Vera slammed the door shut behind her as she stepped out of the black BMW. Getting out of the passenger side Hamish threw his jacket back onto his seat before closing the door. Jack got out last looking at the old broken up barn, "So, this was where they found Kepler?"

"Yes." Vera replied, keeping a monotone tone of voice. Last time she had been here she could still run in heels and fit into her dresses, seemed like she wasn't the only one looking a little rough since the last time she had been here. Winter had taken a toll on the old barn caving in half the roof. Part of that roof was right over the portion of the barn where the trap door had been located as well. "Of course last year it was, well, not in this shape."

The boys followed Vera as she headed towards the barn doors, over the frame were the remains of Alejandro's claw marks cut deep through the old wood and the door was ripped off the hinges. Reliving the attack Vera took a step back still hearing the sound of his heavy panting as she tried to get away from the creature. "The trap door is under the roof." Vera grabbed a plank of wood and pulled at it before Hamish and Jack pushed her out of the way.

"It's alright, we got this." Hamish assured her and between them they partially morphed to summon up their werewolf strength and pull the rubble away until the straw floor was visible again. Stomping down on the ground Hamish's foot went through the wooden door forcing him to kick and trash his foot free. Both Jack and Hamish crouched down swinging the door open and looking down into the hole as Vera stepped over. "This is it?"

She looked down into the darkness, feeling a slight panic from her memories of being trapped down there while the jaguar walked above her sniffing around. "Yes."

Jack didn't wait after that, jumping down and landing a bit harder than he had expected since the drop was further than it looked. Still he landed to his feet and crouched down preventing himself from hurting his legs and knees. Standing back up Jack brushed himself off and looked around pulling out his phone and turning on it's light. "Uh, careful, it's a bit of a long drop."

Hamish offered his hand to Vera knowing there was no way she was going to make that drop without help right now. "A hand down for the lady." Vera took his hand as Hamish looked down at Jack. "Vera is coming down." That was code for 'help my damn girlfriend get down there.' Grabbing hold of her arms Hamish helped lower her down as Jack grabbed her hips to partially catch her when Hamish let her go.

"Watch where you put those hands Mr. Morton." Vera warned him.

"Yeah." Hamish added.

Jack was able to set her down carefully and instantly step back just to be safe. "Magus." Once Vera stepped away from the opening Jack called up to Hamish, "All clear."

Hamish dropped down landing much like Jack had and sprung back up using the momentum from his fall. However unlike Jack on his upwards rise he banged into Vera nearly pushing her into the wall. "Oh, Vera, I'm so sorry."

She caught herself on the wall behind her and put a hand against his chest to prevent him from falling into her. "It's alright Hamsih." She stepped forward as Jack shined his phone down the tunnel. "This way." Vera was quick to move to the front of the group and lead the way from memory. Most of it was easy since there was only one path until the split and she still recalled which portion to walk down in order to get into the opening. This time having a bit more confidence in the direction she was going Vera was able to lead them along a little faster than her first exploration.

Coming past the skeletal remains of the deer she'd seen before Jack took a moment to kick at the bones making the skull fall to the side, partially propped up by it's small antlers. Vera turned slowly on her heels and looked back to Jack, "Try not to touch anything unless I tell you to."

Hamish looked back at Jack before following along into the large clearing where the hole above them brought down light. "Well, if this isn't a cozy little place." He stopped stepping on some bones that made him pause. Vera had been down here alone, that thing could have killed her. Looking back up he could faintly smell it, that faded smell of bone marrow and old rotten eggs. "Jack." Hamish stepped forward pointing towards the darkness.

Following his direction Jack put the light into the dark corner and saw the grizzly scene of human bones stacked up. Skeletal faces left open in silent screams with claw and tooth marks covering the pale yellow surface. Vera stood there a moment looking over at them before stepping forward for a closer look. Hamish grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her back not wanting her to get hurt.

"Hamish,." He let her go knowing she was about to give him a lecture. Vera turned back to the piles of bones and climbed up the small incline. Eyes scanned over them finding a few artifacts next to the scrapped and tattered clothing. "I found something." She picked up a few of the items before looking up at claw marks through the stone, no, not claws. The marks were spaced too far apart, this was something else. Turning around she tossed an old pocket watch to Hamish. "Whatever this is it's been around for a very long time. That pocketwatch is old, pure silver, late 1800's perhaps." She tossed Jack an old cellphone, the sort that used to flip before smartphones because a thing. "And take a look at this." She pointed over her shoulder to the wall.

Jack shined the light over it and narrowed his eyes. "Looks like, that looks actually like buck marking, they do that during the fall to help rub the felt off their antlers and continue to do it through mating season." Jack went quiet a moment as Vera and Hamish both looked at him a little surprised and slightly impressed. "My grandfather was a hunter, he took me out a few times."

"So, we are thinking of something with antlers?" Vera asked and glanced back at the wall.

"Eats people, long claws, antlers." Hamish added. "A smell of old rot and decay, I think I know what this thing is."

"Would you like to share with the group Hamish?"

"Wendigo."

"No." Vera added and slid back off the rocks. "We don't live near their territories."

"Does it matter? It's a curse upon cannibalism, they have specified territories?"

"Yes." She nodded her head looking at him like he was an idiot. Neither he nor Jack seemed to know what she was talking about, time to enlighten them. Taking in a deep breath she raised a hand up. "Wendigo can only be created through cannibalism in very specific territories. Places once used by the native people of those territories who buried their dead. When European's started to take over and destroy their burials and sacred sites old Medicine Men, primal magic users cursed the land against those who had great greed in their hearts. When European settlers struggled during winters some turned too eating each other and from it the Wendigo rose up. Most commonly known incident of Wendigo was Roanok."

"And there isn't one of those locations around here?"

Vera looked back at Jack sounding a bit condescending, "Do you think we would build Belgrave here if we thought we were that close to Wendigo territory? No, most of Wendigo territory is relatively undeveloped. Nobody goes there aside from the odd missing hiker. There are some small communities of practitioners descended from those same Medicine Men who keep them bound to their territories and try to keep others away. There is no way one could be here."

Jack pointed back to the wall, "Well Vera that should be enough proof for you that somehow one is here now and from the looks of it it's been here for a while now."

"Alright then, let's assume that's what it is. Killing it is the least of our concerns, we need to know why it's here and how it got here. Most importantly we need to know what these tunnels were used for and when they stopped being used."

"Why?" Jack asked.

"In case we were wrong."

"You think these caves could be Wendigo territory nobody knew about?" Hamish asked.

"Better safe than sorry." She sighed. "At least we know it's easy to catch and kill. Wendigo are still just people, cursed but mortal. They die just like you or I do, they don't heal, they can't use magic, and they lose a great deal of intelligence over time as their hunger grows."

"Sounds like a cakewalk." Jack responded, clapping his hands together. "Nothing a few werewolves can't handle."

"And they are never alone." Hamish added. "Where there is one there are more."

"Just like cockroaches." Vera whispered partially to herself.