Slowly opening her eyes to dim orbs of light in a cavern of darkness, Punkin recognizes the soft tune of Kala of humming and is instantly eased of any anxiety. “Baba?”

“Yes, dear.” responds Kala gently as she strokes Punkin’s hair..

“Where are we?” asks Punkin as she yawns awake.

Looking around, Kala sighs, “We are hiding with Amataeson.”

“Is daddy coming here?”

“No. We are waiting to go see your father. Baba Kali will be helping us to go see your father soon.”

“Baba Kali? I have another Baba?”

“Yes, she is our friend and watches over us. She and her cat are the only ones that can get us to safety right now.”

“Ahem” a loud rumble echoes throughout the dark space. “I am keeping you safe right now.”

“Who’s there? Are you hiding?” yells Punkin.

“Don’t be afraid. I am Amataeson.” echoes the voice.

“Yes, this is Amataeson. He was your father’s familiar.”

“It is an honor to finally meet you Pupu. I have felt and protected you from here all these years.”

“Is this cave your home?” yells Punkin.

Shaking the walls with a warm booming chuckle, Amataeson responds coyly. “Kind of.”

“Don’t be so mysterious, she is three but smart for her age.” Kala says aloud while continuing to stroke Punkin’s hair.

Redirecting her words to Punkin gently, Kala explains, “Amataeson IS the ‘cave’.”

“HE SWALLOWED US?!?!?! WE GOT EATEN!!!!” Punkin shouts while jumping up from her prone comfort.

“Now you see why I didn’t say it like you did?” chuckles Amataeson towards Kala.

“No need to fuss. Amataeson didn’t eat us. You know how you sometimes hide under the blankets. Well, Amataeson is like the blanket, but made of rocks and stone. Remember how I said there is a rock troll under the bridge? Amataeson is the rock troll.” Kala says while giggling. “He protects Haeven by hiding everything around him from magic detection. Right now, he molded himself to make a big rock bubble around us so no magic or ghosts and demons can find us.”

“How long do we have to stay here?” asks Punkin, growing restless in the small space.

“Not much longer. Cherub should be on his way.” responds Kala.

“Actually, something is wrong. I do not think they will be coming. Be still, I am listening to their tremors.” Amataeson tries to whisper, though his voice reverberates through the walls.

-Break-

*Somewhere deep in the Western Woods*

“Cherub, hurry up you chubby cat!” urges Kali as she presses forward deeper into the Western Woods quickly while knitting.

Cherub purrs in response.

“There! I see the ripple. They are gathering West of us. Right there. They are trying to press through.” Kali says aloud to Cherub as she points her knitting needles at the Western most edge of the Western Woods.

Cherub looks up and his eyes widen at the sight of ripples and creases in the air like heat waves pressing through. Some distance away beyond the barrier of the bubble’s edge, a large dark mass moves closer towards the edge of Haeven.

In a determined voice, Kali announces aloud. “You will not get in!”

Lifting her knitting needles and the scarf she was knitting, Kali incants “Signuhm Signuhculuhm Doh! Libereoh!”

Upon completion of the incantation, Kali’s spell transforms her scarf into radiant pink light of sigils and seals. The sigils and seals grow larger as they fly out in all directions towards the bubble barrier’s surface across Haeven, and absorb into the bubble barrier.

“Cherub, go to scryer’s tower and inform the Mehti Gahmeers. We need their help, NOW!”

Yawning, Cherub purrs and a black mirror appears before them. Cherub purrs at Kali and steps into the mirror, disappearing along with the mirror.

Sighing, Kali looks at the fading ripples in the barrier and then looks beyond to the black mass. “You made me put on my shoes and get out of my chair. Now you’ve done it.”

Mumbling to herself while waving her knitting needles in the air, Kali mumbles, “Sister, watch over me,” and then begins another incantation that echoes throughout the trees as if the forest itself was speaking, “Amacaeh Excitolum!”

Suddenly, the knitting needles lift into the air, knitting and weaving magic sigils and seals in the air on their own.

Spiders and caterpillars all over the forest crawl out and begin weaving large webbed nets of spider and caterpillar silk between the trees.

Kali claps her hands together and performs hand sigils as her nails grow and harden.

Upon muttering inaudible words, threads of silver light stream out of Kali’s nails with a butterfly-like grace in all directions, connecting with the spider and caterpillar silk and spreading magical silver light across the webbed net, braiding a tightly woven blanket.

While some of the threads of light complete their connection with spider and caterpillar silk, the remaining threads begin to weave into the air towards the faint ripples in the bubble barrier to form the skeleton of a cocoon.

“VELOCS!” shouts a voice near Kali.

Emerging from the brush, approaches a small feline figure the size of Cherub, but appearing to be a miniature lion with yellow and orange flower petals as its mane.

Suddenly, the leaves and branches of the trees move and wave, flapping the wind and flinging the webbed net of silk unto the skeleton of the large cocoon in the air. Layers of silk fill the spaces of the cocoon frame, closing the cocoon to form a funneling tunnel between the ripples in the bubble barrier directly to Kali.

“Akiraion, nice of you to join me! It has been a long time. I appreciate you leaving the tower, friend. ”

Raising her hands to the tunnel of the cocoon, Kali opens her palms and recites, “Ursa Domus Excuscito!”

Slowly, the silk of the cocoon begins to glow more radiantly and the bubble barrier glows from a transparent hue of iridescent light to translucent pink.

Slashing the air with her nails, Kali rips the very air and space inside her funnel of a cocoon, creating negative pressure. The pressure begins sucking the air into the rip in space, turning the funnel of a cocoon into a vacuum.

Casually walking up beside Kali, a small two-tailed fox rubs against Kali’s leg and smiles.

“Kitsune, nice of you to leave the tower, too.” smiles Kali as she tilts her head to acknowledge the fox.

“I go by ‘Runt’ now. But yes, you can see why. Figured I would be useless just staying in my tower so here I am. Nice trick with the nails by the way! I want to show off too!” responds Runt smugly as she poises herself with her paws planted in preparation for battle.

“Now, come in if you dare!” sneers Kali, as she looks to the West to the black mass nearing the bubble barrier’s edge.

Feeling the pressure of the bubble being pressed by the black mass outside, Runt snarls, raising six other tails, splitting from her two tails. At the end of each tail, a ball of light forms and concentrates to palpable masses of energy.

Sensing the growing energy and resistance from Runt, Akiraion, Cherub, and Kali, the black mass rumbles with unified torrents of tormented souls wailing and rushing at the bubble barrier, causing large ripples and activating the glowing seals and sigils in the barrier’s surface to solidify and hold the barrier steady.

“Ready or not, I am opening it.” Kali says to her comrades.

Suddenly, the area of the barrier at the end of Kali’s funnel dissipates and the black mass comes rushing in, trailed by the force of the unseen concentration of souls with their screams ripping through the air as a strong gale of voices howling through the wind.

In resistance, Kali, Runt, and Akiraion shout several incantations and spells through the dinning force of wind as lightning and light crackle and pop within the cocoon, striking the black mass as it projects blots of black mass towards them.

Sensing Kali’s sadness, Runt offers consolation as the comrades become overwhelmed by the black mass. “I know my friend, I haven’t gotten to meet her either. You were able to holds us all her through your magic bubble and protection. In that way, she felt your love and your embrace all her life.”

Forcing a sheepish smile, Kali forms one more hand sigil before clapping her hands. “It was an honor my friends.”

Kali’s autonomous knitting needles fly to the internal surface of the cocoon and pierces the silk, embedding themselves into the cocoon, as the cocoon seals off its ends with the black mass, all the souls, Runt, Cherub, Akiraion, and Kali inside.

Lightning strikes the needles and the energy within the air ruptures.

The cocoon and all within it, instantly vanish in a flash of light, leaving the trees, plants, animals, and space still and seemingly undisturbed, as if no force ever threatened the solitude of Haeven.

-Break-

*Meanwhile, back within Amataeson*

“What do you mean they are not coming?” Kala asks Amataeson.

“My beloved Kali was strengthening the barrier and preparing for an incursion.” responds Amataeson.

Interrupting the conversation, a strange deep voice proudly chuckles, “Yeah, you won’t need them. I am here.”

Recognizing the voice in the darkness, Kala responds, “Wait, how long have you been here, La Gataeu?”

“Who is La Gateau?” chimes in Punkin.

“La Gateau is me. I just arrived.” La Gateau responds smiling in the dark. “Cherub sent me a message from Kali, it will be my job to get you to safety. Pleased to meet you again, Pupu! We met when you were younger. Haven’t seen you in a little over 2 years.”

“More friends? Are we having a picnic?” Punkin asks with excitement.

“No, we are not having a picnic with La Gateau,” Kala responds to Punkin before quickly redirecting herself to La Gataeu “Even if you can scry, you can’t see souls, ghosts, and most demons. How are you going to help us avoid danger and get to a safe place?” Kala sighs with growing frustration.

“Easy. Like this!” yawning, La Gataeu suddenly appears next to Kala and swings, landing his paw across her cheek and then re-apparates several feet from Kala’s reach in the darkness.

“Cherub you little…”

“That wasn’t Cherub. He is already back with Kali. That was me.” smirks La Gataeu. “Like my new craft? I can’t scry, but I can port!”

“Wait, you’re a cat too? Like Neko?” responds Kala with confused inquisition.

“Uh, I didn’t know Neko was a cat now. Did you find her? She’s been missing.” asks La Gataeu.

“She is with Cer in The Mecca. Can you get us there?”

“First off, I have never been to The Mecca, so no, I can’t get you there. But I can get you to safety. Secondly, why didn’t you tell us you knew where Neko was? Asks La Gataeu with annoyance.

“I didn’t know she was missing. I just assumed she planned to stay in The Mecca because she was happy there. So if you can’t get us to her, where can you take us, because we need to go now if Kali is dealing with an incursion.” insists Kala.

Apparating near Kala and smacking her again before apparating away, La Gataeu grins and responds. “Relax, the others are with Kali. I’m not the only one with new spells and tricks. Anyhow, it’s easier if I just show you where we are going. This place really has no name though everyone calls it many things.”

Yawning, La Gataeu opens a black mirror within the space of Amataeson’s darkness. “When you are ready for the journey, step on through.”

Sighing, Kala picks up her broomstick with one hand, and grabs Punkin’s hand with the other. “We are never truly ready for our decisions; we just have to remain open so that we can readily respond to whatever lies ahead on our journey.”

Suddenly, as if separated from a warm embrace, Kala feels the magical bond with Kali break and an emptiness growing inside. Kali whispers in prayer to her sister, “I’m sorry. I was not there to help you, sister. May love guide your way home.”

With sadness in her heart, Kala steps through the port with Punkin and La Gataeu, disappearing from the space along with the black mirror, leaving Amataeson to hide all of Haeven, alone, once again.