Rachel was a young girl, quiet and introverted. She lived alone in a house in the middle of an immense forest, isolated from any other human being. Despite only being a teenager, she was very efficient in her everyday life. Every day she would harvest her small garden, prepare her meals and clean her house. However, Rachel had one talent that she used to help her everyday life.

Magic

She was a witch, but not in a bad way. She did not murder people and use their bones to make potions, she was very kind and never used her magic for anything evil. She only used her gift to help her do her chores, hunt during the winter and, on rare occasions, defend herself from dangerous animals.

However, her powers did not simply come to her. Her mother was a hard-working peasant, who made one of the worst mistakes possible. She met a handsome man, and instantly fell in love. So blinded by love that a mere few days after meeting him, she was to bear his child. But the man she loved was not who he thought he was. The handsome man was in reality a powerful sorcerer named Trigon, and the child would be his pupil in the ways of black magic.

Horrified by this, she fled to the woods where she found the home of an old wizard named Azar. She allowed her to stay and took care of her until she gave birth to a baby girl. She was far from being normal, however. Her skin was a shade of pale gray, and both her eyes and hair were violet.

Unfortunately, the mother died while giving birth to her child, leaving her infant daughter in the hands of the helpful wizard. She did as best she could to raise young Rachel, teaching how to live out in the middle of the woods and showing her how her powers could be used for good. Sadly, when she was only ten, the wizard had developed a sickness.

"Rachel" the weak old woman spoke with difficulty "You must listen to what I have to say"

"I am listening"

She coughed horribly "I am dying. Soon, you will be alone here"

"Azar" she said "You can't die, I still have so much to learn"

"And in time" the wizard continued to cough "You will learn" She put his palm to her face "You were… the closest thing… to a daughter… I-"

Her words ended along with her life. And for the first time ever, Rachel felt a sense of loss in her life. She immediately buried her next to a tree and wrote something on that tree.

Here lies Azar, great wizard, teacher and friend

Remembering her teachings, the young girl continued her life in the woods. She continued to learn magic through some old books that he had.

And since then, the young witch had continued her life. With the wizard's books and teachings, she knew how to heal injuries, fly and much more. She never wished to rejoin the outside world. The wizard had told her horrible stories about witches being burned at the stake, and she obviously did not want that to happen to her.

"Maybe" she thought to herself "Fate will have me meet someone who will understand my troubles"

Garfield was a very gentle young man. Since he had no home, he was always travelling to different parts of the forest he was in. He would rarely stay in the same place twice, unless it was winter, and would gather all the berries and fruits he could find in that area. His nomadic lifestyle was not without reason though.

Garfield had grown up in a peasant family, with a decent house and loving parents. When he was young though, he became very ill. His parents had contacted many doctors, but none of them could cure him. Desperate to save his son's life, his father asked the help of a witch to cure him. She concocted a potion which did indeed cure Garfield of his illness, but had multiple side-effects. His appearance had become anything but normal. His skin was a shade of green, his ears were pointed like an elf and some of his teeth had sharpened to short fangs. Unfortunately, the witch was unable to counter the effects and while his parents were shocked by his changes, they were also overjoyed to see that he was going to be alright. A few weeks after he was cured, he gained a strange ability. He was able to transform into any animal he wanted, from a tiny insect to a large bear.

His parents kept him a secret from everyone else, doubting that his powers and appearance would grant him the townspeople's affection. For years, he remained hidden from the other peasants. On one day however, he decided to go against his parents' wishes and discover the world he was kept from. The events of that day were as bad as his parents feared.

The people were terrified of him, treating him like a monster. A group of men tried to attack him, but he turned into a fly and managed to get away from them and get back home. His parents scolded for what he did, but this day was only going to get even worse.

An angry mob arrived at their house that night, demanding one thing.

"Give us the beast, now!"

Terrified of what might happen to her son, his mother gave him a small bag with flint rocks and a bit of food.

"Garfield" she told him "You need to run away. Your best chance is the forest."

"But Mommy" he protested "Aren't you and Daddy going to come with me?"

"We can't" his father answered "You're gonna have to transform into something small to escape. Mommy and I are gonna stall the mob for as long as we can"

"But-"

"Don't argue Garfield!" his mother snapped "You're running out of time, go now!"

Tears started to run down his face. He hugged his parents for what he knew would be the last time he would see them alive. "I love you Mommy and Daddy"

His parents started crying as well "Go Garfield" said his distraught mother

Garfield turned into a squirrel and escaped his house. The mob had broken their way into his home and he could hear the voices of his parents yelling in pain. He turned around to see his house up in flames. Fear and sadness filling his soul, he continued running deeper and deeper into the forest until collapsing from exhaustion.

Over the years he learned how to survive in the wild. After his last experience with the outside world, he never wanted to leave the forest. In a way, the entire forest was his home. After being alone for years, he missed the outside world. However, he knew what would happen if he returned there. And because of this, the boy needed to stay in his immense home.