Rebecca was still having a hard time with the thought of leaving Riza to her fate. The trio had retreated back towards the resort so they were on more familiar ground. They did, however, ensure they were isolated enough that no one would discover their confrontation with the Hunters.

Rebecca slowed her run as Hughes did. They were at the edge of the treeline now. There was a gradual slope in front of them, which led into the valley where the resort was situated. The trees were particularly dense behind them.

"It will work to our advantage," Hughes explained, as if reading her last thought. "The trees are packed together so there is less chance for them to get a decent shot on us."

"Makes sense," Sam nodded, looking back the way they had just ran.

Rebecca realised Sam must have questioned the reason for being here. She had barely been paying attention.

"Plus, if we need to make a quick getaway, we have some sort of cover."

Sam nodded. Then snorted in disbelief. "Two werewolves and vampire about to face off against fifty Hunters. What could go wrong?" Hughes shot him a wary look, uneasy about his identity being discovered, and Sam took notice.

"How did you guess that?" Hughes asked, not even trying to hide it.

"I could smell you a mile off." He smiled warmly. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

Hughes still looked wary. "I would really appreciate it if you did keep it to yourself."

"Scouts honour." He even held up three fingers.

Rebecca snorted in response, and couldn't help but smile. The smell of the incense wafted over to them, and Rebecca's smile dropped. The direness of the situation still remained, regardless of how many light hearted jokes could be made. Her gut wrenched at the thought of Riza being out there alone, facing off against them.

Roy on the other hand, was still nowhere to be found. Rebecca froze.

"What is it?" Hughes asked, instantly alert.

"We have been looking for Roy while we ran, but I can just reach out to him and find him."

Hughes' brow furrowed, the realisation dawned on him.

"That would certainly help," Sam offered.

"I have been so caught up in what's happening, I didn't even think." The brunette shut her eyes and concentrated. She reached out to him, assessing how far away he was. "He is nearby. Walking this way. He appears to be distressed. I'm not sure why."

"That doesn't sound good," Sam commented. Rebecca thought it was a smart comment regarding what she had said, however she noticed the shift in his stance. He was facing the trees, where Rebecca also heard it. The sound of footsteps marched towards them. The sound of clicking reached them as weapons were readied. Voices could be heard, but the trio couldn't see them yet through the trees. Although the intermittent snow brightened up the area somewhat, the coverage from the trees was too thick. The forest was dark in front of them, where their fate was marching towards them.

"I'll deal with Roy," Hughes stated. "You two get ready. I'll be back in two."

The two nodded. Sam and Rebecca shared a look before changing into their wolf form.

Riza dropped to her belly just in time. However, a bolt grazed the top of her head, cutting deep. Despite being on the ground, she was large enough that the bolt still hit her. It was aimed at her heart, and had she not lowered her body, it would have pierced her flesh.

Her flight response kicked and Riza ran fast than she ever had before. The thought of those counting on her, those who were dear to her, pushed her forward. The Hunters pursuing her had been too surprised to move, so Riza gained a lot of ground quickly.

Riza could feel the poison covering the bolt seep into her. Her muscles tensed in response to the pain that followed. It stung like nothing else she had felt before. Stuttering to a stop she wiped her head with her paw, trying to rid the poison from the wound. Of course, her efforts were in vain. Her blood stained paw hit the ground shakily. Riza was panicking. She had heard stories of how the poison is designed to incapacitate its targets quickly. The trembling in her legs didn't distil her fears.

As Riza frantically searched the forest for anything that would help, her eyes fell on a patch of now. Bounding over to it she pressed her forehead to it desperately, hoping the cold would stop the spread of the poison, or at least help clot the blood. Numbness overtook her head, bringing on brain freeze-like symptoms. Her head throbbed as the cold spread though. It felt as though a chill had overtaken her body, however she thought that must be the poison.

Whining, she pulled away. Unsure of whether it had worked or not, Riza took off again back towards the Resort. There was no time to stand around panicking about whether she was going to die or not. The best she could do was get to Rebecca. She would know what to do.

Riza approached the Resort from the west, near Hughes house. As she ran, she spotted a small girl in the forest. Her back was to her, but Riza stopped short. Riza changed into her human form. However, before she could take a step, Riza fell to one knee as a wave of pain washed over her. She grit her teeth, fighting against it.

"Is someone there?" a small voice called out. The girl must have spotted her. She wasn't sure how, the sun had set and under the cover of the trees, the forest was almost pitch black.

Forcing her eyes open, Riza rose from the ground. Her eyes finding the girl again, she realised it was Hughes daughter.

"Elicia, what are you doing all the way out here?" she asked, plastering a smile on her face. She wasn't sure if the girl would recognise her, so she approached slowly.

"Mama told me we were going to the Resort, but there was a funny smell so I walked away from it. It hurt my throat." Her nose wrinkled at the memory.

Riza's heart sank. She remembered that this little girl was a vampire. No wonder she could see Riza. She would be able to smell the incense too. It wasn't as effective, however it was still poison when injected. She had no idea what was going on, but was equally at risk as they were. She only hoped Hughes knew what he was doing.

"Let's get you back to Mama shall we? She will be worried about you."

Elicia nodded. She reached out for Riza's hand expectantly. Riza grasped it hesitantly.

"You have the funny smell on you too," Elicia commented, wrinkling her nose again.

"Ahh… Yes." Riza was lost about what she should and shouldn't say around the girl. Hughes had been adamant Elicia would not know about her heritage until she was older.

"Your name is Riza, isn't it?" Elicia turned to face her, her eyes searching her face.

Riza nodded.

"And that funny smell is coming from the cuts on your face, isn't it?"

The blonde rose a hand to her forehead and, sure enough, when she pulled them away hey were bloody. She hadn't even realised. As if on cue, her forehead and cheek began to sting. Riza winced in response, but kept quiet. She didn't want to frighten Elicia.

"You also smell funny."

Riza furrowed her brow. "Excuse me?"

"Daddy smells different from Mama. You smell different from both Mama and Daddy. I have noticed some people smell the same as each other, but you three all smell different. You're all different species, aren't you?"

Riza stopped walking. She stared down at the girl, surprised she had even managed to figure it out. Vampires must develop faster than human children, because she was very observant for a five year old. Looking into her eyes Riza could tell Elicia knew she was right, she was just waiting for someone to confirm it for her.

However, it wasn't Riza's place to discuss this with her. Her father should be doing that.

Elicia sighed loudly. "If Daddy has told you not to say anything, I understand."

"Why don't you ask him the next time you see him?"

"Whenever I broach the subject, he changes it quickly. I'm not stupid, I know he doesn't want to talk about it." Again, Riza was surprised by her. Elicia's language surpassed that of a human five year old. It was as if she had dropped an act she had been playing. "It is just so frustrating when I need answers about what I am and he won't give them to me. It is as if he is ashamed of me."

Riza felt sympathy for the girl. The blonde had been exactly the same. Both her and Rebecca had desperately tried to find out what they were, what they could and couldn't do, but there was no one to give them answers.

"He isn't ashamed, Elicia." Riza bent to pick the girl up. She didn't know where this maternal instinct had come from, but she knew Elicia needed some comfort. God knows Riza had needed after she had changed. "Your Dad loves you so much. He is scared. There was things out here right now that want to kill you. The bad smell is from a group called the Hunters who do just that. They hunt down anything that isn't human."

Elicia's eyes widened. "I hadn't realised it was that bad. I had heard them talking while I was out in the forest, but they never mentioned killing anyone."

Riza nodded. She felt slightly guilty she was having the conversation with the young girl. Hughes should be the one telling her this. However, at this particular moment in time, she needed to be aware of the danger around her.

"So yes, your Daddy is scared. There is no shame there, believe me. However, your Mama doesn't know what you or Daddy are, and he wants to keep it that way. That's up to him to tell her, okay?"

Elicia nodded. "Okay."

Incense wafted over to her, burning Riza's nostrils. Her forehead and cheek burned, as if the smell in the air was seeping into the gashes. The Hunters were close.

"We need to go," Riza explained, picking up her walking pace and breaking into a run.

"Yes please," Elicia replied, covering her nose and mouth with her hand. "Thank you, Riza. For at least telling me something."

Riza smiled at her. "Just don't tell your Dad. He might kill me."

"We can't find her Roy," Gracia cried, desperation getting the best of her. If she wasn't careful, she would start hyperventilating soon.

"Don't worry Gracia, we will find her. We haven't checked the other side of the house. Let's head in that direction, just up this slope."

Gracia nodded and gripped his hand tightly, as if he was a lifeline.

Just as they were about to crest the hill, air rushed out of his lungs as something solid hit Roy's stomach. A woman's voice cried out from beside him and he felt a sharp dig at his ribs. Roy gasped, trying to fill his lungs with air. He had been winded by whatever had hit him but he would need to be at one hundred percent in order to protect Gracia. There was no way he would let the bastards get to her too. She had nothing to do with this.

As they had searched, the smell of the incense had gotten stronger and Roy was fearful they had found Elicia. His fear had gotten the best of him. Roy was unaware of what had hit him and knocked him over. He hadn't even heard it coming.

Shifting his weight, he circled an arm quickly around Gracia's small form, bringing her around to his front. When they impacted the ground – Roy had some time because whatever had knocked him over had sent him flying – Roy hit first, taking the brunt of the impact. The wind was knocked out of him again for the second time in a matter of seconds.

Skidding to a stop, Roy gasped. He desperately tried to fill his lungs again with air.

Sitting up, he coughed and spluttered as he checked on Gracia.

"Are you all right?" he asked, rolling over and placing her gently on the grass. The snow had thawed enough here that patches of grass were more frequent.

He rose into a crouch, turning back around to face whatever had hit him. To his surprise, it was Maes Hughes who stood atop the slope they had just tumbled down. He couldn't see the Hunters, but he knew Hughes was facing them alone. There was no sign of anyone else. If one of the Hunters had hit him he would have noticed. He would be dead, or close to it. Surely Hughes couldn't have done it… Right?

"Yes." Her reply was shaky as she returned to a sitting position. "I think so. What was that?" The bewilderment was clear in her voice.

"I don't know," Roy answered her honestly. Looking back up the slope, Hughes was gone. "Stay behind me until I get a handle on what that was."

"We still need to find Elicia," Gracia gasped, raising to her feet shakily. She staggered away.

"Gracia," he hissed, desperate for her to stop. He didn't know what was happening or what was out there in.

"I've got her," a familiar voice called from through the trees. Roy felt himself freeze as he recognised it.

Sure enough, the blonde emerged from the trees carrying a rather upset looking Elicia.

The younger girl began to cry in relief as she spotted her mother. The pair reunited happily, but Roy's gaze didn't linger to see it.

A spark of guilt shot through him as he thought of his behaviour towards Riza the last time they met. Now that he knew the truth, he was truly sorry. But he couldn't formulate the words. The surprise at her appearance had stumped him.

"We came to hunt a few wolves," someone sneered. "But I suppose you will do, scum." That drew his attention back to Hughes atop the slope. Roy's wolf stirred as his anger spiked. Hughes had nothing to do with any of this. Suddenly, a voice echoed in his head.

Once you accept this life fully it will change. It might end up being safer to stay away from the ones you love. You can guarantee that if you are found out by the Hunters they will show no mercy to those who associate with you.

Roy felt his stomach drop as he remembered Riza's warning. It seemed like an eternity ago he had first discovered his powers. Because this small family was associated with him, they were in danger. He would have to do everything within his power to ensure they were safe. He felt a surge of protectiveness for them. Damn right.

"Get them out of here," Riza told him quietly as the mother and daughter were preoccupied. He turned, the guilt and regret surging within him again. It hurt even more when she didn't even look at him. Her gaze remained atop the slope. "Take them to the hotel. They haven't seen your faces, thanks to Hughes. Hide there."

"W – Wait. What are you going to do?" he stuttered, his voice failing him.

"We will distract them while you run." Her words we simple, but there was a fear to them. He could tell by her body language that she was afraid to be near him. Riza still didn't look at him and she stayed out of reaching distance.

No wonder, Roy thought to himself. He had completely lost control the last time Riza had been in his presence.

"They can kill you, Riza," Roy reminded her, his voice low. Protectiveness surged through him again.

"I am well aware of that," she snapped, finally turning to look at him. Her eyes were hard, but fear lingered within, as well as acceptance. Roy also realised for the first time that her face was bloody. There was a deep cut across her forehead and cheek. It bled steadily, dripping onto her clothes. Roy's stomach twisted at the state of her. She was pale and swayed slightly on her feet. Had they gotten to her already?

"After what I've done…" Riza continued, her voice failing her.

"Riza," Roy began. She needed to know the truth. "You don't –" he tried to explain to her, but Riza cut him short.

"There isn't time to chat. Get them to safety. Now."

Before Roy could reply, there was a crack and Riza bounded up the slope in two leaps. She disappeared out of view as Gracia and Elicia turned around.

Forgetting himself, Roy moved to race after her.

He wouldn't let herself get killed for something she didn't do.

"What was that?" he heard Elicia ask fearfully from behind them. That frightened voice snapped him back to the present. He had always promised Hughes that if he was unable to, Roy would step up and protect his family. Today, he needed to do just that.

Damnit! He cursed at the poor timing of it all.

Roy was torn, but he decided to do what he promised. In reality, those above the slope could take care of themselves. Gracia and Elicia were innocent and defenceless.

It was hard to turn his back on Riza. Incredibly so. But he had faith that she wouldn't intentionally get herself killed. He could only pray that Rebecca and Hughes would be wary enough to keep an eye on her and protect her if need be.