Chapter 16

The air was cold, bone chilling and sharp, even as the sun reached it's highest peak in the sky. Corliss pulled the gray wool cloak she had been given closer to her. Stumbling over a branch from a tree in the process. At once three sets of hands reached out to steady her. Corliss flinched habitually away from their touch. Her life long fear having yet to disappear completely.

"Are you all right?" Corliss nodded, looking away from the concerned brown eyes, and down at the tree branch she had tripped on. It was an Elder tree branch, an appropriate reminder for everything that was happening to her.

Transformation and regeneration, the second meaning behind the Elder tree.

All of it was difficult to fully understand, yet for her mother's sake she was trying. For her mother, Corliss was now walking through the woods being escorted by three of the Beast-man her village feared, and she was doing it willingly. Yet, she wasn't being led through the woods on a week long journey solely for her mother either. No, Corliss felt like she had to do this for Elana's sake as well. To prove that the last words she had whispered to the older girl, on her way out of the wolves lair, were true.

Endings and death, the first meaning behind the Elder tree.

That was where Corliss felt she had been at when she had been dragged around the never ending halls of the wolves castle. Being tossed into a room bigger than the whole of her house, her two Beast-man guards at the door. For Corliss, she had believed that her world was at it's end. Her face swollen and her eyes red from her constant crying. sore and voice hoarse from her useless screaming. The night of her collection, Corliss had fallen asleep in the large, canopy surrounded bed with the fear and understanding that she would not live to see the end of the week. Her life was at its end, taken from her by the hands of monsters.

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Corliss awoke to the sound of soft knocking against her door. Not caring enough to answer, she rolled over pulling one of the many pillows over her head, to block out the sound. Corliss knew that even if she didn't answer, the Beast-man would just enter anyway. The sound of the door creaking open, proving her thoughts, it was exactly as she expected. They had probably come to kill her, or do some other unthinkable thing. Corliss waited, expecting someone to talk to her, or grab her off of the bed. When nothing happened she lifted her head up looking around the room. Her eyes settling on a sight she had not expected at all. Standing in the middle of the room was a girl dressed up in a blue velvet cloak. She was making wild gestures with her hands, talking in whispers to a wolf. Corliss gulped, inching away from the two. The village never said that there were female Beast-men.

Corliss slipped down from the bed, the second her foot hit the floor, the wolf turned to look at her. It’s silvery gray eyes seemingly warning her to stop moving. Corliss froze, looking up from the wolf towards the girl who was nervously shifting from foot to foot. Almost like she didn't want to be in the room. Corliss bit her bottom lip, a trick of some kind she thought.

Tired of the silence in the room, the wolf moved behind the girl shoving her towards Corliss. The girl let out a small squeal of surprise, before sending a glare at the wolf behind her. She turned towards Corliss, avoiding direct eye contact. She her lips, and cleared . "Um, ah... Hi. Uh, I brought you some breakfast. Well actually Kyungsoo was bringing it, but then Xiumin stopped him and they had this silent conversation, and somehow I ended up bringing you the food." Corliss watched confused, as the girl rambled on about things Corliss didn't understand.

"Who are you?" The words slipped from Corliss's mouth before she could stop them. "Are you one of them too?" The girl paused her rambling finally giving direct eye contact. She straightened her posture, reaching one of her hand out towards the wolf, its fur. Something Elana had taken to doing when she was nervous.

"Uh, Elana. My name is Elana, and I'm not really sure what you mean by 'one of them.'"

Corliss gestured towards the wolf standing next to Elana. "Them, are you a Beast-man too?"

Elana heaved a heavy sigh, bringing her hands up to rub away the on-coming headache. She had wanted to talk to this girl, to make sure she was okay, and to ask why she was even here. It was a chance to get some much needed answers on her part. But the mention of werewolves made her regret even entering the room. No wonder they had let her in after telling her to stay away. Corliss watched, barely catching the words that slipped from Elana's mouth, "Not another one."

Corliss frowned, not really understanding Elana's response, "What do you mean when you say that?"

Elana hummed in discomfort, she hadn't meant for that to be heard. "No, I'm not a werewolf, or Beast-man. Whatever you want to call it, either way they don't actually exist. I hate to break it to you, whatever your name is, but it's nothing but a fairy tale."

This was definitely a trick, Corliss knew Beast-man were real. She had seen it. "You are lying. I have seen them transform between men and wolves. I saw it happen multiple times. You can not say they are not real when I have seen it." Corliss didn't want what Elana had suggested to be true. For if that was the case, everything her village had been forced to undergo would have been for naught. Despite her fear and anger at such a claim, her curiosity was also high. For if this girl before her was not a Beast-man, than what was she? And why was she here? Before she had the chance to ask, Elana spoke.

"What's your name?"

"Corliss McCrae"

"Okay Corliss, so we'll say werewolves actually exist, and they're the ones that brought you here. Do you know why you are here? Does it have something to do with the Collection Luhan and Kris talked about?" Elana sat down at the table where she had placed the tray of food Kyungsoo had prepared. Gesturing for Corliss to sit in the seat opposite of her.

Xiumin who had been sitting quietly throughout the conversation, began to panic, this plan of his had not worked out the way he had wanted. Elana was asking questions to someone who didn't know the whole story. Corliss, wouldn't give the right answer, she didn't know the real reason behind the Collection. She was brought here by request of someone else. He couldn't let her answer, but he didn't know how to stop them without scaring anyone. He had to get someone else in here. Silently he slinked away towards the door. Hoping one of his brothers was nearby.

"You know Kris and Luhan?" Corliss knew everyone in her town, the fact that she didn't recognize Elana proved she wasn't from Daor Town. So then how did Elana know them? Did that mean that Luhan and Kris were behind the Collection too.

"Well, I wouldn't say that I know them. I was traveling past the area, and they took me in for a night. But if you know them, then I was right in guessing you are here for the Collection. So what's the point of that thing anyway?"

Corliss, noticing the large wolf had left, finally moved to sit at the table. Relief that Elana was just a traveler spread across her body. If she hadn't been a traveler, than Corliss would have believed that Kris and Luhan were beasts wearing sheepskin. That didn't seem to be the case, thankfully. "Well, to tell you the truth, I am not entirely sure what the Collection is. All I know is that it is supposed to keep the peace between the Beast-man and Daor Town. Every full moon, they enter into our town and take a single female from her house. It is terrifying," Corliss's voice dropped off at the end of the word. A new thought crossing her mind. "Wait, you should know all of this. You live with them, do you not?"

Elana shook her head, "No, like I said I was traveling through your town. I was kidnapped by them on my way out. I've actually only been here for a few days."

"That is weird. I have never heard of them doing such a thing. Is that why you want to know about the Collection?"

Elana nodded, honestly though it was much more complicated than that. She wanted to know what the Collection was in order to see if she could trust them. They may not hurt her, but Elana couldn't stay with murderers.

"Well, I do not know what either of our fates will be, but do not trust them. For there is one thing I do know, a