Shadow was the first to react to it.John and Gus were in the middle of a hushed yet frantic conversationas they stood over the girl who was being slowly swallowed by thornyvines from the inside out. The girl with the fire and the boy withthe tree for an arm were lying nearby, struggling to awake. And thechild, Trout, was curled up beside John stubbornly pretending tosleep so he could be left alone for awhile.

It rose up a defensive barrier as fastas it could. To do so, the barrier had to be small, only large enoughto encircle Trout, John, Gus, and the girl they were sitting beside.It did nothing for the woman wrapped in roots that turned out to betheir attacker's target. The dome was formed in time for the threeboys to see Maria Garcia being held aloft by two monstrously largeclaws. The bindings around her mouth mercifully muffled her screams.But, though they were spared the sight of it, the dome did little todampen the sounds of the woman's body being twisted and wrenchedapart as darkness enclosed around them.

The boys were screaming now, Trout nolonger pretending to be asleep. John was shouting at the Shadow to dosomething, to save them.

"The child has asked me to nothurt anyone," Shadow tried to calmly explain.

"Fuck that!" John snapped back.

There was a large, echoing thud thatresounded in their pitch dark dome, causing renewed screams. Shadowfelt the force of the thing as it slammed again on its form. It was apurely physical force, and while it was easily the strongest forceShadow had yet to feel, it would be a simple matter to allow it toswipe harmlessly through. Of course that was hardly an option whenits form was the only thing standing between the beast and thechildren.

"I don't want to die!" Gus wasrepeating over and over as tears and snot ran down his face.

"Kill it! Fucking kill it!" Johnshouted.

Trout was screaming. Screaming andcrying as the thing continued to strike away at the dome. Eventuallyit would tire itself out. But, before then, it would most likely goafter the child's siblings that the Shadow could not reach in time.

Withthat in mind, the Shadow spoke in its calm, chilly voice,"Your brother and sister are in danger, Trout. What should bedone?"

Trout only pulled up hishands over his ears and rolled in the dirt. He was still screamingunintelligibly and rocked his head side to side as if his tantrumwould pacify the death looming over all of them.

Unseen by the three boys, Lilly'sbody was convulsing again. The thorny vines that were growing outfrom her ears, nose, and mouth had nearly encircled her completely.As the boys screamed, shouted, and cried, the vines pulled Lilly'sarms and legs into the dirt. The thorns had cut into most of herskin, and the resulting blood fed into the earth like rushing waterand the ground swelled with new life.

...

Kat was running back the way she came.She stumbled over exposed roots and the misaligned ground. Sheignored the shouts of Stallion. Her eye was focused on the redmonster Foxy had become. Its claws stained with fresh blood as ithammered again and again on the black dome the Shadow had formed.

"Foxy!" Kat shouted, but it cameout more like a broken grunt. Her vision swimmed. She nearly fellover a particularly thick crack that caught her foot and twisted it.The pain helped her focus—kept her conscious.

"Foxy!" she tried again. "Stop!"

It wasn't listening to her. Justclaw after bloody claw into the Shadow. While averting her gaze fromthe shreds of Maria, Kat's eye caught the movement of the bare feetthat belonged to Gust. He was lying—partially obscured—in someunderbrush nearby. If they hadn't had time to move her, Maple wouldalso still be lying nearby, just outside of Kat's sight. If Foxyhappened to notice them before she could get there—

Kat's train of thought was lost whenthe earth suddenly erupted around Foxy's feet. The beast he hadbecome let out a shrill shriek as thick roots burst out and began towrap around his legs. With a tremendous amount of force, he struckout, digging in his claws and ripping free the earthen tendrils. Assoon as they were torn off, more and more broke free from the groundbehind him and went for his arms and neck. His distressed noises werecut off as the roots tightened around his relatively slim throat.

Kat didn't slow her pace, but herattention was torn yet again when a deafening cacophony of noiseerupted from the woods that surrounded the clearing. She shot ahorrified look around her. The creatures of the forest were suddenlyon the move. Birds, bears, wolves, and more were either taking wingor racing on foot into the clearing. The sounds of their caws, roars,and barks drowned out everything else, even Foxy's struggles withthe roots. The red beast too was staring into the clearing, its largeblue eyes wide.

...

"What's happening!?" Gusshouted, hands held over his head and eyes shut tight as the soundsof breaking bark and shaking earth rumbled just outside the dome.

"The boy's sister isattempting to restrain the beast. The animals we saw earlier aredescending now and most likely will come to its aid."

"Shit!" John cursed."We need to help her then!"

"Indeed."

A flash of inspirationhit John. He felt around in the dark beside him until his hand cameto rest on the trembling Trout who was curled up and sobbing justbeside him. He had to bring himself closer to the child to be heardover the muted but still deafening sounds of the world outside thedome.

"Trout, hey, c'mon, we can'tkeep hiding in here! Your sister and brother are out there and weneed to help them!" John swallowed, struggling for just a moment toget the next words out. "Shadow is yours now; he's only going tolisten to you, okay? So let him help! Let him save them!"

Trout's muffled gasps and sniffswere difficult to make out, but John felt a small, clammy hand griponto his.

"Help," Trout whispered.

"Shadow!" John shouted.

"I can work with that."

...

Trees were being pulled into theearth. Shrubs and bushes danced and whipped out. Branches and rootsshot down from the sky and up from the ground. Birds were caught andcrushed. Wolves and boar were being tangled and grappled with. Thebeasts were being delayed as they tried to approach, but their masterwas slowly and surely tearing itself free of the roots that grew outfrom the ground.

Kat had nearly reached the scene ofthe conflict when the branch from a nearby tree struck out againsther, slapping her hard across the temple. For a moment, her visionwent black and the next thing she knew she was looking up at amonstrous, red furred monster as it arched its back in an attempt toshrug off more of the reaching foliage. A yipping cry was escapingits fanged mouth as the roots were forced to break or fall away. Thebeasts that still lived responded with their own cries and continuedto furiously bite, peck, and claw their way closer.

Then, the dome exploded. Dark spikesshot out in all directions as if the dome had suddenly grownimpossibly long spines. Many of these spines pierced into the closestanimals, ending their struggles or worsening their injuries in aninstant. The beast itself howled when some went into its stomach,chest, and shoulders.

Kat cried out as well upon seeing theblood running down the front of Foxy's body, but when she tried tostand her head swam with pain and it was all she could do to fight toa kneeling position.

The roots took the opportunity to growout and around his legs again when Foxy tried to back away from thespikes. They twisted hard, forcing him to a kneeling position,forcing his body to sink deeper into the shadowy points. More snarlsof pain and blood began to creep from between Foxy's mouth.

"Wait!" Kat called. She tried tocrawl forwards, but found that her own legs were being wrapped up byroots that had snaked their way out from the earth behind her. Shelet out a cry of her own when they bound her legs together andsqueezed.

"Kat!"

He was looking at her. Blue eyesfilled with worry. Clawed arm stretched out towards her. As theroots and spikes dragged him closer towards the dome, the structureitself unfolded and wrapped back over itself to form a loominghumanoid creature with a blank, dark face. Trout, John, Gus, andLilly—the latter nothing more than a writhing tangle of thornyvines—were revealed as the three boys stared at their surroundingsin horror.

Kat thought she could feel the bonesin her legs creak when the roots wrapped tighter and grew further upher body. Almost in reflex, she reached her own arm out towards him.Towards the beast in red.

So focused and desperate and in painwere the two, that neither saw the withered form of Maple rise fromher place in the dancing underbrush. The roots and vines thatattempted to trap her were burning away, reduced to ash the momentthey came in contact with her body. She gave the scene before her asingle glance before raising an arm, palm out, towards the grappledmess of Foxy, the Shadow, and Lilly's roots.

"Burn."

Yellow and orange flames shot forward,birthed from the very air around her. Everyone else only had aninstant to register the sudden brightness and heat before the firetore through them. Foliage turned to ash and were consumed, a highpitched scream coming from the tangled bundle of vines Lilly haddisappeared into. The shadowy spikes and even the humanoid shape ofthe Shadow vanished in an instant. And the red beast, the cleartarget of the plume of fire, disappeared with a fleeting howl as itwas overtaken.

Kat could only stare, letting out astrangled cry but already struggling to stand when she felt the rootsrelease her. The boys were trying to scramble away from the stillraging wall of fire, John shouting out for the Shadow while Gusscrambled and fell in his attempts to flee into the woods. Trout wasleft curled up like a ball, hardly moving at all away from the brighthot flames just a few feet away. Kat's eye darted between him andthe fires as she limped forwards. Something in her legs was eitherbroken or strained and her head pounded and threatened to send herback into darkness at any moment.

"Foxy," she said in an almostdrunken mumble, hardly realizing she was speaking as she shambled."That was Foxy."

The fire was spreading. Animals andplants were now burning. A sickly sweet smell intermixed with theblack smoke that poured from their remains. It stung her eye andnose. John and Gus were already beyond her blurred vision, but shethought she could still hear the fading sounds of their shouts andcries.

Trout still wasn't moving, but hisarms curled tighter over his head when he felt the flames growcloser. She was almost there. She could reach out and touch him.

The fire that feasted upon the treesbehind the child suddenly died away, pulled back into the body of theyoung girl with the tanned, scarred skin, shaved head, and black pitsfor eyes which perfectly reflected the fires around them. The pitsseemed to shrink somewhat when they locked with Kat's. Her crackedlips even smiled when she reached out a hand towards her.

"Come here, Kat."

Kat looked at her outstretched hand,then down at Trout. His shadow was stretched out behind him, but notas far as Kat thought it should. It danced with the flickering of theflames, but not in a way that made sense to her. She chose not to payit much mind as she limped over and fell to her knees beside Trout.Thorny vines were retreating into the twitching body of Lilly,disappearing into her nose, mouth, and ears, leaving behind angry redscratches across her entire body. Kat reached out and gently grabbedone of her hands before turning her focus to Trout.

"Hey," she said softly. She wasunsure if he could even hear her over the sound of the destructivefire, but no longer had the strength to raise it any higher. "Youokay?"

"Kat." Itwas Maple again, but not her. "Come here."

Trout looked up at Kat. His eyes werered and the tear stains on his cheeks were actively drying in theheated air. "I want to go home."

"Yeah, me too," Kat gave him asmall smile, still looking at him as she casually pointed over atMaple. "Think you can help your sister so we can all go home?"

"Familiar!" Mapleshouted, taking a step forward, fire rising out from beneath her barefoot. "How are you disobeying!?"

Trout stared up at Kat withfurrowed brows. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but inthat moment his expression changed. His eyes flew open and a rawscream escaped from his open mouth as Kat felt a wave of heat washover her back.

A vaguely humanoid shape was pullingitself out of the wall of fire. Flames continued to lick off its bodyas it thrashed its way into open air, and Kat found herself screamingalongside Trout as she partway scooped him up into her arm and beganto drag them away from the flailing figure. It was already falling toits knees moments later, the fight seeping out of it as the firecontinued to eat away at its form.

Still, Maple let out an irritatedsigh. Fresh fire flickered to life in the air, swirling around herbody as she stepped forward. Giving the kneeling form a hard glare,she raised up another hand.

"Ninovan, was it? I'll give youand that other beast this; you were more tenacious than my mother."

"Maple!" Kat shouted, garneringthe child's attention before she could send out another burst offlame. The former familiar was still catching her breath, her entirebody sore, but her eye flickered between the witch and the burningman with wild energy. "That's Foxy you just burned! If you takethe fire away we might be able to save him still! Please!"

Arm still raised, Maple's black eyeslooked from the figure to the former familiar. Her mouth opened andclosed, and then opened again. "What are you s—"

"Maple, stop it!" Trout shouted,his arms wrapped around Kat's neck now but tear filled eyes glaringat his older sister. Maple stared back at him for only a momentbefore she started to shout.

"No! Wretched child, do not—!"

The order was cut off in thesame instant that the fires that surrounded them fizzled out. Maplecollapsed onto the burnt out ground a moment later, eyes wide andtaking in deep, gasping breaths. Still clinging to Trout, Kat whippedback around to the kneeling figure.

It wasn't a pretty sight. A body didstill kneel on the ground, but it was all wrong. The skin wasblackened. The hair was gone. It appeared to be in the process ofholding itself, and in certain areas blackened bone could be seenpoking out from the flaking flesh. The body was too small to belongto the beast that Kat had seen being consumed by fire just momentsago. But she knew still who it belonged to. Even without skin, orhair, or eyes, or even a face, she knew.

She felt like she wanted to be sick,but when she doubled over all she could do was dry heave. There wasnothing inside. Nothing at all. Even when she squeezed her eyes tightand let out a low, rattling moan, no tears could follow. She wasdried up inside. Dried up and hollow.

"It's okay."

A soft voice called out to her,accompanied by a weak grip of a warm hand on her ankle. Kat looked tosee Lilly lying where she had last seen her, but one of her scratchedarms had reached out to hold on to her. But even though Lilly wasspeaking to her, her eyes were staring down into the earth where herother bloody hand was pressed against the scorched soil.

"I can still feel him."

It had started slow, so slow Kat hadmissed it at first, but as she looked back she could see the body waschanging. The black skin was still flaking off, but underneath laidanother layer of pale, unblemished flesh. It started somewhere on thefigure's back, but when the change wrapped around to its chest itspread at an increasingly rapid pace. The figure even raised one ofits arms to watch with hollow eye sockets as it regrew muscle, flesh,freckles, and hair. Struggling with a mixture of horror and elation,Kat could not look away either. She stared into the once featurelessmass of black flesh as it peeled away before her. Replacing it was anose and cheeks splotched with freckles, wide and soft lips, fieryred eyebrows and long hair, and, finally, a pair of the brightestblue eyes opened up inside the once empty sockets.

It was Alex Foxy.

It was him, but different. When thetransformation was complete, he stood up. When he did, Kat could tellhe was several feet taller. As he continued to flex his muscles, shenoted they were different too. More pronounced. More mature. Redhairs coated his body in places she knew had little to no hairpreviously. It was wrong. All wrong.

But most telling of all was the lookhe gave her and the Quincy's when he finally acknowledged them.There was no sparkle of recognition in his eyes. Not a hint that heeven really saw any of them at all.

"Hey," he said.

Even his voice was off. Too deep. Toocold.

"Fuh-Foxy?" Kat asked, her ownvoice trembling and raspy. She found herself freezing up when thosecold eyes looked to her. Studied her. And, finally, he looked awayfrom her when he answered.

"Yeah."

"Foxy!?" Maple sputtered,struggling to rise from the ground as a strangled laugh escaped."What happen— " She cut herself off, shaking her headviolently. "No, forget that. You're just like them now, aren'tyou? Those wolf monsters. Is that what all you familiars eventuallybeco—?" Maple stumbled in her attempt to stand, falling back onher hands and knees and cursing loudly when she did. "Damnit!Trout! Give me back my fucking fire!"

"Don't swear!" Trout snappedback.

"Foxy!" Kat cut in, failing in herown attempts to stand with Trout weighing her down and Lilly's gripon her ankle only tightening when she tried to move it. He didn'tlook at her again when she said his name, and she couldn't help butfeel partially grateful for it. "What happened? Stallion and I—wecame for you. We came to save you."

"I know." The man looked backtowards the crumbling ruin where Wildwood manor once stood. Katfollowed his gaze and thought she could see two distantfigures—Stallion and Mouse judging by their near comical differencein size—coming their way, having found the long way around thesplit in the earth that had separated them. "We need to have atalk. All of us."

"Leaf." A throaty voice, Lilly'svoice called out. She could hardly bring her head up from the ground,but the grip she had on Kat's ankle was tight enough to make hersmall hand tremble. "He was in there with you...wasn't he? Whereis he? Why isn't he with you?"

The red-headed man remained facingaway from them. Kat stared at his wide back as the blood in her veinsturned to ice. She remembered running to where Stallion and Mousewere. She remembered seeing the red beast breaking from the earthwith three people. Just three.

"You bastard," Maple growled,still on her hands and knees, her whole body shaking as she continuedto spit at the man. "Are you going to tell us you let anotherQuincy die!?"

"No."

The man turned. The man that couldn'tbe Alex Foxy. He looked out at them with a face that was too calm. Heheld out hands—palms facing upwards—that were too big. His eyesheld within them a darkness far too deep for Kat to see.

"He, like all of you, was poisoned.Your mother put her corruption into each one of you. Maybe it wasback at the cabin, maybe earlier, I don't know. Some of you, likeyou Maple and Trout, seem to be fighting it off with your ownpowers—but those too are a poison that will swiftly consume you—"

"Shut-up!" Maple snapped, fingersdigging into the ash that surrounded her. "Shut-up about theexcuses. Tell me what you fucking did. Where is my brother!?"

The man met her eyes for only a momentbefore dropping his gaze. "Whatever Ninovan did to me, I can smellit now. When I found Leaf again it was already too late. I couldsmell the taint in him, but anyone could see the roots that weregrowing out of his ears. She was inside him. She was inside his head.He was hurting. He begged me to help him. He begged me to make itstop."

"No, no, no, no," Lilly wasmumbling, tears spilling down her face as she shook her head side toside.

Kat could hardly feel her or Troutstill holding on to her. She wasn't even sure if she was stillbreathing.

It wasn't real. It was a dream. Thiswas all a dream. None of this was real. None of it. None of it.

Maple stared out at the man. Shedidn't say anything until he finally looked down at her.

"You killed him?" she asked, herquestion void of any emotion or inflection.

Alex Foxy paused for only a moment.

"Yes."

A primal cry erupted from the woodsnearby. Accompanying it was an explosion of aching wood and rustlingleaves as what appeared to be the trunk of some massive tree burstfrom one side of the clearing and slammed into Alex, sending himcart-wheeling through the air before tumbling into the charredremains of foliage and disappearing behind puffs of ash.

"FOX!" a ragged voice cried out.

It was Gust, struggling to even remainstanding as he hobbled into the clearing, his mangled tree-armdragging across the ground as it shrunk back into a more manageablesize. His eyes were unfocused, but still did their best to glare atthe spot where Alex disappeared.

The man was already standing back up,his pale white skin now coated black. His neck and right shoulder,twisted painfully by the attack, were bending and snapping back intoplace, finishing their task in the short time it took him to stand athis full height. When he stared back towards the boy, Kat couldalmost swear his blue eyes were glowing.

"I'll kill you," Gust swore,taking another purposeful step forward. "I'll fucking kill you!"

With another tremendous cry of effort,Gust threw out his tree-arm. It stretched across the clearing,swelling into a club like appendage that intended to crush Alex flat.The man looked like he made to move out the way, but stopped shortwhen he realized his legs were now stuck to the ground, sealed inplace by roots. With only enough time to bring up his arms, Alexbraced himself as the great weight fell upon him.

The impact sent clouds of ash into theair. Kat didn't hear a single sound of effort or pain come from theman, and for a moment she wondered if he had simply been obliteratedon the spot. Confused tears were pouring down from her good eye. Theconflicting emotions inside nauseating her. When she tried to standagain, she was reminded of Lilly's vice-like grip on her ankle andshe winced when she felt the jagged nails dig into her skin.

"Wait," Lilly said or, atleast, a voice coming out from Lilly's mouth. "Wait until weare finished."

A cry of pain did come, but itwas from Gust as he buckled to his knees. "Let go of me, fox!" heshouted.

Ash had settled back down on theground and on the figure of Alex Foxy as he held the massive club oftree in his arms, fingers digging deep into the bark. The roots wereclimbing up his body, reaching for his throat and arms, but he wasstruggling against those as well, twisting his shoulders and head. Ashe did, growls were beginning to emanate from his throat. The more hefought, the more veins appeared to poke out through themuscles—muscles that themselves were bulging and rolling andgrowing.

"Don't let him change!" Mapleroared, the strength of her voice unable to match her own weary bodyas she tried and failed again to stand.

"I'm not!" Gust shouted back,his eyes twisted shut and human arm gripping onto the base of thetree one. "My arm! He's twisting my arm!"

As Alex's body changed, his grip onthe bark tightened. While pulling his body to one side to force theroots around him to stretch and snap, he was taking the weaponcrushing him with him. The groans and creaks coming from Gust'stree-arm began to consume the small clearing, nearly drowning outGust's own cries of pain.

"He's hurting him!" Troutshouted, and Kat nearly dropped him as he stretched out as if toreach out and touch Gust across the distance of the clearing. "Stopit, fox!"

Time seemed to slow for Kat when sherealized what was about to happen. Though Trout was reaching forGust, his tear-stricken eyes were staring hotly at Alex Foxy. Katwished she had used this extra time to think more about what theright thing to do was, but she'd be lying to herself if she claimedshe didn't know what choice she would make instantly. Not evenknowing if it would work, she grabbed Trout's head and forced it inGust's direction.

A moment later, and the tree-arm wasgone. Gone too were the roots that bound Alex Foxy. Not a moment toosoon as the creature he was becoming—face twisted and pointed andlegs bending backwards—was forced to leap away and into the deeper,denser woods as a streak of fire was sent into where he once waspinned down.

"Dammit!" the dark voiceinside Maple returned in full force, limply throwing out another ballof fire as it careened into an already consumed part of the forest.She half crawled after where the beast had gone, no longer evenacknowledging the others.

Gust had doubled over, falling intothe shoulder where the tree-arm once called home. He sucked in deepbreaths, eyes wide, and continued to feel with his other hand wherethat arm used to be. In a few moments, after his breathing hadcalmed, he only continued to mouth the word 'what' over and over,unable to even voice it.

Lilly's grip fell away from Kat. Shehad flipped over onto her back, eyes staring up into the darkmoon-lit sky. She held her dirty, shaking hands out above her,staring at them as if seeing them for the first time. They veryquickly became too heavy for her to hold aloft, so she simply letthem fall over her face as she choked out tearless sobs.

Trout had gone very still in Kat'sarms. After looking over the other Quincy's, she looked down uponthe youngest as he seemed to be clenching something to his chest,looking down on it with silent wonder.

"What is it?" Kat asked him in abreathless whisper.

At this, Trout flinched, and eventurned away from her. "It's mine," he said without looking ather.

A sharp snapping sound grew Kat'sattention back to the woods, where she could see Maple was stillstruggling after Alex, cursing and brushing aside foliage as shewent, causing more trees and shrubs to catch fire. As carefully asshe could, she set Trout against the ground, who curled up aroundwhatever thing he still had clenched in his hands

"Well, whatever it is, it's beenhurting your brother and sister, so be careful with it, okay?"Trout flinched again, but she waited for him to acknowledge her—whichhe did with a slow nod—before continuing. "I'm going to gocollect Maple and then we are going home."

Fighting against the weight of theworld itself, Kat slowly stood. The edges of her vision wereblurring, a tell-tale sign that she would pass out if she pushedherself too much further. Still, Maple was on her last legs as well.It was taking her longer to stand up when she fell, and the fire shewas spurting out were embers at best. With a slow intake of breath,Kat let it out before walking across the clearing in her direction.

She wasn't more than halfway therewhen Stallion and Mouse reached them. Kat had been expecting them,but couldn't spare them more than a partway glance as she continuedto walk.

"Think you could watch the kids forme for a sec?" she asked, so quietly she wasn't even sure if shehad managed to say it.

"Kat? Where is he?" Stallionasked.

"Foxy?" she asked back, stillstaggering forwards.

"You really think it was him?"Mouse said, more of an accusation than a question.

"Couldn't you tell?"

"No. And I won't believe you ifyou tell me you could."

They were both following her,cautiously, quietly. She didn't have the energy to turn around andtell them to stay. Maple had fallen once again but was not gettingback up. Kat could still hear her dark voice cursing and sobbing, soshe knew it wasn't anything dire. She was just tired, like everyoneelse.

"How can you be so sure?" Stallionasked Mouse. He moved up to walk beside Kat, gently placing one ofhis hands at the small of her back, ready to catch her if she fell.

Mouse picked up her pace so she couldwalk at Kat's other side and give Stallion a glare. "I just am. Ilooked right at that thing and I—I didn't see anything. It had tobe another of Wildwood's experiments. Something gone wrong thatescaped when everything collapsed."

"Maybe..." Stallion muttered.

The trio continued on for only a fewmore steps in silence, coming upon the fallen form of Maple as shelay among tall grasses and weeds. She lay on her stomach, eyeswide—practically bulging as she stared wildly at seemingly nothingat all. A rustling sound overhead caught their attention, andStallion and Mouse froze when they saw Alex Foxy sitting casually ona branch above their heads.

"Don't get too close to her," Alexwarned.

While the two remained staring, Katdid not even look his way. She kept limping forwards, her gazeunbroken and steady as she approached Maple. She only stopped whenthe unfamiliar man landed softly on the ground in front of her. Mouselet out an involuntary gasp and Stallion took an unconscious stepforward, but Alex Foxy now only had eyes for Kat.

"She's unstable," he continued,staring down at her. "The thing inside her can lash out whenever itwants."

Kat continued to avoid his look. Shestared past him. She looked anywhere except him.

"Get out of my way," she mumbled,her voice trembling.

"Kat--"

"MOVE," she roared, her weakenedthroat causing the word to crack. She shot up a glare, but onlyallowed it to meet his red-haired chest. "She's my kid. You don'tget to tell me how to approach her."

The man didn't move. His gaze shifted,almost pityingly. "You aren't a familiar anymore. She's no longeryour burden."

"I won't say it again." Kat tooksteps to move around him. "Fucking kill me too if you have to."

"Kat!" Stallion called, movingforward as the man caught Kat's arm. He gave Stallion a reassuringsmile, but the former only felt anxiety further twist his insides.

"Let me go!" Kat practicallyshrieked, nearly falling over herself in her sudden violent attemptsto pull away from Alex. Although nothing in his stance or expressionhinted at him fighting to hold on, she could not pull herself free.

"Did she do this to you?" Alexasked, his eyes on the stump that was left of Kat's other arm.

"Let me fucking go!" Kat shoutedback, her voice breaking as she slumped over, the fight quickly beingdrained out of her.

A dark look crossed over Alex's face.A look that caused Stallion to blurt out before he could put togethera proper answer. "It was someone else!" he said, his voice a bittoo loud and high pitched than he intended. "One of those guys withNinovan. He shot a beam of light or something out of his mouth.J-something."

"Jack Bai," Mouse supplied frombehind him. She had not moved since Alex first revealed himself, andstood with her legs apart and arms at her sides, eyes squinted andstudying the rapidly unraveling scene before her.

Stallion shot her a look of gratitudebefore turning back to Alex. "Yeah, man, it was Jack. He's theone--"

"Don't you guys get it!?" Alexsuddenly exclaimed. He still held on to Kat and carefully led heraway from Maple as he approached the other two. Though she continuedto twist and moan, there was no fighting him. His blue eyes seeminglyshined brighter as he shifted them between Stallion and Mouse. "Allthis time, all these years, you've been trapped. You've been slaves.You've been tortured and abused and poisoned and lied to. Theycorrupted you. They manipulated you. But not any more."

Kat was barely standing at this point,and Alex paused in his excited speech to carefully scoop her up andpass her over to Stallion. The latter took her, though it was with afeeling akin to an out of body experience. Kat felt lighter than air,and the look in Alex's shining eyes kept him glued to the spot. Thiswasn't the kid he picked on back at school. This wasn't even thetroubled, angry familiar that he had a hand in creating. This was anew stage. A new evolution.

"You are free," Alex said, sayingeach word slowly, carrying the great weight they held with care. "Ikilled Ninovan and when she died so did the chains that have kept youall trapped in this life. Finally, you can choose for yourselves whatyou want."

Lying now in Stallion's arms, Kat letout a bitter chocking sound of a laugh. Still unable to bring herselfto look at him, her one good eye stared off into the darkening woods.

"I want you to bring Leaf back."

"Leaf?" Stallion asked, lookingdown at Kat then up at Alex.

Alex Foxy simply continued to lookpityingly at Kat. "I get that it's not going to be a smoothtransition. Me included. We've suffered years of abuse at the handsof the witches. No one is expected to shake that off easily."

"You killed him!" Kat hollered,Stallion nearly dropping her when she twisted around to direct hervitriol more directly at Alex Foxy. "Witch or no witch, he was justa kid. He didn't deserve whatever mercy you think you gave him."

"Shit," Stallion said under hisbreath, moving a few careful steps back and away from Alex.

"You weren't there," Alex said,his voice deadpan. He laughed then, short and bitter. "I mean, youusually aren't. Not when it matters. When Meadow died. When Mutt waskilled. I know you blame me for those too. Which, fine. I get it.Easier to blame me when the world of witches seems too big to tackle.But that's the thing. We don't have to keep playing their gameanymore. You guys are free of that life forever and I..."

He paused then, looking down athimself. His brows furrowed and Stallion didn't miss the passing lookof disgust that crossed over his face.

"I think Ninovan wanted the samething, once. But she was too far gone. Too ingrained in thecorruption. But in her attempts to take me down with her sheinadvertently passed her corruption on to me."

"An optimistic way to look atthings," Mouse spoke up. She moved forward slightly to get a betterlook at 'Alex Foxy', but kept Stallion and Kat in between her andhim. "I wasn't there, of course, but can you be so sure she didn'tintentionally give you this power to further some other agenda? Thewitches of Wildwood suspected that Mallard intentionally let youlive, believing he had set you up to finish what he started—thetotal collapse of the familiars."

Alex watched her, the expression onhis face clouded by shadows and her own blurred vision. "Is thatsuch a bad thing?"

"It's not the point," Mousepressed, her voice calm but measured. "If it's true, then you'vebeen manipulated before, and Mallard didn't have the power to makemonsters, just how push them in the right direction."

Alex clenched his fists. "What doesit matter? Whatever the witches are planning, it won't matter whenthey are all dead."

Kat, Stallion, and Mouse went quiet.The three of them looked at Alex with a mixture of expressions. Fear.Awe. Uncertainty. And the man stood with eyes clear and bright and adark promise in his words.

"Even if you managed to killeveryone who escaped, they had Masters too," Mouse said. She took afew hesitant steps forward. "Whispermist sent a fraction of theirKnowers to wrangle the wild ones here. They keep their location wellhidden. How--"

"I can smell them," Alex saidsimply, un-clenching one of his hands to tap the side of his nose. "Ican't really explain it better than that. Their corruption has acertain smell, both rancid and sweet—like spoiled meat with a hintof cotton candy. It gets stronger the closer I get but I can smell itfrom miles away. I'm sure it was how Ninovan managed to avoid themfor this long. But now I can use it to find them wherever they chooseto hide."

"What you are saying is suicide,"Mouse pressed, though her voice had gone quieter, almostintrospective. "We don't know what their territory is like. Whattheir Knowers can do. From what little I know they've been anestablished coven for nearly a century. They wouldn't still be aroundif they could be toppled over by simple violence."

Alex smiled and spread his arms outagain, allowing his companions to take in his form once more."Wildwood spent years training me to fight witches. I was aconstant thorn in their side even before I stole Ninovan's power—orbefore she gave it to me. I've experienced physical pain beyond whatmost can imagine and I know—"

Alex cut himself off so suddenly Mousebelieved that, just for a moment, he had been struck from somewhereunseen. A different expression crossed over his face. His eyestrailed away from the three of them and to something unseen. Heclosed his mouth, swallowed and then laughed humorlessly.

"I know what it feels like to die. Iwon't risk my life needlessly, but I won't rest until they are alldead. When I said you were all free, I mean that I won't stop untilthere are none left that will try and threaten you."

"Just let him think what he wants,"Kat spat out before Mouse could press further. She was attempting toclimb down from Stallion's arms, but the effort was causing her tobreath hard and her words to come out weak and shaky. Though Stallionkept worried hands around her shoulder and waist, she managed tostand and send a glare in Alex's general direction. "If he wants tokeep being a martyr I don't see the point in stopping him. He'll keepkilling and causing problems for people until he finally dies forgood. Maybe then he'll be satisfied, but he won't be our problemanymore."

"Kat..." Stallion muttered.

"You're just upset right now,"Mouse said, looking between Kat and Alex. "You don't really meanany of that."

"It's alright," Alex said,although his strained smile told them it was anything but. "Like Isaid, in time, you guys will understand."

He then turned and started walkingtowards Maple who still lay motionless in the flora. Panic swellingin her chest, Kat reached out and tried to summon the strength toyell for him to stop, but someone else was faster.

"Wait!"

Stallion strode forward, releasing Katwho wobbled on her feet. Mouse quickly moved to keep her upright, butthey both had eyes on their friend's wide back as he approached Alexwho half-turned to face him.

"Are you really planning on goingafter all of them? Wildwood and Whispermist?"

A pause, and then Alex slowly nodded.

"Stallion!" Kat managed to cryout, already knowing where he was leading to.

"You don't really think you can doit alone, can you?!" Stallion shouted over her. "At the veryleast, it would be easier if you had some back up, yeah?"

"Stallion, he killedLeaf!" Kat cried, nearly doubling over from the emotion placed intothe words. "Why—?"

"I know, Kat! Iknow," Stallion cut in, unable to turn around and face her.Instead, he looked straight into Alex's bright eyes. "It's horriblewhat he did, but this might be our best and only chance to get rid ofthe monsters who started all of it."

"I won't makeany more familiars," Alex said. "And I won't risk any of you."

"This is biggerthan us, man!" Stallion took a step forward, pressing a handagainst his head as his voice rang out in the woods. "Maybe its theshit Ash put us through in the dreams, maybe its you taking away thecorruption, but I've got pieces of my life before all this. Peoplewithout faces or names. Our families and friends might still be outthere and, yeah, it'd be great to try and find and reunite with thembut how can any of us do that with any piece of mind until we knowthose responsible are put down for good? I get that you are trying todo us a favor, but we were forced into this life before you were.I—we deserve the choice whether we want out of it or not."

Foxy and Stallionshared a long look. Stallion was breathing heavy now, his bodybruised, cut, and bleeding. But he tried to stuck in a breath. Triedto keep his stance firm and stare unwavering. A pained look wentacross Foxy's face and it was him that broke the look when he turnedaway.

"I'm sorry,"he said, barely above a whisper. "I can't."

He leaped forwardthen. A chorus of cries followed him. Both his names. Shouts of angerand terror. Those cries turned to despair as he transformed. Bodygrowing slightly larger, hunched in its irregularity. Coarse red hairsprouting thick but patchy around chest, shoulders, and crotch. Facenarrowing, jaw extending, and bone crunching until the human face wasgone—replaced by something monstrous and lupine with a mouth largeenough to easily scoop the fallen Quincy girl by the neck.

He made a show oftwisting her body in their direction. Allowing Maple to hang limplyfrom his teeth. Closing said teeth just enough to draw blood.Stallion and Mouse were appropriately horrified as they stepped awayfrom him, eyes wide and expectant of further violence. But it was thelook in Kat's face that gave him pause. Mouse had abandoned her inher own attempts to move away, but Kat remained standing, her legsfar enough apart to keep her aloft even while they trembled. Butthere was no sign of weakness in a face ravaged by fire and scars.

For a moment hewas back again on that hill where the asylum once stood. Staring upat a woman he knew wouldn't think twice about killing him. But thiswas different. Back then they were no better than strangers, he nomore than an obstacle for her to overcome. In her look now he saw anend goal. A focus and certainty.

She would not stopuntil one of them was dead.

 Satisfied, butunable to look any longer, Alex Foxy leaped ahead, back the way thethree had come. Towards the witches and their sickly, sweetcorruption.