And we have broken 6,000 words again! A good chapter to be long, too—it's SO full of half-explained backstory and epic foreshadowing, I don't know where to begin. So I'll just let you start at the beginning and make your way forward.

Also, if anyone follows me on deviantart and hasn't seen yet, or if anyone doesn't follow me on deviantart and would like to see, I've posted an adorable picture of Delta, Gamma and Theta. You'll finally meet them in this chapter. ;)

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No Rest

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Ug. What a tedious journey it had been through the ruined city. Pi had spent three days trekking through the snow, getting lost and turned around, but finally her home was in view. Once upon a time, her creator had lived in a small brick home in the urban part of the city—surprisingly close to the fifth clan's library, but then, perhaps not so surprising at all. Today, five years after the war, all that remained of the charming little house was the garage, and the basement safe underground.

Pi could still remember the room she had first opened her eyes in, when the house was still whole. It had seemed like it belonged to a little girl, and she had always felt that the room suited her well. The house had been meant for a family with children. Children her mistress was never able to have. Her own band of Stitchpunks had filled that void, however briefly. There had been eight of them, then: Epsilon and Sigma, who raised her; Kappa the giant, who had been been killed in the war, protecting their clan; Mu, her vain and shadowy older sister; Pi, herself, kind of in the middle; and then Delta the Prophet, spritely Gamma, and quiet Theta—the triplets. They were once a functional, good-looking little family, she supposed.

Her father had told her a long time ago about their creator. He had claimed she had been a witch of frightening caliber, but that she had been responsible, clever, and even kind with that power. It was only thanks to the woman's warding right that the garage was still standing, mostly unharmed by the ravages of war. Even now, Pi could feel the familiar tingling of the wards as she approached.

"She would have warded the whole house for us, if she'd had the strength," Epsilon had once said. "Alas, she needed it for… other things…"

Not long after the woman died, their clan's Bearer, Alpha appeared with a very magical talisman in hand. Pi didn't know much about the thing, except that each clan had one, and that the final creation of each clan—the Bearer—was responsible for returning it to the ones it had created. It was a place of honor and authority, though one or two had chosen not to accept the prestige their title granted them.

Alpha was not one of them. In time, he had come to replace Epsilon as the leader of her clan; in the time before that, he had claimed her older sister, Mu, as his mate. Not his wife, she had come to notice—the other clans all seemed to observe the practice of formal marriage, but Alpha hadn't cared for the idea. And neither had Mu, who had always been a very sinister young lady. They had looked down on such a thing as constricting, confining, and pointless.

Epsilon and his own wife, Sigma, hadn't liked it; but they had respected the choice of their eldest daughter and Bearer by staying out of their business. For herself, Pi was never able to really notice if they had "business" or not, because Mu was gone a lot, while Alpha stayed behind with them. And while he stuck around, he passed much of his time by arguing constantly with Epsilon. Pi didn't entirely blame her sister for being gone so much; she supposed that if she were mated with someone as argumentative as Alpha, she would run away, too.

But Mu always came back after a few weeks or so, usually accompanied by someone from another clan. They might be guides who helped her find her way home, or new friends she wanted to introduce to the family. But they never stayed longer than the night before disappearing, not to be seen again.

And then everything would be fine for a while with the happy little couple. But it wouldn't last long, and Mu would take off again. After this cycle had repeated itself a few times, Epsilon and Sigma had become suspicious and worried. Pi had been worried about her big sister, too, and the triplets had been confused and scared.

Especially Delta, the oldest triplet, and the clan's Prophet, who had already been having strange dreams. Ever since Alpha had appeared, she had slept poorly. And then her visions became more frightening. She had seen dark, willowy Mu, all alone in the open, with terrible, raging storms chasing after, as if they could gobble her up and swallow her whole.

Then one day, Epsilon went out scouting for supplies, saying that he would be gone for the day. Instead, he returned in less than an hour, carrying Mu's dying body in his arms. She had been cut down by a blade, perhaps only hours earlier, a short hike from their home. It was a wonder that she had still been alive.

And before noon that day, she was gone.

After that, Pi's memories of the last few years were hazy. Though she remembered a few brief, crystalline moments with astonishing clarity. She couldn't really remember burying her sister, or how sad she had been, or… if she had even been sad at all. But she would forever remember when Alpha took her aside and spoke gently to her, easing her grief, and suddenly, boldly professing his love for her, now that Mu was gone. After that, she was given an explanation for everything that had bothered her all that time.

Sacrificed souls. He needed them to survive. The piece their creator had put in him had been the worst part of herself, corrupted and wicked, and fully equipped with all her knowledge of the dark arts. He had given Mu, his mate, the honored task of going out to acquire the souls he needed, while he remained behind to shepherd the others. He had taught her the dark arts, to aid in catching her prey, and to protect herself.

And now, he was giving the task to Pi.

"I am a god among our kind," he had said to her. "And I ask you to be my mate and high priestess. Dare you refuse?"

The way Pi remembered it, she had accepted his offer without hesitation, or even asking her parents about it. However, whenever she thought of it, she was certain that she was remembering it wrong. It seemed like things were missing from that memory. Why hadn't she asked Epsilon and Sigma for advice? Why had she agreed to Alpha's proposition so quickly? It didn't seem like the self she thought she knew. In fact, in moments of weakness, she looked back on it and realized that it should have sounded absurd and horrifying to her young mind. She ought to have turned and fled, screaming for help.

But those moments would pass, and she would remind herself that she wasn't a little child to go crying for her mommy. She was in charge of herself and what she did, and when she did it. She didn't need her parent's permission to be mated with their very handsome Bearer, if he asked her. She was probably a better mate to him than her sister ever was. He loved her, and took care of her. And questioning anything he had ever said was wrong of her, after how good he had been to her.

She also couldn't remember when Epsilon and Sigma had passed away, or how. She supposed she had been away when it happened, and had been too pressed for time to take much notice of it. That also didn't seem quite right to her; even if her decisions were none of their beeswax, she remembered being very close to her parents. She remembered them loving her very much, and loving them back. But they seemed to have vanished shortly after her sister died. That was odd…

But being a high priestess, in charge of reaping delicious souls for a hungry god is hard work, and very distracting. She supposed she just might not have been home enough to notice; and then, after a while, it became nothing more than another thing that had happened. Kappa and Mu had already died. It was over. And so, her parents had also died, and it was also over.

Today, she marched through the deep snow to the garage, to the loose bricks that made their entrance. Pi hesitated to go in right away; she knew that Alpha would be waiting to admonish her for messing up so badly in the last few weeks. First, the Jaco-Punks had discovered who she was, and then they had beaten her within an inch of her life. Then she was awarded a second chance by the illusive and fully intact fifth clan, and didn't manage to drag a single one of them back with her. It had been months since Alpha had eaten, and she was empty handed. This was the first time she had let him down, and she had let him down mightily. She wondered what he had done to Mu, when she had returned without a sacrifice. She hoped for her own sake it hadn't been painful…

As she rounded the side of the garage and found the entrance, she was met by an almost welcoming sight. Delta was standing just outside, a blanket around her shoulders, waiting patiently for her big sister to return. Of course the clan's Prophet would be expecting her shortly—she had probably foreseen every step and wrong turn Pi had taken trying to find her way home. Like all the other Prophets Pi had seen, her sister was gentle and soft-spoken, perhaps a bit loopy from her visions, and looked nothing like the rest of the clan she belonged to. Delta was pale, minty green, like her twins; and her long braid of nut brown hair reached about to her waist. But she kept her head, face and shoulders covered with a veil of lavender colored cloth, which also wrapped around her waist and legs like a toga. The girl looked as Greek as her name—which was much more than the rest of them.

She had never liked people being able to see her face, plagued with a superstition that people could see her very personal visions on her face somehow. Therefore, she covered her whole face but her eyes, so that she could see. And today was certainly no exception. But just from looking at her eyes, Pi got the impression that behind her veil, Delta was fretful and worried.

"Thank goodness you're home," Delta said rather flatly. "I had begun to fear that my visions of your return were wrong, and that I might be going crazy."

"You're not crazy," Pi insisted. "You don't seem happy to see me."

"There's nothing much to be happy about here anymore. Even when you come home, death follows you so closely. And today, Alpha's going to hurt you."

"Have you seen something that could help me?" Pi asked hopefully.

Delta shook her head and gazed down at the snow. "No. Only numbers. Numbers, numbers… Numbers… Odd numbers. They surround you like a cloak, still. It's like you've brought them back with you, anyway. I feel them…"

She reached out her dainty hand to feel the air around her sister, as if there was, indeed, something very solid there. Pi took her hand and held it for a long moment, wishing that Delta didn't guard her personal space so militantly. Along with her other quirks, Delta didn't like being touched suddenly; hugging her was next to impossible. Once again, a far cry from her very snuggly twins.

"Del, where are Gamma and Theta?"

"Inside, waiting. Alpha's waiting, too… I don't want you to go in there, Pi. I'm scared. He says that I'll be next."

Pi gave her hand a squeeze. "Don't worry, you won't be next. Let's just get this over with, okay?"

Delta sighed sadly and nodded her head, leading her sister into the garage. Inside, it the air was close and quite warm, and Pi immediately felt her numb digits regain some feeling. She was also accosted by her other sisters—red-headed Gamma, and blonde Theta. They came upon her so suddenly and with so much force, they knocked her to the ground, dragging Delta along with them. The four sisters fell to the floor in a tangle of arms, legs, and laughter.

"Oh, Pi, you were gone for so long!" Gamma cheered, giving her sister the biggest hug she could manage. "We were getting scared you wouldn't come back!"

Theta remained silent, happier to let her outspoken twin do most of the talking. But she nodded her head vigorously with an overjoyed smile, and also gave Pi an enormous hug. It always seemed like they each tried to squeeze in half an extra hug, to make up for the whole hug that Delta never offered. Overjoyed to see them, as well, Pi gathered her little sisters into her arms and held them close for a long, splendid moment.

"Of course I came back," she whispered. "How could I leave you girls?"

At the very idea, the girl's hugging changed to more of a clinging desperately, and Gamma shivered. "Don't ever leave us with him, Pi," she whimpered. "Don't ever leave us with him. He's scary and mean, and he would hurt us like you and everyone else."

Pi wasn't sure exactly what Gamma meant by that. "Nonsense. Alpha wouldn't do anything to hurt us—not after he's taken such good care of us all."

"But he said he would hurt us."

"Then you should behave better when I'm not here to look after you. You're big girls. You should both know better by now."

All three triplets sighed and wilted sadly at the same time, looking defeated.

"Oh yeah, we forgot," Gamma said for all of them. "Yeah, we know…"

"Look," Pi said gently, cuddling them closer, "I know things have been hard since mother and father passed away, but it's no reason to be disrespectful."

She was about to say more, about how Epsilon and Sigma wouldn't have stood for their misbehavior. But her line of thought was interrupted by a low, rather cruel chuckle from nearby.

"Well-spoken advice, from such a naïve little girl. If only you were as devoted a high priestess as you are a big sister, I'd want for nothing."

Pi looked up with a scowl at her master, standing not too far away. The handsome male Stitchpunk before her was jet black from head to toe—say for the one large button over his heart, which blazed red against the rest of him. And his eyes. His pupils burned like lasers into her own as he stared her down, a mocking, threatening smirk stretched painfully over his face.

Pi didn't speak, because she found that she suddenly had nothing to say for her failure. All she could think of to do was hold her trembling sisters all the closer to her chest, shielding them as best she could. Delta scooted behind her for shelter, peering fretfully over her big sister's shoulder. Ignoring their obvious discomfort, Alpha began to pace around them, his ebony hands held secretively behind his back.

"Oh… I have only myself to blame, in the end. I should have known better than to send such an inexperienced child after the fifth clan. Any clan that can disappear so completely for five years, and then reappear perfectly intact is clearly beyond the skills of a beginner like you. If only Mu were still alive—she would have known better than to fall asleep in the middle of setting a trap."

Pi tried to let his sharp, pointy words bounce off her skin, tried to keep them from sinking into her mind. She hated people calling her a child, even if she still was one. But it stung as hard as if he had slapped her in the face. Alpha came to a stop in front of her and was silent for a long, tense moment.

"Get up," he commanded. "Put them down and get up, so I can see you."

Giving her sisters a final, reassuring squeeze, she released them and shooed them off. She listened to them skittering away as she climbed to her feet; but she knew they were watching, and she wished they wouldn't. Whatever happened next, she was certain they didn't need to see it. Keeping her face as blank as possible, she looked up to face her master head on. She expected him to scream at her, perhaps even beat her for her utter failure. He had a nasty temper when hungry, though she had never personally tried it like this before.

But instead, he remained incredibly clam. His gaze was critical, assessing every centimeter of her as if he was searching for something.

"I sense your recent escapades have weakened you," he said finally. "The use of so much raw power is wearing you thin; and your exposure to the strengths of the fifth clan have left you confused. It's time for a fresh coat of paint, don't you agree, my pet?"

Pi dared to let a look of confusion color her blank face. "…I would, if I understood. I don't know what you mean, love."

He placed his knuckle under her chin and gently tipped her head back to see her face better. "Yes, I know you don't. I'm afraid that's also my fault, but it's been better for everyone this way. It's a wonder this spell still holds any sway over you; this adventure of yours has worn it to rags. But you don't worry your pretty head over that, my Pi—Master will take care of everything."

Startled, she backed away a little. "What spell? What are you talking about? Alpha, you would never… Not to me!"

"Fear not, my priestess, you'll remember in due course," he informed her bluntly, and sharply cast his fingers at her face. He spoke the familiar, sinister words of a spell, and she felt the effects wash over her like water. It felt like her mind had been bound tight with string, and now the knots were undoing themselves, releasing memories that had been held back for so long.

At first, she was dizzy, overwhelmed as the false memories vanished to be replaced with what she had known to be true all along. She remembered who she really was, behind the spell—the sweet, innocent little girl who had accepted this fate to spare her family. Only to hand her parents over to be killed, in the haze that enveloped her for so long. All the pain she had caused… All the destruction she had left in her wake… All the lives she had helped snatch away…

A wave of guilt punched her in the stomach. For a surreal moment that seemed to last for ages, she had no idea where she was, or if she was even alive. She was about to cry, when she looked up at Alpha for comfort or guidance, or something. But seeing his face, she also remembered what had to come next. Her old self was back in control—the person her mother and father had fought so hard in vain to keep safe. Suddenly, there was no room to feel guilty or confused or afraid anymore. There was only room for one thought:

Run.

Alpha knew it, as well. He knew the person who was trapped beneath his spell, the sleeping giant he had woken. Before she could bolt away, he seized her by the arms and held her fast. Pi screamed in terror. It had been so long since she had tasted freedom. The idea that she would be stuffed back into that cage made her tremble with fear, and she began to cry.

"Alpha, no! Please don't do it again, please don't!" she begged.

"'Alpha, no, Alpha, no,'" he mimicked, mildly amused with her fear. But all traces of amusement vanished in the blink of an eye, replaced by a threatening glare. "Very well then, Pi. Perhaps you'd prefer it if it was your pathetic soul slaking my hunger, while your waif of a sister takes your place! Is that what you want? I can arrange it, girl, just say the word. Go on! Say it!"

"No, no, I'll do it! I'll do it!" she cried. "Just leave my sisters alone! They're all I have left! They're all I've got—just leave them! Leave them!"

Pleased that he had won this round—like all the others—Alpha grinned evilly into her miserable face.

"They're all you've got, huh? Now doesn't that sound familiar?"

He released his painful grip on her arms, practically daring her to turn and run from her fate. As it was, Pi couldn't find the strength to hold herself up. She collapsed, falling to her knees, and let her head sink into her hands as she continued to sob uncontrollably. What else was there to do? She knew that she didn't deserve the company of good people like the fifth clan; but oh, how she longed for them to be there. If only one of them could see what was being done to her, and her sisters, they would understand. And they would help her.

What she wouldn't give for 2 and his gentle, comforting hand on her shoulder. Or for 9 and his unyielding, powerful presence to combat her master. Or for 7 and her ferocity, or 8 and his strength to guard her and keep her safe. Or for 5, who loved her…

Dear lord… He really had loved her all that time. And now that she was herself again, she looked back on things and realized with a start—she loved him right back. It was probably what had made her hate him so much while under that wretched spell. If anyone was going to save her, it would be 5. It must have been. There were so many times when it had been right in front of her, right in her reach. She could have been freed forever. Freed to explain everything, free to get help, free to free herself and her sisters from this monster.

But how could a soft, caring heart like 5's love her now? After all that happened and what he had seen of her? No. She was doomed now. There was nothing left she could do but resign herself to her fate. It was so frightening, so painful…

"Pi. Look at me."

The sound of Alpha's voice made her sick. She slowly raised her head up out of her hands, refusing to give him the satisfaction of total compliance. Instead, she scowled up at him, her face full of defiance.

"I hate you," she hissed. "I hate you."

Alpha didn't look impressed, nor did he seem to care. He flexed the fingers of his left hand and pointed them back at her face.

"You always were a clever little girl," he mused. "I can only imagine what you must be going through right now. But don't worry, my dear. In a moment, none of this will be there to bother you anymore."

He spoke the words of the spell in a low voice—the spell that would allow him to rewrite parts of her memory with his own story. The spell began by holding her in place, leaving her unable to move or react while he worked. There was little point in mentally struggling against him, but she couldn't help but try. Alas, the invisible pen broke past her. She had no choice but to hear what he had to say.

"Listen to me: you are Pi, my high priestess. And I am the god you serve. You are the single most important person in the world to me. You are the one responsible for keeping me alive. Your purpose is to go out into the world, finding souls that I can feed on, and bringing them back to me to be sacrificed in my name. And for that, I love you, and you love me, and none can stand in our way.

"The souls of the other clans exist for one reason—to be sacrificed to keep me alive. And until every last one of them has been consumed, you will keep taking from them. It is an honor to serve your god in this way, and you are to be faithful in your purpose. You have failed this time, but I will offer you another chance to fulfill that destiny.

"Your sister was slain by one of the rebellious clans. Your mother and father passed away while you were hunting in my name. Your other sisters will remain here, safe in my care, while you aren't here to watch over them. They are in the care of a god, and no harm will come to them.

"The fifth clan is a challenge beyond your skills, and you are not to deal with them unless I tell you to. They weakened you, broke you apart, dared you to question me. They all deserve to die—from their resilient Bearer, down to his little brat. We hate them for that. And we will get our chance to take them. When you've become strong again, we will make them suffer for what they've done to you.

"And never forget, Pi, that I cherish your service and all that you do. You are beloved to me. Let no one tell you differently."

After an aching stretch of time, she felt everything that had just happened be wiped from her mind. She found his lies there, instead. Except… They weren't lies. This was the truth.

She felt this truth settle over her like a fine, grand robe, and she gazed around in confusion. It appeared she had been on her knees on the floor, crying. But why should she be crying, when her beloved Alpha was standing before her? It made no sense. She looked back up at him for direction.

"Alpha, what just happened?" she asked. "What am I doing on the floor?"

He chuckled again, less cruelly this time, and extended his gunmetal hand to her. "My silly dearest, you tripped over your own feet."

"Ah…" Pi couldn't remember tripping, but it didn't matter. If her Alpha said that she tripped, she supposed she must have tripped. He would never lie to her. She took his hand and he hauled her to her feet. Seeing she was still a little confused, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, holding her close.

"My Pi, your journey has tired you," he said, almost gently. "You must rest, before you go out again."

"No, no," she insisted, shaking her head. "I failed my mission. I've been gone for too long, and I returned empty-handed. Oh, Alpha, you must be starving! I can't leave you like this."

"I can wait a bit longer on you, my love," he answered, bestowing a kiss on her forehead. "Without your strength, I would never eat. I want to see a healthy priestess going out in my name. You're worn to your wit's end. Gentle Pi, lie down and rest."

"Alpha…"

"Do as I say, woman."

She still disapproved, but she sighed and nodded her head. "Okay, I suppose it's for the best, then."

He gave her an approving smile, and then turned to look at a nearby watering can on the floor, where the triplets were hiding. Only a half of each of their heads were visible, peering out from behind the rusting watering can; but each pale green head was instantly identifiable by the blaze of color it was topped with.

"Oracle! Come out here!"

"Delta, please come along," Pi called out, a little more gently. Shaking a little, the veiled girl eased out into the open and stood in silence, awaiting her orders.

"Do what you do, and tell me which clan is nearest to us," Alpha commanded. "When Pi has regained her senses, I need her to go and return successfully as quickly as possible. Is it understood?"

Delta silently nodded her head, mumbling a frightened, "Yessir," that was almost impossible to understand.

"Del, there's no reason to be afraid," Pi insisted, unable to help laughing at her sister's antics. "It's just him. You act as if he's terrifying."

She sighed to herself, feeling confident and proud, and mature. Whatever that weakness had been on her way home, it was over now. She was her good old grown-up self again. That in mind, she felt like she certainly should do the wise thing, and rest before going on another hunt. With that decided, Alpha steered her towards his personal sleeping space, insisting slyly that he would join her eventually.

She looked over her shoulder only briefly to watch him stalking like a panther back to his elegant throne. It had been salvaged from a spider-like monster that once roamed the city. It had, until it found Alpha's sword stuck through its skull. He had dragged the carcass home and set it up as a throne for himself, and it suited him wonderfully. He insisted that he had enchanted it to move at his will, should he need to travel quickly, but Pi had never seen it. Not that she doubted him for a second; but she hoped that one day, she would get a chance to see dead, empty body of the spider roar to life, and take off charging across the vast emptiness.

As she lay down in Alpha's bed, she let the vision of her master, flying across the city on the back of a magnificent black spider fill her mind. It was a lovely image to drift off to, and she was sleeping in seconds.

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The sun had already risen the next day when Pi woke. But she woke to find herself nestled in Alpha's strong, powerful arms. She suddenly felt so dainty and feminine beside him, and it made her feel all the more powerful. She relished it for a peaceful moment; but she still had a mission to return to. Her god was hungry and needed a sacrifice soon. She had wasted too much time already. She carefully, silently slipped out of his embrace and climbed out of bed. Hunger must have driven him to hibernation, because he barely stirred.

My poor dear, I am eternally sorry for failing you like this, she thought, savoring the sight of him before going. If only I had been able to take one of the accursed fifth clan, you might have been satisfied for months. I could have remained at home, with you, and my sisters. On my honor, you won't go hungry again.

It appeared that Gamma and Theta were also still asleep; but Delta had woken to wait for her. Again, the veiled Prophet was waiting near the entrance with a sad, solemn look on her face. She also had a long cloak draped over her arm, and a supply pack waiting at her feet. Pi couldn't help but be touched.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you wished to take my place on this journey," she commented with an amused smirk. "Trying to follow in mine and Mu's exalted footsteps, are we?"

Delta shook her head without looking up. "No."

Seeing that her sister was upset for some reason, Pi placed her hand on Delta's shoulder. "In any case, thank you for this. It will help me greatly on my search."

Delta squinched her eyes shut, as if she were in pain, or about to do something painful. She let go a sigh and informed, "The fourth clan is nearby. There's six of them, not counting the babies, just like you left them from last time."

"Really? How far away?"

"They're camped a few miles from here, in an abandoned car. It's blue, and missing a rear tire. The license plate it on the sidewalk next to it, and reads 329-ADJ… I think… It's hard to see numbers clearly, since you found the fifth clan."

At the mere mention of their name, Pi snorted petulantly. She picked the pack up from the floor, and let her sister help fasten the cloak around her shoulders. The two walked out into the snow together, and Pi hoisted the pack on her back, pulling the hood of the cloak over her frizzy hair.

"Thank you, Delta," she said with a sisterly smile, giving the girl's hand an affectionate squeeze. "Thank you for everything."

Delta bobbled her head back and forth. Then suddenly, her eyes grew huge and her black pupils shrunk until they nearly disappeared. Her breathing grew shallow and raspy, and in a fit, she tore her veil away from her face. She fell to the ground and began scribbling frantically in the fresh snow, muttering in the ancient language of their spells, except she wasn't chanting any spell that Pi had ever heard. She fell beside her sister, trying to soothe the vision that had overtaken her. But all she could do was wait patiently for the fit to pass.

And it didn't last long. Less than a minute had passed when Delta's pupils dilated to a normal size, and she sat back in Pi's arms, taking in shaking gulps of air. It was a rare and wonderful moment, for Pi—her sister had uncovered her face, sharing a vision with her, and was even letting someone hug her. Such moments usually meant something traumatic had just happened, but Pi was too moved to care right away. For now, it was nice to be able to hug her sister goodbye. She couldn't be bothered to look at anything but Delta's adorable face. Who knew when she would see it again?

The younger girl looked up at Pi with desperation in her eyes, and gripped her shoulders urgently. She tried to speak, but only managed to stammer a little.

"F-f-f… F-f-f-f… F-f-f…"

"Come on, Delta, tell me what's wrong. Tell me."

She pointed into the snow and finally croaked out a single word that made Pi's heart stop.

"F-F-Five."

Pi looked over her shoulder and saw with a start what her sister had scribbled. It was the number 5, over and over and over again. She held Delta closer, as if she could guard the girl from the gravitas of her own vision. And Delta clung to her, disturbed by what she had seen.

"What does it mean?" she whispered.

Pi scowled furiously at the digits in the snow, and stood up, pulling Delta along with her. She held the girl steady until she could stand on her own, and then slowly, carefully released her. Delta gave her a baleful look, and her lip quivered.

"Pi… What does it mean? What does that number mean to you?"

Once again, Pi snorted at the very idea of the idiot she had been glad to leave behind.

"It doesn't mean anything to me," she answered finally. She shifted the pack on her back, and began the long walk through the snow.

"I'll be home in a day or two. Look after Gamma and Theta for me, and behave for Alpha, do you understand me?"

She didn't look back to see Delta nod in response; she just assumed that her fairly obedient sister would. But in fact, the terrified little girl stood frozen in place, sniffling pathetically as she watched Pi vanish into the snow.

The fourth clan, she thought. Brothers of the fifth clan, or so I've been told; I never would have guessed, if someone else hadn't said something first. Vain, selfish, arrogant—every single one of them-nothing like 9 and his family. They're the easiest to take from, and Alpha's enjoyed their taste in the past because of it. They never fill him for long, but I think he'll be pleased to see a distinctly herb-flavored sacrifice stumble in from the cold.

And to think. The fifth clan doesn't even know the exist. At least, that's what they've said. But I don't know about that, entirely. The Bearer, and the elder… They knew something. Hm…