He approached the front door of the Isakawas residents. The house had a European mountain cottage design to it. Its steep roof top had a subtle flared curve at the eaves, with stucco and stone embracing the home. The broad front porch, with stone columns holding the roof, four cast iron lanterns attached to the columns filled with a soft glow. The lights from inside the house fell on to the dim porch. He stepped up the few steps then to the wooden porch. He drew a heavy breath knocking heavily on the door. He could hear movement inside the house.

"Just a minute." She answered.

It was Mrs. Isakawas answering as she walked towards the door. She was speaking to someone. She opened the door and was startled.

"Ronin…" By her expression, he could see she was worried by the lateness of the hour. He glanced around the room behind her.

"Can I help you…?" She smiled politely.

"Is your husband in?"

"No…" She shook her head, "he is traveling the outlying villages to the east. Someone is ill." She crinkled her brow, "why?"

Ronin exhaled, shaking his head.

"Tessa's been poisoned …"

"Poisoned…" A young girl quickly spoke from the kitchen table. She moved to the front door. She slipped, pushed her way in front of her mother, looking up at him.

"Ronin, you haven't seen Elsa in a long while. " She beamed, putting her arm around her daughter.

Elsa was a slight frail looking girl. She stared up at him with wide black oval eyes. Her straight black hair hanging to her shoulders. Her velvety skin had a bluish hue. She was the daughter of a mixed marriage. Her mother was human and her father was a changeling. She seemed unemotional and detached and spoke in a direct manner.

"How…" She tightened her eyes.

"A changeling…"

Mrs. Isakawas brought her hands up covering her mouth, shocked. "You don't think?" She stammered, glancing at Elsa.

"Mother…" Elsa rolled her eyes, huffed, shaking her head. She knew better.

Elsa sighed as she moved her slight shoulders around. A long twisting, slender appendage grew from her back, disappearing around the corner. He could pick up the noise of doors opening, foraging as she was hunting for something.

"Got it…" She stiffened her lips, the tendril returned, dropping two large glossy black oily nuts into her palm.

"This is the antidote…" She grinned as she gripped the two nuts in her palm. She peered up to Ronin, her eyes never blinking.

He reached out, Elsa tilted her head looking at him curiously.

"What do you think you are doing?" She narrowed one of her eyes. He narrowed his eyes as he held his hand in the air above her palms.

"I needed it for…"

"I need to administer it" Elsa leaned her head forward, tightening her lips.

"But…"

"No butts…" She scowled, with that two tendrils from her back, reached out wrapping around his torso, pulling her tightly against him. She lay her cheek against his chest.

"What the?" he stared at the little girl held against his chest, the two tendrils slipping around his body.

"Let's go." She smiled, "tell dad…"

Mrs. Isakawas nodded, "I'll call him… Where are you?"

"The spring…" Ronin shook his head, studying the young girl stuck to him. She peeked up at him, batting her eyes, puckering her lips, "well…"

Her head twisted around 180° to look at her mother, "I'll be back soon…"

Her mother smiled as she nodded her head. She looked at Ronin, "take care of her…" she spoke bringing her hands up to her chest. He quickly nodded, turned and stepped off the porch.

Ronin moved into the yard, crouched, the ground exploded beneath his feet as his wings reached for the sky pulling him skyward.

She smiled, enjoying the breeze flow across her face as she watched the buildings becoming smaller. The island turning black except for the lights of the distance city. As they descended the dense forests rose from the darkness. The sparkling pool below getting bigger as he touched down. The grass crunched under his feet as the breeze from his wings moving through the forests. The tree branches twisting and leaves flapping madly in the air.

"Wow…! My papa won't let me fly yet…" She laughed. Her body stretched as she unwrapped herself from Ronin, her body turning into a young girl again. She reached inside herself, getting out shiny black nut, placing it into her mouth. She chomped down as a loud crack, then a crunching noise as she chewed moving towards the pool.

"Ronin…" She moved into the frigid water of the spring, never glancing at him.

"The other is 2 miles north of here…" She pointed. He nodded his head and disappeared into the night sky.

She glanced at them, remaining around Tessa, her jaws slowly moving as she chewed.

"You will be fine. The icy water helps."

"Gabriella." She spoke, looking at Tessa. Her skin was changing, becoming translucent. The blood vessels peeking through her skin. Her short reddish brown hair drifting around her head.

"I will use you," She had a malicious expression on her face, her eyes concentrated on Tessa. "it will hurt…" her narrow blue lips twisted, "can you stand pain?" she murmured.

Elsa reached out, her arms extending longer than normal arms, wrapping around Tessa. She tenderly took Tessa from Gabriella's arms. She drew a sudden gasp, paused, the pain showing on her face. As she watched Elsa pull her daughter away. She looked like a rag-doll floating in her arms.

"Please…" Elsa smiled, her teeth had turned black from chewing on the nut. She held Tessa close, bending her head backward.

"Tessa," she whispered, a line of black liquid dropped from the edge of her delicate lips, It's me… Elsa…"

"Elsa." Tessa barely whispered as she opened her milky white eye.

Elsa closed her eyes, smiled and pressed her lips against Tessa's pale cold lips. Elsa body folded around her body, swallowing Tessa. A black ooze leak from the corners of their mouths. Her throat moving as she pushed the black liquid down her throat. Elsa pulled back, their mouths stained black.

She watched Tessa's face, her eyes soft. "She will be furious, when I inform her I had to French kiss her." She ran her tongue along her mouth, wiping her lips clean. She leaned closer and wiped the black stain from Tessa's lips.

A thick snake like tendril grew from Elsa's back and lingered behind her, then divided into tiny razor-sharp points slipping into Tessa's body. She made no sound nor did she move. Elsa's head revolved, as her body remained still, looking at Gabriella.

"You are her donor." She spoke, nodding her head, "she needs lots of cells, I will take them from you… Understand…"

"I will give anything for my daughter…" Gabriella raised her hand up, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "I will endure any pain…" she choked, staring at Tessa, covered in a fleshy cocoon.

Elsa shook her head, her lips spread, her needle shaped black teeth seized the moonlight as she gazed at Gabriella. "Not like this…"

A tendril grew from her back moving towards Gabriella, "you better not turn. It is one matter to use your human side it is another the Wolf…" Elsa had a sadistic expression on her face. "if you do…" She grinned even bigger, her needle sharp teeth growing longer, "I will envelop you and squash you…". She slowly nodded her head.

"Even vampires fear us…" she paused taking a heavy sigh, "we may not desire to kill. We will protect…" She nodded her head, "understand…"

"Yes…" Gabriella nodded.

"Well…" she closed her mouth, her needle sharp teeth, sliding behind her narrow blue lips, "she is my friend after all." She kissed Tessa's cheek. A long black line stretched the length as the tendril opened like a simple Venus fly trap with thousands of needlelike protrusions.

"Stand up…" Elsa spoke in a cold expression.

Gabriella stood, the water, blended with the oil of the toxin, fell down her nude body. Her long dark hair clung to her white skin, a rainbow of colors, shined in the moonlight. "what now?

The Venus fly trap extended, broad enough to devour her body, it folded around her, leaving her head uncovered. Elsa then closed her eyes, her smiled stiffened, "now…"

"Aaaahhh...!" Gabriella's eyes flew wide as she wailed, a blood curdling, harrowing scream. As the long needles moved into her body.

"Do not change!" Elsa yelled.

Emma, Iliana, Natasha remained in the frigid water of the spring. Their bodies frozen, eyes wide in fear. They wanted to cover their ears with their hands. They wanted to bury the sound of their friend's agony. But they knew it wouldn't help. Her screams echoed throughout the dark forest.