Greetings once again, folks! I have arrived with a new part, and one that took quite a lot out of me to write- there was just so much to do, so many loose ends to tie up, so why not hit most of those boxes in just one chapter? Today I present to you the many following elements: References to Qibli's lackluster backstory! Winter angst! Hurt/Comfort and talks about healthy boundaries! A group hug, again! Qibli finally getting to swear! Morrowseer slander! And, the JW reuniting with an old (and not very likeable) friend?? Perhaps one from the earliest chapters...;D Anyways, please, please, please vote if you enjoyed this chapter, and comment anything you have to say, it helps me so much more than you think, as my online reach has been rapidly deteriorating. As well as my happiness. But, regardless, I hope you enjoy this update, and have a very nice day! Thank you so much <3

People tend to throw around the phrase 'don't panic' quite a lot. But, at least in Qibli's experience, sometimes panic can be used to your advantage. He still remembered the way his mother had lectured him and his siblings, back before he'd been adopted by Thorn- about the fact that, whether it's an frightened shopper wondering why the alarm is going off, or a couple of disoriented tourists stopping for directions, panicked people are the easiest to scam. He winced just thinking about how small his world had been back then, when it seemed like he'd just been placed inside of a box that he'd have to live in for the rest of his life. He'd warmed up to Thorn pretty quickly, slipping all but seamlessly into the role of a normal suburban child once they'd moved to Pyrrhia, but at times, his mother's lessons on 'survival' still entered his mind, clouding his judgment. Especially that one.

Although, Qibli was pretty sure that when his mother talked about panic being good, she didn't mean a group of four unstable teenagers, left alone in the middle of the woods, absolutely losing their minds. Probably.

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This hysterical series of events had all started when he and the others had agreed to go with Vice Principal Morrowseer on a nature walk, hoping to stop him from meeting with Moon. After all, Moon was their friend, an she was Qibli's- oh god, he didn't even know what she was to him at this point - but regardless of how any of them felt about her, especially Qibli, it was simply the right thing to do. Through family troubles, middle-of-the-night facetime calls, dramatic raccoon encounters, and relationship crises, everyone in their bizarre little friend group had gotten support from one another when they needed it. Maybe Moon didn't want them mixed up in her own issues, but at this point, it was like an unspoken rule between all of them, doing anything to help each other when it seemed necessary. Logistically, it was a pretty stupid thing to do, going into the woods with only your (equally impulsive) friends and a man who was maybe abusive and definitely smelled like expired yogurt- but really, when had that ever stopped Qibli?

When the four of them had stepped into the woods with him, that was when the situation had really started going downhill. But then, the vice principal said something that stopped them all in their tracks.

"Once we return to the lodge, you will bring my daughter to me, won't you?"

Yeah, the situation had now fallen off of a cliff. And onto sharp rocks. And died a slow, agonizing death. Qibli had been dumbfounded. Frozen in place. How in the world did Morrowseer know, when they'd gone to such lengths to make sure he didn't? And it seemed like all the others were thinking the exact same thing- except maybe Peril, who was probably just disappointed she wouldn't be able to get away with attacking the guy anymore. But it didn't matter, because now, no matter what they tried, the situation was helpless.

Don't panic. Yeah, right.

As the four children stood, practically petrified, in the middle of the trail, exchanging worried glances, Qibli's mind twisted. Through the torrent of his own thoughts, he could make out the fact that Morrowseer, as well as his younger companion, were slowly getting further away, smaller and smaller in his vision. Good. If that man would just leave, and never come back, everything would be much better.

But then he realized, just as the two disappeared into a grove of trees- they were getting further away because they were leaving the students behind. Alone.

Well, shit.

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"I'm sorry, remind me where we are again? Oh, that's right. In the middle of nowhere, because of you!" Winter let out an exasperated sigh, looking straight in his friend's eyes, with only exhaustion visible in the glare, despite the irritated tone of his voice moments earlier. Qibli could see it. He knew that Winter had something else to say, but he was holding back.

"What is your problem?"

Winter huffed, as if the question held any irony. It didn't, simply posed to provoke him. Kinkajou and Peril both watched on, so eagerly waiting for his answer that they weren't even interrupting the two boys' rather heated exchange- the forest's silence had grown more than eerie in the absence of their words. It had been all of five minutes since the four teenagers had been left behind, which isn't really a lot-- that is, when your best friend isn't either throwing blame around or staring deep into your soul. Or, when all five of those minutes could be used to help your other 'friend', who may or may not be in grave danger.

The boy across from Qibli let out another heavy sigh. "My problem," he began, "Is that the way you're treating Moon right now is unacceptable. I never agreed to this charade of yours, and I refuse to just stand by while you three nosy walruses try, and inevitably fail, to fix all of her private affairs!"

He stopped only to take a labored breath. "It's so wrong- being treated like you are everyone else's responsibility but your own. Moon is her own person, I am my own person, and excuse me for saying this, but sometimes we just don't need your help! Sometimes, other people just make it worse!"

Qibli unconsciously stumbled back, taking in Winter's expression along with his words. He looked so resentful, nearly manic that it was like Qibli could feel thorns stabbing into his chest at the sight. How could he have missed this? Had he been so focused on Moon- so focused on himself - that he didn't even noticed he'd crossed Winter's boundaries? He saw an expression of guilt appear on Peril's face as well, fleeting, but still plainly obvious. What did she have to be guilty about? The truth is, Qibli had no idea. And he couldn't just blindly assume either, like he usually did- he must've made that mistake a million times, but now someone had finally held him accountable to it. There was really a lot to say.

However, Kinkajou beat him to it. The girl stepped forward, her usually bright-eyed look suppressed into a sad, but sincere smile as she walked up to Winter. When they'd first met, years ago, Qibli had considered her a fun person to hang out with, but honestly pretty shallow. Of course, over time, he'd learned to realize she was anything but- and that even she had her boundaries. So why had he still been wrong about Winter? Why did he jump to conclusions so quickly? No matter how hard he tried, Qibli just couldn't give himself the answer. But that didn't matter right now. Winter did. Kinkajou was speaking to him, whispering something only for him to hear, to show him that she was being honest- no, probably to show him that she was being honest- Qibli had to start trying to let go of making those kind of assumptions soon- regardless, he didn't try to listen in on their conversation. That is, until Kinkajou stopped, still looking him in the eye, and apologized.

"Are you...comfortable with a hug?" She asked afterwards, her warm smile returning. Winter scoffed at her, but a hint of a smug grin had started to be visible in his features now, and it was obvious that his resentment had almost entirely cleared away.

"Fine--omph!" He exclaimed in shock as she nearly tackled him to the ground, seemingly having forgotten that when Kinkajou asks you for a hug, it's more like being hit by an aggressively loving freight train, no matter the size of the victim. But, despite it all, Winter's mouth quirked up in a smile as she, and then also Peril (who continued to be rather uncharacteristically silent), embraced him just a little too tightly. Qibli couldn't help it anymore, joining the weird little group hug they had going on instantly, while muttering a quiet apology that only two people would hear.

Still, time was ticking, and the three seemed to have forgotten that there was still another person sandwiched between them. "You are crushing my ribs," Winter groaned from the middle of their group-hug disaster. Letting go, it seemed like each of them was differently worried for Winter, specifically that they may have made made him uncomfortable again. But he waved off their concerns, getting up and dusting himself off. "I'm fine," he muttered. "And uh, thanks. By the way."

"Right!" Qibli quirked up, his tone still slightly awkward yet confident, slipping back on track with another problem. "Moon doesn't need us to manage her life, but we still can't just let it drop. We'll need to let her know what's going on." He added.

In all honesty, Morrowseer had the attention span and mental capacity of a four-year-old missing their crusty ipad- that was one assumption Qibli was safe to make. However, this could work in their advantage, as it would take him longer to realize the students were missing, with how little he seemed to care anyways. If they could just find their way back to the lodge...

"Um...guys?" Kinkajou called, snapping him out of his thoughts. her eyes were trained on a bush nearby, whose leaves were ruffling, suspicious growling sounds coming from inside. Peril didn't hesitate to haul a heavy log right off of the ground with total ease and jump into some sort of battle-pose, guarded from whatever vicious beast was hiding inside that bush.

In hindsight, maybe Qibli should have grabbed something to defend himself with too. But instead, he just stood there, frozen in place, as something snarling and rather fluffy lunged in his direction.

It was a...raccoon?

Well, I hope you found this chapter tolerable at worst, or at least enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it- I've been revisiting a few of the WoF books, and honestly, Winter seems to have been treated so much worse than I remember, so I just had to include some sort of hurt/comfort, show him justice. I also think boundaries and openness is really important in friendships, and just relationships in general, and with everything these kids are dealing with, they really need eachother XD. Finally, I want to thank my friend Hannah once again, because she reached out to me today and inspired me to revisit chapter 7, which I wrote with her help more than a year ago. Interact with this chapter if you liked it, we both appreciate your gratitude so much, and I hope to see you all awesome people soon!!