blank as she looked out the window of Mary's cottage, her mind swirling with all of the information she had just been shown. She sat cross-legged on a wooden rocking chair, her knees leaning slightly against the arm rests, but she didn't mind as she gently swayed back and forth. Her hair was braided down her back, and the afternoon was getting later, the sun letting out its last bright shine before it descended over the horizon. She watched as the trees' leaves moved with the wind, and remembered how much the green of these trees matched the ones in her strange dream.

She had been explained so much, and yet most of it was still trying to be figured out within her head. It was like a puzzle, but she remembered why they had done it this way. She remembered the three main werewolf Elders telling her that as she grew and became a woman that she would learn more about her role in the werewolf society. Right now though, she was supposed to learn all she could in order to protect the wolves. Whether that be spells, strength, or both, she felt this urge and desire to get what she needed to do accomplished.

And yet, she also felt this incredibly deep feeling resonating with the sights and sounds of nature. Every time she looked out of the window from Mary's cabin, she was fixated on what she saw, wondering why there was this new feeling of freedom in her chest. It was exhilarating, and she wished to go run around and maybe even explore what was out there, but as a voice cut through her thoughts, she was reminded exactly why she couldn't.

"Hi baby," her mom spoke softly, almost as if she were walking on eggshells around her daughter. She slowly sat in the chair across from Mercy. "How are you feeling?"

"Strange," Mercy responded, her eyes still fixated on the leaves outside. "But not a bad strange."

Hayley was quiet for a moment, and that was when Mercy suddenly turned to her, tilting her head. "Can I stay in the bayou for a few days?"

Hayley was surprised and glanced over at Mary, who was making some green tea for the mother and daughter before they were supposed to leave. The older werewolf shrugged her shoulders at Hayley's look, but Mercy didn't take her eyes off of her mom.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea, sweetie," Hayley began, but Mercy cut her off.

"Pretty please," she begged, widening her eyes to make her appear more adorable. "It'll just be a few days and afterwards we can go back to the city, but I feel like I need to be here right now."

Hayley pressed her lips together, searching Mercy's emerald eyes, but eventually, the mother sighed to herself. "Let me call your father and see what he thinks about it."

Mercy nodded, turning her attention back to the window as both Mary and Hayley walked into the kitchen. She sat patiently, hearing her mom starting to talk into the phone to her dad, when her ears perked up. She peered deeper into the trees outside, the sound of a wolf howl seemingly only affecting Mercy out of the three wolves in the house. She looked back at her mom and grandma, seeing them busy with their own things as Mary went to the other room to retrieve something. Knowing they probably wouldn't be letting her out of their sight any time soon, Mercy decided to see what the sound had been herself.

She slipped off of the rocking chair silently, surprising even herself with her stealthiness. She crept toward the front door and opened it without a sound, shimmying out the door and into the bayou.

The second she stepped outside, she heard the wolf howl once more, and this time the sound seemed to echo through her ears, and she instinctively turned and began walking in a specific direction.

Back at the cabin, Hayley was still on the phone with Klaus. "She says that she wants to stay Klaus, and Mary offered a bed for her to sleep in if she wants to."

"May I remind you, Hayley, the amount of enemies that are in New Orleans waiting for a time to strike against our family," he spoke bitterly into the line, making Hayley roll her eyes at his paranoia, but she allowed him to continue. "We have no idea the dangers that Hope and Mercy face and the last thing we need is for her to be away from us."

Hayley sighed, understanding his point of view but also knowing that if they didn't explore this part of Mercy that she may not be ready for whatever dangers she will face in the future by decree of the prophecy. "If that's the case Klaus, I can easily stay here with her," she replied, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear as she turned around.

"I don't trust the wolves," Klaus said quietly. "Their Alpha disappeared for years, creating a reason for revenge, and all of a sudden they want our daughter to stay with them?"

Hayley ran a hand through her hair as she walked back into the living room. "Look, all I'm saying is maybe we should give this a chan—" her words cut off, however, when she saw Mercy gone from her rocking chair and the front door wide open. Mary walked into the room at the same time that Hayley dropped the phone, not even hearing it clatter to the ground before she flashed outside.

She looked around frantically, her heartbeat in her throat. "Mercy?" She called out, raising her head to the air to try and find her scent. It wasn't too old, so she knew that she hadn't gone far, and Hayley quickly followed the smell to a small clearing, halting her steps and widening her eyes at what she saw.

Mercy, her baby, was standing in the middle of the clearing, laughing immensely as she gently brushed the dark fur of a fully grown wolf. Hayley knew it couldn't have been a werewolf for it wasn't a full moon yet, and when she saw the animal's dark eyes, it only confirmed her thought.

But it wasn't just one wolf either. There were about 15 or 20 wolves circling Mercy, but not like they wanted to pounce on her. It was more of them looking for an outside threat that would hurt Mercy. Hayley had never seen a werewolf let alone an actual wolf act the way that the wolves were acting around Mercy.

"You're so silly!" Mercy laughed at one of the wolves, shaking her head without a care in the world. She had no shoes on, and glided across the grass with ease, the wolves following her every movement. Hayley stepped forward, hearing a twig snap at her movement, and automatically, every single wolf turned and growled at her.

Mercy looked up at who interrupted her time with the wolves, seeing her mother standing there and looking pale as a ghost. She smiled widely, waving her hand. "Hi Mom," she greeted before she noticed the wolves stalking toward her mom, looking as if they would attack. Her smile fell into a frown as she pointed at the wolves. "No! She's one of us."

Immediately the wolves stopped, and although a few of them let out their last quiet growls, the rest of them returned to circle Mercy, something that shocked Hayley even more. It was as if they were sired to her, and she realized that whatever had happened to Mercy was much bigger than she had ever previously thought.

Hayley heard someone approaching and turned to see Mary join her in the clearing. Once the older woman saw what was happening, her eyes widened. "It's already begun," she said cryptically, to which Hayley felt her heart skip a beat.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked not unkindly, and Mary gestured to Mercy petting more of the wolves, whispering quietly to them all.

"It means that the wolves know the lou gèrye has awakened," she explained softly. "Both regular wolves and werewolves will be automatically drawn to wherever she is. It'll be almost animalistic, and even when werewolves aren't in their wolf form they will feel a pull to her."

"So what do we do?" Hayley asked, feeling more and more stress as more things were unloaded onto her and her daughter.

"Unfortunately, the best thing for her is to probably stay here," Mary said. "Whether or not she does stay doesn't change the fact that Mercy will be drawn to wherever the wolves are as well. You take her to the city and she'll find a way back out here."

Hayley sighed, understanding that taking Mercy back to the Abattoir would only be more dangerous than letting her stay in the bayou. Her anxiousness was lessened by the fact that Mercy will have protection not only from the pack but from every wolf and werewolf there was.

"Then I guess I better call Klaus and tell him we're staying out here," Hayley finally concluded, her eyes trained on Mercy's form as she skipped around the wolves, a few of them jumping around her as if to mimic the action. Her daughter laughed loudly once again, and that made Hayley give a small smile despite the situation she found herself and her daughter in.

"Okay Mercy," Hayley called out, making the little girl turn toward her. "It's getting dark out. Let's get back to the cabin and get some beds set up for us."

Mercy grinned at that, and without further persuasion, began walking to her mother. "Okay," she said before turning back to the wolves. "I gotta go and sleep, but I'll see you all very soon."

A few of the wolves let out whimpers at her leaving, but eventually they turned around and disappeared into the darkness of the bayou, giving Hayley a bittersweet feeling about it all. Mercy reached her side and grabbed her hand though, and she breathed easier with Mercy next to her.

Mercy held both Hayley and Mary's hands, leading them back to cabin as she hummed a little song. Once they got there, Mary took Mercy into the guest room to set up the bed whilst Hayley sat at the counter, dialing Klaus and wondering what she would say to him to explain what just happened.

She wasn't so sure of the events herself, but one thing she did know was that she needed to ensure that Mercy was safe, and if that meant staying in the bayou, then she would do so without question.

>

The next morning, Hayley left rather early to go speak with a werewolf named Lara about what was happening with Hope back at the compound. Mercy was still asleep when Hayley woke up, and she gently brushed her little girl's hair behind her ear, placing a small kiss to the side of her head before leaving the cabin. She wrote a note to let Mary know where she had gone, and then she was heading down to the lake, where she would meet Marcel to interrogate the wolf.

Mercy, on the other hand, was in a very deep sleep, her body twitching every so often as a lucid dream filled her head. She looked around, finding herself in the bayou once more, only this time, there seemed to be a tint of blue on the world. It was also cold—so cold that Mercy could see her own breath. She shivered, looking in wary curiosity, because she knew that wherever she was, it wasn't good.

"Hello?" She called, but only heard as her voice echoed a few times, and then stopped altogether. She turned around slowly, wondering where she was, when she heard something behind her.

"Mercy!" A voice shouted, and she whirled around, her eyes wide as she recognized the voice.

"Hope?" She questioned in panic, repeating the name louder. "Hope! Hope, where are you?"

"Mercy," she replied, and the younger twin turned around once more to see her sister standing there in her pajamas, looking scared. "Mercy, help us."

"Where are you? How do I help?" She asked frantically, trying to approach Hope but seeing that every step she took forward, Hope seemed to move a few steps away.

Then, more kids appeared, about 4 all together, and all said in unison: "Help us."

"How do I help you? What should I do?" Mercy cried out, her heart aching at the thought of her sister or any of the kids in danger.

"Cut off the blue light," Hope's voice answered, and Mercy met her cerulean eyes. "Block its power, at least for a little while. Mommy and Daddy will do the rest."

"But I don't know—"

Mercy suddenly jumped awake, gasping for air as she shivered from the cold that seeped into her very bones. She clutched the blankets on the bed closer as her mind swirled, trying to understand what her twin needed from her. Now that she wasn't so focused on the wolves, she could feel the connection to Hope like she usually did, but felt that it was strained and hurting. It was as if Hope was stuck somewhere that Mercy couldn't reach when she was awake, and that only made the little girl more worried to find out what she needed to do to help them all.

As her heart slowed to a normal pace, she heard the door to the bedroom open, and masked her features in time for when Mary appeared in the doorway. The older woman smiled, and Mercy returned it. "Good, you're up," she said. "I made you some pancakes so hurry up and get dressed."

"But I didn't bring any clothes with me," Mercy said shyly, wondering what she was supposed to wear if she didn't have anything with her.

"I got a few outfits while you were sleeping," she informed the girl, gesturing to the chest that sat at the foot of the bed. There were a few piles of clothes sitting on top of it, and Mercy nodded her head. "So hurry your little butt up and meet me in the kitchen."

Mercy nodded again, wondering how long she had slept for, and Mary closed the door to give her privacy. The little girl decided to wear the green and black plaid shirt with some jean shorts and a black belt. She then paired the outfit with her black combat boots and tried desperately to get her hair under control to no success. It was still as natty and tangled as ever.

She ate her pancakes slowly, and once Mercy asked, Mary happily braided her tangled brown hair into two french braids on the side of her head. After Mercy had finished her pancakes and Mary was done tying the second braid at the end, the little girl looked up at Mary with puppy dog eyes.

"Do you think I could go outside for a little while?" She wondered aloud, but quickly spoke again once she saw Mary's skeptical expression. "I won't go far from the cabin. Pleeeease?"

Mary chuckled lightly at the child's antics before sighing. "Alright, I suppose," she gave her permission, and Mercy jumped up in excitement, smiling from ear to ear. "But swear you won't go too far. I don't want your mama giving me a lecture once she gets back."

"Cross my heart," Mercy said sincerely before bolting out the door and into the trees sheltering the cabin from view. She breathed in the scent of leaves and smiled to herself before she remembered the dream she had before she woke up.

Her face fell, and she grew concentrated as she thought about what to do. She wasn't very good at spell-casting, but she felt that the situation at hand would only be solved by a spell of some sort, so she needed to think of what she could do.

She decided to grab the werewolf books inside the cabin and look them over to see if there was anything in there that could help. Mary only allowed her to take one at a time considering how valuable they were, and Mercy agreed, sitting not too far from the cabin, but far enough to where Mary couldn't see.

She had the book laid out in front of her as she sprawled on her stomach, her feet intertwined and knees bent behind her. She was enraptured by the book and its contents, her eyes wide and flying fast over each and every word. There was so much detail about the threat that seemed to have come back and taken a hold of Hope, as well as details of what she, as a lou gèrye, could do to hurt it.

Surprisingly enough, there were spells written in the book already, she just had to figure out which one to use and what she needed in order to perform it. Not only that, but every so often she tried a small spell to see how her magic was holding up, if it was holding up at all.

Just as she was bringing a dead flower back to life, she saw a flash of gold from her right before something jumped on her, making her turn over with her back against the grass.

At first she was scared by the sudden movement, but that emotion quickly faded away to one of happiness as she realized that the ball of fur on top of her licking her face was a small dog. It was panting loudly in her ear and she giggled, trying to push the dog away and figure out where it had come from.

"Max!" A voice scolded before the weight of the puppy disappeared. Mercy opened her eyes to see a young boy struggling to hold the puppy in his arms. He had shaggy brown hair that fell over his eyes and big hazel eyes similar to her own. His smile was wide as the puppy licked his face fervently. "Sorry, I'm still training him."

The second that the boy met her eyes, he halted in his movements, his eyes widening just a fraction. He recovered quickly though, so quickly that Mercy didn't really notice the moment at all. He placed the puppy down and held out his hand to her. "Here, let me help you," he offered, and she shyly took the offer.

She had never really seen any kids much less hung out with kids her own age other than her twin, but the boy seemed different. When she touched his hand she felt different than when she used to hold hands with Hope. It was a new map across his skin, and she let go of his hand quickly once she was back on her own two feet.

"Thank you," she said awkwardly, pressing her lips together in a nervous habit. "I like your dog," she complimented to try and lessen the tension of neither of them knowing who the other was.

"Thanks," the boy said as he pet the dog on his head; the golden retriever, in response, wagged his tail excitedly. "He's crazy, but I love him."

"I know the feeling," she chuckled, recalling some of the stories her mom would tell her and Hope about their family. Crazy is something many had called them, but she would love them all no matter what.

"What's your name?" The boy asked kindly, tilting his head to the side. He was wearing a loose grey sweatshirt and dark sweats to go with it, looking like he was going on a run before Max had gone and jumped on Mercy. "I live around here but I've never seen you before."

"Oh, Mercy," she replied with a small smile and a shrug. "And I'm just visiting for now."

He nodded his head with a grin. "Cool, I'm Noah," he introduced, and the two of them fell into another awkward silence. Mercy didn't know why she felt awkward, especially since she was so outgoing all her life, but she couldn't help the pit of apprehension rumbling around in her stomach. Perhaps it was because of her newfound status in the werewolf community, and she automatically felt threatened since she couldn't tell if he was an un-triggered wolf or not.

"Well, since you've lived around here," Mercy began; her hands were sweating so she rubbed them on her pants subconsciously. "Maybe you could give me a tour sometime?"

"Sure, why not now?" He suggested, raising an eyebrow as she laughed at his expression.