It had been a couple of days since Aphmau and Zane came to the lodge, and a couple of days since Kim tried attacking Zane in one of the rooms and passing out. She was healthy, but still quite out of it and tired. During those few days, everyone tried to work on fixing up and cleaning the lodge, but Airis was more occupied with something else.

Since the visit of the stranger from a few days ago and Aaron finding an emerald in the garage, Airis was constantly worried about something. She would always look outside and look out at the snowy forest, but her eyes were only filled with worry and fear. She was able to hide it from her family, but something deep inside her very soul that something terrible was going to happen to her family.

"Airis?" Aphmau called out, grabbing her daughter's attention. Airis looked up and saw Aphmau looking at her with a curious expression, "Are you okay, sweetie?"

Airis gave a quick smile and hopped off of the couch she was sitting on, "I'm okay, Mama. Just worried about Auntie Kim."

Lucinda smiled at the little girl and pulled her onto her lap, "Don't worry about a thing, Airis. Kim's going to be alright. It seems like it was just a minor possession spell."

Just then, Kim began to groan and sit up on the couch.

"Kim, how are you feeling?" Aphmau asked.

"Better actually." Kim answered groggily.

"Can I get you anything? Water? Food?" Aphmau offered.

"No, no, I'm fine. I just got a small headache." Kim replied.

"You're recovering well for someone who was possessed only a few days ago." Lucinda pointed out.

"Thanks... I guess." Kim said, "Umm, is the guy I attacked all right?"

"Uhhh, attacked?" Lucinda questioned.

"Mm-hmm. Garroth said that I attacked his brother Zane."

"Huh? Oh! So that's what he told you."

"Ooh! I'm so embarrassed. I own an apology to his devishily handsome face."

Airis' eyes widened for a second hearing the change in Kim's voice. It had gotten deeper for a moment, and just a little bit.... more mature...? She couldn't really put it into words exactly.

"Um, Auntie Kim? You okay?" Airis asked.

"I'm always okay when thinking about Zane. Especially about his soft lips." Kim replied with the same voice as before.

"Kim! Snap out of it!" Lucinda shouted and tapped Kim on the shoulder.

"Huh?! Huh?! What happened?" Kim asked, looking around the room very confused.

"Auntie Lucinda, Auntie Kim is acting really weird." Airis said.

"I completely agree." Lucinda nodded, "It seems as if you're still being effected by some lingering signs of the possession."

"What does that mean? Am I going to attack Zane again?" Kim asked worriedly.

"Attack isn't exactly the word I would use for--"

"Aphmau!" Lucinda shouted hiding it under the ruse of a cough.

"Oh! Yeah, right! Um.. Let's just keep you away from Zane, at least until we can figure out what's going on with you, Kim."

"Uhhh... okay. Just, tell him that I'm really sorry."

"Auntie Kim, do you remember how this happened to you? Anything at all?" Airis asked.

Kim shook her head, "No, honestly I don't. The last thing I remember before this was going to sleep with you guys. Then I woke up with everyone looking at me and a huge headache."

"Hmmm." Lucinda hummed, "Well, get some rest for now, Kim. Maybe Aphmau, Airis and I will take you out for a walk later to get some fresh air."

"Thank you guys so much." Kim thanked and laid back down on the couch to rest for a little longer.

Airis, having thought of an idea, hopped off of Lucinda's lap and walked over to Kim, hovering her hands over the woman's head.

"Airis, what are you doing?" Aphmau asked.

"Just something that'll help with Auntie Kim's headache. It's a simple healing spell I learned from Mama for headaches and body aches." Airis answered.

Just then, there a soft white glow that enveloped her hands. Airis placed her hands on either side of Kim's head and the white glow spread across Kim's body. A few seconds later, the glow disappeared and Kim seemed to be resting easier, without any signs of being in pain from the headache.

Lucinda and Aphmau were stunned. They knew that Airis could do magic, but they didn't think that she could heal anything like that. Lucinda was even more curious, as she knew that healing magic is difficult to master and takes years to learn and practice. Not to mention that it takes a lot of strength from the one casting the healing magic, and yet here was Airis performing healing magic like it was second nature to her.

"There we go. Now Auntie Kim can sleep peacefully for a little while." Airis said proudly. Aphmau squealed and picked up her daughter before spinning her around and hugging her tightly.

"You are so amazing, Airis!" Aphmau said and Airis giggled at her mother's overreaction to her magic.

"Aphmau." Lucinda interrupted the mother-daughter engagement, "Could I have a word with you alone?"

Aphmau, though concerned and confused, set her daughter on the couch and walked away from Kim and Airis to the other side of the room to talk.

"We need to keep Kim away from Zane." Lucinda stated.

"Well, it's not gonna be a problem with that." Aphmau stated, "Zane's upstairs spooked out of his mind. He's... shocked that someone took that much interest in him. Though... it isn't going to his head. He's just... very uncomfortable with things right now."

"Good. Then at least he'll stay away from Kim for now." Lucinda sighed in relief, "If it was a possession by a spirit then it could be bad for both of them."

"What else could it have been?"

"A potion? A spell?" Lucinda sighed, "Honestly, I couldn't tell given the fact that I don't even have my own potions. Even if I did, it's too late to be able to trace it now. So, I'm just going off of her symptoms."

"What about Airis? Couldn't she help? You know that she has magic abilities too, right?"

Lucinda shook her head, "Airis is a child, I don't want her getting mixed up in whatever this is. It could be dangerous for her too if this is a spiritual possession. And given how young she is with the amount of magic she has, I'm worried that something may happen to her if she gets involved."

Aphmau looked down, "You have a point. I didn't think that Airis helping with magic would be a bad and dangerous thing for her. Well, we'll just have to keep a close eye on her then."

 The two were about to talk a little more, when Aaron and Garroth came down from the second floor.

"Hey, how's it going? Any updates?" Garroth asked.

"She's still going in an out of it." Lucinda answered, "Airis used a spell to help her sleep, so at least she's resting for the time being. For now, all we can do is keep an eye on her."

"Well, that's good to hear. I guess." Garroth sighed in relief.

"All right, so there are a few things we need to do." Aaron announced.

"Like what, Papa?" Airis asked.

"Well, we're running low on food and plus, we need a few supplies." 

"That's right, I almost forgot! We kinda need food to survive." Aphmau chuckled sheepishly.

"This would be the perfect opportunity to get Kim out of the house." Lucinda said excitedly.

"All right then, I guess it's a road trip." Aaron said.

"Can I come, too, Papa? I wanna go get snacks!" Airis bounced off of the couch and rushed over to Aaron, grabbing his hand and jumping up and down excitedly.

Aaron smiled at his daughter's excitement to go anywhere. She had been cooped up in the lodge since they got there, so this was perfect for her.

"All aright, Airis, you can come too. But you have to promise to behave, okay?" Aaron said.

"I promise!" Airis happily agreed.

"I'll stay back with Zane. I wanna make sure he's okay." Garroth said.

"Good idea." Lucinda agreed, "Well, then, let's get going!"

Everyone went out to the front door to get ready to leave.

"Wait up, you guys. I'm gonna move my car into the garage." Garroth said and grabbed the keys to his car.

Before long the two groups were off in their cars, the group shopping going down the mountain towards a nearby town in the snowy area.

"Is there even a town around here?" Aphmau asked.

"Yeah, but I think it's a really small one, though." Aaron answered.

"I don't remember seeing one coming in." Lucinda pointed out.

"That's because it's a farther up the road."

"I see."

Airis looked out the window, watching as the trees passed by quickly as they drove away from the lodge. Suddenly, she began to feel tired, most likely from using healing magic just a little bit ago on Kim. Her eyes began to close and her body went to sleep as her dreams invaded her mind.

~~~~

It was a clear and crisp snowy day. Airis sat on the porch of her house, watching as the snow glittered in the sunlight. It was the picture of peace to her. Just then, she felt something brush against her hand and cheek.

Airis giggled and smiled, turning to see one of her oldest friends, their bright blue eyes seeming to smile back at the little girl they were so attached to.

"I thought you didn't like the cold?" Airis asked her friend.

"I don't, but when you're nearby I stay quite warm." Her friend said, "What are you doing up so early, little one? Not even your parents are awake, nor is the sun peaking out from behind the tallest mountain."

Airis shrugged her shoulders, "I just had a weird dream and I couldn't get back to sleep."

"Really? Must have been quite the dream to keep you from sleeping. Do tell me about it."

Airis sighed and leaned against her friend, "I was surrounded by darkness, but it was warm. Then.... I saw those eyes. Eyes the color of blood and filled with kindness. They just kept staring at me for a while and I don't know why."

"What else happened in your dream?"

"I felt a sharp pull.... and then it felt like I was drowning. I couldn't breath. And then it felt like I was being choked by someone. Someone shouted that I would never escape their grasp. That I'm nothing but a tool to be used until I'm broken."

Airis' friend leaned closer to her, wrapped the little girl in their warmth.

"You don't need to be afraid of such dreams. Because I will always be here to protect you."

"Even if Mama and Papa are gone."

"Yes. After all, it's my duty to protect your family's bloodline. Never forget that. No matter where you go, you can always call my name and I will always come running to protect you."

Airis smiled and slowly fell asleep in her friend's warmth. Little did they know, her parents were watching them from afar and left them to their early morning slumber on the porch, covering them with a thick warm blanket to shield them from the cold.

~~~~~

"Airis.... Airis.... wake up, honey." A voice stirred Airis from her nap. She opened her eyes and saw Aphmau smiling at her.

"Hi, Mama." Airis said, yawning. She looked around and saw that they had stopped in the town Aaron was talking about. It was small, but the good thing was that there was a store there so they could buy their supplies. However, the town seemed like it was abandoned. Not a single person was nearby, and it spooked Airis a little.

"Did you have a good nap, Airis?" Lucinda asked, "You slept the entire ride over."

Airis nodded sleepily, "Yeah. I guess I used too much magic on Auntie Kim."

"Don't worry, Airis. Once we're done here, you can take a nice long nap back at the lodge." Aaron said and picked Airis up.

"Yes, Papa."

"But are you sure we're gonna be able to find anything here?" Lucinda asked.

"From what my dad said, this place should be pretty packed." Aaron said.

"Maybe we should take a look around." Aphmau suggested, then pointed to a store across the street, "Look, there's a shop! Let's go see if we can get some food or something."

 They all walked across the street and entered the store, seeing all sorts of stuff inside, from snacks, to clothes and even some medical supplies. But there was no one inside it seemed.

"Hello, is anyone here?" Aaron called out, but no one answered.

"Hmm. Same kind of empty feeling as outside." Kim said.

"Well, at least it's well kept." Aphmau said nervously, "That means that people are around. Look there's a bell here!"

Aphmau rung the service bell once, but no one came to the counter for a second. All of a sudden, a man dressed in a red flannel and black shirt jumped up from behind the counter.

"Hello there!" He said, scaring Aphmau and making her jump into the air from his sudden appearance.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! Did I scare you?" He asked, but then looked surprised and excited, "Wait, you're new in town! New visitors! Welcome, welcome! Here, a special welcome cake from me to all of you!" He placed a cake on the table covered in white icing and strawberries. Airis nearly drooled at the sight of her favorite snack.

"Oooh! Cake!" Kim said and went to take a piece of cake before Lucinda stopped her.

"Kim! Don't take cake from people we don't know." Lucinda scolded Kim.

"It's so good to finally have new visitors in the town. Welcome!" The man cheered.

"He spooked me." Aphmau whimpered as she pushed Airis behind her in a protective way.

"Put 'er there, partner!" The man chuckled, "My name's Leochant, but you could call me Leo for short if you want. Is there anything I could get you guys?"

"Nice to meet you." Aaron greeted, "Um, we're here looking for food and supplies."

"And internet!" Kim added.

"I see. Well, you've come to the right spot in town. My shop is the only one for miles. Please, feel free to help yourself to anything in the store. Just for you guys, I'll do a fifty percent off everything in the store."

"Really? Awesome, thank you!" Airis cheered, thinking that it was nice of the man to do this for them.

"Wait a minute." Lucinda said, "What's the catch? That's an awful nice offer to give to people that you just met. As a shopkeeper myself, that doesn't sound right."

Leochant looked down at his hands nervously, "Well, it's uh... you see." He sighed in defeat, "All right, I'll come clean with you guys. WE RARELY GET ANY VISITORS IN HERE!"

"What do you mean?" Airis asked.

"Well, you see, we used to be a really big town. Great for tourists who wanted to hike the mountains. But then the, uh... Fire Nation attacked! Yeah. And then there was a rockslide and a forest fire and an avalanche, which is why the town is so barren these days."

Airis could tell that he was lying, but she could also sense a bit of fear in his voice. A terrible fear of something out there in the forest.

"Wow, these mountains sound really dangerous." Kim said.

"I know, but this is our home. And sure it's a little small, but it's got a nice cozy feel to it. So please, make yourself at home here. If there's anything I can do to help, but let me know."

"I see, sorry for jumping to conclusions." Lucinda apologized, "We'll take a look around then."

The group then looked around the store and gathered what they needed for the time being. Lucinda went over to the other side of the street to check out the potion shop there, but Airis, though she loved magic, didn't go with her. She felt as if she needed to be here with the rest of her family, a bad feeling washing over her very soul as she stared outside the window at the snowy ground.

Airis walked around the store trying to find some kind of perishables, when she noticed Aaron looking down at the letter that his father gave him before heading up to the Lodge.

"Papa?" Airis asked, grabbing Aaron's attention, "Are you okay?"

Aaron looked down at his daughter and smiled, "I'm okay. I'm just gonna check up with Leochant to see if he has something I need."

Aaron walked over to the front desk with Airis behind him, the little girl clutching onto his hand as the two adults spoke.

"I was wondering if you have any Wolfbane." Aaron said.

"Sorry, we don't carry that here." Leochant answered, "Come to think of it, I don't we have that anywhere in town. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you see, we've had a run in with a pack of wolves."

"A pack of wolves?!" Leochant shouted in surprise.

"Yeah, they were big  and scary, but they didn't act like normal wolves, right Papa?" Airis asked.

"That's right. I think they were--"

"Werewolves?!"

"Yeah." Aaron looked at Leochant suspiciously, "Are you okay?"

"No, no, no, no, this isn't good. You guys are the first visitors here in a long time. Explain to me what happened exactly."

As Aaron was explaining what had happened to them at the lodge, Airis heard something shuffle outside. She looked out the window and saw a shadow running through the trees, but it was a familiar shadow. The shadow of the old friend who visited her a few days ago. Their appearance could mean one thing, and it terrified Airis to the core.

After Aaron and everyone else had finished explaining what happened with the wolves at the lodge, Leochant seemed to be familiar with the one leading the wolves.

"That sounds like that girl." He said.

"Do you know who she is?" Aphmau asked.

"No one knows anything about her. All we know is that she's with the wolves. She's actually the reason why most of the residents of the town are gone. They attack most people who stay out after dark."

"That's really scary." Kim said, her voice trembling with fear.

All of a sudden, the door to the shop was kicked open and someone very familiar came running inside.

"Leochant! There's a big storm coming!"

"Michi!? When did you hear about this?" 

A storm of snow was approaching, but something else was coming to them. Outside the shop was Airis' friend, watching with worried expression.

"I will do whatever I can to protect you, Puer Unitatis. This darkness will never take you away from your family again." They said, and vanished into the darkness of the forest.