Lycan

by Miss. RoseGold

AU, 19th century Townsville. When the Professor's brother is murdered, the esteemed Utonium family returns to Townsville, only to discover that the town is terrorized by unseen horrors. Nothing is as it seems, and to figure out the dark web of secrets that the town is hiding, the girls are going to have to break the one rule the town has: "Stay out of the woods."

17. Unleash the Beast

Lycan

Authors note: The rating of this story is a High T for violence, gore, language and possibly some suggestive material in later chapters. You have been warned.

Any themes relating to the Wolfman, Van Helsing or Red riding hood do not belong to me and belong to its respective owners.

The Powerpuff girls do not belong to me either and as always, they have human appendages.

*Sorry this took so long. This chapter was a literal monster to get ready. Hope you all enjoy the carnage.*

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Chapter 17: Unleash the Beast

Sometimes monsters hunt you.

-The Wolfman

Bellum Manor

Bubbles opened her eyes with a start; heart hammering in her ribcage as she frantically looked around her room, half expecting to see a man or a monster lurking in one of the corners. Once she was certain that she was the only one in her room, she wiped at her pale blue eyes half-heartedly as she slowly forced herself to sit up in bed, wincing at how sore she felt.

She hadn't slept much last night. Her dreams hadn't been dreams at all, only nightmares. She had been running through a blood-soaked forest, bathed in a sickening red light from the moon above. The mauled bodies of her grandfather, uncle and sisters had been hanging from the trees as she ran from a silver-furred wolf with dark blue eyes. Boomer had chased her relentlessly, calling after her to stay with him, making promises to her that she knew he couldn't or wouldn't keep. She had only woken up when she had felt his massive claws ensnare her body and his breath on the back of her neck. Honestly, it was a miracle she hadn't woken up screaming.

She seemed to be having that reoccurring nightmare more and more now. Only, it was becoming more vivid and more frightening as the full moon drew closer. She couldn't tell if it was a warning of things to come or something else, but it unnerved her all the same.

She looked over at her bedside table to see an old purple octopus staring back blankly at her. She reached over and picked up her beloved stuffed animal and gave it a squeeze, tentatively sniffing it, only to recoil slightly.

It smelled like him. It smelled like Boomer.

Bubbles gently placed the toy back down and bit her lip as she opted to get dressed. As happy as she was to have her cherished toy from her childhood back, it unnerved her more then she would have cared to admit. The fact that Boomer had held onto something of hers for that long wasn't healthy, and Bubbles was starting to worry that his supposed affection for her was stemming more from obsession then actual love.

The way that his brothers reacted around her sisters pointed to the latter-.

The blonde brushed that thought out of her mind as she zipped up the back of her dress. She was already scared about what horrors would occur during the next full moon. Thinking about the beasts that were hell-bent on keeping them by their sides no matter the cost, wasn't going to help her.

Instead, she opted to find her sisters, hoping that being in their company would help calm her nerves, or at least take her mind off her horrifying nightmare. As she shuffled out of her room and made her way towards the staircase, she passed her mother's room, hearing muffled voices coming from the other side of the door. She paused to listen as she heard her mother and her Aunt speaking in hushed tones.

"She's getting worse Sara."

"I know Felicity, I don't need a reminder."

"Well what about this nonsense I was hearing about werewolves coming to town at the next full moon?"

"Can you please not mention that in front of my mother? I can barely get a response out of her on a good day, but whenever those beasts are mentioned, she starts to throw a fit!"

"They aren't real though Sara. They're a myth, a legend passed down by parents to make sure their children don't go into the woods after dark."

"Somehow I doubt that."

"Have you seen them before with your own eyes?"

"I don't have to. Everyone else seems to have though. It's like I told you: Mitch Michelson was torn apart, as was my brother-in-law. My father was killed the night of the attack on the gypsy camp. Even John believes that they're real. John, my husband, who doesn't believe in fairytales, was apparently working with Kingston Morebucks to figure out how to stop them, then suddenly he disappears, and no one seems to know where he went. That and my daughters are terrified when they were brought up. That's all the proof I need to know that they're out there."

"Still Sara, it's hard to be-."

"You haven't seen the chaos those creatures have caused Felicity. Just look at what's happening to Townsville. The people are going mad out there. I say we need to be ready for the full moon... and please, don't bring them up in front of mother again. I don't want to lose her so soon after my poor father.''

Bubbles stepped away soundlessly from the door and made her way down the staircase. So Gran wasn't doing well. She couldn't say that she was surprised. Ever since her Grandfather had died, the woman had become a shell of her former self. She was almost cationic… a walking zombie, and from the sounds of it, she didn't have much time left on the Earth…

She reached the bottom of the staircase and listened for her sisters. It didn't take her long to pin-point two sets of voices echoing lightly down the hallway in the living room. She sighed and made her way towards them, hoping to distract herself from the oppressing sadness that permeated the house.

"Good morning girls." Bubbles yawned as she entered the living room, fully expecting to see her sisters sitting down, drinking their morning tea and waiting for her – but that was not the sight that greeted her. Bubbles blinked at what she saw. The furniture was askew. The tables and couches had been moved from their original spots and had been dragged haphazardly in front of the living room windows and side door. In the middle of the chaos, Bubbles could see Blossom trying to move a heavy table in front of one of the large bay windows, with Buttercup standing in the middle of the room, shaking her head and muttering something under her breath.

"What are you doing?" Bubbles asked, causing both her sisters to look in her direction.

"What does it look like she's doing?" Buttercup grumbled as she looked back towards Blossom. "Redecorating obviously."

"Please Buttercup." Blossom groaned, as she forced the table she was dragging by the door. "I don't need the attitude right now."

"Well this is ridiculous." Buttercup argued as she rubbed her temples with her hands. "I told you, it's not going to work."

"I'll ask again: what exactly is it that you're doing?" Bubbles repeated as she stepped farther in to the room and slightly shut the doors leading into the living room behind her.

"Well, I'm trying to block the doors and windows on the first floor." Blossom wiped her hands on her dress. "I'm trying to make the house a little more secure. At the very least make it more difficult for something, or rather, someone to get in."

"I told her it was a waste of time." Buttercup rolled her eyes, causing Blossom to narrow her own at her middle sister.

"The Blood Moon is supposedly only days away, and I'll be damned if the boys come knocking at our door as… something else. " Blossom muttered, shaking her head. "Besides, if nothing else, it's for them." She gestured away from herself, indicating the rest of the household." She pointed at one of the end tables beside the large sofa. "Bubbles could you help me move that in front of the window? I want to cover it a little more."

Bubbles silently moved to help Blossom move the end table in front of the large window as Buttercup watched them wordlessly. "Has mother or nanny said anything about you moving the furniture around?" Bubbles huffed as she dropped her end down.

"They haven't noticed… yet." Blossom muttered. "But I'm sure that I'll be forced to explain myself later. Though, with mother knowing what's out there, I doubt she'll make much of a fuss." She scrunched up her nose. "Our Aunt is a different story however-."

"Do you honestly think that blocking the doors and windows will keep Butch and his brothers out if they really want to get to us-?" Buttercup jerked forwards suddenly and clutched her stomach, covering her mouth with one hand. A small groan escaped her mouth as she shakily sank down into an armchair.

"Buttercup are you alright?" Bubbles asked worriedly as she moved to her sisters' side. "I-I'm fine." The ravenette muttered as she removed her hand from her mouth. "I just haven't been feeling well the last couple of days. My stomach has been off."

Blossom glanced at the engagement ring that was firmly wedged on Buttercup finger. "Buttercup, are you sure that nothing else happened when you went to visit Butch-?"

"Nothing happened Blossom. I told you. I went to see him and he forced the ring on me. I couldn't do anything about it." Buttercup snapped harshly. But Blossom saw else something swimming just below the surface in her sister's bright green eyes. Fear.

The album haired girl bit her tongue. She still had the sinking suspicion that something else had happened during her visit with Butch. As much as she wanted to press more, she knew Buttercup wouldn't say anything. Whatever had happened was clearly something that she was unwilling to discuss.

The raven-haired girl sighed again as she slowly stood up. "Seriously though, do you really think that shoving a couple of dressers up against the doors is going to stop them from getting in?"

"Honestly? No. I don't." Blossom admitted. "I know they'll have no problem breaking in. But that doesn't mean I'm going to make it easy for them."

Buttercup mulled it over in her head for a moment before she nodded slowly. "I can respect that." She glanced out towards the sitting room where their mother was. "What are we going to do about mum and the rest of the family? If the boys come for us – like we believe they're going to – they won't be safe here. I don't know about either of you; but I don't want to take the chance of Butch or his brothers coming across mum or Gran. They'll be killed for sure, especially after what they supposedly did to dad-. "Her voice cracked at the thought.

"He's still alive Buttercup." Bubbles murmured gently as she took her hand. "Ace told us so, remember? That's why we're meeting with him. So, we can find out what really happened to him."

"But can we trust anything he says?" Buttercup shot back hollowly. "He works for them. For all we know, he's helping them do their dirty work!"

"If he was, he wouldn't have saved Mitch." Blossom pointed out softly. "I don't know if I can say that I trust him, but he's the only person who can tell us about where dad is."

"Maybe…" Buttercup relented somewhat. "I don't like this though." She looked flatly at her sisters. "You do realize that he wants us to meet him in two nights. Do you know what's in two nights? The full moon." The lime eyed girl continued on as Blossom and Bubbles looked at each other worriedly. "If that wasn't bad enough, it's going to be the Blood Moon; the moon that is supposedly going to open up a gate to Hell, or something awful like that. On top of that, we're going to have to watch out of the boys who are actively going to be looking for us." She shook her head. "There are too many things that could go wrong."

Blossom nodded. She couldn't argue with Buttercup's logic. It was a weak plan at best. It was risky. It was dangerous, it was almost a suicide mission – but if their father was indeed alive, then they needed to go to his aid. They couldn't lose him too.

They just… couldn't.

"Then we're going to have to be very careful." She said firmly, as she ran a hand through her hair.

"You mean, wing it? Like the last time?" Bubbles asked with a tiny smile, getting an airy laugh out of Blossom in response.

"Yeah. We'll just have to improvise if we run into trouble. We've done alright so far, considering the circumstances."

"Yeah, that's called luck." Buttercup growled. "And soon it's going to run out." Blossom bit her lip. She wanted to respond to her sister's biting response with something more positive, but she knew that the dark-haired woman wasn't wrong. They had been extremely lucky thus far – there was no denying that. But it was uncertain how long their luck would hold out for.

Buttercup let out a sigh through her nose, catching Blossom's attention. "So, what are we going to do about the rest of the family then? I doubt they'll be safe if we're around. But they can't leave town, and I can't think of any excuse that could get them to leave the house without us."

"I don't think there's anything we can do." Bubbles spoke up softly. "You're right. They're trapped here just as much as we are." She paused. "The only way we could keep them out of the fray is if…" she paused uncertainty and looked around, making sure they were the only ones in earshot. She gestured for her sisters to come closer to her before she whispered lowly, "… we leave."

"And go where?" Blossom murmured. "Getting out of the house to meet with Ace is already going to be a challenge. Mother is so paranoid about everything that I wouldn't be surprised if she tries to lock us in our rooms. We're going to have to sneak out again as much as I hate to say it."

"Well… we could leave… and lock them up instead." Bubbles offered quietly.

Blossom and Buttercup sent an incredulous look at their baby sister. "Come again?" Blossom sputtered after a moment. "You want us to corral them into their rooms and leave them here while we-"

"Wait, that might work." Buttercup interjected. "Think about it: we lock them up in the house while we go meet that greasy slug Ace. They'll be safe in here, and if the boys are indeed going to come looking for us – like I know they will – they should leave the house alone if we're not in it."

"There's no guarantee that's going to work." Blossom pointed out.

"No, but remember, the boys aren't exactly human when they transform. They can smell where we are for miles. That's probably why they don't have a problem tracking us when it's the full moon." Buttercup argued lightly. "If they want to find us, they will."

Blossom thought about it for a moment. She did have a point. Realistically, she knew that it could work… so long as everything went smoothly. She wanted to laugh at the thought.

Smoothly. That was a long shot. They really didn't have much of a chance of anything going in their favor. Not with the active threat of the boys hunting them down and dragging them away to god knows where-

Knock, knock, knock.

Blossom's bite suddenly seared with pain and she slapped her hand over her bite, hissing as her collarbone went numb. Her sisters looked over at her in concern at her sudden reaction. "Blossom, are you alright?" Bubbles murmured. "Yeah I think so." The rose eyed girl stood up shakily. "You two stay here, I'm going to get the door."

"We'll come with you-."Bubbles started but Blossom shook her head.

"No, stay here. I think that it's for me." Without another word she turned and quickly headed for the door. "Though I hope I'm wrong." She muttered as she approached the front door. Wringing her hands, she hesitantly looked through the window at the side, only to see a flash of red standing just outside the door.

Oh no. It was him. Why did it have to be him? The last person she wanted to see.

Fighting back a groan, Blossom decided to bite the bullet and find out what he wanted. The sooner she did, the sooner he'd leave… she hoped. Ripping the door open she forced herself out onto the step and found herself looking up into a set of deep red eyes.

Brick.

"What in god's name are you doing here?" she hissed before he could get a word in edge-wise, looking over her shoulder to see if the rest of her family had seen him yet. "Go away! I don't want you here! You've done enough damage already-!"

"I wanted to see you. I wanted to give you a courtesy call and let you know it's still not too late to change your mind and come with me so I can keep you safe. Your sisters too." Brick responded coolly, completely ignoring her.

"Blossom? Who's out there dear?" Blossom panicked as she heard her mother's voice call out to her from in the house and hears the sound of approaching footsteps come down the upstairs hallway. "No one mother, just the mailman." She called back up as she shut the door behind her quickly. Turning to face Brick again she sent him a withering glare.

"I want you to leave. You're not welcome here, especially after what you what you've admitted to doing-!"

"If you humor me, I'll let you in on what's going to happen on the eve of the Blood Moon."

Blossom paused for a fraction of a second, before she shook her head. "I don't believe you. You've tried to bait me with that before, and every time you only tell me the bare minimum." She narrowed her rose colored eyes at him. "Even then, how do you expect me to trust anything you say? You've done nothing but lie to me and my sisters from the moment we arrived here." she narrowed her eyes until they were almost slits. "That, and I will not forgive you for what you've done to my father!" she snarled.

"I have no reason to hold anything back anymore." Brick shrugged nonchalantly. "You know everything now, all I'm trying to do is prepare you for what is to come, and make you understand why it's in your best interest to come with me before the Blood moon rises."

Blossom wrapped her arms around herself and glowered at Brick. "Humor me Brick. Say I believe everything you tell me. There is one thing that I don't understand. If you're going to use the Blood moon to summon forth your demon father… what I don't understand is: if he's all powerful like you claim he is, why does he need you three?"

Brick narrowed his eyes. "I told you. Mojo and HIM made a deal, he wanted a way to come over to this world permanently. In order for him to do so, he needed creations made from HIS blood to serve as a port-key." He gestured to himself. "We were the result."

"I understand that part… I suppose… as vile and disgusting as it is. But why?" Blossom rubbed her arms, narrowing her eyes at him. "If he's got unlimited power like you make him out to be, then couldn't he just come over himself?"

Brick adverted his eyes as he tried to figure out what to say. "He… can, but he can't stay here. He needs help." He admitted slowly. "He's a being of unimaginable powers, but he can't force himself into a world where he doesn't belong without someone to help him through."

"So where exactly do you and your brothers come into the equation?" Blossom pressed, desperately trying to figure out more of the horrific creature that would soon be practically at her doorstep.

Brick growled low in his throat as he fought with himself to keep his temper in check. "All those killings my brothers and I did for years… since we were first able to turn into the wolves… they were done for a purpose… or, they were done with a goal in mind."

"A goal, a purpose?" Blossom sputtered, hardly believing what she was hearing. "Brick you slaughtered so many innocent people-!"

"There are many words to describe Townsville's civilians. I don't know if I would use the word 'innocent' to describe them though."

Blossom ignored him. "You were mindless when you killed – that's what you always told us! So, what now. You're telling me that your hunts were… were… methodical?" she croaked, feeling sick as she said it. Brick shook his head.

"No. No, they weren't. We didn't really control who we killed. We found out after we woke up." He ran a hand through his short, cropped hair. "I don't know how familiar you are with the occult-? "

"I'm not what so ever."

"Regardless." Brick sighed. "In most demon summoning's, you have to sacrifice something. Since HE is so strong, his sacrifice is more… demanding."

Blossom took a hesitant step back. "What is his?" Brick's blood-red eyes bore into her own light pink ones and froze her in place. "He required the blood and the souls of a hundred people."

Blossom's eyes widened and her hands raised to cover her mouth. Years and years of killing… so many bodies stacked on top of each other… it was all to bring this monstrosity to her world…

"I… w-what?" Blossom stuttered as she tried to make sense of what he was telling her.

"When we were the wolves, that's all we knew we had to do: kill as many as we possibly could to have enough people to sacrifice to HIM. We didn't have any set targets… it was all people who were unfortunate enough to get in our way." he paused and frowned. "Well, there were also times that Mojo sent us out to certain areas just before we turned… maybe there were people that he wanted us to take care of, but we never personally went out of our way to kill certain individuals."

But Blossom was frantically shaking her head, backing away from him towards the door. "No. No. I don't care, not another word… I don't care about knowing what's going to happen during the Blood moon anymore. You brought this destruction on yourself Brick. You could have stopped this years ago, but you didn't. You chose to murder. You allowed this to happen. Stay away from us… otherwise we'll call the police on you and your brothers next time you come here."

"Oh Blossom." Brick sighed as the tiniest of smiles twitched at the corners of his mouth. "We both know they won't be able to do anything. If only you knew what HE plans to do once HE arrives. You and your sisters should come with us while you still have the chance, otherwise there will be hell to pay-"

Blossom's bite mark seared again – the pain drowning out what he saying – and suddenly; she wasn't looking at a man. Standing before her, was a monstrous wolf standing on his hind legs, looming over her, rooting her in place with his damning red eyes-

No, it was real, it wasn't real! She was seeing things, that's all it was!

Blossom blinked and the frightening imaged had disappeared, but it had frightened her enough to find the strength to throw the door to the manor open and flung herself inside, slamming in shut behind her and locking it for good measure – shutting him and the rest of the world out, as she tried and failed to calm her pounding heart.

Blossom pressed herself up against the door and tried to slow her frantically beating heart, as she listened to Brick's muffled footsteps fade away until she couldn't hear them anymore. Only when she was sure he was gone; did she move off of the door and press her head against the cold wood, breathing heavily as she fought back the urge to be sick.

She didn't even try to process the information that Brick had cursed her with.

"Blossom."

The ginger haired girl whirled around only to see Buttercup and Bubbles standing behind her.

"Who was that?" Bubbles asked cautiously, noting the petrified look etched on her sister's face. Blossom swallowed thickly.

"It was Brick." She finally mumbled, causing Buttercup to hiss.

"Him? What the hell is he doing here-?"

"Keep your voice down Buttercup." Blossom hushed her. "He… he came to try and convince us to come with him again."

"Again? When is it going to sink into that thick stull of his that we aren't going anywhere with him or his brothers." Buttercup growled. "He killed any chance of that happening when he admitted that he was the mastermind behind what happened to dad. If I never see his face again, it'll be too soon."

"Agreed." Bubbles admitted softly. "I truly wanted to help them… but I'm honestly starting to believe that they're too far gone at this point. Quite frankly, I don't even know if they understand what love is, because what they've shown us so far, hasn't been it."

Buttercup sighed as she rubbed her temples. "Is that all?" she groaned. "Not quite." Blossom admitted. "He told me a little bit about the Blood moon… and how he plans to summon that… that-."

She stopped short. No way. there was no way she could tell them about the horrendous summoning ritual. They didn't need to know the details. There was no way she was cruel enough to scar them with that knowledge.

No. That, she would keep to herself.

"Never mind. It doesn't matter anymore." She harshly brushed it away. "I made it clear to him we have no intension of going anywhere with him. How could we? After what they've done."

"Hopefully he get's it this time. I don't want any more unannounced visits from them." Buttercup sighed. Bubbles only looked away, not knowing what to think.

"Blossom dear? Why is all of the furniture moved around?" A low voice laced with confusion called through the house and Blossom bit back a groan. It seemed that their mother had discovered the state of the living room.

"Extra protection, mother." Blossom called back weakly. "For the next full moon? You can never be too early."

There was a moment of silence as Sara processed what her daughter was saying before responding. "Ah, good idea… Felicity, help me move theses pieces in front of the windows."

"Excuse me? Has everyone gone mad now? Why are these little brats trying to uproot my house?"

Buttercup sighed. "Come on, we better go help mum before dear old Auntie there has a conundrum."

Bubbles nodded in agreement before turning to Blossom. "Blossy? Are you coming?"

Blossom waved them on. "You go on, I'll be there in a moment." Bubbles looked unconvinced as Buttercup walked away from them. "Are you sure you're alright? Brick didn't try anything, did he-?"

"I'm fine Bubbles." Blossom cringed as the words came out more forcefully then she had meant it to. "I'm fine." She tried again, softer this time. "He just surprised me is all." Bubbles didn't look convinced by she nodded. "Alright, just… come find us when you're ready." She gave her older sister's arm a comforting squeeze before turning on her heel to follow after Buttercup, leaving Blossom alone with her thoughts that unfortunately involved Brick.

She shuddered horribly as she thought of that blank, expressionless look that had been in his eyes as he fixated on her. It was like he was there in person but his mind was somewhere else… like it wasn't even him she was looking at anymore. He was becoming a different person entirely.

Something was happening to him. He was changing. Becoming more twisted. Maybe he had been like that all along, and she was only starting to see it now, but it seemed that the closer the Blood Moon drew, the more violent and warped he was becoming.

He was slipping. Maybe he didn't realize it, but she could tell, and it scared the life out of her.

---

Townsville Square

Bricks head was throbbing as he slowly road on his horses back through Townsville towards home. He rubbed at his temples irritably, biting back the urge to groan as they throbbed underneath his fingertips. It felt like there was an intense pressure building up in his head. It had been there for weeks, but lately it was starting to become unbearable. The constant pounding his head was making him lose focus, his days were starting to blur together and it was becoming harder to remember certain things. Not only that, but he noticed that he was becoming more irritable and angrier by the day. He had only become fully aware of how bad it had gotten when he had clawed at Boomer's face several days ago.

His brother hadn't completely forgiven him for that, and he didn't expect to be. He had wanted to apologize, but he didn't know how, because there was no way to explain why he had suddenly lashed out like he had. He hadn't planned to, it he had just become so violently angry, that he had hit the closest person to him – which had been Boomer.

And then there was her.

Blossom.

He fought back the urge to curse violently as he approached the town's bar, reminding himself that he was on an animal that weighed a thousand pounds, who could throw him off if he spooked him – as he struggled to recall what had happened.

He could barely remember the conversation; hell, he could barely remember the events of the morning up until that point. All he remembered was getting an unbearable urge to see Blossom, and then before he could register what was happening; he was at her doorstep. He couldn't quite recall what he said to her – something about the Blood moon he was fairly certain – but he could clearly remember her expressions. He remembered seeing her face drop and then go white with horror at what he was saying to her, before she slammed the door in his face.

He groaned as a splitting headache hit him again, preventing him from concentrating on remembering what he had last said to the girl who was supposed to be his. The beast was happy to see her, he knew that. But he was also starting to wonder if the more animalistic side of him was starting to take over his waking conscience… that or he was starting to lose his hold on reality.

And as of lately, that's exactly how he felt. God knows he couldn't tell Butch or Boomer how he was feeling though, although; maybe he didn't have to… judging from the way they were looking at him lately-

"Ah boss, you finally made it-"

"Shut up you idiot! I'm not supposed to be here, you know that!"

"Are you ssstill worried about the Jojo'sss? I thought you said that they hardly ever come into town?"

"They don't need to moron; they've got eyes and ears everywhere. You don't know who could be listening."

"Well… come inside the tavern, the boys are waiting for you to dissscusss the plan."

Brick perked up as a lisped voice and a heavy new-yorker accent caught his attention. He looked up just in time to see two men loitering outside the towns bar in the shadows. The first man was tall and thin but his companion was even taller. Brick couldn't make out any more details then that, as he had a cloak on and the hood was obscuring his face, but the cloaked man's voice had caught his attention. He pulled slightly on the reins, causing Vulcan to halt, as he stared both men down, hoping he wasn't hearing who he thought he had heard.

Sure enough, after a moment, the cloaked man pulled the hood down from his face, and it took all the self-restraint Brick had in him to not dismount and pummel the man to death where he stood.

Ace Coupler's smug, pale face was briefly exposed to the angry red-eyed man as he dipped down and quietly muttered something to his companion before straightening up and moving out of the alley way. Brick narrowed his eyes as the lanky man pulled his hood back up and made his way inside the tavern. Now what was he up to…? Did he not specifically tell the ex-criminal that he was to stay in the estate where they could keep an eye on him?

No, he definitely did. So why was he here in town, acting all too friendly with the other equally unkempt man?

Quickly making up his mind, the red-head pulled on the reins, stopping outside of the bar. He tied his horse up and soundlessly made his way inside the crowed tavern, only to realize his mistake as he took in the dingy and poorly lit building and its patrons.

He stuck out like a sore thumb. Brick realized with an internal eyeroll as some of the men closest to the door, turned and fell silent upon realizing who it was. Normally, he could have cared less about what the filthy peasants that called Townsville home thought about him, but this was one of the rare instances that he wished he was invisible.

Without a word, he made his way to the back of the bar where he caught a glimpse of Ace entering through a partly hidden door in the back corner. He quickly stuck his boot out before the door could close all the way, and gently closed it until it was only open a sliver. He soundlessly angled himself against the door so he was looking into the room. There he saw five men cramped around a table in the middle of the room, each looking stranger than the last.

Brick crinkled his nose. So, these were the goons that his brother had decided to run with when he had that rebellious faze four years ago. He couldn't understand why, they looked rough; two in particular especially: the largest man in the room was babbling away in the corner like a small child, and the one man sitting next to him… well, he barely even looked human. More like a gremlin that had crawled out of the sewers.

He realized with a start that those must have been the two men that Butch had fought when they had tried to prevent him from leaving from the first place. The middle brother had never gone into detail about what he had done to them, all he had said was that he had made an example of them when asked.

Brick could see now that he hadn't been kidding.

The group fell silent as Ace stood up and pounded on the table to get the groups collective attention.

"Alright, listen up you lot, I don't have much time. I gotta get back before those rich pricks notice I'm gone. They've been keeping an annoyingly close watch on me lately, and I don't need them getting on my case."

Just you wait. Brick thought sinisterly to himself. As soon as I find out what you're up to, I'm going to drag you back to the mansion and hang you from the front balcony for the whole town to see-

"Here's how the night of this next moon is gonna go."

Brick paused. What on earth was this certain talking about? The next moon that was coming up was the Blood moon. The last thing he needed was this fool and his gang running around and messing up his plans.

"I've met with our lovely little damsels and convinced them to meet yours truly in the forest away from town. It's nice and secluded there. We won't be interrupted."

Brick frowned. Damsels? Who was he talking about? His eyes narrowed. He had better not be talking about the girls-

"I have the Utonium sisters eating out of my hand at this point." Ace bragged arrogantly. "It was almost too easy. Laughingly so. Phase one of our plan is a success."

Fuck, he was talking about them. Just what the hell did they have to do with this?

"How did you convince them mi amigo?" the smallest of the group asked. Ace chuckled.

"Well, it's not hard when they're missing dear old daddy and you happen to know that the man is still alive."

Brick felt himself tense up. The Professor was still alive? But how? He had given him to Butch to dispose of. So why was Ace saying that he was alive-

Unless Butch hadn't actually killed him like he said he had.

Red flashed across Bricks vision. Leave it to his middle brother to create more messes that he had to clean up. This was getting out of control. He had to force himself to calm down as Ace began talking again.

"Anyways, I told them that if they agreed to meet me in the forest, I would tell them more about what I know about daddy dearest." Ace grinned at the rest of the group. "That's where you boys come in."

That son of a bitch; he's actually plotting against us. Brick snarled viciously in his head, his grip on the doorknob tightening to the point he could feel the metal start to bend underneath his fingers.

"Yeah but boss, isn't the full moon the night where those monsters are out running around?" the smallest one asked again. Ace nodded.

"You're right Arturo, but that's the beauty of it – they're going to be too preoccupied with the rest of the town to be concerned with us. Have you seen this place lately? The townspeople are up in arms. Those beasties are going to be busy slaughtering them, and in the chaos, we'll be able to make our getaway with the girls unnoticed."

That's what you think. Brick snarled inwardly. As soon as we call HIM here, we're coming to kill you and your cronies.

"So, here's how this is going to work boys: They will meet us in the forest close to where they live, and we'll be waiting for them. They won't be expecting all of us, so we'll take them by surprise and tie them up before heading to the train station. Then we'll be back in the city with them before anyone realizes what's happened." The lanky man snickered unkindly. "I've been waiting for years for the opportunity to take Butch down for what he did to Billy and Grubber. It's just our luck that we have the opportunity to get his brother's as well. Those girls are the key. If we take them away, they'll know what its like not being able to save the people you care about. We'll make them suffer."

"Then what?" the man with the lisp asked.

"Whatta mean 'then what', Snake?" Ace asked with a slight edge.

"What do we do with the girlsss when we get them back into the city?" The other man lisped.

"Oh, that." Brick could see Ace grin from the crack in the door. "They're attractive girls. We can sell them to the heist bidder – they'll fetch a pretty penny in the underground market. But before that-" his grin grew even wider, bordering on psychotic. "We can have some fun with them first."

CRUNCH, THUMP.

Brick hardly noticed as the doorknob bent completely under his crushing grip and fell onto the floor by his feet. He could hardly breathe. The sheer amount of rage that was burning within him was reaching astronomical proportions. The beast lurking just underneath his skin was bellowing for their blood. The urge to kick the door in and finish what Butch had started years ago was almost unbearable.

Go in there and kill them! SHOW THEM THAT THEY ARE NOTHING! Rip their fucking heads off! PAIN THE ROOM WITH THEIR BLOOD-

No. He couldn't. Not yet. He couldn't cause any more of a scene in the bar then he already was. If he killed them here, then he had no doubt in his mind that the townspeople would try and hang him. Then their plans would never come to fruition.

Then they would never make the town suffer like they so rightfully deserved.

He had just managed to force the murderous thoughts down long enough to hear a commotion coming from inside the room. "The hell was that?" he heard Ace snap. "Someone better not be outside listening in on us! Snake, go check it out!"

Brick backed away from the door as he heard the sound of a chair scraping across the floor and the sound of footsteps making their way to the door. Shit, he couldn't let himself get caught here. He had to leave without being seen by any of them. He turned around to leave, only to see one of the bar's burlier patrons standing in front of him, blocking his way.

"You don't belong here boy." The man growled. Brick rolled his eyes.

"Obviously. This place is below my standards. Now if you'll excuse me, I was just leaving." He took a step to the right, only for the man to follow him, blocking his way.

"I know you, you're one of the Jojo triplets. You don't come into town often, so why are you here?" The large man looked behind him at the door, and his face morphed into a sneer. "Spying on other clients, now are we?"

"What I do is none of your business." Brick hissed. "Now I'm going to tell you one more time to get out of my way or-"

"You know, I've heard all sorts of things about you boys. Word was your mother was a harlot, and she and her children where punished for her sins." The mans sneering face moved even closer to his. "How must that feel? Knowing that your mother was a whore-"

Brick's fist slammed into the side of the man's head before he could think about what he was doing. He didn't bother holding back any of his otherworldly strength and the other men in the bar could only watch in horror as the man who challenged him was knocked off his feet and flew to the right, smashing into the bar, splintering the old wood and knocking the large man out instantly.

"I said, get out of my way." Brick snarled. As he loomed over the man's crumpled form. "I hated my mother, but no one gets to call her a harlot except for me and my brothers. Especially not the likes of you." he turned to face the rest of the bar goers. "Anyone else want to get in my way?"

No one moved. Brick snorted. "I didn't think so."

And without another word he shoved his way past the stunned patrons and out into the open air. He hopped up onto Vulcan's back and dug his heels into the horse's sides. The horse bolted back towards the mansion, as Brick seethed inwardly; intent on making sure that Ace's plan would not succeed.

---

Jojo Estate

Boomer slowly made his way up the back steps leading from the estate's dead gardens and into the looing mansion in front of him. He sighed through his nose as he wiped his feet off on the mat and made his way through the maze of dark hallways, looking in each room as he passed. He wasn't looking for anyone in particular, he was just looking for someone.

He had woken up after a turbulent sleep only to find that he was alone and his brothers were nowhere to be found. That was odd, normally they would be skulking about the mansion somewhere. Butch could normally be found around his room or running around outside, but Boomer had looked in all of his normal places and he hadn't been there.

That left Brick. Boomer could help but wince inwardly. He had been actively avoiding his eldest brother since he had clawed at his face. The wound had closed over almost instantly but still felt fresh in his mind. He wasn't ready to forgive him just yet, but he knew he couldn't avoid the red eyed brother forever. He had hesitantly looked around the house and the perimeter of the property, but Brick was nowhere to be found. It was strange. It wasn't like Brick to leave the property without saying anything.

Come to think about it, he hadn't seemed Mojo all day either. But perhaps that was for the best. He didn't particularly want to see the stout man anyways. He had been asking too many questions about the upcoming summoning… almost as if he had pieced together what was going to happen without them telling him-

The blond was so wrapped up in his thoughts he almost missed a small, but audible huff come from one of the sitting rooms on his left.

"I swear to whatever god is out there dad, if you don't leave right fucking now, I just might-!" the raven haired man cut himself off upon realizing it was Boomer. He breathed a sigh of relieve as he turned back around. "Hey Boomer, I thought you were Mojo for a second. I was about to snap."

"I can tell." Boomer responded evenly as he shut the living room doors behind him before moving towards the couch where his older brother was sitting. "Why did you think I was Mojo?"

The green-eyed man stifled a groan as he put his head in his hands. "He's been… never mind, I don't want to get into it right now."

The blue-eyed man frowned but didn't push it. Butch was clearly in a mood, and it was best not to irritate him further. That wasn't what he had come to do anyways. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you all day."

"Hiding." Butch grumbled. "Mojo won't leave me alone and it's pissing me off. Took everything I had not to rip his head off." Boomer frowned.

"Really? I haven't seen him all day." His brother snorted.

"Probably because I made it clear that if he didn't piss off, I'd actually decapitate him. Knowing him he's probably holed up in his study muttering to himself. Hopefully he'll stay there."

Boomer hummed understandingly and the conversation lulled for a few seconds. Boomer paused for a moment before asking his next question. "Hey, have you seen Brick at all this morning? I can't find him anywhere."

"No." Butch replied curtly, without looking up. "He wasn't here when I got up. I think his horse is gone too. He must have gone for a ride somewhere."

"Where though?" Boomer muttered as he moved to the window to see if he could spot his brother. "He's not on the property, I've looked. The only other place he could go is into town, but I don't know why he'd want to go there… he hates it there."

"Beats the hell out of me. I don't question him anymore. It's easier to let him do his own thing, you know that Boomer." The large man shrugged. "I'm not saying I don't care, but you know you won't get an answer out of him."

"Yeah, I know, and it pisses me off to no end." Boomer growled. "Does he not think he can trust us anymore? We're the only ones he's got to rely on."

"It's not that." Butch sighed as he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Then what is it?" Boomer challenged.

"Honestly I don't know." Butch growled, fixing his youngest brother with an irritated glare. "All he's said to me is that he has some things to do before the night of the summoning. I didn't press it. He can deal with whatever it is as far as I'm concerned. I'm too busy trying to figure out what Mojo's problem is."

"What's going on with Mojo?" the tall blond repeated his earlier question.

"I don't know if he's been doing it with you too, but he keeps asking me questions about the Blood moon." Butch muttered. Boomer frowned.

"I fail to see what the problem with that is."

"It's not normal questions. They're becoming very… invasive? I guess?" the muscular man struggled to find the proper words to describe his encounters with their father-figure. "He won't come out and say what he actually wants to say. I don't know what exactly he wants, but I've got a bad feeling about the whole thing."

The brothers lapsed into silence for a while, neither knowing quite what to say to the other. Brick would have known what to tell them had he been there, Boomer figured, but he wasn't. Speaking of said brother…

"Does he seem… I don't know, different at all to you?" he asked quietly. Butch snorted.

"Who? Brick? You mean does he seem more irritable and moodier? Yeah, but that's Brick, he's always like that-"

"No, I mean… more on edge, I guess." Boomer subconsciously touched his eye where the new skin still prickled slightly underneath his touch. The small gesture didn't go unnoticed by Butch as his younger brother dropped his hand and crossed his arms. "There's something going on with him. I can't put my finger on it, but… he's changing-"

The door slammed open suddenly and Brick made his way into the room, throwing his cloak onto the couch without a word. "Where the hell did you go?" Butch growled as the red eyed man stalked around the room silently. "Seriously, you just took off without a word. Mojo has been on us all fucking day. He wants something, but he won't say what-"

"Forget Mojo." Brick snarled as he dropped onto the adjacent couch, leaning forward on his elbows. "We got bigger problems to worry about then that fool."

Boomer raised an eyebrow and Brick noticed with a wince that it was the one he had clawed days before. "Like what? We don't exactly have time to deal with any complications before… HE gets here."

"It's Ace. I think I know what he's up to." Brick growled lowly. Butch narrowed his eyes and cracked his knuckles.

"What do you mean? I thought that little weasel was stalking around the manor somewhere."

"No, and now I think I know where he's been sneaking off to when he does go into town." Brick caught Butch's gaze and held it. "When I was coming back home, I took a short cut through town, and who did I see skulking around the bar?" he continued on before Butch could offer a response.

"I followed him into the bar and he met up with some ugly looking goons-"

"Let me guess: one was very short, one had a lisp, one's a big brain-dead son of a bitch, and the last looked like he fought a train and lost." Butch listed off. Brick nodded and Butch let an annoyed snarl out from in-between his teeth. "That's them. Fuckers. What the fuck is he doing meeting up with them?"

"If it what I think it is, then we need to take care of it and soon." Brick growled as he fixed Butch and Boomer with a murderous glare. "They plan on abducting our women."

The silence that fell over the boys was deafening. Finally, Boomer blinked disbelievingly. "Pardon me?"

"I didn't catch everything they were saying, I was drawing too much attention as it was." Brick huffed. "But from what I overheard; they want to kidnap the girls and do god knows what to them. The want to make us pay, as laughable as that is." He rolled his eyes.

"That son of a bitch. He can try. Wait until I get my fucking hands on that scrawny neck of his." Butch snarled as he cracked his knuckles ominously. "When and where is this taking place?"

"From what I overheard, he wants to nab them on the night of the full moon – a terrible choice really… for him and his cronies." Brick growled. "Apparently, Ace convinced the girls to meet him in the woods somewhere with the promise of telling them about their father. All I know is that we can't let that happen."

"What are you talking about? The Professor is dead. Isn't he?" Boomer asked hesitantly. He looked at Butch who had suddenly gone very still. "Isn't he?" he asked pressingly.

"That son of a bitch." Butch muttered quietly. "He didn't fucking do it"

"What the hell did you do?" Boomer whispered as the sudden realization at what Butch was implicating washed over him. "More like what didn't you do?" Brick snarled, glaring at the large man. "You didn't finish him off, did you?"

"Fuck no." Butch snarled meeting Brick's glare with one of his own. "I wasn't about to dirty my hands with his blood. Buttercup would hate me even more then she does already. I gave him to Ace to take care of because I know that vermin doesn't give a shit… I suppose he didn't do it… but why-"

"Goddamn it Butch, I gave you one job." Brick hissed before Boomer could get a word in edge-wise. "How is it that you manage to fuck it up so royally?"

"How was I supposed to know that he wouldn't go through with it?" Butch shot back. "It's never stopped him before; I know how he operates. Finishing someone off isn't above him." He paused. "Did he say what he did with him?"

"No. All I know is that the Professor is alive somewhere, and that's what he's baiting the girls with." Brick growled irritably. "Though I suppose I should find out where the man is so I can go and finish the job myself." He shook his head irritably and looked at Butch expectantly. "This is your problem; you deal with it."

"How the hell is this solely my problem?" Butch balked before an angry red flush flashed across his neck. "It's not like he's only going after Buttercup, he's planning to take all three of them-"

"You brought Ace here, and he's been far more trouble than he's worth. Now he's plotting to steal the girls away from us. He's outlived his use." Brick challenged his brother, leaning forward. "I want him taken care of. We can't afford him causing trouble for us on the Blood moon of all nights." He leaned back, crossing his legs as he tapped his fingers against the arm rest. "I don't care what you do to him and his gang. You can kill them and eat them for all I care, but I want him gone, understand?"

Butch's eyes narrowed. "Crystal." He rumbled. Brick nodded, satisfied. "I'll handle him after we summon… you know who here. We'll be at our strongest then. I guess I'll get rid of the rest of the gang in the meantime. I don't like leaving loose ends." Butch mused as he laced his hands together, resting his chin on them. "You two can come if you want, I won't keep all the fun to myself. That and if the girls are there, we'll need to remove them."

"As I said: I don't care what you do. Just make sure that he doesn't interfere with our plans." Brick growled.

"So, what happens after?" Boomer asked.

"What do you mean, what happens after?" Brick sighed.

"What happens after we summon HIM?" Boomer persisted.

Brick shook his head. "We'll see. Anyways it doesn't matter right now." He deflected the question, not leaving any room for an argument.

Boomer frowned as he dodged the question, but didn't press it. Brick had been quick to anger lately, and he didn't want his other eyes clawed. He watched as Brick ran his hands through his shaggy red mane. "Now, what does Mojo want?"

"I don't know exactly." Butch admitted. "He keeps hovering around Boomer and I like he wants something. He's been asking a lot of questions lately." The ravenette paused as his gaze slid over his older brothers. "How much does he know? About what is to come, that is?"

The red-eyed man ignored his question, opting to answer it with one of his own. "Has he said anything?" Brick muttered as he leaned back and closed his eyes. Butch shook his head. "Not exactly. But I suppose he thinks that when… HE arrives, he'll be rewarded."

"Does he now?" Brick smirked unkindly, still not opening his eyes. "He thinks that he'll be rewarded for keeping HIS investments safe eh?" he opened his eyes. "How many souls are we at Boomer, do you know?"

"I think we're at ninety-nine. Give or take." The blond hummed, closing his eyes. "I think we need one more to summon… well… you-know-who, the night of."

Brick hummed as he sat forward and laced his hands together. "Then perhaps he's outlived his use then."

An uneasy silence settled across the boys.

---

Edge of Townsville

John stood on the edge of Townsville, shivering as the cold winds whipped around him.

He pulled the tattered blanket that was haphazardly wrapped around his body closer as he stared down at the twinkling town that lay in the valley below him.

Townsville. He had finally made it home, and they were in more danger then they initially realized.

John glanced down at his frozen feet which were stuffed into old worn out leather shoes. He could hardly believe he was back in Townsville. It had taken him so many cold and painful days to make it back here without being caught by the Asylum workers which had perused him for miles after his escape. He had sought out shelter in a famers barn after stumbling blindly through the dark, foreboding woods for hours on end. It had been by some small mercy that he had found some old blankets and a pair of shoes in the hayloft where he had been resting, and had quickly taken off again into the woods before the farmer had come into the barn.

It had taken him a bit to get his bearings, but he had grown up in Townsville all his life, and the forest had been a second home growing up. As soon as he had stumbled across some familiar landmarks, he had stumbled through the dark woods until he reached the edge if the forest, only to find that he was on the east-end outskirts of the town. He was finally back, but he was torn. He glanced up at the sun which was slowly dipping down into the horizon, and swallowed painfully as he mulled over what to do.

On one hand he could make his way back to the manor and get some proper clothes, and a meal, and most importantly let his family know that he was all right and alive and what Mojo planned to unleash on their small town.

That was what he should do, at least.

But there was something holding him back. He couldn't go back into home. Not yet at least. His frown deepened as he thought of his wife and daughters. He wanted to see them desperately. The was nothing he wanted more then to let them know that he was alright, that he was alive. But he couldn't do it. He couldn't go back alone.

The boys and Mojo were there and though he was fairly certain that they thought he was dead, he didn't want to take the chance of going back home, just to find them waiting for him.

There was no doubt in his mind that they would finish him off for sure if he appeared in town.

But he needed to warn his family, and the town of what was coming. They had no idea of the horrors that were about to be unleashed. He looked up into the cloudy sky that was slowly starting to darken, signaling that dusk was fast approaching.

He needed to go back. He knew that. But he needed someone who could protect him, someone who had experience fighting off the beasts that where threatening to take over the town. There was only one individual that came to mind:

Mitch Michelson.

John fought the urge to snort as the young man crossed his mind. Mitch? Protect him? That was a laugh. For all he knew that man was dead.

It was a long shot. He hadn't heard any news since the young man had been carted off to Midfield Hospital several months back. As far as he knew, the young hunter was still clinging to life or still unconscious, but he had to try. He had fought with all three of hell beasts head on and had managed to survive. He had had advanced knowledge about dealing with monsters, this John knew.

He shivered as he looked down at himself. Midfield was so far away – closer to Countryville. He would surely parish if he tried to make it on foot – hell, he was amazed that he had even made as far as Townsville without sub-coming to the cold. John heaved a sigh and glanced out towards Townsville. His eyes swept over the twinkling town before he focused on the perimeters of the town and narrowed his eyes.

Maybe he wouldn't have to.

Mitch's Grandmother lived on the edge of town. He remembered how Buttercup had played with him as a young child, and how he had taken her to the elderly Michelson's residence a handful of times. The tall man bit the inside of his cheek. Did he dare to try going to her residence to seek out her grandson? Last he heard the elderly woman wasn't completely there anymore. He looked down at his ragged appearance and cringed inwardly. He didn't want to scare her; god knows he looked like he had just broken out of an insane asylum- well, that wasn't an exaggeration.

But he couldn't afford to wait. The last conversation he had with Mojo had been proof enough. John felt his blood run cold as he thought about Mojo's ginning face. This time it wouldn't just be the boys on the loose again. That… that thing from years ago would return as well, if what he had gathered from Mojo was indeed correct.

That horrible, awful creature. The one that shouldn't exist outside of nightmares, but somehow did. The one he had tried so desperately to forget about. The one he had tried for years to suppress the memory of.

HIM.

John swallowed the bile that was creeping up the back of his throat. No. He couldn't let that happen. The creature mustn't be called to the town. It was a violation of all laws of science and nature. He wasn't sure how Mojo intended on doing it. The faulty invention that had originally brought the being to them was long gone now; he was sure of it. Unless he had found another way to call it here…

The tall man's brows furrowed. He didn't have time to speculate how it was possible. Time was of the essence and he was running out fast. He had a few days at most, and even then, he wasn't sure if it would be enough. He had to make his way to the Michelson household and see if he could find Mitch. It was his only hope now.

Pulling his tattered blanket around him, he slowly made his way down the snowy embankment and towards the town. Praying that he wasn't already too late.

---

Jojo Estate

Mojo sat in his office chair, hands laced in his lap, as he stared into the hot coals burning away in the fireplace. He was lost in his thoughts like he normally was nowadays. The boys were on his mind again, as they usually were – but they were on his mind for a different reason then they normally were.

There was a shift that had happened. He didn't have as much control over the boys as he once used to. They were becoming quick to anger, irritable and hostile with him. At first, he had tried to deny what was happening. He didn't want to admit what was becoming painfully obvious:

His sons… the God's sons, were pulling away from him. They were turning back into the rebellious, uncontrollable children whose voices, he did not recognize, once again.

And it was all because of his old partner's foolish girls. Mojo felt his frown deepen as images of the girls flashed in his head. They truly had no idea the power they held over his boys, and he hoped that they would never realize it. If they had any inkling of the effect they had on his sons, they would derail the plan that he had worked on for almost twenty years. The very plan that promised him ultimate power.

They had come too far and had worked too hard to fail now. There was too much at stake. They could not fail. Not when they where so close.

He frowned as the Utonium girls flashed across his mind's eye again and he scowled.

Those girls… the girls were distracting his prized creations. Drawing their attentions away from their original purpose and onto them. They were not working as the efficient team they once had been, the last several months had been proof of that. It had been one set-back after another. His frown deepened and his thick brows furrowed. Of course, they just had to reenter their lives at the most inconvenient time. A time where the boys couldn't afford to get distracted and lose focus from achieving their purpose.

They were a nuisance. A hindrance. The girls needed to be controlled. Whether it be by their own admission or by force.

Mojo sighed as he weighed his options in his head. He was backed into a corner when it came to them and he knew it. He knew he couldn't force the boys to leave the girls or command that they dispose of them either. It was impossible. He knew of the bond the six of them shared, as loathed as he was to admit it. The boys had imprinted on the girls long ago; whether they had known what they were doing or not at the time, he didn't know.

He felt his frown deepen, as the weight and the reproductions of their unbreakable bond settled around him. If they weren't able to bring the girls around to their side soon, the boys would continue to devolve into the wild, savage beasts they were gradually becoming as the Blood moon drew nearer.

The ape-like man felt a chill pass through him. The boys did their very best to avoid him, but he wasn't blind to the fact that they were becoming more savage and more unstable as the summoning moon came closer, and the sisters' horror of them only fueled their savagery the longer they continued to push away from them.

They were reaching a breaking point. They were becoming increasingly dangerous to be around. Even for him.

The girls on the other hand, seemed to be immune to what was happening to them. Or perhaps they did a better job at hiding their unease then he gave them credit for. Regardless, he knew that the beasts that lurked just under their human skin loved them; cared for them. They would sooner spill the blood of the worlds people then let anything happen to their chosen woman. He had seen it when Butch had almost lost his life defending Buttercup from being mauled to death.

He had realized, as he and looked down at Butch's broken and mangled body, that they would sooner die then let anything happen to them.

It was a realization that surprised him. The boys were selfish. They always had been. They didn't care for anyone but themselves. But when it came to them… they were willing to sacrifice years of planning that they had always been willing to go through with, just to keep them safe and win them over. Although, if the most recent meeting between them that he had overheard had anything to say; the 'winning them over' part, wasn't going so well.

Whenever one or all of the sisters had paid them a visit, he had made it a point to stay as far away as possible from them as possible. He wasn't about to step in and intervene in their petty squabbles. He had told himself that as long as their disputes didn't affect the plans that were set in motion, he didn't care. But if the boys weren't able to put a stop to the sister's interference soon… he feared that the plan that he had worked tirelessly to insure would come to fruition; would fall apart in front of him.

He stood up and stalked over to the window that looked out over the dead gardens. No, that simply wouldn't do. He couldn't allow his boys to get distracted by them any longer. Regardless of whether they had they girls in their clutches or not.

If they failed… the consequences would be… disastrous. There was no denying that the God had been good to him over the years. The God had kept his original promise once the boys had been born, and had given him the secrets on how to give his creations partial life (though admittedly, they seldom turned out as he hoped – the Amoebas had been proof of that) – but he was not foolish enough to believe that the God was the forgiving type.

But the God had promised that if the plan they had set into motion with the arrival of the boys was successful, the being would not only teach him how to create everlasting life, but also how to summon monsters from HIS world to do his bidding. But that was only if everything went according to plan.

If they failed now, what would stop the God from punishing him and dragging him into the depths of the pit like he had done to his lovely Sedusa-

The ape-like man shook his head, dismissing the thought from his head. No, the God wouldn't betray him. He had served him well and faithfully after all these years. He had taken care of his investments and he had raised them the best that he could without his wife. He had insured that they had butchered enough of the town to complete the ritual. He had kept them on track for years. He would be rewarded for that generously; he was certain of it.

He would be rewarded. He would. As long as nothing else interfered… including the daughters of his old friend.

He chewed his bottom lip as his gaze wandered to rest upon the forest that lined the extensive property. He would have to say something to them. He would have to make them see reason. He could not let their attentions wander any farther. He would rein them in… somehow. The plan would succeed. He would make sure of it.

---

?

Sedusa scowled as she looked through the shadowy forest and across the way into the Jojo mansion's extensive garden. If she looked close enough, she could almost see her ex-husband standing at one of the windows, peering out into the garden. For a moment, she wondered if he could see her, but she knew he couldn't. He was blind to world if it didn't involve or concern him. He had always been like that… even with her.

She turned away – unwilling to look at the man who had been responsible for turning her into a shadow of her former self – and slowly made her way deeper into the forest. She allowed herself to turn into shadows and floated through the dark woods silently, until she came across a small clearing. Returning to physical form, she shuddered as she looked up into the darkening heavens above, only to see the faintest traces of the slowly shrinking moon first start to appear in the sky.

Her heart clenched and the shadows surrounding her began to twist and writhe, betraying the anxiety she felt. She was running out of time. The time of the Blood Moon would soon be upon them and the monster would soon be in their world-

"Can you feel it, my dear? My time approaches. I will be there soon."

Sedusa fell to her knees and clutched her head as a cry fell past her lips – eyes wide and terrified – at the sudden voice in her head. Her skull pounded as the intruder forced his way into her mind – sticking his claws into what was left of her sanity and twisting it until she felt it almost snap.

But as much pain as she was in, she knew HE wouldn't break her completely. The beast was too cruel to let her off that easily. She had yearned for death for years and the creature simply refused her, stating she was much too fun to torment. She knew that the monster wouldn't end her miserable existence here and now, as much as she wished HE would.

No. HE sounded almost happy. He was here to gloat, nothing more.

"The Blood Moon will soon rise and the boys will finally ascend to their true power, and I will finally have rule over this world and the Netherworld, just as I always planned."

Sedusa whimpered as she clutched at her head. "Yes, my lord." She whispered. "Just as you've always wanted it." she paused for a moment before daring to speak again. "My lord, may I please-!" but suddenly the singsong voice of the demon let out a demented laugh, cutting her off.

"I've been watching you closely since I sent you back here, you know. Don't think that I'm not aware of your treachery, my pet. I know you were the one who led those pests to interrupt the murder of that hunter, and I know you've been interfering in the boys plans to summon me here. Did you truly think that that I wasn't watching you? You should know me better by now…"

Sedusa couldn't do anything but whimper as the unseen demon tightened HIS hold on her mind. No, she should have known that HE was always watching her every move. He wouldn't have sent her back to her old home if he wasn't. That was simply wishful thinking on her behalf.

She waited, terrified for HIS next move. Would he kill her now? Would her treachery finally be enough to sign her death certificate? She hoped it was. She had failed in her various attempts at stopping the boys and making them see reason, and now she was afraid that she had failed at keeping the daughters of her only friend safe from them as a result. Now that the Blood Moon was fast approaching, she didn't want to be around for when HE finally came through. She could only imagine the horrors that he would unleash then…

But then she heard the beast chuckle inside her head and her heart stopped. There was no doubt in her mind that he could read her thoughts, so why was he laughing-

"Oh, don't think you're going to get off that easy my pet. You don't get to die until I say you do. Considering your actions against me as of late, I think you're due for another hundred years of punishment."

"NO!" Sedusa wailed as tears streamed down her face. "I've had enough of you, monster! I've been your puppet for too long! Just let me die!"

"Perhaps if you had strictly kept an eye on those foolish Utonium sisters like I had asked you to do, then I might have considered it. The singsong voice turned dark almost immediately. Your immortal soul is mine until I decide I'm done with it, and don't you ever forget it."

"Then why don't you just drag me back to Hell with you know!?" The shadow woman shrieked. "I give up! There's no point in delaying the inevitable. Take me back and do what you want with me! I'm tired and I don't care anymore!"

The presser on her mind eased slightly and she felt the beast retract HIS claws just slightly. "Well now, if that's the case…" the demons twisted voice mused teasingly. "I think… I'll leave you here for a little while longer."

"You'll… what?" Sedusa croaked. "I'll leave you here until the night I am summoned to the pathetic town you called home." She heard the demon chuckle unkindly. "Just wait my dear, you'll be the first to bear witness to when I crush it and its inhabitance. The ones who I choose to spare will become my slaves." She felt the twisted, horrible grin of the demon without seeing it.

"… I know that your old friend Sara Bellum is a beautiful woman. Perhaps I'll add her to my harem like I did you and you and her can both suffer together-"

"NO, DON'T YOU TOUCH HER YOU VILE CREATURE!" Sedusa roared, years of suppressed rage and hate finally overcoming her fear of the demon, as she slowly forced herself to stand and scream back at the grotesque being who she could see floating in her minds eye. "YOU CAN DO WITH ME WHAT YOU'D LIKE, BUT YOU WILL LEAVE HER ALONE! I WILL SPEND WHAT LITTLE POWER AND SANITY I HAVE LEFT AND FIGHT YOU UNTIL THE END OF MY DAYS!"

"A touching sentiment, but you forget my dear-." She felt he pressure in her mind release as the demon slowly drew back from her and retreated back into the pit from which he came. "-the only being's capable of defeating me are born from my blood AND yours… and they wouldn't dare raise a claw against me."

And then, as quickly as he had entered her mind, he was gone, leaving her alone with her thoughts and a splitting headache. Sedusa took a shuddering breath in as she forced her stuff muscles to unlock and relax as looked towards the not-quite full moon once more. "We'll see about that."

---

Michelson Residence, evening of the Blood moon

"Easy now Mitch, don't push yourself too much, we just got you out of the hospital, I don't want you going back in anytime soon."

"Robin you worry too much. I've been out cold for the last month or so. I have more energy then I've had in years." Mitch tried to joke with the slender brunette helping him towards the couch in his Grandmother's living room, but Robin wasn't having any of it.

"You certainly weren't like that in the beginning. The doctors told me that you died twice when you first arrived at the trauma center. They were able to resuscitate you, thank God, but they were almost convinced you wouldn't last the night; and even if you did, the chances of you living past the first week were slim to none."

"Well you know me, my love." Mitch grinned, wiggling his eyebrows at her as he sank into the old, comfy couch. "I always like defying the odds." Robin rolled her eyes but couldn't help the small smile that tugged on her lips.

"I'm very well aware." She confirmed before frowning again. "But you still need to take it easy for a while. You were in a coma for over a month."

She reached down for his left arm, and lifted it up so it was directly in front of him. "That, and you still need to get used to the prosthetic the doctors made for you."

Mitch cringed slightly at the metal contraption that was strapped to the now healed over stump. It really was a state-of-the-art prosthetic, he knew that; the forearm and hand were all made from a fine metal that was woven together interictally around the stump and his shoulder, and he could work each one of the fingers independently. But it wasn't the same as his flesh and blood arm and hand. It would take him a while to truly get used to shooting and doing everyday chores again. The kind doctors had shown him a little on how to properly work the prosthetic, but he had been so anxious to get home, he had barely listened to a word they said. It didn't bother him much – he was always more of a "learn on the go" kind of person anyways.

"Robin please, I'll be fine. I'm sure it'll take me no time at all to figure this damn thing out. Besides, I have bigger problems to worry about then-." Mitch caught the jaded look his fiancée was giving him and sighed. "-But for your piece of mind, I'll try and take it easy for a bit."

Robin nodded approvingly. "Good. We'll worry about the beasts later. Right now, I want you to relax and get your strength back. Maybe we can work on becoming more comfortable with the prosthetic tonight by helping Gran-Gran with dinner-. "

Knock, Knock, knock.

The couple paused as a frantic knocking sounded at the front door. Mitch sent Robin a guarded look. "Were you expecting someone?"

"No." Robin whispered back. "I don't know who that could be." She made a move towards the door, only for Mitch to tug her back.

"Does anyone else know I'm back?" he asked her seriously. Robin's light blue eyes narrowed in confusion, only to widen a second later as the implications of what he was suggesting washed over her.

"No. I've been gone for weeks and never told anyone when I'd be back. Gran-Gran has been here, but she doesn't go into town anyways."

"Where is Gran-Gran?" Mitch murmured. "In her room sleeping most likely, why?" Robin asked. Mitch shook his head as he attempted to get up. "Make sure she stays there. I don't want her losing her mind."

"No, you stay there. I'll answer the door." Robin pushed him down and moved past him before he could stop her. "If it's… someone unwelcome, I don't want them knowing you're back. We'll all be in trouble if they try and barge in to get to you."

"Jesus woman, you're going to be the death of me." Mitch groaned, as he pushed himself up on his knees to glance at her from the living room. "Just look through the peephole and see who it is first. If it's anyone you don't recognize, don't open it."

"You don't say." Robin muttered sarcastically as she reached the front door. Looking through the peephole she frowned but didn't say anything.

"Who is it?" Mitch hissed.

"It's… I… it looks like Professor Utonium… but he looks odd… something's wrong." Before Mitch could say another word, his fiancée had opened the door with an audible gasp. "Professor! What happened to you?"

"Robin, I'm so sorry to come to you in such a dreadful state, please, may I come in? It's an emergency."

"Yes, yes please, come in before you catch your death outside!" Robin ushered the tall man into the cottage, securely locking the door behind him. Mitch felt his eyes widen in shock at the sight of the Professor.

The once well-put together man looked rough and haggard – almost as if he had aged ten years. His skin was pale and black hair looked like it had more gray in it then when he had seen him last. Most shocking though, was what he was wearing. He had a tattered blanket thrown around himself, and what looked like a flimsy set of hospital pajamas on underneath. The shoes he had on had holes in them and looked twice his size. Overall, he looked damn near homeless, and if Mitch didn't know better, he would have assumed that to be the case.

"Professor what on Earth is going on? What are you wearing?"

Well, it seemed like he wasn't the only one who was thinking the same thing as him.

"I will explain everything, but I must ask: has Mitch returned from the hospital?" he heard Robin fall silent, unsure of what to say. Mitch furrowed his brow. Clearly the older man desperately wanted to speak to him, and honestly, Mitch wanted to hear what he had to say as well.

"It's alright Robin, you can tell him I'm back. Bring him into the living room."

"Mitch?" he heard the older man call out in disbelief. The sound of two sets of footsteps moving towards him forced himself to sit normally on the couch, just as John and Robin burst into the living room. To his credit, the older man looked just as surprised to see him as Mitch was to see him.

"My word, you're back. You're alive! We were so worried about you… we hadn't heard any news and I was starting to think that the worst had happened- I was starting to think that those… demons, had done away with you!"

"Believe me, they tried." Mitch forced a small grin, holding up his prosthetic arm. "They got a souvenir for their efforts."

"I- oh dear, I am so sorry Mitch." John murmured, lowering his head. "I never meant for any of this to happen. This… this shouldn't have happened to you."

"It's alright Professor-."

"Please call me John."

"-John, it's alright. Actually, I'm glad you're here because I have some things, I need to talk to you about as well."

"O-Oh, I'm sure you do." John looked slightly uncomfortable and Mitch pointed to a chair behind him, nodding at Robin to do the same. "Please take a seat, tell me what happened to you. You look like you haven't slept in weeks."

"I haven't. Not well at least." John confirmed as he kicked off the ratty shoes, allowing his slightly blue toes the chance to breathe. "My God, where to begin… so many things have happened since you were last here… I'm not exactly sure where to begin-?"

"Start at the beginning." Mitch suggested. "I have the feeling that some of the questions I want to ask you will come up. We might as well save ourselves the trouble of repeating ourselves twice."

"Very well." John laced his hands together as he licked his dry lips. "After you… well, you know, after that night, things started to get worse. I had my suspicions about what was truly going on with the wolves, but Kingston nor Mojo seemed to want to listen to what I had to say or follow my suggestions about how to deal with the werewolves… but then, not too long ago, I found out why Mojo seemed so intent on ignoring what I had to say." The older man sucked in a deep breath and looked straight at Mitch.

"Mitch, the werewolves are the Jojo brothers. Brick, Butch and Boomer."

"I know." Mitch confirmed, causing John face to drop.

"Y-You know?"

"Oh yes, they revealed themselves to me while they were trying to kill me. They were so certain I was going to die that night, they wanted me to know it was them. Unfortunately for them, they didn't get to finish the job." Mitch scowled. "Actually, that's why Robin and I decided to keep my return a secret. I was going to come back here and kill them, and I wanted the element of surprise on my side when I did."

"They… the revealed themselves to you? During the full moon?" John asked. "But I thought-" Mitch waved him off.

"It doesn't matter right now. I'll hopefully explain that to you later. Please continue."

"Right, well…" John ran a hand through his disheveled hair and gestured down to his clothes. "Mojo is responsible for this. I went to confront him privately at his request and discuss my concerns about the wolves and uh… another thing…" John quickly cleared his throat and continued on. "But… he tricked me. He made sure that I hadn't told anyone where I was going, before he told me that his… sons were indeed the werewolves. Then he set them on me. Honestly, I'm surprised they didn't kill me then and there."

He rubbed his temples as he tried to recall what happened. "To be truthful, I don't remember much after that. I was knocked unconscious, and when I awoke again, I found myself in a padded cell and all of my possessions had been taken from me. Apparently, someone – I don't know who – dropped me off at the nearest mental asylum claiming that I was a drunk and a danger to myself and others."

The graying man looked down at himself in disgust. "It took me, a while to escape from that awful place, but I did it. The staff chased me for a long time before giving up. I'm amazed that I made it back to Townsville without dying from the cold." His dark eyes narrowed. "But I knew I couldn't die out there. My family's safety depends on me. If I didn't come back… my daughters…" the older man choked up at the thought of his triplets before setting his sights on Mitch. "They are in grave danger… the boys have plans for them… awful, horrible plans that I do not even want to speculate on."

"They are fixated on them." Mitch agreed slowly. "Brick was taunting me about not being able to save them the whole time he and his brothers were trying to kill me."

"I'm sorry, but what do they want with them?" Robin spoke up suddenly, causing Mitch to shrug helplessly.

"I don't know exactly. They didn't elaborate. I'm not sure what kind of relationship they have with each other, but from what I've seen… the boys seem obsessed with them… and it's not a good kind of obsession."

"That's why I fought so hard to escape that place." John muttered softly. "I had to come back and try to save them. I haven't even gone home yet to let them and my wife know I'm alright, god forbid the boys catch wind that I've returned and come back to truly finish me off. I was praying that you were back, so I could warn you about what is going to happen-"

"I'm in the same boat." Mitch confirmed. "I think it's best that you stay here for now and we can work out what to do next-."

"I'm sorry Mitch, but I'm afraid that we don't have that kind of time." John interrupted sternly. "I didn't just come back to keep my daughters out of their grasp. I came back with a warning. A warning for you and the town. I came back to warn everyone about what Mojo and his brood intend on doing."

"What do you mean, 'intend on doing'?" Mitch quoted. John fell silent for a moment and his face scrunched up in concentration as he tried to recall Mojo's insane ramblings

. "Something… wasn't right about the way Mojo was talking." He finally muttered. "I could tell there was much he wasn't telling me, but I do know this much for certain:" John locked eyes with Mitch and the younger man could see a crazed intensity boiling within them that made his heart speed up within his chest.

"They plan on summoning something here. Something not from this earth. Don't ask me how I know. I just do." John spoke rapidly, seeing Mitch open his mouth in confusion. "Please trust me Mitch. I know how ludicrous I sound, but I can't tell you any more then that." He looked almost desperate as he stared the brunette down.

"I don't have a hope in hell of stopping them, not on my own… That's why I prayed that you had returned… I know the reputation that your family has… how they are legendary from dealing with the strange and unusual. If this isn't either of those two things, then I don't know what is." John ran a hand through his disheveled hair once more.

"I know that it's not fair to ask you to put yourself in danger again when you've only just recovered, but they must be stopped, no matter what." He fixed Mitch with a pleading look. "I wish I was strong enough on my own to bring them down, but I'm not. I can't stop them alone… Not without your help."

Mitch frowned inwardly. There was something the Professor wasn't telling him. He was almost certain that the man knew more then what he led on. Why he was keeping certain details from him, he couldn't say… but the ferocious intensity with how the older man talked had him believing every word he said.

John Utonium wasn't the type of man to make shit like this up. John Utonium didn't believe in the strange and unusual. He believed in books and science. Now it seemed that he believed in something far worse.

"Alright, alright." Mitch finally sighed, rubbing his face with his good hand. "When exactly is this… plan of his, supposed to take place? Did he say anything about that?"

John looked almost sheepish. "Well… Mojo didn't exactly give me an exact date, but I assume that they planned on doing it soon after the full moon… I have a gut feeling that it might take place tomorrow night. I don't know why I feel so certain about it… I just somehow know."

Mitch balked inwardly at the Professor's calculation. If a well-known man of science was basing his predictions on gut feeling alone… then the situation must truly be dire.

"Well then." He finally muttered as he narrowed his eyes. "That doesn't give us much time then."

"No. It doesn't. I'm sorry." John apologized. "It took me a while to escape my captors and even longer to make it back to town on foot." He looked up sadly at the man across from him. "I'm sorry. I know you only just came back home, but you truly are my last hope. Please Mitch. My daughter's lives are depending on it."

Mitch was silent for a moment as he pondered what to do. They needed a plan. There was no way they could walk into this blind as he had the first time. He wasn't sure if he could survive a second encounter with the boys unprepared.

"Robin?" he gestured for the thin brunette, and within seconds she was beside him, looking downright terrified, like she knew exactly what he was about to ask, because she probably did.

"Mitch, no." she murmured. "You just came back to me. I can't lose you again. Not this soon-!"

"We don't have a choice, love." He interpreted her gently. "I told you, I have to stop them. Their rein of terror needs to end before they kill us all." Robin looked like she was about to argue, but the stoic looks on Mitchel's face stopped her. "Do you have my rifle?" he asked her calmly. Robin nodded. "Yes. The police gave it back to Gran-Gran when you got taken away. She somehow was able to fix it despite the damage that was done to it."

"Ah, good. She may be going senile, but Gran-Gran was an excellent markswoman back in her day. I'm glad she was able to work her magic on my rifle once more. Do I have any more silver bullets?"

"A box and a half, but Mitch, will that even be enough to stop them?"

"No." Mitch admitted truthfully. "I'll just have to make every shot count." Robin tapped his metal hand.

"Do you think you'll be able to shoot with this? You haven't even had time to learn how to preform basic tasks with it."

"Well then. I suppose I'll have to start practicing then, won't I?" Mitch looked towards the Professor with a grim look on his face. "Let's get started then, shall we?"

---

Bellum Manor, night of the Blood moon

Bubbles stared out of her bedroom window as the first traces of the moon began to grace the night sky. It was still odd, it wasn't a full moon that they were dreading, unlike the numerous others they had been worried about. It was almost full, but not completely round. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she realized that the moon was its ordinary white color instead of the dark red she had been expecting.

Inwardly she sighed as she turned away to find Blossom and Buttercup. Truthfully, she didn't know what exactly she was expecting. So far, the night had been no different from the many that came before it, but she knew that the night was still young, and that could change at any moment. Especially when she considered that they hadn't heard anything from Brick, Butch or Boomer since Brick had paid that unnerving visit to Blossom several days back-

"Bubbles, in here."

The thin blonde turned her head as she passed Blossom's room, only to see her two older sisters standing in the dark, seemingly waiting for her. She stepped into the room silently, and pulled the door partially closed behind her. "Are you ready?" Blossom asked her gently. "The moon is up which means its time to go meet Ace."

"Yes, I'm dressed." Bubbles gestured to her clothing which was light and easy to move in. "Where are we meeting again?" Buttercup jerked her thumb out the window and to the forest beyond.

"He did say the forest near the house. My guess is if we go in there deep enough, we'll find him in there somewhere."

"Provided something doesn't find us first." Blossom warned them. "We'll need to make this as fast. Something awful is going to happen tonight. I just know it."

"I can't shake that feeling either." Bubbles admitted. "Front door is cleared? Cloaks are ready to go?"

"Already done." Buttercup informed her as she absentmindedly rubbed her stomach. "I don't know if I should have moved two dressers by myself earlier though… I might have pulled something-" She paused as she caught both Blossom and Bubbles giving her concerned looks. "I'll live, don't worry about it, alright?"

"If you say so," Blossom relented, before giving both her and Bubbles a onceover "Alright girls, we're going to put the rest of the family up in mother's bedroom. It locks from the outside and the door is thick. It's a big room so they'll have room to move around… they'll be safe in there for the night while we're gone." She took a deep breath in, like she was trying to convince herself that everything she was saying was true. "Any questions?" Both sisters were quiet. Blossom sighed. "Alright, let's go get them then." And with that, she led the way out of her room and down the stairs to where the rest of their family was.

The three girls silently made their way past the newly cleared front door, but Bubbles couldn't help but stop and stare at the furniture piled high up against the large ground floor windows as they made their way towards the dining room. On one hand she was impressed by her mother's dedication to keeping the remainder of her family as safe as she could from what lurked in the dark world outside, but on the other hand it made her feel even more guilty about what they were going to do next…

The girls approached the dining room and paused just outside the door. Their mother, Aunt and Nanny were sitting around the dining room table, talking lowly amongst themselves. Bubbles frowned slightly. They somehow needed to convince them to come with them upstairs where they would lock them inside their mother's room while they went out to meet Ace. But the question now was: how would they convince them?

"Well, they're all together, which is good." Buttercup spoke up softly from beside her, snapping her out of her reprieve.

"Oh no, what about Gran? I completely forgot about her." Blossom muttered suddenly. "She's not with them. I don't want her wandering the halls after we've left with everyone else locked in the bedroom. She might let them out by mistake. Her mind isn't in a great place anymore."

"Gran is in bed and sleeps like the dead." Bubbles pointed out gently. "She sleeps for twelve hours as it is. I don't think we'll have to worry about her getting up in the middle of the night after we've gone."

"Good point." Blossom muttered as she turned to face the dining room. "Alright… now it's just to getting them all into mother's bedroom." Blossom sighed. "I truly feel horrible tricking them like this. "

"It's for their own good Blossom." Bubbles interrupted gently. "You know that. They won't be safe if we're here. If the boys come for us, I'd rather them not get caught in the crossfire."

"I know, I know." Blossom agreed softly as she cast a look back towards the living room where they could hear their mother taking with Nanny. "I know, they'll be safer here. Even if they don't understand or forgive us for it." She paused and finally shook her head as a determined look appeared on her face. "Now how are we supposed to get them all in one place? Does anyone have any ideas?"

Buttercup chewed on her lip. "I might." She muttered. "Just play along." Before Blossom or Bubbles could ask what she was doing, the raven haired girl brushed past them and made her way into the open room before either of them could stop her. "Everyone may I have your attention? I have an announcement to make." Buttercup declared loudly, causing the older woman in the room to look at her quizzically. "What is it Buttercup?" Sara asked her daughter gently.

Buttercup sucked in a breath before turning and pointing an accusatory finger back at Bubbles. "Bubbles broke your lamp in your bedroom."

"What?!" Bubbles balked. "I did no such thing-" She fell silent as Blossom jabbed her elbow into her ribs. "I mean- it was an accident! If you hadn't pushed me into the table, it wouldn't have fell-"

"What do you mean you broke the lamp in my bedroom? Which one?" Sara asked as she stood up, moving towards the door." "What were you two doing in there anyways?"

"I tried to stop them." Blossom added on, slowly catching on to Buttercup's plan. "But they were roughhousing and they knocked into the lamp by your bedside table by accident. We wanted to tell you so no one ends up cutting themselves on the shards."

"Oh no! I know the lamp you're talking about! That was an eighteen-century stain glass lamp. It's almost as old as Gran is! How could you girls be so careless?" Felicity scolded them from her chair. "I want to see the damage for myself." She grumbled as she reluctantly stood up to follow after Sara, just as Buttercup had hoped she would.

"Hush Felicity. I'm just glad no one was hurt. That's a heavy one." Sara sighed as she moved past her daughters. "Well, lets go see the damage. It might be able to be repaired."

"It doesn't look too bad!" Bubbles chirped, casting a glance in Nanny's direction. "Nanny might be able to fix it! It broke into big pieces!" the elder woman sighed, slowly rising to her feet.

"Alright my dears, I'll come look at it. I can't promise I'll be able to do anything about it, however."

"Well I certainly hope so." Felicity huffed as she brushed past them. "That lamp is an antique and a very expensive one at that. I was hoping to sell it later." The girls didn't miss the exasperated eye roll Nanny gave the blonde woman as she made her way towards the grand staircase.

"Really Felicity, can you not go for one minute without thinking about money?"

"Of course not."

"I didn't think so."

The sisters nervously followed after the older women as they climbed the staircase and made their way towards Sara's large bedroom. Sara pushed open the door open, followed closely by Felicity and Nanny, only to look around the room, confused. Slowly she entered the room and examined the clearly not-broken lamp on her bedside table.

"Girls, are you playing a trick on us?" she asked, as she gently picked up the lamp. "It's not broken… at least… not that I can see. What's going on here?" she glanced back at her daughters who were still standing in the doorframe.

Buttercup sent the three woman an apologetic look. "Sorry mum… I lied."

Before her mother could open her mouth to ask, Buttercup slammed the door shut, and locked it, jiggling the doorknob for good measure. "There, that should be good. But just in case-." Buttercup quickly disappeared into her room and returned a moment later with a chair, which she placed under the doorknob. "-There, now they're not going anywhere."

"Girls! What on Earth do you think you're doing?" their mother pounded on the door from the other side. "You had your fun, now let us out!"

"Yeah you little brats, what gives? How dare you lock us in here-!?"

"You're not helping Felicity. Sara, get them to open the door please."

"Yes Nanny, one moment please." A sigh came from the other side of the door. "Buttercup, let us out, now, please."

Buttercup shook her head, knowing full well that her mother couldn't see her. "Can't do that mum. Its for your own protection."

"Excuse me? Protection? Protection from what? What on Earth-?" A sudden silence fell on the other side of the door as the matriarch quickly pieced together what her daughter wasn't saying to her. "No. Girls NO! What do you think you're playing at?! Why would you go out there?! This is madness!"

"I'm sorry mama, we can't explain everything right now." Bubbles called back through the door, feeling torn. "We found someone who might know what happed to papa! He said if we meet him tonight, he'll tell us what happened, and where he is!"

"W-Wait… John is alive? H-How can you be sure…?" The girls heard their mother faulter, and their Aunt and Nanny whisper frantically to each other. After a moment the doorknob began to shake again. "It doesn't matter right now! You can't step foot outside this house! Those things are supposed to be out there tonight, I won't let you-" Sara sputtered as the doorknob rattled frantically.

"Please let us do this mama, this might be the only chance we have to find him." Bubbles pleaded gently. "We knew you wouldn't let us go, so we had to trick you. We're sorry, but this was the only way."

"Blossom! Blossom! Please let us out! If this is a joke that your sisters are playing, we don't find it humorous!"

Blossom rested her head against the door as her mother pounded on it from the other side. "I'm sorry mama, I can't do that. Please don't be angry with us and try to understand that this is for your own good."

"Blossom please no! You can't go out there! Those beasts will kill you and your sisters! I've already lost your father! I can't lose my daughters too!"

Blossom felt her heart clench and shatter painfully in her chest as she listened to her mother's desperate cries, judging from the looks on her sisters faces, they felt the same. Blossom shook her head, even though she knew her mother couldn't see her. "We'll be back mama, I promise. Just believe in us. We love you, and we'll see you at dawn."

"Blossom! Blossom NO!"

The sound of several bodies hitting the thick wood doors started up and Blossom could only imagine that her mother and Nanny were throwing themselves in vain against the door. She backed away and signaled for her sisters to follow her. "Let's go. The door should hold. I want to get this meeting over with as soon as possible. The sooner we find out where father is, the better."

She and Bubbles quickly departed down the stairs and towards the front door without another word, but Buttercup lingered behind, listening to the frantic screams of her family in the next room. She gently rested her hand on the shaking door and cleared her throat, causing the rattling to cease for a moment.

"Mum, I'm sorry I've been so distant lately. I haven't meant to. I-haven't really told this to anyone but, ah… I think I'm partly to blame for dad's disappearance. I'll explain more once we're back, but I'm going to make it right. That's what Blossom, Bubbles and I are trying to do at least. Please don't take it out on them." She swallowed thickly as she glanced down at her stomach. "Also… When I last went to see the Jojo's on my own… something happened… something bad… and I shouldn't have let it happen. When we come back, I'll talk with you about it… because I think it's had some more serious repercussions then I initially thought."

"Buttercup, Buttercup what are you saying?" her mother's shaking voice almost broke Buttercup's heart. "We'll be back mum, and when we come back, I'll tell you about it. I promise."

"Buttercup! Buttercup come on! We have to go!" Bubbles called to her from downstairs. "I have your cloak!"

"Coming!" Buttercup called back. "I have to go; we'll see you soon." She kissed her fingers and pressed them to the door before running to join her sisters outside, just as the frantic screaming started back up again.

---

Jojo Estate

Mojo watched, captivated as the large, white moon began to slowly creep across the night sky from his perch by the living room window. He rubbed his hands together as he slid off the couch and made his way into the dimly-lit hallway.

It was time. It was time to call the God to them. The deal that he had made with the God, the very one that he had worked so very hard on to ensure would not fail, was at long last about to be complete. Once the being was finally in their world, he would be rewarded greatly for his years of service. This he knew.

The secrets to summoning his own army from Hell would finally be revealed to him. No more was his goal about knowing the key to giving his feeble creations life, or summoning weak monsters from the outskirts of Hell itself – no – he wanted an army to do his bidding. It was the least he could ask for after working to ensure that the master of the pit would be able to come into their world, no thanks to the help of his sons-

Speaking of which, where were those boys? They hadn't made so much as a sound the whole night. He had been expecting them to be rejoicing, but he hadn't seen much of them throughout the day.

"Boys?" he called out as he looked up and down the dark hallway. "Boys, where are you? It is time to complete the ritual-."

"Here Mojo."

The shorter man nearly jumped out of his skin as he turned around only to see Brick standing behind him with his hands behind his back, eyes looking glassy. Behind him Butch and Boomer slowly made their way out of the darkness, eyes glowing dimly in the low light.

"Ah, there you are." He chuckled, trying to not to look Brick directly in the eyes. He would be lying if he said the look that his eldest was giving him was not unnerving, but it didn't matter what kind of looks he gave him, as long as he completed the final part of the ritual. "The time has come boys. Are you ready?"

"Almost. There's still one last thing we have to take care of."

Mojo frowned. "What else could you possibly have left to do? We must call forth the God soon or the Blood moon will lose the power to call HIM here." his brows knit together. "Or is it about those girls? I have told you three that you need not worry about them so much. I am sure the God will leave them alone if they truly mean that much to you. What matters right now is the summoning-"

"It's not about them, actually." Brick cut in coldly, as the empty look in his eyes was replaced by annoyance. "We're short one offering." Mojo paused. Oh dear, that wasn't good. In order to call the being to them, they needed the blood of one hundred offerings and not one less. They wouldn't be able to call HIM here at all if it wasn't done.

"Are you sure?" Boomer nodded from behind Brick.

"I think so. It's hard to keep track, considering our memories weren't so good when we transformed until recently… but we need one more."

"You waited until now to tell me this?" Mojo squawked. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go and find someone and complete your mission, the moon will be reaching it's highest point in the sky soon and we should call HIM here when it gets there." He paused as he gave them each a once over. "Speaking of… I… am surprised that you three haven't changed yet. It seems lately that you have had more control over the beasts."

"You could say that." Butch growled low in his throat, as he looked down at his nails, which were slowly becoming sharper. "You could say that we made our own deal with HIM."

"You have… made your own deal with the being?" Mojo paused confused. Since when had they done that, and why hadn't he known about it? "Don't worry about it." Brick growled, snapping his attention back to them. "It's done now. I also wouldn't worry about the final offering. We've already found someone."

"Ah, good, good." Mojo ginned, forgetting about the strange deal the boys had apparently made. "I imagine that it's that lowly peasant Ace? A wise choice, he truly is a despicable creature. I'll be happy to have him gone from my house-."

"Ace is gone Mojo." Butch growled. "Maybe you haven't noticed, but he left the house an hour ago and didn't come back." Mojo shot him a disbelieving look.

"And you did not try to stop him?"

"We'll be dealing with him later. Trust me, we're not letting him go that easily." Butch rumbled, looking even more irritated as he shot Brick a dark look, which the red-eyed man simply waved off.

"Fine. As long as he doesn't interfere with the summoning." Mojo relented. "Who have you selected for your final offering then?"

"Don't worry about it. You'll find out soon enough." Brick muttered, just loud enough for Mojo to hear, but the shorter man was too giddy with the prospect of finally being rewarded to decipher what the red eyed man was hinting at.

"Very well then. Now, the God told me about what was needed to summon him here all those years ago, but he never told me exactly how to call him here once the requirements were fulfilled. I am assuming at least one of you knows?"

"Yes." Brick answered hollowly as he slowly made his way past Mojo to stand behind him, making Butch and Boomer look at him in confusion, but neither boys said anything. Mojo nodded, a grin working his way up his lips.

"Good, good. Then soon we shall finally be able to complete the plan that was set in action almost twenty years ago."

Mojo grinned maniacally as he clasped his hands together "Now finally, after years of planning, I will be rewarded for my years of service." The short man almost cackled gleefully. "As soon as you go find your last offering, we shall summon the God and I will finally learn how to summon forth my own demons to do my bidding! Just as HE promised me!"

"That's nice, dad."

Before Mojo could utter another word. Brick removed his hands from behind his back and quickly slashed his throat with one of the steak knives that his brothers had often seen in the kitchen. Mojo let out an awful, garaged shriek as his hands flew up to grasp at his throat, which was pouring out blood like a waterfall.

"That's what you get for years of seeing us as nothing more then pawns in 'your' game, you prick." Brick growled as he tossed the knife aside, not bothering to wipe his hands, that were soaked up to his forearms in crimson.

Butch and Boomer stared, stunned as they watched the man who they had called 'father' fall onto his knees, holding his throat in a pathetic attempt to stanch the bleeding. He looked up pleadingly at Boomer for help, but the tall blond didn't move to help him, and neither did Butch – though if the middle brother was as surprised as he was, he did a much better job at hiding it. Boomer watched in stunned silence as Brick moved so he was standing directly in front of Mojo, only for the small man to fall on his side, hands still covering his throat as he gargled for air.

"You're so intelligent Mojo, let me ask you this:" Brick hummed playfully as he knelt down to Mojo's level. "What do you get when you put three werewolves, who may or may not have any empathy at all, through years of manipulation and abuse, just so you can try and get ahead?"

Mojo let out a small wheeze in response as his eyes glazed over and he took one final breath before stilling. Only when he was sure that the smaller man was dead, did Brick stand up to glower down at him.

"You get what's fucking coming to you."

He let out a deep sigh and ran a hand through his cropped red hair, leaving streaks of blood through it as he turned around to cast a hooded look back at Butch and Boomer. "That's one hundred, if I'm not mistaken." Butch nodded slowly, looking lost for words.

"Yeah. That makes one hundred."

"Then it's done. We can finally complete the ritual." Brick sighed as he brushed past them towards the front doors.

"Yes… but how do we call HIM here?" Boomer asked.

"I can do it." Brick sighed as he beckoned for them to follow him. "Let's go. We have much to do tonight and little time to accomplish it."

"What are we doing first Brick?" Butch muttered. "Are we going after Ace and the gang? Or are we going to summon HIM first?"

Brick mulled it over for a moment before he shook his head. "We'll call HIM here first. The night won't last forever, and I'd like to do it while the moon is still young and we have all of our senses about us. We've kept HIM waiting long enough."

"Is that wise though?" Butch challenged him hesitantly. "I don't want Buttercup – or her sisters for that matter – getting caught up in whatever mess is going to happen once that demon comes into our world. That and I don't want to give Ace the opportunity to run off with them-."

"They'll be fine Butch. They'll have to be. Nothing will happen to them. We'll be there to make sure of it." Brick interrupted with a sigh. "Now let's go. We have a job to complete."

Boomer glanced at Butch before he nodded slowly. "Alright, let's go. Then we get the girls." Brick nodded. "Then we get the girls." He confirmed as he turned towards the double doors and threw them open, walking out into the cold night air.

Butch and Boomer followed him out without a word as he led them down the front steps towards the forest. Brick suddenly frowned and looked back at the dilatated mansion that had served as their home for almost twenty years. He allowed himself give the massive house a once over, his eyes resting upon the fearsome stone wolves by the entranceway and then back to his brothers. "Well boys, take one last look at it. After tonight, nothing will be the same."

Boomer looked back at the looming house with a sigh as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I suppose this place was once beautiful. But it hasn't been like that in a long time."

"No, it's been our fucking prison for the last two decades." Butch agreed with a snort. "I won't miss it at all. Especially not that fucking basement."

"No." Boomer agreed, trying his best to block out the images of the cold, unfeeling room. "No, I wont miss that either."

Brick looked at each of them in turn before looking back towards the still open doors, where he could still see the outline of Mojo's crumpled body, just inside the main foyer. He set his mouth in a firm line. He knew what lay underneath the foundations of the house. They knew all too well. They didn't need a reminder.

It would be better if it was gone forever. No one else needed to know what horrors lay inside.

"You know what?" The red-eyed man asked as he pulled out a box of matches from his pocket, lighting one. "Neither will I." Without another word, he tossed the lit match into the open house. The three brothers watched for a moment in morbid fascination as the tiny flame landed on the old ornate rug just inside the doorway. For a second the light, sputtered and went out, only for it to ignite a second later, catching the corner of the rug on fire. They watched quietly as the fire quickly spread across the floor and began to crawl up the walls, until the whole front foyer was engulfed in flames.

"Brick-" Butch muttered, looking lost. "You sure that was the right thing to do?" the oldest brother shook his head.

"I don't know. I think so. I didn't see you stopping me." Butch had no response as he watched the flames inside the doorway grow higher and higher until he couldn't see Mojo's body anymore. "Hey." Brick growled, watching as the expressionless looks on his brother's faces disappear as he called them back. He wrapped his arms around their necks and pulled them in close. It was almost a hug. Almost. "No more looking back." Brick told them quietly. "We can't let the past hold us back anymore. After tonight, we'll have it all. All three of us. We're going to take what the world never gave to us. We're never going to be seen as monsters again."

"Only by the girls." Boomer muttered, locking eyes with his brother's blood red ones. For a moment, he saw the cold, hard, edges of Brick's eyes soften at the mention of them. For one brief second, he could of swore he saw something swimming in them until Brick looked away and the hardness retuned to his gaze.

"They'll come around." He growled as he released them. "Now come on. We have a job to do."

Without another word, he led them into the forest. As Boomer followed him into the ever-growing darkness, he knew Brick was right about one thing: after tonight, nothing would ever be the same again.

---

Gypsy Campgrounds

Berserk sat along outside the campgrounds, watching the dark forest that surrounded the campsite she called home, as the moon slowly rose into the dark night sky. She had taken it upon herself to stand watch over the campgrounds for the beginning of the night and she was on high alert, watching for things in the forest that shouldn't be there.

Her sisters were back middle of the campsite, helping the rest of their 'family' try and prepare for the worst. Berserk didn't truly know what to expect from the night ahead, but she knew that straying too far from camp would be a death sentence. Thankfully, the night had been quiet so far, but she knew it wouldn't stay that way.

Berserk felt her heart pound frantically in her chest as she watched as the pale white moon slowly rise higher into the sky. Soon the moon would bleed and turn completely red, signaling the approach of the Demon. She shook he head. Never did she think that she and her sisters would be alive to witness one as they were so rare. She had hoped that she would never witness one. The Blood moon brought horrors of unimaginable terror with it. There was a reason one of its nicknames was "Devil's moon" after all.

Her heart began to race in her rib cage again and her eyes narrowed as she looked down at her chest. That was odd. She was nervous because she knew what the vile abomination was about to pay the humble town a visit – but her heart was hammering away like she had just run across town. It shouldn't be beating as hard as it was-

She frowned as she placed a hand overtop of her heart. It felt like there was two heart beats pumping in her chest…

The hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood up on end and she felt like she was frozen in place. She couldn't move a muscle; she wasn't even able to turn her head. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in through her nose. She wasn't alone. There was something here with her, and it didn't feel human.

Berserk opened her light red eyes again and allowed her mind to relax as she tried to focus on seeing what didn't want to be seen, but she couldn't see anything but shadows… shadows that looked like they were twisting and moving in the cold wind, like they had a mind of their own-

"I know you're there." Berserk spoke lowly as she surveyed the area. "Why hide? Clearly you want to be seen, otherwise you wouldn't let me detect your presence."

The shadows stopped swaying and went still. There was a moment of absolute silence before she noticed a slight moment out of the corner of her eye. A pair of wide green eyes were staring at her from the shadow she was casting on the ground next to her.

She watched silently as a pale-skinned curvaceous woman with wild black hair stepped out of her shadow, and moved so that she was directly in front of her, regarding her silently with those wide green eyes. Berserk looked at her closely. "I know you." she murmured. "It's been a long time. Auntie"

The woman looked taken aback. "You remember me?" she whispered faintly, the shadows surrounding her twisted and withered like tentacles. "You were so young when I left…" Berserk nodded.

"I remember bits and pieces." She narrowed her eyes. "What happened to you? You're not human… not really. I thought you died... Everyone thought you died."

"I did…"

The shadows stilled as the shadow woman lowered her head. "…But only half of me died, and now, I am forced to live like this." She gestured to herself and the surrounding shadows. "A half-life. A cursed life. I cannot even die, though I wish I could."

"What did he do to you Auntie?" Berserk murmured, ignoring how the wind turned bitter and blew her copper hair around. "Tell me how I can help you. Tell me what we can do to stop your sons. The Devil is upon us, and he will kill everyone if he comes."

Sedusa only shook her head slowly. "He cannot be stopped, for he his almost here." she paused, still looking at the ground. "I will try, once more, to appeal the hell-spawn… perhaps one of them will listen."

"Auntie, let me help you." Berserk almost pleaded, aghast at what her Aunt had become. "My sisters and I can help you. We can try and stop our cousins. The Utonium girls know of their curse, they wish to help them-"

"No. Keep everyone else safe. Leave, if you can." Sedusa shook her head frantically. "I will try and handle… them. Though I will be punished for it when HE gets here." she looked away. "Once HE arrives… he will rip the world asunder and unleash his monsters on the world… I must try and find the girls and keep them away… for my dear old friends' sake…"

"What will happen to you?" Berserk asked quietly. Sedusa didn't respond, but the shadows the surrounded her twisted and thrashed. "Perhaps… perhaps once I have ensured the girls safety… that monster will finally let me die." She let out an airy laugh that chilled Berserk to the bone. "It will be painful. I will be going against his orders… but that's all I want now."

"Auntie-?"

"I have missed you my little Berserk. And Brute, and Brat. You three were the only reason I stayed in the camp for as long as I did." She offered the copper-haired girl a tiny smile, and for a moment, the withering shadows stopped moving and the wild look left her light green eyes. Berserk's heart felt heavy as she realized that she looked like she once had in her faint memories of her. But then Sedusa's lips dropped and the hooded look entered her eyes again, and the shadows began to twist and coil around her.

"I must go now. Get yourself and the other's out if you can. Keep yourselves safe… Goodbye little one…"

"Auntie wait-"

Berserk blinked and suddenly the shadow woman was gone. Whatever hold Sedusa had on her was gone, and she found she could move freely again. She looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the dark-haired woman, but there was no trace of her anywhere. It was like she had never been there in the first place.

She tried to push the empty feeling in her chest down as she turned back towards the tents. She had to try and keep what was left of her family safe. She didn't want what had happened to Sedusa to become her or her sister's fate. It had looked like even her own existence pained her, and Berserk didn't doubt that it did. The woman was barely human anymore… she truly had suffered a fate worse than death…

Berserk waved the thought away. No, she wouldn't let the same happen to her or her sisters. She would try and protect everyone to the best of her ability… Hopefully the Utonium sisters would heed her advice and do the same. She frowned. It seemed that Sedusa was looking after them too apparently. She hopped that no harm would come to any of them, but she knew that was only hopeful thinking on her half.

"Goodbye." She murmured quietly to the forest before she turned around and made her way back into the campgrounds without looking back.

---

Townsville Forest

The three brothers silently made their way through the abnormally quiet forest. Butch and Boomer slowly trudged behind Brick as he led them deeper into the forest. Neither of them said a word as they bore holes into their eldest brother's broad back.

They were glad that they couldn't quite see Brick's hands in the long shadows the forest provided. In the shadows, his hands looked like they were in covered in dirt. The shadows hid the real truth.

Mojo was gone and Brick had finally done what he had always hoped he'd have the chance to do.

Neither were upset. They knew it had been coming. It had been a long time coming. They weren't saints. They had often dreamed of Mojo's death as they had gotten older and they had finally been able to understand of the years of passive abuse he had put them through.

It was just heard to believe he was finally gone.

"Here." Brick paused as they came across a small clearing. He gave the area a quick once over before nodding curtly. "We'll call HIM here. We won't be disturbed." His brothers said nothing as he bent down and started to clear the ground of snow, brushing the white powder away until he reached the frozen ground underneath. Brick's eyes were glowing, almost as if he was hypnotized as he dug a finger into the cold earth and began to carve out shapes into the unyielding ground.

Butch and Boomer were quiet as they watched their oldest brother slowly trace out elaborate patterns in the dirt. It was like someone was guiding his hand as the red-head continued to work.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Butch asked finally.

"Yes." Was the response he received. "Don't worry. I'll handle it. Just keep watch and make sure no one interrupts us."

"How are you so sure this will bring HIM here?" Boomer asked. "As far as I remember, we were never told how to-"

"It just will, alright Boomer?" Brick snapped as he finally turned to look up at his youngest brother. His eyes softened slightly as Boomer flinched slightly. He ran a hand through his matted red hair as he sighed and resumed what he was doing. "Just… trust me. I know what I'm doing. I'll explain afterwards."

"…Fine." Boomer muttered as he turned away. "All the other requirements have been met now. This is the final step. Whatever this is."

Brick didn't respond as he continued to carve more designs in the dirt. Butch and Boomer stood in silence for a while, watching as the shadows the trees cast from the moonlight grow longer. In reality, they knew they had only been in the woods for ten minutes at most – but with their sharpened senses, the world and time itself seemed to speed up. They could see and hear everything that moved. Their eyes could pick up the subtle changes in the air and the earth. The forest, as dead as it was to most who looked at it, was alive and breathing to them.

The air felt charged with electricity; an unseen energy crackled around them as Brick continued to draw, filling their senses, making them drunk off an unknown power. The beast that was lying dormant just underneath their skins was pacing and growling, begging them to finally give into their more volatile natures and change. Soon they would be free to rip, free to claw, free to kill-

"Hurry up Brick. I'm itching to change." Butch growled as his nails changed back and forth from nails to sharp black claws. "I have to go take care of a certain someone, and I'd really rather not put that off any longer."

"Hush. I'm almost done." Brick muttered as he continued to draw in the frozen dirt. "You'll want to be here for this."

"Whatever this is." Boomer sighed, as he scanned the dead forest with narrowed eyes. "I feel like we're being watched."

"By who? Those idiot villagers are all in town waiting for us to make an appearance. The only living things that are in the forest are the animals, and what are they going to do?" Butch huffed.

"No, this is different." Boomer muttered, not allowing his gaze to settle on anything. "It's not an animal, but it doesn't exactly feel… human either." The hairs on the back of his neck stood up slightly. "I've felt it once before; when I was visiting Mitch's residence. I couldn't see anything, but I know that I was being watched by something. I'm getting that same feeling now."

"It's nerves." Brick grumbled without looking up. "I don't feel anything. Do you Butch?"

"Not really." Butch agreed. "This has been a shitty night so far Boomer. Don't make it worse by imagining ghosts."

"I promise I'm not." Boomer growled as he took a step in the direction of the eyes. "We're not alone out here-"

Boomer.

The blond man froze and his blood turned to ice. That voice… it had been so long since he had heard it last. Could it be? Was it really her?

Boomer, please. Please don't let your brother bring HIM here. I know that you think HE will help you achieve happiness… but HE will only bring you sorrow-

"Boomer."

Boomer's head snapped in Butch's direction, only to see his middle brother looking at him with a concerned expression. "You alright?" He nodded tensely, unsure of what to say. There was no possible way she was with them out here, and there was no way that he could tell his brother that he was hearing voices from someone who he was almost certain was dead. He was going insane, he had to be.

Butch narrowed his eyes. "Focus man. You were spacing out. We have to be on top of our game tonight. There's going to be a lot of people out looking for us, and we still have to find the girls and bring them back here so they're out of the way-"

"I know, I know." Boomer waved him off as he turned to look back at the suffocating darkness of the forest, trying to see if someone was staring back at him. When he didn't see anything he looked back at Butch, "I just thought I heard something-."

"Finished."

Both brothers turned to look at Brick who sat back on his hunches to admire his handywork. The brothers gathered around the crude drawing that Brick had carved into the frozen ground. An elaborate pentagram stared back at them from the forest floor

Butch huffed and crossed his arms over his broad chest, but his eyes betrayed him as he looked at the elaborate pentagram crudely drawn into the dirt. "So, it's done?"

Brick nodded, wiping the dirt off his hands as he stood up. "Yes. It's done." He confirmed softly.

"Now what?" Boomer asked hollowly.

"We call HIM here… and claim what is rightfully ours. What has always belonged to us." Brick muttered.

"…Well, I don't know how to do that." Butch grumbled after a second, looking anywhere but in front of him. "Do you?"

"I do." Brick confirmed as he took a step towards the pentagram, feeling slightly drunk. "I think I've always known how to. He had to leave instructions on how to call him here with one of us."

"I always knew you were his favorite." Boomer muttered as he ran a hand though his hair nervously.

"I don't know if that's such a good thing." Butch muttered, nudging his shoulder discreetly; and Boomer couldn't help but silently agree with him. He paused as he watched Brick raise his hand and inspect it carefully. "What are you-"

But his voice died on his lips as Brick sliced open his palm with one claw-like nail. Black blood began to well up from the deep cut and he turned his palm over the glowing pentagram, and allowed the tainted blood to drip onto it. The dark blood sizzled as it was absorbed into the glowing symbols and evaporated into smoke. The glow the emanated from the pentagram faded for a moment, before a massive beam of red energy surged out of the circle and into the dark sky with an ominous boom.

The three men watched as the pure white moon began to turn red before their very eyes, coating the dark world in a deep crimson.

"…Shit." Boomer muttered without taking his eyes off the newly turned moon. "This is it."

"Yeah." Butch muttered, just as awestruck as his younger brother. "What happens next?"

"The Blood Moon rises once again."

A voice, unlike any other, echoed around the boys, causing them to look around the dying forest. "-and with it, I am called into the mortal plane to claim it as my own."

"Brick… what's going on?" Boomer muttered as the wind began to rip through the dead trees, blowing towards the glowing pentagram on the ground.

"I don't know." Brick growled, shielding his eyes. "I don't know any more then you do."

"You fucking called him here." Butch snarled, eyes glowing dangerously, starkly contrasting the red light emanating from the moon. "You should know what's supposed to happen."

"I knew how to summon him here. I never said I knew what was going to happen once I did." Brick countered.

"Are you fucking joking?" Butch began to snarl out, but he stopped as another burst of red energy shot out of the pentagram and into the sky. It spread across the dark black sky and consumed the moon, turning it and the sky a deep, blood red.

"I am free."

"What the fuck-" Butch managed to get out, before he suddenly groaned, clutching his head and fell to the forest floor. "Butch?!" Boomer whirled around and dropped to his knees beside his brother, shaking him frantically. "Butch, get up! What wrong?"

"My head… he's in my fucking head! Get him out, GET HIM OUT-" The rest of the sentence was cut off as a vicious snarl tore out of the brutal man's throat, and he began to writhe on the ground uncontrollably, as if he was fighting against some unseen force. "What the hell is happening-" Boomer yelled, only to stiffen and fall to the snow covered ground beside his brother.

"Butch, Boomer, what the hell us wrong with the two of you?" Brick took a step towards his kin, only for a searing pain to rip through his body. He dropped to his knees in front of the pentagram, unable to do anything as he watched his brothers convulse and howl in front of him.

In his mind's eye, he watched a skinny figure with bright red skin and large lobster-like claws, tear its way out of the pits of hell, coming straight towards the world he called home… straight towards the now-red night sky.

He weakly managed to turn his head to look at the pentagram, which was now pulsating as if it had a heartbeat. The pain began to spread through his body like fire and his vison began to swim as a massive red claw emerged from the pentagram. It felt around for a moment, before the rest of the monster that was attached to it, rose up and out of the glowing circle.

The pain in Brick's body subsided for a moment as he took in the creature hovering above the pentagram. The being was tall, thin and wiry, with bright red skin covering its body and had slicked black hair styled neatly. On second look, he noticed the creature was wearing what looked like an elaborate medieval tunic, complete with long black boots. At first glance, the creature almost looked like some sort of strange jester from a fairy tale book, but Brick knew better; the large, lobster-like claws that it had instead of hands, proved the monsters was anything but humorous. The creature let out a distorted chuckle as it took in its surroundings and Brick couldn't help but shudder. Suddenly, murky green eyes with silts for pupils locked on to his still form. Brick felt his body stiffen involuntarily as the monster sized him up, before a sick grin spread across its dark lips.

"Well, well. Finally. At long last we meet. It's been a long time, hasn't it, boy?"

He had never officially met the being in person before, and yet, he had known HIM his whole life. He had always had a strange connection to HIM. Always had dreams about HIM. Always knew that the being was watching him and his brother's every movement. If Butch and Boomer had the same sort of connection to the monster, they never showed it, but now Brick was positive that he was the only one who had been able to 'talk' to the monster before him, seeing how he had been the only one who had known how to summon the creature from the netherworld into the theirs in the first place.

He had known, because HE had told him how to when he was very small.

In that awful moment – as the monster stared him down with the most unforgiving grin he had ever seen – the only thing he could think about was how strange it was that they were only meeting for the first time.

HE, was his true father. The demon that sired him and his brothers. The very one that had caused their mother to go insane. They had been brought into the world with one purpose. All three of them had known that for as long as they could remember. They had been brought into the world as the result of a deal between the monster and Mojo. Their entire lives had led up to this very moment: they had been born to release the creature into their world by spilling the blood of their enemies in HIS name.

Finally, after many tortuous years, they had done it. One hundred souls. One hundred murders, one hundred offerings, one hundred different peoples' blood spilled – all to call forth their true father – just as they had always planned.

To think, they were born into the world to carry out such heinous acts, just because some silly little man wanted the ability to bring his own monsters to life… clearly, he had gotten more than what he bargained for. And he wouldn't even live to see it.

But now, as Brick lay there on the ground, unable to move, listening to his brother howls of agony; he was unsure of what was going to happen next. He hadn't cared for the longest time. All he knew was that they were destined to summon the demon into their world and that they would rule beside him. At least, that was what had been promised to them unbeknownst to Mojo. But then the girls had come back into their lives after years of being away, throwing a wrench into that plan, and Brick had promised himself that they would have them standing dutifully at their sides, before they called forth their father and welcome the demon as HE laid waste to the surrounding town.

But now the demon was here and the girls weren't. That was a problem.

He had wanted the girls tethered to him and his brothers so they wouldn't get hurt in the ensuing carnage that Brick could only imagine was coming. He had wanted to wait until the girls were safe and out of the way before summoning the demon; but they were out of time and they had needed to summon HIM before the Blood moon's power ebbed away.

But the girls had been stubborn and had fought him and his brothers at every turn. Forcing him to change his plans again and again. He had promised the demon that they wouldn't be an issue, that they would have it under control, and the girls would be compliant… but… the girls had never made anything easy for them.

As if the monster floating in front of him could read his mind (and Brick had no problem believing that the creature could), he lowered his head and taunted him.

"Well boy." The demons two-toned voice snapped him back to reality. "Where are those lovely little girls you and your brothers were so desperate to possess? You told me that you would have them here and that they would be obedient… and yet… they are not here."

Brick tried to swallow and respond, but he couldn't find the words to reply to the otherworldly figure. The being sighed and clicked its tongue. "Tsk, Tsk, boys. I knew these silly girls would be more trouble then they're worth." The demon's unsettling green eyes rested on his son's red ones. "But… A deal is a deal. I will help you bring them to you."

"Brick…" A strained voice; Butch's, Brick could tell – forced him to rip his attention away from the demon to his brother, who was still writhing on the ground in pain alongside Boomer. Both were looking at him though. "What is he talking about? What deal did you make with HIM?"

Brick paused as another painful spasm ripped through his body. "I did it for us and I did it for them." He finally managed to wheeze out. "I made HIM promise that when we finally summoned HIM here, he would leave the girls out of the mess-."

"And I ALWAYS follow through with my promises." The demon cackled. "But… I haven't got time to waste on trivial matters of the heart. So, I'm going to make this quick." His eyes began to glow ominously and a red mist began to envelope the boys. "You've been too soft with them… You need to be… Firmer… with them."

"What the hell are you-?" Brick began to ground out, but suddenly, he couldn't think. His mind went blank and began to fill with red fog. He began to thrash and groan as his body began to shift and break, and somewhere in the back of his delirious mind, he could hear Butch and Boomer collapse next to him.

The boys began to howl as their bones shifted and cracked against their wills. The mist was forcing them to change once again, but unlike the last several transformations they had undergone, they could do nothing to stop what was happening. As their bones split and thick, dark fur grew out of every pore, they could tell something was different. Something was wrong, they could sense it. The shift was different then before – they were evolving once again.

They grew bigger, and bigger. The weight of their massive bodies forcing them down onto all fours, as their teeth and claws grew to uncanny lengths. Their muscular forms doubled in size, and their already terrifying features twisted until they almost looked demonic.

The demon watched silently as the werewolves grew lager then they ever had before, their howls of pain ceasing into small grunts. Finally, after another moment, they stopped their rapid growth and fell silent. "Look at me." The demon commanded sternly. All three wolves looked up at their master in unison, and the demon was pleased to see a faint red glow reflected in their dark, hazy eyes. It was part of his influence. He had complete control over them – if he had more control in this world, he would have simply possessed them from the beginning, it would have made the process of bringing him here much easier, had he been able to. But as loathed as the creature was to admit it: his power had limits outside the pits of hell… which was why he had helped bring the boys into existence in the first place.

He had needed strong vessels to carry out the offering of spilled blood in his name in order for him to be able to cross over into the human's world. Mojo had needed heirs, and wanted the ability to bring his Frankenstein creations to life to impress his fellow scientists. The latter hadn't happened like the man had wanted, but the former had.

Only, Mojo's sons had never been his sons. They had been his all along.

And now, here they were, standing before him, ready to carry out his bidding without hesitation. As the beasts they were always meant to be.

"There. That's better." The demon chuckled as the wolves stood before him silently. "It's finally time that you accepted what you really are." The being smirked. "My GRIMMS." The demonic wolves only stood silently in response, causing the demon to chuckle. "Now nothing will stand in the way of my rein over this world." He waved his claw.

"Now, go bring those silly girls here. Then we can truly begin."

Without another word, all three beasts turned silently and took off at the same time, towards Townsville, leaving the smiling demon behind in the forest.

---

Townsville Forest, near Bellum Manor

"Blossom, are you sure we're supposed to meet him out this way?" Buttercup groaned as the girls moved single file deeper and deeper into the forest. They had been walking for around ten minutes and still hadn't seen any sign of Ace anywhere.

"He said to meet him in the woods around our house, but didn't specify were." Blossom called back as she slowly pushed ahead. "I assume if we go in far enough, we'll find him, or he'll find us at some point."

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of." Buttercup muttered as she wearily looked around the dark forest. "I don't want anyone sneaking up on me tonight. Especially not in these woods."

Bubbles turned to look back at Buttercup as they walked. She slowed her pace slightly until she fell in-step with Buttercup, giving her hand a comforting squeeze. "I know that look. What are you thinking about?" Bubbles asked her dark-haired sister gently. Buttercup shrugged as she glanced around the dim forest. "I don't like this. It's too quiet." She admitted after a moment. "Haven't you noticed that we haven't heard a single sound since we stepped foot into the woods?"

Come to think of it, she hadn't. Bubbles glanced around and from what she could see, there wasn't any signs of life nearby in the forest. She turned back to see Blossom also looking around. After a moment, she could almost see the red-haired woman came to the same conclusion, only Blossom didn't bother to hide the uneasy look that spread across her face. "That can't be good." She muttered quietly as she stopped and turned to face her sisters. "Okay girls, keep your eyes and ears open. Any sign of moment, let me know. If you hear any howls, get ready to run."

Both girls nodded mutely, and Blossom sighed, pulling her red cloak closer to her. "Okay, let's continue." They made their way in silence for a while longer before they came across a small clearing. The pale moonlight shown down from high in the sky, illuminating the snow and causing the trees to cast crooked shadows down into the clearing. Blossom sighed as she wrapped her cloak tighter around her. "Alright, let's rest here for a moment. If he doesn't show in a few minutes, we'll head towards the town."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Bubbles cringed. "I don't think that letting them see us tonight of all nights is such a good idea. They already think we're witches… god knows what they'll try and do to us if they see us out."

"Oh, I'm not saying we'll go into town, but we'll stay in the forest near town and wait for Ace there. At least it'll be somewhat safer, and hopefully it'll detour the boy's if they're looking for us." Blossom sent them helpless look. "I'm sorry, it's the best idea I've got-. "

Crack.

The sound of a twig snapping in the darkness caused them to quiet immediately. The girls turned in the direction of the sound, but they couldn't see anything through the oppressive darkness that surrounded them. "Hello?" Blossom called out tentatively. "Ace? Ace is that you?"

There was no response. Bubbles felt a cold sweat start to bead on the back of her neck. "Blossom-"

Blossom held up her hand, to quiet her. "Wait." She whispered quietly. There was another tense moment of silence, until the sound of another tree branch snapping – closer to them this time – echoed off to their right. "Ace?" Blossom called once more, gripping her sister's hands, getting ready to run if need be, until they heard a voice call out from the darkness.

"Girls? Girls, you's there?"

Blossom breathed a sigh of relief as a thick New York-Italian accent called out to them from the depths of the forest. "Yes, come out were we can see you please." There was the sound of shuffling from where the voice had emanated from, before Ace stepped out of the tree line. He pushed back his greasy black hair and took off his tinted spectacles, revealing his strange pink-tinted eyes, as he sent them a smile. "Hello ladies. Sorry to keep you's waiting. I had to sneak away."

"I'm glad you finally decided to show yourself." Buttercup retorted snidely. "The woods aren't exactly a place that we want to be in right now. There are monsters that can kill you out here, as I'm sure you've heard."

"I've heard… and seen." Ace assured her. "I didn't see anything while making my way over here though. The woods are quiet tonight."

"That's what worries me." Buttercup muttered. If Ace heard, he didn't let on and instead stuffed his hands into his coat pockets. "So, I'm sure you's are curious about what I know about your daddy-"

"I'm sorry, can you please just get right to it Ace. We don't want to be out of here any longer then we need to be." Blossom interrupted him gently. "Oh of course, I don't plan on taking up either of our times with this." Ace agreed. He sighed and he clicked his tongue against his teeth. "Actually girls, I gotta be honest. I wasn't entirely truthful with you's."

Bubbles felt the cold sweat spread to the rest of her body. "What do you mean?" she asked hesitantly, feeling her stomach drop painfully. Ace sent her a sickening smile. "Well you's see, I had other intensions for getting you's out here tonight, sweetness."

"What-"

Suddenly the woods came alive around them. The sounds of small snaps and cracks echoed through the trees until four other men that the girls didn't recognize; appeared, surrounding them. Blossom pressed Bubbles and Buttercup behind her. "What is this?" she demanded. "What trick are you playing Ace? We told you to come alone. Who are these men-."

"Sorry love, you're right, that's rude of me. Let me introduce you to my old gang. That's Snake." He pointed to a thin man with a large gap in between his front teeth. "Lil' Arturo." A small man, even shorter than Mojo cackled at them, making them press closer together. Ace then pointed to the biggest man that the girls had ever seen, a stark contrast to his other cohort. "That's Big Billy and finally we have Grubber." The girls followed his line of sight, only to recoil in horror as a disfigured man stepped forward. His skin hung off his frame and his eyes bulged out of his head. He panted and grumbled something unintelligible, causing Ace to laugh. "Yeah that's them. I told you's they were attractive girls."

"Blossom, Bubbles, we need to run." Buttercup muttered in her sister's ears. "Forget the boys finding us, I'm more worried about what these freaks are going to try and do." Ace frowned as he heard the dark-haired woman whispering to her sisters.

"Now, now. Leaving so soon? Sorry spice, but that's not going to work." He snapped his fingers and before the girls could move, the gang of men descended on them.

Bubbles screamed bloody murder as Snake yanked her away from Blossom and Buttercup. Blossom wailed and grabbed for her hands, only for Grubber to bear hug her from behind, pinning her arms to her sides and squeezing her ribs painfully as he and Arturo dragged her back. Buttercup lunged for her only to be dragged away, kicking and screaming by Billy, who locked her arms behind her.

"Daaaah, Look Ace! I've got the pretty lady." The large man slurred happily as he squeezed Buttercup. The ravenette glanced up, confused. He sounded like a child – far from what she expected. Was he slow? Or had he suffered a head trauma? Ace 's eyes narrowed as he caught her looking up at her captor.

"He didn't used to be like that. Believe me doll, he used to be with it." He nodded, pointing the knife and Grubber. "He didn't used to look like that either. Fact, reason why we're here is because of what happened to them."

"Then why have you deceived us like this?" Bubbles snapped as she squirmed against Snake. "We don't even know them, much less what happened to them!"

"No, but you's are part of our little plan for revenge." Ace sniggered. "I'll spare you the more… delicate details. But you's three are going to come with us, quietly. We're all gonna go for a little train ride, and you's are coming back to Countryville with us. Whether you's like it or not."

"If you think that we're going to go quietly-" Buttercup bristled, only for Ace to laugh.

"Oh, you will, or else-" A small click, and Buttercup froze as Ace flicked open a wicked looking knife, allowing the blade to gleam in the moonlight. "-I'll make those pretty faces of your look less pretty."

"Don't hurt my sisters!" Blossom shrieked as she struggled in Grubber's hold. "Ey, Chicka, shut your mouth or you'll regret it!" Arturo snaped as he yanked on the bottom of her dress. Blossom ignored him, kicking him away. "How dare you do this to us you… you cretin! You'll be punished for this! Mark my words!"

"Oh, I don't think so love. See, by the time anyone realizes that you're gone, well be all the way in Countryville and then no one will be able to find you then." Ace chuckled as he watched fear fill Blossom's eyes. "and if I'm right; you didn't tell anyone where you's was going… did you?"

Blossom's silence answered his question. He chuckled darkly. "Didn't think so."

"Why are you doing this? What did we ever do to you?" Blossom almost sobbed. Ace tutted and sighed to himself before he slowly made his way over to the eldest sister, flashing her an almost apologetic smile.

"Sorry girls. It's nothing personal against any of you, I promise. We have some unfinished business with the boys that we need to settle and unfortunately you've gotten caught in the middle." He grinned widely, showcasing his yellowed teeth. "It's just good business-"

A loud boom cut him off and the sky went dark momentarily. The group looked up, only to watch in horror as the bright, white moon, slowly began to turn red above them. "Oh no… we're too late." Blossom whispered. "The Blood moon has started… this must be it-."

"What the fuck is going on here?" Ace squinted up into the sky, ignoring the look of pure horror that the girls shared. "What is this? Some sort of eclipse?"

"No idea Boss." Snake lisped. "Never ssseen anything like thisss before." Ace snorted. "Whatever. The moon changing colors isn't going to stop us. Now come on, lets get them to the train station before any of those dimwits from town notice what we're-"

"Oh Aaaace."

A deep, sing-song voice cut through the darkness, making everyone quiet down immediately. Buttercup saw Blossom and Bubbles' eyes widen with terror and Buttercup's hair stood on end. Her heart pounded frantically in her chest as she immediately realized who the voice belonged to.

Oh no. Oh god NO. Not him, anyone but him! She hadn't counted oh him finding them so soon… although… She squirmed frantically against the behemoths hold on her. Perhaps his sudden appearance wasn't such a horrid thing after all.

She peered into the trees, trying to see if she could see him hidden in the shadows, but she saw nothing. She began to shake. If he was here, then his brothers weren't far behind. There was going to be a fight, a vicious one. She knew it.

"Butch?!" Ace snarled, looking around as she had. "Where are you? Show yourself!"

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Butch's disembodied voice chuckled darkly. "Do you think I'm scared of you's?" Ace retorted, gripping his blade even tighter.

"No." Butch's voice dropped even lower, until it sounded closer to a growl. A twig snapped off to the far right behind the group, making them turn in the direction of the sound, only to see Butch step out of the darkness, nearly nude, looking almost feral in the red moonlight.

"But you will be."

Ace clearly didn't know what to think as he took in Butch's twisted appearance. Finally, after a moment, he snorted. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the fucking Baron of Berserk himself. What are you doing here, Butch? And where the fuck are your clothes?"

"Baron of Berserk, what?" Buttercup found herself asking to no one in particular. "Shh." Ace hushed her, but Butch didn't stop his slow advance towards them.

"I could ask you the same thing." Butch hummed. "I knew you were up to something the minute I saw the gang back in Townsville… I thought for sure you would try to come after me… but you never did." His eyes swept over the group until they rested on Buttercup. She felt her mouth go dry as she realized there was something off about his eyes. It was like there was a red fog in them, making his eyes appear hazy. She tried to swallow as she realized with a start that those weren't his eyes she was looking at.

The second she focused in on his hazy orbs though, the fog seemed to clear, and suddenly, she was looking into dark pools of green once again. His eyes.

Butch blinked rapidly and shook his head as he took in his surroundings, almost as if he was really seeing them clearly. He saw her look of confusion and shook his head at her slightly, before redirecting his attention back to Ace.

"I was never your target. It was them, all along, wasn't it?" Butch's face split into a snarl, making Ace flinch. "So. Tell me. What exactly did you plan on doing with them once you managed to lure them out here, you filthy rat?"

Ace grinned, showcasing his yellow teeth. "You're right about one thing: you were never the person we were going after. It was them from the get-go." he gestured to the girls. He took a step in Butch's direction as a deep scowl spread across his lips. "After all of the shit you put us through back in Countryville, did you really think we would let you get away with it without some revenge?"

"Butch, what is he talking about-?" Buttercup murmured, now curious to the history that they shared, only for Billy to slap a large hand over her mouth, causing her to thrash in his hold. A tick ran through Butch's body seeing her struggle, but he managed keep his focus on Ace, though Buttercup could see him becoming more and more angry.

"Oh sweetheart, your lover and us have some history." Ace grinned back at her unkindly, much to Buttercup muffled protest. "A few years ago, he came to us from out of nowhere, looking to let out some… pent up aggression, if you get what I mean. So, he stuck with us for the better part of a year, before out of the blue, he decides he's done with us and he wanted to go back home."

Ace's odd pink eyes narrowed until they were slits. "See though, he owed us a little debt, for letting him stay in the gang. So, we told him he couldn't leave until he settled it with us. So what does this massive prick do?" He spat on the ground before continuing on. "He decides that he'll go toe to toe with us and fight his way out." Ace shook his head slightly. "I'll admit, I've never seen anyone fight as impressively as he does, especially considering he was sixteen at the time."

The lanky man set his jaw before continuing. "He got what he wanted in the end. But not before he mangled Grubber over there, and Billy's head was never the same afterwards." He pointed to each of the gang members in return.

"If you had just let me leave without putting up a fight, then they wouldn't have had to suffer like they did." Butch growled, pointing at the lanky man. "This is your fault. Not mine."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Ace screeched, pointing the long knife at Butch. "I told you when you left, that you fucked with the wrong gang. When you came to the prison looking for someone to work on your property, it was my lucky day, because I knew I could finally get some revenge on you." the sick grin returned to his face. "I was originally going to slit you and your brother's throats in your sleep, but that was too easy. Then I saw the girls here…"

He slowly made his way over to Bubbles who was still squirming in Snakes hold. "I saw the way you interacted with them. You cared about them – which is more than I can say for anyone else. Most importantly, you wanted to protect them." He taunted Butch as he took Bubbles's face in his free hand, causing her to shriek in protest. "I knew then, they were the key to really making you suffer. You most of all, but your brothers would be an added bonus."

Butch's eyes narrowed dangerously, and Buttercup swore she heard a distant howl echoing from deeper in the woods. She renewed her efforts to get out of Billy's crushing grip as she pulled at his hand, trying to get him to release her so she could warn them that Butch was not as alone as they thought he was.

She was right when she had assumed that Brick and Boomer weren't far away. Once they arrived… well, she didn't particularly want to think about what would happen next. Casting a pained look at her sisters, she could tell that they had heard it as well, and were starting to look sick. Ace however, didn't seem to have heard the call and instead stroked Bubbles's cheek mockingly, making the blonde pull away from his touch in disgust.

"-So, we set our sights on the sisters. It was easy enough. I lured them out here and we were just going to make our way back to the train station and take them back to Countryville with us, until you interrupted. As for what we planned to do with them… well, take a look. They're lovely girls with even lovelier features. There are men out there that would pay a huge price for young, untouched ladies like them." The sick grin on his face grew wider still. "But not before I have a little fun with them first. Blondie here, really is quite… delicious-"

Bubbles looked close to fainting as she pieced together what Ace was hinting at, and if Billy's hand hadn't been covering her mouth, Buttercup would have called the horrid man in front of her every foul name and curse she knew. She heard Blossom scream with rage and start to struggle behind her as she tried to move closer to her baby sister's side, only to hear Arturo snap at Grubber to tighten his grip on her. Judging from the sharp intake of breath the raven-haired woman heard, his hold was nearly crushing her eldest sister's ribs. Buttercup felt tears prick at her eyes as she looked at the terrified look on Bubbles face. She had never felt more powerless in all her life. This was worse than being forced to keep her silence about the boy's secret-

"You really think that I'm going to let you take them away from us?" Butch asked quietly, snapping her out of her head. "You're even more stupid then I originally thought you were." He wasn't quite looking at her, but she could feel him keeping tabs on her out of his peripherals. Ace only laughed, still holding onto Bubbles's face. "We? What we? From what I see there's one of you and five of us."

"How well did those odds work out for you again?"

The grin left Ace's face. "Nice try, but we're wise to your tricks now. There's nothing you can surprise us. You won't get any mercy from us this time."

"As much as I'm itching to fight all five of you again and paint the forest floor with your blood, I'm afraid I don't have time for that. I've wasted too much of on you as it is, and my brothers have never been very patient to begin with."

Ace snorted as Butch coldly regarded him. "Your brothers? I don't know if you're trying to trick me or stall me, either way it won't work. I only see one of you-."

"Ace please." Blossom suddenly spoke up, surprising Buttercup and Bubbles. She twisted against Grubber and Arturo. "If you value your life, and the lives of your friends, you will let us go. You don't know what their capable of-."

"I know exactly what their capable of." Ace snapped in her general direction, not taking his eyes off of Butch. "Especially that one. Oh, I'm going to enjoy this." he rotated the blade slowly in his hand, bringing it too close to Bubbles' face for comfort. "I'm going to enjoy cutting you to bits and then making off with your women. Don't worry, I won't kill you… just maim you horrifically and leave you with just enough life to watch us take them away. Say goodbye, because you'll never see them again-"

"Is that a fact?"

A voice, too dark and low to be human echoed around the clearing, making Ace freeze. "What the fuck was that?" he muttered, finally letting go of Bubbles' face to look around the clearing nervously.

"I told you Ace, I'm not alone tonight. I'm never alone." Butch rumbled, allowing a tiny smirk to work its way up his face for the first time; just as two pairs of eyes, one red and the other blue, appeared on either side of him.

Blossom felt her heart drop into her stomach as the shapes of two hulking wolves stepped out of the shadows and into the clearing, illuminated by the red moonlight, making their features look even more twisted.

Blossom squinted at them. Even though the strange red moonlight obscured her view of them, something didn't look right about them. They looked even bigger – If that was possible – and their eyes… she couldn't tell if it was the red moon reflecting off of their eyes but there was a strange haze to them, one that seemed to fade away slightly as the wolves approached them. The grip on her loosed considerably and she managed to break out of Grubber's hold with no resistance from the disfigured man. She stepped back several feet, but Grubber and Arturo weren't looking at her. They only had eyes for the beasts standing a few feet away from them.

Ace was speechless as he gaped at the monsters in front of him. "What the fuck is this?" he finally managed to croak out.

"It'sss… thossse thingsss from before… the onesss from the Asssylum." Snake's lisp betrayed how scared he was as he pushed Bubbles away from him to back away beside his boss.

Blossom immediately grabbed Bubbles and held her close to her as the blue-eyed girl shook uncontrollably in her eldest sisters' arms.

Snake shot Ace a frantic look. "Boss…I think… I think he'sss-" But Ace didn't need him to finish his sentence to know the truth.

"Jesus fucking Christ, you're-"

"I'm the fucking werewolf." Butch cut him off, the smirk he was wearing turning into a full-on manic grin. "I'm the beast that's been lurking in the woods. I'm the creature parents tell their children horror stories about. I'm the thing that goes bump in the night." He spread his arms, suddenly looking much larger than he already was.

"But of course, I don't operate alone. Say hello to Brick and Boomer." He guested to each wolf in turn. "They don't look much like themselves right now, but that's alright – not many get to see us like this and live… you and the rest of the gang most certainly won't."

"Let me do it." Boomer hissed, making his brother's shift their attention to him, but Boomer only had eyes for Ace. "He touched Bubbles. I heard what he planned to do to her. Let me rip his fucking throat out. I want to be the one to do it."

Butch sent his brother a sly look. "You know what? Sure Boomer. You want to do it; I won't stop you. I was hoping to do it myself, but I've already had my fun with them. You have a go at it."

"Wait, what in fucks name are you talkin' 'bout-" Ace cut himself off. "Is- is that thing talking to him? What is it-"

"You and your crew should have left when you had the chance Ace." Butch growled out as his bones began to crack and shift. "Now you've sent yoursevles to your DEATHS." the end of the sentence ended in a roar and suddenly where a man once stood, there was only a massive black wolf standing on bent hind legs. The beast panted heavily for a moment before pointing a clawed digit towards Ace and the girls. "Enjoy boys."

Brick and Boomer didn't need another invitation and both wolves darted towards the gang with blood-thirsty bellows that shook the earth. Brick made a be-line for Snake, Grubber and Arturo, while Boomer lunged straight at Ace. The pink eyed man quickly adopted a fighting stance and slashed at the silver furred wolf in vain as Boomer's monstrous form bowled him over. Ace panicked as the wolf's powerful jaws closed around the arm holding the knife – just like he had witnessed them do to the hunter months ago. He wrestled his arm back from the jaws of the furious Grimm, only to scream in agony as chucks of flesh were torn off his arm by the wolf's sharp fangs, leaving gaping, bloody holes in his skin. He carved the knife through the air and managed to catch the wolf across the face, driving him back a foot. Boomer touched a claw to the side of his face, unbothered by the black blood that was slowly dripping down the side of face. His black lips pulled back into the most frightening smile that Ace had ever seen as he let out a series of small barks that the gang leader could only assume was laughter.

"Do you honestly think you can hurt me? So foolish." Bubbles heard Boomer's teasing voice in her head. "You should have never touched Bubbles. Your death will not be a quick one." She let out a horrified gasp at his words, and saw Boomer's dark silted eyes dart over to her. She covered her mouth and she could see a flash of what looked like guilt, tint his eyes before they flicked back to Ace. "She doesn't need to see what I'm going to do to you, however…"

Ace let out a yell and moved forward, trying to cut the angered wolf again, but Boomer only let out an irritated snarl and smacked he knife away from him, knocking the tall man off his feet in the process. Ace hit the frozen ground hard, knocking the wind out of himself. As he lay on the ground, wheezing from air, Boomer moved behind him and grabbed him by the ankle and began to pull him away from the rest of the slaughter and into the dark forest, out of sight. Ace realized what was happening and his pink eyes went wide as he began to grab and claw at the ground.

"No! No, no, no! Not that! Anything but that! LET ME GO-"

"Shut up." Boomer growled, knowing full well that he couldn't understand him, and only Bubbles and her sisters could hear him. "This has been a long time coming. No one can save you."

Bubbles watched in horror as Boomer dragged Ace, still screaming, into the darkness of the surrounding woods, leaving deep claw marks in the snow behind him. She forced herself onto her feet as she heard Ace beg and plead for his life before there was a deep roar and a wet gurgle, and the screaming stopped abruptly. Bubbles felt herself fight back the urge to vomit as she heard a wet tearing sound emerge from the darkness, but she had no time to dwell on what she just witnessed as she was suddenly knocked to the side by Snake, who, alongside Grubber and Arturo, were all trying to subdue Brick as he knocked them around the clearing.

"Bubbles!" Bubbles turned to see Blossom screaming at her from a few feet away from. She bolted over to her sister and grabbed onto her, pushing her out of the way from the ensuring brawl. Blossom watched as Arturo jumped onto Brick's broad back and tried to stab him repeatedly in the shoulder, swearing profusely in Spanish, but that only served to irritate the already irritated wolf. Brick reared up to his full height of seven feet and slammed his back down onto the ground, crushing the small man underneath him.

Blossom heard the tell-tale crunch of breaking bones as Brick rolled off the small man, but Arturo didn't get up – either unconscious or dead, Blossom didn't know. Snake flung himself around Brick's thick neck and tried to choke him out, to no effect as Brick clawed and snapped at the thin man, causing him to cry out in pain as Brick's talons dragged across his back, straight through his clothes, drawing out torrents of blood that spilt onto the snowy ground, staining the white snow red.

Snake finally let go of Brick's neck and dropped onto the ground, writhing in pain. Brick slammed a clawed hand around his neck and looked like he was ready to go in for the kill, only to stop suddenly and let out a roar of pain. Letting go of Snake for a moment, he turned, only to see Grubber jab a knife into the back of one of his muscular thighs, before twisting the blade. Brick didn't hesitate to whip around faster than any of them had ever seen him move and catch the disfigured man's neck in between his powerful jaws. Blossom looked away just in time as Brick snapped his jaws shut and the heavy thump that followed let her know that Brick had most likely decapitated him.

She felt herself whimper in horror as Brick plucked the small knife out of his thigh without so much as a wince. She watched as the black blood trickling out of the wound slowed and watched, in morbid fascination, as his skin knit itself back together before her very eyes. The red eyed beast panted for a moment, trying to catch his breath, before he slowly turned his massive head in Snakes direction, who was still laying in the bloody snow, winded. With a snarl he made his way over to the downed man, and Blossom fished for Bubbles's hand – not wanting to see what the furious beast was going to do next.

"Come on!" Blossom yelled at Bubbles, pulling her away. "Move, MOVE!" As Blossom pulled Bubbles away, she heard Brick's deep voice echo ominously behind her,

"You know, worm; the human body has two hundred and six bones in it. I want to hear what kind of sound yours makes when they break."

Blossom didn't dare look back in fear of what exactly she'd see and only pulled at Bubbles to run faster, trying to put some space between them and the murderous beast and take them out of the fray as much as she could.

Meanwhile, Buttercup was powerless in Billy's grip as she watched Brick and Boomer set themselves on the rest of the gang. Inwardly, she knew that the onslaught of carnage had only taken a few seconds at most, but watching Brick and Boomer tear into the gang with such savagery, unable to move, felt like forever. Billy, however barely moved, almost as if he was unaware of what was happening around them.

The oaf must be stunned. She thought desperately. She could immediately tell that he was a bit slower than a normal person when he had first spoken, but she had hopped that the large man had enough sense to drop her and take off. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Maybe if they were both lucky, the wolves would be too preoccupied with mauling the rest of the gang to care about them-

Buttercup began to kick and let out muffled screams as she watched the newly-turned Butch's head snap in her direction. She pulled in vain at Billy's hand again, only for him to drop it to her surprise. "Billy, Billy listen to me! You have to let me go and run!" she screeched up at the child-like man. The large man looked stunned, as he watched the two Grimms descend on the rest of his friends – like he was just seeing the chaos for the first time.

"Daaa, Was goin' on?" he slurred out, blinking slowly as his damaged mind tried to process what is happening. "Why is Butch a monster?" He looked towards Ace, just in time to see Boomer latch onto one of his legs and drag him off, screaming bloody murder, into the darkness of the forest. His face paled. "Ace-"

In the time it took for him to look around, Butch had closed the gap between him and his target. The black wolf slammed a massive clawed hand into the side of the giant's head, his sharp claws catching him across the face, causing him to let out a bellow of pain and release Buttercup from his hold. The dark-haired woman fell to the ground, gasping for air. She glanced up only to see Butch standing over her protectively. Before she could think, he stooped down and touched his nose to her forehead. "Move out of the way." he growled in her ear, before redirecting his attention back to Billy who had let out a scream and charged him, swinging blindly at the black wolf.

Letting out a deafening bellow of his own, Butch grabbed the offending hand in one of his own. Jerking the large man's arm in an odd direction, Billy let out a scream as the thick bones in his arm snapped like they were nothing more then twigs. Catching his other arm in his free hand, Butch grappled Billy to the snowy ground, biting and snarling – large sharp teeth snapping at his throat and chest – drawing blood and horrible screams out of the gang member-

Buttercup snapped her head in the other direction, having no desire to see what she knew would happen next. She began to crawl away from the fight happening behind her on all fours, only for a hand to suddenly come down hard on her shoulder. She flipped over, ready to gouge out her assailant's eyes, only to see her sister's standing there, looking wild-eyed and frantic.

"We need to get out of here!" Blossom yelled over the screams and the roars. "We have to put as much distance between us and them as much as possible!" Buttercup nodded mutely as she accepted the hand Bubbles offered to her. "Let's go!" she yelled as soon as she was on her feet, and sprinted into the dark woods, not darling to look directly at the carnage in fear of the sight being burned into her mind forever.

The girls bolted past the two Grimms; trying their best to block out both the sight and the sounds of the wolves ripping apart the bodies of the Gang Green Gang. One of the gang members – none of the girls could tell which one anymore – let out a horrible dying moan, which was quickly cut short as Butch tore out his throat with unforgivingly sharp claws. Their frantic departure did not go unnoticed by the red eyed wolf who paused his mutilation of Snake's corpse to stare after them.

"Where do they think they're going?" Brick growled, blood dripping out of his mouth as he watched a flash of Blossom's light red hair disappear into the darkness of the forest.

"They won't get far." Boomer huffed as he reappeared from the dark tree line, covered in blood and other bits of Ace's remains. He flicked a piece of flesh off him carelessly. "Let's go get them-"

He lurched forward suddenly as a searing pain shot through his body and pounded uncomfortably in his head. The shrieks of pain he heard forced out of his brothers let him know they were in the same situation as he was; and Boomer was rendered powerless as the same red fog from before began to cloud his vison once more.

"So sorry boys, but I'll take over from here." the demon whispered in their heads. "I want them brought back here now, and you have a bad habit of playing with your food."

"No… no not again." Butch managed to ground out as his vision faded into a red abyss. "Don't hurt them."

"Oh, my dear boy, you misunderstand me." The demon chuckled. "So long as they cooperate, they'll be just fine."

The three Grimms stood motionless for a moment as the monster forced his will onto them once more. Their limbs twitched and jerked as the boys subconsciously tried to fight to regain control over their bodies to no avail, and their eyes clouded over once more, becoming a hazy red as HIM's influence infected their minds. The wolves were absolutely motionless for a moment before they turned their heads in the direction the girls had taken off to in perfect unison.

Without so much as a sound, they took off after them, leaving the mutilated bodies of the once lively Gangreen Gang, behind them in the snow.

---

Delipidated Manors on the North-side of Townsville, near Morebucks Properties

The girls sprinted through the forest as fast as their legs would carry them, not daring to look back as see if the wolves were chasing them. They knew that even though they couldn't see them – they weren't far behind.

"What the hell- what the hell is wrong with them?" Blossom gasped out, not bothering to watch her language anymore, as she sidestepped to avoid a fallen log. "What the hell was that?"

"I don't know!" Bubbles wailed. "I don't care. We need to keep away from them best we can! They- they didn't even hesitate! They just murdered them, right in front of us!"

"Good riddance!" Buttercup yelled back. "Did you not understand what those freaks wanted to do to us?"

"I know full well what they wanted!" Bubbles snapped back. "But I didn't need to see them murdered in front of me!" Blossom wished she could comfort her, but she already knew how vicious the boys could be. She had already seen Brick kill in front of her once before… she knew how sadistic they could be.

"Just keep running!" she puffed as they ran blindly though the dead undergrowth. "We have to get out of the woods! We have to try and find someplace to hide-"

ARRRRROOOOOOOWWWRRRR!

"Oh god, here they come!" Bubbles cried out as the earth-shaking roar ripped through the forest behind them. "Quickly, this way! No point in trying to stay quiet, they're going to track us down regardless!" Blossom yelped as she veered off and led them in a different direction, just as the sound of multiple sets of heavy foot-falls started up behind them.

Bubbles looked around frantically, trying to see if she could catch a glimpse of the beasts through the red-tinted forest, but they somehow eluded her petrified gaze. She could, however, hear them getting closer and closer towards them still.

And when they caught up to them… she didn't what to know what would happen then.

"Where are we going?" she panted as she ran after Blossom and Buttercup blindly through the trees. "I don't know! I just wanted to try and lose them!" Blossom admitted through labored breaths. "I don't think it's worked!"

"Save your breath and keep running!" Buttercup snapped as she through a look over her shoulder, only for her face to pale. "Faster, let's go! I just saw something big move behind us!"

ROOOOAAAAAAAAAWWWWWRRRRR!

"Jesus Christ!" Buttercup shrieked as she pushed her legs to move faster. The bellow sounded like it had come from a few feet behind them. The beasts were fast, so incredibly fast. It had taken them no time to catch up to them. Buttercup sent a silent prayer to whatever god was listening to help them make it through the night, because she wasn't sure if they would be able to make it on their luck alone.

The girls made a mad dash through the trees, only to see them gradually become sparser in the red moonlight. Buttercup squinted as something began to take shape up ahead of them through the trees. As they sprinted forward, her eyes widened as she realized what she was looking at.

"Blossom, Bubbles, this way!" she yelled over her shoulder as she forced herself to run faster.

"Buttercup where are we going?" Blossom wheezed behind her as she tried to keep up with her more athletic sister.

"We're at the north-side of Townsville!" Buttercup panted as they reached the tree line. As they bust out of the forest, Buttercup heard Bubbles gasp in recognition as a row of very old, delipidated-looking manors loomed in front of them. The girls slowed to a halt as struggled to get oxygen back into their lungs.

"Don't Princess and Kingston live around here?" Bubbles panted as she fought to catch her breath. A howl behind them reminded them that their pursuers weren't far behind them, and the girls looked at each other.

"Let's go!" Buttercup yelled as she took the lead again and raced towards the nearest manor.

"Buttercup where are we going?" Blossom screeched as she followed her raven-haired sister.

"To hide!" Buttercup called back as she reached the rotted back door of the manor and began to frantically struggle with it.

"In there?" Blossom panicked as she tried to peer into the house's gloomy depths. "Buttercup we don't know what's in there! The floors might be rotted or-"

"Do you want to take your chances out here with them," Buttercup jerked her thumb back towards the woods, where the demonic howls were coming increasingly closer. "-or in here?"

A roar from the edge of the forest made up Blossom's mind for her. "In there! In there!" she yelped as she caught sight of a pair of glowing red eyes making a bee-line towards them. "BUTTERCUP HURRY!"

Buttercup let out a shriek and threw her shoulder against the old door, forcing it open with a bang. All three girls fell into the manor with a scream and hit the floor hard. Before Blossom and Bubbles had a chance to recover, Buttercup leapt up and slammed the door shut, just as Brick took a flying leap towards them. The rotten door did little to stop the massive Grimm, and the massive wolf's head smashed through the glass-pains as if it were paper.

Bubbles let out a scream and yanked Blossom out of the way as Brick's wolfen form snapped at them, as he struggled to get his head out of the door, sending droplets of blood flying as the glass cut into his thick neck. Blossom froze for a moment as his eyes fixated on her.

"Come to me Blossom – come here NOW!"

Suddenly, Buttercup was beside her. "Let's go!" she snarled as she tugged her to her feet. "That's not going to hold for long!"

Sure enough, a massive claw smashed through one of the boarded-up windows near the door. An angry roar echoed outside, as the clawed hand thrashed around, tearing up the boards as it tried to force itself further inside.

"Let's go, now, now, now!" Bubbles screeched as she grabbed both her sisters by the shoulders and dragged them into the murky depths of the manor. The girls ran further into the manor, blindly fumbling along the walls as a loud crash and heavy footsteps entered the house behind them. A threatening growl echoed through the stagnant air as several sets of heavy sets of clawed feet stomped into the house.

"Shit!" Buttercup whispered harshly, desperately glancing around the darkness for an exit out of the house. She tugged at Blossom and Bubbles sleeves. "Here, this way."

"Wait Buttercup, where are you going-" Blossom reached out, trying to feel where Buttercup was, but she felt her heart sink as she realized she was grasping at an empty space where her sister had stood seconds ago.

"Where did she go?" Blossom murmured as she grasped Bubbles by the hand and quickly moved further into the darkness. "She must have taken a different turn… I can't see anything. It's too dark to make anything out." Bubbles whispered back, looking around. "Blossom, what are we going to do? They can see in the dark better then we can… they'll find us-"

"Well then we won't make it easy for them." Blossom hummed, refusing to think about what would happen in the boys found them in this house of horrors. "Princess lives around, here right?"

"I think so… didn't daddy mention that Kingston fixed up one of these manors for a summer home? Why, what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking, we find Buttercup, and run to Princess's house." Blossom bit back a groan. "Hopefully we can hide there… for a few minutes at least."

"She won't let us in." Bubbles murmured. "Probably not, but it's the only remotely safe spot around here, and what other choice do we have?" Blossom suddenly fell silent as a growl echoed through the air near them. She pressed a finger to her lips and silently backed her and Bubbles further into the surrounding darkness. The felt their way through the dark, boarded up hallways as the footsteps kept coming closer and closer to them.

"Where's Buttercup?" Whispered Bubbles as she frantically looked around for an escape. "Where did Boomer and Butch go-"

Both girls suddenly felt their backs hit something hard. "Oh no, dead end." Blossom muttered as she looked towards Bubbles, but Bubbles wasn't look at her. Her terrified blue eyes were looking at something above them. Blossom felt dread pierce her bones as she slowly forced herself to look up only for her eyes to meet a pair of blue eyes that were so dark, they were almost black in the murky darkness.

Standing behind them on his hind legs making him tower over both of them, growling low in his throat, was Boomer.

How had he gotten behind them so quickly? How had he moved so silently? But Blossom didn't have time to think about it as the silver wolf shuddered violently and let out an ear-shattering bellow, swiping at both of them. Both girls shrieked and ducked around the wolf's broad torso and blindly ran down the hallway, forgoing being stealthy.

"Buttercup!" Bubbles screamed as they ran, hearing two different sets of howls start up behind them. "BUTTERCUP WHERE ARE YOU!"

On the other side of the house in a dark hallway Buttercup paused as a bout of screams echoed through the other end of the house. "Oh no." she murmured as she tried to retrace her steps through the maze hallways she had taken. She had thought that Blossom and Bubbles where behind her when she had taken the side hallway, but by the time she had realized that they hadn't followed her, she had gotten lost herself.

"BLOSSOM, BUBBLES, I'M COING!" She yelled frantically as she bumped into walls in her haste for find her sisters. She knew that yelling would only attract the attention of the boys, but she couldn't risk them catching her sisters and taking them off to god knows where. Maybe she could distract the boys long enough for his sisters to find another way out of the house – it was a long shot, but she was grasping at straws.

She turned down a hallway that she didn't recognize as she looked around as she muttered a muffled curse under her breath. The windows weren't boarded up unlike the rest of the ones she had passed, allowing streams of red tinted moonlight in through the dirty windows – illuminating the old dusty hall. "God, where am I?" Buttercup muttered as she made her way down the hall, listening to the sounds of her sisters screams echo through the empty house.

"Buttercup…"

A low rumble cut through the stagnant air, and a massive beast emerged from the shadows at the end of the hall. Butch turned his massive head towards her and extended a clawed hand to her. "Stop this foolishness. You know you and your sisters can't outrun us. Come with us now and let's end this chase."

"Not a chance. I'm not going anywhere with you." Buttercup muttered as she turned towards her left only to see another dark corridor. Maybe that could take her back to where she started…

The wolf narrowed his blank green eyes and his body jerked unnaturally. "Don't-"

But Buttercup had already took off running, just as Butch lunged forward with a roar and smashed into the wall behind her, taking massive chunks out of the plaster as he clawed his way after her. She let out a yelp as she forced herself to run faster and away from the monster chasing after her. The corridor spat her out near where they had entered and she caught sight of a dark, broad-shouldered figure disappearing around the corner at an inhuman speed. She only had a second to look at it but she already knew that the figure wasn't human, which meant it was probably Brick or Boomer.

That meant that her sisters weren't far from her.

A scream nearby her confirmed her suspicions and she ran towards it. A crash from behind her told her that Butch had forced himself though the small corridor and with an agitated snarl, threw himself after her. Buttercup grit her teeth and sped up, rounding the corner that the other Grimm had taken, only to see Brick and Boomer's monstrous forms pinning her sisters to a wall, seemingly trying to corral both girls to a different area.

"MOVE!" she yelled at them. Both girls turned their heads to look at her. They looked relieved that she had reappeared, but their looks of relief morphed into terror as they caught sight of Butch's hulking form right behind her.

"DUCK NOW!" She yelled at them again as she flung herself out of the way. Thankfully they seemed to understand what she was implying and they slouched down as much as they could, just as Butch smashed into Boomer – his massive size preventing him from slowing down in time. Boomer sluggishly turned his head just as Butch collided into him and sent both Grimm's sprawling out on the floor – biting and clawing at each other furiously – allowing the girls a small window of opportunity to escape. They quickly got up off the floor and ran in the direction of where they assumed the front door was.

Brick swiped at both of his brothers in frustration and leapt after the girls, who had miraculously found the front of the house and what looked like the old front door. This time Buttercup didn't hesitate and with a scream – her movements fueled by fear and adrenaline – she lifted her leg up and brought it down upon the old rotting wood. It gave away with a groan and fell forward, allowing the girls to pile out of the decaying remains of the once grand manor, and run back outside into the red-tinted world.

"What's the plan?" Buttercup panted as they sprinted away, not bothering to check and see if Brick and the boys were following them – as they already knew they were. "Butch is right about one thing: we can't outrun them, so we either need to lose them somehow, or we need to outsmart them!"

"Princess lives around her somewhere!" Bubbles panted as she sped past her and Blossom. "And I'm going to assume it's the manor that's lit up!"

Sure enough, several houses down from the one they had run through, was a newly renovated manor that had lights illuminating several of the windows. Buttercup's face dropped at what Bubbles was implying. "You're joking. You don't honestly think she'll help us."

"It's worth a try! Or maybe you'd like to try and reason with them." Bubbles shot back as she pointed behind her, only to see Butch and Boomer had re-joined Brick and were running at full tilt after them. Angry snarls were etched on their faces as they drew nearer to them.

"Goddamn it- GO, GO!" Buttercup yelped as she grabbed Blossom's hand and all but dragged her after Bubbles. The slim blonde reached the ornate front door to the Morebucks' house and pounded furiously on it as her sisters joined her on the front porch. "PRINCESS! PRINCESS! LET US IN! IF YOU'RE IN THERE, YOU HAVE TO LET US IN-"

The door ripped open mid-pound and a disgruntled looking Princess stood in the doorway. "What is going on out here-!" she paused and regarded who she was looking at for a moment, before a scowl passed over her face. "Oh. It's you three."

"Oh, thank god, Princess. No time to explain, you have to let us in-!"

"Hold on, why do I need to do anything." The red-haired girl snapped, cutting Bubbles off. "Certainly not for you three." Her nose crinkled. "What are you doing out here anyways? and why do you look like you ran through a dust storm?"

"We ran through an abandoned house trying to get away from our worst nightmares come to life, now can you please let us in?" Buttercup snarled, but her voice raised a pitch as she turned around only to see the Grimms a few feet away and gaining fast.

Princess furrowed her brow. "What?"

"THEM!" Blossom screeched as she stepped aside to revel three beasts, who looked like they had come straight from the guts of Hell itself. Princess balked at the sight of them. "What the hell is that-"

Blossom took the opportunity to throw herself at Princess and knock her over, allowing Buttercup and Bubbles to get inside and slam the door shut, locking the heavy wooden door behind them just as the sound of something heavy flinging itself repeatedly at the door started up.

"What the- Get off me!" Princess shrieked indigently as she shoved Blossom off of her and picked herself up off the floor, pointing at the sisters. "You have some nerve! Shoving your way into my house uninvited and knocking me over! Just wait till my daddy hears about this! You're all going to get it then!" a particularly hard slam against the door made her pause uncertainty. "What are those things out there?"

"You know how you teased us about there being no such things as werewolves?" Buttercup asked her bitterly, pointing out the window. "Well, there's your proof."

Princess's face went white as the pounding at the door intensified. "The… that's them. Here? Outside?" she shrieked as she caught sight of a flash of silver fur running past the window. "W-what do they want?"

"Us, but there's no time to explain that." Blossom informed her. "We just need a moment to catch our breaths-"

"Oh NO." Princess snarled as she pointed a claw-like nail at them. "Oh no, if it's you they want they can have you! I don't want those dirty beasts knocking down my door, and killing me, because you thought it would be a great idea to force yourselves into my house and-"

CRASH!

One of the large bay windows by the door imploded inwards as Boomer leapt threw the window and landed on all fours near the girls. He bore his fangs in a snarl as shards of glass rained down around him. Bubbles quickly shielded her eyes as the glass bounced off the floor near them. Once she was sure that there weren't any more glass shards falling towards them, she timidly looked up at the snarling wolf and felt her breath hitch in her throat as her eyes locked with his.

Those eyes didn't belong to Boomer. The eyes she was looking into were flinty and wild and animalistic. Those were the same eyes he had when she had first met him as the beast – when he was practically feral – unlike when they had met last time, his eyes had been clear and she could see herself reflected in them. But now when she looked at them… It was like something else had taken over.

CRUNCH!

Bubbles turned to see the thick front door starting to splinter under the force from the monsters outside hitting it. A soft growl captured her attention again and she looked back towards Boomer, only to see him stalking towards them, hackles raised and his lips pulled back slightly. She was on her feet in an instant and Boomer's pointed ears flattened against his head.

"Y-you!" Princess squawked suddenly, taking Boomer's attention off her momentarily to growl at the unfamiliar girl.

"Princess, no. What are you doing?" Buttercup hissed at the fluffy haired girl. "Be silent! You have no idea what you're doing!"

"Shut it Butterball!" Princess snarled. "You don't tell me what to do! I want this thing out!" she glowered at the irritated Grimm, but the girls could see that she was trembling as she stared the beast down. "Go. Get. Leave. You're not welcome here!"

Boomer strode forward with a roar and Princess lunged back, screaming as she thrust Blossom in front of her. "OH GOD SOMEONE HELP! MAKE IT LEAVE BLOSSOM! JUST MAKE IT LEAVE BEFORE IT KILLS US-!"

The front door splintered open, violently slamming against the wall.

All four girls looked in horror as two, hulking wolfen beasts shouldered their way through the doors. Now that they were in the brightly lit house, Princess could see the beasts clearly. Her heart began to hammer frantically in her chest as the three monsters began to close in on them.

So, the Utonium sisters hadn't been lying to her after all. The monsters before her were most certainly the creatures from the old bedtimes stories her father had told her as a child. They were massive; they towered over all of them on their hind legs, and their fangs and claws glittered sinisterly in the bright foyer. The curly red-head felt her eyes roll into the back of her head and her legs buckled out from undeath her as the world faded to black around her-

Blossom turned just in time to see Princess faint behind them. If she wasn't so worried about the wolves in front of them, Buttercup would have laughed at the girl's plight. Bubbles glanced down worriedly at the unconscious girl.

"Girls… she just fainted." The petite blonde muttered as she nudged Princess with her foot, getting no response from her. "Who cares." Buttercup muttered back. "I'm more concerned about what's in front of us."

The girls slowly backed up as the wolves advanced on all fours, leaving Princess on the floor in front of them. Brick dipped his head down and huffed at the girl on the floor, before stepping over her without another glance. "Enough of this." His deep rumble cut through the now silent air as he returned his attention to the three girls in front of him. "Come to us and we'll stop these silly games."

Blossom gripped her sister's hands and pulled them behind her. "No… this is wrong… you know it is Brick." She looked into his seething blood red eyed but found nothing there. "What happened to you Brick? This… this isn't you… what's wrong with you?"

The beast paused, and a flicker of something familiar appeared in his eyes for a moment, before it disappeared and his eyes hardened.

"Come here, NOW!" The sentence ended in a bellow as the beast lunged forward towards them and Blossom felt her mind go blank with terror. Before she could think about what she was doing, she bent down and picked up one of the glass shards from up off the floor – ignoring how it cut into her hand – and thrust it towards Brick, catching him in his barrel chest. The Grimm let out a bark of shock and pulled away from the girl's mid-stride, looking down at the large shard of glass that was now sticking out of his chest. Raising a clawed hand, he plucked the glass out of his chest and studied it – almost looking puzzled, like he couldn't believe that Blossom had reacted the way she had.

Before the boys could react, Blossom was pulling Buttercup and Bubbles through the mansion and towards the back of the house, where she assumed a back door would be. "You stabbed him." Buttercup got out as she took her hand back so she could run properly. "I don't believe it! You actually stabbed him!"

"That won't stop him." Blossom panted as she took a sharp turn and pulled them both into a dark sitting room with two large windows. "There's something wrong with them. It's not… there is… it's like they're possessed! Their eyes aren't right-!"

"What are you talking about?" Buttercup protested. "Of course their eyes aren't right – they're animals-!"

"No, Blossom's right!" Bubbles interrupted as they looked around the room. "Their eyes are different from last time! They're blank! It's like they've been hypnotized! The way they're moving and how they're reacting to everything is exactly the same! Their limbs twitch and jerk when they move… and they just keep repeating themselves over and over again…"

"I… guess." Buttercup admitted. "But what does it matter? They're still trying to take us away to god knows where!"

"I think it has something to do with the moon! It's making them crazy!" Bubbles pointed out the window to the glowing red moon. "What did Brick tell you about the Blood moon?" The petite blonde pressed. Blossom shook her head frantically as she ran over to the window and pulled it open.

"Nothing! At least, nothing about how it would cause them to act like they are now-!"

A bellow ripped through the house and the sound of three separate foot-falls thundered through the house towards them at an inhuman speed. "OUT, OUT!" Blossom yelled as she hoped up onto the window still and hoisted herself out and into the cold snow below. Buttercup quickly followed after her, landing in the snow beside her. Turning around, the ravenette extended her arms out towards Bubbles. "Bubbles, come on, we can't stop here! Hop out, I'll catch you!"

The thin blonde hopped up onto the window still and had just extend her arms towards her sister, when suddenly her bright blue eyes widened in terror. Blossom and Buttercup didn't even have a chance to react before their baby sister let out a scream of terror, and was yanked back inside the house, away from the window.

"NO!" Buttercup howled as she lunged forward, "BUBBLES! BUBBLES NO!"

"BUTTERCUP, BLOSSOM RU-"

Both girls were stopped in their tracks as the window slammed shut, cutting off Bubbles cries, but they could still hear the sounds of muffled screams coming from inside the mansion. There was the sound of a struggle inside, before the sound of breaking glass cut through the tense air like a knife. A second later, a fresh chorus of screams started up from near the front of the house, as Blossom and Buttercup could only imagine Bubbles being dragged off into the woods by the three massive wolves. The girls could only listen in horror as her screams got fainter and fainter as they carried her away from her petrified sisters

After a second, reality caught up to both of them and Buttercup lunged forward, faster than Blossom had ever seen her move before. "Oh my God, oh my God Bubbles! They got Bubbles!" Buttercup wailed as she made an effort to bolt towards the side of the house. "BUBBLES! BUBBLES!"

"Buttercup stop!" Blossom yelled over her sister's hysterical screams. She hugged Buttercup tightly from behind, pinning her arms to her sides to prevent her from following after. "We can't! If we go in there, they'll grab us as well! It's what they want!"

"What are you talking about! They got Bubbles!" Buttercup almost sobbed as she struggled to get to the window.

"I know, but if we get captured then we won't be able to help Bubbles!" Blossom protested as she feebly tried to pull her thrashing sister back. "We can't count on anyone! It's just us now, and we need to stay ahead of them!"

Her words seemed to bring Buttercup to her senses, as the dark-haired girl stopped thrashing in her sister's grasp and stilled. Blossom slowly dropped her arms and allowed Buttercup to catch her breath. The green-eyed woman took a shuddering breath in as she tried to compose herself and slowly turned to face her elder sister. "Alright. What do you suggest we do? I don't know if we can chase them for much longer. My lungs feel like they're on fire and my legs are numb. I don't know if I'll be able to run like that again for a while."

"No." Blossom agreed. "I think we need to talk to them somehow… make them listen to us."

Buttercup looked at her incredulously. "Are you insane." She asked flatly. Blossom shook her head. "I'm serious. I think Bubbles is right about the moon driving them mad. They're… they're not…. Well… in control like I know they are when they transform. "I think there is something wrong with them... Their eyes aren't right. I don't know how to explain it."

"Well that's not exactly a good thing now, is it Blossom?" Buttercup snapped as she ripped at her hair in frustration. "God help us if they manage to grab us as well, because I know that they'll take us to god knows where and we'll never see the light of day again!" Buttercup argued.

"We can't just let them take Bubbles to wherever they're going!" Blossom countered. "If we're to have any chance of getting her back, we need to intercept them and somehow persuade them into letting her go." She paused. "I don't know what's happened to them, and if the moon really is making them insane. But I think they took her on purpose."

Buttercup narrowed her eyes and set her jaw. "They know we're going to come after her."

"I think they're expecting us to. Crazed or not, they're still intelligent." Blossom agreed.

"But where are they taking her?" Buttercup muttered as she gazed up at the red moon above.

"I think I know." Blossom whispered as she glanced in the direction of the Jojo estate.

"The quickest way to get there is to cut through the heart of Townsville." Buttercup observed as she followed her sisters gaze. "The townspeople are almost ready to riot. Monsters or not, I wouldn't want to be them right now."

"It's the quickest way back to the mansion." Blossom agreed. "Personally, I don't think they care too much about… butchering anyone who gets in their way." She swallowed thickly as she thought about how easily they had ripped into Ace and his gang. There had been no hesitation in their actions, just pure unbridled rage.

"If we can make it to town before they do, we can try and stop them; or at least slow them down." Blossom mused. "They want us. They haven't harmed us even if they're acting possessed, which makes me believe that they won't hurt us intentionally. Maybe we can use that to our advantage."

"What are you saying Blossom?" Buttercup muttered softly.

"What I'm saying is maybe if we can somehow… reach them… make them stop and actually listen to us… we can appeal to the boys'… more agreeable side. The human side of them can be reasoned with, I know it. Perhaps we can even keep them from killing any of the townspeople, although, I'm not overly hopeful..."

"I don't know Bloss. Maybe they're too far gone. What if we can't make them listen to reason. What happens then?"

"Do you want Bubbles to remain their prisoner?" Blossom challenged. Buttercup narrowed her bright green eyes until they were little more than slits.

"Of course not." She hissed. "But we have no idea what's going to happen once we reach Townsville Center… provided we even make it to town before them. The townspeople don't trust us as it is, and they've all gone mad with paranoia! If they see us and the wolves out at the same time, it won't just be the boys we'll have to worry about – we could very well be killed tonight by the mob!"

She wrung her hand tightly together and started to pace back and forth. "They might burn us at the stake or hang us for witchcraft for all I know, and I don't know about you, but neither of those options sound very pleasant."

"I know that… But if we don't do something, then Bubbles might be caught in the fray and I'm not willing to take that chance. I'm just asking you to trust me. One last time." Blossom murmured, the look she gave her dark haired sister was resolute and Buttercup knew she wasn't going to change her mind.

She sighed and ran a hand through her tangled dark mane. "How are you so sure that this is going to work?"

"I don't." Blossom admitted softly as she gazed up at the dark red moon. "But now all we can do is try and hope for the best… and pray that no more die tonight."

"I think… that's wishful thinking at this point." Buttercup muttered. "Now come on. We have some wolves to catch up to."

And with that, both girls took off running in the general direction of town, hoping that they weren't too late already.

---

Townsville Center

"Let me go!"

Bubbles kicked and thrashed in Boomers tight hold on her, but the silver furred beast only clung to her tighter as an irritated snarl ripped out of his throat. She had been dragged back inside the mansion by the beast before she could leap out the window after her sisters. Boomer had then carried her in his jaws through the house, past Princess's still unconscious body and out a window and into the woods, kicking and screaming all the way.

She had no idea where her sisters where, or if they knew where she was, but she could have sworn that she had heard Buttercup scream her name faintly as she was dragged off into the forest.

She twisted and thrashed in Boomer's hold on her cloak as he and his brothers stalked through the dark underbrush at speeds she didn't think they could move at. Boomer paused briefly, and Brick and Butch slowed in front of them, again, eerily in sync – and let out another snarl as he raised one of his massive clawed hands and grabbed her tightly around her waist – pinning her arms to her sides with little effort, reminding her that he was far stronger in this new, monstrous form, than she cared to admit.

"Stop." The almost demonic sounding growl echoed in her head, as he gave his massive head a quick jerk, jostling her harshly and casing her to gasp painfully as her cloak tightened around her neck.

Bubbles knew she should be frightened. This… thing holding her wasn't Boomer, this creature was something else. Whether he was going crazy because of the strange moon or because of something else entirely, she didn't know. What she did know was that she was angry. Angry that he had snatched her away from her sisters, angry that he was forcefully taking her away to god knows where, and angry that for the time, she couldn't do anything about it.

She hated being powerless like this. Almost as much as she hated the creep Ace grabbing her face and looking at her as if she was nothing more than a piece of meat-

No. she wouldn't give the ghost of that horrid man the satisfaction of knowing that he had scared her far more then she was willing to admit. In the end, as reluctant as she was to admit it: he had gotten what he deserved.

Boomer retracted his hand from her waist, allowing her arms to dangle freely once more. "Behave." He growled in her head before taking off again, though Bubbles noted that he was being mindful not to choke her with her cloak as he ran with her in his jaws.

"Where are you taking me?" Bubbles snapped, trying to change her approach, only for silence to greet her as the three wolves picked up speed again. The thin blonde began to crane her head as much as she could to see if she could distinguish any familiar landmarks to let her know where they were, but the wolves were moving too fast for her to make out anything in particular amongst the dark shadows.

Suddenly, Bubbles could here the sound of voices calling faintly to each other on the wind. She saw all three of the wolf's ears perk up on their heads, and suddenly they were darting towards the sound like piranha's to blood, and with a sinking feeling in her chest, she realized she knew exactly where they were going.

They were heading towards town; she could faintly see lights cast from the small village through the thick trees as they drew closer and closer. She frowned, puzzled by the direction they were headed. Why were they going towards town? They knew full well that the townspeople were waiting for them to make an appearance. Even though it wasn't the full moon, she had heard whispers that the townspeople had set up something of a night patrol at Kingston's insistence. The idea wasn't a bad one, but it was coming years too late.

"Boomer, Boomer no. Boomer no! Please not there. Anywhere but there! I know what you and your brothers are thinking, but it won't end well for anyone! Not for you, or for the townspeople!"

Her pleas fell on deaf ears as Boomer and his brothers surged towards the village. Bubbles began to thrash once again as she contemplated what to do. She didn't want to scream and draw attention to them, considering the reaction the town had to her and her sister the last time they went to the village. But she didn't want the townspeople to be caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the boys. It wasn't the full moon after all. They wouldn't be expecting three monstrous creatures that were the stuff of nightmares to show up at their front door.

So, she did the only logical thing that made sense to her, and turned her attention to Boomer. She gazed up at the wolf's face with pleading eyes and tugged at the thick fur on his shoulder. "Boomer, Boomer please! Let me go! This isn't right, you know this! If you can hear my voice, please answer me!"

Silence answered her.

Bubbles' heart began to pound frantically in her chest at his lack of response. She wasn't sure if he was choosing not to listen to her or if he simply couldn't hear her. He was beyond her reach. She didn't know what was happening to him or his brothers. She didn't understand why their eyes were so strange, or why they looked different compared to how they looked the last time she had seen them in their true forms.

Truly, there was something evil at play.

Bubbles held her breath in panic as the three wolves slowly approached the edge of the forest. Peering out of the shrubbery, she saw the small town was alight with torches, illuminating that same wooden stage she had seen Kingston standing on earlier. Sure enough, she saw a large man dressed in white, barking orders at some of the men that were working on the large metal cages around the base of the stage.

So, that's where he had been all this time. She had found it odd that neither her or her sisters had seen him when they had invaded his house. He would be in for a nasty shock when he got back to find his house broken into and his daughter scarred for life.

Honestly Princess was lucky, Bubbles thought privately to herself. They could have easily killed her on the spot. Instead, they had left her collapsed on the floor. Both Kingston and Princess were lucky that it was her and he sisters they were after, nothing else.

"Look at those pathetic worms." A deep growl, Butch, she realized, echoed in her head.

"They think they can possibly stop us with those flimsy cages… how quinate."

"They're ready for you." Bubbles whispered back, causing two sets of red and green eyes to flick her way. "They've been preparing for you." Bubbles repeated again, feeling somewhat bolder. "All their weapons are made of silver and so are those cages. Those will actually hurt you. They know your weaknesses."

To her surprise and disappointment, Brick let out a barking laugh. "It will take more than a few measly silver bullets and a cage to stop us now. We are so much more then what they perceive us to be."

"What do you mean?" Bubbles whispered. "What do you mean, 'more then you are now?'" Before Brick could respond, a chorus of yelling started up from the town square. They watched quietly as Kingston and the men working on the cages stopped what they were doing as a man came running up to them, red-faced and out of breath.

Bubbles could only assume that he was some sort of patrolman, watching over the town. She stiffened in terror at the thought. Had some of the villagers come across them without them knowing? No, there was no possible way, the boys would have heard them long before if that was the case. That and they had come from a different direction, which made her assume that something else had caught their attention.

She couldn't hear what they were saying but she saw shock flash across Kingston's face and he made a motion for the men to bring whatever they had found over to him. The scout made a beckoning motion and suddenly the sound of two female voices came closer and closer to where Kingston and the other men were standing. She watched as Brick and Butch's ears perked up, and then felt her stomach sink as she watched Brick's black lips pull back into something similar to a grin, showcasing his large, red-stained teeth.

Suddenly, she didn't need to see who it was to know exactly who it was the night patrol had found. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw a flash of red and black hair come strutting to where Kingston was standing, and suddenly, she had the awful feeling that the brothers had taken her on purpose to lure the two woman to this exact spot.

"It's my sisters."

.

.

"Is town this way? I can't tell anymore" Buttercup panted as she and Blossom ran neck and neck through the dead forest.

"It has to be. Just keep following the large tracks in the snow." Blossom huffed back as both girls raced through the dark forest in an effort to keep up with the three Lycans.

"Wait, wait." Buttercup grabbed Blossoms wrist, slowing her to a stop. "The tracks are veering off." She pointed down to the claw marks they had been following, and sure enough, Blossom could see that they started to move in a slightly different direction. Buttercup looked up at her. "Do we follow them?"

"No." Blossom decided after a moment's hesitation. "Let's keep going in this direction. I don't want to run into them just yet. If we keep going the way we are, we'll reach town soon enough, and we'll cut them off. I'm almost certain of it."

"But where are they going then?" Buttercup asked.

"Towards town still… maybe they're trying to avoid going through the middle of town and are trying to move around the outside instead?" Blossom muttered as she tried to decipher their motives, only to shake her head. "It doesn't matter, let's keep moving. We've got to try and get Bubbles back."

Both girls kept moving through the brush and after a moment, they heard the sounds of voices echoing through the trees. Blossom looked at Buttercup excitedly. "Town's just up ahead. Come on, if we hurry, we can intercept-"

"Freeze!"

A high-pitched voice cut through the air, startling both girls. They turned to the side to see a young man pointing a rifle at them. He cocked the gun and jerked it at them. "Don't you move another step!"

"What the hell is this?" Buttercup snarled at him as she took a step in his direction. "Just who do you think you are? Pointing a gun at me and my sister-?!"

"Stop right there! Put your hands where I can see them!" the man snapped, prompting both girls to slowly lift their hands. "I'm part of the night patrol that we set up after the last time those monsters came through town. I watch the town borders, and you two are out in the woods well past curfew."

"Are you insane?" Buttercup snapped angerly.

"Buttercup-" Blossom tried to warn her, only for her sister to brush her off.

"Do you know who we are?" the dark-haired woman challenged the man.

He came a little closer to them and studied their faces for a moment. "Oh, I know exactly who you are." He admitted after a moment with a sneer. "You're the Utonium sisters. The ones who can talk to those… things. The witches." He frowned as he squinted at them. "Aren't there three of you?"

"Listen, friend. We've had a hell of a night as it is. You would not believe the things we've seen." Buttercup ground out, clenching her fists in rage at being called a witch. "Those things are out there. Tonight. In the woods. They took our sister and we're trying to get her back. If you know what's good for you, you'll go and warn your friends from town that they need to get ready, because they're coming-!"

"Impossible. Kingston Morebucks says that they only come out during the full moon." The man snapped.

"Then what exactly do you call that?" Buttercup snarled as she pointed up at the red moon. The man's gazed flicked up to the moon and he swallowed.

"Kingston says that it's some kind of eclipse. The town priest has already blessed us all tonight. It's just a strange sort of lunar-"

"Horseshit!" Buttercup snapped and the man looked taken aback by her language. "I'm telling you, it's not an eclipse, it's a Blood moon, and if you don't smarten up and tell your friends that the werewolves are out tonight – there's going to be a lot more murders on your hands-"

"Alright that's it." the man cocked the rifle at them again. "I've had enough of your blasphemy. I'm taking you both into town. You can both speak with Kingston."

"No, you don't understand, we have to go, they have Bubbles and we've got to rescues her!" Blossom protested.

"No take us to Kingston." Buttercup snapped. "I'm sure he'll love to know that we were chased into his house by those things and that they vey nearly killed his daughter while they were at it!"

"I- what?" the man asked, only for Buttercup to grab Blossom by the hand and stride past him. "Let's go Blossom, maybe Kingston will actually be able to help us this time."

"Buttercup, what are you doing?" Blossom protested.

"Look, we don't have a choice." Buttercup dropped her voice as she pulled her older sister along. "If we don't go willingly, he'll force us to. We can't waste time here. Bubbles needs us."

"Okay." Blossom agreed. The girls walked in front of the scout as they walked through the dead undergrowth towards town. As they got close enough to see the village lights the man lowered his gun and moved past them.

"I'm going to alert Kingston and the others that you're here. Don't get any funny ideas and run off now."

Buttercup only waved him on as they stepped into the outskirts of town and followed after the scout as he led them through the rows of cottages and into the middle of the well-lit town square. As they entered, they saw the wooden platform Kingston had been yelling from the last time they had been in town and the large silver cages leaning up against it. If she hadn't been so worried, Blossom would have almost been impressed by the amount of effort the town had put in to try and prepare themselves for the creatures that she knew were out there right now. It was too bad that they weren't prepared like this when it actually mattered-

"Kingston Morebucks." Buttercup snapped, bringing Blossom out of her reprieve. She looked up to see the scout standing beside the white clad man and several other men working on reinforcing the cages, beckoning them over. "My sister and I need to have a word with you… Several in fact."

"Well, well, if it isn't Miss Buttercup and Miss Blossom themselves. Have you come to help us with our furry little problem?" the burly man asked them curiously. "You're a bit early, but no matter. I must say, you're both out very late and without a chaperone no less." He glanced them over. "My goodness, what happened to you both? Why are you both covered in dirt? And where is your sister-?"

"It doesn't matter." Buttercup interrupted him, smearing a spot of dust on her cheek as she tried to wipe it off. "We've been through a hell of a night as it is. We're here to tell you that you need to get everyone here ready, because the wolves are out tonight and they're coming here."

"Excuse me?" Kingston coughed, looking around at the rest of the men, who were giving him disbelieving looks. "I… was under the impression that werewolves only came out at the full moon."

"Well tell that to them, because my sister's and I just spent the last couple of hours getting chased by the three of them through the woods, into the abandoned manors and into your own, before they made off with Bubbles!" Buttercup snapped, tired of beating around the bush.

Kingston's eyes widened. "Wait… you got chased into my house? Where's Princess, is she alright?"

"She's fine. I think. She just fainted. You're going to need a new front door and some windows." Buttercup informed him. "Blossom and I managed to get out but those brutes snatched Bubbles before she could escape with us and then they took off with her." She took a deep breath. "Now, we ran all the way here to try and cut them off because we think we know where they're going. They'll be here soon – If they're not already – so if you don't want to witness anymore murders, you need to tell your people to get ready, because they've already murdered Ace and his group of thugs earlier this evening, and they are angry."

"Wait, wait, girls slow down, what are you saying?" Kingston held out his hands. "There should be no possible way they are out again. The full moon has already come and gone. It's too soon-!"

"Kingston we really don't have time to try and explain this to you." Blossom finally interjected. "Part of the reason is because we still don't understand it ourselves." She lowered her voice and looked up at the red moon. "I don't know what exactly you've told these people about that, but it's not some kind of eclipse. We think it's affected… them, somehow. They are coming, and you need to get everyone here prepared."

"The moon has forced these creatures to change?" Kingston asked incredulously. "I wasn't sure why the moon changed color… I suppose that makes sense." He gestured to the men behind him. "Gentlemen, if you please, go get your rifles. You may need them." The men nodded and darted off out of site to grab their weapons. Kingston looked at the two girls. "What will you both do then?"

"We're going to find our sister. She needs us. I don't know if we'll be able to stop the beasts, but we can't let them take her away." Blossom told him. "Please don't get involved. I don't want to witness anymore death tonight."

Kingston sighed and looked away as the men returned with their rifles. "Well girls, I'm afraid that I can't let you both go quite that easily."

"What do you mean?" Blossom asked, suddenly on edge as she noticed three more men appeared behind her and Buttercup. "What are you saying? If we stay here, there is a very likely chance that they will show up. If they do, there will be a blood bath."

"Ah, but girls that's exactly why I need you both here in the first place. It's like I told you before: I want to capture them. To study them, so that they will never bother these good people again. If they are truly out there, I want them to come here, and what better way to lure them here then you two lovely ladies. It's you they want after all."

Before Blossom or Buttercup could react, two of the men behind them grabbed their arms and held them firmly, but gently behind their backs, causing a furious scream to erupt from Buttercup as she tried to kick at the man holding her.

"Goddamn you! Release me! I have had enough of men grabbing me for one night!" Buttercup snarled as she thrashed angerly in her captors hold. She looked up and met the gaze of the man holding her arms, and Blossom swore that if looks could kill, the man would be dead twenty times over. "I swear to GOD, if they come for us, I won't stop them when they try and kill you."

"Goodness Buttercup, what would your father say if he heard you speaking like that?" Kingston clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "I'm not sure, what would he say if he knew that the man who he trusted was using his daughters as bait?" Buttercup retorted.

"Girls please, you know I wouldn't do this if I didn't think it was for the greater good." Kingston sighed as he turned to one of the workers. "Go alert the others that we may have some unexpected company." He murmured as the man took off.

"You're insane!" Blossom yelped. "You think you're prepared but you really have no idea what they can do. Buttercup and I don't even know what their fully capable of! I'm telling you now Kingston, you don't want them here! Even if you do manage to trap them, how exactly do you plan on keeping them caged? They're far smarter than you realize. A cage won't hold them-!"

"Not even heavily reenforced silver ones?" Kingston smiled calmly as he tapped the bars of one of the cages. "My dear, you underestimate us. We have been preparing for them since the last attack. While I admit, I'm in no hurry to see those fowl creatures again, if they're out there, we might as well deal with them now and end this nightmare once and for all!" the men around them nodded their heads and muttered their agreement. Blossom shook her head.

"Please Kingston, I'm begging you to let us go. We may be the only one who might be able to persuade them not to attack the village, but we can't do that if you hold us here. If you keep us here, they will come for us in the end."

"And that, my dear," Kingston smiled as he bent down slightly so that he was eye to eye with her. "-is exactly what I'm counting on."

Blossom felt the color drain form her face as Kingston stood up, just as the men from before came running up behind them, carrying rifles and large, juggling pouches that were filled with what Blossom could only assume where silver bullets.

He was going to weaponize the bond they shared with the boys against them. Blossom thought desperately as Kingston turned his back on her to converse with the new arrivals. But that meant… no. Brick and Butch were going to come looking for them. She was almost certain that they had taken Bubbles in an effort to get her and Buttercup to follow them… but if they didn't come after Bubbles like they wanted them to… then they would have to come back and see where they were.

They would track them down and come straight into town. And there would be a riot… a new bloodbath between Kingston's mob and them-

"-right, I think we're ready." Blossom snapped back to the present just as the group of rife-carrying men formed a line formation in front of them with their rifles pointed towards the entrance of the town square and into the darkness of the forest lining the town. Kingston smiled as he paced his hands on his hips. "Well girls, I must admit I am quite curious to see this interesting bond you and the monsters share for myself." Blossom swore she saw his smile become slightly deranged as he looked at them and almost commanded them: "Call them here."

Blossom shook her head. "No. I won't."

Kingston shook his head with a sigh. "I wasn't asking my dear."

"and I'm telling you, it doesn't work like that." Blossom snapped. "I don't even understand it, but I'm telling you, we can't call them here on command. Even if we somehow could. I wouldn't do it."

"Why in God's name are you so obsessed about this Kingston?" Buttercup finally snapped, drawing the older man's attention onto her. She twisted angrily in the man's hold on her arms. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into. If you had any sense at all, you would abandon this foolish idea of capturing them, and tell everyone to lock their doors and hide until this night is over! You are not prepared for them, and all you're going to do is damn these people and damn us trying and failing to capture them! Why do you want them so badly!?"

Kingston only chuckled and signaled for the man holding her to bring her closer to him and Blossom. He crouched down and whispered in her ear just loud enough for Blossom to hear him. "Because Buttercup, if these things broke into my house and hurt my precious Prinny like you and your sister claim they did, then I want some damn payback." Kingston growled as he looked directly at Blossom. "Now, call. Them. Here."

"I can't!" Blossom groaned. "I don't even know where they are right now-"

"Don't worry Blossom, I see you. I see everything."

Blossom almost cried out in terror as the too-deep voice invaded her head. She glanced around frantically, trying to see where the voice had emanated from… trying to see if she could see him.

Kingston noticed her sudden change in demeanor and his trademark smile flew back into place as he straightened up. "My god, she actually can hear them." He mused as he looked around. "Stay sharp men, they're close."

"Closer than you think. Close enough to rip your miserable head from your shoulders…" Butch's voice echoed in Buttercup's head, causing her heart to speed up.

"Where are you?" she breathed, keeping her voice low. "What have you done with Bubbles?"

"Here… all here…we're here for you now."

"Holy shit! Something big just moved over in that alley!" the man holding Blossom called out, shifting both of Blossom's hands into one of his own so that he could point to an alley adjacent from them. "I couldn't see what it was, it was too fast!"

"Hold your ground. Keep your wits about you!" Kingston commanded. "Let them show themselves. They're here for the girls. They want them unharmed I imagen. Just keep them close to the center. They'll be filled with silver before they can snatch them away."

"Well. If that's how you'd like to do things…"

A low grow filled the air, causing the panicked muttering to fall silent. The sound of heavy foot falls thudding purposefully out of the shadows from the dark outline of the forest before the panicked group, echoed off the tightly packed cottages, until a pair of glowing green eyes emerged from the darkness, followed by a powerful dark-furred body. Butch stood before them on all fours, surveying the group in front of him with disinterest before his gaze finally settled on Buttercup.

She shuddered as noticed there was indeed a strange red haze in his eyes. They weren't normal. Something was very, very wrong with them, and suddenly she feared more for the mob's safety then her own.

A second growl and a pair of red eyes appeared from behind Butch. They slunk around him, and suddenly, Brick was standing beside Butch, dried blood, matting his already dark brown fur. He looked almost smug; Blossom realized with a jolt as Brick let out a short bark. It was silent for a moment before a slightly muffled sound, similar to his own, called back from the darkness. There was the sound of branches and twigs snapping as something big and heavy moved out of the woods and came closer and closer to the two Lycan standing at the edge of town.

Then…

"Let me go!"

A faint but easily recognizable voice echoed from out of the darkness. Blossom and Buttercup looked at each other, hardly daring to believe it. A moment later, a large, silver-furred wolf lumbered out of the darkness, carrying a thin, blonde girl by her cloak, in his powerful jaws. He stood beside Brick, facing the villagers and growled low in his throat. Bubbles lifted her head slowly and her eyes widened as she caught sight of her sisters. "Blossom! Buttercup!"

"Bubbles!" Buttercup yelled, summoning enough adrenalin from seeing her sister unharmed, to elbow the man holding her off and shoving the man holding onto Blossom away from her, before shoving through the gun line and extending her arms out for her sister. "Let her go, let me see her!" she yelled across to Boomer. To both her and Blossom's surprise, Boomer released her after a moment's hesitation, allowing the blonde to stumble to her feet and quickly run towards her sisters on the other side.

"Oh my god." Buttercup groaned as she and Blossom wrapped their baby sister in a hug. "Are you okay? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"No, I'm fine." Bubbles reassured them as she pulled away from them. "Listen to me, they grabbed me for a reason. They wanted to lure you both here."

"We figured." Blossom muttered. "We didn't care, we just wanted you back. We were hoping that if we could get here before they did, we could try and convince them to give you back to us… that and try and talk them down from harming anyone else-"

She looked between the men and the beast that were now having a silent showdown with each other. "… though I don't think that's going to happen regardless of what we try and do-"

Kingston snapped his fingers and once again, the girls felt their arms get yanked behind their backs as the men from before plus a new one for Bubbles, grabbed them and pulled them away from the front line. "Gentleman please, need I remind you to keep them close to you? We don't need them taking off on us now do we?" Kingston asked without taking his eyes off the three beasts in front of him.

All three Lycan's ears flattened against their heads as their lips pulled back to expose the sharp fangs that lined their gums at the unwanted contact. Brick's eyes glowed as he locked eyes with Blossom again. "I'll take you away from here."

"No don't-" Blossom murmured, afraid of what he was going to do, only for Brick to break eye contact with her and focus in on Kingston. Blossom could visibly see the large man stiffen as his angry red slits washed over him. Brick's eyes seemed to glow even more as he focused his attention on the large bearded man.

"Kingston Morebucks, I now speak directly to you."

Kingston's breath caught in his throat and he raised a hand to his head, looking dazed and confused. "What in God's green Earth-?" he murmured as he turned his head to look at the girls with a mixture of fear and confusion plastered across his face.

"Can… can you hear them as well?" Bubbles asked as she glanced up at Kingston, only to see that the large man was as white as a ghost. He nodded slowly, causing the other men around them to murmur uneasily amongst themselves.

"Is he possessed?"

"Do we shoot?"

"What do we do?"

Kingston held up a hand, silencing them. "I'm alright." He confirmed, but his eyes looked distant. "They are… communicating with me… somehow… I do not understand-"

"I wished to speak to you before we divulged into senseless violence." Brick spoke calmly to him as he took a step forward towards the line of gunmen. The men flicked the safeties on their guns off, and cocked them at the huge wolf only for Kingston to raise a hand, making them pause.

"Wait." He muttered. "I'm curious as to what this beast has to say to me."

A distorted chuckle made its way out of Brick's throat. "You should have listened to the girls while you still had the chance. It truly was foolish of you to keep them here, when all they wanted to do was spare you and this miserable town from our wrath. Now it's too late."

"I don't know why or how exactly you monsters were able to return as soon as you did," Kingston growled back at the wolf. "But it matters not. Your reign of terror ends here and now. Werewolf."

"HA!" Brick barked, cackling as if someone had told him a good joke. "You have no idea how many times we've heard that lately, and yet: nothing has come of it. What makes you think that this will be any different." He looked over Kingston mockingly. "You truly have no idea what we are, do you? We are no longer just normal werewolves. We are something far more powerful. Something far more… Grimm."

"No…" Kingston breathed, looking deeply confused. "John said-"

"The Professor, knows little about what we truly are. What we are capable of." Brick snarled, cutting him off. "We have abilities that you could only dream of… abilities that you wish to try and exploit for your own personal gain…"

"How… how can I hear you?" Kingston croaked. "The villagers said all they could here was growling, but that the girls could speak to them… why can I understand what you're saying?"

"Oh… that." The demonic beast chuckled distortedly, eyes glowing even more then before. "The bond that we and the girls share cannot be unbroken. They always have had the ability to understand us, even in our true forms... But... we can choose certain individuals to hear us speak as well. Consider it an honor. Only one before you has heard us before."

"But why?" Kingston asked, mystified. He made the mistake of stepping away from the rest of the men and began to slowly move towards the beasts as if in a trance, ignoring the calls of the men for him to come back. "Why have you chosen me?"

"Because men like you are all the same."

That seemed to free Kingston from his trace and he stopped abruptly, just a few feet away from the monstrous creatures before him. "Excuse me-?"

"Don't play coy with us Kingston Morebucks. We know that you planned on trying to capture us and take us back to the city to star as the attractions in your little zoo. Did you really think that it would be that simple? Did you truly believe we would let you get off that easy?"

Kingston froze. "I-."

"No." the raspy chuckle Brick let out made the blood in Blossom's veins turn to ice. "You shouldn't have put all your eggs in one basket Kingston, and you should have never trusted Mojo Jojo. All you've done is sign your death warrant and the ones of the people helping you with your ludicrous plan."

"Mojo Jojo… wait-" Kingston's face went white as he slowly made eye contact with the red eyed beast. "Don't I know you?" he whispered, eyes widening in realization, just as Brick's black lips pulled back into a terrifying smile, all sharp teeth and no trace of warmth.

"Goodbye, Kingston Morebucks."

Before the large man could run back and command the other men to open fire on the beasts, Brick reared up onto his hind legs and sliced one of his clawed hands upwards through Kingston, allowing a red mist to fill the air. The white clad man staggered back but didn't fall down like Blossom expected him to. She held her breath as Kingston slowly turned around to face them, only to see the front of his clothes slashed open and some slight red marks where Brick had clawed him.

"Oh my god, did he miss?" She heard Buttercup mutter out loud only to have the man holding her shake her roughly in an effort to silence her.

Kingston took another slow step towards them, only to abruptly stop as a strange look came over his face. Before anyone could register what was happening, the burly man suddenly vomited up blood and the red marks on his face and chest split open, allowing a torrent of blood to come rushing out of the man as he finally collapsed to the ground, convulsing uncontrollably.

Bubbles screamed in horror, just as one of the men holding them gave the order to open fire, and suddenly the world around them devolved into chaos.

The girls were yanked back and out of the way just as the men opened fire on the beasts. Bubbles saw on the of the bullets hit Boomer as the silver furred Grimm let out an irritated bark before lunging out of the way. He looked down at his muscular arm, where a small amount of black blood was trickling out of the bullet wound. He huffed as a shudder went though his body, and Bubbles watched in fascination as the silver shell pushed itself out of his skin and fell to the ground in front of him.

The man who managed to shoot him took note as well, and lowered his rifle in shock. "What the hell-"

"Don't stop, keep shooting!" one of the other men chastised him as he struggled to reload his rifle. "Damn these things! Take so long to-!"

"LOOK OUT!" Bubbles screamed. An ear-pricing roar filled the air as Brick and Butch collided with the row of shooters, having avoided the first round of shots. Blood and other body parts, accompanied by the sound of wet ripping sounds filled the air, as the two beasts began to mangle the row of shooters as the men tried to fight back against the overpowering force of the monsters. Boomer quickly bounded over to join them in the fray and a fresh chorus of yells filled the air.

The men holding the sisters let go and took off – either to hide or find weapons of their own – leaving them in the middle of the blood bath erupting in the town square. "Oh my god!" Buttercup screamed as a spray of blood caught her across the back. "Jesus Christ! Let's get out of here!"

The sound of a bell rang out frantically above the carnage and suddenly doors flew open and frantic looking townspeople spilled out on to the streets, carrying gleaming weapons made of silver. They bolted towards the frenzy with wild screams of their own, brandishing their weapons in their hands. Butch looked up as he snapped the neck of the last of the shooters effortlessly with one hand.

"Look… more sheep coming to the slaughter."

"NO! BUTCH NO MORE!" Buttercup screamed, knowing full well that he couldn't hear her. The black wolf paused as she called out to him. Another strange shudder ran through him. His head jerked unnaturally to the side before a pained snarl ripped out of his maw as he focused his attention on the newly approaching townspeople, before he flung himself at them. The ravenette couldn't bring herself to look as the sound of death screams and organs spilling out onto the ground, filled the tainted air.

"We need to get out of here." she repeated faintly, suppressing the urge to vomit.

Blossom shook her head. "We can't. We can't let them kill everyone here! We need to stop them!"

"How?" Bubbles yelped, as she pulled her sisters out of the way as more men brandishing weapons ran towards Boomer, who met them just as eagerly with his razor-like claws.

Blossom looked around and her gaze settled on the wooden platform. "I have an idea!" she yelled as she dragged her sisters towards it, avoiding as much of the fight as they could.

Meanwhile, Brick was facing off against five more villagers near the massive silver cages that Kingston had planned to lock him and his brother's in. He and the villagers were locked in a deadly dance: the villagers, trying to avoid the deadly claws and fangs, and he, trying to avoid the axes and bullets made from silver as much as possible.

What he didn't realize was that the villagers were forcing him backwards purposefully. The five of them were slowly forcing him back, as one of the townspeople opened up one of the cages from behind him. Finally, one of the townspeople threw an axe at him, causing him to back pedal slightly to avoid taking it in the shoulder. As soon as he recovered his balance, a snarl ripped out of his maw and he flung himself forward – ready to tear into the group and spill their blood all across the town square, before he rejoined his brothers and finished up with the rest of the measly Townsville villagers-

BAM.

The heavy metal door slammed shut as one of the villager's managed to bolt and lock the door on the red-eyed Grimm before he could escape. "Ha! Got that bastard! Not as smart as everyone thinks you are eh, monster? Come on now! The beast is trapped, let's kill the damn thing before he-!"

A furious mixture of a scream and a snarl erupted from inside the cage and suddenly the door was sent flying off its hinges, landing several feet away. The townspeople looked on in horror as Brick tore himself free of the silver prison, slashing and roaring at any of the townsfolk that were standing next to the cage, as he hulled himself out, small lacerations and the smell of burnt fur emanated from the beast as he briefly inspected his clawed hands.

It didn't matter if silver didn't affect them as much as it used to… it still burnt if they touched it for too long. Unfortunately, it only served to infuriate the already angry beast further, and with an earth-shaking roar – he flung himself at a young man who had realized too late that the beast wasn't as injured as he had thought he was. The livid Grimm pinned the man down and was just about to rip his throat out, when-

"STOP!"

A high-pitched scream rose above the noise and the battle ceased for a moment. The remaining people and even the Grimm's stopped their murder, only to see Blossom, ragged and blood-stained, standing on the wooden platform, holding her arms out, with her sisters on either side.

"Enough! I can't do this anymore! I can't watch this massacre any longer! This has to stop!" She looked desperately towards Brick, who was glowering down at the man he had trapped underneath him. He didn't look up at her as he deliberately pressed down on the leg of the man – snapping it effortlessly – causing the man to scream with agony.

"BRICK STOP!" Blossom slapped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late. The words escaped her mouth before she could take them back. The crowd froze and whispers began to spread like wildfire.

"Brick? As in Brick Jojo?"

"The beasts… it's the Jojo triplets?

"I knew there was something wrong with those boys. I've been saying it since the moment they were born."

The whispers were cut short as Butch suddenly came to his senses again and snapped. Before anyone could blink – the black beast turned and sent one of the villagers who was slowly creeping up behind him with a silver knife drawn – careening into a cottage wall. Blood sprayed out of the man's mouth in a fine mist and he slumped to the ground, either dead or unconscious – causing a fresh wave of screams to start up again as the remainder of the people around him, turned and quickly ran back into the undamaged cottages around them – adrenalin wearing off and fear setting in once more.

"Stop!" Buttercup snapped as she strode forward towards, catching the well-build creature off guard. She stopped a few feet away from him and shook her head. "Enough. I'm going to be sick." She muttered as she pointedly ignored the rapidly spreading pool of blood that was coming from the man's mouth.

Blossom ignored them both and continued to move towards Brick. "Please, please! No more. We'll do anything! I know you can't stand this place, and while the people here don't care for us either, we can't let you continue on doing this!" Blossom begged him as she slowly approached the angry Grimm. He slowly let go of the crying man under him and made his way over to her on all fours.

"You know there is only one way to end this." Brick growled angrily as he loomed over her. "If you and your sisters truly want to save these pathetic inbreds, you know what you must do." When she didn't respond, he snarled angrily and paced back and forth before pausing in front of her, trying to keep his rage in check.

"The time has come. We have been more then lenient with the three of you. Either come with us willingly and we will spare what remains of these miserable worms, or refuse us and watch them all suffer in front of you. Make your choice."

The last part was spat out in such venom, Blossom drew back slightly. Yes, she knew exactly what Brick wanted from her and her sisters. The question was now that she was confronted with it: Could she go through with it?

She glanced over at Kingston's body lying a few feet away from them and immediately looked away. The townspeople may hate her and her sisters because of the connection they had with the monstrous side of the brothers, but could she really stand idly by and watch as they set themselves upon the reminder of the town?

She already knew the answer. She didn't have to think about it.

No. She couldn't. Some of the people may have tried to harm her in the past, but she knew their actions were caused mostly out of fear and paranoia more then any actual malice towards her and her family. It didn't make them right, but she could understand why they had been so horrid to her during the last full moon.

Blossom took a shuddering breath and looked at Buttercup and Bubbles who were standing a few feet away from her. Both sisters were splattered with blood and tired. They couldn't keep running. There was nowhere else for them to go now. If they tried to run now, Blossom was almost certain that no one in town would be spared from the wolves crazed slaughter. No one would take them in now anyways. It was too late. The boys had played their hands well, just as she suspected.

"Blossom." Buttercup's low murmur caught her attention. She locked eyes with her sister and the ravenette gave her a solemn look and gave her a small nod, reassuring the auburn-haired girl that she would accept whatever choice she made. That was all the encouragement Blossom needed as she slowly stepped forward so that she was toe to toe with Brick.

"Do you promise to leave them alone?" her voice was strong and clear, hiding how scared she truly was. The wolf's hot breath washed over her and Blossom couldn't help but be amazed that despite being on all fours, she only came up to chest level with the hulking beast. The haze in Brick's eyes seemed to clear for a moment before the strange haze took over them again, and they glazed over.

"You have my word they will be left alone… for now."

"Fine." She murmured softly as she slowly spread her arms. "Then… do with me what you will."

In the next moment Brick moved behind her, and before Blossom could process what was happening, he had picked her up by the back of her cloak, easily lifting her off of the ground and began to move in the direction of his home.

As he began to carry her away, Blossom glanced behind her to see Boomer do the same to Bubbles as the smaller girl looked like she was torn between wanting to lash out at the wolf or cry out of frustration. Buttercup just gazed stoically at Butch as the jet-black beast approached her. Blossom saw her sister's lips move as Butch simply leaned over her and grasped her by the collar, lifting her into the air with no effort at all. He sent the few townspeople still watching the exchange a warning snarl, before turning and running to catch up to them.

Once the three were all together, Brick let out a grunt and the three beasts darted off into the forest leading to the Jojo estate – carrying the girls away from the destruction behind them in silence.

---

Jojo Estate

"Jesus Christ and sweet mother of Mary, help us all." Mitch murmured a silent prayer to whichever god was possibly listening, as he and John watched in horror as the bright white moon, slowly turned a dark red high above them.

Both men were on their way through the barren path towards the Jojo Estate. Robin had almost refused to let him go from the embrace that she had trapped him in before they set off, and Mitch had almost been tempted not to go at all. He hated upsetting her. He didn't mean to – but this… ritual, this summoning that John had rambled about – was far beyond any of them.

Now, he was starting to wish that he had stayed home.

"What on Earth is going on?" John asked as he slowed his horse down to a trot beside Mitch. "I wasn't aware that a lunar moon cycle was happening tonight."

"That's because that isn't one." Mitch muttered. "I hope with every fiber of my being, that's not what I think it is, because we and everyone we know, are truly in danger if it is."

"Weren't we already in danger before?" John asked solemnly, causing Mitch to shake his head. "Not like this." He growled as he slapped the reins, forcing his horse into a full canter, not wishing to explain himself here. "Let's go John, we have to move fast!" he yelled back, as he watched the older man spur his horse into a run as well.

"The estate is just up this way?" Mitch called back to John as both men rode up the deserted path through the snow-covered hills. "Yes!" John called back. "No one else lives up this way, it's just Mojo. His family has lived in that house since Townsville was first founded. It was passed down from generation to generation. Supposedly, they liked their privacy."

"Clearly." Mitch agreed, as he took in the baren landscape around them. "Mojo had more than enough land for the boys to run around as wolves during the full moon. They could easily disappear out here if people were after them, and I'm going to assume that this is all private property, so the townspeople wouldn't be allowed out here anyways. I can understand why they were never found-."

His voice died in his throat as a shape began to form on the horizon. Mitch squinted at it. It had to be the Jojo manor, there was no doubt about that, but there was something off about it. it seemed like the large house was surrounded by a strange, orange glow.

A strange, orange glow, and what looked like plumes of smoke billowing up and into the red sky above-

"John let's move!" Mitch snapped the reins, spurring his horse to go faster. "It's on fire! We have to go!"

"It's on fire?!" John raised a hand to his eyes as he urged his horse into a canter. His eyes widened as he took in the sight that was quickly becoming worse and worse the faster they approached the burning mansion. "No, no, what happened!?"

"Jesus Christ!" Mitch snapped as they pulled up several feet away from the blaze that had taken over the first floor. He quickly dismounted and gave his reins to John. "Stay back, I'm going to look for survivors."

"In that? Are you insane?!" John gaped at him as he slid off and held both horses firmly as they began to rear and neigh. "That fire happened recently! It hasn't reached the second floor yet – though it probably will in the next couple of minutes." Mitch argued. He pointed towards the blaze. "The front door is open; I can see that. I'm going to look inside and see if I can see anyone."

"Mitch no! You just got out of the hospital; don't you dare put yourself back in there- MITCH!" But the young hunter wasn't listening. He ran up to the front of the house and peered inside, shielding his face from the heat with his cloak. John saw him point at something inside. "I see someone in there John! I'm going to bring them out!"

"Young man you stop right there- Oh goddamn it!" John yelled as Mitch bolted into the steadily growing inferno. "Shit. Shit. Shit!" John hissed as he steered both horses' over to one of the trees in the front and tied them both to it before bolting over towards the front of the house. The tall man began to cough violently as the black smoke coming from the house began to choke him and he felt his eyes water from the sweltering heat the growing fire was giving off.

He shielded his eyes as he peered into the gaping maw of the inferno where the front door had once been, trying to see if he could spot Mitch inside, but he couldn't see the young man anywhere within the fiery depths. John felt his heart speed up as a massive fireball shot out of the flaming doorway and out onto the front steps. There was a very real possibility that he was trapped inside or that he had been swallowed up by the blaze itself – neither option was good.

"Mitch?! Mitch?! Where are you-!" John cleared his throat to yell again, only for Mitch to suddenly run out of the burning building; and not a moment too soon, as the archway finally gave out behind him with a sickening groan, permanently sealing off the entrance to the mansion.

The young man ran over to him and John realized with a jolt, that he was carrying something- no, a body over his shoulder. A sudden feeling of dread settled in the pit of John's stomach as it suddenly hit him that one of the houses residences was dead.

"Goddamn, sorry about that." Mitch huffed, adjusting the admittedly small corpse hanging over his shoulder and pointedly ignoring the disbelieving look John was giving him. "I'm still getting used to this prosthetic arm. I'm not used to lifting with it just yet. I still need some more practice with it, and hopefully it won't be by carrying bodies out of burning buildings… speaking of-" He shot the older man a pointed look. "I'll need you to identify the body. I think I know who it is already, but I want you to confirm it. You know the family better than I do."

"I- yes… of course." John muttered as Mitch gingerly peeled the corpse off his shoulder with a look of disgust on his face. He made a face as he laid out the body on the snowy ground in-between them and brushed off what looked like chunks of blackened skin off his cloak. "I hate the smell of burning flesh." He muttered, just loud enough for John to hear him. "That's a smell you never get used to."

John tried to block him out as he slowly sank to his knees, gagging violently at the pungent smell of burnt hair and flesh. He covered his nose with his hands as he tried to determine who it was that he was looking, at with half of the corpse's face and most of its distinguishable traits gone, or blackened by the fire.

But in his heart of hearts, he knew who it was already. There was only one person he knew who was that small…

"Mojo?" John whispered, hardly daring to raise his voice any higher. Mitch coughed, fanning smoke off the charred body. He gagged at the smell of burnt flesh and hair as he quickly examined the parts of the body he could see.

"Well. He wasn't killed as a result from the fire." He coughed after a moment as he pointed at Mojo's blackened neck. "See that wound there across his neck?" He pointed out a charred, but noticeably deep slit running horizontally across Mojo's neck. "That's a knife wound. Deep one to. His throat was slashed and whoever did it must have cut right through the jugular before setting the place on fire. He must have bled out in a minute or less."

John fought the urge to be sick all over his shoes.

"Are… are the boys in there?" John asked, not sure whether to feel cautiously optimistic or horrified because if they hadn't started the inferno, it meant there was someone else out there who had, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to stick around to find out who it was.

"I'm going to say no." Mitch spoke firmly as he looked away from the burning mansion. "How can you be sure?" John asked as he stood up to face him, unable to look at Mojo's charred remains any longer.

"I'm not saying we dare go look, the fire is too dangerous and the place looks like it's going to collapse in on itself – hell, you shouldn't have even grabbed Mojo from the fire – but… I haven't seen any trace of them since arriving-"

"I'm telling you Professor, they're not in there. I know because I'm looking at three sets of foot prints leading away from the house and there's splatters of blood all around them." John felt his blood run cold as he slowly stood up and moved away from Mojo's corpse to stand beside the young hunter a few feet away. Sure enough, the brunette pointed out three different sets of tracks moving away from the house and into the woods, accompanied by red droplets scattered sporadically around them.

"Where are they going?" John whispered. "Jesus Christ. They murdered their own father and set the house on fire to cover it up before vanishing into the woods." John murmured in disbelief. "Why?"

"There's something else going on here." Mitch growled as his eyes narrowed at the forest. "Something much darker than I initially thought. I don't think these are normal werewolves we're dealing with anymore. This is something far worse."

He guested to the fire behind them without taking his eyes off of the dark wood. "This was done recently. The fire looks like it was only set an hour ago tops and the moon has been up for hours. That, and I'm looking at human footprints, which means the boys haven't changed yet…" he glanced up at the red moon and his eyes narrowed into silts.

"When I encountered the boys in the Asylum, I realized there was something off about them. They were able to hold off completely transforming for brief periods of time… not well, mind you, but they could. Normal werewolves can't do that. They're forced to change when the moon rises, they don't have a choice. The human part of them is lost and is taken over by the wolf… a man could kill his best friend without realizing it until the next morning. But they-" Mitch paused before slowly continuing, "-they weren't like that. They had some degree of control over their changes, and they... they were in control of their mental faculties. They were meticulous when they were hunting me down."

Mitch rubbed his prosthetic arm slowly as he tried to recall the hazy events of the Asylum. "I think, if I look back on that night; it had something to do with them being in the moonlight. When they weren't in direct moonlight, they could fight back the change. But when they were in the moonlight, they transformed. I thought it was odd at the time… but I obviously couldn't focus on that, considering what was happening."

"I don't think that's the case anymore. Whatever it was. I don't think they've ever been ordinary beasts, but there is something far worse going on here." He pointed up at the dark red moon. "That up there, is what the old ones used to call a Blood moon. When you mentioned to me that a special moon was about to appear, I thought it might have been this, but I prayed that I was wrong, because this is perhaps the worst situation for us to be in right now."

Mitch narrowed his eyes dangerously as he tried to recall the old legends his elders had told him about them long ago. "They are extremely rare, and from the stories that my Grandmother used to tell me; they are an omen. One that foretells death and destruction. The old stories used call it, Devil's Moon, and when one would appear in the sky, it signaled the appearance of the Devil himself. I don't think it's a coincidence that it appeared tonight of all nights. I don't know how, but I have the feeling that the boys are behind this somehow."

"But even if that's the case, how could they possibly have the power to change the moon itself?" John asked mystified. "This… cannot be happening."

"Think Professor. You said that they planned on summoning a creature here, but you didn't know what it was or how they planned on doing it. You've known Mojo and the boys from when they were first born. Did something happen from the time they were born till the time you first left Townsville?" Mitch pressed. "Please, it's important. I'm familiar with all the old myths and legends. I can assure you that during my time as a 'hunter', I've seen things that by all accounts shouldn't be real. Nothing you say will make me think you've lost your mind."

"Well… there was something that I didn't tell you back at the house." John admitted lowly, suddenly finding himself unable to look at the younger man next to him. "I didn't know how to tell you at the time, and if I'm being honest, I was hoping that I wouldn't have to relive my greatest shame." John swallowed thickly.

"There was an… accident… before they were conceived." John forced the words out. he had never told anyone about the dark secret that he had lived with for the majority of his life. The very secret that he had hoped with every fiber of his being would stay buried.

"Back when Mojo and I were young and foolish, and weren't aware of the natural order of the world, we attempted to create a machine that could test what we couldn't see… or in other words: if an afterlife truly existed." He cleared his throat, ignoring the steeling look in Mitch's eyes. "The machine that Mojo and I were working on… it… it didn't do what we were excepting it to exactly… it… it called something here… something not from this world."

"What did you call here.?" Mitch asked, trying to remain calm as he felt the hair on the back of his neck begin to rise, but John shook his head desperately. "I don't know exactly. I didn't see it directly, but Mojo… he… he made a deal with it." The older scientist fought the urge to choke back the bile he felt rising in his throat.

"Up until recently, I didn't know what the deal was… but… Brick, Butch and Boomer… they are not Mojo's sons. They never were."

Mitch froze as dread washed over him like an icy wave. "No…" he murmured. "No, no-"

"He… Mojo, he… let that… that monster defile his own wife and they were the result." John felt tears prick at his eyes. "I always suspected… something wasn't right with them… but I didn't do anything then, and I should have." He swallowed thickly as he forced himself to continue.

"He did horrible things to them when they were young… This I know." The older man covered his face with his hand as he tried to compose himself and sighed. "I understand where their rage towards me comes from now. The boys resent me, for not helping them. They are so angry with me for abandoning them and not stopping Mojo's mistreatment of them when I had the chance, and I suppose looking back now, I can't necessarily blame them for that."

He dropped his hand, and gaze hardened somewhat. "But they want to take their anger out on the town and take my daughters away from me, and I cannot allow them to do that." His eyes lost their sharpness somewhat. "They want to call that monster back here to unleash havoc on the world, starting with the town. You're the only one who can stop them Mitch."

"John." Mitch moved so he was standing directly in front of the older man, forcing him to look him in the eyes. "That creature that you and Mojo called here… it was the Devil. Wasn't it?"

The graying man blinked rapidly before nodding tensely. "Yes… Yes, I think it was."

"Then we have a serious problem." Mitch growled. "The Blood moon, means they're calling that monster here and now. If it come to our world… we'll all be done for."

"Can you stop them?" John asked, somewhat fearfully, as Mitch bit his lip.

"I don't know." He answered truthfully. "I don't know if the creature is here or not yet… and it's not the only one I'll have to worry about: the boys will be lurking about no doubt." He ran a hand through his shaggy hair. "This will be the fight of my life… it will probably cost me my life, but I'll be damned if I don't try and stop this madness." He glanced down at the bloody footprints and clenched his fist before looking up at John sternly.

"We need to find the spot where they're summoning the creature." Mitch determined. "If we can interrupt the ritual, we might be able to stop the Devil before he comes, and then we might stand a chance."

"and if HE is already here? Then what?" John asked hesitantly. Mitch didn't respond for a moment before he sighed loudly.

"Then it was lovely knowing you Professor. I don't intend on living long enough to see what that demon and the boys intend on doing to our home."

He pointed at the dark forest in front of them. "Now come on. If we follow these footprints, they should lead us to the spot were the summoning is taking place. Let's hope we aren't too late, because if the Devil is here already, things are going to become a lot more complicated."

Without waiting for a response, Mitch pushed his way forward into the dark forest, leaving John alone. The older man took a deep breath in as he tried to calm his pounding heart – the roar of the fire behind him growing ever-stronger – reminding him that that he wasn't safe here either. He forced himself to look down at Mojo's almost unrecognizable body and shook his head disappointingly.

He wasn't sad about his former friends' death. He just felt a hollow acceptance of what had happened and a strange anger towards the dead man that he couldn't quite place.

"You're a fool Mojo." John muttered bitterly. "You should have just left things alone. Now I'm going to have to try and clean up the mess you've left behind."

And with that, he followed after Mitch into the foreboding wood, leaving the charred remains of his former friend behind, as the once glorious and proud Jojo Estate collapsed in on itself, destroying any hope of things returning to the way they once were.

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Authors note: and so, chapter 17 is finally done.

A lot happened here. We're finally introduced to HIM and you all got to see just how deep his influence is over the boys. Part of the reason why they've become so savage as of late, isn't just because they're naturally like that after all…

We are very nearly at the end now. There are only two more chapters in Lycan and both will be huge! I can't say when the next one will be done, but I've written parts for it and the final chapter here and there, and I'm hoping that it'll be done by Lycan's fifth anniversary in March. I can't promise it'll be done, but I'll try and aim for it to be completed by then.

I just want to thank you all again for waiting as patiently as you all do while I work on these chapters. This one in particular was a beast, so thank you all again.

If you're looking for more Lycan goodies while you wait for chapters, I did start up an Instagram account a couple months ago where I release some fun facts about this AU and other little treats that I won't post on here. My account name is its . miss . rosegold You're more than welcome to look it up if you're interested.

I love you all my wolf pack, and I'll see you all again in Chapter 18: Stand By Me

Miss. RoseGold xoxoxoxoxoxoxo