It's a few days later and the girls find themselves discussing what their next step is regarding the Skinwalker. Alleged Skinwalker, Lorelei still couldn't quite believe that there could be something so monstrous roaming the woods. Sitting at their newly claimed library table, they squeezed themselves close while going over the plan for tomorrow's Quodpot match.

"Now," said Lorelei, holding a black pond from Quinn's wizard's chess set, "I'll be posted at tower three," she placed the chess piece on the paper, next to the tower labeled with a three.

"Right," replied Robin, following the plan. "And I," she began, placing her white pond as she spoke, "will stay put by tower five. This way we can watch the woods and keep an eye on the game, in case anything happens."

"Great, hopefully this plan will prove effective. If not, then we'll come back to the drawing board or wait until the next game to try again." It always calmed Lorelei to come up with a back up plan, sometimes several, and this time was no exception.

Tomorrow, their plan will be set into motion and, Merlin willing, the end of the Skinwalker.

December first served as many things for the Ilvermorny students; the countdown of winter vacation, stress for the upcoming mid-year exams, and excitement for the day's Quodpot match. Adding to this list is the day Lorelei and Robin must kill a monster.

The air was crisp and carried with it the promise of snow, causing everyone to bundle up in their Ilvermorny scarves, hats, and mittens, in the usual cranberry and navy. With everyone bundled and closely seated in the grandstands, the chilly wind could barely stand a chance. Due to their plan, Lorelei and Robin had to bundle extra layers since they would be down on the ground to watch the treeline. Thankfully the wind wasn't as bad on the ground as it was known to be in the stands. The voice of Grant could be heard in the distance, announcing the arrival of the teams.

"LET'S GIVE A WARM WELCOME TO…. THE THUNDERBIRDS!" His voice echoed through the wind, Lorelei could barely make out the players at the other end of the field. They kicked off the ground and into the icy air, much to the joy of the audience. Their cheers and muffled applause could be heard, causing the grand stands to shake a bit from the movement. Lorelei mentally added that to her list of things to be scared of next time she watches a game.

"AAAND LET US NOT FORGET OUR SECOND TEAM! YOU KNOW 'EM, YOU LOVE 'EM, PUT YOUR MITTENS TOGETHER FOR…. THE PUKWUDGIES!" Once again Lorelei could see the players, this time in green and gold, as they mounted their brooms and kicked off the ground into the air. Now the real waiting time began, both girls keeping their eyes peeled on the surrounding treeline.

Shivering, Lorelei rubbed her arms while wishfully hoping the creature will make an appearance sooner rather than later. The one thing warming Lorelei was thinking about Orville hopefully scoring a point, closing her eyes and imagining his dimples. She felt something hit her, causing Lorelei to open her eyes, and saw a pebble on the ground in front of her. Looking towards Robin, her lighter hair color easy to spot across the yard, who shot her a 'what are you doing?' look with shrugged shoulders and all. Lorelei returned with the wave of a dismissed hand, feeling her cheeks run hot, while Robin shook her head.

Instead of Orville, Lorelei thought about what she was going to have to do if this creature really does show up again. The obvious answer was they had to, uh, 'exterminate' the thing. Although it was hard to imagine, they couldn't exactly relocate the thing, even if they could it's extremely dangerous and could harm another large population of people, or worse, Muggles.

But how would they even go about 'exterminating' the beast? Yes they learned about the killing curse in DADA, but for one it's illegal to perform, and two they didn't practice it in class. What if she accidentally hit a squirrel, or Robin?! Maybe they could just petrify it and lead the headmaster or another professor to it? The combustion of the Quod hitting the pot scared Lorelei back to reality, "Mother of Merlin."

A sudden thought, completely out of nowhere, struck Lorelei just then. What if the beast was a mother? What if it had a child, or children? Could either one of them really destroy a beastling's mother, leaving it alone in the world. Wouldn't they also have to take out the young ones as well, to make sure they don't grow up and carry the torch their mother held and attack students for the next who knows how many decades. Or maybe they'll grow up, stronger and angrier, remembering the faces that killed their mother when they were young and somehow hunt down Lorelei and Robin when they graduate and start their adult lives. Oh, why couldn't the headmaster just—

The flicker of a small but bright light could be seen from where Robin was standing. That was the signal, she saw the beast. Once she made sure Lorelei had seen it, Robin darted off after it towards the woods. There'll be time for moral debate later, right now they have a job to do.

Leaving the comfort of the cheering crowds behind, Robin and Lorelei run after the shadowed beast, the latter having a much harder time than the former. While Robin could jump over roots and dodge low hanging branches, Lorelei could barely make it a few feet into the forest before heaving from the burn in her lungs. But despite the ache, both girls continued to run after the attacker, their only connection to civilization and the safety it promises getting farther and farther away.

At one point, Lorelei closes her eyes a moment too long to concentrate on her breathing, but when she opens her eyes the reddish blonde of Robin's hair is no longer visible. Lorelei took a moment to catch her breath, partly due from exertion and partly due to hyperventilating from the stress of possibly being lost in the woods. With her hands on her knees trying to gulp down the frigid air, Lorelei spotted something on the ground. She stared at what looked like a beaded bracelet, purple and white, partially covered by dead fallen leaves. Once her lungs were back to proper oxygen levels, Lorelei blended over and picked up the bracelet to get a better look.

Raising it up to the sun's light, the jewelry looked to be handmade, possibly a friendship bracelet? But, what was it doing out here, especially after their race after the monster. There even seemed to be carvings on some of them, although it was very difficult to make out what they were. Then it occurred to her, what if this belonged to a possible victim? The beads didn't look very old, at least from what Lorelei could tell, which made her stomach twist into knots. The sound of crunching leaves could be heard, getting louder as Lorelei started to panic that the beast wounded Robin and decided to come back to finish off the one left behind. A sigh of relief left Lorelei's lips once she saw the comforting red-blonde head of hair before her.

"I lost it," she huffed, clearly worn out from all the running. She pointed towards Lorelei's hand, the one holding what she found, "What's that?"

"Robin," Lorelei quivered, her eyes starting to water, "I think we were too late."

Holding out the bracelet in her hand, the girls looked to each other as they stood in the abandoned woods, the cold no longer bothering either girl. There was no wind, only the sound of sudden snowflakes gently hitting the earth, melting into nothingness.

Next Chapter: December 14