Frank was surprised just how light the little human was. They also shook in his arms as he trekked through the forever frozen forest of snow. He could have chalked that up to them being out in the cold for a while, but he would have hoped his body temperature would warm them up before he got them to Harris. He wasn't shocked to find out that the rich tycoon sent this human out in the cold by themselves, but he was shocked at how adamant they were to refuse his help after they were nearly wolf or fox food.

They walked in silence after Frank continuously promised Autumn he wouldn't drop them. It took a while, but they finally stopped pleading for him to keep a tight grip on them as they walked. Every so often they would hear the haunting howl of the others most likely watching him tend to some outsider. He knew he'd be in some deep shit when he got back, but he couldn't in all good consciousness just leave the poor thing out there to defend for themselves. Still, that didn't stop the distant howls from sending chills down his spine and understanding what would be waiting for him when he left Autumn to the Brightens.

He could smell wolf all over Autumn and was impressed with who it was they somehow escaped. He could only assume it was because of the howling that the notorious murderer of these woods left Autumn to live another day. Had he run into anyone else he would maul them and leave their body for the buzzards to finish off. However, he never left anyone alive, including humans, so Frank had to wonder how Autumn could have escaped all of the other victims' fates.

"So, mind telling me what you're doing out here in the middle of the night getting caught in bear traps?" Frank smiled down at Autumn, wanting to break the awkward silence between them.

Autumn hesitated to answer, Frank believing they were still uncertain of him. He couldn't blame them. He thought it was creepy so many people like him lived behind the Brighten Estate when he first arrived too. It took him a while to get used to the idea he was basically living like a hermit with several others in a forest that took refuge behind one of the richest men in the world's home. It was even crazier when the owner of the woods knew about all the people living behind his house and what they were. Frank wondered if Autumn knew and was just terrified of what this strange man who came to save them would do to them if they made him angry.

"Don't worry, I won't bite," Frank joked, almost laughing at his own joke until he realized that Autumn wasn't enthused. They looked away from him, staring at the ground, still shaking in his arms. They were clearly frightened and they couldn't get to the Brighten Estate fast enough to feel safe again. "How about we play a game! Let's do I Spy, I'll go first. I spy with my little eye, something... White and sometimes yellow!"

There was another minute of silence before Autumn finally replied. "Snow?"

"Correct!" Frank beamed, glad they were finally on speaking terms once again. "Now, you try."

"Can't we just have another moment of awkward silence?" Autumn asked, still not looking at him. "How far are we from the house, anyway?"

"About a quarter mile to go," Frank answered, "you made quite the journey from it, which I thought you were forced to do out of a dare or something."

"No," Autumn sighed, "there was an animal in the house and Mr. Brighten sent me out to return it to the wild out here. I didn't want it coming back so I went a little far... And then this... Wolf attacked me."

"A wolf?" Frank repeated, pretending to be surprised. "What did it look like?"

"It was white with blood stains and scars all over its body," Autumn described, "that how I got in that bear trap, I was trying to run from it."

Called it. Frank thought. "We call that big lug Kinkiller." he told Autumn. Perhaps if he told Autumn about that killing machine, they'd tell Harris they weren't comfortable with going into the woods to do his dirty work or better yet quit. He didn't want to scare them, but if anyone else knew they were here and they came back, they wouldn't be as nice as Frank was.

"Kinkiller?" Autumn repeated in confusion. "What kind of a name is that?"

"The kind we give to those who have no reason but to murder around these parts," Frank answered, "no matter who you are, what you're doing, or who you're with, Kinkiller kills and leaves your body to be eaten by the other animals around here. He won't eat you, just kill you, so we all think he just kills for fun. It's very rare that someone-anyone-survives an attack by him. So, how did you escape his big ass claws?"

"I didn't want to die," Autumn told him as they gripped his fur tighter, "so I just kept fighting him until I could slip out from the coat I was wearing and just try getting away with a shitty foot. Then that... Howl... He just ran off when that howl just... What... What was that? It wasn't like any other wolf I've ever heard." they finally turned to look up at Frank, curiosity and fear in their dark eyes.

This time Frank hesitated and looked away. He couldn't tell this outsider about the others and how that was to tell the whole forest to gather for another get together about how they're supposed to live in secrecy. If any of the loyaler people of the woods were following them and listening to their conversations, he'd be in even deeper shit than he was already for skipping tonight's meeting. It wasn't like he'd be missed, but unless you were to be shunned by the pack, you were never allowed to skip a meeting. He was just happy the leader wanted him around for... Entertainment.

"Just a regular old wolf," Frank lied, "these woods get very empty at night that it just echoes rather creepily. Doesn't help that it's almost three in the morning."

"I'll need to get ready for school soon," Autumn sighed, "there's no way I'll get any sleep before then if the Brightens bother taking me to a hospital to have this looked over." they twitched their injured leg as a gesture to their wound. Frank was glad they were changing the subject, but the matter of it didn't make him feel better about taking them to that selfish household.

"Are you crazy?" Frank asked rhetorically. "You need to rest that leg of yours! You can't go walking around attending useless classes."

"They're not useless!" Autumn shot. "They're my ticket out of this city and out of working under that selfish, blue collar, self-centered, piece of-"

"There he is!" Frank shouted.

"Shit!" Autumn exclaimed, pressing themselves closer to Frank's chest and gripping his fur tighter, their knuckles whitening. They had arrived a couple yards to the estate, but it looked as if all the Brightens had gone to bed as all the lights in the windows were off.

Frank burst out laughing, keeping his arms tight around Autumn who turned to glare at their rescuer. He only wanted to make them feel more comfortable with him, but seeing the fear and anger on their face was hilarious to him.

"Jack ass!" Autumn spat.

"Oh, please, my therapist calls me worse," Frank chuckled.

Once they got to the back of the house, Frank having to maneuver to open the back gate up so as not to drop Autumn, he knocked at the back door as loud as he could with his foot. After several kicks to the door, a few minutes of waiting, and a broken toe, the back porch light switched on and sounds of several locks being undone rapidly on the other side of the door could be heard.

"Oh, Autumn, thank Rayphalyne, you're o- Oh..." it was Christine Brighten who answered the door, her face shining with hopeful enthusiasm before it fading to surprised confusion and contorting into horror. "Oh, dear, what happened?" she cried out, finally taking in the entire scene before her.

"Chris," the commanding voice of Harris shouted from somewhere inside, "is it that DuPond? What took it so long to- oh." Harris stomped up to stand by his wife, his fury turning to disgust when he saw that Frank was waiting for him there as well.

"Is it Autumn?" A third voice called before the owner of said voice ran up and pushed between the happy couple and seeing Autumn in the arms of the stranger at the door. "What happened to your leg?" the younger looking male version of Christine asked, his perfect blue eyes wide with worry. This must be the infamous Chet Brighten, the youngest son of Harris Brighten, known for his lack of a back bone like his father and brothers.

"I'm fine," Autumn reassured as they gestured for Frank to put them down, "just had a bit of an accident."

"An accident?" Christine and Chet replied in unison as Chet moved to take Autumn's hands as they hopped on one leg when Frank had set them down. "Oh, you poor baby!" Christine added as she grabbed one of Autumn's hands from Chet's.

"Just a little mishap with a bear trap," Frank smiled with a reassuring wave of the hand, "they're very lucky to have so much clothing on them, otherwise that old piece of junk would have broken a bone."

"Who are you?" Christine asked as she looked back to Frank.

Frank knew almost everything about the Brightens, outside of Chet, from what he heard from Harris and others who knew the family personally. However, only Harris knew of Frank's existence due to the shady business they did that Frank was almost positive Mr. Brighten didn't want the missus knowing of and that his sons were too young to learn everything about their old man. Frank couldn't blame him. Getting Harris's dirty goods to be exported to other parties and the fact that the work Frank did to get those goods wasn't something that Harris looked at with approval. Frank didn't care. He didn't do the majority of things he did for anyone's approval.

"Name's Frank, ma'am," Frank bowed before taking Christine's free hand and gently kissing a knuckle, "I work for your husband on occasion. A pleasure to finally meet the goddess that soothed the beast's heart."

"My goodness," Christine giggled as she took her hand back, her already glowing cheeks growing pink.

"Thank you, Frank," Harris growled before stepping between him and Christine, "now leave."

Frank saluted in acknowledgment before turning on his heel and beginning to walk away back into the forest. "Hope to see you again soon, DuPond!" Frank called back with a wink. "Let's be sure to take the bear trap out of the equation!" before he could see their reaction, Harris slammed the door shut with enough force that snow tumbled down from the roof. Frank flinched at the strength of the door closing and took a moment before making his way back home.

He felt cold without the little human in his arms, but he needed to shake them out of his head. Frank needed to forget that tonight ever happened and think of an excuse for not attending tonight's meeting. His blood had turned cold when the calls had silenced, the rest of the pack having all arrived and the king growing more and more impatient he waited for Frank to appear. When he didn't the meeting had to go one, unfortunately with a furious leader biting everyone's heads off because of that one that didn't bother showing up.

Once Frank was out of sight of the estate, he raised the hood of his fur over his head and was about to turn, when a sudden stench filled his senses. He wanted to get home as fast as he could, hoping he'd at least get to rest the night away before getting his ass handed to him. Sadly, his plans seemed to be foiled as the stench surrounded him. His royal highness must have been furious when he saw Frank hadn't shown up and sent some goons to send a message to Frank. A message that would leave his face beautiful and the rest of him beaten and bruised.

Just when he thought he could make a run for it and hope for a better tomorrow, a sudden weight threw itself on Frank and the two bodies rolled in the snow before a large hand wrapped its fingers around Frank's throat. Whoever had grabbed him lifted him up off the ground with ease before slamming his back up against a tree. The pain shot through Frank's entire body, forcing a agonizing snarl out of him. He looked down at his attacker as more people wearing similar furs to his stepped up behind the one holding him up against the tree. The one holding him was broad shouldered, his fists huge, his brown hair a shaggy mess matching his shaggy brown fur, and his eyes a furious hazel.

"Pecan!" Frank choked out happily, gripping the man's arm with both hands. "You're looking well, how's our bum buddy doing?"

"Shut up!" Pecan barked, tightening his grip around Frank's neck, causing Frank to let out a pained gargle. "Where the hell were you? Did you not hear his highness calling?"

"No, no, I heard, I heard," Frank answered shakily, "I just got a little side tracked."

"You reek of human," Pecan accused, "someone said they heard a human being attacked by Kinkiller too, know anything about that?"

Frank gulped, trying to breathe properly. "N-No, I don't know anything about Kinkiller attacking a human. I got one out of a bear trap, but that's it. I ran off once I freed them."

"Did it see you turn?" Pecan snarled bringing Frank closer so that they were nose to nose.

"No, I was in this form when I got them out and ran off before they could ask too many questions." Frank lied as best he could.

Pecan glared down into Frank's eyes, sniffing him and all around the both of them. Frank wasn't sure what Harris's relationship with Autumn was, but if the pack knew they were in good with the Brighten family, they'd leave them alone. He, however, was not going to be spared from the abuse he was going to receive from the king. Granted, he wouldn't be killed, but sometimes the punishments he got from anyone under the king made him wish he were killed.

After examining him, Pecan flung Frank to the ground and nodding to the others around them. The rest of the small group stepped up to Frank and began raining blows upon his body, being careful to leave his face unharmed. Pecan then clicked his tongue, the others ceasing their attack and stepping away from the cowering Frank who was gripping his stomach in agony. Pecan made his way over to loom over the injured outcast and grabbed him by the hair to lift his head up out of the blood stained snow.

"Show up to the next meeting," Pecan threatened, "or his highness will not be as lenient next time." he then shoved Frank's face back down into the snow and stood up straight to lead his group away. "Don't make us have to repeat ourselves."

Frank watched as they walked away, only being able to writhe in pain and await his next punishment.