Hey all welcome back, ANd I have a gift for you all, A mamoth update, SEVEN chapters, oh yes this story is so close to being finished now I'm no longer holding out on you, so grab some tea/coffee whatever, sit back and enjoy, The rides about to get interesting to say the least.

Ian

Max froze. In those two words, several things became clear, and all of them didn't fill the young Ahri with confidence. First and most obviously, he knew her name. By extension, he knew what she was and probably most worryingly, he was looking for her. She moved out into the hallway, her orb still poised on one of her tails, a solid black ready to strike. A deep growl erupted from her chest, a warning.

'Hold up, Max. That voice sounds… familiar.' Akira stopped her before the young Ahri could do something she would later regret. She tried hard to match the voice to a name.

'Is that good or bad?' Max asked, not backing down but not advancing either.

The man gave an amused chuckle before speaking gently. 'I wouldn't expect anything less from Vanessa's daughter.' Max let out a small whimper at the mention of her mother's name. The man slumped his shoulders, sighing. 'I'm not sure how to tell you this, Max… but, this isn't easy for me to say. Your mom, she...' There was sadness in his voice.

Letting out another whimper, the young Ahri hung her head. She didn't need him to finish. She already knew, she had watched it happen, after all.

Understanding that from her behavior, he turned giving her a sympathetic look. "I take it you already know then. I'm so sorry, Max. She… she was a good friend. A good mom, too." Sighing, he turned to the bag on the sofa and began going through it. "I got a few things in here for you. Now, I wasn't sure on your size so I just got a few bits that are a little forgiving, and also… now where did I put it...?" he trailed off as he began pulling out a few items of clothing, placing them to one side as he went deeper inside the bag.

Something snapped together for Akira, suddenly remembering where she recognized the man from. 'Ian, I remember now. He was one of your mom's friends, hunter if I recall. He was one of the people who helped to hide Vanessa and you.'

'You're sure?' Max asked cautiously, eyeing the unknown man.

'Absolutely, I'd recognize those sideburns anywhere. Don't you think they make him look a little like a badger?' Akira observed, clearly amused by the comparison.

'Huh…' Tilting her head to get a better look, Max chuckled internally as she noticed that Ian's sideburns were swept back flaring out towards the back, indeed making him look a little like a badger. 'That is so bad, but amusing as well.'

Letting her orb settle back to its natural blue state, Max took a few steps towards Ian, looking curiously at the items he was unpacking. Various items of clothing including shorts, a few shirts and what looked like a skirt. Aside from the clothes was a small hunting knife, what looked like a portable camping stove like her father had, and some assorted packets of instant noodles and soups.

"AH HA, there you are… knew it was in here somewhere!" Ian exclaimed as he withdrew a thin string of dark leather tied in a loop. Hanging in the middle was a small oval shaped purple stone, no bigger than a peanut. With it hung on his finger, he held it up to show Max. The young Ahri titled her head, inspecting the purple stone not sure what to make of it.

"I believe you'll be needing this… unless you want to be a wolf forever. Though, I guess it has its advantages," Ian muttered, more to himself than Max.

'Hey, mom had something that looked like that, I think… only it was bigger,' Max thought, staring at the necklace. As the sunlight hit it, it gave an almost surreal glow to the small purple stone. She was momentarily transfixed by the shimmering rock, wanting to reach out and touch it.

'That's right,' Akira confirmed, going into more detail. 'It's an Auralite stone, allows an Ahri, aka you, to stay human for as long as you wear it. Changing back is as simple as removing it... although, don't be wearing anything you like when you do.'

'Or else it gets turned into confetti.' Max recalled the night she turned and what was left of her pajamas.

She took a step towards Ian, eyeing up the necklace only for him to withdraw it, frowning a little. "Uh, I think this might be best in private," he muttered hesitantly.

'What the hell?' Max asked, confused.

Amused by the confusion, Akira explained. 'Max, this gig doesn't include clothes.'

'What do you…? Oh...' That made a lot of sense. Clothes didn't just appear out of thin air after all.

After leading Ian into the bedroom, Max watched as he placed the clothes he had on the old dresser. He dragged the old moldy blanket off the bed and placed it around her. Taking the necklace out of his pocket, he then placed it over her neck and made a quick exit out of the room, closing the door behind him.

A weirdly warm tingling sensation spread through her body, extending from her chest, where the necklace came to rest, all the way down to her fingertips and toes. Her body shifted in appearance, fur retracting, snout retreating back to a human nose and paws decreasing in size as they transformed back into hands. It didn't hurt at all, felt totally natural.

After a few minutes, Max pulled the musty old blanket off her, taking a moment to examine her hands. It felt like forever since she last saw them. Quickly checking herself over, she shakily got to her feet almost falling over at first. Once she got her balance, she slowly made her way over to the full-length mirror, letting out a small gasp at the girl staring back at her.

The same brunette hair, a little longer than she remembered, hanging either side of her face. Poking up through her hair on either side of her head, two well-proportioned black wolf-like ears stood upright. Her deep blue eyes now had a dull emerald green encircling the irises. She was even partially glad to see the freckles over the bridge of her nose, spreading to her cheeks and fading as they trailed down her neck. Even her stomach looked much more defined and firmer, she definitely didn't have abs before. Behind her, she could see her familiar two black bushy tails. Turning to get a better look at them, she saw they seamlessly joined at the base of her spine. The girl staring back at her kinda reminded her of those girls in gym or fitness adverts she had seen on TV, minus the ears and tails of course. Absentmindedly, she ran a finger over her abs. This was going to take some getting used to.

"Wowser." Her voice came out choked, throat a little dry. How she'd missed being able to talk.

'Problem?' Akira inquired.

Max took a moment to answer, poking herself in her stomach and legs feeling a little out of sorts. 'I wasn't expecting… this.' She motioned towards the mirror at the girl staring back at her.

'I'm sure I mentioned the ears and tails were kinda permanent,' Akira offered, recalling the conversation they had months ago.

'No, not that… although that's gonna take some getting used to, I mean… this,' Max replied, pointing to her flat stomach and outlining her subtle abs.

'Well, what did you think running around the woods for four months was going to do?' Akira added in amusement as though it was obvious.

'It's just… I look...'

'Good,' Akira finished. 'Definitely looks good from where I'm sitting.' She grinned, enjoying the chance to tease a little.

'Well, yeah a little... wait… what…?' Max stumbled over her words, feeling a blush creep onto her cheeks.

'Physically, you're pretty much full grown. You might get a little taller and certain… assets might fill out a bit more, but this is pretty much you now, and I must admit,' Akira paused for a moment, watching in amusement as the young Ahri's face became even more flushed, 'You look cute, more so when you blush.'

Max rolled her eyes, tired of the new attention she was receiving already. She didn't do well in the spotlight. 'Great, first a werewolf, now a three-thousand-year-old ghost…'

Akira chuckled. 'And which do you prefer?'

'At least I could HIT the werewolf.' Max scowled, trying to look annoyed but only succeeding in looking more flustered.

'Relax, Max, learn to take a compliment… you're gonna get a lot more now, as well as a fair amount of attention.' Akira thought for a moment before continuing. 'You'd have definitely got my attention in the past.'

'Firstly, please don't… comment on my, uh… newly acquired…' Unable to find the words she just motioned vaguely at the mirror.

'Chill out, Max. I'm just messing with you. Trying to lighten the mood and all. Besides, you're WAY too young for me. There's a three thousand year age gap remember,' Akira reassured, finding the embarrassment hilarious. 'Although, age IS just a number…"

Max didn't seem impressed. 'Ugh, do you ever quit it?'

'Nope.' Sighing heavily, Max shifted her attention to the clothes. She looked at the skirt, frowning. It might be easier to put on, what with her tails, but it wasn't her style. 'Oh, but you'd look cute in the skirt,' Akira chimed in, the grin obvious in her voice.

'DEFINITELY not wearing it now.' Max grabbed the shorts and one of the smaller shirts. She tackled the shirt first, stepping away from the mirror so Akira couldn't see. As far as Max could tell, her passenger could only see what she could. After all the awkward teasing, she didn't want to add fuel to that fire. The shorts… they were more difficult. After trying to wrestle them on and failing miserably, she found a pair of slightly rusted scissors in the drawer of the dresser and, with Akira's direction, carefully cut a V shape in the back to accommodate her tails.

Checking herself in the mirror, Max could almost hear Akira's disapproval at her new attire, a plain light brown shirt, and black shorts. She had to admit, it's not what she would have picked EVER.

'Um, if I may?' Akira offered.

Max rolled her eyes, sighing. 'What is it?'

'Well, you do realize the skirt is supposed to be worn WITH the shorts. And at least it would match then too,' Akira explained.

Looking over at the skirt resting on the dresser, Max pondered it for a moment. Shrugging she grabbed it and slipped it on, not bothering to do the zip at the back so her tails would fit nicely in the opening, doing up the button and checking herself again in the mirror.

Despite it matching a little better now, it still didn't look good. 'I feel like a business woman for a nature reserve or something.'

Akira gave a small chuckle, stopping herself when she saw Max's scowl in the mirror. 'Uh, um, sorry. Try this. Undo the top three buttons on your shirt, and the bottom three, and then roll up the bottom of the shirt a little, tying the corners of the shirt in a simple knot. Not too tight mind.'

Max did as suggested, to her surprise it looked a little better but did make her feel a little exposed. 'This is way too much skin.'

'Relax, you'd show more at the beach, besides make the best of a bad situation,' Akira sighed, 'Any other color… although I do sorta get it, blending in and everything, but still…'

'If I get any comments about this, I'm blaming you,' Max grumbled, not happy with that prospect.

'If you get any comments it will either be about the color, which I am not responsible for, or how hot you are, again something I can't take credit for… well, I can take a little.'

That last bit confused Max. 'How do you figure?'

'I got you to eat properly. If I hadn't, you'd be all… bony.' Malnourished Ahri did not look good. Akira had seen a few in her lifetime.

Before Max could reply she heard Ian in the other room talking to someone. Pricking her ears, she listened curiously. "Oh, hi John. Yeah, I found her. Yes, she's alive." There was a slight pause. "A lot further than we thought, Manning Provincial Park. About two hundred miles north of Ross Lake in an abandoned cabin. Yeah, yeah, I know. Overheard some drunk at The Cascade mountain lodge saying he saw a two-tailed demon running around, no one seemed to believe him though." He chuckled softly before continuing. "What do you want us to do? Yeah, ok, well, it seems safe enough here. Seems like she's been here a while. There's definitely more chance of being spotted on the move. Ok, well I guess we'll see you in two weeks then, ok, bye." Ian let out a sigh as Max heard him slump onto the sofa.

'What was that about?' Max asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

'Sounded like checking in with HQ. Either we're leaving here, or there coming to get us… you'll be much safer at the hunters' HQ,' Akira explained, eager to move on. Staying in one place too long made her feel uneasy, especially with that vampire on the prowl. He could still be following them.

'Well, I guess we might as well go say hello now I'm decent and able to talk, well aloud now.' Tugging the old door open, Max made her way into the main living area of the old dilapidated cabin to find Ian slouched back on the sofa.

Upon seeing the young Ahri he got to his feet, offering his hand as he greeted her. "Name's Ian, Ian Amber. You probably don't remember me… last time I saw you, I think you were either four or five."

A little hesitantly Max shook his hand. Looking to Akira for help, she asked, 'We've met before?'

Akira knew Ian much better than Max thanks to Vanessa. 'Yeah, you've met him before, although it was briefly.'

"Was a long time ago, too long." His expression turned sad and hesitant as he looked straight into her eyes. "Look, um… I'm sorry Max, about your mother."

Max nodded stiffly, swallowing hard at the mention of her mother. "Thank you… it's been… It's not been easy."

Ian shook his head slowly his expression pained, "No, Max, I mean... It's my fault. I was meant to be there... I didn't get there 'til I assume the morning after, been searching for you ever since".

"I don't think you being there would've helped much," Max muttered solemnly. Ian gave Max a questioning look. Sighing, she took a seat on the sofa next to Ian and recalled to him the events of that horrific night.

"You're absolutely sure it was just the one?" Ian asked, wanting to find out as much information about Vanessa's murderer as possible. He was also aware that this would be painful for Max to remember, so he had to tread lightly.

Max nodded firmly. "But he didn't seem… normal."

"Oh?" That could mean so many things. Thankfully, he didn't have to press for more information.

"His eyes," she shuddered as the image surfaced in her memory, "his eyes were… purple, and very, very creepy. Like too creepy for words, WAY worse than in any horror film."

Ian considered the new information, trying to come up with an explanation. A few came to mind, none of which were good. "That's… worrying, although it's a good news-bad new situation. Means were only looking for one vampire. The fact he can overpower an Ahri is… rare, not unheard of, but being able to shrug off Vanessa's attacks… something isn't adding up."

Max frowned, confused. "I thought Ahri were supposed to be stronger than vampires."

Noticing the surprise, Ian quickly began to explain. "Physically, in human form, no. As a wolf, it's fairly even, the speed advantage is yours then, but that orb of yours is what gives you the edge. I've never heard of anyone being able to punch it out the way though… not without getting seriously hurt."

'First time I've seen it too,' Akira chimed in, just as puzzled as the graying hunter.

"Every time we get a little closer another question pops up. Still no idea WHY they're doing it." Letting out a sigh, he got off the couch and headed over to the old wood burner, beginning to fiddle with it. "Anyway, I dunno about you but I'm starving. I assume you've got pretty adept at hunting."

"My first decent meal was a mountain lion." Max grinned proudly. While she had stumbled upon the wild cat by accident and it had been more of a 'kill or be killed' situation than a planned hunt, she had handled herself pretty well. Better than she would have thought.

"Really? ...not a young Ahri's usual first kill." He seemed pleasantly surprised and genuinely impressed by this.

"That's what Akira said… although my first was a bunny. The lion was later the same day," she divulged. Admittedly, that lessened the badassness of her hunting skills. Only a little. She had still wrestled with a freaking mountain lion and survived to fight another day. Chloe would be so awestruck if she knew. Max wished she could tell her…

At the mention of Akira, Ian's focus increased significantly. "Wait, you don't mean the same Akira that hung out in Vanessa's head."

Max nodded. "Apparently so."

Ian rubbed his face with his hands, "Oh no… she's told you about the badger look, hasn't she?"

The young Ahri struggled to suppress a grin. "Badger look?" she asked innocently as she heard Akira crack into a fit a laughter.

He shook his head, chuckling. "Fuck you, Akira. It's an ongoing joke with her, your mother, Joyce, and Elise… my wife." His sentence trailed off as a somber expression came over him. Clearly, he knew something Max didn't, something bad about his wife, and he probably wasn't going to tell her. She wasn't about to press him, not after he looked so dejected. "Ok, I'll leave the hunting to you while I get a fire going." He took out a lighter from his pocket, flicking it on to check it still had some juice left.

Nodding, Max went back into the bedroom, stripped down and took the necklace off. Her wolf-like features returned, the transformation reversing, she grabbed the necklace with her teeth, handing it back to Ian for safe keeping before she bounded off into the forest. Around an hour later, just as the sun was setting, she returned with a decent haul, three rabbits. She would have brought something bigger, but it would have been difficult to carry back, although Akira suggested next time to just chase a buck towards the cabin.

When she returned, Ian repeated the scene from earlier, letting her get changed in peace. While he set about preparing the rabbits on the old wood burner. Pulling out a switchblade, he began to skin and gut the rabbits, cutting them into smaller chunks. The meat would cook faster that way. Wrapping them up in foil, he placed them over the fire. Now, they just had to wait a while. Every now and then, Ian turned the foil parcels over so they were heated evenly. Soon enough, the chunks were cooked and Ian fished them out of the fire. He unwrapped them, distributing them between two metal mess tins and passing one over to Max. She gratefully accepted the tin, getting stuck in.

"So, what's the plan?" Max asked between bites of the freshly cooked rabbit. How she had missed hot food. Sure, it wasn't a five-star meal, a little bland, but better than nothing.

"Well," Ian stopped to swallow, "they're sending up some transport to pick us up in two weeks."

"Two weeks?!" Max choked. She had expected a couple of days at most, but a fortnight… that was a LONG time to wait around. She didn't want to admit it, but she felt really vulnerable out in the forest and would feel much safer surrounded by a sturdy wall with a roof over her head. Well, one that didn't leak.

Having expected this kind of reaction, he went on to explain the delay. "Well, they're gonna sort you out with a new identity, get it into the system. Can't do the picture until they know what your gonna look like, so gives you time to pick something."

"I can't do the illusion charm yet, not like I've had time to practice," the young Ahri mentioned, sounding a little disappointed that she hadn't had the chance to play around with her newly gained powers properly. All she had experienced so far was the downside of her heritage.

'I said I'd help you with that, remember?' Akira reassured. With her help, Max would learn in no time. She seemed to be a fairly quick learner, which helped.

'Yeah, I know.' Max wasn't entirely convinced but didn't want to start another pointless argument. Neither did Akira, she suspected.

"Well, we have two weeks to figure that out," Ian continued, oblivious to the internal conversation Max was having with Akira, "in the meantime, we just gotta sit tight. Nice place for a vacation, though... peaceful and quiet. How's the rabbit?"

Max bobbed her head from side to side as she chewed. "It's ok. Think I prefer mountain lion, though. It tastes… richer." She shrugged, swallowing her mouthful.

'Got a taste for the wild side, have you?' Akira mused playfully.

'Hush you.'

"Well, I can't say I've ever tried it… Maybe I'll have a chance while we're here," Ian replied, going back to chewing his food thoughtfully.

"If I can find one. Not seen any since that first one," Max paused frowning slightly in thought. "Not seen any other predators, like wolves either… well, except my little pack of dogs." She did kind of miss their company, as much as she might not want to admit it.

'Liar, or have you forgotten about the wolf the other month?' Akira teased.

Max visibly blushed at the reminder. If Ian saw it, he didn't say anything. 'Technically a WEREWOLF, and so not talking to you for the rest of the night.'

'Aww, c'mon it's funny.'

"So, any chance you spoke to Joyce or Chloe since we left?" Max asked Ian, ignoring Akira's baiting.

"Sorry, no. I only went home to see..." Ian trailed off. Putting his food down, he rubbed his face sighing, "Sorry, it's just... my wife, Elise, she… she was killed by a vampire, the day before I was meant to meet your folks."

"I'm so sorry…" Max mumbled, understanding how he felt, at least a little. "Do you think…?"

Guessing what she was about to suggest next, he cut in. "Not your fault, Max. None of this is. And do I think it was the same vampire...? Yeah, yeah I do."

'He's right, you know, none of this is your fault,' Akira firmly reinforced.

Max let out a stifled humph. 'Looks that way from where I'm sat. William, mom, dad and now Elise, a woman I didn't even know.'

'Umm, actually… you did. She definitely knew you,' Akira couldn't help but correct.

'You just made my point…' Max felt like crying again, doing her very best to keep her composure in front of Ian. He would just ask questions and she didn't really feel like answering any. 'Maybe I should just let him find me, then no one...'

'DON'T YOU EVEN DARE FINISH THAT SENTENCE!' Akira growled, determined to get this out of the young Ahri's head right now. 'Do you think that your mom and dad would want you to just throw your life away like that?'

'What does it matter? I have NO ONE.' Max practically screamed this in her head, frustrated at Akira constantly invalidating how she felt, making her feel more alone. 'Might as well get it over with. No one else is dying for me.'

Deciding to stop pulling her punches, Akira went for the only thing she knew would bring Max out of her self-destructive train of thought. 'And you think Chloe would be ok with that? Having her father die to protect YOU, for you to just throw it away. I'm sure Joyce would be fine with that too,' she snapped.

"You ok, Max?" Ian asked, seeing the young girl tearing up as she fiddled with her tails.

'What do you care? You're already dead,' Max retorted curling herself up on the sofa.

Seeing Max was in no mood to talk, Ian got up and grabbed his rucksack making his way to the back room. "I think I'm gonna turn in for the night... Max, none of this is your fault, you can't keep blaming yourself," and with that, he disappeared into the bedroom.

'Max, I've been where you are, believe me… it's not the answer,' Akira replied, trying to remain calm.

'I could just go wolf and disappear, no one knows me, no one gets hurt,' Max muttered, barely loud enough to hear.

'What and wait for someone else to make a stand, let someone else deal with the burden?' Akira asked, a hint of frustration creeping into her otherwise calm and collected question.

'Like you keep saying, this isn't my fault. I DIDN'T WANT THIS, ASK FOR IT, OR CAUSE IT!' She was done with all this. Done with being different. Why couldn't she just go back in time to her normal life? Where she was happy. Where she had parents and friends. Where she didn't have to worry about some creepy as hell vampire possibly following and killing her… where she had a life worth living.

'No, you didn't, but are you really going to walk away from this, KNOWING it's going to happen to another girl? Another Ahri who might not be as lucky as you.' As bad as Max had it, it was nothing compared to what some Ahri went through.

Max didn't seem to agree. 'Pfft… If this is lucky, I'd hate to see unlucky.'

'At least you got to have a life WITH your parents, you survived your first night and in all honesty THRIVED. I don't say it often, but you've actually surprised me on more than one occasion.' It was true. All things considered, Max had gone above and beyond expectation.

'Yeah, right.'

'I actually mean that, Max. In your first night, you got all the way out here on your own, found somewhere safe, fought and KILLED a mountain lion on your third day, figured out your orb, mostly on your own, beat of an admirer, and found yourself a place where you could thrive. All on your own,' Akira listed off, genuinely impressed with everything the young Ahri had achieved in such a short space of time.

'Not all on my own,' Max replied depressingly.

'Give yourself some credit, I've only told you what you needed to hear, my point is… Some Ahri...' Akira hesitated.

'You're not gonna give me some half-truth about how lucky I am, are you?' Max asked tiredly, done with Akira's vague responses.

'You think you got it bad, I know how you feel. I've been there, still AM there. I'm reminded every day of my failures on more levels than you can possibly understand.' Akira felt angry, at her situation and most of all at herself. This mess was all her fault because she was selfish and just assumed everything would work out.

'Then why hang around?' Max snapped back, wanting her to shut up and leave her alone. 'No one's keeping you here, you've kept your promise. I'm alive, I know how to look after myself out here, so don't feel obliged to stick around poking fun at me and making me feel worse than I already do.'

'Because I made a PROMISE, not just to Vanessa, not just to you, but to myself to make sure you get the life you're SUPPOSED to have. You wanna know where I go when I disappear?' Time to put Max's experiences into perspective. Right now, she needed the cold hard truth.

'To see other Ahri, you already explained this.' Max didn't really care about other Ahri right now.

'Yes, except I'm not always in time… two nights ago, I found a new Ahri, like minutes old. She was an orphan from a very early age and had no idea what was happening to her. Before I could calm her down enough to help her, a pack of wolves got hold of her and ripped her apart... All I could do was watch as she died absolutely terrified and I felt EVERYTHING!' Akira's voice got louder and louder until she was practically screaming in Max's head. Failure after failure, that was what made up both her life and this afterlife limbo.

'Akira, I...'

Cutting in, Akira continued a little more calmly. 'So, you'll have to excuse me if I find it a little insulting that you think you got it hard. Yes, it's been fucking hard, believe me, I get it, but I refuse to stand by and let you give up… I NEED you not to give up, Max.'

Max shook her head, feeling resigned. 'You've got the wrong Ahri, Akira. I've got nothing left to lose.'

'We'll see about that, but in the meantime… No more of this throwing your life away rubbish, and in return… I won't bring up your werewolf again… maybe.' Wiping her cheek, Max let herself grin a little as she got comfortable, wrapping one of her tails around her. 'I knew you found it amusing,' Akira commented quietly.

'You said you wouldn't bring it up again,' Max replied playfully.

'Dunno what you're talking about… goodnight, Max. Speak to you tomorrow.'

Feeling drained from the days hunting, running and emotional release, Max let her eyes close as she drifted into a disjointed restless sleep of haunting purple eyes, blood-curdling screams and the cold touch of death.

Over the next few days, Max and Ian spent their time repairing the obvious leaky points in the old cabin. Ian used the pelts from Max's hunt to make her a basic pair of leather slippers, not the most comfortable in the world, but they did stop her cutting her feet on the forest floor.

Akira had also kept her word helping Max out with her illusion charm, although she was finding it frustrating. While hair color was easy to change, hiding her ears and tails was proving to take some real concentration. Akira assured her that it was just a case of muscle memory, or rather memory memory. The more she used it, the easier it would get.

It was late evening when Max went out into the woods, finding herself walking along the bank. It was surprising how different everything looked and smelled when she was in her human form. Sound wise, everything was the same, not surprising considering she still had her ears. Juggling her orb from tail to tail while it emitted a soft white glow, she watched the shadows dance as she played orchestrator.

She was brought out of her own entertainment by a distant high-pitched scream, one she recognized instantly. 'Hey, Akira.'

'I heard it,' Akira confirmed, confident she knew what Max was about to suggest. 'Didn't Ian say he hadn't tried mountain lion?'

'I was thinking the EXACT same thing,' Max said with a smirk as she turned on her heel, breaking into a sprint back towards the cabin to get changed.

As she approached the clearing to the lodge a painful scream filled the air. It sent a shiver down her spine and she darted behind a nearby tree. Poking her head out looking towards the cabin her heart almost stopped at the sight before her. Ian knelt in the dirt in front of the cabin, behind him a tall masked figure holding his arm behind his back at an unnatural angle.

"Where is she?" the unknown voice commanded, an eerie calmness to the demand. Max's mind raced as she placed the familiar voice. Images of the last night she saw her mother alive flashed in front of her. It was HIM.

"Go to hell," Ian spat.

"Obviously, you enjoy pain," the vampire mocked as he wrenched Ian's arm, causing him to let out another scream. "Now, I won't ask nicely again. WHERE IS SHE?!"

"You ain't having her, you pig," Ian snarled back weakly, doing his best to escape the vampire's clutches.

"Have it your way," he sneered as he sunk his fangs into Ian's neck.

"NOO!" Max screamed having to stop herself from rushing in.

The vampire stopped feeding and looked up towards her, his deep purple eyes paralyzing her to the spot in fear as a vile grin spread across his face. "Well, well, I guess she wasn't far after all," he jeered.

"Max, RUN!" Ian shouted as he forced himself up, punching the vampire in jaw causing him to merely grunt. The vampire simply broke his neck without a second thought, Ian's body slumping lifelessly to the ground.

'Max run, NOW!' Akira commanded. Max didn't respond, fear paralyzing her to the spot as she watched another person die before her, the vampire now moving towards her. 'MAX!'

She snapped out of her paralysis as a jolt of adrenalin shot through her, and turned on her heel, bolting into the woods with the vampire in hot pursuit. Bushes and trees blurred past as her mind ran at a million miles, her heart pounding in her chest. Her pursuer's footfall was getting closer and closer with each passing second.

'He's too fast,' Max struggled to think amongst the chaos. There was only so long she could run like this.

'The necklace, get it off. NOW!' Akira instructed, sensing the vampire's presence getting way too close.

Placing her hand on the purple stone, Max cast a quick glance behind her. Her assailant was just visible, his purple eyes locked onto her as she ripped the small stone from her neck. Placing the leather strap of it in her mouth, she almost instantly exploded out of her clothes leaving scraps of brown fabric like confetti behind her. The world sped by at the sudden increase in momentum as she quickly matched the vampire's speed.

While the vampire wasn't getting closer, he certainly wasn't getting any further away. All it would take was one stumble and he would be on them in a second. 'We need to lose him, FAST!'

'I'm open to suggestions,' Max responded, panting lightly as she continued to sprint as fast as she could.

'He's as fast as you... he's not normal,' Akira thought aloud, trying to understand just what was going on.

'Thanks for pointing out the obvious,' Max mentioned sarcastically.

'Sorry, sorry… how the hell did he find us?'

'AKIRA!' The young Ahri shouted pleadingly.

'Sorry, I don't know… I...' Panic clouded Akira's judgment, rendering her unable to give advice. Would this end the same as always?

'Akira… I need you.'

Leaping through a bush, Max quickly found herself following a familiar trail. Heading towards the river and banking slightly to the left, she cleared a fallen tree landing the other side of a small ravine. The vampire's footfall disappeared for a few seconds before a dull thud signaled his success at clearing the same obstacle. This move had only given her a few extra seconds of lead. It wasn't enough.

'AKIRA… I'm not giving up, but I can't do this alone,' Max pleaded, very aware of her pursuer.

'...right, umm…' Akira put her thinking cap on, trying to come up with a way of getting out of this. 'The ground holds your scent more than the air.'

'Great… um, I can't fly.' Max couldn't see the relevance of this statement to her situation.

'No… but you can jump,' Akira noted, bringing the young Ahri's attention to the river.

Max's eyes went wide at her passenger's suggestion. 'Akira… that's forty feet… AT LEAST.'

'You can make it, but...' Akira paused, gathering her thoughts.

'But what?' Max snapped. Now was not the time for hesitation. She could hear the vampire's footfall around two hundred feet behind her. Just one slip and it was over.

'You're gonna need a better lead on him… or a distraction,' Akira continued.

'And how am I supposed to...' Max glanced behind her, the vampire wasn't in sight but she could still hear him. The sight of her blue orb clinging to her tail gave her an idea. Concentrating on her orb, she caused to glow a brilliant white, lighting up the woods and brush as she bolted past them. The light shimmered across the river turning it into a silver mirror as she pushed faster and started banking away from the river.

'MAX, what are you doing?! He can see you!' Akira practically shouted in her mind. Just what on earth was Max thinking?

'That's the plan,' Max grunted continuing to bank away from the river. After a few minutes, she was back where she originally joined the river.

'You've just gone in a complete circle,' Akira said in alarm. This was not good.

Instead of replying, Max took a sharp right towards the river, flicking her brightly glowing orb as hard as she could to the left deep into the woods. The action plunged her surroundings into darkness, lighting up a bunch of trees some thirty feet away as she burst through a bush on the river bank. The necklace in her mouth caught on one of the branches, ripping it clean out as she leaped across the river. Her orb shifted to a solid black as it began returning to her, coming to rest on her tail as she reached the other side of the river, misjudging the height of the bank and crashing in a heap on the river bank. It took all her will to stifle a yelp as a jolt of pain shot through her legs at the impact and forced herself to scramble into a nearby bush panting heavily.

Peeking through the bushes, Max could see the vampire stopping roughly where her orb went out. Letting a frustrating yell, he punched a nearby tree taking a sizable chunk out of it.

'Max… that was… BRILLIANT!'

Max couldn't help but smile despite the situation. 'I'll take that as a compliment.'

'Seriously, I wouldn't have thought of that... oooh, he REALLY doesn't look happy,' Akira stated smugly as the vampire appeared to be throwing what could only be classed as a temper tantrum.

'So glad that worked… I think I hurt my shoulder on that landing.' Max tried moving her shoulder, wincing as pain surged through it. She didn't think it was broken at least.

'Lucky it wasn't your neck…' feeling guilty about going MIA on Max, Akira hesitantly apologized, '...sorry, I froze... I thought I was gonna lose you, fail again.'

'I ain't ready to die yet… dunno how much of a life I'm gonna have, but… ah, SHIT!' Max thought as she watched the vampire pluck her necklace from the bush. Looking at it, he then cast a glance across the river scanning the bank. She pulled back from the bush as his gaze passed her by. When she looked again, he was gone.

Max cursed internally at the loss of her newly acquired, and now newly lost, necklace. 'Suppose it's a good thing I can hunt.'

'We'll get you another one, Max,' Akira reassured. There was no way they should risk chasing after that vampire. Given his swift departure, he seemed satisfied with his consolation prize. Best to let him go. 'You're alive and right now that's all that matters.'

Max knew that was true, but still felt bummed out at not being able to change back to human anymore. 'I know… I just got used to being… well, me again.'

'Silly… who are you if not you?'

'I do wonder sometimes,' Max chuckled as she tried to get to her feet, only to collapse when her leg gave out from under her almost causing her to yelp. 'Fuck, that hurts.'

The ordeal wasn't over yet for Max. She was far from safe, but at least the worst had passed. 'Not that you have a choice but I'd suggest sleeping here tonight. Your shoulder should be fine tomorrow. We've got a long trip ahead of us.'

'Oh, where we going?' Max asked, clearing a space and getting herself comfortable for the night.

'Portland. We're going directly to the hunters' guild.'