Violet String {EDITING}

Belonging

"How much longer till we arrive?" Genesis asked, staring at the set of cards in her hands. They'd been on the road for a good few days already, and she was starting to get bored...

Which was never a good thing when she was hungry.

"Not much longer." Liberty replied, distracting her from the fangs she could feel starting to edge downwards, her eyes tearing themselves away from the pulsating veins she could see mapped across the redhead's body. "We're in the Elder Region now, so it'll be only a few more minutes at most."

"Stonewall was built quite close to the Ishgard Border..." Damien informed them. "There used to be a few problems now and then when Ishgard was separate from the pack, so Stonewall Castle was built to keep an eye on the situation..."

"And they're hardly gonna move now that Ishgard's joined the Pack." His mate smirked, blinking in surprise when the bus skidded to a halt.

"Looks like we're here." Damien said, staring at the station they'd pulled up into. "Come on, Lib. You too, Genesis."

"I'm guessing you haven't got any luggage." Liberty watched as her mate went off to rescue their gigantic rucksacks.

"That's right."

"You know, it's a good thing we bumped into you..." She smiled. "I hate to think of what'd have happened if you hadn't..."

"You're lucky." Damien strode towards them, two bags in hand. "Even if Stonewall has one of the lowest crime rates, there are lowlifes everywhere..."

Genesis took a bag automatically, slinging it onto her back without much thought. "I hadn't thought of that..." She sighed, her shoulders sinking. "I was too preoccupied with actually getting-..." She trailed off, realising the two of them were staring at her in shock. "What's up?"

"That's my bag..." Damien mumbled.

"Oh sorry..." Genesis froze. "Do you want it back?"

"It's carrying all the heavy stuff... A lot of heavy stuff..."

"It's fine."

"That's why we're staring." Liberty mumbled. "Kids your age are normally weak as new-born kittens."

"I've been through more than most." She said, smiling faintly, pain lancing across her face.

Damien turned to his mate. "Lib, I don't know if I've said this before, but you certainly have a good eye for talent."

"Well, I have been at it for a good few hundred years..." She flipped her long hair over her shoulder. "And on that note, we really should be going... we do have places to be."

"Where are we even going?" Genesis folded her arms, not completely at ease around the two yet, but that was only to be expected.

She'd only known them for a few days, after all.

They could be plotting to murder her and bury her body in the woods they were walking towards.

But Genesis was hard to kill.

That was why she went with them without another word as they turned and told her.

"The Dark Woods."

***

The Dark Woods were aptly named.

As soon as Genesis had walked into the shade of the trees, she'd understood. Her hands adjusted the straps over her shoulder, the hairs on the back of her neck rising as her eyes adjusted to the odd dimness caused by the canopy of leaves above them.