At the edge of Stonewood Forest, a large wolf stopped in her tracks. Her nose to the air. "What's wrong, Amein?" There was a long silence. She growled. "How dare they come into my house." She ran into the woods. Her paws barely touched the ground.

—-(Later, the kitchen of the house)-

"Don't eat that!" SkekAuyuk yelled. He yanked out a rotten fruit out of Drum's claws. The Gourmand was stunned to witness Drum eating it. He tossed it into the nearby pot. The kitchen they were in was big enough for the entire group to come in without crowding them. Pots and pans were neatly stacked on top. Several jars and baskets held various foods. Though, he and Hup immediately learned that half of them were completely rotten.

"Yeah! That bad!" Hup agreed. The Podling cringed at the mere idea that he was agreeing with the enemy on decayed food.

"B-b-but…" Drum let out a few sniffles. Followed by a whimper. His eyes on the verge of tears. He calmed when Tavra gently touched his claws.

"There's better food waiting for you." Tavra assured him. "Just hold out for a little longer and let Hup teach you a few things."

SkekAuyuk gave an indignant growl. "How do you?! If you think I'll let a mud munching Podling out do-" His words were cut off by a strange howl. It was hollow and sweet. He froze. "Did-did any of you did that?"

Gurjin gave a blank stare. "Are you sure it's not you going crazy after not eating for an entire day?" Naia chuckled behind him.

"I'm serious."

The howl came again. SkekAuyuk ran to the window. Gurjin and Naia joined him, being mindful of the sink. A lone figure stood in the distance. Violet eyes glaring at them as it got closer. The trio did a double take. "Just our luck! It's King Neco!" At those words, they heard a loud crash as Drum made a frantic effort to hide behind the pans.

"That doesn't look like him though…" Naia stated. Her memories went back to the monstrous king that ambushed them. "Weren't his eyes red?"

"We can figure that out later." Gurjin said. He started to head for the door. "First we need to-" He ran into a door that appeared out of nowhere. Gurjin fell back and rubbed his face. "Ow! What in Thra?!" He got up and tried to open the door. The knob wouldn't budge. To make matters worse, the knob tried to bite Gurjin with rows of teeth.

SkekAuyuk tossed Gurjin aside. "Move over, Gelfling. I'll show you how it's done." He took a few steps back. Then, he ran at the door with full force. He fell backward as a jolt of pain radiated up his arm. "Ow…I think…we're in over our heads."

Naia looked over at him. Hup and Tavra soon followed. "Oh…You think?"

—-(In the other room)-

Ghost leaned against the chair. She had just handed SkekEkt's letter to the Scientist. For a moment, it felt as if the entire weight was off her shoulders. She was asleep in minutes. Suddenly, she heard a howl. Her eyes snapped open. Deet and Rian were already on their feet. Shield hissed nervously. Orchid flinched. Razz raised his head. Spark and Cerebrite opened their eyes briefly only to have them shut again. SkekTek flinched with a wet rag in his claws while he was still attending to SkekVar's wound. SkekSo was the most nervous. The Emperor's claws crawled up to the spot where King Neco had bitten him.

SkekZok took cover behind a chair. "We're all going to die."

SkekMal wielded his blades once again. "Like I'll let anyone disgrace us!" He ran toward the doorway. Suddenly, a strange vein-like branches sprung out before him. The Hunter sliced them with ease. He was about to push through when they restored themselves in a blink of an eye. SkekMal growled. "What is this?" Suddenly, something whizzed by. He barely had enough time to take cover. "Get down!"

Everyone immediately went down to the floor. A few darts got stuck in Shield's leg and shell. Cerebrite and Spark were still asleep. Rian tried to protect Deet. A few shouts were heard over the whizzing. Razz squawked and tried to use his feathers to block them. They remained on the floor even after the mysterious projectiles had ceased firing. A creak made everyone freeze. The front door was opening. A faint sound of sniffing was heard.

"D-do you think King Neco found us?" Deet whispered.

"Don't know. How could that thing even find us?" Rian lifted his head. He put it down just as another dart came at him. "Anyone know how to check it out?"

I can help with that. Orchid moved away from Ghost's cupped hand and carefully made her way to the closest wall. She quickly weaved past the darts stuck to the wall. The Threader nearly squealed when she saw the worms crawl around. Each of them had a single purple eye. Are they Djinn, she thought. She soon spotted a hole and made a break for it. Orchid squeezed through just before it closed behind her. She looked around. Then, she saw a wolf-like creature. It was gray-ish blue. There was no doubt that it was a Canimoon. Her body was donned on a purple armor made of metal. Well…At least it's not King Neco. Suddenly, an eye appeared. A shade mauve with a star-shaped pupil. It looked at her hiding place. Ahhh! It is a Djinn! And it spotted me! She tried to run to her left but it was blocked by worms.

Suddenly, the Djinn got off of its master to show that the Canimoon was female. The armor stretched and melted away to set it back into the original starfish form. A blindfold covered her eyes. A bandage graced her left arm. "What is it?"

"I've just spotted an Arathim. She's one of the intruders."

Wait…This is your house?! Orchid spoke. It only drew attention to herself. Uh…Hi and Bye! She leaped to the railing. Just as she touched the rail, it began to move in an undulating motion. Orchid moved with all her might, but it only gave the Djinn enough time to slither up to the stairway. She soon noticed four other creatures standing at the top of the stairs. One resembled a baby Skifa with being held up by a creature that resembled an otter. The other two creatures had shriveled lips and green skin, bigger than Podlings and Gelflings. Orchid glanced back at The Canimoon. The Canimoon made no effort. She noticed the wolf creature stiffen and made quick strides over to the door. This only made Orchid's tiny body jolt with fear. Ghost! Orchid let out a thread of webbing. She jumped just as the crest of the undulation came. It soon flicked her just far enough that it flung her over the Djinn and landed just before the doorway that reappeared.

Inside was pure chaos. The Hunter growled. The Emperor stood up, demanding an explanation. Suddenly, the Canimoon turned her blinded eyes to the black robed Skeksis. She sniffed him. "You…" Without warning, she pounced on him and bit into him. Screams deafened any words. The Hunter came at the Canimoon, but she dodged his blades while still having the Emperor in her teeth. Skekso feebly tried to get her off but a blue glow surrounded him. His eyes started to droop. His limbs went limp. Then, she quickly set him down on the floor before something snapped in her jaws. She backed away, holding a strange thorny grub in her mouth. She dropped it and headed straight for the others.

Ghost! Orchid screamed. Before the Djinn could grab her, Orchid jumped as high as she could and landed on the Canimoon's tail. Her legs were at full speed. Climbing the furry body the same way she crawled onto SkekTek. In a matter of minutes, Orchid was on the wolf face and poked at the blindfold. Don't you go near my friends! She kept jabbing the muzzle and blindfold.

"Get off!" The Canimoon growled. A purple starfish arm appeared and snatched Orchid off her face. Before she could respond, Shield tackled her to the ground. The Fizzgigs growled. Fearless biting her hand. She thrashed and kicked but it wasn't long until SkekMal pinned her other arm with his blade. Rian held out his sword, making sure Deet was behind him.

SkekTek ran over to the Djinn. He quickly poked the eye and grabbed Orchid once the arm loosened the grip. He only got a few feet until the arms grabbed him. Thankfully, Sidetec was close by. The little green creature screeched. His yellow beak pecked at the eye. Soon, Razz, who was nearly passed out on the floor, ended things by throwing a few feathers to pin it down. The Bladewing mumbled of not getting enough sleep. "Take that!" SkekTek hissed. He scrambled away with Orchid clinging to the neckline of the robe.

SkekZok and SkekOk both looked over at SkekSo. They waved the Scientist over. Deet joining them, carefully avoiding the limp creature on the floor. SkekTek leaned in close. The Scientist could make out faint breathing. "He's alive, but maybe losing blood." Deet went over and ripped a corner of the blanket. He placed it on the wound.

Ghost cautiously walked over to the pained Canimoon. SkekMal, Razz and Shield by her side. "Who are you? Why did you attack us?"

"Don't bother with that uneducated barbarian," SkekOk grumbled. "She may have spoken a few words, but I highly doubt she'll say anything useful."

"I'm amazed that you've figured out my gender, but stupid enough to assume that I don't understand a few words in your tongue."

Everyone turned to the Canimoon. Her grin held a sense of triumph despite her pain. "Do you wear your glasses because you need them? Or to make a false statement of your intelligence?"

SkekOk dropped his jaw in shock. SkekZok looked indignant that someone would dare insult a Skeksis. Hup tried his best to hold back his laughter. SkekTek's eyes lit up. "Wait! I remember you now!" The Scientist exclaimed. "You were the one who warned me and SkekLach back at that disturbing castle."

"Indeed." The Canimoon looked back at SkekMal. "Now you better release me and my friend."

"Why?" SkekMal hissed. His grip on the hilt only tightened. Suddenly, a gutteral hiss made him freeze in place. He turned to see that the black grub was alive. Heading straight for him.

"Mal!" Ghost screamed. She ran to get between the grub and SkekMal. Her blue eye glowed and a silver aura surrounded her. The white pelt moved its head again and began to open its mouth. The grub cried out. It thrashed, but Ghost held on to it tightly. A song escaped her throat. Rian soon recognized it as Speak for the Dead. The more Ghost sang it, the more the creature grew still. Then, a strange cocoon materialized. It fell at Ghost's feet. Ghost fell backward. Deet and Rian help her up."Mal…Let her go. This is her house…"

SkekMal grew silent. Momentarily stunned at what he just witnessed. Then, he moved his blade off the Canimoon's arm. He also picked up a growling Fearless. The gray Fizzgig soon became content in his arms. Then, he set the creature down and put away his weapons. He looked at Ghost. He picked her up with ease. SkekMal was shocked at just how cold Gelfling's body was. "Is there a bed she can rest in?"

The Canimoon got up from her spot. She gripped her arm to stop the bleeding. "Might as well do it for everyone since this room is a mess. Follow me." She went over to the Djinn and grabbed the feathers that pinned him down. The Djinn crawled up onto her. Several tentacles appeared from the ceiling and grabbed the unconscious Skeksis, Spark and Cerebrite to unknown destinations. Just as they were about to head to the stairway, her ears picked up on muffled noises coming from the wall across the room. "Amein."

The Djinn sighed. He stretched his arms out to the nearest wall. In a blink of an eye, the wall soon created a doorway. Gurjin, Naia, Hup and Tavra all charged out for a moment. However, the Gelflings stopped when they saw a peculiar sight of Ghost and the others being in the company of the Canimoon. SkekAuyuk and Drum lingered behind the doorway nervously. The Djinn crawled on top of the wolf head. His eye was filled with annoyance. "Please keep it down. We're all tired here and I'd rather deal with the rest of the affairs in the morning."

Gurjin blinked. "You're a Djinn?"

"Yes."

"And you did all this?" Naia asked.

"Can we please save the questions for the morning before I start throwing things!?"

The Gelflings backed away slowly. They soon joined the group up the stairs. A few barks were made. Doors slammed shut. No one asked questions at this point. They were all tired beyond belief. Soon they were instructed to go into their respective rooms that materialized out of nowhere. Rian wanted to be with Ghost, but one look at SkekMal and Deet knocked all the fight out of him. He slipped into the room.

Ghost…I'll…Orchid tried to reach her friend but nearly slipped off SkekTek's shoulder. She was once again caught in the Scientist's synthetic claws. Sleep soon enveloped her. The Scientist shrugged. He went into his room.

SkekMal soon entered a room that was made specifically for Ghost. Fizzgigs at his heels. A small Gelfling bed with simple white sheets. A wooden nightstand had a lantern made out of several fireflies glow in the low lighting. "Seems to suit you perfectly." He looked down at Ghost only to realize that she had fallen asleep in her arms. He set her down gently. Then, he delicately tucked the sheets around her. Before long, Grumble and Fearless jumped onto the bed and curled up next to her. He knelt down beside her. His weapons stacked against the wall. His eyes took in her form. Fragile and weak from the strain of the past two days. The pain in her eyes was so intense that it felt as though he was cut by a blade. "I'm sorry…" He whispered. He laid down on the floor and curled up beside the bed. His strength also began to fade as a soft hand touched his upper limbs. SkekMal, the Hunter, was put to sleep by a simple touch.