"We must go back to Fisham." Peter paced in the crowded bedroom, trying not to trip on the corner of the makeshift bed. Nel and Rena both sat cross legged on the mattress, staring up at Peter who continued to work out his agitation in movement.

"They cast me off. It was voted. I complied," Rena responded resolutely. "I will not go back."

"If the Bleak has reached this far north, they will be unprotected. And you know the real dangers of the darkness!" Peter threw his arms down, rounding on the two women.

"Peter, I know you are worried for your family. But they also know the dangers. It's the Fisher legacy," Nel said calmly.

"Don't tell me about the Fisher legacy!" Peter sputtered. Both Rena and Nel arched their eyebrows in reproach. Peter sighed and plunked down on the floor beside the two women. "Look, I know we swore an oath, Rena. But maybe it's time we part ways. I know you won't return, but I need to."

Rena's face betrayed no emotion as she levelled a steady gaze at Peter. Nel looked away nervously, then reached over to take Rena's hand. The contact was short-lived as Rena pulled her hand away, eyes still fixed upon Peter. "You realise that would put me in a very difficult situation."

Peter rubbed the top of his head, his short hairs scratching against his rough, calloused hands. "I know! I know. But since the remnants of the Order disbanded, the Sign of the Chamrosh won't offer them any protection. Maybe with the Bleak encroaching, I can get them to reconsider, and welcome you back."

Rena's features grew pensive and she stared off into a dark corner. Her elbow rested on her knee, and her chin perched upon her palm. "If you wish to try, I won't stop you. But I will not interfere in their decision. However, if they do not revoke their decree, do not forget the full responsibilities of your oath." Rena left with a deliberate gait.

Nel's eyes widened, catching a grim expression on his face. "What did she mean by full responsibility? What more can she expect from you that she hasn't already taken?"

Peter winced as a pained expression came onto his face. He crawled into the bed beside Nel, reaching an arm about her. Nel waited for an answer. It took Peter some time before he could say. "I swore if I could no longer serve Rena... I would kill her."

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"I'm sorry we couldn't be more help, Anna. But here we must part ways. We're leaving as well, this evening," Nel said, holding Anna's hands. The morning light was playing hide and seek through the thick rolling clouds to the east. Anna turned her face to this light, winter winds blowing her tattered clothes. "Good luck. Follow the sun until you reach Old Man River. South of there is a bridge that survived the bombing. Cross it, and take the first left. With the snow it might be hard to make out the road, but once you cross the bridge there probably will be tracks. Turn left, follow the road and then take the first right to get to the Fort." Seeing Anna's eyes somewhat glazed over, Nel went over the directions again in shorter sentences, getting Anna to repeat them.

"Sun, river, follow right to bridge, cross bridge, left, then right. Got it." Anna smiled and muttered the directions a few more times to herself. She then looked around. "No goodbye from Rena?" Anna asked, turning around to face Peter and Nel. The couple stood arm in arm beside a towering stone pillar.

"No. She's still asleep. We'll tell her you said goodbye."

"One more thing, Anna," Peter interrupted. He passed Anna a small drawstring pouch. Anna opened in and peered inside, squinting at some sort of plant inside with waxy green berries.

"What's this?"

"Dwarf mistletoe. Wherever you rest at night, hang it up over your entryway. Vamps won't pass under it." Peter explained. Anna furrowed her eyebrows, bringing them low enough they could be seen under her cap. Her eyes watered as she looked again at Peter and Nel.

"Thank you." It wasn't gratitude that summoned her tears. It was the continued realisation that she'd be making the rest of her journey alone. Taking in a deep breath, Anna turned and began the long, lonely journey to a new life.

Nel and Peter watched Anna as she trudged off, and then looked at each other. "We have our own journey to prepare for. It will be hard explaining to the children. Ash has never seen Fisham, and Maple probably won't remember it."

"They've always been curious about the home we left."

"Well they'll learn its ups and downs soon enough."

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"Ya sure you saw it land this way?"

"Yup."

Two men talked as they trudged through snowbanks, some rising as high as their hips. Behind them they pulled a rickety sled. The taller of the two huffed, expelling a puff of steam into the frigid air.

"Dunno who those Old Worlders think they are, patting themselves on the back because they occasionally drop a crate on us. Why don't they do something ACTUALLY useful like get us out of this God-forsaken place?"

"Stop whining. The goodies are useful. Sides, they prolly think we'll disease 'em all." A nasty, raucous chuckle erupted from one man, and the other joined in with a sneering snigger. The stouter of the two squinted, trying to see through the veil of falling slow. "It's been over a year since anyone's heard a plane. Got to thinking maybe they gave up on us."

"It's getting dark. Think anyone else saw it?"

"You mean anyone, or anything?" They gave each other apprehensive glances then continued on their journey.

The two men crested a hill, discovering a couple of large crates submerged in the snow. Flapping like the crack of a whip could be heard as the wind tried to tug one of the attached parachutes free. The other had likely been sheared off and blown away somewhere. The taller man swore under his breath. "I was looking forward to bringing back lots o' canvas. Well, one chute'll do."

The shorter man grabbed a crowbar from the sled and busied himself with prying the box open. "Remember to save the nails this time, Fred."

"Yeah yeah..."

With the crate open they began removing vacuum sealed ration packs and cases containing basic medical supplies. After the first layer of items had been moved to their sled, the tall man yelped and drew his hand back. The short man laughed, cussing affectionately at his comrade. Fred escalated with a few choice words of his own, which were not so affectionate.

"Alright, what's got you in grips?"

"Hair... I think there's a body in here." Fred said, gripping the edge of the crate and peering into it. "Bring me the light, Hans."

"A body, eh? He got anything good on him?" Hans asked as he began cranking the hand lantern. There was, indeed, a mop of black hair in among the packages. Fred gingerly removed a few more of the supplies, revealing a human head. To his relief, it was attached to a body. Eventually they pulled the man out and laid him on the limp parachute. The man was short in stature, allowing him to be more easily concealed in the crate. Protruding from his chest was an unusual weapon. It appeared to be a sharpened wooden stick, but it had a shiny, metallic handle. A wooden handle and a metal blade would have made more sense and the two men looked at each other, perplexed.

"Unlucky stow-away?" Fred mused.

"Who'd wanna come to this hell-hole?" Hans asked. He squinted at the protruding weapon. "Hey, I think the handle might be gold."

Greedily, Hans grasped at the weapon. It was wedged in more firmly than he thought, forcing him to grip it with both of his hands. With a grunt, he pulled the stick out from the corpse. A tendril of tarry, viscous liquid trailed from the wound, until it thinned and snapped. The two men huddled close, inspecting the golden handle. They were completely unaware that the corpse's eyes had shot open. It wasn't until one of them suddenly had a white hand about his throat that they were cognizant of the danger. Fred screamed and jumped away, watching in terror as the corpse pulled Hans closer, biting his throat ferociously. Hans spluttered and gurgled, his body convulsing before going limp. The monster remained clamped on to Hans's throat, pulling him down and slurping grotesquely.

Fred did what any sane man would do. He turned and ran, leaving the crate, the sled, and his unfortunate comrade behind.

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"Mom, tell me again about the vamps! Come on! Tell me!" Ash pleaded, tugging on his mother's mitted hand.

"No! Tell me about unicorns!" Maple insisted.

"Unicorns aren't real! Vamps are! I heard them talking! Anna saw some!" Ash insisted.

"Unicorns are so real!" Maple cried back.

"Children! Please!" Nel stressed plaintively. It had been a long trek through the night and weariness descended upon both parents. Peter sighed and smiled as he pulled their sled, keeping close so as not to lose his family in the darkness.

"Remind me again why I'm pulling the sled?" Peter asked. He eyed the six canines which ran alongside them, hopping and yipping in the moonlit snow. One of them, a wolfish mutt, came up to Rena, licking the snow off of her gloves and whining affectionately.

"They needed a break," Rena responded, patting the wolfdog on the head. He licked the fringe of snow that had formed below his nose and padded ahead to nip at one of the other dogs' heels. There was a yelp and the dogs growled at each other, but no further posturing took place.

"I think we all need a break," Nel muttered as she trudged on, keeping hold of a child with each hand lest they wander into the inky night.

"Just a little further," Rena encouraged. "Here, I'll take the sled." Grateful for the relief, Peter handed the lead to Rena. The sled, bundled down with their belongings, slid effortlessly behind her.

"If vamps are real, then why can't unicorns be real?" Maple asked, not ready to drop the fight just yet.

Stolen novel; please report.

"Maybe unicorns are," Rena said, smiling grimly. "But I've never seen one. And they might not be anything like the stories we tell."

"Are the vamps you saw like in the stories?" Ash asked. "Anna said you killed two of them!"

"Ash, stop pestering Rena," Nel cautioned.

"It's fine, Nel. I'm not bothered." Rena pulled on the lead to wrap it about her wrist for a better grip. "Well, Ash, what do you expect Vamps to be like?"

"Really tall! Kind of like men, but bald, with white skin, and their faces are all wrinkly and bumpy and they got horns too! They got fangs THIS LONG!" Ash said excitedly, holding his hands apart, although Rena could not see it from her position. He looked over his shoulder, suddenly aware of this, and raised his hands above his head. His mother made a grab for his wrist to keep him close. Ash continued, unperturbed. "And claws! They run on all fours like a dog, but can stand up like us, too! They got goats' feet. Though I've never seen a real goat. And they have glowing red eyes! And they eat people!"

"No, stupid, they don't eat people, they just drink their blood," Maple said, sniffing with the superiority afforded to her of being three years her brother's senior.

"Same thing! And they come in the darkness! They hate the sun, which is why we live in the north! Because the Bleak has covered the south, so there's Vamps everywhere!" Ash threw out his arms, accidentally hitting his mother in the thigh. Nel grabbed his hand yet again, as it had slipped out in his wild gesticulating.

Peter and Nel looked at each other then began laughing at Ash's descriptions. "Did you tell him all that?"

Peter shook his head. "Not I. I think he made those embellishments himself."

"What's so funny?" Ash asked, not sure why his terrifying description would end in laughter instead of the appropriate quaking in fear.

"Nothing, Ash. We just love you," Peter chuckled, patting his boy's head.

"So, Rena, will you tell me what you saw?" Ash asked. Maple scoffed but didn't say anything.

"They were pale. And their eyes were red, but they did not glow. One was about your Dad's height, and the other a little taller. They didn't have claws or cloven feet, and their teeth weren't that long, but they were sharp. One had some white hair, but the other was hairless. They only had ridges on their foreheads, but no horns. But you got most of it right, Ash," Rena said in a matter-of-fact tone, taking all the mystique out of her description.

Ash grumbled as he digested this itemised list of features. "I think my version was scarier."

"It was," Peter reassured.

"Does sunlight really hurt them?" Maple asked, finally joining the conversation.

"Yes," Rena affirmed.

"And mistletoe? Does it really keep them away?" Maple asked further, squeezing her mother's hand tighter.

"It stops them from passing beneath it," Rena clarified.

"So if they move around at night, why aren't we moving during the day?" Maple asked, looking around at the darkness and moving even closer to her mother, her shoulder against her mother's hip. Nel looked over her shoulder towards Rena, and then looked forward.

"Well it took us all day to get ready, and once we had everything packed, we needed to get going. And by the time day comes, we'll all be so tired," Nel explained.

"Oh. Well, why do you only put mistletoe by our room? Why don't we put it on all the doorways?" Maple pried further. Peter coughed, and the parents again shot anxious glances towards Rena. Rena just kept walking, staring straight ahead.

"Because you matter to us more than anything and we want to make sure you are safe. And it's not always easy to find mistletoe," Peter stepped in with his explanation.

"It's fine, Maple, we've got Rena. She can keep us safe!" Ash said cheerfully.

Maple snorted. "I guess..." Maple looked over her shoulder at Rena. Nel and Peter shared uneasy glances as they kept walking.

The small group of travellers finally stopped and made camp in the wee hours before sunrise. The family all worked together to get their tent up. Everyone, except for Rena, who had begun to pile up a large mound of snow near some trees.

When the tent was almost ready, Ash wandered over to Rena. "Cool! Are you building a snow fort?"

"Sort of." Rena packed some of the snow with the back of her shovel.

"Why aren't you helping us with the tent?" Ash asked further.

"There isn't room for me in your tent. So I'm making myself a quinzhee," Rena set the shovel aside and tested the firmness of the mound with her hands.

Ash looked back at the large tent, then to Rena. "You could squish in! You can share a sleeping bag with me!" Ash valiantly offered.

Rena smirked as she picked up the shovel again. "Aren't you sharing one with your sister? I don't think all three of us will fit," Rena grunted as she shored up more snow.

Ash scrunched up his nose. "Maple kicks and always has cold feet. She can share a bag with Mom."

"Then where will your Pop sleep?" Rena asked.

Ash took a moment to consider this. "Um... outside with the dogs?"

Rena laughed in spite of herself, but kept on working. "That's not very fair. The dogs kick even worse than Maple. And they drool," Rena answered good naturedly.

"Oh yeah, I guess." Ash grabbed an armful of snow and added it to Rena's pile. "Well, then, can I come sleep with you?"

"No."

"Why?"

Rena paused, turning to check what Nel and Peter were doing. Seeing Peter working on getting a fire started, and Maple and Nel finishing up securing the tent, Rena returned to the task at hand. "Because... I get so snacky in my sleep... I might eat YOU!" Rena dropped her shovel and brought up her hand like claws. "Come here!" She playfully swiped at Ash. Ash squealed in terrified delight and he ran back over to his parents.

"Rena's trying to EAT ME!"

To Ash it was all fun and games. But the reaction he got left him reeling with confusion. There was a snapping sound and his father let slip a naughty word. His mother dropped the spare stakes she was carrying, her face going pale. In moments Nel had her arms around Ash and was pulling down his hood, inspecting his neck. Maple just looked as confused as Ash was feeling.

Nel placed her hands on Ash's shoulders looking him in the eye. This was her serious face, when someone did something bad. "Ash, are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Ash blurted, bewildered. Her mother hugged him, and the bemused child just stood there. Maple didn't know what to do, so she giggled nervously. Ash looked over at his father who was sucking his finger, his hunting knife in his other hand and his flint stone discarded on the ground.

By this time Rena had walked over. She stood several feet away from Nel, who looked up fiercely at her. Nel pulled Ash away, putting herself between Rena and her child. Rena tilted her head to the side, but then in a moment her eyes widened, then narrowed. She looked down demurely.

"We were just playing a game. Sorry if that upset you," Rena said. Ash looked up, feeling the tension, but not being sure what to make of it.

"Ash, Maple, I need more sticks for the fire. Go find some," Peter said in his Father-knows-best voice. Maple turned to leave, but Ash stomped his feet in the snow and crossed his arms.

"I don't want to! I want to play with Rena."

"Ash, for once just do as your father says!" Nel said sharply. The words fell on Ash like a physical slap to the face, and he stared at his mother, mouth agape. He sniffled a few times, but then went running off after Maple.

As the two children walked side by side, Maple looked over at Ash pensively, her young face not shaped for conveying such expressions. Ash would have found it humorous if not for the dark storm cloud hanging above his head. "What?"

Maple looked straight ahead, searching for likely sticks. It was hard to find anything dry in this weather. "I think Mom's scared of Rena."

"Don't be silly! Rena is cool and she's our friend! Mom's always been nice to Rena," Ash babbled as he picked up a stick. He gave it a few swings in the air. "Hyah!" WHACK! Snow fell down from the small tree he hit. Most of the trees here were short and crooked from the constant winds.

"Then why did she get so upset?" Maple asked, glancing over her shoulder.

"Because that's what Moms do," Ash spat as he used the stick to shake a large clump of snow off of a dead bush.

"Mom loves us, you know," Maple affirmed.

"Then why does she yell at me all the time?" Ash nearly shouted, shaking his stick at Maple. Maple bent down to pick up a handful of twigs from the recently exposed dead bush.

"Because you don't listen and do dumb things!" Maple responded in a matter-of-fact voice. Ash screwed up his face at her stupid, morally superior face. He swung his stick at her, but she quickly darted behind a tree.

"TAKE THAT BACK!" Ash yelled. Maple gave a small yelp and grabbed the biggest stick she could find, and the two children clacked their sticks together in a clumsy sword fight, although to them it was as elegant and witty as a daring swashbuckler's duel.

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Once the children had gone to hunt for wood, Nel stood up, her gaze bearing down on Rena. "Whatever game you were playing, I don't think it was appropriate. It's not at all funny to joke about eating children."

Peter stood up from his crouched position by the unfinished fire, briefly taking his finger out of his mouth to speak. "Calm down, Nel. Rena'd never hurt Ash or Maple."

"No, and we make sure of it. Where's the mistletoe?" Nel demanded. Rena remained statue still, just watching Nel and Peter, wearing that mask of neutrality she'd developed over her lifetime.

"The left front pouch of the yellow rucksack," Rena said. Nel looked up at her with a frosty gaze which was colder than the night air. "Dawn's almost here. I need to finish my shelter."

"Nel..." Peter sighed his wife's name as she pulled the yellow rucksack free of the sled. "Nel!"

"What, Peter?"

"We don't need the mistletoe. It won't do much good. We put it at the front of our tent, then something could get in the back. Put it at both ends, then there's always the sides. Using the mistletoe here is a waste," Peter cautioned as Nel pulled out a leather pouch.

"Then I'll make a string that encircles the tent!" Nel said with agitated determination. Peter walked over to Nel, placing his hands over hers. He felt them shake in his grasp and he tried to catch her eyes. She kept her gaze averted, but with her husband holding her hands, there was nowhere she could go. Slowly, she lifted her gaze to stare into those loving hazel eyes.

"Let's save it for when we reach Fisham," Peter said. Nel glanced down at their hands, interlocked over the pouch she held firmly onto. She then looked back up at her husband. "Rena won't hurt our children."

"Not now, but what about when they are older? Will they be expected to take the same oaths?" Nel asked, emotion and bile rising in her throat at the thought of her sweet children embroiled in something distasteful.

"Nel, where is all this coming from? You knew before we even had children about Rena and me. You even took on the oath yourself. You've always treated Rena as one of the family until now," Peter said, mortified with the sudden change in his wife's demeanour.

"I took that oath so you didn't have to share the burden alone! But whenever she comes to us at night... it disgusts me what she does." Nel said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Hush. She can probably hear you even from over here," Peter said, fretting as he glanced over to where he saw Rena digging out a small entrance.

"So what? We'll be rid of her when we get back to Fisham," Nel snapped. Peter squeezed Nel's hands tight and pulled her closer, frowning as he looked straight into her eyes, a stern expression coming over him.

"First you were against us going back. Now you're for it? You want me to kill her?"

Nel shook her head. "No! No, I don't want you to kill her. It would hurt you too much, because I know you care about her."

"That's right, I do care about Rena." Peter said, shaking Nel, causing her to whimper. "She's like a sister to me." Peter let go of Nel, who pulled away, wiping her eyes with one hand and clinging to the pouch of mistletoe with the other.

"I'm just scared. I never realised how afraid of Rena I was until I heard about her killing two vamps by herself. And she's so composed about it. She's like them, but not. I don't really know what she is." Nel looked over, watching Rena in the distance, all that was visible of her was her rear and and feet, as the rest of her had made significant progress in her dug-out.

"I know. As an outsider that our clan took in, you never were taught everything. And when I told you that my family was bound to make blood sacrifices, you were mortified. But you stuck with me. I thank you for that," Peter said, regaining his calm. He shook his finger which began to bleed again after squeezing Nel's hands.

"She drinks blood like the vamps, but she doesn't show the other signs. And her bite hasn't infected either of us. So... what is she?"

"A true vampire."