The walkway to Petra's home seemed endless to Grey as she approached the large cabin, to each side of her the snow was piled up in high walls where they had pushed the fallen snow from the walkway. Her hands shook tucked in the pockets of her coat, her fingers subconsciously running over the glossy pictures stuffed in her pocket, no doubt leaving it tainted with her smudged fingerprints. Her fingers had to momentarily leave the warmth of her pockets to push open the white gate in front of the home, that seemed to practically blend in with the snowy surroundings. She closed it behind her carefully and walked up the steps.

Slowly raising her hand, she knocked on the door and not a moment later, Petra stood in the doorway with her signature smirk.

"Grey!" She exclaimed, leaning against the doorframe. "I was beginning to think you'd never show up."

"Here I am." Grey shrugged. "I-uh-I have something I need to show you."

"Later? My grandmother is anxious to meet you! Come in!"

Petra pulled Grey inside the house and draped a skinny arm over her shoulder, which proved to be kind of hard seeing as Grey was a solid few inches taller than the petite girl. She still continued leading her into the kitchen where heavenly smells floated in the air, originating from food Grey was not familiar with. Stood in front of the stove, was a small woman with hair the color of the moon that flowed down to her hips in thick waves with thin, pale arms that whisked whatever was was cooking in the pan.

"Babushka eto Grey." Petra murmured softly into the woman's ear, her hand on her shoulder gently.

The old woman set down her cooking utensils and wiped her arms down her apron before turning then, her dark eyes finding Grey's and narrowing in on her. Her eyes were beady and harsh as they scanned Grey up and down, a brow arching up as her lips pushed out in a purse.

"Grey, this is my grandmother."

Grey looked at the woman with a small smile. "It's nice to meet you."

"Eto smertnyy?" The woman turned to Petra with a very obvious sneer that she didn't bother to hide.

"Babushka!"

"It nice to meet you, child." The woman nodded at Grey before turning back to her food. "Dinner ready soon. Petra, get little ones."

"Be right back." Petra gave Grey a small smile before moving to the stairs and climbing them. Grey watched Petra as she stood at the top and yelled out: "Grandmother's made dinner! Come get it or get your ass whooped!"

"These are your little siblings?" Grey laughed from the bottom and Petra's eyes as well as her grandmother's found Grey.

"Technically yes, but they're more or less like little demons."

All doors on the second floor seemed to open at once and one older boy and a smaller boy followed by an even littler girl behind them. They all scrambled past the girl and down the stairs where not one took notice of Grey due to their grandmother scolding them in her rough Russian tongue.

When Petra too descended the stairs, she looked to Grey and smirked. "After dinner, my grandmother will tell you about
khishchnik. Come, her cooking is the best in town."

Petra lead Grey to the dining room where an older boy was helping the old woman place food at each seat. Grey was shown to her seat, right in the middle of the table beside Petra.

"Who are you?" A delicate voice spoke from beside Grey and her eyes found a small brown haired girl standing beside her chair, her front teeth missing and her fingers wrapped around a delicate teddy bear.

"Rosalie." Petra snapped and the little girl scurried to her own seat. "Eat grandmother's food. Don't let it go to waste."

"I was just-"

"That is Grey. She's new here and my new friend so no being obnoxious little brats, yes?"

"I'm Dimitri." The older boy was now sat at the end of the table and gave smile to Grey. He looked no older than sixteen and seemed to be the oldest besides Petra.

"That's Ethen, he's the quietest and least evil out of our bunch."

The little boy stared at Grey with wide green eyes, innocence filled the air around him and she couldn't help but find him adorable with those doe eyes and messy chocolate hair. She gave him a smile which he did not return, he just kept staring at her.

"Why are you here?" Rosalie asked through a mouthful of food. Petra scolded her behavior and she quickly swallowed and asked the question again.

"Your grandmother is going to tell me a story later."

"What story?" Dimitri smirked as he leaned back the slightest in his chair.

"Khishchnik."

His relaxed behavior was gone and now he sat straight up in his seat with tense shoulders. "That's a brave choice." His voice was gruff and he quickly looked down at his food.

"That story is scary why do you want to hear it?" Rosalie's shaky voice brought Grey's curious eyes away from Dimitri.

"I'm sort of writing a story of my own and that legend is going to help me a lot." Grey smiled sweetly at the little girl.

The old woman beside her scoffed. "Khishchnik is no legend."

"I thought-"

"Where are you from?" Rosalie spoke up again, with wide eyes. "What kind of story are you writing?"

"I live in the United States, New York." The girls big eyes twinkled with amazement. "I came here to take pictures of the animals and land here, and I'll write about my experience once I return home."

"Does Babushka's story have to do with your stuff?"

"Well, it wasn't supposed to but-"

Petra interrupted, clapping her hands together. "Alright, little ones, bedtime. Go on! Dimitri, can you take care of the dishes while I tend to Babushka and our guest?"

The boy nodded and quickly gathered the plates as Petra helped her grandmother to the couch in the living room by the fire, Grey following behind. Rosalie and Ethen carefully walking up the stairs to disappear into their own rooms.

Once the group settled in silence in the living room, the old woman raised a brow and looked at Grey.

"Before I tell you story, I ask why you want to hear tale of khishchnik?"

She bit her lip, fingers going to the pictures in her pocket before retreating. "I believe I've seen this beast you speak of."

The woman scoffed. "No one who sees khishchnik lives. He is beast. He kill for pleasure. Nikto ne zhivet, chtoby rasskazat' skazku."

"I swear ma'am. I-" Grey stumbled over her words as she reached in her pocket. "I have proof."

The old woman shakily took the photos and lifted them up, squinting her eyes at the first photo; one she took last night of that auburn wolf.

"This just common wo-"

Her voice was lost as she discarded the wolf picture to the one of the man, mid "shift", so it was called in the books. Her free hand came up to cover her mouth and she looked up at Grey with fearful eyes.

"Where did you get this?"

"I took it ma'am, a few days ago in the forest."

She shook her head as she stood and Petra took the photo, her brows furrowing together as she looked at the picture. Petra tensed when she saw it. The old woman began to walk out but she stopped and turned around slowly, dark eyes on Grey.

"You must leave."

"Wait, what? Why?"

"Now." The woman continued to babble words in Russian, her eyes closing as if she was praying.

Grey looked to Petra for answers but the girl was staring at the photo in awe and fear. "Petra?"

She looked up at her friend, eyes swirling with an emotion Grey had never seen before. She simply shook her head. "You need to leave."

"Petra-"

"Let's go. Now."

Once outside, Petra hurried off and Grey had to jog to keep up despite her height advantage. She was practically panting by the time she caught up to Petra and they stood by the empty barn, facing the forest. The girl stared out into the darkness of the forest as Grey leaned over to catch her breath.

"What happened in there?" Grey exclaimed, fuming, still breathing heavy either from running after Petra or anger - she couldn't tell.

Petra spun around, holding the picture up to Grey. "You saw this with your own eyes?" She nodded. "You swear?"

"I mean-I didn't see it I just took the picture and when I went to look through what I had he was there in the back and-"

"Grey." Grey's mouth snapped shut and she looked to Petra who was looking at the picture again. She muttered something in Russian and ran her hand through her hair before leaning against the rickety old barn. "That's why you were reading the books. It all makes sense. . . And then, you didn't listen to me and went back into the forest?!"

"I had to, Petra. I feel like I'm losing my mind."

Petra's hand ran through her own hair again as a sigh escaped her chapped lips. "Grey, there's a lot you don't know about this world-"

"What are you talking about?"

"-I don't know how to explain it all nicely without you freaking out and I don't want you to think I'm crazy because honestly, you're the only normal friend I have and I quite liked a bit of normalcy in my life."

"Petra, spit it out." Grey took a step back as Petra's expression changed dramatically.

From worried and scared, she went to terrifying with her eyes no longer a deep blue but a color that shined beneath the moonlight. A bright flame danced in her eyes and Grey stumbled back in shock, her hand covering her mouth. She stood before the human girl looking like a predator, staring down at her with inhumane eyes. Never before had Grey been so scared, not even around that wolf that had gotten so close to her. Her friend was not what she believed her to be, and that thought of reality slipping away beneath her fingertips was back and she was more scared than ever.

"You're not crazy. What you saw in the forest, Grey, that was a shifter or from what you've read, a lycan." Petra said carefully, assessing Grey's reaction before taking in a deep breath. "Grey, they're real. You have proof of our species."

"Our. . .?"

"My whole family and I are lycans."

{Translations:
Babushka eto Grey.
-Grandmother this is Grey
Eto smertnyy?
-Translates to: "Its mortal?" but in this case it's more like "this is the human?"
Nikto ne zhivet, chtoby rasskazat' skazku.
-no one lives to tell the tale}