"I heard you say something that sounded like you were talking about a Wendigo, but I could be wrong."

"What's a Wendigo?"

"Wendigo?" Ezra took a bite of her jerky, letting Katie explain.

"The old story of the Wendigo is that...I forget the tribe name, but still. A tribe of skinwalkers was cursed for their gluttony by being locked out from the rest of the world one winter and was pushed to eat one another. That is why a wendigo is always hungry and when it eats, it grows in proportion to the meal, thus never feeling satisfied, this is also why wendigos are so thin and boney. They are also associated with decay, and the forgotten. They get the deer/man look from the fact that they were a tribe of skinwalkers that wore the skin of slain animals and became it." Katie pulled out a picture that looks like it was cut out of a textbook,"I am a skinwalker, but as long as I don't eat human meat I won't become a wendigo."

"Never seen anything that looked like that."

"It's...surprisingly not...worrisome? I'm not sure."

"If not consumed, do people bitten by one become one?"

"No, the only way to become a wendigo is to be a skinwalker and eat humans. You have to be invited into a tribe to be a skinwalker"

"Whelp, we don't need to worry about bites here then, so that's a small plus,"Katie definitely looked nervous, seeming to know something.

"I might know what you're talking about if it's not a wendigo"

"Mmm," Elber nodded in agreement before swallowing,"Anyways, back to Ezra's story. From the way you talk, I'm guessing you're a first gen?"

"Yes, I am...I was in my teenage years when it all happened."

"What was it like? Before the outbreak?"

"...Even before the outbreak, there was chaos everywhere"

"That was true from where I'm from too. More like when, but still"

"Well, when are you from Katie?"

"It was 1928, I was hunting in the forests of Kentucky. Then my dogs and I were in the forest here." Elber blinked, probably going through the calculations in his head.

"So a good two centuries ago, give or take a few years"

"Sounds right, anyways, I guess we can talk about my groups now?"

"Yeah, sorry"

"No, you're fine, don't apologize" Katie shifted into her wolf form as Elber put another piece of jerky into his mouth. Ezra smiled at Katie before starting her story from before the cycles.

"So, me and my group had to head to a store for supplies, we we're still fine with the amount we had, but an injury to the whole group or us camping in the base for a few days would drain the supplies we had left. We figured the alarms wouldn't work anymore, due to people not maintaining them and all, so we didn't worry, until they went off that is." Katie tilted her head, as if to ask a question, and Ezra continued. "We were almost surrounded but there was an opening, so we fled. WE were too worried about the possibility of getting followed by the hoard, so we didn't check for bites or scratches until we got back to the base. When we got back, we entered one of the main rooms that had a door that could be locked or unlocked from either side if you used a key. Sam, our leader, started checking everyone for scratches and bites. She got to Thomas, the dude I mentioned earlier, and realised he had been bitten. The group was divided on what our next steps of action should be, but it got violent quick. I left the room and locked the door, Sam gave me an extra key so I could go and gather supplies or other things on my own."

"Smart," Elber said before his mouth was again preoccupied by eating jerky.

"Mhm, I left for a bit to walk around and let them and myself calm down for a bit before returning to hear them all......turned. I guess they couldn't hurt each other, even in the end. I left the door locked, grabbed a pack, and gathered all the supplies I could before I left. I figured it was best to leave the city and head to the outskirts. You know how dangerous the cities are with a group, but without them, you're as good as dead when you get spotted." Ezra directed that last comment towards Elber, since he had supposedly been through something similar to what she had. Elber nodded while Katie's eyes glowed dimmer.

"I was able to live out there for a few years before another group appeared. They needed shelter, I didn't see anything wrong with it, so I let them stay with me for a bit." Elber made a face at Ezra's words. "I ended up joining them, since groups are easier to protect yourself in, which obviously wasn't a good idea. There was so much more arguing, so many threats, a lot of possible sacrifices of people, stealing from each other, and the list goes on. They didn't trust each other, that was their downfall. We ran into another group, some turned, some fought back, I tried to make a break for it, but that didn't work out." The glow in Katie's eyes turned a red. "A guy from the other group grabbed me. Made me watch everyone who was resisting die. Then they brought me back with them for......entertainment. AS my luck would decide, zombies found a way into their base and I was able to flee. I took that choice and grabbed what I could before getting as far away as I could." Katie's eyes shifted from a bright red to a dark blood red and Ezra paused.

"I was able to survive for another two years before the almost bite. I got surrounded by a hoard and was ready to accept my 'death'. One of the zombies got close enough to almost bite me before I blinked and I appeared in the forest. I don't know what happened between those moments, but I knew it had to do with the entity I now address as It in some kinds of way." Katie's eyes switched back to white and she shifted back into her human form. Ezra felt like something was wrong, whether it be emotions or thoughts.

"Katie? You okay?"

"I'm sorry you had to go through that" Ezra was worried about Katie now.

"It was nothing after my family was basically murdered, Kate. I'm fine for now, but you seem...angry?"

"Not at you, for you. Let's just say, native Americans and entertainment is something I know about and hate."

"...I think I understand," Ezra turned her attention to Elber as she looked over at him. "Are you okay after all...that?" Ezra was worried she possibly upset the guy. Elber's body language was stiffer than normal, but nothing like what it had been when he was questioning Ezra about the bite.

"I'm fine...It's not the worst I've come across, but it's definitely not something I'd wish on anyone. I'm glad you're out of there, but...I thought you said you and Amelia were sisters?" His confusion was palpable.

"Ah yes, the sister thing, and I supposed the mom thing too...since we're basically stuck here, we've basically 'adopted' other people as family, although some might actually be family." Ezra became a bit more relaxed knowing Elber was okay.

"...What's 'adopted'?"

"I would consider it asking people to join our 'families' in this cycled area"

"Am I adopted?" Katie looked fully confused at Ezra's words.

"To take someone into your family for the rest of your live"

"I would say the rest of our lives or until the cycles are over"

"Well," Katie starts, they all notice that most of the jerky is gone at this point,"I got to go, hunting to do, people to jumpscare, stuff like that. You two can keep the rest of it, have a nice day!" Katie shifts into her raven form and gets ready to leave.

"Goodbye Katie! Feel free to visit anytime!" Katie caws once before flying away, leaving Ezra and Elber alone. They stood and watched Katie fly away before Ezra turned to Elber.

"You can have the rest of the jerky if you want, it seems like you like it a lot," Ezra smiled. Elber's head snapped to look at Ezra as his eyes practically sparkled.

"Really?!"

"Sure, I don't mind! Go ahead and take it!" Elber eagerly scooped up what was left on the plate and added it to his small pile before taking a piece of paper and setting it all in the middle and carefully wrapping it up.

"I should probably save the rest for later. I know Kat said she'd be willing to share more, but I don't want to ask that of her."

"Save it for later, then you can enjoy it at a better moment!"

"That too"