The group began their travels through the fields outside the Silent Mist Forest, Norah was happily chasing the grasshoppers that leaped from stalk to stalk with Taurus limping behind. Mama Willow chased the grasshoppers with Norah. Quiver scouted ahead, nearby was a herd of hippogriffs gnawing on a carcass she went over to Mama Willow and Norah. Looking down at the two laying in the grass giggling as they looked up at the bright blue sky that’s riddled with large grey clouds. Taurus was nowhere to be seen.

“ Mom, there’s a herd of hippogriffs eating something. Should we go around, sneak past them or just continue? Also where’s the dog?”

“ Oh, well I suggest we try to sneak past them. If they found something to eat, there might be a farm not far from here. Since that’s easy pickings for them, and I don’t know about the dog, he probably got distracted with a scent he’ll meet up with us.”

“ Are you sure it’s wise to go to this friend?”

“ Yes, we can get more supplies, sleep in a bed, and get the mutt some help.”

Mama Willow stood up dusting the dirt and grass off her clothing, Norah got up following her example. The three got low hiding in the tall grass. They began slowly walking trying to not disturb the herd. The herd suddenly began cawing, and screeching in fury.

A black shadow wolf-like figure ran around the three. It swiftly cut the tall grass down as if signaling their presence to the herd. Mama Willow then got her bow ready then fired trying to hit the figure. The arrow missed the figure, the black figure laughed as it disappeared. The hippogriffs were circling around the three with their scruff feathers standing up high and their wings spread out wide. Their eyes glaring down at them in rage, some snapped their beaks at them. Quiver, Mama Willow, and Norah huddled close to each other back to back then suddenly Taurus reappeared next to Norah.

“ Mama I’m scared… what are we gonna do?”

“ I don’t know, Norah. I don’t want to hurt them because that’ll make this worse.”

“ Mom we might not have a choice,” Quiver added as she pulled out her hatchets which only caused the herd to be more aggressive.

“ Quiver, put those away now! I have an idea, I read it in an old human book. Just follow my lead.”

Mama Willow began to bow as she put her weapons down, Quiver raised a brow as she and Norah followed what Mama Willow did while Taurus bowed as well. The hippogriffs sniffed the four and after they screeched in their faces the herd left them be. The four rose to their feet, swiftly, then they once again set foot traveling through the fields.

After hours of traveling a farm was coming into view, a woman with moth-like folded wings looking to be in her 40s was herding sheep into a barn. The four headed over to the farm, with Mama Willow being the only one who was the only one of them who was relaxed.

The four of them made it to the house that was next to the barn. The woman soon came to them. At a closer view the woman had two pairs of arms and long elegant moth wings folded down covering her back. Feathery antennae sprouted from the top of her short bobbed hair. Her neck was wrapped around in fuzzy white fur and that same white fur was fluffed up behind her head like a lion’s mane. She wore clothes that were like any other mage clothes but with more strange symbols. The woman was very smiley until she looked at Taurus then she kneeled to him then said something in a strange language. Mama Willow then helped her up and made it seem like the woman fell.

“ Oh my apologies I’m Lina Taling, I welcome you all into my home. Please go make yourselves comfortable while I tend to your dog.”

The ladies headed into the house which was small but very comfortable. Strange tapestries hung from the walls, on the couches and chairs in the front room by the door. The room was filled with the smell of so many herbs it was both intoxicating and sweet. Norah explored around the house with curiosity. She went up the steps that led to an upper level of the house. As old wood creaked beneath her feet she found an office room. Inside the office there was a beautiful tapestry with the center design being a white owl griffin with large black eyes on its face and wings. On the opposite side of it was a black wolf with four black tentacles two on each side of it but the wolf had four white eyes two on each side. Then there was a giant window on the wall in front of Norah, and in front of that window was a very dull and rusted set of armor on display. Norah looked at the armor in disappointment. She then left the room and went to another room.

Lina called the group from the lower level. The group gathered in the kitchen then sat at the antique table. Taurus was sitting at the head of the table, and was eating all of the best foods that Lina had prepared.

“ Why does the mutt get the best food?” Quiver questioned with irritation sharpening her tone.

“ Watch your tone elfling. Be kinder to…. To injured animals,” snapped Lina as she served the rest of them their food.

“ So can you keep Taurus with you Lina?” Mama Willow asked with a hint of desperation. Lina responded by shaking her head slowly, as Willow’s daughters quickly finished their meals then headed upstairs and got settled in a room leaving the adults to talk.

“ Finally we can be done with the secrecy. Lina dearie thanks for lettin’ us stay and healin’ me up. Willow Bowman, have you forgotten what was given? You have a debt to pay off,” Taurus said with his tone sounding more sadistic as his eyes changed to a haunting yellow color.

“ Seriously Willow, how could you isolate a girl from the Gods and her own fate? Did you even teach her about the crushing existential crisis concept of death?”

“ So she wouldn’t have to deal with all of this. And no Lina, she doesn't know about the concept of death. I had to keep her ignorant so she’d be safe and she is still fairly innocent so I can still hide her and keep her a little child.”

“ Not so fast lass. Ye forget that she has been visited by the fox and some of her power has been awakened already so the prophecy is now in motion. Hiding her will just make things worse.”

“ He’s right Willow. You need to help Norah through this, instead of keeping it from her. She isn’t your little girl anymore, she's thirteen it’s time for her to grow up.”

“ But not like this.”

“ There are worse ways to grow up,” Taurus stated with a small cackle. Willow scoffed then headed toward the room where her daughters slept and fell asleep as well.

“ My Lord, I will also be turning in for the night. I trust you’ll do the night watch.”

Taurus nodded and with a small bow Lina went into her own room to sleep.

Well it couldn’t hurt to pass the time with some fun. A sadistic voice said in the echoes of Taurus’s mind. Then his form began to mutate from his normal german shepherd and border collie mix to a dire wolf sized wolf with no back legs that floated above the ground. Four pearl white empty eyes, but only the two eyes on the right side of his face could see anything. He snarled in annoyance at his half blindness.

“ How in the hell did that brainwashed feathery eedjit get a hold of a sapphire weapon,” the wolf gently caressed his eye scar with his white claws. He then began moving through the air like a snake in the water. It floated above the stairs heading toward the room where Mama Willow and her daughters slept.

Quiver and Norah slept on the large bed together while their mother slept on the ground with a thin blanket and flat pillow. The wolf gazed down at them as a grin stretched across his face from ear to ear.

“ If a Boogeyman should come at night. When you’re tucked in bed without a light. Eyes like saucers give you such a fright. How would you like to be a baby girl?” The wolf said in a sadistic sing-song voice as he loomed over Quiver. His good eyes shifted into the she-elf’s pale blue eyes.

Quiver is wandering through a forest that bore the colors of autumn. Leaves crunched under her strong broken in boots as a crisp breeze flowed through her long ginger tied up hair. But she wasn’t cold thanks to the soft sun rays that shined through the gaps in the branches that arched above. Quiver took in a breath letting the cool air lull in her constant awareness to rest. Then a few moments later the warmth of the sun faded and when she blinked the calming woods turned into a place of horror and unfamiliarity, all of the trees had grown eyes in their trunks that opened at various times watching her every move. Panic slapped her senses awake as she ran through the twisted forest trying to get away from the watchful eyes, but more and more eyes opened around her watching her every movement. She screamed for the eyes to leave her alone and she pulled out her hatchets then began hacking away at the eyes around her, each eye that she gashed didn’t bleed normal blood but they bled feathers. Pure white beautiful feathers that bled from the eyes that swarmed her, she began to scream and feel fatigue as she endlessly hacked away at the eyes. The words death, betrayal, fallen warrior, and in your future echoed in a strained ghostly voice.

The wolf then floated over Norah leaving Quiver to squirm helplessly. He snarled down at Norah gently pressing his paw and white claws on her throat. Then Taurus’s voice echoed in his head.

“ Azrail said to leave her alive, Allen,” the wolf scoffed in annoyance as he released his paw from her throat and he stared down at Norah his eyes once again changed to her turquoise eyes.

Norah was blissfully running under a turquoise and purple phoenix that flew above her in the meadow of her dreams filled with so many beautiful flowers and a warm sun caressing her face. Then everything went black like a starless and moonless night. Then a mirror appeared in front of Norah. The phoenix perched on top of the mirror’s frame, but the phoenix was dull in color with disappointment in it’s bright green eyes. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her reflection was not hers but showed another version of herself. This version of Norah was older than her now and had gold blood stained hands, a menacing grin. Turquoise eyes that were full of power lust. Norah stepped back from the mirror staring in horror at her reflection, whispers began to echo from the mirror saying.

“ This is you. You doomed us. You doomed us all,” the whispers echoed over and over again relentlessly. Her reflection started walking out of the mirror approaching Norah. Norah was backing away from her reflection, but she suddenly stopped moving. She looked down seeing Mama Willow, but this version of her mother looked hollow and pale. Her reflection got closer and closer then began to reach her golden blood stained hand out to Norah. Norah tried to get away, but her efforts to flee were in vain. A stone statue of a hellhound, that looked like Taurus, appeared at her reflection’s side snarling at Norah.

“ You did this to me! How could you?! I thought we were friends!” Barked the statue.

“ I’m sorry! I don’t even know what I did to you!” Norah cried as she finally got free from the corpse’s grasp and began to run away. Her reflection and the statue chased her through the empty blackness that surrounded her.

The black wolf then hovered down to Mama Willow, once again leaving the child to squirm. Then his eyes changed to dull light blue eyes then whispered in her ear.

“ For the glory of King Azrail, wench.”

Mama Willow was in a small abandoned home left from the old world. The walls were full of cracks and the furniture was coated in layers of dust and gunk. The pictures of the family were scattered all over the floor and torn up. Old hardened blood stains were also littered around the old house. She wandered around the house then heard Norah squeal for help behind a locked door. Mama Willow charged at the door but, seemingly, out of nowhere a flock of demonic black birds swarmed around her. Pecking at her skin, her hair, even her eyes. But the pecking hurt the most when they pecked her stomach. Norah’s screams continued on and on all the while Mama Willow continued to be bullied by the demonic birds. They cawed in their nasty voice saying the words. Final death is upon you Incarnate. Mama Willow wailed like a scared little girl as the demonic black feathered fiends continued to overwhelm her.

The wolf reverted back to his normal dog form and started trotting away leaving the girls to squirm in their beds, as he headed downstairs creaky steps followed behind him.

“ I’m shocked you woke so soon lass,” he jumped up on a chair looking at Mama Willow, she sat on the couch that was near the chair Taurus was in.

“ You forget I’ve been tortured by you before. I know how to wake up from them, just tell me what my dream means. It’s the least you could do since I let you tag along this long.”

“ My my my look, who's all high and mighty all of a sudden. It doesn’t work like that. I’m just the delivery guy, it’s like you’re asking the pizza guy why ye ordered pizza with pineapple and bubblegum on it.”

“ What in Tartarus are you talking about? Just-Just answer my question.”

“ What am I? Google? Would it honestly kill you to figure things out on your own since you’ve already wrecked everything else we had planned out. Be thankful you and your daughters even got that.” Mama Willow exhaled deeply in disappointment.

“ But, Willow. In case you die on this journey. You will still need to pay for what you’ve done.”

She stood up then headed back up to the guest room as Taurus curled up in the chair watching the fire that burned in the fireplace.

In the morning Quiver, Norah, Taurus and Mama Willow packed their things as they headed out of the house and back on the road, as their host waved good-bye. They walked through the empty fields beyond the house, letting Taurus lead the way, but their walks were very slow and stumbly. Their eyes weighed on them causing them to trip a few times and allowing fatigue to creep up on them until an abandoned neighborhood was seen in the far away flat land distance.