A/N

Gosh, brain's having a hard time adjusting…I think I'm okay now though. Had a little bit of a brain overload writing, had to take a break for the good of all, sorry about the wait.


It hadn't taken as long as I thought to find the others.

An hour and a half after Roxanne got over her tantrum and had started 'proving' she could find the others, we were all gathered around the hollow trunk of a tree. The mutants had been hard to find, certainly harder than Crepuscule, who showed his distaste at being separated by magic by turning bestial and using his claws to trap little faeries and other beings. Apparently, the enchantment I messed up still had some power, because they couldn't get loose. He now was sitting languidly with his shoulder against the tree, threatening to uproot it with his weight if he leaned any harder.

His little pals were yelling something that, judging by the color of their faces and the way they kept hitting his claws with twigs, had to obscenities. He just regarded them idly as he waited for Roxanne to impart the plan she had for getting us out.

"Okay, so here's how it's going to work. The only way to get out of this enchanted forest is to either ask for favor by the king and queen, or use one of the old paths. But if you use the old paths, you'll end up in the highland." Roxanne pointed to the mountains just jutting over the trees. "The place is full of dragons and other monsters, so if you like being a buffet, go that way."

"We were planning on going there, and I doubt we will have much trouble." Mr. McCoy said. "We are pretty powerful in our own right."

"Powerful and stupid. Honestly. Alright, but if I take you down one of those paths, you have to keep looking ahead, or you'll be lost again, and I'm not going to help you again. Got it?"

"Yes, we understand perfectly." Wow, Mr. McCoy has far more patience than I do.

Roxanne flitted off. All of the mutants clapped the shoulder of Ray, congratulating him for finding the group. I made sure Crepuscule didn't fall behind as he flicked away his captures. Then he got up and seized his pack in his jaws and trotted after me, careful to keep his wings close to his body so they didn't interfere with his gait.

"Little weird seeing the four legged you again." I commented as Roxanne took charge over the entire group, calling orders and herding us through the forest.

His head jerked, and I grabbed his pack and held it so he could talk.

"Yes, but I feel more comfortable in this form, especially in this forest." He splayed his claws, flexing on of his paws. He seemed very pensive, looking at those claws. "I'm glad."

"Of what?" I asked as we walked within a few feet of Kitty and Rahne as they grilled Ray with questions about his imprisonment. I'm sure if it had been some of the other guys with him, the questions and comments would have been a little more off color.

"That I have two forms. I don't think I'd be able to live without my ability to fly, or this body." He said, still looking out of the corner of his eye at his paws.

"Yeah, we usually find out that the things we thought we could live without were the things we most needed." I said a little cryptically. He stared at me but didn't say anything.

"Okay! We're here!" Roxanne was floating over a small lily pad pond. "I can guide you to where the forest ends, but I'm not leaving. You can go be dragon and monster food if you want."

"We can ask no more." Mr. McCoy said, giving her his best smile, which was one that didn't show that many teeth and didn't look like he was trying to hide them.

"Good. When you're ready, we'll go."

"I'm ready right now! I want out of this place." Kitty voiced her opinion. The others all agreed. I had to agree myself. This place might be nice to visit when I know I won't be killed by an angry tree or when I know that my friends aren't in danger.

We filed after Roxanne, and I realized there was actually a path, barely noticeable with the way the bushes around us grew.

"Okay, when we get halfway through the forest, you have to be really quiet. Sometimes there are monsters down these paths and you don't want to alert them." Roxanne cautioned us as she flew above Jean's head.

Crepuscule's gait made him move a bit faster than I did, which caused him to end up a few feet in front, which was better in arrangements, because his nose and ears would detect an enemy faster than any of the others, with the exception of Mr. McCoy. And I, hearing constantly whatever there was to be heard from the beasts, would be able to tell if someone tried to sneak in from behind.

I hope.

Silence seemed a little heavy around all of us, even when Jubilee dropped back to walk with me, reasoning that we should try to have partners, just incase.

"What do you think about this whole thing?" She whispered, barely heard to my ears.

"I think that the sooner we collect everyone, the better, and the sooner that we get home, that's the best."

"Yeah, me too. You know, sometimes I get the creepiest feeling that someone is watching me sometimes."

"In this place they probably are." I said just as the black shadow once again passed into my peripheral vision. "Shit."

Jubilee's mouth opened as she goggled at me. "That's the first time I've heard you curse."

"There's something following us." Or me, I silently added. "And I can't sense it. Keep your eyes open."

"You cursed."

"Yeah, it happens. Get over it." I snapped. It was a little unnerving to see something and not sense it. That meant that it either wasn't there, which was only possible in hallucinations, or so I thought, or that it was doing something to not be noticed by animals, which happen to be the most observant things everywhere, especially where birds and rodents are concerned.

"What is it?" She finally got past my little slip of tongue and looked at the forest sideways, neither looking fully at the forest or taking her eyes off the group in front of us.

"I don't know. It's like a shadow. But it's not. But be ready for anything."

"Shouldn't we tell them?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because if it's like any sort of animal," which it would have to be, in order to shield itself, "it will pick off the weakest looking members and the ones a bit back from the pack. We're both. If it's a predator looking for a meal, we're too good to pass up. In any other case, it hasn't actually attacked us. It's just following, for all we know, we're in its territory and it's making sure we leave. But in any case, keep your eyes open."

"That's not a good idea not to tell them."

"Trust me, if you tell them, they'll stop, and that will make it angry, or make it cocky. Still prey is easier to eat then moving."

She stared at me. I didn't know what she was thinking, I was too busy keeping an eye out.

"I think you've changed."

I didn't say anything.

"I'm not sure I like it." She whispered quietly. I looked at her in surprise.

"Sorry." I said genuinely.

She shook her head.

"Move a little faster and catch up with the group. I'll be fine." I nudged her forward with my elbow, as my hands were still full of the pack I had rescued from Crepuscule's mouth. She immediately moved faster to catch up with Rahne.

I frowned. I didn't think I was changing. Maybe the way I said it unnerved her. Yes, that had to be it.

There it was again. The little pain was snaking across the side of the path, disappearing as fast as it appeared. What was it? If I tried to look at it, it seemed to become blurry and disappear. But when I didn't, and only saw it out of the corner of my eye, it almost had a shape.

I saw it again, slipping back the way we came, and it almost took every ounce of strength of will I had not to turn around and look at it and the brazen way I knew it had moved onto the path. It would be gone when I looked, and I would be in big trouble with the enchantments.

I think I liked my life better when the most urgent thing I had to deal with was getting away from Kitty and her vegetarianism. Or worrying how much I was improving in the way of fighting. Which wasn't much.

Or trying to figure out what a certain animal was and why it was sleeping in my hair. In the case of some rodents.

I sped up a little, getting that really nasty prickling feeling when someone knows something is following them. I had to pinch myself once when whatever it was broke a twig. It may have been deliberate.

Pretty soon, though, we were almost out of the forest and the inside of my cheek was bleeding because I had bit it when I felt something brush past me.

I'm really beginning to hate that forest.

"Alright, just through those two trees is the exit, try not to let the branches hit you on the way out." Roxanne said goodbye in her usual manner. We all hurried out, but I stopped to thank Roxanne.

"Don't mention it, and if I see you again, be careful, I might just set you on fire or something. Humans gotta be careful in our woods, you know."

"Thanks anyway. I'll see you around." I said before I walked out of the forest. I heard Roxanne calling behind me.

"Yeah, we'll see!" Then she was gone.

An interesting person. I steeled myself, now that there was no enchantments, and looked behind me.

A few leaves were drifting as they fell from branches. I looked up into the treetops and saw nothing.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Somehow, that didn't reassure me.


Ooh…Spooky!

Raliena: Glad you liked it, hope you like this chapter just as much!

AnonGirl88: Did you finally get to register? Hope you liked this chapter!

Chrissy: I'm glad you liked her-she was my first experiment in that sort of personality. Hope you like this chapter!

PrincessOfWildfire: You're a fury? That's interesting. Every time I take those tests I end up having to be something that's linked to water or some sort of shadow. Anyway, I hope you like the chapter, and thank you very much, I'm trying to bring in something a little different for this story. If I do something that's overdone, I want to poke at it with the parody stick, not try to act serious about it.

asp: That's alright, I know exactly how it was, it was annoying for me as well. My gremlins must be corroborating with yours. Hope you like this chapter!

Herman will take the reviews, and watch for those shadows!