Garfield slowly woke up from the hard ground he used as a bed, stretching a bit to try to compensate from the discomfort. He observed his surroundings, getting the first clear view of the home, since had only seen it lit up by a small fire the previous night. The shapeshifter noticed that his host was still resting soundly on her bed, her violet hair draped over her face like a veil. He then decided to go and try to find some food to repay her kindness. He still couldn't believe the odds of meeting someone like her out here in the forest.

Normally, he wouldn't trust someone like a witch he met in the forest, mostly witches never had the best reputations. However, he never forgot that it was a witch who saved his life when he was younger. In addition, there was something about Rachel that made him feel like he could trust her. Despite only knowing her since the previous night, he felt some sort of bond forming between them. Maybe it was because he hadn't seen another human being in so long or it was because they both went through some fairly similar experiences when they were younger.

As he exited the small home, he looked at the trees which surrounded her house, trying to find one that bore fruit. He then noticed a very large apple tree, only a short walk from Rachel's home. He walked to the tree and then morphed into a squirrel before he started to climb the tree. His wounded leg made the task much harder than necessary. He had transformed into a squirrel on many occasions, so he had much practice. However, his leg nearly caused him to lose his balance and fall on multiple occasions. In the middle of all the leaves, he changed back into a human, feeling a few branches poking at him from all sides. He noticed that there were plenty of apples there, just ready for picking. He gathered as many apples as he could carry, using his worn out shirt to help carry them, and started climbing back down with one hand keeping the apples from falling. When he was only a few feet off the ground, he let go and landed on his feet, groaning as he felt the pain in his leg again. When he entered the house again, he saw that Rachel was up.

"Good morning" he told her with a smile

"Good morning Garfield" she replied with a nearly-emotionless expression. The witch then saw what he was carrying "I see you've been busy"

He laughed a bit "I thought a bit of breakfast would be in order" he put the apples on the table "How do you like them apples?"

Rachel's eyebrow raised "Really?"

He laughed at her reaction "Oh come on, admit it. It was pretty funny"

She kept her stoic expression, before taking one of the apples from the table. "Where'd you get these?"

He took a fruit as well "From that tree in front of the house" he pointed to the tree from which he got the apples.

Rachel seemed surprised "Really? I thought I gathered every apple from that tree"

He laughed some more "It's a bit far from every apple, there are dozens of them in the middle of the leaves"

"I never get any from there" she stated "Too many branches get in the way"

"That's why it helps to be able to transform into animals" he said while grinning "Though that still didn't keep me from getting one or two scratches"

Rachel took a bite of her apple "So how's your leg?"

He rubbed his injury "Getting better, I won't be running very much any time soon, though"

She managed a very small smile "You know Garfield, you're the first person I've seen in a very long time"

"Same here" he stated

As the two finished their apples. Rachel looked out the window "I'm gonna go check on my garden, you wanna come with me?"

Garfield was a bit surprised "You have a garden?"

"Of course" she answered "You think I eat apples for breakfast lunch and dinner?"

He smiled and followed her out the house. She stopped for a moment in front of a tree, not the same as the one he picked apples from. This tree looked much older than the other, and it was also much bigger.

Her silence began to make him uncomfortable "Rachel, what's wrong?"

She pointed to the carving in the tree bark. Garfield read it and realized why she was tearful.

"Not a day goes by when I don't miss her" she said, turning towards him

He stared at the ground in silence before adding "I know what you mean", he then looked and saw what appeared to be a tombstone. "Who's grave does that belong to?"

Rachel sighed sadly "That's my mother. She… well, you remember what I told you"

Garfield was taken aback "Oh… Right, I'm sorry"

She sighed again, regaining her composure "I think that's enough mourning for now. You want to see my garden"

He smiled, though did not say another word.

Rachel slowly walked away from the graves, with Garfield trailing behind her. When they got to the back of her house, she showed him her garden. It was nothing particularly big but it was enough to help feed one or two people.

He looked towards her "It's nice"

She blushed a little "Thanks, Garfield" she turned to face him "Can I call you Gar?"

He chuckled "Sure. It was always a pet name that my parents called me."

"Yeah, well my pet name was Rachel"

"Really?" he asked curiously "Well I'm sure we can think of something for you" he thought about it for moment "How about… Rae"

"Very original" she said sarcastically "Honestly, I think it'll take some getting used to"

Garfield smirked "Is that a challenge?"

She scoffed a bit before rolling up her sleeves and getting to work. The shapeshifter then joined her, giving her one of his cheesy smiles.

That evening, the two had prepared a dinner consisting of the vegetables found in Rachel's garden. The young witch then took a ladle and poured the hot soup into two wooden bowls. She put their dinner on the table, where Garfield had everything already set up.

Rachel looked towards Garfield, who was eating his soup slightly faster than her "You know, for a guy who has lived in the forest with no human contact whatsoever, you have some pretty good table manners."

He laughed "I guess there are some things I never forgot. My mom always had to remind me of stuff like that"

She looked towards the table, avoiding eye contact "I know the feeling. Ever since I was alone here, not once have I forgotten the lessons that Azar taught me. Though I have learned a few new things as well"

Garfield continued to eat his supper "Kinda like how I learned to live in the wilderness"

"Yeah" she said in acknowledgement "Only I didn't necessarily need to learn magic to just stay alive out here"

He laughed slightly at that

Rachel seemed a bit nervous "Gar, do you… um… would you like to… uh"

"Would I like to what?" he asked, eager to know what she was trying to say

She took a deep breath "Would you like to stay here?"

He was a bit confused "I thought I was" he grew a bit nervous "You know, until my leg gets better"

"N-no I-I meant" she said timidly "… would you like to live here with me?"

He blushed "Are you serious?"

She nodded

"Why do want me to stay? I mean, it's awfully nice of you, but… why? "

"I don't know" she responded "I guess it's because… you have such a wonderful personality and… well, I enjoy your company"

He was touched by her honesty "Thanks. You know, I won't lie. I like your company too." he chuckled a bit "And here I thought you thought I was annoying"

"Well to be completely honest..." she then stopped herself "Never mind that. So, are you staying?"

He took a moment to finally say it "Sure"

"Really?" she asked with a hint of excitement in her monotone

"Really" he answered

"Okay" she said, appearing a bit in disbelief. Her face then returned to it's normal state "Just one last thing"

"Sure, what?"

She gave a tiny smirk "If you're gonna tell jokes here, try to make them somewhat funny"

He simply smiled at her in response