The both of them were actually having a cheerful conversation together?

Snow and Emma stood frozen, staring with a look of skepticism and disbelief. This was not part of the plan. This was not in any of their calculations and yet...

Grey was supposed to be on their side, part of their united front. What was she doing, laughing and walking into the woods with the enemy?

******

A few dozen yards into the thickening woods, the light from the campfires was just a warm, distant glow. The undergrowth was patchy with snow, and the air was significantly colder.

"I'm sorry, but I think the both of you have wandered far enough. Would you please return to the campsite?" Grey and Amy paused when they heard an unexpected voice coming from behind them.

The voice was firm but not unkind. They turned around and saw that the speaker was actually one of the mercenaries, a broad-shouldered man with a scar across his chin, had materialized from the shadows, his hand resting loosely on the pommel of his sword.

From the looks of it, He had been tracking their progress from his post, The only reason he took action was because they'd finally crossed the line between a harmless evening stroll and a potentially dangerous venture into the woods.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't even notice how far we'd come." She quickly apologised, she was surprised she had been so absorbed in their conversation that she didn't notice.

She patted Grey on the shoulder, her expression one of shared, awkward guilt. " I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to go on and on. Looks like I got ahead of myself again..." She chuckled.

" It's alright... I'm to blame as well since I was also distracted." Grey flashed a light smile. " Thank you for stopping us in...time." she expressed her gratitude to the mercenary, who nodded in acceptance.

" It's ok, now hurry on you two. I'm sure the camp site has already been completed." His rigid face eased into a light smile. It looked like even he couldn't resist the infectious beauty of the both of them.

They nodded, the two young women then turned and began to walk back toward the circle of light and safety.

As they walked, Grey, who was a step behind Amy, subtly turned her head. She glanced back over her shoulder at the mercenary, who was watching them retreat. For a brief moment, a strange light flashed past her eyes before she faced forward again, the look gone as if it had never been.

The mercenary remained where he was for a moment longer, his brow furrowed. He rubbed the back of his own neck, a faint, uneasy prickling sensation lingering on his skin.

It had felt, for just a heartbeat, like he was being sized up by a predator far more dangerous than a pair of chatty girls. But looking at their retreating backs, one cheerful and apologetic, while the other was quiet and unassuming.

he dismissed the feeling. " The woods at night sure do play tricks on a man's nerves."

He shook his head, gave the dark trees one last sweeping look, and turned to melt back into his patrol route, the brief, strange moment already forgotten.

****"

The flickering firelight of the camp painted dramatic shadows across Snow's face as Amy and Grey returned from the tree line. Snow stood waiting, looking like a rigid ice sculpture, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

"And where have the both of you been?" she demanded, her voice as frosty as ever.

Amy, who had been walking with a relaxed gait, immediately stiffened. She rolled her eyes in reply.

" And why should I tell you?" she shot back, her chin lifting. "Weren't you the ones giving me the silent treatment all afternoon? Practically freezing me out of the carriage?"

" So now you want to talk to me?" Any added sarcastically, she still wasn't over what they had done to her earlier, it seemed.

Grey, standing slightly behind Amy, simply looked at Snow. Her expression was, as always, difficult to read, but her posture was calm. "We... were talking about darling." she stated, her voice flat and monotone, devoid of any defensive heat. "And we forgot our way. A kind man stopped us in time before we wandered too far."

Amy's shoulders slumped. She pouted, shooting a brief, exasperated look at Grey.

She'd been hoping to keep Snow simmering in her own curiosity, to return a little of the chilly treatment she'd received. Now the mystery was neatly explained, and Grey had been the one to do it. To think her new friend would ruin her chance.

"Well, you've heard it yourself," Amy said, letting out an exaggerated breath and turning her attention back to Snow. "Don't tell me you're still upset just because we were talking." But as she spoke, she noticed something that made her scrunch up her nose in annoyance. Snow's intense, assessing gaze wasn't fixed on her at all. It was locked on Grey, as if Amy were merely a buzzing fly in the room.

' Just what is her problem, anyway...' Amy began to feel as if the icy beauty Infront of her was the most exasperating person she'd ever met.

After a brief glance, Snow's eyes finally flicked to Amy, but it was a dismissive glance. "Would you please excuse us for a moment?" she said, the words polite but the tone leaving no room for interpretation.

If one didn't know any better, they would mistake her words for an order, not a request.

Amy's expression turned displeased, She took a quick half-step to the side, unconsciously positioning herself more squarely between Snow and Grey, as if physically shielding the quieter girl. "What, so you two can corner her and bully her for simply having a conversation with me?" she rebuked, her voice rising slightly.

A flash of genuine irritation crossed Snow's face. "I have no such intentions," she replied, the words edgy.

The idea of "bullying" Grey struck her as profoundly stupid, and not a little dangerous. Even without her petrifying gaze, Snow wasn't entirely confident she could best the wolf-girl in a straight fight. This wasn't about bullying, she just felt that something seemed off and wanted to have a chat with Grey.

"Please do not try to antagonize me," Snow continued, her lips pressing into a thin, bloodless line. The annoyance was curdling into something colder, more predatory. She found it truly irritating to think that someone she would've once seen as an easy meal, to actually talk back to her, not just once, but consistently.

"I simply wish to discuss a private matter with my fellow sister. I do not think that is too much to ask for, is it?"

Amy wasn't backing down. She crossed her own arms, mirroring Snow's earlier stance, a smug smile touching her lips. "And yet I find that hard to believe. If there's something you need to say to her, you can very well say it right here in front of me. After all," she added, her smile widening, "if you're not planning on going against her, there shouldn't be anything to hide, right?"

Snow's eye twitched. A sudden primal urge, to hiss, to lash out, to put this vexing human girl in her place, surged through her. Her claws itched beneath her human skin. But she bit the inside of her cheek, the pain slowly grounding her.

Regarding what she wished to know, She couldn't ask the real question here, unlike what Amy expected, All Snow wanted to know was how come Grey seemed so different all of a sudden, of course it wasn't something that needed to be hidden and yet, she simply didn't want it to seem as if she was giving in to the human female.

And even if her prying thought's accidentally revealed their true nature, snow had no idea that this "outsider" was the daughter of the village doctor, the very man who kept a hidden basement of supernatural skeletons and performed blood magic. If she had known, her approach might have been far different than it was now.

The tense standoff was broken by a soft, clear voice.

"You want to know why we were heading into the forest."

It was Grey. She had been silent throughout the exchange, watching them volley words back and forth like a spectator. Now she decided to speak.

Both Amy and Snow, halted their exchange and shifted they're attention towards her.

"There's nothing to explain to her, Grey," she said quickly, stepping closer and placing a reassuring hand on Grey's arm. She felt as if Grey was feeling pressured into talking.

"Don't let her intimidate you. You don't have to say anything." She then glared at Snow and Emma, who had silently appeared at Snow's shoulder like a small, green shadow. "I'm warning you both, if you try anything, I'll tell Adri

an and Aunty Melissa immediately–"

"I only wanted to get rid of her." Grey said all of a sudden.

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