As is with 'summer' bringing warmth to the world, here in the north, snow still persisted, at least it was not 'freezing' anymore.

As magic sparked across the glass windows, breaking the natural ambient light in the room and reflecting the colors through the air, the Elder was trying to find a source material for an elixir. The material wasn’t as easy to ‘find’ as it is something that ‘exists’ in the air and ‘light’ around them, it was easier to ‘extract’ it at night and hence the growing darkness outside her house.

The elixir was for a 'still sleeping' fourteen year old girl with snow white hair and pale skin that matched. If not for the Coven’s healers and their magic, she might have already died - their own 'sleeping beauty'. But the Elder hoped that with this elixir they would finally be able to pull the girl back into the waking world.

Already the last twelve attempts at brewing have been a failure, it wasn’t an ‘easy’ task to make this particular elixir, and in all her life she had only ever made it successfully once before, and even then it had been too late to ‘save’ her ‘friend’.

Her friend was the reason she was here now… here as the Elder of the Zalrue (Winter Frost) Coven and the head of the all the northern Covens in the country. Her promise to her friend as she breathed her last breath, to help others… to atone for all the wrong she had done.

Even though the Fae should hate her, they were the ones to bring her news from all around the world and of people who needed help… who needed to be rescued… those who were being hunted. They made sure she kept her promise, the last few years though there were fewer and fewer 'errands', but about six months ago an unfamiliar Sprite showed up out of nowhere that begged her to help a little wolf girl who was being abused in her own Pack, the Sprite always kept an eye on the girl, because she feared Hunters would sooner or later come for her, but before they could act, the girl was attacked nearly losing her life in the process causing them to 'rush' their planning. It was one of their own, a witch that happened to work where the child was hospitalized, that was able to convince the mother to let them take care of the girl. The mother actually took the initiative, to stay behind and 'convince' the world that girl was 'dead'.

For all the Elder understood, actually bringing the woman with would have been more troublesome since it seems, from what she last heard of the Sprite who kept tabs on events there, Hunters indeed did come looking for the mother recently. 

It was the first time she had to help a werewolf, one that was abused by the very people that were supposed to keep her safe… Even the child’s mother she couldn’t forgive. But then again if it was made known that the girl was indeed her daughter, Hunters might already have found her. So perhaps the situation though terrible as it was, also was the reason the girl was still alive.

If only she had known of the girl earlier…

Of course the Alpha's mate from the nearby Pack had found out about the girl and how that woman knows so much of what goes on in the Coven the Elder would never know. But she was grateful for the Alpha who offered his help to provide a 'home' for the girl agreeing to his mate's suggestion to ‘adopt’ the girl, always having wanted more children of their own, the Alpha and his mate was unable to. The Elder was just happy to know that the Pack’s Alpha was very kind and gentle, for an Alpha that was.

The Pack and the Coven had a long standing ‘alliance’ as well, it began when the current Alpha’s great-great-grandfather found his mate, who happened to be a witch and later became the Elder of the Zalrue Coven that quickly grew into a power and became the representative of all the other Covens in the northern parts of the country, the north holding the most territory compared to the Western, Eastern and Central Covens. (There’s no Southern Coven).

According to the Sprite, the girl, had something the Blood Hunters wanted, but they thought her ‘dead’… died at birth… and it was only a matter of time before they get wind of the rumors and gossip going around; if they hadn’t already and only passed it for what it ‘was’… but sooner or later they were going to come to confirm for themselves the truth.

The girl ended up the object of hate, amongst her Pack, her 'family' having abandoned her... and her birth mother, too scared to have raised her, scared 'Hunters' would find out the girl was 'alive'. A hate that grew until it became violent…

Part of every rescue though was to ensure as few people knew the truth as possible, including them, so the Elder was the only one who knew everything about the girl and next was the Alpha, since he had the right to know who was joining his Pack, but hearing the truth the Alpha didn’t once waver on his decision, instead he was excited to meet the girl… and the most disappointed and furious when he realized just how bad the girl’s state was, when news reached them of what had happened, when he saw the child for the first time, lying on the bed, so weak… so fragile… without any way of knowing if she was going to survive or not… The Elder could have sworn the Alpha was just about ready to snap, instead he kept his calm, surprising both the Elder and Gale, a Warlock that was a skilled fighter.

All the while she was locked in her own head thinking back to her friend and now the girl that reminded her so much of that 'friend'. The colors started to disperse revealing a translucent mustard seed sized drop, it was so fine that touching it with one’s hands would break it, and any sudden change in the air from pressure to temperature could ruin its purity, only the small vial of liquid that was already prepared could dissolve the tiny drop of Aether without ruining it and the elixir would only be done, if it turns translucent like the drop of Aether – it would mean the drop was ‘pure’, and that there was no toxins in the herbs she had used.

Slowing her breathing, as a small Fae that was willing to help her took the Aether and dropped it into the vial they waited patiently as the muddy green goo of boiled and strained herbs slowly began to change…

(“Mika… I’m growing too old to continue doing as I promised; the child might very well be the last one I can help so this time I won’t be late… I won’t let her die; so please… please forgive me…”) The Elder closed her eyes, the waiting becoming too ‘long’.

“I failed…” Her voice broke the silence.

“Come now Karai, I’m not giving up yet.” The Fae seemed to be one with the air around it, getting close to the Elder, the Elder’s breath almost blew the Fae out of existence, like smoke in the wind, but the Karai didn’t seemed fazed at all as she brought her form back into a whole form, revealing a long lithe little Fae that could fit in the palm of one’s hand skin as white as milk and beady eyes as shiny as silver her wings that deemed more as ‘decoration’ than having any use to ‘fly’ reflected the little light that was in the room – this was a wind elemental.

…

Currently the Alpha was waiting downstairs for any word that the girl was showing any improvement… that she would finally wake up… The Elder was rarely seen these days, working on something she hoped could help wake the girl up sooner than later.

It was his mate that insisted on taking in the girl when she found out about the Elder’s latest 'rescue' plan, how his mate always knows what is happening he would never know, but one thing was certain he couldn't say no to his mate. Strangely as days passed while the Elder worked on a plan to ensure the safety of the Coven, the Pack and the girl, he was excited to meet the her; he dismissed the feeling as his mate’s excitement rubbing off on him through their bond. Even after hearing that Hunters… Blood Hunters... for that fact, might be after the girl; he didn’t see a problem in ‘adopting’ the girl, he trusted that the Elder would ensure that no one would ever be able to track her down just like she had done for countless others she had ‘saved’ – he was well aware of the Elder’s ‘work’ because of his mate. What he didn’t expect was that when he saw the girl he immediately felt his own protective instincts clawing to take over.

How could anyone ever do ‘this’ to a child? She was beaten and tortured, nearly, to death… How could an Alpha have overlooked that kind of violence in his own Pack? In a Pack-House no less, where all the wolves were supposed to be ‘protected’? How could a mother just continue looking on without interfering even if it meant it would draw attention of Hunters to the girl still being alive? And how could the people that had ‘raised’ her just abandon her like they did? Regardless of why Hunters would want her… she was just a child and that kind of hate... towards ‘family’… it was unacceptable.

The moment he saw her he knew she was meant to be a member of his Pack, that he was meant to protect her, just like he and his mate was meant for each other. He oddly felt more ‘protective’ of the girl than he had ever felt for his own son? Was it because she was ‘human’? Because she was so very weak, spite being born as a ‘werewolf’?

"Ena?" A voice called from outside.

"Come in, I just finished." Ena informed. She had just finished ‘cleaning’ the sleeping girl and dressing her in a fresh set of clothes.

"How's our girl doing?" The man asked hugging Ena from behind swaying her gently.

"I honestly don't know, you're the healer!" She scolded him.

"There's nothing more I can do for her, her wounds are all but healed, her health in general is good, all-in-all she should have woken by now... But the mind... it's not so simple."

"If I knew her true name, I might have been able to use my magic to pull her out."

"If it was that simple the Elder would have already done it herself. Don't you worry about it too much; she'll wake up when she is ready to. You and the Elder both are so much alike! In the meantime the Alpha is here to see her and you are late for work."

"Yes, yes. You don't' have to remind me, I was just about to leave." She turned around and kissed her husband on the lips.

"Blaze...?” She hesitated.

“Take good care of her while I'm out." Since taking care of the girl she had grown fond of the child. Blaze knew this all too well, even the Alpha was well aware of the witch’s affection for the girl, hence all the more reason he couldn’t understand why anyone would do what they did to her… She wasn’t even awake and yet she was winning over their hearts by just ‘existing’.