Heeey! Sorry the last chapter was shorter than most of the others. :( I didn't want to drag it out too much though. Poor Kari! Hmm… I bet your wondering what's wrong with her. ;) You'll have to read on to find out! Oh, and let me take an opportunity to say a BIIG thank you to all my reviewers! When I see that you really enjoy this story it gives me a sense of accomplishment and inspires me to write more. So… THANK YOU! :)Told ya it was big. :D

Lunchtime was too quiet. Kari had disappeared and as Wybie, Coraline, and Jonathan sat together eating, it was hard to get a conversation going. Jonathan just sat there eating his lunch, as usual not talking, but even Wybie and Coraline weren't having their usual conversations. It just didn't feel right. And throughout the rest of the day Kari had not turned up to her lessons either, giving Coraline more reason to worry.

Finally waiting at the gate for the bus with Wybie, Coraline kept her eyes on the floor, before something slunk past her leg with a soft purr. Coraline broke out of her dream like state with a start.

"Huh! Oh… It's you again..."

The Cat looked up, an unreadable expression in his eyes, and Wybie swallowed.

"Something's wrong." He stated simply and Cat nodded solemnly.

"It's… It's to do with the other mother isn't it...?" Coraline sighed in defeat and her worst fears were at last confirmed by another soft nod. Coraline gave a nervous glance at Wybie and threw him a half-hearted; "Told ya."

The creature turned away and walked casually away, pausing to look over his shoulder to wait for the two teens to process the fact that he wanted them to follow, and when they did, he only appeared to quicken his pace in an attempt to hurry them along.

Whatever was happening, it was obvious to Coraline and Wybie that it was serious if Cat was getting involved.

OOO

The small feline slunk through the forest, eyes down on the floor, following the fibres of black hair that were scattered around the path he was taking, the others trailing behind, exhausted.

"Are we… Nearly… There yet…?" Wybie whined, nearly tripping for the fourth time.

The cat turned his head and stared at the boy, his eyes flickering with annoyance.

"We'll get there when we get there. Now shut up." Coraline snapped slightly, giving Wybie a little shove in the arm as she passed him, and Cat looked slightly thankful for the girl's response. "Now if you ask one more time… I'll chuck you down the well."

Wybie groaned and muttered a "Fine" Under his breath before following.

Things were pretty silent for the rest of the journey until they reached destination unknown. Where Cat suddenly stopped in a clearing, his ears flicking, detecting noise.

It happened in a blur after that.

Something black darted from the bush besides them, fangs gleaming in the sunlight, blue eyes locked on Cat's. Its large pointed ears were pinned against its head in rage and claws tipped each toe on its paws, which were stretched out threateningly at Cat. A long thick black streak followed the creature from behind. The muzzle was long and pointed, white sharp teeth crowded in its mouth. It was terrifying, and yet Coraline watched it with a mix of horror and awe at the power of the beast.

Cat collapsed to the ground with a painful thud, as the living shadow pinned him to the ground and snarled angrily. However, Cat kept his cool, and looked deep into its eyes, giving a soft, but simple meow.

It was strange how suddenly the atmosphere changed, and all the anger and cruelty that had been in the beast seemed to fade away. It was emotionless for a moment, before blinking and cocking its head to the side, as if in relative confusion. Coraline could have sworn she saw a small smile play on Cat's lips, as the creature turned its head and stared at the girl.

Those eyes made Coraline's knees buckle and a chill ran down her spine. "…K-Kari…?"

The dog's ears pricked up in recognition of the name that belonged to her, and a paw was placed off Cat's torso and towards Coraline.

Wybie was frozen in shock at this, but eventually shook himself out of his stunned state and knelt on the floor so he was level with the dog. Coraline copied, eyes filled with tears, her arms outstretched as far as she could.

Sensing no threat, Kari took a somewhat terrified step forward again. Then another. Finally, the dog broke into a run and she collapsed into Coraline's embrace. She buried her head into Coraline's neck, and letting out several soft whines.

Coraline let the tears spill over, as she held her friend close to her, one hand on the dog's head in comfort. She also felt Wybie's arm around her shoulder and put a hand on the creature's shoulder as he joined the hug.

It felt so magical, like a reunion that was long overdue, and Cat purred in delight as he got to his feet and slunk over, poking his head between Coraline's arms. The four stayed like that for a long time before Coraline finally broke the hug, hearing something in the distance.

"Coraliiiine!" A familiar voice shouted and Coraline mentally kicked herself.

"Oh God! I totally forgot, my dad! Wybie, Come on!" She jumped to her feet and pulled desperately on Wybie's arm, however instead of getting him to stand, she dragged him forwards, making him tumble and fall over head first. "Wybie! Get up!" Her tone was now irritated, and she ran towards the voice a short way before turning, hand on hip. "Your grandma will probably be looking for you too! Do you want to get grounded for life?"

Wybie glowered at her. "Jeez, Calm down Jonesy… It's not the end of the wo-woooah!" Wybie was dragged to his feet by the impatient blue, who then sent a puzzled look to the creatures at their feet.

"What do we do with Kari and Cat…?" She asked and Wybie gave a small shrug.

"I dunno… But I have a bad feeling about this whole thing. I mean, Kari is a were-dog, or something… That is weird you have to admit."

Kari frowned at Wybie and turned her head away with a small "Hmph!" as though offended by the term.

"Err. You are a were-dog, right?" The boy asked, confusion misting in his eyes.

Kari shook her head.

"Werewolf?"

Kari looked startled by this guess but shook her head once more.

Coraline and Wybie stared at each other. "I have no clue… Now what?"

In answer, the voice of Coraline's dad rung through the forest once again, only this time more desperate.

"Coraliiiiine!"

"Now… I guess we head back. We need to sort out this whole mess. I have a feeling Kari knows more than she's letting us know." And with that, Wybie and Coraline ran off in the direction of the voice, Cat trailing behind.

Now left alone, Kari looked down in guilt, tears brimming in her eyes.

No one understands you, Kari. You're different. A freak. If they found out they would kill you from fear of your powers, or their 'science' as they call it. But I understand you. You don't need anyone else…

The dog shivered coldly at the memory of that voice. It had ruled her once. But now it was time to put an end to it for good.