Trisha and Wilkes sat on a termite infested log of wood in the forest which shaded them from the dwindling scorch of the sun, watching the three contestants by the lake which was inviting, alluring and seductive all at the same time, even to them.Unfortunately, to keep their status still hidden, they couldn't wash their bodies in the lake at that moment and even when the contestants left which they knew was going to be soon, they had to watch Harold as he and the others left the forest out into the hills specifically for Harold's safety, so there was absolutely no chance of them enjoying the calmness of the lake at all but for its relaxing sight as it washed up shore by about half a metre and returning to its main base seconds later. From where they were, they watched Derek sit on the sandy shore, staring into the sky, which was odd. It prompted Trisha and Wilkes to do the same thing so that perhaps they, too, could see what it was that had s

"Wait, I can't go any further," Penelope said, spreading her arms instinctively to stop the others from taking an extra step, too. She sounded like a child who didn't want to go to school because of something the teacher said. Or didn't say."Why?" Harold asked. He had been so engrossed in what he was going to face out there that he had barely considered the other two. That wasn't a pleasant trait especially for someone who if all things went normally (which was unlikely), would be the next Alpha."The sun. My skin," Penelope replied. "The sun has gone down but I still can't risk it. If I do and it backfires, I'll... Die."Harold turned to look at Derek who hadn't said anything in a very, very long while. 'Could he be trusted to cast a spell on Penelope?' he contemplated.It was entirely up to Penelope to decide if Derek should or not but if Harold wasn't convinced, he wasn't going to let that happen. Now

As Harold, Penelope and Derek left the forest and went out into the mountainous part, Trisha and Wilkes began to see them from afar.At first it was like their imaginations were playing tricks on them but as they inched closer to the trio who stood at a spot, it became clearer that they were actually the ones.“Why'd they stop now?” Trisha asked as she crouched beside a tall tree. It's branches spread out way above her like a canopy and its smell was simply glorious.“They're discussing something,” Wilkes replied as he took a few steps ahead of Trisha so that he had a better view. “I can't tell what it is they talking about,” he added, “but I guess it has to do with looking for the orb.”“That has to be it,” Trisha replied as she moved away from the tree and stood beside Wilkes so that she, too, could see as clearly as he did.“We have a problem,” Wilkes said suddenly, looking to his side.

 “Is this what we're looking for?” Harold asked cautiously as the three of them encircled the glowing substance that was on the ground. The floor around it was rocky with white stones that also sparkled a little, perhaps because of the glow emanating from what had held the contestants' attention.“We weren't even given a detailed description of what we were sent to find!” Penelope remarked in a frustrated tone.“There's only one way to find out if this is it,” Derek said without taking his eyes off it.Of the three, he inched towards it closer with slow footsteps while Harold stayed back, waiting for whatever it was that took Wolves on a yearly basis. It was beguiling that so far, he hadn't seen any signs of its existence but he remained alert, trusting his wolf to warn him of impending danger. Derek bent down to pick it up and Harold held his breath, hoping for the best yet prepare for the worst.

Trisha and Wilkes fell silent as they both debated on who the message was from, it was to and what it meant."Do you think it is to Harold?""It is possibly anyone but I doubt it is to him. It will only make things more puzzling if it is.""It could be to Derek," Wilkes suggested. "Not Derek exactly but the ghoul in him."A long paused followed."Yes, it can. But why will they need to communicate with that ghoul alone if...?Trisha lost her ability to talk when the three contestants started running towards them like they were being chased. Although they couldn't hear what it was, Penelope stopped on her tracks all of a sudden and started talking. Then Harold pointed at the red sky and that was enough to propell her forward but before she took more than two steps, a ghoul attacked and sent her to the ground before pummeling on her like she was nothing but a pun