Summary: Discovering the many facets of her curse wasn't always an easy task for Catalina.

A door unlocked and Varian took his first step into the young evening. With his breath held he kept quiet. Only the steady buzzing of mosquitoes and the gentle chirping of hidden crickets reached his ears. For a couple of seconds, he waited. When nothing happened, the alchemist relaxed. At least for now, the night was on his side.

It was a foolish thought, but he almost expected someone to leap out from behind, to stop him in his pursuit. 24/7 he was under surveillance. There were eyes constantly watching. Halfway between pity and concern they monitored his every move, always cautious, always ready for him to fail again. It started to get the better of him. Had it been a mistake to trade the gray walls of his prison for chains that were so short they made him trip at nearly every turn? Probably not, however it wasn't easy to advance forward like this - not impossible just incredibly taxing.

Above the full moon lit his way, while stars danced around them. Wistfully he looked up as his broken wings dreamed of the sky. He couldn't help but feel jealous. Still, he knew where to go.

Gripping the straps of his backpack tighter, he marched on. A hastily scribbled note and a sleeping raccoon was all he left behind.

"Here goes nothing."

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"You just have to do it. I know you can."

It sounded so nice.

"Catalina please, you're not alone."

She was almost able to believe them.

"We'll figure this out together."

But then again, she couldn't, or rather she didn't want to. The truth was she wasn't human anymore. A thought that scared and excited her in equal measure.

Against the backdrop of an inky firmament, two eyes opened, and she followed the call.

It was dangerous. Catalina knew she should stop. The line was terribly thin, and she was playing on the edge. However, the thrill of the hunt was too alluring. Lately, it got harder and harder not to give in. She liked the beast, but oh did she loved the wolf - it was something different. Deeper. Stronger...

Her heart drummed deafening against her chest. When she slips, she will not be able to come back. The longer she did it the lesser control she had. But who could blame her? It was useless to resist. Following her urges - her greatest desires, felt so good. All she had to do was let it happen.

The wind was hollering her name, and in a blink of an eye, the forest belonged to her, a Queen, like never seen before. The world became a blur of color and motion and she was one with all. Endless miles of wood vanished beneath her paws and with them her fears and insecurities as well. Forgotten were her sister's worried face and Lance's distant warnings. It didn't matter, another memory without meaning.

Slowly she started to lose herself, fully indulging in the illusion of freedom.

She could run like this for days or weeks, night after night, for forever. Maybe she already did. In the morning, as soon as the day breaks, she'll return. After all, it was not the sun she sought.

But was it truly enough? Spooking the neighborhood's sheep only fed the hunger inside her. She wanted - needed more.

Hot anger fueled her stride while she blindly rampaged through the dark. In a brief moment of lucidity, she wondered what she was running after. What was she chasing? A painful howl ripped itself from her throat and her head begun to spin as another wave of vicious instincts came crashing down. Drunken with power, she couldn't decide if she was flying or falling.

She inhaled deeply and her mouth watered at a familiar scent she picked up. She licked her lips. There was blood in the air. Mindlessly she tracked its trail, thinking that soon it would be splattered all over her as well. A chill went down her spine. It would be her first kill. There was no salvation on the path she was on.

Light fled her eyes as her pupils dilated. She bared her fangs. On her tongue, she could already taste a hint of iron, imaging her teeth tearing through flesh as she claimed her victim, the struggle of survival, and the ultimate victory, death.

Her pace increased even though it got more and more difficult to navigate. Patches of fog and mist were hindering her, but she was so close. And then she was there not knowing where.

She froze, not sure what she had found. It was neither prey nor predator. Her endless search had taken her to the moon.

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"The wolf," a voice exhaled.

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A steady stream of blood rippled through the motionless waters, weaving and winding itself seamlessly between celestial bodies. Soft and sweet it caressed the opal of the night until they became one again. The pond's shimmering surface had turned into a mirror, reflecting heavens forgotten secrets, while remaining a silent specter.

Catalina caught her breath. The person sitting at its edge looked like the moon.

Illuminated by a serene glow his skin shone otherworldly. Stardust sprinkled across his delicate cheekbones and a velvet curtain of black framed his fine features. Back and forth it went, swaying the crescent streak of silver-blue in an eternal rhythm, constantly changing positions as it shifted within the phases to complete the infinite cycle.

There in the bright shadows she was barely able to recognize him. Still, she knew his name. She couldn't remember her own, but she knew him. It seemed like a dream. Just a moment ago she had been lost, completely and utterly lost, yet his beating heart had guided her. He had found her.

Like a shard of iron drawn by a magnet he called again, and her body obeyed. Every muscle inside her trembled. The curse possessing her was old, but the entity that lurked behind his eyes was ancient. She sunk deeper into those wide crystal blue orbs; they were almost luminescent. Lost and found and lost again. A shiver ran down her spine. Never did she fathom Varian could look like that. It was terrifying in its familiarity but at the same time -

"Beautiful," he gave her thoughts form.

"What will it be?" He continued with a hint of excitement. "Shall I keep you company, or will you swallow me whole?" A mischievous smile stole itself on his lips, long aware of her answer.

When she was finally able to comprehend the meaning of those words she shrank back. Never! The notion implied was absurd, and somehow insulting.

Varian chuckled at her appalled reaction. The sound was laced with just the perfect touch of genuineness. And to her delight shy and bashful looked real good on the young alchemist. An unexpected warmth rushed through her, claiming parts of her soul the sun could never hope to reach.

Nonchalant he lifted himself off the ground and slowly started to remove the dirt and dust from his clothes she hadn't noticed earlier. What had happened? Her gaze followed his hands till it caught the crimson color on his scraped knees. Immediately she disapproved. More than that, she couldn't stand the sight, everyone else maybe, but not him, it made her sick to her stomach and snarl in aggravation. It was simply wrong, inexcusable.

"It's slippery," he offered when he realized her staring. So far Varian had meticulously avoided watching anything related to the open wound or ruby fluid dripping down his legs, and he intended to keep it that way. Determined he raised his chin, focus fixed firmly on his destination, while his mind was already miles and miles ahead. He needed to go, he couldn't dwell any longer. Without another glance in her direction, he moved forward, letting her decide what to do.

The corners of Varian's mouth twitched satisfied as she chose the place next to him. Far from earth yet close by his side, nothing but two wandering souls sharing the freedom to come and go as they please. It felt right.

Whereas the heavy mist had once been a barrier to overcome, blocking and holding Catalina down, now it made the land nice and quiet, a reassuring blanket, wrapped around its forgotten treasures. With him, she could float between the clouds, untouched by gravity and the burden of uncertainty.

Time went slower as past and future merged together into an ethereal present. There was no hunt nor chase, just the calm light beside her. It was strange how he took her heat and cooled it down to a soothing level, reminding her of the first dip into a lake's refreshing embrace on a lazy summer day. She felt at ease as she walked along the moon. He revealed a gentler aspect of the night she hadn't thought possible, less lonely, less desperate, more peaceful. It was as if she was waking up, and for the first time when she opened her eyes, she could actually see in the dark.

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The land was ageless. It had no beginning and no end. No boundary between earth and sky. Almost like entering another world. Faint images of whispering trees and babbling brooks passed her. And she knew their footprints had already been scattered by the wind.

The woods gave way, revealing a bare landscape that stretched on and on. For a moment she wasn't sure if they were headed towards heaven or hell. Never before had her paws touched those lands. But did it really matter? His gentle light filled her shadow, the stars aligned, and she felt complete. The pieces fit, still a little rough but all the same there. She couldn't quite describe it, but that was okay, she was where she belonged. Here at the edge of all things, there was only the moon on the mountain, and she would follow him without question.

Higher and higher he took her, leading her through rocky terrain as well as narrowing passages.

They went up a river the large hillside must have cried long ago. Now it had no more tears to shed, leaving merely the silent stairs of their path. While she had to pick her footing carefully, he seemed to make the climb effortless. Steady he navigated steep cliffs, almost like in trance gliding weightlessly over them. He knew where to go, but so did she.

Every now and again she turned, gaining a new perspective of the obstacles they had overcome, of the forest she'd left behind, of the place she'd been born. Yet she'd abandoned it all to travel further beside him.

As if by chance her fur grazed his skin. Looking up she came face to face with those piercing blue orbs that had her soul singing. She could taste the misty moonshine in the air, could hear his heart beating, unyielding but fast. Involuntary she moved towards him. They were so close. She hadn't realized how close though.

Varian didn't step back however he did tense. At first, the manner in which his eyes clouded confused her. Then she faltered. In a way they made sense and in another, they didn't.

All of a sudden Catalina felt too big. Her fangs were too sharp, her claws too large. She averted her gaze. Whatever this was, whatever they had, she wasn't enough. Or rather it wasn't enough. At her core, she always had been greedy, and this was no exception. She wanted more, wanted to bump shoulders without making him stumble. She wanted to say something, wanted him to hear her, to talk, and couldn't. Not like this.

It's stupid, the girl thought as she trailed ahead.

"So, you know the way," Varian mused as he watched her. "I wonder, have you ever seen its end?"

She didn't reply, just moved on. They continued their walk and a bad feeling started to spread in her guts. Catalina had been here before, she remembered, once in a dream. Her claws dug into the ground. Or was it a nightmare? Forgotten in the dark lurked the eery cave. At the mere sight of the black circling emptiness, her hair stood straight. It screamed of danger. All her senses begged her to stay away.

She growled and snarled in warning, keeping her distance and desperately praying for the boy to do the same. Varian had the nerve to smile apologetically at her as he got near the entrance. Damn it! Of course, he would fall for the spooky and more than obvious trap that smelled like death. Just her luck. Catalina rolled her eyes.

In an attempt to prevent what could be nothing but his doom she placed herself between him and the obscure darkness.

Don't leave! She barked with no true means to stop him, at least not without hurting him. He couldn't understand. To him, it was just white noise.

"I can fill a room or just a heart. Others can have me, but I can't be shared. What am I?" He asked, voice thin and rough when he spoke.

The wolf was quiet. At its look of incomprehension, Varian laughed. A strangled sound, fickle and sad. Of course, it couldn't answer him. He felt ridiculous expecting otherwise.

"There are no shortcuts not for this," he told the animal. His schooled expression betrayed nothing. He had made his choice from the beginning, hadn't he?

A vial was shaken until it glowed softly. "I need to keep my word."

The resolve in his voice was what ultimately released her. With a heavy heart, she stepped aside. Bathed in the pale blue light he entered the darkness.

Once more the pitch-black night covered her view and she felt lonelier than ever. She didn't follow, couldn't. Her body was stiff and restless, pacing back and forth. Still, she refused to go inside. Her instincts told her to wait for his return and she trusted them, instead, she listened.

It felt like an eternity before her ears pricked up. Rustling of fabric, the echo of a shallow breath, and then something silver glistened. Just before she identified what it was, it vanished, hidden into the depth of… a backpack? Varian! Relief washed over her as he emerged.

He looked different but still the same. Somehow, he seemed far away, calm in his demeanor yet with no light left to share.

His pale lips curved up into another smile, a pitiful little thing shrouded in misery that only suited the red rims of his eyes. Briefly, she wondered what the boy had seen while he felt his way through ever-growing darkness. He appeared so fragile. Catalina feared that he'd slipped right through her fingers if she didn't hold on tight now.

Without warning, a stench burned her nose. It got stronger and stronger with each step he took in her direction. Ultimately she had to back away.

"Not a fan of Argentum, huh?" Varian laughed unfamiliar. He reeked of blood and metal and death…

The trip down was cloaked in silence. She blinked. Way too soon they reached the crossroad where the village slept. And just like that, it was done, their journey was over, the orange glow of the twilight broke the spell. It couldn't last. More than ever Catalina was determent to crave a place next to him during the day as well.

"It's time to go home," he whispered.

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When the morning got old, Varian's door lock again.