nod toward the passing of time." She described.

"I apologize for interrupting but how many Goddesses are there? Or deities? And what are all the types of witches?" Vivian asked.

"Don't worry about being curious, it allows you to learn, and at least you waited until I finished a sentence, that is still respectable. But to answer your questions there are several Gods and Goddesses, and many more deities, as for witches, I do not remember them all but everyone here either aligns as a Green Witch, a Sea Witch, or Divination Witches, which can all be broken down into more accurate descriptions of the witch in question. For example, a Green Witch could also be referred to as a kitchen witch, a crystal witch, a garden witch, and a few others." She explained.

Vivian looked at her curiously.

"What's a Divination witch?" Vivian questioned.

"A Divination Witch excels in reading the Tarot, working with pendulums, exercising their intuition, seeing through their third eye, rune reading, astrology, palmistry, scrying, tea-reading, and others, some Divination Witches can actually read and write in Theban, the witches alphabet. Of course the majority of witches usually learn some phrasing in Latin and the Celtic languages, but only the most spiritually connected end up learning Theban; and the majority of those are Divination Witches." Angela carefully elucidated.

Vivian inhaled deeply absorbing this information. Perhaps Theban was the mysterious language she couldn't read.

"How old do you have to be to create one of those creatures?" Vivian inquired.

"Well unlike most witchy things, that actually requires you to fit into a particular category of witch, Green. To use Gaia's power you must offer your support in return, you don't want to use your own energy, that will make your spells less effective, it's best to give her an offering, a stone you found, something you grew, something that won't harm the environment will work just fine, singing and dancing for ceremonies are also encouraged. But in answer to that, it mentioned something about an assortment of flowers, bark from your favorite tree, an offering of something personal, and something referred to as the Bones of the Earth. It will be some time before you are able to birth the first creature, although with our situation, it may come sooner than the expected age which is usually sixteen or seventeen, but the earliest was fourteen." She answered.

So at least four years before Vivian could make one, that gave her some time to study witches and the past.

"What do the hunters do with witches?" Vivian asked slowly, not quite sure if she wanted the answer.

Angela started walking back to town holding Vivians hand.

"Usually they burn us alive, drown us, or hang us, but I've heard some people buy witches as a tool for them to gain what they desire. For your mothers sake, I hope she's sold." Angela looked gravely at the earth below her.

As bad as that statement was, Vivian hoped the same thing, she hoped her mother was bought so she could live long enough to see her again, and remove hunters from the world.

"They'll get what they're owed." Vivian growled, rage building in her chest.

"Careful; impulses can cause more damage than restoration." Angela warned.

Vivian stayed in her old home for a few days while her forest home was being built, Angela occasionally came over to help her pack crates of belongings of Vivians and Belladonnas. After it was built, Soren came over to tell Vivian to leave.

"Time to go, little monster." He sighed.

Angela looked ready to punch him.

"It'll take some time to get everything there, but after that you won't have to deal with me again." Vivian vowed.

"Good, I don't need another invasion." Soren stated.

Angela helped Vivian transfer boxes and crates all day, it was late evening by the time they were done.

"Thanks Angie." Vivian said, hugging her.

Angela hugged back sadly.

"Feel free to visit, Soren may banish you from living there but you can visit all you want." Angela told her.

"Don't worry I will, but right now, I think I just need to be alone, I can unpack myself." Vivian said.

"Okay. I'll see you later Viv." With one final hug, Angela was gone.