AN: I'm starting to get the hang of these two, but I can't assure consistency just yet as I'm still finding the right chemistry for them, as they are doing themselves. For now let's go to another chapter and see how it plays out.

Wynn noticed Wilson was being off very quickly, more quickly than Wilson would have wanted. He wouldn't say he was sick, because physically he was fine, but some nagging feeling gnawed at the back of his mind… He dared not tell her, a child, least he ruin her mentally.

Wilson was sitting idly on a tree stump outside the camp, staring out into the woods with an odd look. His mouth was twisted into a frown, and his eyebrows furrowed. It was a warm day, and Wynn was playing with some rabbits. She often didn't kill them unless she was hungry, but she did have fun chasing them until they dashed away into their burrows. This wasn't just her wanting to torment the poor things, but to practice her speed and agility at the same time.

Wynn noticed Wilson hadn't moved for a few hours. She holds tightly to the rabbit she had caught, padding over to Wilson. He was hunched over, his head now in his hands, mumbling words Wynn didn't recognize.

"Wi...Wilson?" She touches his arm, to which he sat up suddenly, surprised. "Oh." He whispers when he looks at her. "Yes Wynn?"

She looks at her rabbit and then at Wilson. "Are you hungry…? You look grumpy…" The poor girl offers. Wilson smiles at this, but it's a sad smile. Wynn couldn't read his sadness, but she knew something was wrong.

"No dear, thank you." He looks ahead, running a hand through his hair. Wynn sits next to Wilson's tree stump, letting her rabbit run off into the forest. Wilson watched the rabbit as far as he could see it before it disappeared into the thick. Something moved in his heart.

"You should go play, Wynn." Wilson told her, not taking his eyes off the trees. Wynn seemed to not want to, but her short attention span let her wander away with ease. Wilson listened for her slow footsteps away before holding his head in his hands again.

This useless feeling persisted, the feeling of dread, of insanity, of horror and fear that crept over him… He couldn't begin to pinpoint it to a single thought, as it seemed to move about his mind wherever he'd shift his thoughts.

He had been acting very cool the past few days, trying to focus his thoughts on his work, attempting to keep these toxic thoughts at bay. But these thoughts itched and scratched, turning into deep wounds before he could even see the damage to his psyche.

He twitched. There was a low buzz in his skull, and suddenly he stands. Somethin behind him required his immediate attention, he wasn't sure what or why but everything was screaming at him to turn around.

Giggling, low whispers, a low, dark chuckle. Wilson was completely alert, his mind spinning around, wondering who that was, because it wasn't Wynn. This sudden urge pushes him to walk quickly to the noise, but as quietly as possible.

He walked around the camp to find nothing, but the laughter continued, and Wynn was nowhere to be seen. His chest was tight with worry and fear, the gnawing in his mind ignored for the moment.

There was no way to find a noise this quiet in a forest this large. Wilson began his search near his traps and around the claw marked tree to find nothing, but the noise was louder. He whispered to himself to stay calm and to be slow.

A low voice spoke something he couldn't make out, and his anxiety forced him to throw his caution to the wind and run towards it. Leaves crunched and pine needles snapped under his pounding feet. His head was a rush of fear, it couldn't be him, he never showed up before! Wilson spun around to hear Wynn's tiny giggle, and was faced with a sight that made his stomach drop to his feet.

All feeling washed from his body and his heart probably stopped for a second as his mind began to register what was going on. "You…" Wilson's voice was barely over a whisper.

In front of him now was Maxwell. The demon that had brought him here, that probably brought Wynn here, that forced him to bare the cold and force of his hounds. Maxwell stood before him, a smug, twisted grin was spreading on his face as Wilson's words spilled out of him in short, incomprehensible slips.

And there was Wynn, completely at ease with the tall beast of a man, cradled in his arms like a little prize. She was smiling genuinely, her laughter happy despite the immediate and certain danger. Wilson couldn't move his feet stuck to the ground with a fear that if he moved she'd get hurt.

"Oh look, it's your friend wolf child." Maxwell's words felt ribbing, but Wilson wasn't in the mood for laughing. "Come to say hi, Mr. Higgsbury?" His voice had a lilt in his voice that suggested he'd won, but won at what?

Wilson stepped forward, and Maxwell placed a hand on the child's head. "Careful now, Mr. Higgsbury." Wynn instinctively moves her head down, thinking it was some sort of petting or praise. Maxwell scoffs, and ruffles the little wolf's hair.

"Just came by to check on you, y'know? Making sure you're not having too much fun." Maxwell sighs. "Besides, it's always such a delight to visit this darling, much more grateful than the rest of you thankless brutes." Wynn gasps. "Uncle MAx!"

Wilson's stomach lurched at that nickname. "Don't be mean! Wilson tries very hard!" Maxwell laughs and gives a little nod. "Of course, of course, what was I thinking, silly me." Wynn nods very seriously.

"Thassright! He let me stay with him in his tent, and sometimes we play games and he said he was gonna read to me!" Wilson, helpless to stop the child's chatter is forced to stand there, his face burning hot with embarrassment which now overshadowed his worry.

"Oh? He's a real fatherly type then?" Maxwell's tone was far too friendly. "Mhm! Not today though, he's not feeling good, so you better be nice!" Wynn looked as serious as a small child could, but Maxwell couldn't stop the roaring laughter that erupted from him. What a turn of events! He never would have guessed such a man like would act this way! Why it was ridiculous!

Wynn looked confused at the tall man, now bouncing with laughter. "Wh...What's so funny?! I don't get it!"

Maxwell calmed his laughter into a low chuckle. "Dear child, it does not matter now, I am leaving." He places the little wolf on the ground, backing away before Wilson can get a swing on him. Maxwell grabs Wilson's arm painfully. "You're still too weak to beat me, Higgsbury, and you're even weaker with that tyke, so you better watch yourself or you'll see what happens when I'm truly upset with you." Maxwell's voice is low, warning, and quiet so Wynn couldn't hear. He pushes the scientist gently away. "Farewell, for now." and he vanishes.