When the girl awoke, she was curled up against the bark of a tall, winding oak. Its spindly branches curved around her body, as if cradling her. She yawned, stretching out the long, downy wings that jut from her shoulder blades. They felt stiff, but that hardly mattered.

"Here then?" she questioned aloud, sitting up straight on the branch and letting her legs dangle. There seemed to be nothing of interest in the woods. The trees were painted lovely shades of orange and red, and there was a slight crispness in the air that felt divine against her wings and in her hair. She could almost enjoy it.

But she quickly remembered the reason she was there at all. Giving a sigh, she pushed herself down off the branch and onto the ground, stumbling forward. She wasn't quite acquainted with her legs just yet, but that wouldn't last.

It never did.

She brushed twigs out of her hair, which hung halfway down her back and in her face. It was never easy to get used to having a physical body. She found it strange every time she did it. Senses, sensations. They were a mystery to her, but everything in that moment felt more or less... nice. The chill of wind against her face, the cool ground at her feet, the smell of pine all around. Oh, is that what that was?

Pine.

Her mind registered that yes, that was indeed what she smelled. Some part of her remembered it. The other part of her couldn't quite recall when. Maybe on her last mission. Maybe in life.

She ran her fingers along the soft blue feathers of her wings, which bent around her body in an almost protective manner. Like they had a mind of their own. She smiled at the thought, fully aware of the fact that it wasn't true but entertaining the idea anyway. Sadly, though, they wouldn't be with her much longer. "You have to go," she murmured quietly after a few moments, as if soothing a crying child. Her hands trailed down the length of her wings, and they folded against her back, perfectly on cue. The weight of them against her disappeared, almost like mist, and she rolled back her shoulders to adjust to the newness of her body. She felt empty when they weren't present, and an already saddened ache tugged at her chest, buts she had no choice. Hiding them was protocol.

Nobody could know what she was, except for her assigned host family. And whoever that even was, she had no idea. Though it wasn't exactly smiled upon for an angel to reveal such information to human beings, even if they were her assigned hosts, exceptions were made on missions like hers. Still, worrying over such things wasn't necessary right then, as she still had yet to find them. She was sure it would become clear to her soon enough who she would be staying with, though. Things never remained fuzzy for long. Her purpose was sure to reveal itself to her eventually, whether she seeked it out or not. Sometimes it seeked her out instead. Which certainly made her job easier, albeit a bit more treacherous.

Not that angels ever really remembered much from past missions. A feeling here and there, a scent, a sound maybe. If she tried hard, she could usually force herself to recall the last names of her host families. Or the image of a creature she came into contact with. Otherwise, her memory was wiped clean after each and every one of them. There was a reason for this, she knew. It would be painful to remember, and most days it was. Just to be familiar with her past impacts on people and their impact on her hurt her a lot.

She wondered how many relationships she'd had. Family. Friends. Maybe she'd even fallen in love a couple times. The very idea of such a thing weighed her shoulders down, pulling ruefully at her heart. Her existence felt like sweet sorrow. Like frost in the spring.

But it was the existence she'd been chosen for.

There was no turning back on it now, or ever, for that matter. So she simply moved forward, taking no time to assess the unfamiliar strangeness of the rough twigs and pine needles at her bare feet. She could focus on that later. Her first priority would be to find a living space that allowed her to blend in with society sufficiently.

As she moved closer and closer to the edge of the woods, soft, sweet voices began ringing against her ears. They must have belonged to children, or at least that's what some foreign tone in the back of her mind informed her. "Do you think it's true?" one of them chirped, and her head seemed to tell her the voice was male.

"Of course not!" exclaimed another, and she was sure it was a girl speaking then.

She furrowed her brows, taking light, nearly silent steps towards the voices. "I think it is! My brother saw it," yet another new voice chimed in. A boy, by the sound of it. Finally pushing herself out into the open, the angel met eyes with them, staring curiously, innocently. They certainly looked confused to see someone unfamiliar to them walk right out of the woods. But none of them shied away from her despite that. Her presence felt warm, safe somehow. They would never quite understand why, however. But she did. Children were naturally adept to the presence of deities, though they were probably entirely unaware of that. They likely believed she was just some newcomer in town, and it was best that they made that assumption.

She stepped forward and knelt down in front of them. "Saw what?" she asked, and small silver rings around her irises began to glow.

Captivated, one of the little boys pointed towards the forest she'd just come from. "A monster," he said blankly. "It's made out of shadows and has big angry horns. It lives in there."

The other boy nodded, mouth hung slightly agape in awe. "My brother says it's really scary, and I'm not allowed to go in the woods. But it only comes out at night, so I don't know why it's such a big deal," he added with a pout, crossing his arms.

The young girl hummed her agreement, and the angel stood up, releasing them from her intense, knowing gaze. "Thank you. That was very helpful," she murmured, looking off towards the town. Houses were lined up along the streets neatly, and they all appeared very well-kept. A few people here and there could be seen, but nobody seemed to be paying any particular attention to the kids. She supposed this was a rather tight-knit, small community, but the thought still struck her as dangerous, especially with rumors of a monster roaming about. "Promise me you'll stay away from the woods, alright?" she insisted, still taking in her surroundings.

The three little ones seemed to all exchange glances before deciding upon their complacency. She looked trustworthy enough, and the pleasant feeling she brought about with her was undeniable amongst them. "Alright, we promise!" one of the boys agreed enthusiastically, speaking for all three of them. Nodding appreciatively, the angel began to walk the other way when she felt a small tug at the hem of her dress.

"Wait, don't leave yet!" the high pitched squeak of the little girl's voice piped. "What's your name?"

She spun to face her, and only then did the little one seem to grow shy, letting go of the dress. Crouching down once again to be at eye level with her, the angel smiled. She placed a hand on top of the young girl's head, fluffing her hair affectionately.

"Beatrice."