Maple struggled to stand. Her head was throbbing and her knees would not stop shaking. She tried to cry out again for Gust, for Trout, for Elizabeth, but her tongue was dry and her throat suddenly felt like there was a hardened stone inside it. A stray lick of fire washed inches from her face and the sudden heat forced her hands up and caused her to go sprawling back against the ground.

She stared at her arms, her trembling hands, before looking back up. Trout was still crying, as was Gust. But while the older brother lay in a crumpled heap, nurturing his broken tree arm, the younger brother stood strong and directed the flames in chaotic patterns, keeping the wild familiar at bay as she dodged and weaved around the fire.

He was shouting too, but it was difficult to hear the words over the roaring of the fire. Maple strained to hear 'stay away' being shouted over and over.

Something. She had to do something.

But Maple had forgotten how hot fire was. How very frightening it was when not under her control. Slowly, she tried to stand again, but it was harder than before. Much harder. When Trout stole her power and the voice inside her head, it seemed he had sapped her strength as well. That was the only way Maple could reconcile her sudden weakness. Suddenly, not eating for days hurt her stomach. Stomping in the woods on bare feet hurt the soles. And the burns. The burned flesh of her hands and arms tingled and pinched every nerve that still lived. Without the Knowledge of flame, she was just a know-nothing. A nobody who could only watch her family fight and die.

Bitter, useless tears stung her eyes. She tried closing them tight. She forced a scream out of her ragged throat and pushed against the earth one final time. The muscles in her arms refused, but then it was if she was pushing against nothing. Her body rose with little to no effort. Eyes flying open, Maple looked around in wonder at the grasses that had grown tall and strong, grasping onto her arms and legs as they pushed her forwards. Instinctively, she wanted to pull herself free, flashes of her family screaming and crying in fear as their mother's power captured them one by one assaulted her mind, but this was different. When she moved, the grass helped to support the movement. When she was on her feet, when she took a step, the plant-life reached, grasped, and pushed to ensure she kept moving.

"Lilly," Maple whispered, letting the tears fall free as she smiled.

While she was watching her feet, she noticed hairline cracks in the earth forming here and there. They moved down and around her, forming anew further and further in the direction of her family.

The familiar was being pushed back. Trout did not have the control Maple had cultivated over the year since she first nurtured it, but the raw power he poured out was equal to the first time she had used it to overwhelm their mother. Every streak of flame the familiar managed to avoid was replaced by another. Wave upon wave erupted from around the boy and threatened to consume the half-creature.

But their mother had been old. Her body was slow and her Knowledge had abandoned her before her last moments. Maple did not doubt this girl was a familiar. She moved like them, smelled like them. Though her appearance was a bit more savage, her movements more akin to animal than human, she had the same expressionless face they all had when they hunted. She was being forced back, but Trout was equally forced to pursue, his stolen fire only being able to extend out so far.

Watching them, Maple could not tell if the familiar was retreating, or if she was leading. She tried to call out to her brother again, but again her injured body and tightened throat kept the words from coming out. While the grasses helped her move forward, out of the corner of her eye Maple could see the cause of the cracked earth. Roots were working their way out of the ground around the injured Gust and Elizabeth. Gust cried out and called for his sister when the roots wrapped around his broken tree-arm, tightening into a sort of brace. Elizabeth, who had been lying face down on the ground, stirred not at all when some of the smaller roots began to wrap around her neck.

"Elizabeth," Maple groaned, "please..."

Gust was still groaning in pain, doubled over on the ground, when she got close enough for him to hear her whispered, throaty words.

"Are you okay?"

His head shot up immediately, face pale and sweaty.

"Maple," he said, trying and failing to wipe away at his tears with a shoulder. He forced himself to his knees, though his body trembled at every movement. "I thought you...I thought Elizabeth—"

"Later." Maple swallowed, trying her best to clear her aching throat. "We can talk later. Trout. I need to get to him. Help him."

"He's got your fire," Gust chocked out, fresh tears making streaks through his dirty cheeks. His dark eyes danced between Maple, Trout, Elizabeth, and the ground. "I don't know what to do. I'm scared. My arm hurts. My whole body hurts. That girl is too fast. The fire is too hot. Elizabeth might be— I don't know what to do."

With a grunt of effort, and with help from the grass, Maple fell to one knee before her brother. When Gust wouldn't meet her eyes she reached out and grasped his human hand, squeezing it until their eyes met again.

"I'm sorry," she said in her raspy voice. "We're here because I was scared. When mother came for us, I just wanted to run."

Her brother became harder to see. Using a free arm, Maple wiped away at her wet eyes. Acutely aware of the fire that continued to rage, she refocused on Gust with clear vision. She stood up, releasing his hand, and gave him a sad smile.

"I killed mom and ran away. I lost my privilege to be a sister, but I won't let them take any of you again. I will destroy Wildwood. I promise. "

She could tell Gust could see something in her eyes. He was trying to stand, but the brace on his broken arm had been rooted to the ground. He stared down at it in horror before looking out and around them.

"Lilly!" he shouted before cursing and doubling over once again. He cried out again, his forehead pressed against the ground. "Let me go!"

"I'm sorry," Maple muttered, "but I think she understands too. I need to be the one who makes this right."

Maple went to turn around, but found her legs could no longer move. The grasses that once supported her were now twisting around her calves and reaching up her thighs, tightening into a brace that rooted her to the ground.

"Lilly?"

When she tried to reach down to tear them free, several blades changed direction, binding her wrists and forcing them up into the air.

"Lilly!" Maple cried, chocking and coughing against the lump. "You can't do this! I need to be the one! It has to be me!"

A sudden creaking and groaning grabbed the siblings' attention as they threw their heads in the direction of Trout and the familiar. They were much further away at this point, the young boy still trying in vain to strike down the wild woman with the borrowed fire. But on the other side of the familiar trees were beginning to come alive. Uprooting themselves, swinging their branches, shaking free hundreds of leaves. Nearly half a dozen were moving in on the two, attempting to close off the familiar's retreat.

"It's too much," Gust moaned, barely being heard over the thrashing foliage and crackling flame. He and Maple shared a look as his face strained with fear and worry. "Only mom could do something like this. If she keeps this up..."

"Lilly!" he cried out, more roots moving to bind him as he tried to stand. "If you don't stop, you'll die!"

Maple went to try and scream out as well, but was cut short as something large and white blew between her and Gust. The force of it would have knocked her over if it weren't for the bindings around her limbs. It moved like a gale wind, bounding over the ground, covering the distance between them and Trout in seconds. Neither sibling even had a chance to warn him in time, but the white creature did not stop at the boy, though the force of it passing barreled him head over heels on the ground.

As soon as he fell, the fire sizzled out. It took less than a second between Trout hitting the ground and the fire vanishing, but in that split moment the white beast had caught the wild woman as she was in the middle of leaping from a crashing tree. A moment later and the white beast was in the air, leaping to a great height with the woman in her arms, blowing past several animated trees whose branches shattered apart against her bulk.

Gust and Maple could only watch as the creature practically soared through the air before gravity had time to catch up, pulling it back to the ground where it landed with an earth trembling impact just before the brother and sister. Gust could only let out empty gasps of air, his eyes wide with recognition and horror. Maple recognized the expression because she could guarantee she wore the same on her own face.

The beast stood nearly eight feet tall even hunched over as it was. Its legs were bent the wrong way and ended with padded, deadly claws. Its arms were thin but muscled and held in them the limp figure of the wild woman who almost appeared to be resting peacefully as the too-long clawed fingers cupped her head within them. The long snout of the creature that regarded Gust and Maple flared as it breathed; long, blood-stained teeth bared as it snarled. But while there were several things that brought back terrifying memories for Maple, it was the cloudy brown eyes that really resonated through her core.

"I like that look you are giving me," the beast said in a voice that was all at once growled, aged, and excited as it stared down at Maple. "We have never met, but you recognize my appearance, don't you?"

Maple could only stare, open mouthed. She wasn't sure which answer would spare her life. Saying nothing only seemed to release a deep growl from the throat of the creature that the girl could feel.

"I must return now," the creature continued, staring off into somewhere beyond them before locking eyes with the girl again. "But we will speak about this soon."

And with another bound, the monster and the familiar it carried flew over their heads and disappeared from sight. Though Lilly's bindings soon retreated back into the earth afterwards, neither Gust nor Maple were inclined to look after it. Instead, Maple began to stride towards the fallen Trout, throwing a glance at Gust as she moved past him.

"Go check on Elizabeth. I'll get Trout."

Gust could only nod wordlessly, getting to his feet with no small amount of effort. His braced tree-arm dragged slightly against the ground as he made his way to the fallen familiar. For a brief moment, Maple let the worst case scenarios flit across her mind's eye as she approached Trout, but let out a sigh of relief when she got close enough to hear his muffled sniffles.

"My knee got scraped," he mumbled, still lying on his side and clutching said knee when Maple moved around him. The latter knelt down to see it better, noting the light abrasion before offering her brother a sympathetic smile.

"You were very brave," she said, her voice becoming easier to find.

Trout pulled a face, one that made him look like he had eaten sour grapes. "That lady was being mean to Gust. And another one came and pushed me down."

"Yeah, I saw that. Are you going to be okay?"

"My knee got scraped," Trout repeated, sniffling though no more tears came. "I want to go home."

Maple stood up and stepped closer, reaching down to help her brother stand. "Can you walk?"

Trout let her take his arm and rose, wiping at his nose and eyes when he was on his feet. Maple took a few steps back towards Gust and Elizabeth, but stopped when she noticed her brother was just standing there, staring at the ground. He looked up when she approached and offered her his hand. When he took it, they began to slowly make their way back.

"I'm sorry I let you go earlier," she said.

"Are you going to go away again?" he asked.

Maple swallowed again at the lump, gently tightening her grip around Trout's small hand.

"Not if I can help it."

Trout remained silent, nodding to himself before sticking the thumb of his free hand into his mouth.

...

"That monster should have killed us," Gust said in a hushed breath to her.

After taking a minute to drag the unconscious Kat under the cover of a nearby cusp of trees, the three siblings sat around their familiar to try and recover their strength. Through the tree line they could make out the far off silhouettes of the beast and several others conversing.

"She tried to kill us before. I don't know why she won't now."

Maple stared off towards the other grouping of people before regarding her brother with a troubled look. "The old guy with the red hair must have control over her."

"Mr. Connor?"

"Don't call him that," Maple said, her nose wrinkling in disgust. "That guy, Connor, he was going to get control of the familiars. I think that thing wanted to do something more with us too, but he must be keeping it from doing anything other than what he tells it to."

"What do we do then?" Gust asked. He looked from the far off group of people to Trout, who lay curled up in the shade, dozing beside Maple as she gently stroked his hair. "If he gets too close, he'll control us too."

"That's why we are here," Maple explained, trying and failing to get the irritation out of her haggard voice. "Until I get my power back, we have to keep our distance. How's your arm?"

Gust made a face, lifting the shoulder of his braced tree-arm slightly. "It heals faster than the rest of my body, but it's still broken. The last time this happened it took a few hours for it to get better. Is your Knowledge really not back?"

"No." Maple glanced down at their younger brother. "I guess he must still be holding onto it. Did you know he could do that?"

Gust shook his head. "The Knowers always told us he didn't have any Knowledge, or that they hadn't figured out what it was yet. I guess they could have been lying. He was throwing your fire around pretty easily."

"It came to me easily as well. It's holding it back that's hard."

Gust, who had been looking down at Trout, glanced up at his sister at that. She was staring at her hand that lay against her leg as she sat. They both watched the scarred fingers twitch almost on their own accord when the brother opened his mouth to speak.

"Hey—"

"Do you know where Lilly would be?" Maple interrupted, both siblings looking up into each other's eyes. "If we can meet-up with her we'd have a bit more firepower against the other witches."

"Right, yeah," Gust muttered, breaking the look as he turned his head up and to the side. "She's kind of far away though. Elizabeth stuck her on a..."

The boy trailed off as his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He seemed to be gasping for air as he slowly stood up; completely ignoring the first few times Maple asked him what was wrong.

Finally, once he was on his feet, he pointed to something far off in the distance.

"The cliff," Gust said slowly, as if disbelieving his own words. "It's gone."

...

"Ah, welcome back, Ninovan," Connor greeted pleasantly as the hulking creature stalked towards him. He nodded once at the girl cradled in her arms. "I take it that is the young woman who was causing the others trouble?"

"Yes," Ninovan answered, stopping her advance once she joined the disjointed huddle with Connor, Stallion, and Maria.

"You did not have to kill her, did you?"

"No."

"But you did do something to her, yes?"

"Yes."

Connor smiled patiently. "I am sorry, but I must know the answer. What did you do to her?"

"I asked her to sleep for awhile," Ninovan growled out, leveling a cold glare on Connor.

The latter did his best to not let the fear show on his now exposed face. It would do neither of them any good.

"It is a curious thing how this all works," Connor mused, inwardly cursing himself for his shaky voice. "Your command over the familiars being a distillation of my command over anyone who can hear my voice. I wonder what would happen to your ability if something were to happen to the source of your command?"

"I would most likely lose it," the Knower of beasts answered.

"Hm? Oh!" Connor lightly struck his forehead with the base of his palm, a stuttering laugh escaping his lips. "Please forgive me, Ninovan, I did not mean for you to have to answer that."

"Connor!" Maria snapped. Her hands were clenched into fists and she trembled from nearly head to toe as all eyes fell on her. "We are wasting time."

"Right, yes, sorry." Connor turned from her and forced himself to meet the burning gaze of Ninovan once again. "While you were gone, Maria and I had a bit of a conversation—"

"What?! Connor, no—!"

"Maria, I am sorry, but please be silent until I tell you otherwise!" Connor quickly shot before rubbing his temples. Anger was not an emotion that came to him easily, and it was always swiftly followed by a throbbing headache. "You see where these secrets and deceits have gotten us so far? The truth is the only way forward."

Strange, strangled noises began to come from Stallion's throat. Though his mouth was moving, only grunts and groans came out. Connor looked at him strangely before striking his forehead again several times.

"Yes, yes, yes, Stallion! So, sorry! You may speak as you wish."

Muscles were straining in Stallion's neck, drool beginning to pool at the corners of his lips as he seemed on the verge of throwing up words that would not escape his throat. Connor took a step away from him, looking side to side for some unseen assailant. When his blurred vision fell on Maria, a thought occurred to him.

"Maria, please return Stallion's ability to speak."

"Stallion, you may speak again. Connor—!"

"Please remain silent until I tell you otherwise."

As soon as Maria fell silent, Stallion let out a terrible gagging noise, coughing up saliva and taking in ragged breaths as he fell to his knees. He brought a hand up, rubbing away the spit and sweat that had accumulated on his face. He had to cough and gag a few more times before he could get his first words out.

"What...the fuck."

"Stallion, my word," Connor said between his own gasps of breath, kneeling down beside the teen almost double his size. He hesitated, but eventually placed a hand on the familiar's heaving back. "I cannot say enough how sorry I am. This is my first experience with something like this. My Knowledge was distilled and distilled again to be used by Ms. Garcia, but I suppose conflicting requests from separate sources cannot exist without some sort of...feedback."

"You nearly killed me!" Stallion gasped out, his fingers digging into dirt and grass.

"Now, now, please do not do anything hasty," Connor said, letting out a little sigh of relief when he noticed the familiar's hands relaxing. "I understand you have been through a lot already. Too much, really. Now that Ms. Ninovan is back, Ms. Garcia and I should be fine in regards to protection. I am sure Kat and those children could use some assistance, however."

Connor paused, but ultimately ignored the protesting groans coming from Maria.

"Please go assist Kat and the children with whatever they need, and let them know that the Knowers of Wildwood simply want to talk. It is my suggestion we return to the headquarters and get out of these woods, but I am willing to talk anywhere."

Stallion's pained expression faded as he slowly stood back up. His dark eyes moved from Connor to Maria.

"This," he warned, pointing between himself and the witch, "is not over."

Maria could only groan between clenched teeth back at him, and Stallion looked away from her before racing off in the direction of the children.

"Now, then," Connor said after watching the retreating familiar for a few moments, turning to the two witches. "If we are going to have a proper discourse we should really track down our other members. Where did Ms. Abigail run off to?"

"She—" Maria started, jabbing a finger in Ninovan's direction.

"I attacked her," Ninovan interrupted, still cradling the wild girl in one arm, she pointed a clawed finger towards a patch of nearby woods where Connor spotted several downed trees. "I sent her somewhere in that direction."

"My goodness!" Connor exclaimed, his face losing what little color it had. "Is she dead?!"

"Unsure, considering her Knowledge," Ninovan answered in an emotionless drawl. "She did have enough time to block me, but she has yet to reemerge."

"She could be in dire trouble then!" Connor said, his voice weak at the very thought. He stepped closer to Ninovan in order to get a better look at her and the young woman she held, hardly noticing the creature stiffening as he did so. His focus was on the girl curled up in the creature's arms. "I think it best for now this young woman remain asleep. It seems as though she has not had much time to rest. But please stay close to us Ninovan and defend Maria and myself if I deem it necessary."

"It is not as if I have a choice," Ninovan said, a deep growl resonating in her throat.

"I know, and I apologize for that." Connor hesitated, but placed a hand on the bristled fur of Ninovan's arm. He glanced once at Maria, in that time missing the look the beast gave him that was gone when he looked up at the creature. "I know why you risked so much to come here. I can understand and appreciate it. My son is the reason I am still here, fighting, even if I am not very good at it. I promise we will include your concerns in our discussion. We will talk and talk until everyone is satisfied."

Ninovan stared down at the small man, an expression nearly unreadable on her lupine face. Finally, with a sigh escaping from her nostrils, she spoke.

"Lead on, then."

Connor gave her a smile before turning in the direction of the collapsed woods. As he walked, Ninovan followed, but after a few steps he quickly realized Maria was not doing the same.

"Maria?" he called back. "Otherwise."

Maria just glared at him, not moving or speaking.

"Maria, please, do not make me—"

"I'm coming, I'm coming you piece of shit!" Maria snapped, stomping up to walk beside the other two. "I just want you to know what a fucking terrible idea this all is! We could have them all at our mercy if it wasn't for your weak conscience."

"Maria, I'm so—"

"Oh just stop fucking apologizing already!" Maria pressed her hands into her face, letting out a muffled scream. "I don't want to hear it! Just let me fucking vent!"

"Okay, Maria. Alright."

But Maria said nothing more as they stepped over scattered branches and around fallen trees. Even with the force of Ninovan's attack, Connor told himself that Rhenoa could not have gone that far. They would find her soon. Obviously she would be hurt, but she would be alive and he would convince her to join him and things would finally begin to look up. Even if he could play the role well, he was not a gifted speaker. He became a teacher because he had a love of history, not because he could teach or inspire. Rhenoa Abigail had that gift. He could see it when she taught and raised the Quincy children. It had been a terrible situation all around, but Rhenoa could get through to them still. Slowly and surely peel away the layers.

You need to be okay, Connor told himself. I can force them to hear, but you can make them listen.

When they reached the end of the destruction, Connor did not immediately know what to feel when they found nothing. Nothing but more broken trees and ruined clothing scattered about.

"I don't see her," Connor said, his breathing coming a bit too quick. "Does anyone see any sign of her?"

"Blood," Ninovan answered immediately, her eyes focused on the ground. "It seems she—Wait."

Ninovan's head snapped up, her nose and focus pointed somewhere just ahead of them.

"Nino—?"

"Someone's coming."

After a few moments, Connor and Maria could both hear the stomping of hurried steps tearing through the brush ahead of them. A few moments later, and Connor could barely make out the blurred shape of someone stumbling between the trees in their direction.

"Rhenoa!?" Connor called out. "Is that you!?"

"No!" an unfamiliar voice answered between gasps of breath. "Ah! You need to run! You need to get away!"

"It's some kid," Maria answered before Connor could ask. "He's carrying some other kid on his back."

"Young man, what is your name!?" Connor called.

"Gustifer Frank!" the running boy answered. "Wha—Please, stop! You all have to get out of here!"

"The one he is carrying looks familiar," Maria said, mostly to herself.

Before Connor could ask her to clarify, a multitude of sounds struck their senses. The groan and splintering of wood. The rustling, shaking of hundreds upon hundreds of leaves. The boy, Gustifer, was shouting still between deep gasps of breath, but his words were lost in the sudden cacophony. As the boy was becoming clearer to Connor, he could make out the blurred, dancing green shapes of the forest that was coming alive just beyond him, as if the woods were being struck with sudden, ferocious winds.

"Connor, I don't like this! We need to go!" Maria shouted as the sounds were rising in intensity.

"Maria, please, wait. We cannot be too hasty!" Connor snapped back. "It could be one of the children. One of them can control nature, correct?"

"Yes!" Maria answered before letting lose a few choice curses. "No! Connor, damn you! You can go on this suicide mission if you want, but let me go!"

"No, Maria, I've already said you and Rhenoa need to answer for what you've done to the familiars." Connor felt his hands clench as the sounds of the violent woods reached ever closer. "We cannot solve anything if you just run! I can calm everyone down if I know what we are dealing with and you need to be my eyes! Is something chasing Gustifer!?"

"I don't know!" Maria hollered, tears brimming from her eyes out of sheer frustration before turning away from Connor. "I...oh, fuck."

Connor tried to look at where Maria's horrified expression was focused, but he could see nothing but blurred images. Perhaps something, some several dark things were moving through the blurred shapes of green but staring too long made him sick.

"Maria, is someone chasing Gustifer?" Connor repeated, trying his damnest to keep his voice calm.

"Yes," she answered. "Fuck, Connor, please, we need—"

"Who is it?" Connor cut off, speaking more rapidly. "Can you tell who it is?!"

"I don't..."

"Please, Maria, help me!"

Connor could feel another shout rising in his throat, but was stopped by a body suddenly collapsing at his feet. It was Gustifer, a pale boy with blonde hair matted to his face, taking in breath after breath as he lay there, clearly unable to move any further. Still lying across his back was a boy Connor did recognize.

"She can't stop it," Gustifer said between heavy gasps.

"I think it is Jack Sen," Maria finally answered. "But, Connor—!"

"Jack!" Connor shouted. "Please, stop so we can talk!"

Something different than the shifting greens and blacks stopped. A human shape that seemed to bend over itself suddenly went rigid. Seeing it gave Connor the mental image of looking out across a cornfield blown about by wind, with a solitary scarecrow looking out above it all.

"I see," a voice with hardly any weight to it at all, carried across the empty spaces, reached Connor's ears. "You would be a true hindrance."

Connor stumbled backwards against a sudden pressure. He tried to open his mouth, but something warm and sticky rose up his throat instead of words. Maria was screaming beside him, but he could hardly hear her. Ninovan leapt back and away, but he hardly felt the rush of wind that pelted his body in her wake. His head rolled forwards, outside of his control, forcing him to look down.

Half a dozen long, thin spikes of pure darkness were driving into his body at various points. Chest, arm, legs, throat, stomach. They trailed away some distance outside his field of vision and the source forced him up higher. He imagined if he could feel anything it would have been great pain, so he was grateful for his killer for at least that much.

With little to go on aside from the dying nerve endings in his limbs, Connor forced a hand to reach out and grasp one of the thin tendrils. Instead of finding a firm surface however, his fingers fell through as if the spikes killing him were just a figment of his imagination. Instead what he felt was an intense chill. The only sensation he could still feel. The last sensation.

"Please," he said, unsure if the words were coming out of his bloody mouth, or if they remained trapped inside his mind. "Tell Alex I am sorry."