@losing-hand sent “I’m not a Lab Rat!”. As for the number...well..my goodness; here, have an AU instead.
Everyone knew a witch lived in the forest; that wasn’t anything new. In fact, she’d lived there for literal ages - among the many other creatures that had also made their homes there in the wood - and, for the most part, had been undisturbed. Still, Fate had a funny way of playing “catch-up” when it grew bored of peaceful monotony.
It was against the Law of the Land for any mere mortal to simply enter into the Forbidden Woods whenever he or she pleased. To do without probable cause left one at the Law of the Woods...which was just a glorified way of saying “your ass belongs to the first creature that claims it”.
Whatever the case, the silver-haired female could sense that someone who didn’t belong in her neck of the woods was coming. Something young...and foolish... Perhaps some classmates had dared this person to enter the woods to prove he or she had ‘balls’ - or whatever euphemism children used for blind bravery these days - or maybe this child was just tired of living, and thought they would submit to Fate. Whatever the case, Peko found it odd that this mysterious newcomer had made it this far without running into a werewolf - or five; they were all in heat, and searching for mates at this time of year, after all...
At this moment, however, the witch - who looked no older than her early twenties - sat, carefully sculpting small, resin body parts. One of her favorite pastimes happened to be making dolls. Some remained with her, and others would miraculously find their way to children in need on certain holidays. Her house was cluttered as it was. Still, a soft sigh passed the crimson-eyed woman’s lips; it was impossible to concentrate with the scent of a human wafting through the air. They reeked of various, otherworldly things - many of which smelled utterly noxious - and the scent only grew stronger as the seconds ticked by, each like a separate eternity. One thing was for certain, this newcomer was headed straight for her home.
Any other creature would have likely swooped this intruder up and fought over it as if it were a piece of meat - and make no mistake, to some it would have been a delicacy - but the witch had no such need for the hassle of a pet. She would neither hinder, nor provoke this person. Fate was not something she relished in tempting, and furthermore, there was nothing she could do to sway it once it had made up its mind. Fate had control of the strings, and she would be the puppeteer
So she waited...allowing everything to fall into place of its own accord. .
