“Beat ‘em with cuteness. That ghost is a cunning she-wolf, for sure. No one would try to beat a bunch of pups. Right?” Bones looks for reassurance. None can be given.

Still in shock, Annette only half hears the words of Bones. This is not good. This is a problem. Instead of an army, they have young lycan wolf cubs. They are not the wolves she was anticipating. These are only sheep. No way can they leave this place. The world is too cruel.

“This is not what I expected,” says Bones. The skeleton has been watching the playful fighting between the hundreds of lycan children and Fury.

The brute is surprisingly gentle with the much smaller kids for how giant the dragon is. Occasionally, he will grab one or two in his mouth and toss them high, only to catch them lightly in his wing as they fall.

His tail is a game of its own. Some lycans try to ride it as it swishes right and then left, up and down. Others try to jump or duck over the tail without getting hit. When Fury is too over-piled, he rolls over, crushing dozens of the lycans simultaneously. Annette held her breath the first time she saw it happen. Fortunately, the soft furry lycans puff back up and continue playing with the dragon.

Bones stretches his arms out and then over his head before bringing them in front of him and cracking his knuckles. “I guess this doesn’t change much. I’m going to go show the lil’ tykes whose boss.” Before Annette can object to his antics, Bones sprints toward the pile of Lycans.

Four by four, he begins throwing the kids off the dragon. “Behold my power,” he yells, holding four lycans in the air before tossing them. Laughter fills the air as kids turn to their new enemy and accept his challenge. It doesn’t take long before the little ones begin chomping at the skeleton and restricting his movement.

“Remember me,” Bones cries out under his own pile of kids. Not all the lycan children are playing. Standing in the back of the room are a dozen older-looking kids. They watch the fight progress with smiles on their faces. By all accounts, this is a joyous occasion. Yet Annette has not felt the same joy as others.

She brushes the thought aside and focuses on the older youths watching the playful fighting.

Where are the rest of the Lycans? Did Mom and Dad make it? Where’s granny? She should be here with Fury. These are the thoughts the oldest-looking girl is holding onto.

Who is the skeleton and the spider lady? The boy next to the older girl gives off an aura of wariness and stands slightly closer to her side, just a little in front of her.

Is it really time to go home? We just got here. This thought comes from the long raggy-hair girl at the end.

I hope there is a feast waiting for us when we get out.

I wonder what everyone else is thinking. Nils is probably thinking about food. Cody is ready to burn this place down to protect Remny, even if he has to make fire out of his water element. Or maybe he is thinking about me. I hope he is thinking about me. Perhaps I should look over to see if he is looking at me.

Annette cuts her focus off before it can get any more… well, whatever that is. She didn’t want to be a part of those thoughts anymore and feared encountering any more. She should go over and talk to the group. Maybe put them at ease. However, that is more of a boss thing to do.

Bones manages to crawl out from the pile he is under, with a few lycans still clinging to his body with their mouths. He plucks them off as he walks toward Annette and gently tosses them on top of the mountain of pups on Fury.

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Bones’ energy creates a large grin out of his open mouth that looks natural and unnatural at the same time. His eyes are light and hearty. “That was intense. I think I won that round, though.” He tosses one last pup into the pile he just escaped. Up close, she can see that some of his bones now have deep bite marks. Bones looks at her, then the youth standing on the side.

“You ready to go say hello?”

“You done playing around?”

“I would’ve been done sooner if you’d’ saved me. You left me in the wolf pit on my own.”

“A pit you put yourself into. You seem to have a habit of that.”

“Two times doesn’t count as a habit.”

“It is at least the beginning of a pattern.”

Bones gives her last words some thought before his grin grows wider. “Let’s go say hello.” And just like he approached playing with the kids, he walks unwaveringly to the scarier pit of wolves.

Seeing Bones and her approach, all the dozen youth stand firm. All of them are tense and defiant toward them. If only she could communicate with Bones through his mind, she could help him in the encounter. Fortunately, Bones counters all of her doubts and confidently continues his approach.

When he is close, his tucked arms raise in the air. After a couple more steps closer, he drops them to his side and puts a single knee on the ground. His head bowed low, he greets the less defiant but now more hesitant youth.

“Hello!” Bones raises his head up but keeps his one knee on the ground. “I am Bones, and this is Nette.” He gestures to his side and slightly behind him where she is standing. “And I believe you already know Fury.

“Genevieve has sent us here to free you.”

“Where is granny? Why isn’t she here? Where are our parents?” The older girl in the middle, Remny, asks.

“Yeah, where’s my da? He promised he would come for me.”

“My older brother and sister said they were behind me,” Cody says. His posture was firmer than the others. His fists clench tight. “They said they wouldn’t fight without me. We were going to fight together after the ritual….” His words die off as he lets his mind think of the worse.

“I’m sorry,” Bones whispers softly, yet it is loud enough for all to hear. Bones, who can speak a mile a minute, struggles to get the two words out. His normal deep tone is raspy and sullen. His head sinks down, and his shoulders sloop. “I’m sorry.” This time he barely gets the words out. The laughter in the background fades, and the room is still.

“What do you mean sorry,” Remny asks demandingly. Cody’s hands, no longer clenched, reached for the girl at his side. Remny tries to shrug off his support. He offers once more, which she embraces.

The boy’s silent support is a catalyst as the kids let their minds charge out of control. Despair, anger, violence, and loneliness crowd their and Annette’s minds. The thoughts are so cold and dark. The overwhelming weight threatens to crush her. She needs to back away… flee to safety.

She refuses to retreat even though her instincts tell her to back away. Firmly, she stands in front of kids whose whole worlds are falling apart.

In front of them, her heart crushes. She doesn’t know them, but she understands their worry and hurt. Long ago, when her master died, she felt the same deep pain and loss. The thought of running — of hiding from the chaos of emotion is overwhelming. She can’t do this. She isn’t equipped to handle this. No one is.

More weight presses on Annette as the children’s doubts, worries, and hurt grow deeper and deeper. One foot backs away. The next is about to follow when a promise made not long ago comes to her mind. She dives deep into her memories, looking for an answer.

Reaching out with her mana, she embraces each of the kids. Her heart breaks over and over as she feels their hurt and worry. Be still. Breathe. She sends it to each of them.

They aren’t the right words. There are no right words. Still, it is a start. It is something. Breathe. Just breathe. This will be hard. Loved ones taken away hurts. It will hurt for a while. But be strong. Breathe. For now, just breathe.

Together, Bones, Annette, and the older youth suffer the weight of loss. The lycans cling to each other for support. Annette embraces them with her mana helping them fight off the darker feelings. Bones is all but crumbling as he kneels before his kids.