Forest Adventures

Once she was back in her room, Evelyn's maid helped her undress and slipped her into one of her favorite nightdresses. Evelyn was particularly fond of this nightdress because the light green color, accompanied by its high neckline and buttons down the back that reached up to the neckline, covered all of her curves while still maintaining an elegant shape that would have one-second guessing if it was in fact, a nightdress. Her favorite part was the higher hemline that allowed her to roam around at night without her worrying about it becoming dirty when she snuck into the forest to practice her magic.

The room that she was given had two glass doors covered in flowing white curtains that led to a modestly sized balcony. Just like many other nights, Evelyn covered her flowing nightdress with her dark forest green cloak and stepped out into the night air. One thing that Evelyn hated the most was being cooped up and followed around by nosy maids that reported her every action back to her father. Evelyn walked past the small glass table and chairs for two and leaned over the edge of the balcony, taking note of the surroundings below. Her quarters back home featured a large-sized balcony, but the best part was that directly below was nothing but soft grass and a large tree with branches that were placed close enough that one easily could climb up and access the balcony. It provided her with the best opportunity to sneak out in the evening and access the forest beyond their garden without being noticed. Now, she was faced with a bit of a challenge as there was no easy way to access this balcony and directly below was a walking path that could be seen by many windows on the first floor.

Evelyn carefully sat on the railing with her bare feet dangling freely and observed the path below her. She began plotting the best way for her to slip into the forest beyond the far garden. While she was able to manipulate the wind to safely leave and enter the balcony, her biggest issue was how she would ensure she would not be caught doing so. No one here was aware that the sisters possessed magic and her family had all agreed to keep this knowledge a secret for fear of the consequences that could follow should word get out.

After some time had passed and the lights from the windows began to fade, the path was only lit by the light of the full moon. Evelyn stood up on the railing and began summoning the wind. The hood of her cloak slipped down, leaving her wavy black locks to blow freely around her and she began to suspend herself in the air. It was a beautiful sight to behold; she looked nothing less than a goddess of the night with her porcelain skin shining in the moonlight. She floated forward out of the way of the balcony and descended gracefully to the ground below. She adjusted her cloak to conceal her nightdress and her face and then slipped into the darkness, passed the vast garden, and entered the forest.

She made her way deeper into the forest, taking in all the splendors that surrounded her, and followed the faint sound of the stream that lay just ahead of her. Once she reached the stream, she climbed up onto one of the large rocks and laid down to glance at the sky above her. The full moon shone brightly, and she slowly closed her eyes. As she lay there with her arms spread out, letting the sounds of the forest around her clear her mind, she began to let her magic flow within her. It carefully spread throughout her body until it began to hum. With her eyes still closed and her body lying still, she felt her magic tingling just under her skin. She carefully released her magic to call forth the animals around her, searching for one that would be her set of eyes.

***

Downstream from Evelyn, deeper into the forest, two large wolves felt the delicate pull of her magic. They both paused in their tracks and exchanged glances with one another. Shimmering in the moonlight, a fawn-colored wolf with white fur racing down its back from the center of its head to its tail, lifted its head from the stream. Its glowing yellow eyes scanned their surroundings.

[Did you feel that?] Quincy asked his brother, silently communicating with his mind.

[Yes,] he lifted his head, locking his eyes before searching around him.

[Carl, we should head towards it. We better see this witch with our own eyes!]

Carl agreed and they both set off upstream, treading carefully while following the magic that was calling them forward. It did not take the brothers long to get within eyesight of the witch. The scene before left Quincy mesmerized. Surrounding a large rock were various animals that had also been gently pulled forth. Various birds were slowly circling above while rabbits, squirrels, and deer gathered around the rock on the forest floor. Just above the rock, they could see a woman draped in a dark green cloak hovering a few inches off its surface. Her hood had fallen off her head and her dark locks danced in the wind.

[Quincy,] the large copper colored wolf called out to his brother, trying to get his attention.

Quincy could not take his eyes off her and slowly began to move forward, closer to the beauty that was before him.

[Quincy!] Carl growled, shaking his brother out of his trance. [What are you doing?]

Quincy shook his head and tore his eyes away from the sight before him, [Sorry. I just…

hmmm…I don't think I've ever seen her here before. Do you think she has come for the ball?]

[That doesn't matter right now! I don't understand what she is doing! I can clearly feel her magic, but she smells human!]

They both watched the girl and felt the pull of the magic begin to subside. The animals slowly began to leave the circle along with the birds that began to disperse until all that remained was a large crow that hovered about the girl. The crow descended until it was just above the female's face. After a few moments, the crow began to raise itself into the sky and disappeared into the forest. The brothers looked at each other, confused by what they had just witnessed as the girl slowly laid back down on the rock.

[I can still feel the magic, but I'm not sure what is going on,] Carl communicated with his brother. He was quite flustered by the situation, [we need to share this with father.]

[Let's wait a little while longer to see what she does. Do you think you can follow that crow?]

[Yes, I can track the trail of her magic. What are you thinking?]

[Follow the crow. I think we should see where it is headed; whether it stays in the forest or if her goal is to spy on the estate. I'll stay here and let you know if she makes a move; you just follow that crow and see where it goes.]

Carl set off, following the faint traces of the magic, leaving Quincy to observe the girl.