They walked along the pathway looking at the giant trees and watching the different birds fly over in the bright afternoon sky. Gwen was paying extra close attention to make sure she didn't see that creepy raven. She still remembered how uneasy she felt being near it, as if it were a danger or very bad omen. She saw blue sparrows, a fire wren even a gorgeous purple canary, the rarest bird in all of Galderia.

"Trinity look in the sky above the elder willow tree." Gwen pointed at the dark purple bird no bigger than a wren.

She looked up to see what birds were flying over, sharing in her best friends excitement.

"That is magnificent, I've never seen birds like that in my world." Trinity commented with a joyful grin.

"I've been fascinated by the forest creatures all of my life." Gwen admitted.

"If there half as gorgeous as the birds I can see why."

Gwen began to spout a joyful chuckle of laughter with her good friend.

Then as if from the thin air surrounding them, Gwen became still, motioning to Trinity for complete silence. the two witches didn't move.

"What is it?" Trinity whispered in a panic.

"Hush would you? I need to listen more to figure it out." Gwen commanded.

Trinity nodded with a slightly hurt look upon her child like complexion. She fell silent along with her forest tour guide. Slowly Gwen peered over the thicket surrounding them to see something distrurbing and grotesque. She had to do a double take to make sure she wasn't hallucinating or having a vision. Shaking her head she simply looked at Trinity, who seemed completely lost.

"What is it?" Whispered the confused new witch.

"I don't know you'd ever seen one."

Trinity gave her a look of impatience, flushing her cheeks with annoyance.

"Would you just tell me already?" Trinity snapped and her eyes went a strange blue violet color that impressed Gwen.

"It is a dark being, possibly demonic in nature." She pointed, and Trinity peered over, slightly nervous.

When she peered over she had to slap her hand over her mouth to keep from letting out a blood curdling scream of horror. It looked like something out of a horror movie red eyes dripping fangs pointed ears with a slick reptile looking scales, black as night.

"I told you, didn't I?"

Trinity nodded, clearly in shock at what she had just seen. Gwen muttered something that the other witch didn't understand, a chant of some kind in an old sounding language. Trinity shook her head but almost instantly felt better and able to cope with the situation.

"Thank you, I think I needed that whatever it was you did."

"I can teach you but for now we need to stay still and away from that thing." She pointed over the thicket.

Trinity nodded in agreement and ducked down giving her friend a smile of reassurance. Gwen ducked down with her.

For the longest moment they were unsure as to what to do, they sat there in the forest and just stared at one another.

As if fate liked to see her squirm, suddenly the creature turned and took a whiff smelling something different in the air around him. He slouched over, heading a few feet away to follow the scent. He leaded over a large bush to see two human females hiding behind it.

"What are you doing, might I ask?" commanded the creature.

Trinity didn't move or dare find the ability to speak. Gwen rolled her eyes, then looked at the dark creature.

"Right now I'd say i'm hiding from you with my friend who's never seen a dark being before." Gwen informed him with what courage she could find.

"I see, and pray tell who are you?" The creature growled as politely as he could manage.

"I'm known as Gwen, this girl here is my friend, Trinity. Who are you?"

"I can't associate with humans, I have one human that I protect with my soul, that is enough."

"Who is it, I might know her."

"I refer to her as Miss Veronica and I will keep her safe, another's blood on my hands or not." He stared the human down, trying to sense her motive for being out here.

Gwen couldn't believe what she had heard the creature say. That horrid girl was being protected by this  fearsome dark creature? It was  infuriating to her. Not that she wished the dark one any real harm, but still.

"I have met her, a few times." Gwen tried to calmly admit to the creature in front of her. She then turned to look at Trinity, hoping her eyes could relay a message to keep your knowledge an inner secret for now. It seemed to work, Trinity stood there unsure what to say, yet as pale as could be.

"Good for you, now would you two kindly leave this part of the forest, I'm trying to sleep. Dark forest and nocturnal creatures and all of that."

"We're not stupid." Trinity piped up.

"You could have fooled me." Replied the dark scale covered beast before spreading his wings and flying off into the thickiest part of the forest, past the mountain trails.

"That was just plain weird." Trinity broke the tense silence, hoping to lighten her friends' mood.

"You're telling me, it was a little beyond weird." Gwen replied.

  The two headed off into another section of the vast forest landscape. Gwen wondered if that critter of the night had anything to do with the raven from the town square a few evenings ago? She thought there may be a connection there. She concentrated on keeping an eye out for any other creatures lurking around. The last thing she wanted to do is put Trinity in danger. She smiled at her new friend as they walked the path, exploring a safer direction, with any luck that is.

The two of them walked along the path in silence at first, then suddenly Trinity stopped in her tracks.

"What is it? Why did you stop?"

"What was that thing we saw? It was really there right?"

"Yes, it was really there, I'm not sure what it was, but it was a being of the darkness, best to stay clear of him."

"Do you run into dark beings out here very often?" Trinity asked with a hint of fear in her voice.

"Relax I have seen more today than I have in years." Gwen gave her a look of honesty and comfort with her soothing words.

Trinity smiled and the two of them kept walking, finding strange birds, small creatures and even Trinity spotted a silver winged butterfly and showed it to Gwen.

Gwen smiled, beaming with excitement at the fun she could have out here with her new friend.

"Trinity tell the butterfly to dance, please."

Trinity looked at Gwen as if the girl was clinically insane, but did as requested. Instantly when Trinity asked the medium sized silver butterfly to dance, it did. Trinity's eyes widened, and Gwen was on the hard forest ground laughing as long as she could. Trinity stared at her in confusion.

"What's so damn funny?"

Gwen said absolutely nothing.

"What is it?" Ordered Trinity with a look of impatience.

"I'm really not supposed to tell you."

"Spill it,  Gwen."

"Well I suppose I had better tell you, but let's pretend I didn't, ok?"

Trinity nodded with an eagerness to hear more.

"Alright, your power is nature magic, specifically forest magic."

"What do you mean?" Trinity asked, puzzled.

"The silver butterfly dancing for you was no random act. It recognized your soul. Your ability enables you to bond with all the creatures, from humans to trolls even the birds." Gwen explained hoping it would help the new witch find her place in Galderia.

"How do you know that?"

"I just do, in a few seasons you'll know what I mean."