It didn't take you long to realize you were lost. Again.

Or that you had just potentially walked - more like, full-on Usain Bolted (ba dum tss) - yourself right into a trap...or close to one anyway. You weren't really sure whether finding yourself trodding up the side of a steep mountain as the weather took a turn for the worse could really be considered a trap, but you heard the scream. It was Waverly, you were sure of it when you heard it. Your reaction was instinct - get to Waverly before anything happened to her. Yet, you hadn't run into her or caught a whiff of her scent all afternoon and it was starting to get dark. You were beginning to second guess what you heard, playing it on a constant loop in your head. It was torture, but it somehow worked as a sick form of motivation and a reminder that you weren't crazy. That you heard what you heard.

Before you could dwell on it much further though, you heard it again. Your name choked out between a shuddering sob. The only difference was this time, it sounded off. You caught the slip right away and it made your stomach plummet. That time, it was not Waverly. It was her voice, sure, but there was an undertone of something more gravelly that you were sure you only caught onto because of the wolf's sensitive hearing. It sounded like something was trying to mimic her call for help and it sent a violent shudder down your spine while the wolf grew more on edge. Something was toying with you. And it was using Waverly as bait.

It began to sleet heavily as the wind picked up and you had to desperately grasp onto anything in front of you to keep from falling down the slick rocks and slowing you down any further. The mixture of the wind and sleet felt like glass cutting across the sensitive skin of your cheeks. All you could think about was that if you felt it, how in the hell was Waverly holding up? Your sight distance was quickly diminishing to near nothing, but your only option was to keep pushing yourself forward. To get to Waverly.

You weren't even sure you were headed in the right direction. Sound traveled weird in the woods. The weather wasn't helping much either. Even if it was a trap, whoever was out there had had Waverly at one point. Hopefully they still did. Following the cry was your only option to get her back to Wynonna.

You had to have been hiking for hours before you finally reached the top of the mountain, nearly collapsing with exhaustion as you stumbled on the suddenly flat ground. The sun had fully set, your clothes were nothing more than stiff icicles against your skin and even with the extra warmth from the wolf, your body was still shaking violently, especially now that you were no longer exerting any body heat from the climb.

The sleet had died down significantly, but the wind showed no signs of becoming any less ruthless. You could at least see through your frozen eyelashes, though. Not that that was any better, it seemed, because it only took you a few seconds to realize you had crossed over into Ghost River Triangle territory. Your mind immediately went to the last time you found yourself across the imaginary boundary and you didn't like it, not one bit. Not to mention that prickly feeling at the back of your skull was back full force.

The wolf wanted to leave, she wanted to turn back around and head back down the mountain and hopefully out of the GRT, but you could barely move. Your limbs were lethargic from the cold and lack of rest, your brain was fogged with thoughts and visions of Waverly out there alone, scared, or in trouble. All you wanted to do was lie down in a bed underneath a pile of warm blankets and sleep a dreamless sleep, void of murderers and kidnappers.

Eventually, you came to an agreement.

You needed to rest, the wolf knew that. You would be no use to Waverly (or yourself) if you couldn't even stand. So, you unpacked the tent from your backpack and began vigorously trying to set it up as the wind, and now snow, picked up around you. It was so loud, you were sure that if you had the energy to speak, you wouldn't actually be able to hear yourself over the roar of the wind.

You allowed yourself to shift, just slightly, enough to hide your bare skin from the harsh winds underneath a layer of red fur, as you staked the four corners of the tent into the frozen earth. By the time you got your stakes in the ground and the tent up, the bottom of the tent had filled with nearly an inch of water. You didn't have the energy to deal with it though and told yourself you'd be fine. Your sleeping mat was waterproof. You could literally grow fur. You were fine. Even if your uniform was sopping wet and stuck to you in places you never wished it could reach. You were soaked to the bone. Even your leather gloves were sopping with moisture.

Only when the temperature dramatically dropped in a span of seconds, did you allow yourself to change. After carefully peeling your clothes away from your frozen body and clumsily pulling your sleeping bag from your pack, you shifted fully, only just able to fit the wolf's body completely inside the tent. Finally able to warm up a bit, you barely managed to lower yourself to the sleeping mat and curl your body around itself before your eyes slid closed and you were surrendering yourself to the exhaustion the day tolled on you.


You woke up, what felt like minutes later, to your name coming through the static of your radio and sunlight shining through the mesh of the tent and directly into your eyes. The voice was desperate and anxious and slightly furious, but undeniably Wynonna. It took everything in you not to cry out in relief at the sound of a familiar voice.

"Dammit, Haught, fucking answer me!" Human again, you dove for the radio, half sticking out of your backpack thrown haphazardly in the corner of the tent. You pressed the button on its side the second your cold fingers wrapped around it.

"I'm here, I'm here. Wynonna, I'm here." Your voice was barely anything more than a rasp from lack of use, but the message went through.

"Fuck, finally. Where the hell are you two?!" The relief in her voice was almost painful, but when she said, 'you two', you physically felt the stab to your chest. Even the wolf whimpered. You couldn't tell her you lost her sister in the woods over the radio, you had more respect for her than that. That was a conversation meant to be had face-to-face. When you were silent for too long, she spoke again. "Give me your location and we'll come and get you guys." You had no choice but to give her the coordinates displayed on your watch, strapped to the side of your backpack, and wait.

While you waited, you meticulously packed up the tent and your belongings, changing into your spare set of clothes, securing your utility belt around your waist, and your hat on your head. You hoped it would clear your mind, but no matter how hard you tried, your thoughts always wandered back to how you were going to tell Wynonna about her sister. You came to the conclusion that there was no easy way you could tell someone their sister was missing.

That you were responsible for something happening to Waverly.

You really only saw two outcomes to how that conversation was going to play out. One, Wynonna was going to kill you. Or two, whoever was with Wynonna wouldn't allow her to kill you, but the second you were alone...she would kill you.

By the time you heard the roar of snowmobiles in the distance, you had worn a line in the ground where you were pacing. The wolf had been quiet all morning, but you could feel the anxiety coming from her in waves. Wynonna was her family too and as much as you would like to think she wasn't the shoot first, questions later kind of person, she was Wynonna Earp and she was unpredictable.

You didn't look up when the snowmobiles finally made it up the now visible path on the other side of the hill. You only stopped pacing when they finally came to a stop not 10 feet in front of you. Wynonna was the first one to shut her motor sled off and remove her helmet. Dolls was with her, on his own sled, following close behind.

"Where's Waves?"

You couldn't look her in the eye. Yes, you were a coward, but Wynonna Earp was terrifying, you wouldn't wish her wrath on anyone. You focused your gaze on her boots instead; black, out of uniform, and worn at the toes. You took a deep breath.

"Where the hell is my sister, Nicole."

She was four feet from you now and gaining ground fast. You could see Dolls' boots a step behind her; perfectly shined and slick with snow, but not a scuff in sight.

Three feet.

"Haught!"

Two feet.

The amount of times you heard your name in that tone of voice over the last few days should be enough to break a world record.

One.

Your grip on the handles of your backpack tightened so your knuckles were a pale white. You knew what was coming, all you could do was brace yourself for impact.

"What did you do?!"

Dolls couldn't reach her in time before she threw herself into your frame, knocking the two of you to the ground, her hands balled into fists in the collar of your uniform jacket. You landed on your back, your ass hitting the frozen earth first, taking most of the blow, knocking the wind out of you. Your shoulders hit next, the odd angles of your backpack stabbing into your back, then your head hit, probably reconcussing your brain. Dolls was yelling something, but all you could hear was Wynonna's voice, asking you over and over again what the hell happened out there.

During the fall, your hands instinctively went to hold onto Wynonna's elbows, but as she reared her elbow back, you brought yours up to protect your face from the inevitable onslaught, your eyes squeezed shut so tightly you were beginning to see stars. The blow never came though. You found yourself yelling that you were sorry over and over and over again, your voice raw with emotion. Seconds later Wynonna was being lifted from your body, kicking and screaming. She got a good kick to your shin before you had enough sense to back up a few feet to avoid any more flailing limbs, but flailing limbs you could deal with. The bruises would heal. It were the words that hurt.

You knew you fucked up, but the look on Wynonna's face when you told her you didn't know, barely an exhalation of breath, really drove the realization home.

"What do you mean you 'don't know'?!"

"I don't know what happened, Wynonna. One minute she was there and the next she wasn't. I. Don't. Know."

By then, she had stopped fighting against Dolls. You could practically see the comprehension fall over her features as reality hit. The twinge in your chest didn't get any better.

"I need you to know."

"I was checking out an abandoned campsite and I left her on the trail, she was fine, she was taking pictures and taking notes, but when I turned back around she was gone. I tried looking for her, you have to believe me. I don't know where she is, Wy."

"So help me, when we find her, if there is one misplaced hair on her innocent head, I'm going to use your hide as a rug." You didn't really want to find out if her threat was empty or not. With a strong jerk of her body, Wynonna freed herself from Dolls' grasp and without another glance in your direction, stomped back through the snow to her sled. She slammed her helmet back on her head and readied her snowmobile just as Dolls reached his and you scrambled to your feet. You quickly closed the distance between you and the snowmobiles and without missing a beat, Wynonna yelled over the roar of the engines, "Let's go. You can walk." You tried to pretend like that didn't hurt, even as she sprayed you with snow when she positioned her snowmobile to face the direction they previously came from. The wolf's pain was stronger than your own, it was almost crippling. You tried to tell her Wynonna was just scared and that she didn't really mean it, but it didn't help much.

Dolls turned his sled around so he was positioned next to Wynonna. You tried not to catch his eye as you removed your backpack from your back and waited for him to be facing completely away from you before you started removing your clothes. You stuffed your clothes in your pack and tied your boots up before changing form quickly and running to meet them. Dolls took your pack and secured it to his sled and allowed you to take the lead. Before you began the trek though, you walked over to the side of Wynonna's snowmobile and nudged her knee with your nose, your head low, giving her your best set of apology puppy dog eyes and a pitiful whimper. She didn't respond right away, completely ignoring you. It stung, you're not gonna lie. You didn't want to push though so you didn't try again and with a sigh, you started to head back to the front of the group, but seconds later Wynonna placed a gloved hand to your snout and gently ran her fingers through the fur in between your eyes. It was quick and over with before you realized, but it made the wolf happy and it warmed a little part of your heart. You'd deny it if anyone mentioned it, but you were sure your tail had even started wagging - the betraying bastard had a mind of its own half the time. You nudged Wynonna's hand again before she could place it back on the handle. She just shook her head and muttered, "go, you stupid dog," but it was too softly said to be an insult. You'd take it.

You picked up Waverly's scent nearly two klicks from where you set up camp, further inside the GRT. You knew right away that it was Waverly even if the usual coconut was slightly masked with dirt and the unmistakable metallic smell of blood. You tried not to panic at that realization, she was probably fine. Hopefully. You picked up your pace a bit anyway.

It wasn't that much longer when you found yourself carelessly running into a clearing of trees, empty but for the single figure stumbling around through the snow, hair wild. She no longer had her backpack or camera with her, in fact she barely had anything at all. She wasn't wearing her large puffy ear muffs or her gloves, her marshmallow jacket was unzipped and ripped pieces were flapping in the wind. She wasn't wearing pants or her boots over the pink fuzzy socks on her feet.

You slid to a stop, going against every instinct in your body. The wolf whined deep in your throat in protest. You wanted to go get Waverly and bring her back to Wynonna safe, but if this was a trap, then you wouldn't be any use getting yourself captured. As soon as the snowmobile engines cut off on the trail behind you, you lowered your body to the ground. You couldn't hear anything other than the labored breathing of the three other people around you and a quiet whisper directed at Wynonna to wait. A bird chirped in a tree nearby, a woodpecker chiseled away at the bark of another tree, the remaining leaves on the branches overhead rustled with the wind, a rabbit hopped cautiously in the brush to your left. Keeping your body low to the ground, you put your nose to the air and concentrated all of your energy into sniffing out any invisible threats.

Black coffee and butane.

Leather and campfire smoke.

Blood and earth. Coconut. Flowers.

Exhaust and gasoline.

Wet dog.

With a nod of your head, Wynonna went out into the clearing first, your sleeping bag and uniform jacket in hand. You stayed rooted to the ground under your feet, not wanting to get in the way. Dolls moved to stand at your right shoulder, his gun drawn, but the safety was still on and it was pointed to the ground. Waverly had made it to the other side of the clearing and was just about to step back into the tree line, but Wynonna called out her name before she could take another step. Waverly immediately froze and you watched her body stiffen, but she didn't turn around. Wynonna called out to her a second time, continuing with a cautious stride. She wasn't that far from Waverly now, only a few feet. Reaching out her arm, you heard her whisper her sister's name for a third time. Waverly only turned to face Wynonna when she placed a hand to her shoulder, causing Waverly to flinch. You could only see half of her face, but from what you could tell, the blood you smelled was coming from her nose and the dried line of crimson that dripped from her ear. Wynonna was saying something to her and her eyebrows crinkled in the middle in confusion as she shook her head. Wynonna carefully removed the tattered remains of Waverly's winter coat and wasted no time in replacing it with your jacket and sleeping bag.

And then Wynonna was yelling your name as her voice shook.

It only took you a handful of strides to make it across the clearing. When you made it to Wynonna's side, she looked calm, but one look into her eyes and you found she was anything but. The panic you found there was heart wrenching. She had taken a noticeable step back, away from Waverly.

"I don't think she knows who I am...Or who she is."

The wolf, more-or-less, took over at that point. You felt yourself take a slow step in Waverly's direction, your head low, eyes trained on hers, looking for any sign that she was scared of you. But there was none. If anything, there was a sign of recognition. Miniscule, but there nonetheless. You nudged her hand with your nose and she was hesitant at first, but she eventually threaded her fingers through your fur. She started petting the spot behind your ears and you immediately sensed a wave of calm wash over her. When she sat down in the wet snow, she pulled you down with her, your head in her lap, her frozen fingers never leaving the thick fur of your neck. You used your body to shield her from the wind as much as you could. From what you could tell, Waverly was showing signs of borderline-severe hypothermia and if that was the case, it was crucial to keep her as warm and as calm as possible.

Wynonna left the two of you shortly after Waverly settled, heading back across the clearing. You could hear her catching Dolls up on what the situation was and saying something about getting her to a hospital as quick as possible. He said something about getting a helicopter to airlift her out of there. It was as good a plan as any and you were happy to simply sit there and let Waverly find comfort where she could.

Now that you had a better look at her, you noticed there was a trail of dried blood coming from her other ear as well. Any visible skin was covered in fresh bruises, but there were no severe cuts, just scrapes over her legs, most likely from broken sticks or thorns. She was alert, a little confused and possibly dehydrated, but her heartbeat was strong and she was alive.

It wasn't much later that Wynonna was jogging back to the two of you, your dry pair of uniform slacks balled up in her fist and your boots hanging from her other hand.

"Haught, we called in an air medic team. They're coming from the city, but it shouldn't take them too long to get here. You might not want to...be in the area when they land…" You knew she was right, it would be slightly difficult to explain away a hypothermic girl cuddling with a 200 some pound red wolf that definitely wasn't native to the area (as if that was the oddest thing about the entire situation). But you weren't ready to leave yet. Waverly slid your pants on and replaced her socks with yours before slipping her feet into your boots. You were nearly a head taller than she was so she was practically swimming in your clothes and the boots looked like a clown's shoes on her, but was it selfish or at all inappropriately timed to admit that you found it pretty fucking adorable?

You didn't leave Waverly's side until you heard the chopping of the helicopter's rotor blades cutting through the air. You were hesitant at first, you weren't sure if she would be comfortable with Wynonna, as shitty as that sounds. She seemed okay, though, as you made your way into the thick trees. You made sure Waverly was in your line of sight the entire time you stalked through the brush on your way back to where Dolls was, careful to stay back far enough that you weren't visible if one of the paramedics were to take a glance into the tree line. You hoped they would be too focused on Waverly to pay too much attention to their surroundings.

You watched from the tree line, crouched down just behind Dolls, as a red helicopter landed down in the clearing, bringing up puffs of snow as it settled. Within seconds, AMS personnel were pulling a gurney from the back of the interior and running to where Waverly was now lying on the ground, your sleeping bag wrapped around her, Wynonna at her side. You felt her eyes on you until the second the door of the heli closed with her and Wynonna inside. You didn't dare move out from the protection of the trees until you couldn't hear the chopper anymore and Dolls threw you your pack.

He stayed until you were standing on two legs again and were changed back into your damp uniform from the previous day, sans shoes and a jacket. He didn't say anything when you let him take the lead and followed him all the way back to your cabin. You didn't feel like telling him you were terrified of the only place you felt like you could be yourself.

The cabin was empty when the two of you got back, other than Shapiro lounging across your loveseat with a book propped up against her knees and her gun within reach on the cushion beside her. She barely gave the two of you a second glance when you walked through the door. Dolls explained to you that the others went back to the lab in the hospital's basement to test the blood from your cabin. You didn't hate it. The cabin was a lot less crowded and you were exhausted and just wanted to be able to relax.

Dolls left shortly after, while the sun was still out, to go check on things at the lab and to call Wynonna for any updates. He promised to keep you in the loop as much as he could. You watched as he disappeared down the trail towards the hospital, only shutting and locking the door when he was completely out of sight.

Shapiro heated up leftovers for the both of you over the open flame in the fireplace. You ate - pushed the food around your plate - in silence. She only said something when her plate and fork were washed and put away and she was sat comfortably back in her spot on the couch with a cup of warm coffee, probably left over from that morning. She didn't reach for her book. You kept your focus on the dancing flames inside the fireplace.

"Little Earp okay?" She said after a minute.

"Hypothermia, amnesia, bruising." You sounded like you were reading the local job ads from the newspaper, your voice a disconnected monotone.

"Shit," Shapiro muttered.

"Yeah." The cabin was silent for a beat, the food on your plate way past cold, the flames in the fireplace proving to be the most interesting thing in the room at that moment.

"Are you okay?" You looked at her then, light grey/blue eyes already watching you. You could feel the exhaustion behind your eyes, in your entire body. You knew she saw it. You didn't bother responding. "Right..."

"Yeah." You watched her nod her head once before picking up her book again and pulling the blanket from the back of the couch and onto her lap as she settled in for a long night.

"Go shower and try and get some sleep." You didn't protest. Taking that as the only cue you would get, you lifted yourself up off the floor, and left your untouched food by the sink, knowing Shapiro would eat it later. On your way to the bathroom, she stopped you with a gentle hand to your wrist. "Haught, it's not your fault."

You shrugged, "I was there. Kinda was." You didn't let her get in a rebuttal before continuing to the bathroom and closing the door behind you. It was kinda your fault. Wynonna had a right to be mad at you. You should've been more alert, you should've paid more attention. You should've let Waverly go with you.

There were a lot of things you should've done differently. But you suppose none of that mattered now. You found her, she was okay, she was with Wynonna.

That didn't erase the look on Wynonna's face that was burned to the back of your eyelids though.


Your shower wasn't nearly as long as you wanted it to be, but you could only stand under the spray of ice water for so long before even the wolf had enough of it. Back in your bunk, you tried to sleep, but every time you closed your eyes, you saw Jack, or Ewan, or some faceless figure in a cloak dragging Waverly away from you and further into the forest.

The wolf kept trying to remind you that Waverly was okay, she would be fine, she was alive. But that only pushed you to remind the wolf that Waverly wouldn't have been in the situation in the first place and it all could have been prevented if you had just went with your initial gut reaction and made her stay at the cabin. It was a pointless cycle and your brain wouldn't give it a rest.

To try and mute the voices in your head, you quietly slipped out of your bedroom and made a beeline for the front door, but you were caught before you even made it through the living area. Shapiro was still awake on the loveseat. You could smell fresh coffee and she had a different book in her lap. At this rate, you were sure she would read through your small collection before February.

"Can't sleep?" With your back to her, you shook your head hoping she'd just drop it. You knew you could talk to her, she was nonjudgmental for the most part, but you weren't really in a talking mood. "Just don't go too far." You nodded, acknowledging that you heard her. You didn't really have any intention of going further than the front porch. There was still something or someone lurking out there and you weren't planning on running into them anytime soon. "Oh, and Dolls texted about an hour ago. He said Little Earp is going to be fine. They gave her warm fluids through an IV and her memory is coming back. He wanted you to call him though, when you're up for it - said he had to tell you something, but that it could wait until tomorrow or after the full moon." That got your attention, making you freeze. There wasn't a lot that Dolls didn't share with the entire team and if he wasn't telling Shapiro something, then it had to be big. After the day you had though, you weren't sure you could handle any more shocking discoveries or the like.

"Thanks, I think I'll just call him in the morning." Thinking that was the end of the conversation, you reached out to grab the doorknob and twisting the lock.

"No problem, pup." You rolled your eyes, pushing the front door open. You were not a pup.

"Not a pup, Shapiro," you called over your shoulder, hoping to get the door closed behind you quick enough that she wouldn't get to reply. You forgot about your superb hearing.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, pup."

Throwing the door back open, you stuck your head into the cabin. "Go to bed, will ya?"

Shapiro smirked. "Is that an invitation, Haught? Scandalous. And here I thought you were more into brunettes."

Into brunettes? Pft...pfffffft. No one came to mind...who cares if your cheeks maybe turned a slight pink. It wasn't like Shapiro could see it through the dark anyway.

"You wish."

You shut the door again, but not before Shapiro mumbled, "Meh, worth a shot." You could only laugh.

The night was cool, but nothing like the previous one. The skies were clear and it wasn't too windy to where it was biting into your flesh. There was a slight breeze, but you welcomed it.

Sitting on the top step of the stairs, you laid back onto your elbows and closed your eyes, face turned towards the light of the moon. Your skin was itching, but the full moon was less than 24 hours away and it was expected. It proved to be a welcomed distraction from the thoughts in your head. If only the reprieve had lasted longer than a few minutes.

It suddenly felt like you were far too exposed, like when your leg slips off the side of the bed in the middle of the night and it's no longer under the protection of the blanket covering the rest of your body. Like something could slither up from the darkness and grab it at any second. You jumped up, entirely too uncomfortable. The wolf growled deep in your chest, a warning for whatever lurked just out of sight, just behind the tree line, in the shadows.

Not willing to risk it, you immediately went back inside, heart pounding against your ribcage.

"You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost," Shapiro laughed. You jumped slightly, not expecting her to still be up, but quickly covered it up with a shrug as you turned around and slammed the deadbolt into the lock on the door.

"I'm fine, just...antsy."

"Full moon jitters, got it. You want me to stay up with you?" You didn't think for a second that she actually believed you, but you weren't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, or whatever.

"No, it's fine. Actually, go ahead and take the bunk, I'm just going to lay out here for a bit."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, go for it."

"Sweeet." It was like you had given her the best news of the century. She jumped up from the couch, grabbed her gun from the makeshift coffee table, and skipped into your room, closing the door without another word.

With Shapiro in the other room, the uneasiness in your stomach only grew. Part of you wanted to go in there with her and take over the top bunk, but you knew you wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon.

To distract yourself, you took on the mindless task of cleaning your sidearm. You took it apart and polished every separate piece with precision and care. Then you did it again. And again. And it worked, for the most part.

Until your watch chirped as the numbers on the analog display changed from 23:59 to 24:00 just as a knock sounded from your front door.

It was quiet enough to have been mistaken by human ears, but with the wolf, there was no way you misheard it. Three small taps in an eerily quick succession.

The hair at the back of your neck immediately stood on end and you tried to stay calm enough to correctly put your gun back together. You kept your eyes trained on the door. The knob stayed still, the lock in place. Your front windows were still boarded up, preventing anyone from seeing in, or you from seeing out.

Your heart was beating erratically in your chest, the blood rushing so loud you could hear it in your ears.

The wolf was on edge, panicked and seconds away from losing it.

You managed to push down her fear enough to stand on shaky legs as you slid the last piece of your gun in place. With a bullet in the chamber, you flicked the safety off, steadied your arm and cautiously approached the front door. You were silent as a mouse, not even the floorboards creaked underneath the weight of your body.

With a deep breath, you placed your eye up to the peephole at the top of your door and found yourself looking at...nothing.

There was no one there. Not even a wayward tree branch blown down from the wind.

All hope of falling asleep that night quickly vanished.

Nothing like ringing in the New Year hopped up on adrenaline and pure fear.