A number of Mages fled persecution and death by hiding in the wilderness areas that only rare vampires would venture into. Protected -- knowingly or unknowingly -- by those Changing Breeds who staked out territories and defended them to death against invasion by the leeches, these Mages came into a kind of understanding among themselves, the spirits of the desolate lands, and Gaia.
These Children of the Wyld, or Wyldren as one wag nicknamed them, became a semi-mythical group of shadows lurking among the trees or sands or mountains of any region. People seeking to evade the vampires by escaping cities often encountered the odd old woman, mountain man, or feral teen who would help them through the wilds and into a safe haven run by the Resistance.
Since the end of the Long Night, these Mages (and some say, Hedge Mages) continue to act as liaisons between humans and the Wyld. They are universally protective of their chosen charges, whether they are territorial or transient, and are usually on good terms with both the Changing Breeds and Nature's Call.