A white and purplish blur raced through the forest, never faltering as they moved. The Kindred were heading towards their next mark, which lay deep in the forest, where few people resided. Lamb and Wolf came to a halt as they stood outside a small cottage. The brick of the small house was white, and it had a thatched roof to protect the residents from rain.

“Little Lamb, our next Mark is in here?” Wolf asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

“Indeed, dear Wolf,” she replied lightly before slipping in through a window.

Wolf let out a throaty laugh before leaping in after her. Lamb moved silently across wooden floorboards, and Wolf followed at her side. “Will I get to chase?” he asked as they came to a halt in front a wooden door, which was left open just a crack.

Lamb turned to face him, her mask’s eye holes glowing blue as she tilted her head. “Let’s find out.” The white figure pushed the door open and the twin essences of death entered the room.

The room’s walls were colorful, with splotches of red, blue and yellow paint dappling the otherwise white walls. A few toys and a rocking horse were put neatly into a corner of the room and a large bed took up the majority of the space that was left. As the Kindred moved towards the bed, Lamb stood still on a plain black rug and the two peeked into the bed.

Nearly buried beneath the covers was a small girl, most likely no older than five. Her curly red hair was neatly arranged around her face, almost like a picture frame. As Lamb and Wolf looked at her, the little girl’s eyes opened and her brilliant blue eyes looked from Lamb to Wolf and back before she smiled. “Lamb and Puppy!” she brushed her hair away from her face as she went to sit up in her bed. She was unable to though and simply breathed heavily before shivering her way deeper into the blanket.

“Puppy?” Wolf questioned as he moved towards the side of her bed. “I am no pup. I am Wolf.”

Lamb moved towards the other side of her bed. “Now, Ione Sutter, you must choose. My arrow?” she asked sweetly.

“Or my teeth!” Wolf growled with a wide grin.

The little girl studied them carefully before looking at Wolf. “My Mama told me about you two.” The girl said quietly, suddenly sounding older than she appeared. “She said that since I’ve always been sick I’d probably see you before she did.” The girl looked up to the ceiling before closing her eyes. “She told me stories of your Hunts, of Puppy’s chase and accepting Lamb’s arrow.” Her eyes opened and, as they did, an indigo and white Mark blossomed over her head. “I want to participate in the chase, to see what it would have been like to run through the forest with the other children in the village and play tag. That’s what it’s like, right?”

Lamb studied her curiously. “It is similar enough I believe.”

“I’ll give you a running start,” Wolf declared as the girl suddenly found herself able to sit back up in her bed, restored by the energy of the Kindred to be able to participate in the Hunt.

The little girl laughed and jumped up, hugging Lamb and petting Wolf before dashing out of her room, squealing with delight. “Thank you Lamb and Puppy!” She called out behind her.

The spirits looked at each other for a half second before Wolf laughed and eagerly ran out of the room himself. Lamb showed no hesitation in following him. “The Chase begins,” he announced as he slipped through the window. Not too far in the distance, a red-haired form slipped into a bush and left a rustling of leaves in her wake.

Wolf laughed and followed after it, Lamb on his heels. The girl proved to be crafty, slipping through thin spaces between trees and doubling back on herself to escape the Kindred’s pursuit but in the end, the young girl found herself trapped against the side of a cliff. She backed up, slowly pressing herself against it, panting heavily.

Wolf burst out of the bushes, landing in front of her. She smiled at him, and realizing her time was up, said, “Thank you for the game, Puppy. You win.”

Wolf stood there confused for a moment, before pouncing forward. He left nothing of the girl, ripping her to bits, then destroying even that. After a moment he turned to Lamb and began laughing. "That was fun!"

Instead of responding, Lamb turned away, facing the slowly rising moon off in the distance. “More Marks await, dear Wolf.”

Wolf nodded and the Kindred ran off to take their next Mark.

Back at the cottage, a red-haired woman burst into the little girl’s room. “Ione? Ione!” She cried out, running to the side of the little girl’s bed. Blood covered the sheets and was around her mouth, and it was obvious that she died, choking on her own blood. However, despite the obvious pain she endured, Ione died, a smile on her face.