Dylan Hunter spotted Tanya long before she saw him. "Where's the wolf girl?"

She started a little when he came out of the thicket as if materializing out of thin air. "I couldn't get her to come with me," she supplied quickly and smoothly, "but I know where she is. Come on, we need to hurry if we're going to get her!"

Hunter's eyes narrowed with slight suspicion, but he nodded and motioned her to lead the way.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Sarah?"

David had been waiting for some sort of response for about three minutes. He could tell she was conflicted and, apparently, it took her time to process things. They didn't exactly have time to just stand around, though, for several reasons.

She finally looked at him directly, her eyes tight and her mouth somewhat twisted. She still looked like she wasn't certain if she wanted to run or perhaps confront him further… whether verbally or perhaps physically, it was unclear.

"I don't like any of this." Sarah shook her head. "But I don't like what this has been doing to me, either." Some of the venom melted from her eyes as she met his for the first time. "I never bit anyone before."

David placed more weight on his left thigh when he realized she was scrutinizing the area she had bitten him. "I'm alright, not even a scratch."

"But the venom…?" Sarah shuddered.

"It seems my… metamorphosis neutralized it."

A small wave of relief seemed to wash over her, even if the guilt didn't completely evaporate. Then she confessed, "David, I... " Her throat caught in her throat for a second. "When I first thought you were in cahoots with Hansen, I just wanted you to suffer, too. Maybe make you into a wolf too. I never wanted to inflict this," she gestured at herself, "on anyone. I think I have become a monster." She hung her head and started to turn away.

David touched her arm, preventing her from going too far. She remained half-turned, permitting his touch but not looking at him. "Sarah-"

"I've done nothing but hide from people, except for Tasha and you. That and eat animals. I'm starting to think that some kind of feral instinct is slowly taking me over."

"You have the willpower to overcome that, Sarah. You can still be human no matter what monster lies within you, because you are still human."

She looked at him for a long moment, silently wondering if he was saying that as much for himself as he was for her. Somehow, they ended up closing the space between them, though neither would remember who made the first move. He gently put his arms around her as she rested her head against his shoulder.

"Sarah, we can't stay here," he reminded her.

"I guess if I want to prove I'm still human," Sarah's voice sounded a bit muffled against his shirt, "I can at least help look for that kid."

The corners of David's mouth uplifted a little. "Tasha gave me a couple of his favorite toys, I'm hoping they will be enough to help you pick up his scent."

Sarah pulled back and frowned up at him. "What do you expect me to do? Even if I'm gonna play blood hound, I don't know where to start sniffing."

That had occurred to David as well. "I think the best place to start looking would be in Texas."

"So you want me to take you there, the same way I got both me and Tasha away from there?"

"We may need to be more discreet than that, Sarah. Remember, Esben let you get away before. We can't travel across the country with you in your wolf form."

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

"Tasha has given us permission to use her car. Thankfully, it has a nice new fan belt installed." He reached into his pocket and extracted a set of keys, jangling them slightly.

Sarah seemed to think hard about it for a moment, then she finally nodded with a frown. "Okay. Let's just get going already."

David took her hand and maintained a slight lead as they moved through the woods, headed back in the direction of Tasha's partially wrecked, rented house. All the while, David tried his best to lead them along what he felt was a discreet path, while Sarah occasionally grumbled about how slow it was to travel in bipedal form than on four powerful legs.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Where is the wolf girl, Ms. Pines?"

Tasha was beginning to run out of excuses and she knew it. "I don't know," she tried to supply. "I really thought that Subject Seven would be out here, in one of the areas I showed you."

Hunter stepped so close that she could feel his breath on her face. He was a tall and menacing man even without the scowl. Right now, he looked peeved enough to strangle her with her own scarf if he had half a mind to, even if he didn't lay a hand on her.

"I can tell you've been leading me on a wild goose chase," Hunter grated through clenched teeth. "What kind of game are you playing, woman?"

Tasha quaked, though she tried to get a grip on herself. By some miracle, her voice remained completely level. "I don't know where the wolf girl is."

Hunter studied her face, then determined she was telling the truth about that at least. "You didn't answer my question. Why waste my time? You know Hansen wants results."

"I-I think she's with the man who becomes the green creature."

Hunter's eyes narrowed into slits. "Then they have teamed up and apparently you are trying to buy them time to get away. Why?"

When she wouldn't respond, Hunter jabbed her lightly in the shoulder with the tip of his assault rifle. "Tell me what's in this for you."

She blurted, "Esben Hansen has my son. If I don't do what he says, he may hurt my boy. But I can't bear the thought of him recapturing Subject Seven… she deserves better than that."

"You'd risk your kid's life protecting that animal?" Hunter shook his head. "Alright," he said after letting out a breath, "forget this. I don't approve of you letting two dangerous creatures go, but I also don't approve of Esben holding a kid hostage as blackmail. We will go back to Texas and you can spin a yarn about how we tried to capture Seven but failed… and then I'm gonna have a little chat with Esben about his policy."

"You'd do this for me?"

"Not for you," Hunter grunted. "I just know what it's like to lose a kid."

"What do you mean…?"

For a moment, Hunter seemed mildly offended at her prying, making her regret the fact that she'd even opened her mouth. Even though he had allowed something to slip, he apparently didn't want to delve further into the conversation.

However, just as they began to trek back through the woods toward his motel, he did permit himself to say something further. "My son was killed by a rabid wolf many years ago when we were camping in woods much like these. Ever since that day, I've made it my life's work to take down anything that poses a threat, or at least keep it contained."

"Why do you work for Esben, then? He created these werewolves."

Hunter grunted. "He didn't create them."

Tasha did a double-take, then shook her head. "What are you talking about? He used a great deal of research to-"

"Oh he used some of that research and whatever, but only to 'adjust' something that already existed into what he wanted. Many things have already existed in this world long before Esben and his ulterior motives came along."

"Are you trying to tell me," Tasha asked skeptically, "that werewolves already existed before he started his experiments?"

"He had to get his DNA samples and some venom from somewhere… in order to study and modify it." Hunter narrowed his eyes. "Werewolves originated somewhere in Europe, even I know not where. But the curse has possibly been around for as long as mankind, through the infection caused by a venomous bite."

"And how do you know so much about this?"

"Just shut up, woman. It's time to go have a chat with Esben."