"How are you feeling?" Stella asked Gabriel.

Gabriel shrugged. He had a snarl stuck on his face since he took a look at his surroundings.

Stella didn't bother encouraging him to speak. He is how he is. It was still getting late. Time didn't stop. They had to move.

"How far until the barrier?" Gabriel asked. He didn't look away from the dark forest in front of him.

"Not far now. My tribe kept a, rather, large barrier. A few hundred feet that way." Stella pointed into the forest.

Gabriel nodded. Her people couldn't have lived along the river. The moon splashed light along the river's edge. They could see where they were going. Gabriel took his pack off and started to dig in it. "If we're going to be blind, we may as well try to see." He grumbled. He pulled out a flashlight and turned it on.

Stella jumped back. "What is that?" She gasped.

"Yeah. You come face to face with a Yaksha and you don't even blink. But this frightens you?" He shook his head and let out a single chuckle.

Stella looked at him with wide eyes. "How did you do that? You better not have captured a poor creature!" She frowned.

"No. It's a flashlight. It has a light bulb and uses a battery." Gabriel shut it off then on, again. "Why haven't you seen this? You were fine with the light bulbs in the house."

"They don't move. We use lanterns with fire oil. Fire can move. But it doesn't look like that." Stella walked over to Gabriel. She reached out her hand and grabbed the flashlight. "It's strange that you would need to carry a piece of your house. Do you get home sick?"

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "No. I don't get home sick. It's a flashlight. It's basic. Can I have it back? I'd rather you dissect it when we're finished using it." Gabriel held out his hand.

Stella looked at him and placed the flashlight back in his hand. "You must be careful in there." She turned around and looked into the forest. "Some creatures are more wicked than others. Keep your eyes open. Sometimes the smallest of things can be the most deadly."

"We got away from the Ananliet, what's on this side?"

"Ymirhi." Stella's voice was low.

"What's that?"

"A witch. Let's go now. The faster we get through the barrier, the better." Stella walked forward.

Gabriel stared at Stella. He's heard of witches. He's dealt with one. But, something in his gut told him the witch he'd dealt with would be nothing compared to this Ymirhi. There was a tone in Stella's voice, he noted, that made him nervous.

Stella stopped walking just outside the forest. She turned her head and spoke, quietly, over her shoulder. "You mustn't speak her name in the trees." She took a deep breath and stepped into the dark woods.

Gabriel hesitated. He followed her, not knowing what to expect. He's been in different places. He's seen his fair share of things. But, for some reason, he's been seeing a lot of new ones since he's been in Stella's company. The Yaksha wouldn't have attacked him, before. It hadn't. He's come across one in Asia. Why there's one here in Canada, he didn't know. Maybe Stella was right about the creatures being on edge? Maybe she's the one who caused all of the attacks? They don't seem to bother her. And what is this about a barrier? The Rén de xìn that he knows don't have one. Gabriel's suspicions were starting to show. But, for now, he had to hide it. He wanted to see what she had to show.

Stella said the barrier was only a few hundred feet away. They walked in silence, at first. Gabriel hoped to hear some wildlife, but there was none.

They heard branches snapping, like something was falling through them. Stella stopped walking. Gabriel pointed his finger at her to tell her to stay put. He crept into the trees and disappeared into the dark.

Stella waited anxiously. The forest was silent. The branches breaking was the only sound they heard. There were no crickets, no bats sounding off their echo-location, nothing.

Stella heard another branch break on her right. She closed her eyes. Nothing. She opened her eyes, still nothing. Then, something grabbed her from behind. Stella gasped. Her body was being pushed into the direction they were going. Her feet stumbled.

"Move!" Gabriel growled in her ear. "It knows we're here."

Stella struggled to turn her body, she started to run in front of Gabriel. They were less than a hundred feet away from the barrier, and Stella hoped it was still holding.

After running for less than a minute, Stella stopped.

Gabriel nearly ran into her. "What are you doing? I told you to run!"

"The barrier is still up. We can't go through with fear or anger. We have to stop and omit those emotions."

"Yeah, you're going to have to explain that to me when we're not being chased." Gabriel looked behind them.

Stella turned around. "What is back th......."

Gabriel shoved her and dove after her.

Stella rolled over onto her back and propped herself up on her elbows. She looked at the barrier.

Gabriel jumped to his feet and turned around, ready to fight.

They saw nothing. Only a veil that looked like water running across glass. Gabriel walked over to the wall, slowly. He reached out and touched it. It was water. It was cold, like glacier water, and clear. It ran around his finger tips.

"What is that?" Stella asked. She seen a silouhette through the water. It was a, rather, large figure. It stood on the other side of the barrier.

Gabriel stepped back. "It's a friggin' Harpy!" He exclaimed. "They are NOT nice creatures! Can it get in?"

"Not if it has ill-intent toward us in here." Stella explained. "This barrier was used to hide our home and protect us."

"Right. Well, where to, now?" Gabriel turned and looked at Stella. He shrugged tossed his arms out at his sides and let them drop.

Stella got up off the ground still staring at the silouhette. "Although, I don't know how the other creatures got in. There could be a rupture somewhere." She frowned, curious.

"Right. So, let's go, then." Gabriel started to walk. "How big is your territory? I'm wondering if we should make camp."

She looked at him. "Not that far from here. It extends to the back for farming. It's just beyond those trees." She pointed.

They began to walk. Stella knew that she should feel safe within the boundary, but she didn't. Something was lurking and it pounded at her gut.

Gabriel felt something was up with Stella. He kept looking over at her. He wondered what she was hiding. At least, for now, they can relax.

They approached a clearing. Stella continued walking, without hesitation. Gabriel was feeling apprehensive. He wanted to cut and run, he didn't know why. A gurgling happened in his stomach. He felt sick.

"This is terrible." Gabriel commented. He walked into the clearing and looked around. Their homes were in shambles. Piles of wood and rope on the ground. Smoke rose from sporadic pits and rocks were tossed about. A lot of the wood was burnt some were still standing. Clothes were strewn about. Canned food was smashed on the ground and fish were rotting. Gabriel frowned. He looked over at Stella.

Stella stared at the mess. Her shoulders, slowly, fell. She bowed her head.

Gabriel didn't know what to say to her, or if there was anything he could say. He watched her as she fell into herself.

"We should make camp." Gabriel suggested. He didn't know what else to say to her.

Stella's shoulders raised then fell. She lifted her head and nodded. "There a bit of shelter over there." She pointed across the rubble.

There, stood part of a shed-roofed house. It was enough for them to sleep in comfortably.

Gabriel nodded. "I'll start a fire." He started toward the broken wood and torn rope. He gathered a few broken pieces and found a pit close to the partial house. He threw the wood in and went to a smouldering pit that was thirty feet away. He pulled out a piece of embering wood and brought back to the pit by the shelter and placed it in with the rest. He dug in his pack and pulled out a knife and started cutting pieces of rope to use as tinder.

"I want to sleep." Stella said. She walked into the shelter and started to move some of the rubble out.

Gabriel continued to start a fire.

"I am tired. I won't make a lot of space for you." Stella continued to work.

"Don't worry about it. I'll stay up to keep watch." Gabriel said. He managed to start a fire.

Stella stopped working. "Keep watch for what?" She looked at Gabriel.

Gabriel turned and looked at her. "For anything that might attack us."

"You needn't worry about that." Stella started moving things again. "The barrier is still in tact. That means someone let those creatures in."

Gabriel didn't move. He thought about what she said. He stood up and walked to the shelter. "You sure about that? You weren't sure this morning."

Stella nodded. "Yes. I am sure. If they broke through the barrier, it wouldn't be standing."

Gabriel thought. He wondered if she was the one who let them in.She just said that there may be a rupture, why he certain now there isn't one? If what she says is true, someone else had to have escaped. How else would the barrier still be standing? Gabriel was intrigued by what he'd experienced, so far. He was going to let the Rén de xìn know about it. They never told him of some of what Stella mentioned to him. He's always had the understanding that he'd come across new creatures as he travelled. But things have changed. There were creatures in this forest that shouldn't be in this part of the world. Maybe he would find some answers within this territory. Gabriel added more wood to the fire and started helping Stella remove the rubble from the shelter. He decided he would question her later about the barrier and how she changed her mind about the possible rupture.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Stella remained quiet.

"I'm sorry."

Stella continued clearing a space. She didn't respond.

"I'd rather you take the wall. I'll sleep by the opening." Gabriel kicked some rocks out.

Stella went to the wall and layed down.

Gabriel moved a few more things and layed down by the opening. He hoped he could trust her and go to sleep. He was tired, still, from earlier. Then a thought came to him, where are the bodies? If the attack was as gruesome as Stella said, why hadn't he seen any bodies? He wanted to take a better look in the morning. For now, while he could, he'd sleep.

A white butterfly fluttered by Gabriel's face. He watched it. It flitted off and landed on the ground. Gabriel didn't move, he stared at it. Another butterfly went past his face and landed on the ground next to the first. This one was blue. They both twitched their wings and started to move strangely. They became a liquid. A form started to take shape in the liquid. Gabriel sat up and stared in awe. The form swayed from left to right, it curled forward then straightened again. Two limbs stretched out on either side as it grew taller. Gabriel reached over and tapped Stella, only, she wasn't there. He jerked his body to look where Stella lay. She was gone. Gabriel jumped to his feet ready to fight. He looked at the form again, it looked humanoid now. Two arms, two legs, a head, there were no definitions, yet. He scrambled to his bag. What did he have that could fight this thing off? He had nothing he knew of. He didn't even know what it was.

The form stopped moving and growing. Gabriel could see it was starting to show some definition. Gabriel held his breath. He leaned back, shocked. He couldn't believe it. It was Stella, except, half her body was gold.

She walked toward him. Gabriel didn't move. He stared at her, wondering what she was.

Gabriel shot up from his wooden bed. He looked around. The sky was still dark. He looked over at Stella, she was still there. He frowned at her. She was facing him and was sleeping, still. Gabriel looked at her carefully. She looked normal. Gabriel looked down at the ground and rubbed his eyes and forehead. He was confused. He shook his head.

A sound echoed through the shelter. A crunch of leaves. Gabriel's ears pricked. He looked at Stella again to make sure she really was still sleeping. She was. He stood up and stepped out into the open. He clenched his fists. He heard the leaves again. He couldn't tell which way it was coming from, it echoed all around him.

"It's from outside the barrier." Stella said.

Gabriel continued to look for the sound. "You sure?" He asked.

"Yes. It echoed because of the barrier. It's fluid-like. Like water. That sound could be a bird."

"That loud?"

"As I said, the barrier is fluid-like. It can sound like you're under water. It's how the sounds echo and seem louder than it is. It's okay. Go back to sleep. Nothing can get in here." Stella tried to reassure.

"What if something was locked in? Gabriel asked suspiciously.

"Then it would've attacked us while we slept. Come. Go back to sleep. You need your rest." Stella's voice remained calm.

Gabriel still hadn't looked at her. He was having a hard time believing the loud sound was a bird outside the barrier. Maybe she was right. Maybe it was a bird. He's never been in this dome before. He sighed and walked back into the shelter. He sat down and looked at stella, again. She still looked normal. She wasn't a liquid, nor was she half gold. He was puzzled. He had a strange dream that seemed real. Gabriel layed down and closed his eyes. He had hoped that Stella was right. It was something outside the barrier. She wasn't wrong about one thing, he needed his rest. He was attacked twice and was still feeling weak. Gabriel tried to relax as he closed his eyes. Memories of the colourful butterflies and birds that attacked him across the river paraded around in his head. He snorted and fell asleep.