VI. The Watcher's Curse

His name was Jake, and he loved his life and kissing on Lady 'cuz she was basically his wife. He had fixed up NEPTR 'cuz he fell from a tree and had caught up with Maja and APTWE—Maja was in a coma and might not ever wake up; Jake was glad he had a friend now…even though that was messed up. He took TV to the market just to get him into fruits. He took a little nappy and gave his blankey co-coots. He woke up really early just to cook for his friends. Later in a field that night, he thought he saw Death. He made himself a boat, and he sailed with a whale. He took TV to the market so he could try kale.

And some other stuff!

Jake finished the song he had conjured with his viola in order to tell Shelby about the past two weeks; they had been wild and just the break he had needed from the Age of Grinders fail he had suffered before them. He felt ready to tackle the game again, but Finn…mysteriously…had mysteriously been absent since then. He didn't come home for three days during the grind, and now another two weeks had gone by with still no Finn. Had he taken roots somewhere?

"Nice song Jake," Shelby said to him.

"Man, it's been a crazy two weeks," Jake said, still thinking about Finn. "I think I'm ready to haul up and go for round two on Age of Grinders, but where's Finn? I need him on this adventure."

"Umm…" Shelby said as if he knew something but hesitant to say.

"Hold on…" Jake said, knowing how Shelby got news from the vine. "What?"

"If you don't know," Shelby continued, "I'm not sure if it's my business to tell you…"

Jake's tail wagged. Aww yeah. Shelby knew something sweet.

"Don't you dare, Shelby!" Jake playfully scolded. "Give up that juicy gossip!"

"Well," Shelby had said. "The word on the street is….

"Finn's been hanging with a new lady…."

Jake wagged his tail a bit as he and Finn followed Huntress Wizard home. The word wasn't wrong, and it had taken him all day to find them! Who knew what the had been up to for two weeks and four days now? That was almost three weeks! And Finn still had not made his move! Classy. He was probably hesitating 'cuz of his bad breakup with Flame Princess, but Jake felt he could help with that. Finn just needed himself the good ol' Jakey wisdom and wing-manning! He'd have them kissing soon, or his name wasn't Jake…

After Huntress Wizard had waited beneath the trees for him, Finn had agreed to her suggested next phase of their endeavor—getting him a more magical flute to summon the Forest Spirit; apparently some mystic boar lived in the woods, and his tusk would be great for the task. Finn had never seen it, but he did not doubt the wisdoms of the huntress who had spent more time out in those woods than he had.

Upon agreeing, she had offered him and Jake her home for the night, much to his excitement. Of course Jake had teased him, but Finn did not care. Something in him desperately wanted to see it, to know her and who she was. Homes…had a way of spilling one's secrets. What were hers?

"Just like home, huh?" Jake remarked while wiggling his eyebrows as they both stood at the center of Huntress Wizard's home. "You like her, don't you?"

Finn ignored him. His head was full, too full to hear Jake or anything else. Huntress Wizard's home looked beautiful, like a woodsier version of their own. He liked that. Like a log cabin but one made with dirt and trees. Like the outdoors but inside—that was her home, and she had shared it with them. It was kind of her.

Finn marveled to see a very rustic home with water, dirt, glowing mushrooms, some books, dead animals hung by ropes to be kept dry, and almost no furnishings. He scanned every part she had readily described of her home in her initial tour—some nice soft dirt that she probably liked to rest in being a tree nymph and all, a pantry of dead animals for eating because clearly a tree nymph like her ate meat and not plants if she could help it, a bathroom stream most likely for peeing and not booms, and a console with a branch growing through it that hadn't been "set up" yet and one he figured she probably never would since there was no power. Finn felt as if he had seen it all before.

But when could that have been? In their past? When he was at his youngest…? He wished he could know

After finishing her tour, Artetris had bid him and Jake a good night and then vanished behind the vines that sheltered her own room from view. Thus, he could not ask her and would probably forget to in the morning. It didn't really matter. Even if they had, neither one of them were those kids anymore. He wasn't Finn the baby anymore; he was Finn, the Man. Who they used to be was not who they were, and who they currently were was the thing that mattered.

Still…he couldn't help wondering if some part of her wished to avoid that part of them and why. It seemed strange to him for her to not talk about their past more if they had one, but clearly, that discussion disinterested her. Otherwise, she would have talked about it by now. He had wanted to ask ever since she had mentioned knowing him as a baby, but it would have to wait until she was ready. Maybe she had not known him that long… Maybe she couldn't remember…

As Finn took in the tranquility of her simple home, he wondered what her room was like compared to the rest of the place and if he had seen it before. He softly smiled at the idea of seeing her room to find out—he quickly struck the thought from his mind as it wandered to seeing her there, too, and alone with him. When she was ready to share it with her friends, she would.

Finn's mind wandered to her callousness and hesitation in the woods. Would they be friends when this was done? Or were things…slowly turning rank like rotten apple pies?

Finn recalled Huntress Wizard stepping out of the nightly tree shade to speak to him after he and Jake had dropped from the canopy. Generally, when they parted ways at night, she would leave him without looking back; this time, however, she had kind of hidden and lingered like she was after a mark. Had Jake caused her to be cautious? Whatever the case, she had nearly scared their mandibles off! It had felt like predatory precision, like she wanted to capture him but wasn't sure of how or what was the right way.

For a split second, in her call to him for attention, there had been a secret desire felt. Of course it had been to tell him of her idea to help push things along towards summoning the spirit. Still, he couldn't help hoping that maybe it meant more.

Finn sighed.

Why had she leapt away in the canopy only to wait in the shadows for him down below? She had never been so…evasive, not since their initial interactions at least. Was she…pushing him away? Had he done something wrong? Had his music been…offensive?

She had claimed that it was not him but his flute, which was why they'd be hunting a thunder boar for its tusks in the morning, and he had not wanted to tell her she was wrong in front of Jake, not with him teasing. He knew, somewhere in his gut, that she sensed something off with him and just did not want to say. He felt he had to tell her the truth sooner or later so he could stop wasting her time. He had to say something…

Jake snapped his fingers at him to draw him from his trance. Finn heaved a sigh at Jake's smirking.

"Aww, dude," he said, grinning. "You got it bad!"

"Jake, come on," he said, trying to play things cool. Jake grinned and Finn groaned. "I like her as a person, Jake. Not like what you're thinking. Huntress Wizard is cool. She's strong. She's dependable. She knows her stuff. What's not to like about that? She doesn't need heroes, though. She's a wizard who is her own hero, man, and I respect that. She's been helpful to me. So I want to be helpful to her."

"Don't you remember the book, Finn?" Jake remarked, laying down casually on the dirt while grinning. Finn wondered what book Jake meant. He didn't like reading. "Wizards and heroes…they're like…made for each other, Bro. Seeing you two proves it. She fills in your gaps, Finn."

"Hey…" Finn said, chuckling as Jake playfully punched him. "Cut it out Jake. Like I have gaps to fill…"

The two of them softly laughed at each other and rough housed a bit more.

Finn paused as he heard snoring come from Huntress Wizard's room. Jake heard it too and hummed. Finn hummed as well and set his bag down to pull out his pillow and blankets for bed. He wasn't hungry since they had eaten already, and he didn't wish to have Jake prodding him all evening and risk waking her up. The last thing he wanted was a cranky Huntress Wizard. Of course, he chuckled, she probably slept like a log as she had a couple of times in the forest. It was cute…

"We should get some sleep," he said. "She can wake up pretty early."

"Oh?" Jake teased some more. Finn's face blushed as he set up his bed. "Do. Tell…"

"Lay off, man…" Finn growled, and Jake softly giggled with glee. "Seriously…"

Jake settled down, and Finn finished setting their place. Once everything looked comfortable, he took off his shoes and socks, letting his toes wiggle on the cool, soft dirt before climbing into his warmer covers. Jake shrunk down to join them, and the two of them lay there in silence before Jake turned to him and spoke.

"I figured it out," he said. Finn looked at him curiously. Jake pointed. "You can't summon the Spirit of the Forest 'cuz you ain't playin' that flute for him."

Finn looked away with a glare. He hated it when Jake figured him out…

"You've got a crush on HW," Jake finished, smiling.

"HW is just training me to live an ascetic life like her," Finn remarked, having come up with an excuse of the fly…because technically she had been teaching him to help them summon the spirt better through asceticism.

Jake sneered and turned away.

"Hmm, okay," he said. "I buy that for like zero seconds."

Jake closed his eyes, and so did Finn…. Tomorrow was going to be a long day…

Artetris felt the morning sun upon her wooden form. She quickly changed back to normal with shirt, belt, and pants like before. Two mushrooms clung to her arm as she stared out the window at the morning light. She nonchalantly brushed them away before yawning and stretching.

Last time, she had turned into a cat curled in a ball for warmth. This time, she had turned into a log in the night to feel nothing.

She…had slept like a log. Offff course she had.

What guy was going to want a log for a girlfriend? Huh?

What guy…?

She paused.

Why the heck did that matter so suddenly? She had sworn off guys and gals and relationships with either until her curse was over; that had been the whole thing behind going to the city—trying to rid herself of that curse—and, of course, it had not worked in the slightest. Until her Watcher's business was taken care of, love was…out of the question. So why suddenly think of it now?

Was it…because of her dreaming of Finn again?

Surely not.

Those dreams…were of a past long behind them, a past that saw them torn apart and cast into worlds that were like but also unlike the other's. Such had been the way of their existence. That said, the dreams meant nothing.

Or did they?

She hummed while listening to the water's flow behind her. Maybe her dreams did have meaning. Maybe she needed to stop looking ahead at the goal of slaying the witch and seeing her Watcher's Curse ended just for a moment to sort out these repeated offenses. There would be time while she grabbed a snack and then bathed.

And then she could meet up with Finn later….

Artetris stood and undid her belt, shirt, and pants. She let them all drop to the floor and gathered them up before walking towards the tiny bath of her room and leaving them there. She would let them soak for a bit to get the dirt and small traces of blood from them, least the beasts she hunted catch wind and flee…

In the meantime…she would grab breakfast from the stash outside her room and get prepared for her morning. Today was the day. But first, she needed to sort things out in her head so that Finn did not become a distraction…

Finn suddenly felt the call of nature, and it woke him. He had not gone to the bathroom before bed. His eyes popped open, and he found that Huntress Wizard's treehouse had gone dark. The glowing mushrooms had dimmed with the dawn of day. The calm tranquility of the flowing stream both comforted and tormented him.

He really had to pee…

Finn gently removed himself from the covers so as not to disturb Jake and provoke a new round of teasing. Jake continued to snore in his tiny form, much to Finn's delight as he made his way towards the…bathroom. Finn wondered if it was really okay to pee in her house right outside her bedroom door. He tried not to think about it as he faced away from her room and dropped his pants to pee. Slowly, relief came to his bladder, and he sighed.

The sound of leaves quietly rustled behind him, along with footsteps. Finn's face grew hot as he realized that she was casually walking about, grabbing food from her "pantry" for her morning meal as he peed. He slightly glanced over his shoulder and found her inattentive and unconcerned with his morning piddle. She walked back into her room with a bird in the mouth without once looking his way.

Finn blushed.

She…

Had not been wearing a thing…

Oh. Glob.

Should he have seen that?

Something in him told him to forget and not bring it up unless she did. That was his best bet for…survival.

Finn heaved a sigh, and he quickly covered up before moving further upstream to wash his hands. His heart raced a bit while his nerves jittered. Maybe he had worried for nothing last night; he wondered if Huntress Wizard had simply grown more comfortable with him after having them over. He hoped so. He hoped that it meant that he could talk to her plainly…

Artetris stepped into her room with bird in mouth. Quietly, she sat before her window, her body completely open to the Sun's morning rays and its comforts. She thought about Finn and how seeing him had startled her at first before remembering that she had invited him and the dog to crash. Thankfully, he had not said anything about her being natchy or flipped out about it. That…would not have ended well.

Artetris hummed as she recalled her strange dream about Finn, and her thoughts then wandered to when they were young.

Her father set the creature on the ground, and he crawled towards her. The naked, bear-hat wearing babe smiled and laughed as he did. Artetris' heart raced, and she froze in place with fear. Where had he come from?

"Mom?" she nervously called towards the trees.

Her mother, Hylea, instantly appeared between her and the toddler and looked around for danger; a hum of surprise escaped the forest watcher as she saw the babe. She cocked her head to the side with interest. The infant paused, cocked his head in mirror as he cooed at Hylea, and then laughed before he kept crawling towards his goal—her. Artetris nervously hid behind her mom as the baby slowly moved around her mother to reach her; as he drew close, she whimpered and move away to keep her mother between them.

Her mother hummed with curiosity and gave her father nasty looks while the baby mindlessly continued to follow Artetris around. She whined at her mother's inaction and leapt to her mother's arms to get away… Hylea reflexively wrapped her up protectively but kept her eyes on Manevus, who blushed and quickly waved, realizing the danger he was in….

"I found him crawling on the shore!" her dad exclaimed. Hylea snorted. "I promise you, that's the truth! Your guy wouldn't be so careless as to father a child outside this home, not without your permission, you know? I found that toddler crawling around in the sands with no folks and some old, mystical bread wand thing. It…seems to have broken, so I left it behind.

"Anyway, I sought for his parents but found nothing, not even a note. I did see some wooden debris scattered about, so they might have been on a boat or something before that storm hit and crashed it. Your guess is as good as mine on who and where those folks are. So…rather than leave him behind, I brought him to see Arte so they could play."

Artetris looked down at the little creature as he looked up at her with round, bright eyes and a smile. She watched with caution as he climbed upon her mother's leg to stand before eating on his fingers as he just stood and watched her. Artetris looked at him closely and frowned. Why did it have a bear's head by no fur? Was it bald? Why was it bald?!

Her mother chuckled and suddenly pulled as if to move her to the ground. Artetris hissed and spat before burying her face into her mother' shoulder, which made Hylea gently sigh; her father dejectedly hummed. Artetris kept her face hidden with shame. She didn't want to be scared, but she didn't know what that being was or if he was safe.

The creature whimpered and whined. Artetris peeked as her mother held her protectively on the head and squatted down. Before Artetris knew what was going on, she heard the baby coo with glee and felt him tug at her cape. She flinched and whined while he muttered with joy; her mother shushed her while her father placed a hand on her head.

"It's okay, sweetie," Hylea said softly to her. "He won't hurt you. He's just a little man cub…like you. Well…halfway like you. He's more like your dad, really, only without that wizardry. He might bite, but it won't hurt. He looks to only be mildly teething…"

Artetris grasped tight to her mother as Hylea tried to coax her into letting go. But…she did not want to let go! Not with that thing behind her…

Still…

Thinking of him as similar to herself and her father at least made her peek at the babe, who was now reaching for her hood in fascination.

She looked into his eyes and saw that they kind of were like her dad's only with very little magic in them. She looked up at her brown-skinned and green-headed father who proudly grinned. Artetris felt a bit braver seeing their eyes together, and she looked at the baby boy again; the baby looked into her eyes and smiled a mostly toothless smile; the teeth at the bottom were coming in and made him look like a backwards bear, rabbit, man combo. Thinking of him as a rabbit man made her laugh and made her curious. What if the bear fur thing was a hat to make him look fierce and to hide the bunny ears under?

Slowly, she pulled away from her mother and grabbed the baby as he reached for her. Her mother quickly stood and backed away so that she could face him alone. Her father did the same. The boy held both of her hands, and she held his so that he could stand. He squatted excitedly with laughter before sitting. She sat too, and he immediately crawled into her arms and rested his head against her as if wanting to sleep. Artetris hummed at the gesture and softly smiled before holding him back and resting her head against his. He was so squishy and round! He wasn't scary at all!

"What are we…" she started to say before he interrupted her by moving and getting comfortable. She smiled and then started again. "Can we keep him?"

"He's not a pet, sweetie," her mother said. "We'll take him home for now, but don't…get attached to him. I make no promises that he's staying."

"Aww," both Artetris and her father lamented…like normal.

She looked at the baby sadly and grasped his soft body; they could not leave him alone. Something would think he was candy and eat him! They…had to save him.

Artetris examined his head as he rested and felt around the fuzzy bear-head thing. Much to her excitement, it was a covering after all! A hat! She pulled it off, hopping to see some bunny ears…but instead, she found a head full of short, messy blonde hair. His actual ears were on the side of his head like her dad's. Her father hummed, deeply and looked off towards the direction of the beach. Inside the hat, she spied some letters that she couldn't read. Both he and his hat smelled like seawater. Her dad really had found him by the sea.

"Mama, if he came from the ocean," she said, assuming that he was on the beach because of that, "does that make him more like the hyoomans of Beautopia of the undersea caverns? Do you think that he came from there? They wear hats like this!"

"Hmmm," Manevus hummed. "That's not a bad thought sugar…but…"

"He's not from them…" her mother quickly said as she squatted behind them. Hylea took the hat and examined it before putting it back on his head. "This writing says that his name is Finn. They would not have names or writing like this in Beautopia. Plus, they are fish men and women under those hats, a mutation caused by the war almost a thousand years before now. They would not have produced a child without gills."

"He could be a mutant…" Artetris said. "He mutated so much that he looks like how they used to!"

"Perhaps, sweetie," her mother said, softly smiling. "But I'm thinking that maybe he came from a human island where they are all like him. There used to be some here in Ooo before they all left to escape the vampires and other dangerous things here. They went across the sea and never came back, but no one knew what happened to them from there…until now. It seems like somewhere, there are humans surviving and perhaps trying to get back here.

"I do wonder what this arrival means…if anything at all. Regardless, we should find a family for him. He can't stay with us."

"Oh…why not?" Artetris wondered. She kind of liked this Finn, the human. He'd be fun to play with, like having a kid brother around. Why couldn't they raise him….? "He could be a forest protector like us, Mama. I bet Dad could take care of him…"

"Oh..well I," her father started to say with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"It's not up for discussion…" her mother firmly said, standing and looking off into the part of the forest that would lead to the ocean. Artetris held her tongue. She knew better than to argue with the one who housed and fed them. "We'll take him home for now. You can play with him there, and we'll watch over him. Your father and I will go look for his vessel, his folks. Something."

"Okay…" Artetris said, not really understanding her mother's thoughts.

Her mother took her and passed the sleeping Finn into Manevus' arms. Artetris grasped tight to her mother as she leapt off through the trees for home… Her father flew after them. Artetris couldn't wait to show Finn what could be his new home if her mom changed her mind. She hoped that she did! She hoped so…

A smile faintly spread beneath the bird in Artetris' mouth as she fondly remembered that time—the infant Finn woke up and chased her through the house that night and slept beside her between her mom and her dad that night; their next couple of days together lead to adventure, one of them the defining thing that gave Artetris her bow. And her curse. After that, her mother sent Finn off into the woods to be snatched up by some other family, and that was it. She never saw him again until eleven years later in Wizard Battle.

Their short time together as children clearly meant nothing now, nothing but longing for when life had been simpler, a time before the Watcher's Curse fell upon her. She quickly realized how much she was smiling and fought it back; what was this feeling?

Those days were behind her.

She had let them go just as she had to let her mother go back in Egress.

She was, after all, Artetris, the Huntress Wizard, Watcher of Forest—of its lands, beasts, and bees.

And she would have to walk that road alone…with none but her mentor beside her. That was the path…she had chosen…. Almost two months had passed since that decision, and she had been so certain of it before.

If she was cursed, at least she could use that ability to save others and keep the forest balanced and safe. Someday, she would find the keys she needed to break the Watcher's curse and start to really make a life of her own. Until then, she would have to guard her heart carefully and not fall prey to the world's whims and joyful temptations that would all lead her to Death before the Curse's end. And she had to end it.

That meant no smiling or longing for the past…

Or Finn.

She hummed again in thought. "No Finn" made her chest kind of hurt. Envisioning Finn, however, made her heart flutter.

What…was going on with her?

Since their talk yesterday, and even before that, their professional arrangement felt confusing. She had hired him for a job. However, that job had taken longer than expected, and during that time they spent together he had made her feel frustrated, sad, compassionate, remorseful, determined, playful, embarrassed, proud, and…exceptional. So now they had become closer than she had ever meant, and she…kind of liked it despite also wanting to run as far from it as she could.

She…had actually invited him into her home! How…had that happened? Surely that had been part of her dreaming! But apparently not; she had, after all, walked right past him…in the natchy. And he had said not a word or reacted.

His non-reaction to her walking by in the natchy amused her, however. She snickered with pride at the bond between them that they had re-forged since that old childhood. The two had come a long way in almost three weeks, especially considering the tundra storm of emotions she had offered him so consistently in their past and at the beginning of their endeavor. The idea that he was, now, just that comfortable with her pleased her, thrilled her even. She…liked that they had managed to grow past the Past, the temple scuffle, and Egress. She like that Finn seemed to enjoy being part of the forest world. He had turned into a real and true friend.

But something bugged her about their companionship, something that she just could not place.

She felt it deeply in her chest again and in her urge to think of Finn and smile, which she resisted firmly.

What…had happened to her? What had happened to Artetris Huntress Wizard, Watcher of the Woods and the hardened path she had chosen?

Artetris played things over in her mind.

She had first felt it at Egress after their fight, and it had kept flickering thereafter whenever they chatted and regaled each other with their tales of their adventures.

She had felt it again when he had offered to serenade her in the trees and while they fought the hydra-worm, and it had cont.

She had felt it more after talking to him about the Flame King and staring into his blue eyes.

She had felt it stronger than ever in the canopy while he played his song to summon the Spirit of the Forest as planned.

And now, she was feeling it completely after seeing him pretty much make himself at home without complaint—after having just dreamed about their past for the umpteenth time—the emotion of wanting him to stay and call her forest his home so that they could see each other even after the Spirit of the Forest was summoned.

Yes… She had so much more she could show his adventurous spirit! She had so much she wanted to show him… just as she had back then when they were kids.

Artetris pressed her hand against her chest and gulped with bird in mouth as it became quite clear what she was feeling.

Fondness. Attraction. Comfort. Desire.

Love.

She was in…love with Finn.

"Whaaaaa…." She lowly muttered aloud, dropping the bird as panic filled her blood. "I can't be that… No… No.. No!"

She couldn't be in love with Finn! No! Not after what had happened with Herakli! No! Herakli's dying image by her own arrow as fired by the Tree Witch flashed in her mind. That…could not be allowed to occur again.

Herakli had just been her friend, and the witch had killed him to spite her! If that tranch somehow caught wind of her loving Finn as more…she wouldn't just kill him. She'd capture him, torment him…and it would be her fault for drawing him into her business… And then…he would die… They'd both die if she got too close.

Finn suddenly called, reminding her that she was not alone.

"Is everything okay?" he asked. She froze. Crap. She had forgotten again… "Is there…something you need help with…or…?"

"No," she quickly called, feeling strange at having him in the house and worrying. "I'm good. Thanks! Just…voice in my head! Wizard stuff!"

"Oh, okay," Finn said. "Cool."

Cool? Cool. Of course he would say cool. Just how often had Ice King—Simon—exhibited such behavior around him for that to be cool? Artetris ran her hands down her face. Who else would say something like "cool" in response to that?

A groan escaped her, and she fell back in full exposure upon the floor.

Why Finn? Why now?

Was it…because of their history? But it was so brief back then!

Was it because her family had been affected by his appearance in both good and bad ways? Were they…somehow connected by some multiversal destiny magic? He had been a catalyst comet, so…maybe. Was there some…spiritual meaning behind her wanting him as she did? Or was it just…natural?

Artetris sighed and stared at her tree ceiling; it shut everything out—from rain to sunshine—perfectly. Only the window allowed sunlight, or rain, to come through, and that was because she, like her mother, allowed it. So how had she who had sworn to never love so long as the Watcher's curse had hold of her— so long as she had not put Artemis in her place—allowed this to happen?

She had focused so much on her parents' deaths and the Watcher's Curse that she had lashed out at the Spirit of the Forest and damaged their bond. She had focused her eyes so fiercely on avenging Herakli and slaying Arbottoma before that she had lashed out and hurt Finn. Running from herself and her feelings had caused so many others grief. She…had tried to shut them out only to be hurtful, and she regretted that immensely, both with the Spirit of the Forest and Finn and with Herakli's fate and folks. She had sworn to never let her feelings rule her again after hurting Finn, so…how had she missed falling in love? What the junk?

Artetris rubbed her head in exasperation as it hurt, but she sat up and grabbed her bird to eat.

How…did not matter. As with the wild coming into her home, what mattered now would be how she handled things moving forward. They still had the spirit to summon. She still had a witch to hunt. She still had a couple of curses to put in check. Nowhere in there did Finn fit, and that was…okay. It was as it needed to be… After all, Finn still had Pheobe, the Flame King; that's who he clearly cared about a lot. And that was cool. She wanted them to make up and begin to spend time together again.

Artetris closed her eyes and turned her attention towards the Sun to feel the light and warmth of a new day, of a new Artetris Huntress Wizard. She was an Artetris in control of her emotions, unlike before with Herakli. She was an Artetris on a mission to hunt the foul witch Arbottoma, and she could not afford to let her desires and wants get in the way of that mission. That was her reality.

She bit her pheasant and brushed the thoughts of love aside.

She could not do that.

She could never be with Finn, not if it meant getting close and losing him. And losing herself too.

Not if…it meant putting his life and the safety of the forest in danger—she had to be vigilant and slay such feelings until she had found and slayed that witch and Artemis' curse. That was her only option…

Artetris recalled her mother getting rid of Finn. She had not understood her mother's thoughts back then; she had not grasped what her mother meant in her reasoning at all. But it all suddenly made sense to her now. Everything…made sense…

Artetris sobbed as Finn was carried off with his boom-boom leaf by the two dogs, neither of which knew that they had been there, watching. She buried her face into her father's shoulder, not wanting to look at her mother. Her father held onto her and gently stroked her hair. Hylea, of course, remained silent and said nothing.

"There, there, our child…" he said to her. "Your mom had plenty good reason to send him off. You'll understand when you are older…"

"I want to understand now…!" she protested into her father's shoulder because she did. Why had her mother encouraged her to face him and left them to play together only for her to tear him away? "It's not fair… I wanted a baby brother to take care of and teach forest things to. Why am I learning all alone?"

"There's only one forest watcher," her mother responded. Artetris refused to look at her. "That's you… It should not be…but it is what's…true.

"We're going home now. Finn will be fine with that family…"

Her mother had feared her falling in love too young and probably acting on it in their bare way of living. For that reason, Hylea had separated her from Finn and taught her to hold her virginity as sacred…at least until she had turned fifty or older… She had been trying to protect her from an early demise.

In the end, her mom had regretted not letting her go out to meet and see others, particularly one of the first friends she had ever made and the first friend she had to leave behind in her fate as the Watcher. Her message to her in the end had meant to be a remedy, a remedy she had not heard in her pain and anger.

"Live…until you die," her mother had finally said. "Don't die…to live."

But Artetris did not want to die. Back then, losing Finn had hurt, but she kind of appreciated her mother's wisdom considering the circumstances she faced now.

She could not face Death yet; her life…still held no meaning outside of the Curse's existence. So far, it seemed directly tied to the Hunt more than she enjoyed despite quite liking the power. Her mother had told her…to forge her own path, but what if that path included the Hunt and all she could do with it, such as protecting the forest and saving others at the expense of falling in love? What, then, was the right thing to do when it came to loving others?

That, she realized, she would have to choose on her own.

The warm grassy floor brought comfort to her as the morning sun cast its rays through the room's tree-formed window as well as a reminder of where she was and who she had chosen to be, not just for herself but the others who needed her. That sense of purpose and duty washed her ill feelings away.

She was Artetris D. Huntress Wizard. She was the daughter of Hylea Huntress and Manevus Wizard, and she had taken over their role of guiding and guarding the forest. How that role went, of course, depended on the Spirit of the Forest and whether she could see him again. She had to apologize to him. And she had to know…what being the Forest Watcher would mean. She had to face that and him head on and move past it.

Of course she had to; regardless of Artemis and her hunt, regardless of the Watcher's Curse, the forest still remained her home and all its creatures her charges. How, as the child of its previous, had she ever forgotten that? The forest was tied to her blood and their spirits. How had she ever abandoned them?

She had so much lost time to mend…

Artetris sharpened her fingers and ripped the meat of the treated bird from its bones with care. She had a mission, a duty to fulfill, and what mattered was her choosing the path she would take towards its end. Whoever she ended up being as the Watcher would be amazing.

She had not forgotten her mother's words to her to live or her mother's desire to see the curse upon Watcher's ended, however. In anything she did, that would always be her drive, but she wasn't going to run or shut out her fate anymore, she would face it and live just as her mother had asked her.

Artetris' eyes darted towards the wooden figures secured to a nearby jutting root. She stared at them while she ate. To anyone else, they were just odd tree protrusions, but to her, they were her and her parents. The Tree Witch Arbottoma had, thankfully, not touched them for her spells.

The tallest one was her mom. The middle one was her father, and the smallest one was her. She remembered the day her mother had carved them and attached them to their home as sign of their unending bonds to each other and the forest that had brought them all together as family.

Even if they were torn from each other through death, the forest would live on and their spirits with it; that was what her mother had always told her, especially whenever Artetris had asked her why she ever got married if it meant she would die.

"Death will come to all," her mom had said. "Unless you are the Lich… Even then, Death is not a being to fear. He's actually quite cool once you talk to him."

Even those who thought themselves immortal would eventually die her mother had taught her, the Lich notwithstanding. Hylea had not been the first Watcher of the Woods, just the longest reigning. She, of course, would not be the last. Artemis would always find another to suit her whims when one failed her and would not think twice about it or even reflect on the ones who were lost. That was the harshness of serving her for all time. You would love the hunt, but it would never love you back.

Yet, Artetris thought to herself, the Hunt did not just leave her huntress either. She did respect those capable of surviving and continued to lend those individuals power, even those She had cursed to die if that huntress chose a spouse over Her. Artetris felt the Hunt burning fiercely within her, challenging her even just as Artetris challenged Her and her practices. She always had, ever since she left the forest to wait for the Hunt to find another and go away.

(Of course, that…had never happened.)

Artetris hummed to herself as she ate.

Why had Artemis' spirit stayed within her even after she left for Wizard City? Was it…only because she was defiant about it? Was it because she was a virgin or something? Or was there more to it? What would have happened had she taken the dive and ended that virginity in Wizard City? What…would happen if she still chose to?

Again, Artetris thought about Finn. (How could she not when he and the Magic Dog chattered outside her room?) This time, however, she remembered seeing him bathing in the woods and realizing that she had stormed in on him while…exposed. She remembered him…that morning… Her heart leapt in her chest at both visions.

Before, it mattered not how Finn was…"skinned". Now, she could not picture him nude without…smiling. She had it bad… But! It would pass once he had gone on his way.

She liked having Finn around her. For the past two weeks, it had felt good to see him on better terms than they had endured following Wizard Battle and in seeing each other again concerning the Enchiridion and Wizards and Heroes. It felt good to know him beyond that hero role and persona; Finn, like her, was a person—a beast, an…exceptional one—trying to forge his own path in a world that was cold, cruel, and harsh. Yet, unlike her, he never stopped being optimistic or smiling. He never stopped being Finn.

How was she…going to be her?

Finn had definitely inspired her to think about that closely.

Artetris smiled to herself as she ate her pheasant breast in silence, thinking about him…and his tight bod, an excellent hunting companion to be sure! She couldn't wait for them to tackle that boar together and just…have that usual brand of fun; it would be…their last hunt together after all. If they could not summon the Spirit of the Forest today, she would have to move on to other methods of tracking the Tree Witch. Staying with Finn any longer without admitting what she felt or even acting upon it was torture.

And she wasn't certain that she wanted to or should. Their past together meant nothing if it did not include a brighter future, and that, she could not yet see. Even so, she could see them hunting. She could see Finn playing his flute spell…just one last time.

And just one last time did she wish to hear him play for the spirit.

And just once more, she would imagine that he was playing for her….

Artetris finished her pheasant and set the feathers and bones aside. Later, she could craft them into decoration and weapons for selling as was her usual trade. For now, she had to finish readying herself for the hunt…which meant cleaning the blood from her hands and cleansing the troubles of the previous day from her spirit. One misstep would mean meeting Death against the tusks of the mighty boar, and she did not want that for her or for Finn. A sigh of resignation and relief escaped her as she stood up, stretched and moved towards her home's flowing bath.

They had a big day, and she wanted to be clean, not smelly like Finn. She snickered to herself at the thought as she sat in the water. She kind of liked him smelly like that…if only a little.

His old scent…from a slightly happier past made her feel as if she could live and see it again. It made her feel happy. Period. And that…was rare for a wizard, especially one also called "huntress".