Chapter 20
Santana, Quinn, and Will were hunkered down, looking into the valley below. They had gotten the raven from Regina and they were preparing for a magical extraction. It was a game that Will knew well. Regina had helped her out several times in the past. The shard of mirror that came with the parchment was going to help both Regina and Emma "poof" in, so they could all "poof" out. Now, they were just trying to secure a location that wouldn't be ripe for an ambush.
"Is that the flower?" Quinn asked pointing to a clump of flower looking weeds.
"Yeah, but I am not sure how to get down there without being seen by the wolves."
"Okay, bitches, I have an idea. It's stupid, but it'll work. Wanna hear it?" Santana asked them.
Quinn turned and eyed her. Santana pulled at Ruby's cloak and turned to face Will directly. She knew that what she was about to say would piss Quinn off, make Brittany sad, and possibly have Rachel slap the back of her head when they got back, but she honestly couldn't see another way. She just hoped that she could convince them of the same.
"What is it?" Will asked her with a skeptical look.
"I drop the cloak and you get the flowers."
"San…come on, not now."
"NO, now. I'm a gods damned werewolf. The moon will be up soon and then only thing that is keeping me from turning is this freaking red robe," Santana replied.
"San, you're not ready for that pain."
"Think Will. Think. I know pain. Trust me, we all do. I think that it is a reason that Danni was drawn to us besides the obvious, but I can handle it. Can you handle getting the flowers and getting me home like that? That is the bigger question," Santana stated.
"I could make a draught for you to take, but Quinn would have to shoot you…"
"You want me to what?" Quinn inquired with her voice full of rage.
"As a wolf, she wouldn't drink it. You would have to shoot her with an arrow tipped in it. I'll scoop her up, Regina and Emma will come in and save the day. Everyone goes home a hero."
"Except I will have shot my best friend," Quinn replied, still on edge.
"Have a better idea?" San asked her.
"Yeah, we make this draught and tip our arrows. We shoot the damn wolves and not you. Regina and Emma poof or whatever in and we all go back to the castle whole. That sounds a helluva lot better to me. You?" Quinn questioned.
"I was planning on that, but Santana will be able to draw them away. I know it doesn't seem logical or ideal, but Santana has a point. The Randae have been looking for us since we broke away. We still don't know who the other knights are. We don't know if they are on our side or if they are a threat to the crown. That means we get in, get out, and call Regina for our extraction. There isn't going to be time to doddle. San being all were-wolfed out will only help us keep the other wolves at bay. She will be able to tell us where they are, how many, and what their intentions are towards us. I will need your eyes and ears for the knights while I gather the flowers. Do you think that you can handle that Quinn?" Will asked her.
"I can handle it. I don't like it, but I can handle it. How are you going to find the flowers at night, though?" Quinn inquired.
"That is where you come in, my little elf," Will told her with a strange smirk.
"Umm…what?" Santana probed.
"Turns out that you aren't the only special one, Satan's Mutt," Quinn replied.
"But, Rachel is the hobbit, not you," Santana stated ignoring her jibe.
"That is what you call her, yes, but it turns out that I am descended from high elves. Don't ask me what that means, 'cause I sure as hell don't know. I'm learning about this as we go."
"Well, seems, I'll have to start calling the hobbit something else," Santana muttered.
"San…"
"Can we do this later?" Will asked them, shocked at their sudden juvenile behavior.
"Sure."
"We're playing follow the leader, so lead," San stated.
Will huffed at the remark, but she understood their sentiments. They bickered like children because it was how they coped. She could see the worry in their eyes, on their faces, and she knew that she should be worried, but strangely enough she wasn't. Partially because she knew that she would be able to walk away from whatever fight they ran into without any issue, but the other reason was because she knew that Regina was homing in on them and where they were. If the preverbial shit actually hit the fan, she knew that Regina would get Quinn and Santana out quickly before worrying about her. She could hold her own and she knew that Regina knew that.
"We need to find somewhere near there but off of their paths to nap until after sundown. Do you see anything Quinn that might benefit us? It doesn't have to be big. I am going to loose the horses soon, so they won't be hindering us."
"Won't Regina miss the horses?" Santana asked as she scanned the woods around them.
"No."
Quinn didn't answer. She just gave her a look and cocked her eyebrow. She shook her head at that Vulcannonian when Will pointed down into the valley again. Quinn turned back to the valley and scanned, trying to find somewhere big enough to hide them until moonrise.
When she found it, she pointed towards a small copse of trees that were downwind of the river. She knew that the river would give them some coverage for their smell. Having Santana be a Wolf would give them more. For the most part, Quinn knew that Will was hoping that the Randae wouldn't come hunting them down. They would be able to hide long if they did. The advent that there was some unknown force patrolling the area gave them cause to hide as well.
Will gave her an affirmative head nod and they were on their way. Keeping close together and stepping lightly, they made their way through the woods. Will had taken Ruby's cloak and turned it inside out, letting the dark under coat be visible. The bright red trim was still hard to hide, but it was better than making Santana a red beacon in a sea of greens, greys, and browns.
Once they reached their destination, Will scaled the tree. Quinn watched her with wonder. There were so many questions that she wanted to ask the Vulcannonian but she wasn't sure where to start. Finding out that she was an elf didn't really bother her as much as she thought it should. Finding out that Santana was a werewolf only answered questions that she didn't know that she had when it came to her best friend. Learning that Brittany was special too made sense to her. She could tell that Danni surrounded herself with people and things that she was familiar with from home without even knowing it. Maybe that is why they all got along together. They were meant for "fantastic" things.
"Go to sleep, you two. I'll take watch. I'll wake you at nightfall."
Quinn nodded as she saddled up to a big tree trunk. She drew her sword and laid it down beside her. Santana did the same, but made sure to keep the cloak wrapped around her as tightly as she could. What they weren't expecting was Will to pull a cloak or blanket or whatever it was out of a satchel and drape of the both of them.
"Don't worry. It'll keep you warm and dry. No one will see you if you stay under it as well. Sleep. I'll be up there," she told them as she scaled the tree again to take up a sentinel's position over them and their prize, the flowers in the valley.
Quinn just sank into Santana's warmth. She pulled the dull brown blanket up a little further and closed her eyes. She wasn't going to wait for them to tell her to sleep. She knew that they would be moving quickly once they got the flowers. Time wasn't a luxury they would have later. Things would be chaotic and dangerous and she would need her wits about her. Sleep would be her friend now. She felt odd leaving Will on watch, but she was Vulcannonian. She might not know what that meant fully yet, but she wasn't going to question the woman, not now anyway.
The next thing she knew it was dark. The moon was just starting to crest of the tips of the mountains. If they weren't worried about being killed or the mission at hand, Quinn figured that she would stop to appreciate the beauty that surrounded her. As it was, she couldn't. Absently, she wondered if Rachel would ever consider a little cabin by a lake for a vacation.
Shaking herself awake, she looked over at Santana. The Latina looked rested, but tense. Giving what they were about to do, she understood. She reached out and took San's hand. The Latina turned to face her. No words were said, but they understood. They would take care of each other and if for some stupid reason the other didn't make it back, they would care for their lover.
"Ready?" Will asked them.
A quick nod was all that Santana gave them as she reached up and untied the red cloak from Ruby. Will took it and stored it away. They all turned and looked at the full moon.
Santana stepped away from them. She wasn't sure what it would entail as she "turned" and she didn't want to hurt them. When Quinn took a step towards her, she raised a hand as Will dropped one of her hands on Quinn's shoulder. Hazel eyes met the changing dark eyes of the Latina. She knew that San was trying to comfort her, but the pain she saw in her eyes wasn't helping. Quinn shook off Will's hand as soon as Santana contorted in pain.
The Latina Wolf shook and seized. The whimpers that flowed from her lips surged Quinn towards her, but Will grabbed her around the waist, holding her back. Quinn fought with her to try to get to her friend even though that she knew that there was nothing she could do. She was freaking out as Santana's body contracted and contorted until it started to take the shape of a very, very large wolf. Her mind immediately went to Jacob Black and Twilight, but this wasn't a story. This was her friend.
Will didn't let her go much to Quinn's dismay. They both watched as Santana rolled her newly formed body like she was testing the strength of her muscles. Quinn was in awe of the grace that she possessed. It shouldn't surprise her though because of Quinn's cheer and dance background. She moved lithely towards them, sniffing the air like she was trying to figure out who they were.
"She doesn't know us in that form," Will whispered in her ear.
"Will she attack us?"
"I hope not."
Quinn shuttered at the thought. She knew that San would never forgive herself if she did something in her Wolf form that caused harm to anyone she loved. Quinn knew that, but seeing Santana in that form was frightening. Her jet black fur shined in the moonlight. Her eyes weren't dark, but this amazing golden color. Quinn could find herself getting lost in them if she wanted to, but she knew that she couldn't. The being before her wasn't Santana, but she was, too. It was complicated. She held her breath as San got closer to them.
"San?" Quinn whispered as the Wolf sniffed her hair.
The Wolf took a step back and sat on her haunches. She looked at both of them with her golden eyes. There was something there that Quinn couldn't describe. It was almost as if she knew them. Quinn knew better than to hope for it or believe it.
"Wow," Will stated as she stepped around Quinn and ruffled the fur between San's ears.
"What?" Quinn asked surprised at the older woman's actions.
"She has more control than she should as an almost newborn."
"That's San for you," Quinn quipped.
Will just watched them both. Quinn walked up to her, now unafraid, and pet her. There was a sort of whimpering whine from the Wolf, but it wasn't aggressive. Quinn seemed to like Santana in this form or maybe she was just partial to animals. Will wasn't sure, but she didn't want to fully test Santana's loyalties at the moment.
She knew from first-hand experience that this was going to be a dangerous mission. She was unleashing a fledgling wolf on a pack of Randae, trained wolf warriors. Seriously, she was more worried about loyal Randae than she was Santana. A fledgling was strong and undisciplined, but Santana was showing strength and discipline. She looked like she understood what was being asked of her in this form. It took years for most Wolves to be able to understand human communication in their Wolf forms. Santana was already doing it.
"It's okay, San. I won't tell Britt that you are a gorgeous wolf. I'll let you do that," Quinn said.
"Umm…"
"What?"
"I might have already told Regina and Regina probably told Brittany," Will told her.
There was slight growl from San, but she just move from where she was. Will could see the sadness in her eyes. She knew that women were all close, but it was taking this mission for her to understand it. They were as loyal to Danni as they were to each other, like she was to Regina.
"I had to, Santana. You have to understand that I didn't do it to betray your trust. I did it because of what we are doing. I was worried about what would happen to you when you changed. How else do you think that I got Ruby's cloak? I don't possess magic."
The black wolf hung her head. She patted over to Will and rubbed her head against her hand. Will know that they were still good.
"We need to move."
"The draught?" Quinn asked.
"For the arrows?"
"Yes," Quinn replied.
"I brewed it while you were sleeping. It's over there in that bowl. We'll need to hurry. I want to get fully into the valley before the moon reaches its zenith. San, you'll need to go in before us. The other wolves will smell you and investigate. Lead them away, find a way to double back and hurry," Will told her.
Santana dipped her head. Will reached out and pet her again. Then Santana was gone into the underbrush. When Will turned around to check on Quinn, she was slinging the quiver of arrows on her back. She stood to her full height and her hazel eyes met Will's blue.
"She'll be fine," Quinn told her.
"Are you going to be able to shoot her if need be?" Will asked.
"If she challenges us, I will," Quinn replied.
There was a conviction in her voice, but Will could also hear the sadness there, too. She knew that no one wanted to shoot San, but if she turned on them because the Wolf pack mentality took over, they would have no choice. She shook her head in acknowledgement as she grabbed her own quiver. She pointed to a small path in the woods with the tip of her bow and they were off.
Two tricky hours later, they were walking into the valley and were just a few feet from the Red Lion's Wolfs bane. Quinn surveyed their surroundings. She couldn't see anything but trees. She gave a small nod and Will began to collect the flowers.
Quinn didn't want to admit that she was worried. They hadn't seen or heard anything from San or the other Wolves since San went her own way. She was scared. She didn't want to go back to Brittany without San, but she knew that they were on borrowed time. The Randae wouldn't spare them now if they found them. It didn't matter that Will was a Loban. They would make an example of them while they were trying to overthrow the throne of Ulf.
"I've got enough," Will whispered to her.
Quinn nodded in affirmation and took another glance around the area. She didn't hear a thing and that worried her more than she could voice. She stole a glance at Will, and realized that the Vulcannonian had the same trepidation in her eyes. She blinked at then she heard it…a low whine from the brush just yards back into the tree line before them.
"Can you see it?" Will asked quietly.
Quinn's eyes scanned the area, but she couldn't make anything out. She shook her head negative, but took a few, small, tentative steps towards the sound. She heard Will notch and arrow and she did the same. They couldn't be too careful now. They had their cargo and they needed to get back to the castle.
"Call Regina," Quinn told her.
"What about San?"
"She'll be here soon," Quinn assured her, hoping that she was right as she still, very slowly moved towards where the whimpering was happening.
Will pulled out the sliver of mirror and called out for Regina. It was quiet and she wasn't sure that it was loud enough for her to get Regina's attention, but she didn't want to speak any louder for fear that they were surrounded by the Randae. It was enough though. Regina's face appeared in the shard.
"Where are you?"
"In the base of the valley," Will replied.
"And, the others," Regina asked.
"Quinn is with me. San morphed. We are trying to get her now."
"She's morphed?"
"Not now, Regina. We need to get back. I have a feeling that the Randae are just waiting for us to make a mistake. We're not exactly in a great and defendable position," Will answered.
"Fair enough. Let me see where you are. I need to be able to visualize it to get there."
Will raised herself up a little. She held up the shard and rotated around their position. She did this several times before bringing it back in front of her face.
"That was smart. I got it. Head towards the tree line. I'll try to get as close to it as I can," Regina commanded her.
Will nodded and dropped the shard back into a pocket on her belt. She nudged Quinn and they kept moving towards the tree line and the whimpering sound. Each of them ready to shoot if needed and both hoping that it was Santana, hurt in front of them.
Will nodded and dropped the shard back into a pocket on her belt. She nudged Quinn and they kept moving towards the tree line and the whimpering sound. Each of them ready to shoot if needed and both hoping that it was Santana, hurt in front of them.
They neared the whimpering beast and to both of their dismays it was Santana. She'd been shot with an arrow in her left hind leg. She was laying on her right side. Her eyes were full of pain, but Quinn knelt beside her and brushed her fur. She was trying to comfort her friend.
"We'll get you back, San. You'll be fine. I promise," Quinn told her before she looked up to see Will's pained eyes.
There were many things that Quinn hadn't been prepared for in the last few weeks. Learning that fairy tales were real didn't faze her so much. Going through the mirror portal to get to the Enchanted Forest had been actually quite fun, though she knew that she would never admit it. Learning the truth about some of her most beloved children's stories and how wrong they were, only made her want to dig deeper. Her educated brain and love of literature wanted to study the nuances of what was right and what was so very wrong. She wanted see how the stories all interacted now that she was there. Meeting some of her favorite characters and finding out how they were related to one of her business partners and best friends was interesting, but with Sue Sylvester as a coach and her upbringing as a Fabray, it felt oddly like home. Singing to calm a confused and weary Danni wasn't anything that she or they hadn't done before. Going off on an adventure to find some magical flower to cure Danni had only seemed like the logical conclusion at the time. She was with her friends, in a fantasy world, and she had been trained by Sue Sylvester, a tyrant of cheerleading. She could handle all of that and more, or so she thought.
Seeing the fear, worry and pain in Wilhelmina's eyes as she looked down at San nearly broke Quinn and her sensibility. She wanted to cry, but she knew that she couldn't for Santana's sake. She saw the tears in Will's eyes. She merely shook her head at the immortal Vulcannonian. No words were said.
Will thrust the mirror shard in her hand. Quinn knew what to do. She tapped the glass because she didn't know exactly what to do to activate, but she knew that she had to talk to Regina and now. They didn't have time to wait. Regina needed to be there, now.
"Regina?"
"I'm here," she replied to Quinn's questioning.
"San's hurt. We need to go, now. We don't know who shot her."
"Do you think that you could bring her through the mirror?"
Quinn looked over at Will. The Vulcannonian nodded and she began to hulk out. Quinn smiled at the newest friend to join them. She looked back into the mirror, as Will began to scoop up Santana's injured Wolf body.
"Will has her, but there is no way that we are going to fit through this shard."
Regina cocked her eyebrow at her. Quinn cocked hers back in response. Then suddenly Emma was in the glass looking at them.
"Back up and drop the shard on the ground," Emma told her.
Quinn did as she was told. She watched as the shard hit the forest floor. Nothing seemed to happen for a few seconds. She looked over at Will with skepticism in her eyes. Will just jerked her chin upwards as the shard grew on the floor. Slowly the shard opened into a larger piece of mirror. Quinn's eyes widened, but she didn't move.
"I need to get her back if we are going to save her," Will told Quinn.
It was then that Quinn realized that Santana had passed out in Will's arms. She walked over the strange duet and rubbed her hand absentmindedly through Santana's fur. She stopped when her fingers brushed against the shaft of the arrow that was protruding from her. She studied the arrow. She leaned forward and sniffed, but there was nothing but the metallic smell of blood.
"Poison?"
"After a fashion," Will answered.
Quinn stared at her for a moment. It was mere seconds and then she looked at Santana again. The shaft and the wound had given her so many clues. Why couldn't she…oh, God, she thought.
"Silver?"
"Yes," Will stated.
"Go thru first. I'll cover the two of you. I'll be right behind you."
Will nodded as she shifted her weight. She held Santana with reverence. Quinn could see it. She was trying to keep the other woman safe and comfortable. It didn't matter that she was a Wolf. She was a friend.
Regina reached up and tapped them on the legs as she said, "Any time soon."
Quinn looked down at the mirror. She urged Will and Santana through the mirror. She wanted to make sure that they made it through safely before she jumped into the "looking glass." She smiled a little as she said it in her head. A childhood dream come true. She'd sort of become like Alice.
"Quinn, when you're ready," she heard Emma tell her.
She turned to look down into the shard. She saw Belle and Will taking Santana out of the room, presumably to get her help. She held onto her bow as she heard some rustling in the woods behind her. She took a step towards the mirror and stepped through.
She landed hard on the stone floor of the castle. She looked a little dazed for a second. She quickly stood, bow still at the ready. She loosed her arrow at the mirror they'd come through before anyone could say anything. She was already notching another one as soon as she saw the arrow pass through the glass.
"Enough!" Regina told her.
Quinn turned so see a fireball in her hand. She held the arrow loosely, slowly releasing the tension on the bow string. When Regina finally saw her stand down, she loosed her fireball. The mirror exploded on the wall. The stone behind it was charred minus a small sliver where the shard must have come from.
"Emma will take to your Belle's rooms. They are tending to Santana. I'll find Brittany and Rachel and let them know you are back safe. Go. I'll clean this mess up and then go sit with Danni until you are ready to see her."
Quinn started for the door. Emma was already in the hallway when she stopped. She turned to face Regina. She regarded her movements and how she carried herself.
"Thank you, my Queen," Quinn said simply as she saluted and nodded in bow.
Regina stopped her movements to regard the woman. She gave her a quirky smile. She waved her hands and the room was clean. The mirror was gone and the wall looked perfect again.
"Go, Little Elf, we'll talk later."
Quinn nodded and turned back to follow Emma through the castle. She couldn't help the slight bounce in her step. But the closer they got to Ruby and Belle's quarters, her heart dropped. Santana had gotten hurt and she didn't protect her. How was she going to face Rachel or Danni? How could she prove herself worthy to them if she couldn't protect Santana? And then she almost threw up when she thought of Brittany? What would she say? What would she do?