Artemis dipped a toe into the lake. It was absolutely freezing. She smiled, turned, and walked away from the glassy water. Then she suddenly whipped around, let out a battle cry, and raced towards the lake. She leapt into the air and shrieked as she was enveloped by the icy water. Her scream was cut short as she submerged. Seconds went by and the surface began to settle again. Soon only the slightest ripple remained. Then a small bubble broke the tension.

Artemis shot to the surface with lungs almost bursting and took a huge, refreshing gulp of air. She smiled and lazily floated on her back, letting the faint wind carry her over the water. The woods surrounding the lake were silent and sheltering. She drank in the peacefulness, watching fat white clouds roll along in the sky. They were white thunderheads, pregnant with rain and hail, and the hair on Artemis' arms and neck rose in anticipation of the magnificent mountain storm that was promised.

She swam and dove and floated for another hour or so, grateful for the privacy of the hidden lake. She had outgrown her bathing suit years ago, and had since only gone swimming in the nude. Granted, it was cold, but worth it.

She finally stepped out onto the rocky beach and let the wind - which had picked up now - and sun dry her off. The sky was getting darker, and the low rumble of thunder could be heard miles away.

Artemis slipped back into her clothes and dried her hair with her towel, watching a duck get out of the water and take shelter in its nest by the shore. Here comes the storm, she thought, and turned into the woods to go home.

She walked nonchalantly, once again humming the wordless tune. She had known the melody since she was a small child, but couldn't remember where she had learned it. Even her parents had no idea; neither of them had ever heard the tune before she began singing it.

Just as Artemis stepped onto the main path that led to her cabin, she froze. A large flock of birds had burst into the air on the top of the hill, and she felt their fright. Something was wrong.

Artemis smelled the air cautiously, but picked up nothing. Suddenly, she was overwhelmed with a feeling of dread, and began sprinting up the path to her home. Something horrible had happened.

Every stepped seemed to be in slow motion and the dark sky above rippled with the occasional lighting flash. Artemis barely breathed as she ran through the trees. The fear was choking her. There was a huge clap of thunder, and rain began to pummel the ground.

After what seemed an eternity, she reached the top of the hill and the clearing where the cabin stood. She could barely see through the sheets of water, but she could tell that all of the lights in the cabin were out, giving it an eerie, lonely look.

Artemis stopped at the edge of the clearing, and knelt on the ground. The storm was impairing her senses. She could hear only the sound of heavy raindrops on the cabin, trees and ground. She could smell only the heavy, suffocating scent of wet earth and wood. She could hardly see through the rain.

Concentrating all of her consciousness, Artemis reached out to the cabin with her mind. She groped and grasped for another mind. Nothing. Everything felt empty and… dead. Where were her parents?

With her heart pounding in her ears, Artemis rose to her feet and crept to the front door of her home. The rain had become harder and was being pelted against her like thousands of tiny needles, but all she could feel was the fear consuming her.

Abandoning all caution, she bolted inside. She stared at the door. It had been ripped from its hinges and was lying in the middle of the kitchen floor. The screen was shredded and the wood clawed and chipped all over the porch and floor.

She opened her mouth to call for her parents, but her voice refused to come. She stepped gingerly over the door and towards the bedrooms at the other side of the cabin, being very careful to remain silent. Whatever had done that to the door may still be in the cabin.

Artemis crouched suddenly in front of the door. She had heard something move inside her parents' bedroom. She was about to reach out for the doorknob, when the noise came again. Unconsciously, her lip curled into a snarl and a low, menacing growl rumbled in the back of her throat. She reached for the knob again, and grasped it firmly before throwing it open.

At first she saw nothing. The room was pitch black. Then a sudden flash of lightning lit the bedroom like a still shot of a horror movie. Artemis cried out in terror and stumbled backwards out of the doorway. She tripped over a chair that was lying on the floor behind her and she spun her arms in the air, trying to regain her balance. With a scream, she tumbled backwards and knocked her skull against the hard wooden floor. The last thing she saw was the scene she had just witnessed flashing before her eyes.

A massive shadow moved stealthily out of the room that she had just left. He grinned wickedly at her sprawled figure on the floor and chuckled to himself.

"You made this too easy," he growled. Then, with a last glance at the terror he had left in his wake, Sabertooth snatched up Artemis and threw her limp frame over his shoulder like a rag doll. Then he lumbered out into the mountain storm, leaving the cabin standing alone and dark in the pouring rain.