Althea and Scarlett's backstory

Backstory
Althea grew up in Mirewood under the watchful eye of her mothers: Endora and Tabitha. They would be equal parts beneficial and baneful to any travellers that came to seek them out. And while the visitors were few and far between, the idea of holding power over someone else was intoxicating to Althea. Her mothers’ familiars: a wolverine – Hex, and a black mamba – Malice were met with fear from travellers seeking aid and admiration from other witches.
Most other witches that visited only came to trade wares that were not found in Mirewood for things that only grew here. There was only a business transaction, no comradery. At least, not until the yearly Samhain ritual. Witches from all over would gather at a pre-determined location to have a market, settle disputes by a trail of their peers, and at times even to duel or proclaim unions. Though dangerous with the sheer amount of magic users with inflated egos in attendance, it was also one of the most safe with knowing you did not have to ‘out’ yourself – everyone else was just like you.
Althea learned of plants and poultices from Tabitha and more primal magics from Endora. When they passed, and the familiars died in their arms – as witches and familiars are so linked – Althea took up the mantle of meting out justice to the travellers that came to see ‘The Witches of Mirewood’. One witch that came to trade, Jayda and their horned owl familiar Suki, stayed a few days to help with the funeral rites as they’d just missed Althea’s mothers’ passing of old age.
Althea and Jayda became friends of a sort and kept in correspondence via letter. Though the two work in different schools of magic – Jayda focusing more on Illusion and Transmutation while Althea majored with Evocation and Enchantment – they would keep tabs on each other and send each other information about spells or rituals the other might find interesting.
Months after her mothers’ deaths Althea felt a tug within her chest. It was finally her time to meet her familiar. Armed with her usually supplies she followed the feeling. Hours passed and though she was exhausted, Althea never considered turning back. A lifelong partner awaited her at the end of this feeling, and missing her mothers would never change though it might heal a bit with her familiar. When she finally came upon the area and her chest ceased it’s tugging, she looked about feverishly. She did not see any creature. None at all.
Confused, she wondered if it was a flying creature and scanned the trees. A burrower? Pulling back some ferns she finally laid her eyes on it. A red pin-feathered raptor that held her gaze. It was young, with egg shells scattered around it – more than would account for the one egg. Althea realised that Scarlett – as she dubbed the dinosaur – was the last one. Whether Scarlett ate her siblings, or something else came along Althea never knew.
Scarlett’s mother was nowhere to be seen.
“I’m your master, understand?”
The little thing nipped at her elven fingers before crawling up her arm. A couple years passed and Scarlett was both enormous and a prankster. The dino loved to move her ingredients or tools around and act like it was not her at all. The little shit even stole some eggs that Althea had scavenged for dinner on occasion. But the two were not able to fully join in the way she knew her mothers’ had joined with their familiars. Jayda was no help either, being vague about how Suki and they joined.
And they wouldn’t join until they were ambushed and kidnapped. Taken to a weird building set into the mountain nearby – and were experimented on. Althea learned the people doing this were called The Cutters, and had taken witches, familiars, and any other magical creature or person they could grab. One man, Dr. Rick Taker would whistle while he worked, and Althea endured the screams of her brothers and sisters in the Craft as he disassembled them piece by piece.
She tried to remain stoic as he took her left calf, but could not once he hit bone. Althea was exhausted while he held up her leg in front of her, taunting her with what he was going to do next. He was interrupted by a commotion and left her bleeding on the table. Althea turned her head to watch Scarlet after he left, tears falling down her face.
“Scarlett, I’m sorry…” she held up a finger, trying to reach out, though Scarlett was in a cage across the room, “Come close, I-“
Scarlett was there, suddenly beside her. Scarlett tore the leather bands tying Althea in place, and the two managed to escape with their newly manifested bond, leaving their home behind. Althea was unable to save her leg, and paid an artisan to build her one of wood.
Their only goal now is to remove The Cutters from their forest, and to do in kind what Rick Taker had done to her and her kind. Scarlett’s bond with Althea is newly minted, but she’s always loved her ‘Mama’ and knows the Bad Man needs to die. Althea has not heard from other Jayda or witches since the event – Jayda has a stalker ex-girlfriend (Abigail) and wears an amulet that prevents magical communication.