Sitting up straight, Clara cracked her back. Sitting in a downward position for an amount of time was making her feel the need to stretch her body. Kai's heavy backpack she carried wasn't helping either.

The afternoon sun shined down through the trees. Clara squinted her eyes when she accidentally looked up to see the sun staring back at her.

"Shouldn't have done that." She muttered under her breath as she glanced down, her eyes adjusting as she glanced away from the ball of light in the sky.

Kai ran beside Cage, and Clara watched as he suddenly slowed. His ears moved up, and his eyes darted around the forest ahead.

"Stop." Kai said, and Clara realized he was speaking to Cage and her.

Cage stopped and waited for Kai to make a move.

"What is it?" Clara asked quietly.

"I don't know." Clara could hear Kai's confused tone of voice.

A loud breathy snarl engulfed the silence around the four travelers. Cage turned around quickly and tried to pinpoint where the snarl had come from.

When Cage turned back around, Clara watched in horror as a large dark brown animal pounced on Orion. It's teeth tore into the flesh on his right shoulder and upper chest, lifting him up in the air and sending him flying backwards.

When the beast let Orion go, it glanced up and stood on two legs. It's mouth opened wide as it released it's anger in a growl.

The beasts' head was large, and it's small ears were mangled. It's eyes glowed a dark red, and it's teeth were sharp to the point that it didn't seem natural. A vampiric bear.

"I thought bears were your greatest fear? It doesn't seem like you're that afraid." Cage had a split second to possibly say something insightful or helpful. Instead, he decided to laugh.

Clara jumped down from Cage's back and dropped Kai's backpack on the ground. She unsheathed the dagger at her side and courageously looked the large beast in the eye. It glanced down at her and the red glowing blade in her hand.

"This isn't funny Cage." Clara began to panic as the bear stalked forward towards her, twigs and sticks snapping beneath it's feet.

Cage jumped on the bear, his canines tearing into some of the bears mangled flesh and fur. His action gave Clara enough time to run behind the beast and fall to her knees beside Orion, who laid unconscious on the ground.

"Orion, Orion!" Clara gently shook Orion and held his face in her hands. The wound on his chest was starting to heal, but he had lost too much blood to stay conscious. His blue eyes opened and flashed a dark red.

"You look beautiful when your hair is a mess." Orion said to Clara as his eyes closed once more.

"That's very nice of you to say, but you have to get up Orion! Please." Clara begged, the thought of him dying in her arms made her distraught. No, no, he was going to be okay.

"It stings." Orion groaned as his head thrashed a bit. He gripped his stomach as he sat up and dry heaved, before vomiting up a small amount of blood.

"Are you okay?" Clara asked as she looked over her shoulder to see Kai and Cage fending off the dark bear.

The bear knocked Cage to the ground and pinned his body with its weight. Cage moved away just in time when the beast swooped down to try and bite him.

"I'm fine Clara, just go. Hide somewhere safe." Orion doubled over in pain as he growled at Clara to get away.

"I'm not leaving!" Clara refused and turned away from Orion.

While the bear growled and clawed it's way towards Kai, Clara realized that the creature had a blind spot. It's back. Specifically an area just below it's neck.

A deep breath in, a slow exhale. Maybe Clara was going out on a limb to think she could really take down the bear while it's back was turned.

Clara got a running start and charged towards the bear. She jumped and drove the dagger through the thick, calloused skin just below the back of it's neck. Her body slammed against the creature, and the weight of her body caused the dagger to cut deeper.

The beast cried out, and the wound Clara had caused on it's back was starting to heal around the glowing blade. With a slow delay, the bear fell forward and the front of it's body hit the ground with a loud thud.

Clara tore the dagger from the healing wound she had caused and reached up to bring the blade down, piercing the head of the animal on the ground.

It was confusing as to why blood had spilled from the wound of the beast. Clara had recalled that when she used the blade against vampires, the stab wounds and cuts didn't bleed. They didn't bleed like Orion or the beast beneath her.

Clara glanced up to see Cage staring at her with admiration in his eye. Even as a wolf, Clara could imagine what he would say to her right now if he was in human form.

Gripping onto a patch of the beasts' skin for leverage, Clara climbed off of it's back quickly and took her dagger back. This time, the head wound didn't look to be healing.

"Top that." Clara breathed confidently, and wiped her hands on the fabric of her pants.

Clara petted Cage's head gently. Blood and small amounts of the bears saliva covered his white fur.

"Are you mad at me for doing that?" Clara asked Cage.

"Yes. It was dangerous." Cage responded.

"But it worked-" Clara said before she was suddenly pushed aside and slammed to the ground by Cage. It all happened so quickly.

Before Clara could react, the bear had got up from the ground and spotted her a few feet away. Cage had knocked Clara out of the way and he took the blow that could've killed her.

Kai fended off the bear as Clara threw her body over Cage's to protect him from any further harm. Her small frame in comparison to Cage's wolf wasn't going to protect him from much,  but she still guarded him as tears began to stream down her face.

"It isn't healing." Clara sobbed as she glanced at the five deep claw marks on Cage's neck. He breathed as he looked up at Clara with his green eye.

"It's okay Clara." Cage said. He sounded as if he was having trouble breathing.

"I'm so sorry." Clara sat close to Cage.

"It's okay." He said again, his eyes closing slowly. Clara sobbed loudly and stroked his head with her hands.

"No. Cage, why do I get the feeling that you're telling me goodbye?" Clara asked, her eyes red with tears.

"Do you really think I would die from a few scratches?" Cage laughed before coughing a bit. Clara breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes." She said.

"Then you really don't know me darling." Cage began to get up off of the ground.

"Don't scare me like that again!" Clara wiped her tears away and stood up.

The bear had retreated into the woods once Kai had scared it enough. Orion stood and watched as Clara glanced around the forest. She shoved her hands in her pockets and realized that something she thought she had was missing. Her mother's locket.

"What's wrong?" Cage asked.

Orion took a step forward. As he did, his boot came down on something that made a cracking sound on impact. He bent down and gently picked up the broken locket on the ground beneath his boot.

"I'm so sorry! It was an accident." Orion realized the look of anger on Clara's face was directed towards him.

"Is it yours?" Cage asked, but Clara didn't respond. She raced over to Orion and took the broken piece of jewelry from his hands.

"It's okay. I should have noticed that it fell out of my pocket sooner." Clara sighed.

The pieces of the shiny gold heart locket shimmered in the sun. The small picture of Clara's father was staring back at her, and her eyes scanned over the image. She smiled as she laid eyes on her fathers toothy smile and seemingly kind eyes.

With her free hand, Clara flipped over one of the sides of the locket shell. She gasped when a small red- diamond cut crystal fell out of the back of the piece. She never would have guessed that there was a stone secretly hidden away in the locket.

"Can you fix it?" Orion asked, a look of guilt on his face.

"Shhh. . ." Clara shushed him as she dropped the pieces of the locket on the ground. She held onto the small red crystal and examined it further.

"What are you-"

"Look at this. . . it was in the back of the locket." Clara held out her palm and Orion quickly studied the stone.

"Have you ever seen it before?" Orion asked.

"No."

Cage drew near and looked to Clara. He suddenly remembered what he had read. Hidden away, the crystal of blood must be in place before it drains.

"Hold the stone up to your dagger." He commanded, his eye narrowed in fascination.

Clara obeyed Cage's command and pulled the dagger from her side. She gently placed the red stone beside the blade in her hand. Nothing happened.

Turning to Cage quickly, Clara felt the sharp blade in her hand accidentally pierce her skin. She whimpered when she realized what she had mistakenly done.

The drop of blood that dribbled out of the small cut on Clara's hand fell onto the daggers silver blade. It glowed a dark red, darker than the color it usually glowed when Tallahi vampires were near. The glowing blade seemed to soak up the blood from Clara's hand. Beside it, the red stone suddenly shifted and melted into the daggers handle. Clara couldn't help but remain silent as she watched the stunning crystal become a part of the dagger.

"Divin and Divant were right about the dagger. . . perhaps he we right about you too." Cage sidled up to Clara and nuzzled his large head against the side of her neck.

The cut on Clara's palm healed after a few moments, and the dagger in her hands stopped it's crimson glow when it did.

"I don't understand why I'm healing so fast. . ." Clara shook her head and gently slid the dagger back into it's sheath. She held onto the small stone that had detached from the blade.

"I wish I knew." Orion said.

"Are you okay to travel on foot? I know that you're hurt." Clara asked Orion as she tucked the red crystal into her satchel.

"It's healing." Orion took off his torn shirt.

Clara quickly glanced away from Orion's upper torso. She walked over to the backpack she had dropped on the ground and pulled out one of Kai's black shirts. She walked over and gave it to Orion, avoiding eye contact.

"I do hope we don't encounter another scary bear." Cage said as he laid down, ready for Clara to climb aboard his back once more.

"That was another thing I lied about. Turns out, I'm not afraid of bears. I mean, that one was pretty scary, but if it had been any other bear, I would have been fine." Clara hugged herself and sauntered over to Cage rather slowly.

"The more you know." Cage purred.

"I thought you were mad at me?" Clara looked confused.

"And I still am. . . sort of."

"Fine. Stay mad at me. I'll walk the rest of the way." Clara huffed and turned away from Cage. She picked up and slipped on Kai's backpack.

Cage snuck up behind Clara. In one motion, he bent his head down and lifted her body up with his gentle canines. He swung her body and she yelped when she realized how her body slid down Cage's back. She gripped onto the fur of his neck out of fear.

"You're the worst travel companion I could have asked for."

"You'll chance you're mind about that soon enough." Cage retorted as he trotted forward.

Kai and Orion followed behind Cage. He picked up speed as he continued forward. The journey wasn't over just yet.