The Unified Soul

Unexpected Visitors

After getting Garroth back into the lodge and settling him down, Airis felt more nervous than before. Her fur was standing on edge as she sensed something was wrong, and those voices from before were making her even more terrified.

"Are you gonna be okay, Uncle Garroth?" Airis asked.

Garroth chuckled, "Don't worry, Airis, I'll be just fine. I'm just a little shaken up, that's all."

Airis sighed in relief, but she was still not okay. Things about this lodge made her feel uneasy. Not just because it was abandoned for so long and it was in terrible condition, but because of everything that's happened to them since they got there. The voices in the distance outside, the howling wolves in the snow, and the strange green gemstone that Aaron found in the garage. That terrified her the most as just the color sent her body into pure terror.

All of a sudden, the group heard something from inside the Lodge. It was as if something had been smashed open, and it was coming from the main hall.

"What was that?" Aaron asked, gripping Airis' hand tightly to keep her safe if anything should happen.

"It sounds like someone kicked through the door." Lucinda answered.

"EEEEEEKKKK! It's the murderer coming to get us!" Kim shrieked in fear.

"Hush, Kim, calm down." Garroth shushed her.

"I'm going to check it out." Aaron volunteered.

"Right behind ya." Garroth said.

"Same." Lucinda added.

"Are you guys crazy? That's what he wants. And if we all go, who's going to look out for Airis? We can't just leave her here in the garage alone." Kim said.

Everyone looked down at Airis, seeing her body being to shake in her fear and her eyes widened the same feeling. Her fur was standing up straight and her tail was fluffed up in her fear, but Kim was right, they couldn't just leave her alone in the garage.

Aaron picked Airis up and almost lost his breath when she wrapped her arms around his neck. At first he was surprised, since the last time she hugged him this tightly in fear was when they all found out she was a werewolf back at Love~Love Paradise. But he knew that she was just as afraid as everyone else.

"I'm gonna take her with us, but Airis," Aaron said grabbing her attention, "If something happens, I want you to run as fast as you can, okay?"

"But Papa--"

"Can you do that for me, Airis? Please?"

Airis, for a moment, saw her biological father in Aaron's place, their eyes filled with worry and fear. And she knew that there was no choice.

"Yes, Papa." She answered and everyone left the garage to go back into the lodge's main hall. They carefully made their way to a pile of crates in the corner of the room and looked over them to see what was happening in the room.

When they saw who had broke into the lodge, everyone was more than surprised. In the lodge's main hall were several wild wolves sniffing around for something, and there along with them was a woman, possibly the same age as the others were. She wore a deep red robe with a hood, but you could clearly see her black hair with a white streak in the center, and her tanned skin peeking out from the hood she wore.

"Oh my Irene! Those are wolves." Lucinda whispered to the group.

"Should we shoo them away?" Garroth asked.

"That is not a good idea." Aaron replied.

"Those wolves look like they could tear us apart."

"We're dead!" Kim quietly panicked.