"Stay here and finish up those potions for me. I'll be back in a few hours."
"Yes Mother." Mirabella stated with a nod as she watched her mother put on her black cloak, walking with the older woman to the door. She herself knew when her mother said it would be a few hours, that really meant she would be back after night fall. When her mother went on her outings outside of the barrier it was always like that. What her mother was doing while out there in the woods was a mystery to even Mira herself, but knowing her mother, it was probably her reeking some form of havoc on the humans. Sometimes she wondered if her mother lived only to trouble the non-magic wielders, but she never thought too long on it, and her own urge to leave the barrier was easy blocked off by the memories of what happened to her last time she left the barrier. Every time she came even close to leaving it came across her mind, instilling fear into her. Still, she always wondered what it would be like in the outside world...
Her mother turned the knob and was about to step outside of their small cottage when she turned sharply, a stern look on the Witch's face, "And Mira,"
"Yes Mother?" The girl questioned obediently as she could, bringing her mind away from her thoughts of freedom and back to the woman in front of her.
"Do not leave the barrier. Do I make myself clear? Those humans out there are--"
"'Evil and vile. They wouldn't hesitate to slaughter an innocent spell-caster or sell them off to the highest bidder in market.' I know Mother, I know. Now, go on before it gets too late." She commented, having heard the same warning every day for the last twelve years of her life, ever since her father had been killed by humans, and even more so since she had waundered out intot he woods anyway as a child, despite her mother's warnings. It was a moment etched into her mind and always left a knot in her chest. Those human children had seemed so kind to her. They had let her join in and play with them. But the moment they found out she could do magic...they tore her apart and though the physical wounds had healed, the mental ones had left scars.
"Very good. Remember Mirabella, no matter how kind those beasts may seem, they will always hate us. Never trust a human." This warning was one of many, and after her mother had spoken it softly to her, kissing her forehead, the woman went off, cape flowing behind her as she left the home and passed through the barrier just a mere fifteen feet in front of their home, heading off into the darkness of the woods.
"What's out there that keeps her leaving all the time? What is she doing?" Mira whispered quietly to herself a she stared out into the woods a few moments, before slowly turning and walking back inside to begin the work her mother had given her. She was to make some simple potions and though it was a very complicated task, she did this almost every day, and because of this it was something she had come to do with ease and great skill. Humming softly to herself, she began taking things off of the shelves and throwing each things at a time, in a certain order, into the calderon that stood in the middle of her mother's study.
She repeated this with every potion, and by noon she had done all of the potions her mother had told her to, leaving her free for the rest of the day until her mother was to return. Smiling slightly, she moved tot her own room int he cottage and knelt down on the floor, easily finding the right floorboards she needed to grab. She had been doing this for years and so, the hiding spot was one she knew well, yet her mother had never found as of yet. She pried the floorboard up and inside lay at least ten or fifteen books. Mira ran her hands over the old bindings of each leather bound book. Tilting her head to the side she was thoughtful for a moment, before deciding which one she wanted to read for the day, pulling a book entitled Sleeping Beauty out of the spot.
These books were written by two men named the Grimm Brothers, who traveled from kingdom to kingdom, finding stories to write about, which made Mira even more interested in the because that meant many of these stories were true.Taking the book in her delicate hands, she walked outside and rounded a corner when a large creature jumped in front of her, giving a roar that didn't even make her flinch. In fact, if anything, it annoyed the girl, "Grounii, go bother someone else. I'm busy."
Hearing her disinterest in him, she and her mother's pet dragon(whom she had kept as extra protection for the cottage), snorted and made a grumbling sound, slinking off around another corner to go to the other side of the cottage and likely catch mice or tease the birds by chasing them off.
Shaking her head at the beast, she laughed under breath, she walked along, pausing when she was trying to decode where she would read today. There weren't many options in the small space inside the barrier. All of the places she usually read at were getting boring and she really didn't feel the need to read in any of those places. She walked closer tot he barrier looking out into the woods beyond the shimmering wall(which only magic beings themselves could see) and frowned. There looked like there would be many fantastic places to read at out there. But the thought of running into someone, especially humans, left her somewhat fearful of going out there.
By now, the dragon had made his way over to her once more, nuzzling his snout against her neck, making her forget her fears momentarily to laugh and swat at him, "Grounii, stop it! That tickles!" The dragon licked her face before stopping and curling around her slightly, looking at her with big yellow eyes, "What do you think Grounii? About going out there?" She asked, looking up at him, then at woods. The dragon once again made grumbling sounds that sounded like he was trying to talk to her, to which Mira nodded, acting as if she understood him, "It's just outside the barrier.....and what are the chances I would even run into a human?" She paced a hand on the barrier, ripples running over it, "It wouldn't be so bad, right? And I'd be back home before mother found out."
She smiled slightly at this and looked at him, "Alright Grounii, you've convinced me." The dragon snorted, looking at her with a very surprised and 'are you crazy' look as she went to grab one of her mother's cloaks from inside and walked to the barrier. She paused, hesitant for a moment, her heart hammering in her chest. She stood there a moment and then, taking a deep breath, walked through the barrier, blinking as she looked around the woods. She looked back to see the large dragon walk though as well and she grinned at him, "What? Are you coming to? Well, you better change into something else. A dragon isn't exactly a normal thing to see in the woods."
Snorting once more, the dragon bent down and changed forms, turning into a black cat that soon was following her swiftly as she walked through the woods, stepping over fallen trees and roots as they went. Soon, Mira was very happy to find a huge oak tree, one larger than she had ever seen. Finding it would be a perfect spot to read at, she flopped down into the grass under the large oak tree, smiling brightly to herself as she flipped open the book, starting to read aloud to herself, "Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful king and king, of whom were blessed with a daughter. Everyone gathered to see the new princess, including three fairies. These good fairies were to each bestow a gift upon the child. One granted her beauty. Another granted her the sweetest voice one could hear. But, before the last fairy could grant her wish, an evil woman with dark magic...." Even though she had read this story countless times, Mira always paused at this part, a frown forming deeply on her face, "Cast a curse upon the child. On the princess's eighteenth birthday, she would prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die."
The black cat that was Grounii stalked over, laying down beside her to look at the book as well. Mira scratched his head and looked down at him, "That wasn't nice of her to do, was it Gounii?" The cat grumbled again as if to share his thoughts, making her laugh and continue reading, "The evil woman vanished soon after placing this curse and the third fairy granted a wish that would save the child's life if the curse would be fulfilled. She decreed that should the princess prick her finger, she would not die, but fall into a deep sleep." She began flipping through the pages more, trying to skip to the end, "The princess is sent away....she meets the prince in the forest.....falls in love...blah, blah, blah....she gets sent back home to the castle, where she of course pricks her finger." Rolling her eyes she grinned, "Didn't see that coming. Not." Finally coming to the end she started reading again, "The prince sat upon his white steed, sword held high as the evil woman shifted into a mighty dragon." She looked over at Gounii, who shifted momentarily into his dragon form again, and stood up tall and proud hearing this, giving a roar, causing Mira to laugh more shush before rolling onto her back, continuing to read as he changed back into a cat, "The dragon spit flame after flame out at the prince, but the prince was too quick. He lunged forward and...." She paused once again a deep frown coming back to her face, "he killed the witch, putting an end to her dark magic."
Sighing and not having the heart to read the rest, she shut the book and tossed it to the side, looking up to the clouds as she spoke to herself, "Why does the witch always have to die? Why can't just for once, the witch have the happy ending?" She whispered to herself, turning over on her stomach to stare out into the woods, "Once upon a time....there lived a lonely witch. This witch, was not like other witches, for she wanted a life beyond the boundaries that had been placed before her. She wanted to be a good person, yet knew she would never be accepted by humans, and because of this, hid herself away, waiting for the day she might be able to live a life away from the destiny that lays before every other witch. The day she would be accepted...." Sighing again, she moved to stand, "Which will be never. Only humans live happy lives and only prince's and princess's get happily ever afters."
Trying to shrug it off the best she could, she patted the cat's head and shrugged, "I'm going to go back to the cottage and maybe organize some of Mother's spell-books. I'm sure she would want--"
"Meeeeeow."
Turning at the sound of Grounii's meow, she turned around, seeing small black cat's yellow eyes, staring out deeper into the forest. Pausing slightly, she was about to reach out and pick him up, when the animal took off running fro a reason unknown to Mira. But what she did know is she had to get Grounii back and get to the cottage before something bad happened, "Grounii?! Where are you going?!" She yelled after the cat, dashing forward to try and catch up with him, but not doing such a good job at it, "Come back! If you get lost in the woods I'll never be able to find you!" She exclaimed worried, pushing back branches and things as she went, a worried look on her face as she headed deeper into the forest, trying to find her run away shapeshifter.
