Things couldn't have been worse.

Lilith took them to her office and left them there. They sat and waited without saying a word to each other. Wendy was trembling. Excuses, alibis, and wild cover-up stories chased each other around Hiro's brain, each more feeble than the last. He couldn't see how they were going to get out of trouble this time. They were cornered. How could he have forgotten about the stupid helmet? There was no way on earth that Eda could cover for them being out of bed and creeping around the school in the dead of night, let alone actually leaving the castle. Add Olaf into the mix, and they might as well be packing their bags already.

Had Hiro thought that things couldn't have been worse? He was wrong. When Lilith returned, she was carrying Wart, as a bird, in a tiny cage.

"Hiro!" Wart burst out, the moment he saw the other two. "I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Kay saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a – "

Hiro shook his head violently to shut Wart up, but Lilith had already noticed. She looked more likely than Elsa to freeze them all into statues as she towered over the three of them. Eda, still in her pajamas, strode through the doorway. She was surprised to see Hiro there.

"I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself. Lily says she found you coming up from the portcullis." She yawned. "It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourselves, and do it fast."

"I hardly think now is the time for such flippant disregard of the school rules, Edalyn," said Lilith. "Nothing, I repeat, nothing gives a student the right to walk around the castle at night."

"Oh please, it's not like they were running any secret clubs or planning to assassinate Merlin. Besides, you and I both know a thing or two about –"

"Deciding what punishment would be most fitting," Lilith quickly interrupted.

"Give them a chance to explain themselves first, Lily. It's the least we owe 'em. Come on, you were sleepwalking, right? Forgot a book in one of the classrooms? Needed a late-night pick-me-up from the kitchens?"

It was the first time Wendy had ever failed to answer a teacher's question. She was staring at her slippers, as still as a statue. Hiro was dying to tell Eda the truth, but that would mean throwing Ralph under the bus, the very thing they were trying to avoid; Elsa may have understood about what happened with Olaf, but that didn't mean the school still couldn't fire him for that. Eda's friendly smile faltered.

"Come on, give me something to work with," she whispered to Hiro. "I can't back you guys up unless you give me a reason to."

"I think I have a good idea of what's been going on," said Lilith smoothly. "It doesn't take a genius to work it out. The two of you fed Kay some cock-and-bull story about an enchanted snowman, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble. I suppose you think it's funny that Pendragon overheard it and believed it, too?"

Hiro caught Wart's eye and tried to tell him without words that this wasn't true, because Wart was looking stunned and hurt.

"Therefore, as punishments for your actions, all three of you will receive detention, and fifty points will be taken from Mus."

"Fifty?" Hiro gasped. They would lose the lead, the oh-so-important lead he'd won in the last Questing match.

"Each," said Lilith firmly.

"What?!" roared Eda. "What makes you think you can take a hundred and fifty points away from my students?!"

"You did, right after their encounter with the troll as I recall. 'Don't let it happen again or it'll be fifty points next time', weren't those your exact words?" Lilith replied with a hint of arrogance.

Eda gritted her teeth.

"You know I meant –"

But what she meant she didn't get to say. She inhaled sharply and crouched over her desk. Her left fingernails dug into the surface – were they growing longer? Lilith's mask of indifferent cruelty slipped off for a split-second.

"Edalyn, are you all right?"

Eda frantically searched the drawers until she found a round bottle filled with what looked like liquid gold. There was a torn tag around the neck that Hiro couldn't read. Eda chugged down the bottle's contents and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She looked incredibly tired.

"I…I can't deal with this right now…I'm sorry…t-talk about it in the morning…"

Lilith's cold eyes followed Eda as she stumbled out. Hiro and Wendy ran up to Lilith.

"Professor, please –"

"You can't do this –"

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Mr. Hamada. Now get back to bed, all of you. And as for you, Pendragon –" Lilith turned on Wart. "I'm appalled that you would use your gift so irresponsibly. I've never been more ashamed of any student. Consider our private lessons terminated."

Lilith released him from his cage. Wart slunk back to the tower alongside Wendy and Hiro's ankles, too ashamed to turn himself back into a boy.

A hundred and fifty points lost. That put Mus in last place. In one night, they'd ruined any chance Mus had for the House Cup. Hiro felt as though the bottom had dropped out of his stomach. How could they ever make up for this?

He didn't sleep all night. He could hear Wart sobbing into his pillow for what seemed like hours. Hiro couldn't think of anything to say to comfort him. He knew Wart, like himself, was dreading the dawn. What would happen when the rest of the school found out what they'd done?

At first, the Mus students passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the house points the next day thought there'd been a mistake. How could they suddenly have a hundred and fifty points fewer than yesterday? And then the story started to spread: Hiro Hamada, the famous Hiro Hamada, their hero of two Questing matches, had lost them all those points, him and a couple of other stupid first years.

In a matter of hours, Hiro from being one of the most popular and admired people at the school went to the most hated. While Canis was more sad and disappointed than angry, Anatis turned on him outright. Everyone had been longing to see Felinus lose the house cup. Everywhere Hiro went, people pointed and didn't trouble to lower their voices as they insulted him, or refused to even look at him if they weren't. Most of Felinus, on the other hand, clapped as he walked past them, cheering, "Thanks Hamada, we owe you one!" Even Hunter couldn't help joining in.

Only Peter, Milo, and the Blight twins stood by him.

"They'll all forget this in a few weeks."

"Yeah, we've lost ton of points in our time here, and people still like us."

"None of you have never lost a hundred and fifty points in one shot, though, have you?" said Hiro miserably.

Edric and Emira suddenly grew very quiet and pensive.

"Well…no," said Milo. "Still, there's a first time for everything."

It was a bit late to repair the damage, but Hiro swore to himself not to meddle in things that weren't his business from now on. He'd had it with sneaking around and spying. He felt so ashamed of himself that he went to Cassandra and offered to resign from the Questing team.

"Resign?!" Cassandra thundered. "What good'll that do? How are we going to get any points back if we can't win the final matches?"

But even Questing had lost its fun. The rest of the team wouldn't speak to Hiro during practice, and if they had to mention him, they referred to him as "the Chaser".

Wendy and Wart were suffering, too. They didn't have as bad a time as Hiro because they weren't as well-known, but nobody would speak to them, either. Wendy had stopped drawing attention to herself in class, keeping her head down and working in silence.

Hiro was almost glad that the exams weren't far away. All the studying he had to do kept his mind off his misery. He, Peter, and Wendy kept to themselves, working late into the night, trying to remember the ingredients in complicated potions, learn charms and spells by heart, memorize the dates of magical discoveries and royal weddings…

Then, about a week before the exams were due to start, Hiro's new resolution not to interfere in anything that didn't concern him was put to an unexpected test. Walking back from the library on his own one afternoon, he heard somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead. As he drew closer, he heard Professor Ichabod's voice.

"No…no…not again, please…I can't –"

It sounded as though someone was threatening him. Hiro moved closer. "All right…all right…" he heard Ichabod sob.

Next second, Ichabod came hurrying out of the classroom. He was pale and looked as though he was about to cry. He strode out of sight; Hiro didn't think he had even noticed him. He waited until Ichabod's footsteps had disappeared, then peered into the classroom. It was empty, but a door stood ajar at the other end. Hiro was halfway toward it before he remembered what he'd promised himself about not meddling.

All the same, he'd have gambled twelve Sundrops that Lilith had just left the room, and from what Hiro had just heard, she'd be walking with a new spring in her step – Ichabod seemed to have given in at last.

Hiro went back to the library, where Wendy was testing Peter on Astronomy. Hiro told them what he'd heard.

"Lilith's done it, then!" said Peter. "She's found out how to get past Aladar without asking Ralph." He looked up at the thousands of books surrounding them. "I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to tame a dinosaur. So what do we do, Hiro?"

The light of adventure was kindling again in Peter's eyes, but Wendy answered before Hiro could.

"Go to Merlin. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves, we'll be thrown out for sure."

"But we've got no proof!" said Hiro. "Ichabod's too scared to back us up. Lilith's only got to say she doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that she was nowhere near the third floor – who do you think they'll believe, her or us? It's not exactly a secret we hate her, Merlin'll think we made it up to get her fired. And we're not even supposed to know about the stones or Aladar in the first place."

Wendy looked convinced, but Peter didn't.

"But if we just do a little poking around –"

"No," said Hiro flatly, "we've done enough."

He pulled a map of Jupiter toward him and focused on learning the names of its moons.

The following morning, notes were delivered to Hiro, Wendy, and Wart at the breakfast table. They were all the same:

Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight. Meet Mr. O'Dell in the entrance hall.

Hiro had forgotten they still had detentions to do in the furor over the points they'd lost. He half-expected Wendy to complain that this was a whole night of studying lost, but she didn't say a word. Like Hiro, she felt they deserved what they'd got.

At eleven o'clock that night, they said goodbye to Peter in the common room and went down to the entrance hall with Wart. O'Dell was already there – and so was Kay. Hiro had also forgotten that Kay had gotten a detention, too.

"Follow me," said O'Dell, lighting a lantern and leading them outside. "I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he said patronizingly. "Oh yes, hard work is the best teacher if you ask me…you should be grateful they let the old punishments die out…back in my day, detention meant they'd hang you by your thumbs down in the dungeon…I've still got the chains in my office. Sometimes at night I can still recall the screaming…"

They marched off across the dark grounds. Wart kept sniffing. Hiro wondered what their punishment was going to be. It must be something really hard, or really horrible, or O'Dell wouldn't be sounding so confident.

There was no moon in the sky, and they were almost in complete darkness. Ahead, Hiro could see the lighted windows of Ralph's brick cottage. Then they heard a distant shout.

"Is that you, O'Dell? Hurry up, we don't have all night."

Hiro's heart rose. If they were going to be working with Ralph, then it wouldn't be so bad. His relief must have shown in his face, because O'Dell said, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself, young man? Well, think again – you're joining Ralph in the Forest of No Return."

At this, Wart let out a little moan, and Kay stopped dead in his tracks.

"The forest?" he repeated. "We ain't going in there, are we? It's swarmin' with wolves!"

"Well you should have thought of that before you got in trouble," said O'Dell, his voice cracking.

Ralph came striding toward them out of the dark, Lambert at his heels. He was also carrying a lantern.

"About time," he said. "I could have climbed a skyscraper in the time I was waiting. All right there, Hiro, Wendy?"

"I wouldn't be too friendly to them, Ralph," said O'Dell, "they're here to be punished, after all."

"So that's why you're late, is it?" said Ralph, frowning at O'Dell. "It's not your job to lecture them. You've done your part, I'll take it from here."

"I'll be back at dawn," said O'Dell, "for what's left of them," he added nervously, glancing at the woods. He turned and started back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness.

Kay now turned to Ralph.

"I ain't goin'," he said, and Hiro was pleased to hear the note of panic in his voice.

"You are if you want to stay in the Magic Kingdom," said Ralph fiercely. "You've done wrong and now you've gotta pay for it."

"But this is servant stuff. I expect the Wart to do somethin' like this, not me. I thought we'd be copying lines. If my father knew I was doing this, he'd –"

"Tell you that's how things are done around here," Ralph growled. "Writing lines! The only thing you get outta that is carpal tunnel. You either do something useful or you get out. If you think your noble father, the great Sir Ector, would rather see his only son expelled, then get back to the castle and start packin'. Go on!"

Kay didn't move. He looked at Ralph furiously but then dropped his gaze.

"If I'm going in there, I'm going armed," he said.

"Fine, there's an extra bow and arrows behind the door if it'll make you feel better, but we're wasting time." Ralph jerked his head to the cottage.

Kay fetched them and rejoined the group outside.

"Right then," said Ralph, "listen carefully 'cause what we're gonna do tonight is dangerous. There's nothing in the forest that'll hurt you as long as you're with me or Lambert, and you stick to the path. And if you do see anything dangerous while you're in there, whatever you do, don't provoke them."

He eyed Kay's bow and arrow warily.

"Now follow me."

He held his lamp high and led them down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the trees. The forest was black and still. Occasionally an owl hoot or the sound of insects broke the silence. Maybe it was Hiro's imagination, but some of the trees looked down on them with twisted eerie faces; when he blinked, they were gone.

They stopped at a fork in the path. Hiro could see droplets and trails of something wet – in the light of Ralph's lamp, they were a deep, dark red.

"Ralph, is that…"

"It's what we're here for, Hiro. For the past week or so, something's been running around killing the deer living in these woods. I found one dead last Wednesday. This one's been hurt badly, must have staggered around since last night. We're gonna try to rescue it. With any luck, we'll learn what's been doing this to them too."

"And what if whatever hurt the deer finds us first?" said Wart, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.

"That's why you listen to me and stick together. Right, now we're gonna split into two groups and follow the trail in different directions."

Kay interrupted before anyone could point out the obvious flaw in this logic.

"I want the lion to come with," he demanded, jerking his head towards the path he was on.

"Okay," shrugged Ralph. "Just so you know, he's a cowardly lion."

Kay grimaced. Ralph went on.

"Hiro, Wendy, you'll come with me. Wart, you go with Kay and Lambert. If anyone finds the deer, send up green sparks. If you need help, send up red sparks and we'll come and find you. Be careful now – let's go."

They walked in silence, their eyes on the ground. Every now and then, the light of Ralph's lamp lit a spot of blood on the fallen leaves.

Hiro could see that Ralph was worried.

"Do you think it's a wolf killing the deer?" asked Hiro.

"Not likely," Ralph said. "It's not easy to catch the deer in this forest, and no animal is dumb enough to tackle with the Great Prince's herd."

They walked past a mossy tree stump. Hiro could hear running water; there must be a stream somewhere close by. There were still spots of deer blood here and there along the winding path.

"Don't worry," Ralph whispered, "it can't've gone far if it's this badly hurt, and then we'll be able to – get behind me!"

Ralph seized Wendy and Hiro and hid them behind a towering oak. He made a fighting stance, ready to tackle whoever approached. The three of them listened. Something was slithering over dead leaves nearby: it sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground. Ralph squinted up the dark path, but after a few seconds, the sound faded away.

"I knew it," he murmured. "There's something in here that shouldn't be."

"A wolf?" Wendy suggested.

"I hate to break it to you, Wendy, but that was no wolf, and it certainly wasn't a deer either," said Ralph grimly. "It might just be what's killing them. Okay, follow me, but careful, now."

They walked more slowly, ears straining for the faintest sound. Suddenly, in a clearing ahead, something definitely moved.

"Who's there?" Ralph called. "Show yourself!"

And into the clearing came – was it a man, or a horse? To the waist, a blue-skinned man with black curly hair, but below that was a horse's gleaming indigo body with a long, black tail. He wasn't alone; a lighter blue-skinned woman, her hair in blonde pigtails, flowers braided across her chest and waist, and with a horse's body the color of a summer sky, stepped out of the shadows. Hiro and Wendy's jaws dropped.

"Brudus, Melinda, it's just you," said Ralph in relief. "How are you?"

He walked forward and shook the centaurs' hands.

"Good evening, Ralph," said Brudus.

"Were you really going to attack us?" Melinda asked in a timid voice.

"Can't be too careful, Melinda," said Ralph. "There's something bad loose in this forest. This is Hiro Hamada and Wendy Darling, by the way. They're students up at the school. Hiro, Wendy, meet Brudus and Melinda. They're centaurs."

"Yeah, we noticed," muttered Hiro.

"How do you do?" Wendy curtsied, still in awe of them.

Melinda smiled a little.

"You're in the wild, child, there's no need to be formal around us."

"You shouldn't have come here, Ralph," Brudus said in a worried tone. "Artemis sleeps tonight. No one is safe in these woods until dawn."

"Brudus and Melinda follow the Greek gods," Ralph explained to the children. "Artemis is the one who's in charge of the night and watches over the woods."

"Well, not quite," replied Melinda.

"She reigns over the moon and stars, and blesses those who hunt for survival," said Brudus, "but these midnight hunts aren't natural. We're returning to our home. I advise to you do the same."

"We will once we find the deer," said Ralph. "Have you two seen anything unusual? Anything different about these hunts that's got you so worked up?"

Melinda gasped.

"You don't know?"

A movement in the trees behind Brudus made Ralph raise his fists again. A lean black panther emerged and leaped onto a rock.

"Oh, hello Bagheera," said Ralph.

"Good evening, Ralph. I trust you are well?" the panther spoke back.

"Well enough, thanks," Ralph replied. "Look, I've just been asking Brudus and Melinda, have you seen anything off around here lately? There's a deer that's been injured. Would you know anything about it?"

Bagheera shook his head.

"I take it your Merlin has been ignoring our messages. We've been trying to warn him about this for many moons now," he sighed. "Always the innocent are the first victims."

"Messages? This is the first time I've heard about that," Ralph said, confused. "I'll have a talk with Merlin when we get back, there's no way he'd turn you down. Right now we're trying to put a stop to these killings. We have to do something."

"Then I suggest you follow Brudus and Melinda's advice. These mancubs have no place here, Ralph, especially on a night like this."

A sound like a firework echoed through the trees, and the sky lit with red.

"Look! Red sparks!" Wendy cried. She pointed to where they shot up. "Wart and Kay must be in trouble!"

"You two wait here!" Ralph shouted. "I'll come and get you once I find them!"

He crashed away into the undergrowth.

"You don't think they've been hurt, do you?" said Wendy.

"I don't care about Kay, but if something's happened to Wart…"

Hiro swallowed.

"He shouldn't even be here. It's our fault he's in trouble."

Brudus put a hand on his shoulder.

"They'll be all right. If anyone can protect them, Ralph can."

"He has the courage of a lion and the strength of ten," said Bagheera admirably. "While I'm not overly fond of men, he is one I am proud to call a friend."

The minutes dragged by. Their ears seemed sharper than usual. Hiro's seemed to pick up every sigh of wind, every rustling branch. What was going on? Where were the others?

A great crunching noise announced Ralph's return. Kay, Wart and Lambert were with him. Ralph was positively fuming.

"'Sir Kay' here tried to shoot something – which he wasn't supposed to do – and made Wart climb up a tree to fetch his arrow. His branch broke and Mr. Saturday Knight stood there and laughed while Wart was clinging for his life. Lambert didn't like that, and he made sure Kay knew it, so Kay threw up the sparks."

"S'not my fault the Wart's a clumsy oaf," Kay grumbled. "So what if it was funny? Your bleedin' pussycat shouldn't punish me for it."

Hiro had never seen Lambert look so angry before. The lion growled at Kay and snapped at him. Kay took a step back and instinctively clutched his behind.

"You're lucky he only took the seat of your pants. Lambert may be a sheepish lion, but he won't put up with bullies," said Ralph. "Right, change of plans. You're comin' with me, buster." He pulled Kay closer to him. "Hiro, stick with Lambert and Wart. I know I can count on you to handle yourself better than some people here. We'll escort Melinda and Brudus home and be on our way."

"Ralph, I don't believe it's wise to let two mancubs wander about with hardly any supervision," Bagheera replied. "Their very scent could make could make them easier for predators to find."

"I think I could help a little with that," Wart spoke up. He whispered a few words to his wand. Once again a sparkling whirlwind whipped up around him, turning him into a dusky orange squirrel.

"Well, what do you think?" Wart asked, showing off his new form. "Will I fool any animals we meet?"

Bagheera came up to Wart and sniffed him.

"You don't smell exactly like a squirrel, but it'll do for a disguise, I suppose."

So Hiro set off into the heart of the forest with Wart and Lambert, chuckling at the glimpse he got of Kay's ridiculous heart-patterned underpants as he left. They walked for nearly half an hour, deeper and deeper into the woods. A thought occurred to Hiro as they traveled.

"Wart, Ralph said before that Sir Ector was Kay's dad…you told us Sir Ector adopted you. That makes you and Kay…"

Wart sighed.

"Yes, Kay's kind of my stepbrother. Even though Sir Ector raised the two of us, he made sure Kay got the better education and training for knighthood since he's his only son by blood. The best I could hope for was being made a squire someday. Then I got my acceptance letter to the Magic Kingdom and Sir Ector thought there was a mistake, that it should have been Kay instead. He made a big fuss until Merlin agreed to run a few tests and found a bit of magic in him, just barely enough to be accepted into school."

"Woah, woah, woah," Hiro said. "Back up a minute. You're telling me you got accepted on the spot, while Kay got waitlisted?"

Wart nodded.

"I was as surprised as you are. There was nothing special about me up to that point. It took a lot of convincing, but eventually Sir Ector said I could go as long as I behave myself and listen to Kay."

Eventually the path became almost impossible to follow because the trees were so thick. When it became too much for Wart to try to keep up with them, Hiro let him ride on his shoulder.

"Thanks. Being a squirrel's not too bad, but I wish I could change into something that could go faster. This was about as far as I got before Professor Lilith…" he choked.

Hiro's stomach churned with guilt. Lilith could punish him all he liked, but to take away something that meant so much to Wart just because he wanted to help was just cruel. Even though Hiro believed a simple apology wouldn't cut it, he hoped telling the truth would help somewhat.

"Wart, I'm sorry about your lessons. I never meant for this to happen to you. I need to tell you – look!"

There were splashes of blood on the roots of a tree, as though the poor creature they were tracking had been thrashing about in pain. They followed the crimson trail to a clearing. Something large was lying on the ground. They inched closer.

"Oh no," Hiro murmured.

It was the deer all right, and it was dead. An arrow pierced its side. Hiro had never seen anything so beautiful and sad. The once strong yet delicate body lay cold and still on a bed of fallen leaves. Its graceful neck and long, slender legs stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen. The large, brown eyes were closed forever.

But the body wasn't the only thing there.

A dark, indistinct figure was drinking deeply from the deer's wound. Its silhouette was fuzzy, as if it were partially erased around the edges. Hiro stepped on a twig, and its head shot up. Through the dark, Hiro could make out yellow eyes staring right at him, blood dripping where its mouth should have been, and a pair of horns sprouting from its head.

Then a pain like he'd never felt before pierced his arm; it was like his scars were on fire. Without thinking, Hiro dropped his wand and clutched his arm. With a cry he staggered backwards and tripped over a root. The figure glided over the deer and forest floor towards him. Hiro, still in immense pain, backed up into a tree.

"Wart…get help…" he groaned through clenched teeth.

"No, I won't leave you!" Wart cried.

Lambert charged at the wraith, but without even looking at him, it waved its hand and sent him crashing into a tree trunk. The being proceeded towards Hiro until it towered over him and Wart. The pain in Hiro's arm was so bad that he couldn't see straight. Through his haze he could make out Wart standing on top of him, shaking, with his arms stretched out to shield him – the wraith reaching out for them – and then it jerked back suddenly.

A large sloth bear was on its belly clutching the tail end of the creature.

"Run, kid, run!"

There was a roar and Bagheera burst out of the trees. He pounced on the wraith, pinning it to the ground. The panther raised a mighty paw to strike the creature, but it dissolved into a thousand shadows that flew off in every direction.

The pain in Hiro's arm slowly subsided. In a moment or two, he could clearly see again. Lambert had fled the scene. The bear walked towards them.

"You all right there, little britches?" he said, pulling Hiro to his feet.

"Yeah, thanks…what was that?"

"Our worst fears realized," Bagheera said gravely. "It seems my instincts were correct. The moment you left us I knew you'd be walking into danger."

"Hey, you're that Hamada kid, aren't cha?" said the bear, eyeing Hiro's scars. "The name's Baloo. Lemme give you a lift back to your buddies."

He helped Hiro on to his shoulders.

"Keep your head down in case of low-hanging branches. And watch out for snakes!"

Bagheera noticed Wart looking up at him hopefully, and he shook his head.

"Very well," he sighed, "I'll carry you too if you wish."

Wart scrambled on to Bagheera and held tight to the back of his neck.

"I never thought I'd be a taxi for errant mancubs," the panther muttered to himself.

"Aw, you know you love it, Baggy," said Baloo with a wink. "He may not act like it, but he's got a soft spot for little guys like you," he told Hiro and Wart. Bagheera rolled his eyes.

"What was that thing you saved us from?" Hiro asked.

"Something you're better off not knowing about," replied Bagheera.

"Like that'll help 'em understand," said Baloo.

"They're still young," said Bagheera. "Besides, most men hardly wish to understand further when it comes to animal matters. They still see us as savage beings or food unless we walk on two legs, wear clothing, and abandon our world for theirs."

"Well, maybe these two are different," Baloo responded. "They actually showed up to help."

"I hardly think a pair of mancubs will make a difference in the grand scheme of things, Baloo."

"You don't get it, do ya, Baggy?"

"No, you don't get it, you great oaf!" Bagheera rounded on him. "They will never lift a finger for us unless they're hurt as well, and by then it's always, always too late. If the best they can do is send one man and four mancubs to barely investigate this danger, then we're better off on our own."

A young, lonely voice echoed somewhere in the distance.

"Mooootheeeerrr…Mother, where are yoooou…"

Hiro's breath caught in his throat as the realization of where the voice's mother was now sunk in.

Baloo sniffed and wiped at his eye.

"Poor kid…good thing the Great Prince of the Forest will look after him."

Bagheera sighed sadly.

"What we've seen tonight confirms my suspicions. The attacks on the deer in these woods aren't random killings. Their murderer has been targeting does – specifically, mothers."

"That's awful," Hiro and Wart murmured.

"It's a monstrous crime, matricide," Bagheera continued. "Only one who'd have nothing to lose and everything to gain would commit such an act. Whether you're a human or animal, a mother's love is a powerful thing, something that can be felt in their very blood. Stealing that life's blood for your own will keep you alive even if you are an inch from death – but at a terrible cost. Just as you've deprived a child of the most powerful form of love there is, so too will you be deprived of all love and warmth for the rest of your days. It's a fate that many would choose death over."

"But who'd be that desperate?" Wart wondered aloud. "If you're going to be cursed forever, wouldn't dying be better?"

"It is," Bagheera agreed.

"…Unless of course you just need to stay alive long enough to find something else that'll restore your health –"

"Hush, Baloo!" Bagheera snapped.

"What?" the bear said, trying to sound casual. "I'm just saying that maybe if someone was waiting forever to return to life and full strength 'til the chance to steal something that could give you all that came along –"

It was as though an iron fist clenched around Hiro's heart. Over the rustling of the trees, the cracking branches and Baloo's rambling, he heard what Ralph told him on the night they met echoing in his head:

"A lot of people think she's dead, but…I dunno. I don't think she was even human enough to die. She disappeared completely, but she could be out there, for all I know, just biding her time, too weak to carry on for now…"

"That's enough!" stormed Bagheera. "There are some things these mancubs are better off not knowing for their sake. I've said far too much as it is." He continued onward without looking back.

Baloo slowed down until he was a safe distance away from Bagheera, then whispered to Hiro.

"Psst, hey kid, call it animal instincts, but somethin' important's hiding in that school of yours – and I bet you know what it is, too."

"…The Sundrop and Moonstone…" Hiro whispered back. "And that thing in the clearing…that was Mal –"

"Hiro! Wart! Are you all right?"

Wendy and Lambert ran down the path, Ralph and Kay puffing along behind her.

"I'm fine," said Hiro, hardly knowing what he was saying. "The deer…she's dead, Ralph. She's in the clearing back there."

"This is where we'll leave you then," Bagheera said somberly as Ralph went to inspect the deer. "You are safe now."

Wart thanked him and jumped off his head. Bagheera waited by the tree line for Baloo. The bear helped Hiro down, then held him by the shoulders.

"Good luck, little britches," he told him. "Maybe you can help save your world and ours one more time."

He turned and walked back into the depths of the forest with Bagheera, leaving Hiro shivering behind them.

Peter had fallen asleep in the common room under Baymax's watchful eye, waiting for them to return. He shouted something about codfish when Hiro roughly shook him awake. In a matter of seconds, though, he was wide-eyed as Hiro began to tell him and Wendy what had happened in the forest.

"Lilith doesn't want the Sundrop and Moonstone for herself. She wants it for Maleficent…and Maleficent is waiting in the forest for her…after all this time…"

He paced up and down in front of the fireplace, his hands still shaking.

"Baloo saved me, but Bagheera said he shouldn't have told me about this…that I'd be happier not knowing…they know she's trying to come back…I guess he thought I'd be better off dead than worrying when I'll die, right? All I got to do is wait for Lilith to steal them both and then I'll be gone first thing in the morning."

Peter looked on, paler than ever. "Geez…and here I was just worrying about my potions final."

Wendy took Hiro by the hand. "Hiro, hold on. There's only one person here that Maleficent ever feared, and that's Merlin. She wouldn't touch you while he's around. You're still safe. And if Bagheera thinks you're helpless, well, we've got something he doesn't – magic."

"As your healthcare companion, I must agree," Baymax chimed in. "You are under the protection of the most powerful magic wielders in the world as well as in my care. If you are feeling anxious, we can work through simple affirmations and grounding exercises together."

The sky was turning light by the time they stopped talking. They went to bed exhausted, their throats sore. But the night's surprises weren't over.

When Hiro pulled back the bed curtains, he found his kabuto sitting neatly on the pillow. There was a notecard propped up against it:

Just in case.

Next time our heroes finally face the dangers of the third floor and...Hiro sings?!

Next Chapter: The Challenges of the Magic Kingdom