WICCAN CRUSADERS Having been on the run, from the with hunters, for centuries, the Wiccan covens would have learned how to know when hunters were getting near. Prior to the age, of computerization, hunters had to spend much time investigating, in a process known as "foot-work". During these earlier ages, hunters took more time, and made sure that the person they were hunting probably was a witch. When questions began to be asked, covens could, quietly, pack up, and leave the area. Ofcourse, even then, not all hunters were concerned with verification. Some hunters just travelled, from town to town, torturing anyone whom they thought might be involved in witchcraft. As a result, many villages had come to dread the coming, of witch hunters, just as they might dread dark witchcraft. The witch hunters left a trail, of blood, in their wake, miles wide, and years long. Eventually, the Wiccans fled Europe, "paying the way", to the new woorld, by offering medical services to crews, and passengers, of west-ward bound ships. For maybe two centuries, the church, in Europe, did not emphasize following the covens to the savage, new, world. The church felt sure that, in such a savage place, the Wiccans would die out, just as boatloads, of colonists had died out, within a couple of generations. To save face, the church would say that the colonists had died out, due to lack of faith in the church, and in god. In fact, the cause, of most death, in the early years, was due to bad crops, disease, and a lack of proper medical care. It would take almost 150 years for the church to learn that some groups, in the America's, were teaching natural healing. For the most part, this was due to the fact that, in those days, rumors could spread, for months, even years, before church authorities even heard a whisper about what was going on. When informed, though, most churches took months, or even years, just to track the rumor, and find out if it were true. For those, truly dedicated to the church, even when "evil" was found, without telephones, and internet, a message could take months just to reach a courier ship. More months, to sail the Atlantic, then even more months just to seek an audience, with the clergy. Once the church was made aware of the issue, then the messenger would be housed, locallly, while the church debated what to do. Months, or even years, might pass, before the clergy came to a decision. In too many occassions, not recorded in history books, by the time a courier might bring a message back, about how to deal with a "satanic servant", the "servant" had either vanished, or died, of a variety of causes. Once the clergy learned that "witchcraft" might be in practice, in the colonies, the hunters were sent, to wipe out the covens. The problem the hunters had, with the colonies, was that everyone wore the same, general kinds of clothes. The expensive, ball gowns, and tailored man-suits, which favored rich clients, in Europe, were just not practiclle, in a farming society. In Europe, most witches had wore old, and tattered, clothes, which made them easy to spot. In the colonies, everyone wore work-clothes, as the entire colony was about building a new society. It would take 20 years for the church to answer the hunters next inquiry. "In a society where everyone is involved in industry, and almost everyone, from nearby farms wears tattered clothes, How do we tell witches from gospel people?" 20 years later, the answer came: "let any man, woman, or child, who will not quote the sacred text, of the scriptures, openly, and publicly, be condemned as a witch". The hunters forgot to tell the church that most colonists do not read, period. Their days are spent servicing their farms, and business. The colonists could not quote anything not yet read to them. Still, orders were orders. In village squares, hunters tortured hundreds of people, across the thirteen colonies, until the victims died, from the torture. In several cases, after seeing neighbors, and friends, tortured, by the hunters, villagers began to, quietly, move on, until hunters realized that the audience was down to those who were too old to move, or care. The hunters job, at that time, was only brought to an end after both the colonies rebelled, and European villages complained that the hunters were leaving villages with no young women, for men to mate with, nor were there any women left, to care for the sick, or injured. Although a few Wiccans stayed, to keep the true craft alive, in Europe, most Wiccans travelled to America, and the new nations promise of freedom of thought. While Wiccans travelled west, for the "new world", the hunters travelled east, to take on new assignments. Over the coming centuries, the Wiccans, of America, free of the persecution of the church, would go from being solitary practitioners, and small groups, to becoming a mighty force, and a force to be reckoned with. Sure, even some Wiccans got "out of line", at times, but this is why American Wiccans decided to set up regional boards, to review individual actions, and punish mistakes. With the many changes, in American thinking, especially after the Apollo program, and with American television showing that being "different" was not, necessarily, a bad thing, American Wiccans found their way of life becoming more acceptable, and accepted. No more would Wiccans have to hide from such terrible symbols as the classic wart face. What Americans were not so much aware of and that was just how truthful movies, about witchcraft school, really were. For many, who attended witchcraft school, though, the problem was that life way not as easy as portrayed, in the movies. Just like in regular school, witchcraft school required that students actually study for class, and tests. Students would learn that they were required to learn, and prove, knowledge, of reading, writing, and spelling, before going on, to brewing potions, and casting spells. As teachers frequently reminded students, it does no good to be able to cast a spell, if one has noo idea what spell one is casting. Even worse, trying to brew a potion, without knowledge, of math, to know how much, of which ingredients, to use, is a great way to meet ones maker. Once students had the "basics" down, each would be assigned further studies, under an acknowledged Wiccan, who would continue the students training. When some students would ask when training would be over, the best teachers would say "Your training ends the day you die". In magic, there is no such thing as an end to learning. When Samantha Stevens came on the scene, in the 1970's, then was joined, by the Halliwell sisters, in the 1990's, showing that witchcraft, like every other field, had its good, and bad, sides, and this was aided by the Shaolin monks, of Kung Fu, and The Legend Continues, alternative lifestyles began to emerge as being more apart of the national character, with various lifestyles all converging, to make a good nation even better, the Hunter knew that this was not a good thing, for the nation. Under cover, of various other activities, the Hunters would return to America, determined to fulfill their destiny, for the good of the church. When the new group, of hunters, came to America, to seek out, and destroy the covens, their fatal flaw was something their forebearers could not have forseen. By the mid-1990's, practically every home, in the world, had an internet connection, with data being relayed around the world, around the clock. This meant that Hunters no-longer had to track suspects, as they had to, in old times. Now, suspected witches could be tracked, via on-line activities. The flaw, to this, was that, although the internet contains much information, it has the flaw that it cannot telll the most minute of differences, between various subjects. For example, when the church listed one Monica Hughes as being a witch, the hunters logged this name in, then chose the first "hit" they came to. Monica Hughes, data input worker, at a computer firm, in Connecticut. It would not be untill AFTER this Monica Hughes was kidnapped, tortured, into confession, then burned alive, that main base informed the hunters that the Monica Hughes, whom they sought, was a software engineer, located in Indiana. Oops! By the time the hunters reached Indiana, Moonica Hughes had the news, and had fled, leaving only a unit, of police, behind, to take in the hunters. When a group, of three hunters, descended upon the Monica Hughes, of Indiana, they would be jailed despite insisting that they were under the authority of the church. When Wiccan Monica Hughes contacted the closest priestess, of her coven, she found out that she was not the only Wiccan who was on the run. Across the nation, both Wiccans, and bystanders, were being attacked by hunters, such as the fabled Hansel and Gretel. The worst part was that the hunters were not being so careful, about who they grabbed, nowadays. The modern, national, council, of Wicca, would report that, in close to 70% of abbductions, the hunters victims were not Wiccans, at all. Too often, it seems, name recognition was being used, far too often, to select hunters targets. A few hunters were being caught, and jailed, but most were released, in allmost no time, when baill "popped up", in no time. The police, soon, even complied with church requests, NOT to get involved, in the Wiccan round up. The church promised that, when the last, of the witches, was rounded up, and destroyed, the problem would be at an end. Some departments even complied with such requests, and soon, regretted it. One of the worst cases, of such regret, was the case, in which hunters had "verified" that a group, "posing" as mothers, at a public school, were actually witches, and trying to corrupt children into the "easy life", of witchcraft. When the school reported, to the police, that a group, of armed people, had dragged as many as eight mothers away from cars, where the mothers had been waiting to pick up children, after school, the police were ready to act, until another call came in. One, telling the department not to interfere with the evenings activities. A group, of witches, was to be punished, for their crimes, and the Lord would bbe their judge. That afternoon, the police found themselves standing between a frightened, and angry, populace, on one hand, and the church, on the other hand. When the public demanded action, about the kidnapped mothers, the police could only say "We are working on it". It would not bbe until just after sun-set, when the police got a call from the old grouch, Mr. Winker. Mr. Winker lived near an old quarry, and had called to ask police WHY others were allowed to have fires, in the quarry, when he was ordered NOT to have such fires. When Mr. Winker was reminded that no one was allowed to have fires, in the quarry, Mr. Winker snapped "Then, get yoour pretty bys up there, to that quarry, and tell them people, what you keep telling me". When a police lieutenant asked Mr. Winker for details, such as how "big" the "fire" was, the lieutenant was surprised when the man said that blaze was big enough to light up the pit. When Mr. Winker said "They aint using no lighter fluid, either. Smells like gas to me". When the lieutenant made the mistake of suggesting the police visit Mr. Winker, the lieutenant was surprised when Mr. Winker said "If you get your hinnies up here, soon enough, you be ablle to see it for yourself, from my back porch. You better hurry, though. As big as it is, that fire may not burn for long". With two more calls coming in, about light, near the old quarry, the chief went airborne, in his Homeland Security provided helicopter, while the only two units, available, on the ground, raced to the area. When the chief arrived, at the quarry, he was, suddenly, glad that the feds had given him digitallly enhanced night vision binoculars, now that he could see what was going on, in the quarry. Mr. Winker was right about one thing. There ws a massive blaze burning, in the quarry. A real barn-burner, of a bon fire. What the chief wished he hadn't seen was what he saw next. From his helicopter, the chief watched as the kidnapped women, whose clothes had been ripped off, down to panties and bra's, had been tied to wooden poles, and were being set on fire. When someone, down in the quarry, warned off the chief, saying, through a horn "This is Gods work. You have no business, here". The chief knew his term, in office, was over, one way or the other. Thankfully, the cars had arrived, at the quarry, and officers targeted riot guns on the hunters. When the hunters actuallly dared to stand in front of the accused witches, shouting at police, "I dare you to fire! Hit me, and kill the witch, as well". At the chiefs direct order, the ground officers loaded tranquilizer darts into their weapons, and fired on the hunters. Although only a few hunters were hit, by darts, the others thought they were shot, dead, so they ran. Moments later, the fires were out, but only one woman survived the ordeal. The others had burned to death. When the captured hunters awoke, in jail, the police got an earful of "We are Gods soldiers. We do not answer to you". With a look, of pure disgust, about an hour later, the chief had to release the hunters, after the church posted all of the hunters bonds. When this news hit the internet, along with the fact that more accused persons were being abducted, all over the area, the Wiccans realized there was only one way to handle this situation. To protect the innocent, the Wiccans would have to place themselves in the line of fire. It was time for the "evil" witches to place themselves between the "saintly" hunters, and a victimized public. As the Wiccans prepared for the coming battle, ancient cabinets would be opened, for the first time, in centuries. Their contents: the dark brown cloaks, used by European Wiccans, centuries ago, for a variety of ceremonies. What was notable, abbout each cloak, was that each born the sign for life, on the left breast, of the vest. The skirt was of a most unusual design, as well. When worn, in the standing, or sitting, positions, the fabric seemed, to the naked eye, to be a single piece, of thick, layered, fabric. For striding brooms, however, each skirt had a leather tie, for each leg. This would be used to secure the skirt in place, about the womans legs, while she was in fight (After all, Wiccans are ladies, first, and foremost). In another cabinet were packed the centuries old brooms, which previous Wiccans had, magically imbued, and used, for personal defense, as welll as escape, from hunters, so many times, in the past. In fact, about the only piece, of added "weaponry", was the modern headsets, for their cell-phones, which the women wore. The women also added web-cms, to their head-sets, as a precaution. As the Wiccans prepared to battle the hunters, a few, of the more mature Wiccans smiled, as yoounger Wiccans applied make-up, and lip gloss, as if the girls were preparing for dates. The male Wiccans (warlocks) had, previously, been given their directions, for the coming battle, and were in the midst of carrying out their instructions. Now, it was the womens turn to know the battle plan. The goal, for the Wiccans, was for the group to split off, into "couples", each of which would attempt to locate any hunters, then lure the hunters, away from innocents, and into the open, so that the warlocks (male Wiccans) could round the hunters up. What baffled the younger Wiccans, was how, even as battle plans were being drawn, there was much activity, in the nearby kitchens. In fact, a bakery, owned by a Wiccan, was cooking up food, like a wild fire. The younger Wiccans would not understand the reason for this, until after the battle. Although the coven would call upon the universal powers, to enhance their own abilities, even the high priestess knew there was moore power, in numbers. This is why the call went out, and more Wiccans came to aid the local coven. The Wiccans callled upon the universal powers, knowing these powers came at a price, as does everything, in life. Shortly after sundown, the combined membership, of multiples covens, flew into the night sky, just above the glar of the street lights. The figures floated, silently, over the city, hoping they, not more innocents, would draw the attention, of any nearby hunters. No such luck, though, as the first cries, for help, came from atleast four, different places, alll at once. When the Wiccans reported in, to coven headquarters, via cell-phone, supervisors monitored the activity, on large screen televisions, which gave amazingly detailed, even if just two-dimensional, views, of each area. When Wiccans arrived, at each scene, they would find hunters dragging away women, while saying "Witch, do not try to escape. Tonight, you PAY for your blasphemy, WITCH". What the innocents could not understand was why their captors kept calling them "witch". (Of the more than fifty women, attacked that night, onlly one had any reall connection, to witchcraft). As the hunters dragged their victims along, the hunters would hesitate, look overhead, then dropped their intended victims, colld, when they saw the airborne women. When the hunters stopped, to give chase, to the Wiccans, the Wiccans would fly just slow enough to keep the hunters interest. While the "witches" drew the hunters away, from intended victims, the warlocks would approach, from the other direction, taking the women to a safe area, for rest. A reprimand would be due, when an elder spotted a younger Wiccan, who was flirting with a hunter The elder stepped in, just in time, to expose the hunters trap. The elder would reprimand the young Wiccan, saying "We are NOT here, to get dates. We are here, to protect the innocent, from these "monsters". In the hours, leading to, and beyond, midnight, the Wiccans would use all their powers, and tricks, to draw the hunters away from innocents. Many of the Wiccans even resorted to cheap, parlor, tricks, such as sparklers, floating disks, and so on, to catch, then keep, hunters attention. It would not be untill 2:30 a.m. that the last, local, hunter was stripped of his weapons, then was placed into a holding cell, which the warlocks had prepared. Once the hunters were accounted for, the coven leader would phone the police, and provide the pick-up location, for both the hunters, and their arsenals. It would not be until 3:00 a.m., though, that the Wiccans would return to their base. It was only then, after the battle was over with, and the universal powers were returned, with deepest thanks, and the materials, of war, were returned to their cabinets, that the young Wiccans "felt the bottom drop out". Suddenly, they understood WHY the kitchen had been so active, before. Even though the Wiccans had only used the universal powers, to enhance their own powers, every Wiccan knows that they must use their OWN energy, to concentrate any powers, under their command. This is why, upon their return, the Wiccans found a feast waiting for them. Hot, fresh, food, and all of it fulll of exactly what the Wiccans needed, for recharging themselves, after the draining attle. By about 4:45 a.m., with bodies nourished, and energy recharged, the Wiccan council went into session, to admonish the two Wiccans, who had needed to be saved, this night. One of those, to be reprimanded, was the young woman, who had flirted with the hunter. Hilariously, the girls primary defense was "But, he was so cute. How was I to know?" The council ruled that, until the young woman could control herself, her powers were to be bound, until the council ruled otherwise. As the elders reminded the young woman "Wicca is NOT a playground. Ours is a serious calling". The council also bound another womans powers, after hearing the report on how the woman had not paid attention, to an obvious trap, which anyone else would have seen, from a block away. For her lack of attention, during battle, the womans punishment was to have her powers bound, for atleast a year, possibly longer, since the council would review her actions, again. As for the hunters, and their illegal weapons, these were turned over to the police. When the church learned of the arrests, and tried to intercede, on behalf of the hunters, the police asked "Are you SURE you want to be involved in illegal weapons charges?" When the church was shown the room-full of weapons, so the clergy could understand WHY the hunters were bbeing processed, on weapons charges, the church agreed to back away, leaving the hunters to fend for themselves. The hunters, though, remained adamant, throughout their arrest, trials, and convictions "We are the Lord's soldiers. Your laws do NOT apply to us". As for the Wiccans, although the members decided to return to their normal lives, the proposition was made that Wiccans needed more defensive training. The battle had only caught a "few" of the massive number, of hunters, nationwide, and others might, sometime, return to the area. Some self defense training should be taught. Since even the elders acknowledged that many Americans still held the cllassic notion, that ALL witchcraft is, inherentlly "evil", the plan was put forth to begin work on establishing a central learning center, whose primary job would bbe to add self defense classes, to the other classes that wannabe's must take, to become Wiccan. The Wiccan elders did NOT want students, of Wicca, to act as clumsily, as hunters had been seen acting. Wicca was bbuilt on pride, integrity, and responsibility. Recognizing, and enhancing, the beauty, of life, and nourishing it, and making it grow. That was the Wiccan way.