The gears of morning were just beginning to turn as Kit and Kat took to the skies, looking for fun and mischief after breakfast while the rest of the world did its best to awaken. Their spaceboards skimmed low over the sparse meadow mist, whipping it up into playful curls as they sped past into the dark forest, their whoops and laughter giving many an animal a frightful start to their day. They skitted between the trees, racing each other in and out of the ancient boles as Kat did his best not to be hit by rebounding branches while his sister took the lead, blowing a raspberry at him from over her shoulder.

He dodged all the offending branches, growling a little in frustration till he saw what was rapidly approaching ahead. "Kit! Look out!" he cried, but was too late. Kit was so busy mocking her slower sibling, she failed to realise his call was genuine as a branch clipped her ankles, tipping her forward off her board. It wasn't far to the ground, but she shrieked anyway as she rolled into a defensive ball, tumbling a short distance before unfolding onto her face.

Kat flew low and dived to his sister's side. "Kit! Are you ok?" he blurted as he helped her to her feet.

Dazed, she used him to steady herself. "Yeah, I think so. Where'd my spaceboard go?" she asked, getting her bearings.

"It shouldn't be too far. Come on, let's go look for it," he replied, grabbing his own board as they started to stroll through the dark woodland. They weren't familiar with this part of the forest, having never explored this deeply before, so it was only natural that they would take the opportunity to do it now. Kit seemed to take pleasure searching beneath every leaf while Kat took the time to notice certain landmarks to help them return later if they wished, but neither paid attention to the eerie silence that had suddenly enveloped the land. The forest appeared to become more dense as they walked, the trees becoming more sinister and foreboding as the ground became softer, squelching underfoot while they both continued to search. Kat stopped as they reached the edge of the forest, touching his sister lightly on the shoulder while they looked out at a murky swamp, light mist floating gently over the ground as they listened intently to the chorus of frogs around them.

"Kat, I don't think it would've come this far..." Kit began before her brother pointed to a place deep into the mist.

"I think I see it! Come on, just walk where I walk," he instructed as he set out into the swamp, taking extra care with every step. Kit was dubious about setting foot in such a dismal place and so desperately wanted to turn back, but she persevered, not wanting to lose face in front of Kat. The mist seemed to close in around them getting thicker all the time, which unnerved them both, especially since it had barely been noticeable at the forest edge. The frogs had gone quiet too. Finally, they reached the spot Kat had pinpointed, and sure enough, Kit's spaceboard was there, jutting out of a stagnant pool.

She pulled a face as she approached, pulling it out carefully. "Uh, I can't believe this. How am I supposed to get back now?" she whined, truly in despair as she tried to shake the water off it.

"My, my, isn't this a surprise? I don't often get visitors," a strange female voice drawled, making both Thunderkittens jump. Kit backed away from the origin of the sound, hiding behind Kat as a tall, pale woman appeared from the mist. Her hair caught their attention first since it was a startling white, almost shining with it's own inner glow, flowing like silver over her shoulders. She looked like she was in her twenties, but her clear blue eyes foretold of a greater age as they carried with them a melancholic hue, the kind of which shows they have witnessed more than they could ever divulge to another soul. She wore simple white robes, hiding much of her figure, but not enough as Kat's eyes ran her whole length more than once.

She smiled sweetly, instantly soothing the siblings. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to frighten you. I am not used to people," she explained, her accent strange to their ears. "This is my home."

"O-oh, o-okay," Kat stuttered, "we w-were just leaving." He turned, walking straight into his sister, who lost her balance and fell backwards just as the strange woman appeared behind them, blocking their escape.

"I never said you could leave! No one refuses my hospitality!" she snarled, all sweetness gone from her form as she grabbed Kat round the neck while pinning Kit to the ground with her foot. Their screams were the only thing that eventually escaped the mist.

****

Zhyan stood in front of Spark's full-length mirror, inspecting the deep scratches down his chest when he sighed deeply. Love was such a painful business these days. He looked over to the bed where Spark lay, still sleeping peacefully as she had done when he first awoke, and if he could have his way, he would have still been lying next to her, but he had a busy day ahead of him. He buttoned his shirt and tucked it into his breeches before wandering over to her, kissing her lightly on the cheek before leaving for his own room, already mentally choosing his armour and weapons for the day. He didn't take much time to get equipped, wanting to get started as soon as possible since he had to collect the pixie traps as well as search for herbs for his healing ointments since his supplies were getting severely limited. The fortress was quiet when he left, the deathly silence sending chills up his spine as he reached the courtyard. He shook the eerie feeling away, deciding to focus on his chores as he took to the air, wanting to get everything out of the way so he could have the rest of the day to himself.

The day drifted by uneventfully for the archangel, as most days did when he was hunting pixies, but this day seemed more dull than the rest. Most of the traps he set were empty, which was strange since pixies usually wanted to be caught, especially since word had got round about Dave's brothel, but today there were hardly any pixies around. He recovered the last trap and emitted a frustrated sigh as that too was empty, making him wonder for the hundredth time where all the pixies were. Come to think of it, the forest was unusually silent today. He shivered as a chill wind blew through the trees, bringing his attention back to the task at hand as he reset the trap in the vain hope he might catch something tomorrow. Looking around to get his bearings, he set off deeper into the woodland, gathering herbs and mosses as he went, his thoughts drifting from the pixies back to his beloved Aztec until his reverie was interrupted. He stopped dead, the hair on the back of his neck standing up as he listened intently to his surroundings. Taking a deep breath, he continued to walk, his pace slower than before as he tried to listen closely to his surroundings. The forest came to an end, the trees giving way to a foul smelling swamp, instantly making him wrinkle his nose with disgust until he spotted something on a muddy bank just ahead. Carefully, he made his way through the rushes, noticing for the first time the mist that seemed to caress his ankles before swirling away in gentle sweeps over the murky water. He made it to the far mound, crouching down in the mud to get a closer look at what had caught his eye from the forest edge.

A single mandragora plant sat proudly on the bare soil, looking very healthy in such a desolate place as the archangel plucked it from the ground. "Just what I was looking for," he said to himself as he turned back to the forest, only to come face to face with a young white haired woman.

"You're supposed to perform a ceremony before doing that," she said, her voice drifting softly through the mist as the angel jumped back in surprise. "The plant is meant to scream if it is pulled from the ground."

Zhyan looked at her, a little amused as he relaxed. "Either I've gone deaf or the plant aint screaming. Who are you?" he asked, bemused.

"I have many names," she said seductively as she walked around him, mapping him out with her eyes. "You may call me Salunka."

"Whatever... look, I'm kinda busy right now so maybe you could let me carry on? Nice to meet you," he replied as he moved past her, giving her a polite smile as he walked back to the forest.

"Wait! Don't leave me here alone," she wailed, rushing to his side. "I... I could be attacked by a wild animal, or could get lost."

"Lady, as far as I'm concerned, either one of those would suit me fine," he snapped, getting tired of the whole exchange very quickly. "Now if you'll excuse me..."

Salunka stood at the swamp edge, a look of disbelief on her features before they contorted in an expression of pure, malicious rage, her fingernails extending and her teeth elongating as she lunged at the angel, tackling him to the ground. All the birds escaped the canopy as his cry was cut off abruptly.

TBC