After managing to find some non-poisonous berries for the girl, I took her to my den so she could sleep. With any luck, she would do so until nightfall. I seem to recall something about children sleeping a lot...

Laying at the entrance to my den, I keep an ear up for the girl, just in case her sleep is restless. She would need her strength for the journey, after all.

I look up as Dean sits in front of me, a solemn expression on his face.

"I assume Flare has got you caught up?" I ask, raising my head from its rest upon my paws.

Dean inclines his head. "He has,"

I cock a brow, humming. "Any suggestions?"

Dean clicks his tongue, looking to the ground in contemplation. "Hmm... Well, obviously the orphanage is out of the question," he mutters, drawing his brows together. "Little Lilly, perhaps?" He tries, looking up at me cluelessly.

I nod hesitantly, frowning. "The village? South of Heathers Ville?"

A nod.

"Hmm. That could work. They do have a rather good policy for abandoned children..." I say, thinking.

"How's their relation to Forrest Spirit? Never been, myself,"

I shrug. "They're neutral, though I'd imagine they'll be on the look-out for a man-eater,"

Dean nods. He looks away, nose twitching, tail swishing idly behind him. "It's gonna rain, I reckon," he says before flicking his eyes back to me.

I sniff upwind, just now noticing the metallic tang to the air. The rain would probably arrive by sundown. Or not at all, possibly just a passing storm...

I growl, cursing the weather for its inconvenience.

"Let's hope it doesn't get too bad, for both mine and Alice's sake," I murmur.

###

Predictably, by nightfall the rain was falling in heavy sheets, soaking the earth and forcing my pack mates to take shelter in my den.

Thunder roared in the distance, and the flashes of lightning briefly lit the dark hole that I called home.

I wake Alice with little fuss, apologizing for the miserable evening she and I were about to share.

Flare wished us luck, briefly taking a break from berating Sam and Dean for carving their den in such a way that flooding was an inevitability.

I lead Alice outside, my thin summer pelt becoming drenched in mere moments.

She climbs atop my back, fingers digging into my mane. She shivers, huddling closer to my mass.

"It won't take long, my dear," I say, voice muffled by the wind.

Still, Alice nods against my pelt, and I take that as a cue to begin our journey.

I move through the forest as quickly as I dared, but the slippery turf and extra passenger made for slow-going.

Burrs caught in my fur, and mud clung to my pelt. Water streamed down my forehead, making for poor visibility.

I pulled my ears back, reminded of the way it felt to have your fingers exposed to the cold. Once or twice I slipped on the mud, and sharp stones hidden under the dirt tore up my paw-pads.

The cold bit at my skin, hidden under a layer of soaked fur, the rainwater weighing me down like a stone.

I could only imagine how the poor girl on my back felt.

After what felt like days of travel, we reached the township of Little Lilly.

I stalked between houses and businesses, sights trained on the town hall, with its light wood trim and baby blue walls.

Stepping bleeding paws on the porch wood, I lower myself onto my belly, muscles protesting every small movement.

Alice shakily stepped off my back, standing gratefully under the awning, rubbing her hands together.

"What if no one answers, Mr. Wolf?" She asks, her small body racked with tremors, her lips nearly as blue as her eyes.

"Don't worry, Alice. I'm not going anywhere until you're safe," I reassure, backing away. "Go on," I sat nodding to the door.

As Alice moves to knock, I make myself scarce, hiding in the shadows of the night.

Alice brings her small fist up, rasping on the door one, two, three times with all her might.

A minute passes, then two.

On the third, the lights flicker on, and the door creaks open to reveal a tall, elderly woman.

"Oh, Dear!" She exclaims. "What are you doing out in the rain, you poor thing?" She asks frantically, ushering Alice inside. "Come, come, we'll get you warmed up. Where are your parents?"

The door shuts behind them, and I breathe a sigh of relief. My part in Alice's life was over. Hopefully, she'll grow up to forget 'Mr. Wolf', or remember him as only a dream. It would be better that way.

I pull my ears back, thunder clapping in the distance. "Good luck, my dear," I whisper before turning away from the building and beginning my trek back home.

###

Two Days Later

"I say we torch the place. Who's goin' to suspect a couple of wolves of arson?" Sam says, waving a paw dismissively.

My ears perk up. "I like his plan," I say to Flare, tail swishing.

Flare simply glares at me, which was answer enough.

"Look," Dean says. "The only thing we want from the place is your little girlfriend, yeah?"

"She's not my-" I begin, growling.

"So I say we just get in, grab her, and go,"

Flare turns his fiery gaze to the hunter, ears pulling forwards in a no-nonsense fashion. "That's one complicated plan, Grey. Do you think we'll be able to pull it off?"

Dean shrugs. "It's just a suggestion,"

I scratch at my jaw, humming. "I still like Sam's plan,"

Flare huffs, irritated. "And how are you going to start the fire, hmm?" He asks, pulling off a rather impressive 'mom' tone.

I tsk. "Stop ruining my fun with logic, you mistake,"

Sam and Dean giggle. Flare growls at them, freezing them in place.

"Look, if you're going to shoot down all of our dumb ideas, at least give us one of yours," I reason.

"Kill the headmistress,"

I blink.

"Come again?" Dean says, raising his brows.

"Kill the headmistress," Flare repeats. "wait a day, then, during the chaos of the death, lure the girl away and bite her,"

I narrow my eyes. "Huh... That could actually work,"

Sam grins. "Fuck arson, homicide is much better,"

"It's not homicide if we're not human, Sam," Flare reminds good-naturally. "It's just good old-fashioned mauling,"