The scenic, almost picturesque view was one Maple knew well. A tinyexpanse of patchy grass and a rough earthen path that cut through itand dipped down the steep incline beyond. Heavily forested mountainswhich rose and fell in the horizon as far as her eyes could see. Thetime of day was unclear. Neither the moon or the sun hung in theclear sky, and in there absence was only a dark grey. Not cloudsthough. It did not have the fluff nor the bumpy consistency toindicate a muggy day. It was simply blank. A flat, grey screen.

Her family was wrong, too. They were younger. Healthier. Happier.Gust chased after Lilly and Leaf with sticks swinging in the air andlarge grin splitting his tanned face. The twins were holding hands asthey ran from him, smiles on their own faces as they laughed andlaughed. Meadow was there too, her face blurred but holding a nearinfantile Trout in her arms as she rocked him back and forth, singingsoftly a garbled lullaby. And if Meadow was there, of course, herfather had to be too. Standing just off the side, proud and strong,with hands on his hips but a face blurred of all meaning or form butchest heaving with strangled laughter.

They all moved as if underwater. The faces she could see almostfrozen in their slowed, blissful moment. Time would not pass here. Infact, it was better for it.

Maple watched them from the safety of the burnt and ruined remainsof their cabin. Despite the smoke and the fallen timbers, she couldalways spy without interruption or delay. It was better this way. Itwas what she wanted. In the dream she had had almost dozens of timesnow, she never tried to change it.

Even when the presence of that tall figure made itself known,standing and watching silently beside her. She knew if she looked shewould see just shadows and bright, bright green eyes. She would feelthe rough grip of a blackened bone hand on her arm. A sudden heatwould overwhelm her, consume her, and then she would be awake.

But there would never be a rush. Her mother would wait for her tomake the first move. To turn her head and look. In the meantime,Maple would be free to watch the false fantasy of her family untilthe sight of it sickened her.

So, when the tight grip on her arm came much too soon, the resultingdread nearly brought her to her knees. But the hand did not let herfall. She looked to it, and saw that it was not a hand of bone. Thehand was thin and pale, but not bone. The sight of it only tightenedher insides further and forced up a scream that caught itselfsomewhere between her heart and stomach. Her eyes trailed upwardsfaster than she could stop them. Up an arm hidden by long sleeves ofblack silk which led to a high collar that concealed a neck which ledto a face as snow white as the hand that held her. The face was notmasked by shadows and did not hold within their terrible sockets thefury of those green eyes. The face was lean, but unmarred with linesof either fury or joy. And there was a gentleness in the deep blue ofher eyes.

"You," Maple said. It was the first time she had ever spoken inthis dream, and was surprised by the clearness of it. How loud itsounded in her own head.

The woman smiled gently down at her. The hand released its grip onher arm, but held itself open before her. An offering. A choice.Maple looked at it and then at her family beyond what remained of thecabin.

They stood closer now. Meadow and her father were gone, but thosethat remained looked more how she remembered. Gust bruised and beatenbloody, but standing firm on his two feet as his gift squirmed andgrew beside him. Lilly kneeling on the ground, held and caressed bywhat grasses and roots could grow here. Leaf off to the side, sallowand pale, turned away from it all with hands over his ears. AndTrout, standing closest of all, staring at her with all the fury shewas expecting just a few moments ago, licks of flame sprouting aroundhis feet.

Maple wanted to turn away. Shut her eyes, close her ears like Leaf.But they deserved better than that. They always deserved better. Shewas the oldest. They had looked up to her. They had needed her. Andshe—

And she...

"Its okay."

A soft voice. As gentle as the hand that was offered to her. Itseemed to meld with the dream world around her. It bounced and echoedand eluded any real discern of emotion. But when Maple turned back tothe woman she could see real sorrow in her pale face and eyes thatbore down on her wide and filled with something so broken for herthat Maple could not hold the gaze for long. She could only staredown at her ashen black feet and the crumbled remains of a thing sheruined.

"It's not okay," Maple finally said, the emotion of the wordsthreatening to choke up her voice beyond vocalization. "I ruinedit. I ruined everything."

"Not everything."

A hand drifted back into her view, palm up and fingers out andwaiting to receive. Maple looked up from them and back into the facenow hardened into an expression of fierce determination.

"Hold on," the woman said, her words still echoing but alsonearly shaking the very air with their intensity. "Whatever isleft. Hold on and never, ever let go."

Back to the hand. Waiting. Patient. Maple raised her arm, andpaused.

"What if I'm not strong enough? What if I let more and more slipthrough until there's nothing left?"

There was hardly a second that passed before the woman answered."Make yourself strong enough. If it is worth the effort, then findit. If it is in your grasp, then take it. It's only over when yougive in. It's only ruined when you decide to stop trying to fix it."

Maple's mouth trembled. Her hand shook as it attempted to risefurther. It felt as if her whole body would break apart if she letthe swelling emotions take her over. "Will you be there? Will youhelp me when I go?"

The woman smiled. Not one of pity or amusement. But somethingsweeter and more genuine. "Of course."

There was no hesitation left. Maple gripped the hand, but bracedherself for the heat and flame that always woke her from this dream.Instead, she was given a final surprise as the hand she held was justthat, a hand. Soft, a little cold, but a hand. Maple stared down inconfusion and eventually looked up into the patient, smiling face ofthe kind woman.

"Look after my daughter in the meantime, won't you?"

...

When Maple awoke, she was in an odd angle. Loose stones and jaggedfragments of earth poked and prodded her as she lay on her stomach.She was aware of them and how different their firmness felt comparedto the soft, warm grip of the hand that held her. The sensationshocked her, and she ripped her hand away as she struggled to dragherself to her feet. There was a lightness in her head and an ache inher muscles and bones which caused her to stagger away from the girlwho was sitting on an upturned patch of compacted dirt and rock.

"Careful," the girl said, a wide smile spreading as she spoke,her voice soft and rasping. "You might fall."

In fact, Maple almost did. She was very close to a steep decline.Near the edge of one of the many pockets of crumbled earth and stonethat now made up what Wildwood once was. The Quincy child looked fromher near fall into a pit filled with more jagged rock to the girl.Despite all that she had been through these past few months, the girlon the rock might actually look worse off. She wasn't so much wearingclothes as shredded layers of cloth hung and wrapped loosely off herfrail body. Her hair was messy and dark, splayed every which way andcovering so much of the top half of her face Maple was convinced shewas effectively blind.

But there were also the scars. Old wounds that looked like tearsfrom a blade ran diagonal across her neck and the exposed parts ofher chest. What could be seen of her nose was a ruin, hardly morethan a pair of ragged holes. And the hand that once held hers—thearm that pulled back to rest on her lap wasn't quite right. An angryfold of red flesh broke up the otherwise pale skin on her forearm. Atype of scar Maple was quite familiar with.

"You're that Louise kid, aren't you?" Maple asked, taking a fewmore steps back, doing her best to keep her footing secure as she didso.

The girl cocked her head, smile faltering a bit. She then giggled. Astrained sound that she seemed to have to force through a painedthroat. "Oh, wow, you actually remember me? I'm flattered." Sheextended an arm—the burned one, of course—with a dangled hand asif expecting it to be held once more. "Rosetta Louise, a pleasureto make your acquaintance."

As Maple backed away, she saw more of the makeshift rock thatRosetta sat upon. There were two woman resting against it, headslowered and eyes closed. One was obviously Loretta Louise, one of thewomen that was there with her when they received their familiars. Theone from the dream she just had. The other was a somehow paler womanwith thin blonde hair. She did not recognize this one, but she hadher head pressed into Loretta's shoulder as if the two were veryclose. Rosetta's other hand was holding onto one of her mother's,forcing the latter to keep her arm held up above her head in anuncomfortable looking position.

"What's going on?!" the witch of fire demanded. As she did so,she pumped the feelings of confusion and anger into and throughherself. A tinder to the fire. A match to the flame. But as she triedto gather the fuel within her—

"It's weird," Rosetta replied with a shrug, releasing hermother's hand as she did so. Loretta's arm fell back to her side andagainst the rocky ground, though neither she nor the blonde womanstirred from the movement. "I guess it's like an electric circuit.Mom can't use her power right now without some kind of go-between. Atleast, that's what she told me in my dreams."

"What are you talking about?!" But even as the question flewfrom her mouth, a cold realization was sinking in.

"Well, you can't use it right now, right? Your power?"

"Wh—!"

"Sorry!" Rosetta exclaimed, flashing a bright smile to show thatshe was anything but. "Foxy's orders!"

Maple stiffened, then shot her eyes in every direction. Barrenlandscape. Craters. Pillars of stone and slanted trees. But no otherobvious signs of life.

"He's here?"

Rosetta's smile remained. "Oh, he's more than here. But that's notimportant right now." The arm she kept dangled before her movedslightly to the right, the hand now pointing at a distant crater. "Heleft you something just over there."

Maple looked, then stared hard at the girl. "What is it?"

Another strangled giggle. "Something you have to see to believe.His words, not mine."

Maple continued to stare, hands clenched, still searching. Searchingfor that spark. For the power to take control of the situation.Finish where she started with this girl. Find the fox and go aboutfixing everything. Instead, the eldest Quincy child let out a sighand started walking.

"Be seeing you!" Rosetta called, following the words with morehigh pitched laughter that continued to echo long after she hadfinished.

But it all soon faded away. The harsh laughter. The searching. Theflame. Sucked out like through a straw in the back of her mind.Leaving her vacant—light.

Maple was standing at the edge of another crater. Not quite the oneRosetta had pointed to, but she knew this was the one she meant. Itwasn't quite as steep or as deep as the one she nearly fell into. Shecould see into it very easily despite the dark of the night that hungall around.

Four small figures sat huddled at the base of the crater. They wereholding each other and whispering softly among themselves with theexception of one. The youngest lay back to back with the oldest boy,but he was more interested in whatever he held tightly in his pudgyhands than whatever the other three were doing. The eldest boy andthe only girl had arms and hands around a third boy. A boy with atired smile, dropping eyes, and trails of dried blood running downfrom both ears. He had been busy looking between the faces of hisbrother and sister, watching their lips as they spoke softly to himand occasionally nodding or shaking his head. But, as if sensingsomething, he was somehow the first one to notice her.

Leaf's dark eyes, illuminated slightly by the bulbous shape of themoon which hung overhead, met hers. Before she could stop them, tearswere already falling down from Maple's own eyes and she brushed themaway violently. It wasn't her place to feel them. Wasn't fair to him.

But when she looked back Leaf had raised an arm. He was giving her agoofy, lopsided grin as he waved at her. Slowly, Gust and Lillylooked towards her as well. For a moment, she felt a few stabs in herchest at the cold looks on their faces, but almost in unison theexpressions melted away by timid smiles and a gentle raising of theirown arms.

'Come on,' Gust mouthed just as Lilly mouthed the words, 'It'sokay.'

Maple shook her head, but she did so as she staggered down thecrater towards her brothers and sister. Fresh tears fell down herface as she spread open her own arms and cried Leaf's name. And herheart swelled when the arms of her family embraced her. Even Troutmade the effort to pat her leg and give her a pleasant hello as ifthe past evenings events never really happened.

The calm facade seemed to break as they embraced. First tears, thenlaughter. Questions that came too quick to answer. But Maple was notconcerned in that moment about the who or the why. The details couldbe sorted out later. She had found her warmth.

...

Far, far away—far enough away from the laughing, crying childrento be left well enough alone—Foxy watched. He sat hunched in hisnew body, using what trees that remained standing at the edge of theruin to be a barrier. To give them their moment of peace and comfortbefore it had to be ripped away. They deserved that much.

Some of the animals still remained. Those that survived the fire andstill felt compelled to remain. Birds of all sorts that roosted inthe limbs of the trees. A family of deer that dozed in a patch ofthick grasses nearby. And, of course, a mated pair of foxes thatstared off into the darkened woods. Maybe they were meant to be hisscouts. Maybe they were just bored. Foxy knew deep within himselfthat he could speak with them if he wanted—but there was no desireto.

He did not need them to tell him of the man and girl who staggeredsilently towards him.

"Should've stayed gone," Foxy warned. His voice was stilldifficult in this form. Too many grows and rumbles. But he wasimproving quickly. The message would be clear enough.

"C'mon, you know that's not an option for me," the old manreturned. He started to groan now that he had been noticed. Foxycould smell the blood on him. "And the girl, she's hurtin' realbad."

"You injured?" he asked.

A laugh. Another groan. "Your beasts were a bit...indiscriminatewhen you set them loose. I'll live, though, just not by much."

"Didn't order them. Acted on instinct. Enemy of my enemy."

"Yeah," Shepherd said in a slow breath. There was a rustlingsound, another grunt of pain as the old man settled himself on theground beside the beast. The girl had remained half-hidden behind atree, staring with wide eyes and shaking limbs. "Guess we got offon a bad start, didn't we?"

Foxy didn't respond and the two simply sat in silence for a time,looking out from the cover of trees and bushes into the scarred landout and below.

"What--" the girl started, but the old man cut in at the sametime.

"I heard that promise you made," he said, side-eyeing the beast."'Death to all witches or somethin' like that? Not really the beststart to your plan letting a whole litter of them go. If you ask—"

"Not letting go," Foxy cut in, a bright blue eye cutting throughthe dark to stare down at the old man. A row of glinting white teethjoined them. "Not your concern."

"Ah, babysitting then?" Shepherd let out a low whistle as heslicked back his hair with a mixture of sweat and blood. "Shame.Figured with that new, mature, body of yours you might have evolvedpast gettin' weighed down by all the unnecessary—"

Shepherd was cut off again, but this time by the weight and force ofa clawed hand that swung out and forced his back against the ground,pressing down hard enough on his chest to knock the air of out him.The girl behind the tree let out a surprised yell, but Foxy releasedhim soon enough, though the tightening of his lungs and throat wasalmost a worse pain.

"Next words," Foxy growled as Shepherd coughed and sputtered forbreath, "choose carefully."

"Just..." Shepherd said in between wheezes and attempts atlaughter as he struggled to pull himself back up into a sittingposition. "You have...an opportunity. No one—and I really mean noone—in all my years has done whatever Ninovan has. Passing overtheir Knowledge and havin' that Knowledge be as strong and asdangerous as it was when it left 'em. Sure, offspring tend to carryit on—or have some offshoot of it—but it's always, always back tosquare one. Back to building it up, feedin' it, and either dyin' orgoin' mad before ya die. You have a chance here. You wanna use it toburn down this whole system? Kill each and every Knower responsible?Good—Great, actually! I've already lost anyone I would care to keeparound. Fuck everyone else, yeah?"

Foxy actually flinched when Shepherd leaned forward, reaching outand digging his cracked fingernails into fur and muscle. His eyeswere wide between all the cuts and blood. Saliva drooled from hismouth as he pointed a free hand towards the clearing.

"You're gonna fuck it all up if you let this one chance slip. Letyourself get held back. I dunno how this all works. How 'bout you?How long do you think you got before this power does what it does toeveryone else? How do you know if it isn't already drivin' you alittle mad?"

Foxy stood in a flash, brushing off the old man who continued to tryand hold on. Shepherd fell back and tumbled, laughing wildly as hedid so. "Better act fast, Foxy! You want to end all this?! Youmight be the only one who can! Don't slip up! Don't hesitate! Or somany more will suffer!"

"Stop!" the girl hissed. "Please!"

A growl escaped Foxy's throat. He moved towards the giggling oldman, flexing fingers which ended in sharp talons. "Enough."

"Wait, wait!" Shepherd cried, laughter dying almost instantly.He supplicated himself before the beast on hands and knees, crawlingtowards Foxy with his elbows as he held his curling hands up, asthough waiting for an offering—or a gift. "I'm sorry, Foxy,really. It's been a lot. All of it. It's been a lot for you too and Iknow I haven't exactly been a help before—but I can now! I reallydo have nothing. My Master—you remember her, don't you—she'sdead. Killed by my own mouth, actually. So, really, I already have ataste for Knower blood. I don't have anythin' to tie me down or holdme back. And if you are gonna keep insistin' on keeping those kidsaround—"

"What?" Foxy said in a rumbling voice, now looming over whatremained of the old familiar.

Shepherd looked up from his groveling. His wide eyes took in as muchas they could of the wild body of the new witch of animals. It trulywas a beautiful sight. A once in a lifetime experience.

"Change me back," he said. "Let me be of service one moretime."

Foxy's arms slackened. The fingers uncurled. The glaring eyes turnedaway as the beast began to move back towards the edge of theclearing. "No," he said in a hushed growl. "No familiars."

"Wait!" the girl said, moving around the tree cautiously. "Mama!You ask about mama!"

"C'mon, Foxy!" Shephered hollered, ignoring the girl andstraightening himself so that he was standing on his knees. Hisspread this thin, shaking, bleeding arms out wide. "Look at me!They took me in as a young man with nothing left. They took me in andgave me a purpose. Gave me a reason to live. Then you come around andnow it's all gone!" The old man lowered his arms, breathing heavyfrom the effort. "Come on, kid, have a heart. If you ain't gonnachange me then you might as well just kill--"

Shepherd barely got the words out before the enormous clawed handcame for him again. There was no pain this time. Hardly any pressureto the strike at all as it slammed against his face and tore the oldman's head from his neck. The body remained where it kneeled for amoment before slackening and slumping to the side as dark, blackblood slowly pooled from the new hole. Foxy remained standing justbeyond it, holding the head in his hand. The force had left the facenothing more than a pulpy ruin. A part of Foxy felt bad. He had hopedto see the expression on his old tormentor's face one more timebefore the end.

The girl cried out, falling backwards into the ground as tearsstreaked down her face. "Please!" she begged. "Please!"

With a soft exhale of air from his nose, Foxy dropped the head. Heturned to look at the girl. At Crane. At Em.

"Ninovan dead," he said. Even with the changes he made, it wasdifficult to speak in this form. With some dry humor he thought onhow much he sounded like the girl who prostrated herself before himnow. "Go home."

"Don't remember," Em said, continuing to sob. "Mama gone.Everything gone. Please!"

A growl escaped his throat. Irritation. Anger. But he swallowed itdown. She wasn't like Shepherd. She had been a victim. Like him. Likehis friends.

"You remember Kat?" he asked. Em looked up at him, wide-eyed andnodding. "She's with friends. Find her. She take you home."

His ears twitched as they picked up a distant sound. Or, rather, thelack of sound. The Quincy children had stopped their laughter andbanter. No doubt they would soon try to leave the crater, if theyweren't in the process of leaving already. He began to turn away fromthe girl when she spoke up again.

"Why you kill Mama?"

He looked back at her. Stared into her shining eyes. He thoughtabout telling her the truth, but it wasn't like she would understandit. Not even his closest friends understood.

"No choice."

The beast looked down at itself. The attack had left a bright streakof blood across one of its arms and thighs. Foxy let out a sigh, onemeant to aid in realigning his thoughts. Calming the emotions. Justas the air was let out, his body shrank. The shape of the beastwithered slightly and reshaped itself with popping bones andstretching skin to that of the man. Of course, the blood was stillthere, but little could be done about that.

"It's okay," Foxy said to a shocked Em, slapping his cheeks tofeel something other than the cold and the anxiety tugging at hisinsides. "I am going to make it okay."

Then, with a turn, Foxy left the body of Shepherd and the knelt formof Em and took his first steps towards a bright, bloody future.

...

A new figure greeted the Quincy children when they finally climbedout of that hole. He stood in front of Loretta Louise and Ashling,the two women bound back to back in an almost comical fashion bylengths of tattered rope. In a similarly strange sight, Rosetta wasnow clinging to the red-haired man's back, smiling over his shoulder,scarred arms draped around his neck.

"Hey, guys," he said in frail voice that did not match themature body he now possessed.

Maple and Gust moved in front of their siblings, their collectivearms held out wide. Lilly's face darkened, her own arms wrappingaround protectively around Leaf who stared at his siblings with afurrowed brow and confused frown.

"Hi, Foxy," Trout said without much inflection, his attentionstill focused down on his clenched hands.

"Where's Kat?" Maple shot. Something feral gripped her heartwhen Alex's eyes alighted on her, but she fought to not break hislook.

"She's free," Alex Foxy replied coolly. "You don't need toworry about her anymore."

Maple opened her mouth to retort, but Gust was faster.

"Yeah? What about us?" the boy reached over to grip his oppositeshoulder, a shoulder that ended at empty air, the tree-arm—any armat all—nowhere to be seen.

Alex paused, eyes shining in the dark as they shifted slightly tostare down at Gust. "That's a little more complicated."

"You took my damn arm!" Gust hollered before pointing a fingerat Leaf. "You did that to his ear's too, didn't you?! You damnfox!"

"Ididn't take anything, Gust." Alex spoke slowly, almost cautiously,as if judging each word before they escaped his thin lips. He lookedto each of the Quincy children as he continued. "And what was takenfrom you, Lilly, and Leaf wasn't yours to begin with."

The children looked between each other. They all shared looks ofconfusion, fear, and uncertainty. Quietly, Leaf gripped one ofLilly's wrists. When she looked to him, he gave her a faint,comforting smile.

"It's alright," he said, his voice just slightly too loud—justslightly garbled. "Foxy just wants to help."

"Like hell—!" Gust started to say before Lilly cut him off.

"Wait," she said, giving Leaf a nod before releasing her tightgrip on him to step towards the front of the group, pushing past Gustand Maple to stare up at Alex through long, greasy bangs.

"I was right, wasn't I?" she asked, a bitter intensity in herwords. When Alex didn't respond right away, Lilly suddenly shouted:"Say it!"

"Hey," Maple called, reaching out to gently grip Lilly'sshoulder, but her dark eyes were focused on the man as he closed hiseyes and sucked in a deep breath.

"What's going on?" Gust asked, his voice now stilted withconcern. But, even as he asked it, he was already finding his eyesdrifting towards his youngest brother.

Alex Foxy let out a lengthy sigh and then began to walk towards thechildren. Though he did so slowly, Maple, Gust, and Lilly all jumpedand began to take steps back, only to be forced to stop when theyrealized neither Leaf or Trout intended to follow.

"You didn't kill your mother, Maple," he said suddenly, forcingMaple to stop, rooted in place.

"What?" she tried to say, but only her mouth moved. The wordwould not come out.

"Not completely," he continued, eyes going over each child againas he continued his approach. "Not with how powerful she was. Howmuch time she had to plan and prepare. How many children she hadfostered to carry on her 'gift'."

"Stop!" Gust shouted, taking a step in front of his siblings.His one hand was gripped in a shaking fist as he glared up at Alex."Not a step closer, fox."

Alex stopped, now just a few meters from the children. Rosettagiggled darkly.

"Oooh, scared of the big, bad fox?" she said in a sing-songvoice. "Don't be!" Feeling around Alex's face for a moment, shesoon found one of his cheeks and gave it a fierce looking pinch."Foxy may look tough, but he's really a big softy on the inside!Full of the softest, fluffiest stuffing! Just like I asked for!"

Despite the reddening of his once pale cheek, Alex simply shotRosetta a smile before turning back to the Quincy's, his facereturning to its stern seriousness.

"Your mother's physical body died that day, but her curse liveson. Not perfectly, and some stronger than others." A glance toLilly. "I don't know why, I think only your mother really knew. ButI could smell it on each of you. Leaf's ears. Gust's arm.Lilly's...well, everything."

"That's why he can't hear," Lilly said, staring back at herbrother who only smiled questioningly back at her.

Alex nodded. "Again, I can't say why, but I smelled her influencein his ears. It manifested as sprouting seeds deep in his ear canal.They were causing him great pain and I'm not a doctor. I didn't seeanother way."

"And she's gone now?" Maple asked. "There's no more of herleft in him?"

"None that I can sense, and that's the best we can hope for."

"What about Trout?" Gust demanded, staring hard at the uncaringboy before his dark eyes flashed to Maple. "And Maple. If whatyou're saying is true, why didn't she do anything to them?"

"I'm sure she tried," Alex said with another sigh. "Maybethat's part of what was going on back then. Sealing away parts ofherself within each of you."

"No," Lilly said, almost deadpan, causing everyone's attentionto turn to her. She was staring hard at the ground, her focusentirely on the crumbled, crack earth. "Like you said, Foxy, she'shad a lot of time. I thought they were just dreams, but she came tous in our sleep sometimes. She sung to us, brushed hair out of oureyes, whispered soft and gentle words in our ears. And those dolls.She had one for each of us. Made by hand. We had to sleep with themeach and every night. She always reminded us to not sleep withoutthem. Nothing all that weird for a mother to do. Nothing weird untilyou learned she was a monster—"

Lilly cut herself off with a sudden, choking sob. As abruptly as thetears started, she couldn't make them stop. Her cries were fierce,angry, and she fought to wipe away at her tears even as her legs gaveout and she collapsed to the ground. In a flash, Leaf was beside her,holding her close to him as she shook and cried. Silent tears of hisown trickled down his face.

Maple and Gust stared down at the two of them, and then up at eachother. Both had eyes wet with the threat of tears. The latter was thefirst to break the look, wiping at his own face.

"I thought it was over," he said in a quiet, angry growl.

"It can be," Alex said, loud enough to be heard over Lilly's nowdying cries. He took a few steps closer, but his attention was nowsolely on the youngest Quincy.

Trout had finally looked up from his cupped hands. His face was onetwisted with a mixture of confusion and concern as he looked over atLilly's crumpled form. That expression remained when he turned toface Alex Foxy who now stood over him.

"Hey—!" Gust started, but stopped when Maple grabbed his arm.

"We tried to fix things before," she said to him in a quiet, yetserious voice. She turned to watch Alex and Trout as she let go ofher brother. "I tried to stop him before, too."

"Meadow and dad died," Gust said in a heated tone, but found hewas speaking quietly as well.

"Because our mother was a monster," Maple returned. Though hervoice remained calm, and Gust could no longer see her face, he didnot miss the slight trembling of her shoulders. "Maybe it wouldhave been worse if he wasn't there to help us. Maybe it wouldn't havegotten this bad if we had helped him more."

"He's different now," Gust whispered, stepping up beside Mapleas she wiped at her eyes, watching over now as the new Alex kneltbeside Trout. His gaze lingered over the partially dried flecks ofred on his arms and legs. "He's a monster now too."

"Yeah," Maple said with a chuckle that surprised her brother. Heglanced over at her to see his sister smiling playfully over at him."He's a better fit for the family now, don't you think?"

"What's wrong?" Trout asked Alex as he knelt down. The boylooked again over at Lilly and Leaf, and then down at his clenchedtogether hands. "Why's Lilly sad?"

"Not all there, is he?" Rosetta commented under her breath.

"She's been sad for a long time," the man said, ignoring thegirl on his back as he tilted his head to try and fail to gainTrout's attention. "She's been holding in a lot of pain and isfinally able to let it go. That's partly because of you, isn't it?"

"Me?" Trout echoed, shifting his weight from side to side.

"Yeah, you and whatever you have in your hands there."

Trout flinched and reflexively tucked his hands up against hisstomach, bending over slightly to shield them further from view."It's mine," he said, eyes glued to the ground.

"Can I see it?"

"No!" Trout snapped, his voice loud and sharper than Alex hadever heard it before. The latter's blue eyes widened, but thensoftened again as he smiled. The child shied away from him, curlingever more into himself. "Sorry," the boy said in a much quietertone.

"Wow, I didn't know you could make your voice sound like that,"Alex said, voicing his thoughts as they came to him. "You've reallygrown a lot since we last saw each other."

Trout shot a quick glance over at Alex Foxy before staring hard atthe ground again. "You grew too much."

"Hah!" A roar of a laugh escaped Alex's throat. It cut off anyquiet conversations the other siblings were having as they watched,and they all stared wide-eyed as he continued to laugh, deep andrumbling. "Hahaha! I guess I have."

Alex's smile faltered when he looked back over and saw Trout staringat him with wide eyes and a slightly hanging mouth. His smiledisappeared altogether when he saw sudden tears brimming at the edgesof the young child's eyes.

"Trout?" Alex said with a gasp, hands outstretched but uncertainwhere to fall. "What's wrong?"

"You..." Maple started, but found she couldn't finish the answerwhen Alex's desperate eyes met hers.

"You sounded like our father just now," Lilly answered for her.She was still kneeling on the ground, embraced by Leaf who waslooking confusedly between everyone. She smiled softly. "Just alittle bit."

"Oh,"Alex said. Unsure what else to say, he turned back to Trout. The boywas now huddled on the ground, tucked fully in on himself and moaningsoftly. "I...I'm sorry, Trout. I know this is a lot. We haven'treally seen each other since your grandpa's cabin and all the awfulthings that happened there and now I'm this big, scary monster thatyou barely even know. Maybe you don't remember much about back then.Maybe that's for the best, but I want you to know I care about youand your sisters and your brothers a lot. You guys took care of meand made me stronger when I was at my lowest and weakest. I know whatI am now isn't all that different to what your mother was, or thepeople who kept you locked away in Wildwood were, but I want to usethis strength while I have it to help. All the pain you and Lilly andeveryone else is feeling, I'm going to take it and make it go away soit will never, ever come back."

Trout's moans softened, but it was Gust who spoke up next.

"And how are you going to do that?" he asked, stepping up againto Alex Foxy. Though he was glaring when the latter turned to facehim, his question was nothing else but firm.

Alex stood back to his full height and addressed the children atlarge. "Your mother and Wildwood are not the only threats we haveto worry about. Once word gets out that the community has fallen,more witches will come for us. Ones I fear are stronger, betterprepared, and more dangerous than any we have seen before. Our onlyhope is to wipe them out entirely, and my best chance is to strikenow while I am at my strongest and they are the least prepared."

"You've got to be joking," Gust said, more of an aside thananything as he stared blankly at Alex.

"What?" Leaf and Maple said almost in unison, but for verydifferent reasons.

"You're talking about Whispermist?" Lilly asked, cautiously.

"I am," Alex returned with no hesitation.

"They didn't say much about them around us—," Lilly started,only for Gust to jump in.

"Except to warn us that's where they'd send us if we didn't stayin line," he shot. "How they'd turn us into another 'cog in amachine that grinds their Knowers until there's nothing useful leftin them'. That's where you want to go? A place where they turnmonsters like you into disposable tools like it's nothing?"

"They've never met something like me." Alex stood tall,shoulders squared, and stared back at Gust without blinking. The boyglared back, but eventually shot his gaze back towards his siblingswithout comment.

"And you want us to go with you?" Maple asked in her brother'sstead.

"If there was another way—"

"To hell with that!" Gust snapped. "You want to go and getyourself killed? Be my guest, fox! But you aren't dragging my familythrough any more of this!"

"Gust..." Maple started.

"No, shut-up! I don't want to hear anything—from youespecially!"

Maple winced and could only look away from her brother's fierce eyesand clenched teeth.

"Gust," Lilly said, her voice more firm. "He's right. If we'releft here to fend for ourselves, we won't survive."

"If he gave us back our power we would!" Gust pointed at hisstump of an arm.

Lilly shook her head. "Even if he did, I don't want it. It's notour power, remember?"

"According to him," Gust muttered darkly.

"According to me." Lilly reached out, hesitating for only amoment before gripping her brother's shoulder. "You felt it whenyou woke up, didn't you? Before you even knew your arm was gone. Itdidn't feel like losing something that was yours. It felt like adeep, old pain you forgot was even there."

Gust wouldn't look at his sister. He wouldn't look at anyone as heglared at the ground and clenched his fist tight.

"Am I wrong?"

"It kept us safe," he said in a hushed, shuddering breath."Whatever it was, it protected us."

"You don't need it anymore," Alex spoke up, kneeling down so hewas eye level with most of the Quincy children. "Not while I'mhere."

"What about while you are off killing witches in Whispermist?"Maple asked, her tone sharp.

"Killing the witches is protecting you."

"Whatever you are now, you can't be in two places at once." Theeldest Quincy looked from her siblings, to the girl still clinging toAlex's back, to the two woman bound to one another. "And you aresurrounding yourself with people who can barely, if at all, defendthemselves."

"She's got a point, you know," Rosetta stage-whispered intoAlex's ear.

"What is your point?" Alex asked, his voice as calm asever but a darkness crept in his eyes as he stared ahead.

"My power isn't our mother's. I can control it and it can be ofuse to you."

For the first time since their reunion, a heavy silence settled.Maple could feel the eyes of her siblings. The weight of their worryand judgment was heavy on her shoulders. But Alex's cold blue eyeskept her locked in place. The iciness of his stare sent a shiver downher spine.

"We can talk about it later." Alex stood and quickly closed thedistance between himself and the youngest Quincy. Trout still sathunched in on himself, holding his hands tightly together. "Trout."

The boy bowed his head. "It's mine."

"It's dangerous." Alex sighed. "But I can't take it awayforever. Rosetta here is just going to make it go away for a littlewhile. She'll come back."

Trout sniffed. He tried to say something, but instead a low moanescaped his lips. A shaking sob soon followed and all at once he wascrying. Crying and calling for his mom and dad. His siblings allshifted closer, but none of them knew what to do to soothe theirbrother. He hadn't cried like this since the cabin. He had hardlyshown any real emotions until recently.

Quietly, Alex Foxy scooped up the child. Gust visibly tensed, butthe other Quincy's simply watched as he carried Trout towards the twosleeping women. Rosetta slithered off Alex's back and allowed him toguide her hands until she was grasping one hand with her mother andthe other outstretched towards the child. Trout stared at it, his ownhands still gripped tight.

"It's okay," Alex said quietly. "She'll be back."

Trout sniffed again, then opened his hand. Craning their necks toget a better look, appropriately it was really only Lilly that sawthe almost pulsing mass of thorny vines wrapped in the small palm ofthe boy's right hand. If Rosetta felt anything when she gripped saidhand, she said and did nothing.

"All gone!" Rosetta exclaimed in a sing-songy voice, showing theempty palms of her hands as if it was proof.

Another moan emitted from Trout as he stared at his own empty palm.

"For now," Alex insisted. He remained kneeling beside the boyand placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "And when Rosetta andI aren't here it's your responsibility to keep her in check."

Trout didn't—wouldn't look back at him, but Alex wasn't expectinghim to. He simply squeezed the boy's shoulder before standing. Therewill be time for more talks. If his new, improved senses wereanything to go by, even with a clear path the journey there would belong. There would be more time. Time to talk. Time to heal. Time todo and say all the things that he regretted not saying or doingbefore the bullet obliterated it all.

Alex winced a bit when he turned to face the other Quincy's. Theringing in his ears was always there now, but it grew sharperwhenever he tried to think of that moment. The cold barrel on hisforehead. The clenching and unclenching of his muscles as his headsnapped back. The smell of smoke in his nose and the taste of bloodin his mou—

"Foxy?"

Lilly's voice snapped him out of it. Four pairs of dark eyes staredout at him, glinting in the light of the moon and stars. Someconcerned, others curious, still more eager and hungry for weakness.

Alex insured all eyes turned to ones of awe and horror as his bodybegan to shift and bend.

"We move now," he said, his voice garbled and warped as hechanged. "We don't stop until we put an end to the ones that ruinedour lives. Who took your father, and mother, and sister from you. Theones really responsible."

By the time his call to action was nearly done, so was histransformation. The unfamiliar red-haired man that had stood beforethe children was altogether something different but somehow morefamiliar. A monster twisted by knowledge and hate.

"Don't stop," the beast rumbled, it's forced voice putting extraemphasis and importance to each word as sharp white teeth pokedthrough black gums and tendrils of saliva dripped down from it's widemaw. "Until Whispermist gone."

And, in that moment, a jolt of something dark thrilled through eachchild. Despite their various motivations for being here, they knew inthat instant one thing binded them in remaining. Not a cruel mother.Not an overbearing, manipulative organization.

  A Master.

...

To Be Continued.

...