Erik set the swing gently rocking. "I can't think of any reason that's reassuring," he said quietly. "Where's Hauna?"

The figure was maybe a hundred yards away, now, but Erik still couldn't identify it. He couldn't even tell whether it was a man or a woman. It didn't walk like anyone he knew, though.

"I told her to play in her room... and not to come out no matter what she heard." Mela said soft as she watched the figure worriedly. Who could this be? Why were they here? Did they know she was here? How? It just didn't make sense... this was a bit away from town and the ranger station... why would anyone be walking out this way?

"Good," Erik said quietly. Raising his voice, he addressed the stranger. "Welcome, friend. May we be of assistance?"

The stranger shook its head and continued to advance.

"What business do you have with us?"

Still, the stranger was silent.

Erik stood up and drew his sword. "I do not wish to harm you," he tried.

Again, there was no response.

With a battle cry meant more to steel his nerves and spike his adrenaline than to frighten the stranger, Erik leaped off the porch and charged. The stranger made no move for defense-- just continued to walk as though Erik had not just shoved his sword through his--her? its?-- heart.

"Mela, Erik said, refusing to let go of his sword hilt even though the stranger's momentum kept him from pulling it out. "Get Hauna and go as far from this place as you can. Take the horses with you."

"What about you?" Mela said worriedly as she watched what was going on and wondered if this was a creature like the wolf they had just killed or if this was something else.

"Which of us does Hauna need more?" Erik asked, still struggling to pull his sword from the chest.

He put his full weight into it and finally managed to retrieve his sword, but he fell backward in the process. The sword came out covered in green ooze that steamed. The stranger turned and continued to walk-- toward Mela, Erik realized.

He scrabbled to his feet and shoved the stranger down, stabbing at anything he could reach. The stranger made no sound, no move of self-preservation; it simply kept struggling to stand. Erik refused to let that happen.

Mela frowned and was about to turn into the house when she saw the green ooze and suddenly her body locked up and fear sprang into her eyes. That blood... the green blood... the stuff that nearly killed her just a week before... how could it still be alive? Why was it still alive? Why was it here?

"Mela," Erik's voice was harsh from exertion. "We don't have time to argue about this. Go!"

He attempted to decapitate the creature, but its hood got in the way.

Erik was seconds away from all-out panic. How could he kill something that wouldn't die? It had to be magical. How else would it and its ilk cause so much damage to Mela?

If only he could figure out who or what was sending them.

Whose magic was green in these parts?

Mela could barely hear... more or less see, what was he saying to her? Why couldn't she move? Why couldn't she see? She suddenly realized that her vision had blurred and that her body was refusing to respond... had she passed out? No... she could still feel her weak legs under her... what was going on? Why couldn't she think straight. As she struggled to answer these questions and tried to will her body to turn around and go in the house she had a sudden realization... this monster... she had seen it's eyes before... long ago it seemed.... when she had first found Hauna... that's when the attacks started to escalate... was there a connection to Hauna and this monster?

Erik couldn't understand Mela's hesitation until he looked up and saw her eyes. He couldn't place his finger on it, but they were different, as though she no longer had control over them.

Erik reached into his boot for his knife, stuck it into one of the stab wounds he'd created, and felt around for the creature's heart.

A strike to the heart would end this creature, wouldn't it?

He couldn't help screaming as his skin came into contact with that corrosive green blood.

Slowly Mela regained control but instead of running inside she ran over to Erik and pulled him away from the creature. "I don't know what you are, but I know you can understand me, I don't know what connection you have with Hauna but I don't care, you can't have her." she said sternly and was pretty sure that's what this creature was after.

Erik wiped his hand and arm on the grass he'd fallen onto; it disintegrated almost instantly. His hand had deep burns on it, and he couldn't quite get the blood off, so it was bound to suffer even more damage. He was going to have to fight left-handed.

He vaguely heard Mela yelling at the creature, saying something about Hauna. He'd tried to speak to it earlier, and it had not responded; what would it say to Mela?

More importantly, how could he, as a non-magical person, take out something that was? How could they find its source?

"Erik you need to go inside and clean your arm up, I'll keep this thing away from the house." Mela said as she glared at the creature and made it clear that what she was saying wasn't a request, it was a demand.

(you could have the creature talk if you like XD )

"A creature like that nearly killed you without even trying that hard," Erik panted. "No, I'm staying."

With an effort, he clenched his hand into a fist and tackled the creature, driving his good hand under its ribcage. Stabbing its heart hadn't killed it, but surely the ... thing ... couldn't survive without it?

"Eric stop your arm's gonna burn off." Mela said worriedly and honestly did want to know what the creature was after but it didn't seem to know how to even speak in wolf.

With a cry of triumph, Erik yanked out the heart and held it up like a trophy. He rolled off the creature and stood up, then reconsidered and knelt to use dirt to get the blood off his hands.

"Let's see you walk that off," he crowed.

The creature stirred and began to haul itself unsteadily to its feet, preparing to do just that.

(WINNN!!!! XD )

Mela hissed when the creature got back to it's feet and shifted into her animal form and tackled it to the ground snarling in it's face and putting one of her paws to it's throat and tried to snap it's neck. Why wouldn't this thing die?!

The heart in Erik's hand hissed as if to mimic Mela and vaporized, leaving a small burned patch of grass behind it.

"This creature has organs but doesn't need them," Erik murmured. "Formed by magic, it can only be killed by magic."

His heart sank. He knew nothing of the mystic arts. He fought with flesh and blood. His only magical property was his ability to heal, and that surely couldn't-- could it?

He closed his eyes and tried to remember what his parents had taught him about his gift.

Mela snarled and couldn't tell if she had killed the beast or not... she didn't think it was moving but maybe it was just playing dead?

"Magic, Mela!" Erik yelled. "Do you have any magic?"

The creature was still, not breathing or making any movement, but if it had survived the loss of its heart, Erik had a cold feeling that a loss of oxygen wouldn't be much of a problem, either.

"Magic?.... um... I... I can heal others but that's just about it." Mela said honestly and didn't move. The creature wasn't moving... was it finally dead? It wasn't breathing and it wasn't moving... hopefully it was dead... hopefully.

"Do you think you could reverse it?"

"I don't think so... but it's not moving... maybe it's finally dead?" Mela said softly but didn't dare get up off of the creature yet fearing that it might not be dead.

"Let's just get out of here," Erik said, focusing on the adrenalin coursing through his body. "Get the Hauna and the horses while I clean off my hands."

"What are we going back to the station?" Mela asked as she stood and walked over to Erik and softly touched his arm forcing her powers to work so she could heal him slightly. It worked but only half way... he would still need to clean and bandage his arms though.

"I ... " Erik thought a minute. "I don't know. But we cannot stay here."

He looked ruefully back at the thing on his doorstep. "This one was easily defeated, but it found us with no effort. Whatever comes next won't be so easy."