A/N: By the way, in this story the werewolves in wolf form are about as big as horses. Just to let you know. Read and Review, it makes me update faster.
Lisa angrily pulled on the ropes, trying to reach the red band on her forearm.
"Stop it, dog!" the asian girl on the horse snapped.
"I'm actually a wolf, bitch." Lisa shot back. "When I get free, you'll be the first to-"
"Lisa, cool it." Emma cut her off. "No more threats. Right now, we need to find a way to get home."
Lisa struggled to do as she said, but her friend did not understand. Lisa's blood was boiling and she was dying to find Regina. Her wolf needed to know that she was okay, that she was safe. Her eyes remained a bright gold, refusing to change back to their normal dark brown, keeping her wolf on edge, ready to change at a moment's notice.
They were lead onto a land bridge leading to a small settlement. The people froze mid action to gawk at them as they were lead through.
"It's like their refugees." Emma murmured.
"We're survivors." the asian girl snapped.
Mary Margaret suddenly kicked the other girl who'd been escorting them and screamed. "Run!"
The three of them bolted, but the asian girl was on top of it. She launched a pair of slings like weapons that hit Mary Margaret hard in the back and caught Lisa around the neck. Mary Margaret was knocked out but Lisa managed to stay conscious.
"Take them to the pit."
Lisa growled at the men as they threw Mary Margaret to the ground, despite Emma telling them to be careful. She turned to her friend and her heightened senses suddenly picked up on a new smell. It was familiar yet strange at the same time.
"Do you need help?"
"Who are you?" Emma asked.
"A friend." came the reply as a mature dark haired woman, garbed in purple stepped out of the shadows. "My name is Cora." She stepped towards Mary Margaret. "May I?"
Emma nodded while Lisa simply looked on, trying to discern why the woman was so familiar and why her wolf wouldn't calm down.
Cora knelt over the fallen woman and examined her. "Don't worry. She'll be fine." She answered, rising back to her feet.
"What is this place? Where are we?" Emma asked.
"It's a little island our captors like to think of as their haven."
"Haven? From what?"
"The world's dangerous. What's left of it anyway."
"They can't keep us down here. We didn't do anything wrong."
Cora shrugged. "Neither did I."
"Then why are you here?"
"She's Regina's mother." Lisa said, snapping her restraints with a grunt. She rubbed her wrists and stood up. "I see where your daughter gets her looks."
Cora smiled. "But you have nothing to fear from me. The apple fell very far from that tree. You're from over there, aren't you? How'd you get back?"
"A stupid hat that I will gladly shred when I return." Lisa said, pacing. "We need to get out of here. Say the word and I'll shift."
"You're a werewolf?" Cora said.
"Yes, and right now, I'm about to go crazy."
"Your wolf wants to go back home to its mate." said Cora with a soft smile. "Husband?"
"Your daughter." Lisa grumbled, more to herself than to the other woman but she was sure Cora had heard her.
"What is your fascination with Regi-" Emma began.
"Emma!" Mary Margaret interrupted her daughter, clutching the back of her head as she stood up.
"Oh, Snow, you're awake. I'm so relieved." Cora said while Mary Margaret looked at her like she'd seen a ghost.
She grabbed Lisa and Emma and pulled them away. "As bad as you think Regina is, this woman is worse."
"Oh, Snow." Cora said. "Sweet Snow, please believe me. Whatever she told you isn't true. I just want to help you."
"Let's hear her out." Lisa said.
"Lisa." Mary Margaret said sternly.
"Okay, right now, we are at the bottom of a hole with no other options other than Lisa breaking us out and I don't want my best friend to die today. And Henry is back in Storybrooke with Regina." Emma whispered into her mother's ear.
"Who's Henry?" Cora asked.
"My son." Emma said. "I kind of share him with Regina. It's complicated."
"Don't talk to her!" Mary Margaret snapped.
Enough!" Some guy yelled from above. "Our leader requests an audience." He threw down a rope for them to climb out with.
Lisa walked ahead of mother and daughter, pointedly ignoring the little chit chat about Cora and wanting to be together, boring mushy stuff. That is, until Mary Margaret touched her shoulder.
"And you! Flirting with Cora."
"It was just a compliment. Believe me, I don't want the mama, I want the daughter. Well, my wolf does."
"That's still wrong to me. It's a little weird to think about my daughter's best friend having...relations with my stepmother."
"Technically, she isn't related to you by blood and what does it matter to you anyway, Snow? Besides, regardless of whether or not Regina returns my affections, I will always have her back."
She once again tuned out Mary Margaret as she reunited with a Knight named Lancelot. She and Emma simply watched, while sneaking glances at the long table being stocked with food.
"What the hell are you eating?" Emma asked as she bit into some kind of meat. It was tough and needed more salt but wasn't half bad.
"Chimera, part lion, part serpent, part goat." Lancelot answered.
"Like Turducken?" Emma asked, picking at it with a fork.
"I don't understand." Mary Margaret said. "We were told this land didn't even exist anymore. How did you all escape the curse?"
"It is mystery." Lancelot curse struck and when the smoke cleared, most of us had been torn from this world. The rest of us in this particular region were unaffected. We don't know how or why we were spared from the curse. Finding this safe haven wasn't easy. It took some spilt blood. But, worry not, you're safe here."
"We can't stay." said Mary Margaret. "My husband's back there. Emma's son, my grandson. We have to get back to them. Can you help us find a portal."
"Leaving is unwise." Lancelot replied. "The Enchanted Forest is not as you remember it. The Ogres have returned."
"Ogres?" Emma said. "Like, as in 'Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum'?"
"Those would be giants." said Lisa, smirking at Emma's annoyed look in her direction.
"Ogres are far worse. That's why we live here, on this island. Where it's safe." said Lancelot. "Please, Snow, stay here. There are no portals left."
"I might know of one."
"Where?"
"Um, Cora's near. I don't feel comfortable voicing my plans. She's powerful."
"Not anymore. The curse stripped her of her powers."
"Yeah right." Lisa mumbled, remembering how her wolf reacted to the woman. It sensed magic on her, dormant but still present.
"I'm not taking any chances." said Mary Margaret.
"I'll allow it." Lancelot said after a moment. "But under one condition. You take my bravest warrior with you."
"God, don't let it be.." Lisa sighed. It was Emma's turn to smirk as the asian girl approached them.
"Allow Mulan to defend you."
"Her assistance is appreciated but unnecessary." Lisa said.
"We can defend ourselves." Emma agreed.
"Deal." said Mary Margaret. "Thank you, Lancelot. For always looking out for me."
"Choose wisely." Mulan said as she opened a chest filled with weapons. "We must be vigilant if we hope to survive the journey."
Lisa rolled her eyes, making Mary Margaret frown. "What?"
"You look just like Regina when you do that."
"That's creepy." Emma muttered, picking up a dagger. Mary Margaret chose a bow and quiver and Lisa slipped a couple daggers into her boots before adjusting her band.
"That's all you're taking? Two daggers against an ogre?"
"No." She held up her arm. "That's for the ogre. Those are for you when you piss me off or hit me again. Okay, dear?"
"You really need to stop spending time with Regina." Emma said as Mulan gave her her gun back.
"Follow my lead. Step where I step. Do exactly as I say and we might survive." Mulan commanded.
"Thanks for the pep talk but I think we're okay. I just killed a dragon last week." Emma said.
"Have you ever seen an ogre?"
"Pretty sure I've dated a few." She grinned at Lisa. "She defiantly has."
"That was one time and you never let me forget it." Lisa said.
"Legend has it that when they kill you,the last thing you see is yourself dying in the reflection in their eyes." Mulan said.
"This is going to be fun then." Lisa smiled.
Mulan's nostrils flared and she turned away. "Let's walk. It'll be dark soon."
Lisa adjusted her band. She needed to learn to control the wolf, like Ruby. Then she wouldn't need it.
They walked for hours, her legs were hurting by the time Mulan decided where they would make camp. Mary Margaret and Mulan went off to get wood and water while Lisa and Emma waited in the clearing.
Lisa decided to use this time to try and work on controlling her wolf. She stepped away from Emma and sat down in the clearing to try and meditate. After she felt like she'd calmed down enough, she slowly removed the band. For a moment, nothing happened, then an image of Regina flashed through her head and she nearly screamed as she shifted, her wolf bursting free.
"Lisa?" Emma said, watching her internal struggle.
Ruby had warned her about blacking out during a change, but at this point, she was no longer in control. She ran away from Emma, desperate not to hurt her. She ran until her legs burned and her heart threatened to burst if she didn't collapsed at the edge of a small stream and barely managed to lick up a few drops.
"A Child of the Moon, struggling to drink from a stream." Lisa leaped to her paws and looked around. "Come, Sister." A man appeared out of the mist, dressed in leather with short dark hair and a goatee. His eyes glowed golden like the wolf's. "Come, and meet my leader. Then you will understand the wolf and will no longer need to fear it." He shifted into a dark brown wolf. His fur glowed and left a trail of mist in its wake, leading her to believe that this guy was some kind of ghost. But she followed him anyway. Together they ran through the forest. Lisa felt exhilarated instead of fatigued, and slowly became aware of other wolves running at her side.
"It'll be like nothing you've ever felt before. The pine needles underfoot, the air rushing over your fur, your brothers and sisters at your side. Your mind won't want to believe it. It will tell you a wolf is invading your body, trying to take over; and if you believe that, for even a moment, you'll black out, and lose control. But, if you give in to the wolf, you'll realize the truth: you are the wolf. And when you accept that, you will finally be in control." They came to a hilltop just as the voice in her head stopped speaking.
A woman was standing on the hill, ghostly pale but still recognizable. She looked like she was about 45 and was dressed as a beautiful dark sorceress. "You brought her, Quinn."
The guy from earlier shifted back into his human form. It took a little effort from Lisa to do so as well, but she succeeded.
"Um, I don't want to seem rude, but, who are you?" Lisa asked. The woman walked towards her.
"You know who I am. My very name is tattooed on your arm."
Lisa turned her wrist over. Anita. "You're Anita? You're Red's mother?"
"And yours, dear." She chuckled. "I'm your mother too." Her eyes darkened for a moment. "I know this must be painful for you. But I never wanted to give away either of my children, but I had to. To give you your-"
"Best chance." Lisa finished before rushing her mother's arms. Despite her being a ghost, Lisa could feel her warmth and her lips smiling against her forehead. "I thought you didn't want me."
"Of course I did. I wanted to see you grow into a powerful she-wolf and a beautiful woman. But I did not have that luxury with you or Red and I am truly sorry." She released Lisa and stepped back. "Now, come my daughter, my child of the moon, and Run with your mother."
