The pearl tumbled around in its circular prison, luminous in the sunlight, while Puck twisted it in his hand, a wide grin on his face with Kurt just glared up at him with a huff. Puck had spent all morning with Kurt, teasing him about the strong smell coming off him and had begged Kurt to show him the claiming gift. An embarrassing display from an Alpha, Kurt wished he'd had a video camera for. He would've been furious with the scent that was now following him, if what it meant didn't bring a smile to his face every time he replayed what happened yesterday, a flutter in his heartbeat.

"I never thought you'd take a wolf, Kurt. Didn't think we were your type?"

Kurt snatched the orb back from Puck, tucking it under his short sleeved white shirt, carrying on down the high street, Puck at his side still wearing that smug grin, arm around his shoulders, holding the hunter close.

"You're not." Kurt muttered, smiling to a couple of locals who were eyeing Puck cautiously, who wasn't helping with the small growl he sent their way.

"But Blaine is." Puck teased into Kurt's ear.

"I accepted his claim, didn't I? And will you stop growling at everyone! Do you like making my job more difficult than it already is?" Kurt threw his hands up in the air, almost smacking Puck in the face.

"Yes, I do have to growl at them, especially when I get funny looks off them. Gotta keep up my Alpha persona." Puck brushed down the sleeves of his top, sleeking back his mohawk, proud of himself. "You given Blaine your claim yet?" Puck leant his forearm on Kurt's shoulder.

"No..." He started, brushing Puck off him, not enjoying being a walking elbow rest, "There's something going on today, once that's done with then... I was thinking of giving it to him." Kurt blushed, hand rubbing along the strap on his tan leather cuff. He hadn't slept all night, thinking about what all this meant, thinking about when he'd return Blaine's claim and what he'd give him. It was all so much, but it was everything Kurt wanted as well... He just needed to know what David had to say first.

"What you giving him?" Puck asked, nudging Kurt gently, enjoying the blush on his cheeks.

"You'll just have to wait and find out." Kurt raised his head high, turning back to the high street and froze.

Puck stopped next to him, hand on his shoulder in concern, "Kurt? Hey man, what's up?"

He followed Kurt's gaze up the high street to the baggy trousers and letterman jacket wearing figure walking towards them. Puck felt Kurt trembling under his hand and heard his harsh breathing as Karofsky walked toward them, shoving his hands into his pockets. Puck couldn't help the growl rumbling in his chest as he pressed close to Kurt, the need to protect too strong to ignore. He knew about some of the bullying Kurt had endured by this man and had heard of the possession and attack on Kurt's home, but he knew Kurt was hiding a lot from him.

Kurt was petrified. The very vision of the jock who closed in on him in those corridors, in the locker rooms, walking towards him. He'd been told about Karofsky's release a couple of days ago, the doctors saying that even though his memory still hadn't returned he was well enough to go home. So here he stood, waiting to see how he would react to Kurt's presence, if at all, every limb and strand of hair shaking violently. Kurt swallowed back the bile rising as Karofsky stood in front of them, eyes on Kurt, flickering to Puck only briefly.

"Looks like the little fairy got a growth spurt." Karofsky spat at Kurt, chuckling, sly grin on his lips.

"Back off Karofsky, we're not in school anymore, you've got no say out here." Puck huffed, puffing out his chest.

"Yeah I heard the little faggot's become some kind of hunter. I'm amazed he's lasted this long." Karofsky laughed.

"I know how to protect myself, got a lot of practise from you and your jocks." Kurt spluttered. He was in shock that Karofsky truly didn't seem to have any memory of what he'd put Kurt through, but that anger was still strong enough to wake him from his stupor.

"Fuck you, Hummel. Like I remember any of that, for all I know you could be making it up. Fucking homo, spreading rumours like that, you better watch what you say." Karofsky pressed a finger into Kurt's chest before stepping back, inches from getting his hand snapped off as Puck lunged, standing in front of Kurt.

"Get lost, Dave." Puck growled.

"Whatever." He mumbled before brushing passed Puck and down the street, and with each step, Kurt felt himself relax, pushing back the fifteen year old boy he always felt like when around Karofsky.

Kurt swallowed hard, blinking back tears and taking deep breaths, a sense of relief washing over him. His tears were of joy, that it was truly over, that every time he bumped into Karofsky from now on, it would be to homophobic rants, and not a push against a cold surface or forced to his knees to be used against his will in any way he wanted. He raised a hand to his lips as a wide smile crept in, followed by a small relieved chuckle as the tears finally fell.

A sniff brought Puck's attention from watching Karofsky walk away back to Kurt, shocked at the state Kurt had become. He gripped Kurt's shoulders, squeezing gently, "Hey Kurt? What's up?" Kurt shook his head, wiping his tears away as he smiled up at Puck, "Nothing, everything's fine... everything's great." Puck gave him a look, which told him he wasn't convinced, but Kurt just chuckled lightly, pressing his head to Puck's chest and letting the Alpha wrap his arms around him and stroke his hair for a moment. Pulling away, Kurt took a deep calming breath, "Come on, Santana will be waiting for us."

Puck let a hand run down Kurt's back then back up to rest it on the back of his neck, walking with him, feeling the need to comfort Kurt in silence. Kurt looked up at the sky with a sigh, briefly closing his eyes; he didn't know what to do, his mind was foggy with bliss and a freedom he couldn't quite grasp yet. His life was turning around, he'd gotten rid of his demon, he'd opened up to a pack and Blaine had claimed him. How was everything going so right, during this troubling time?

He laughed and pulled away as Puck gnawed on his ear, while making silly noises, his eagerness to sooth the mood lightening Kurt's heart, and they fell into a game of cat and mouse; Puck trying to pounce on Kurt, who would dodge and dive away from his grabby hands. Kurt squealed when arms circled his waist, lifting him off the floor and spinning him around, while he kicked at air to get away, laughing happily. As Puck lowered Kurt, he went for his neck, nibbling lightly, enjoying Kurt's laughter as the hunter tried to wriggle away.

They raced from the centre of town and through the outskirts towards the house, still chuckling together at their antics until Kurt noticed smoke fluming up above the tree tops far away. Following his gaze, Puck sniffed the air, a low growl in his throat. Kurt jogged to the house, spotting Santana shouting into her phone, looking up at the smoke. He tapped her on the shoulder as she pulled her phone from her ear, noticing her paler skin, heaving breath and panicked eyes.

"Santana?" He pried.

"What's with the smoke?" Puck called, hands on his hips.

Santana was looking at Kurt as she spoke, "That was one of the white witches, one of her barriers was breached an hour ago to the south of the forest... she said it was demonic energy."

"Will and Emma are down there!" Puck growled, morphing into his black wolf, howling into the sky, calling for his pack, distant howls echoing his from the mountains.

"Puck, go ahead and see what's going on, our first priority is Emma. I'll be right behind you." Kurt placed his hand on Puck's head, the wolf nudging it back, then watched the Alpha run off into the forest in the direction of the smoke.

Kurt rushed into the house and into the study, grabbing his katana to join his sais and pistol already strapped to his body, throwing it over his shoulder, then reaching next to a bookshelf to grab his bow and quiver to join his katana on his back, then securing the salt diamond bracelets on his wrists as Santana joined him.

"Santana, call Finn and get him to pick you up, I want you and him at a sniper point just in case, and I want you on the Bluetooth at all times, understood?" Kurt was already strapped his Bluetooth device to his ear, syncing up his phone while walking back through the house.

"You want me there for healing?" Santana nodded, already dialling Finn's number.

"And to spot any familiar faces you might remember from your five hundred years of existence. See if we can make a link to our mysterious demon."

Kurt rushed across the yard, mounting his bike and bringing the engine to life with a roar.

"Hello, Finn! Hold up." Santana ran after Kurt, gripping his arm in a vice, "You be careful, they're after you too."

Kurt smiled, "That's why I have you. I'll be fine, just get there quick." Kurt reached up to kiss Santana's cheek tenderly, brushing her hair out of her face before releasing her and gripping the handlebars. The dirt and pebbles flew into the air as Kurt took off down the path and into the forest, darting through the trees, heading straight to Will's village, following the smoke. He spotted a few of Puck's wolves slicing through the trees, fast on their paws, howling, calling to their Alpha and to the rest of the pack. He heard Puck's howl in the distance; he was almost at the village.

Kurt revved the engine, flying of cliffs and hills, catching sight of a few wolves below him. The smoke was becoming denser, settling on the ground as he got closer to the village and he could hear the growls of the wolves, the screams and laughs of black witches and the manic laughter of demons. The smell caught him as he stopped his bike by a cliff; blood, lots of blood. Blood of demons, witches and wolves was everywhere, suffocating his senses, making it hard to breathe. Kurt's mind drifted back to Adam; did this mean he didn't make it? Was he dead? The society hadn't told him anything, so maybe he was alright. Kurt snapped out of his thoughts; he had a job to do.

Climbing the cliff which over looked the village, Kurt took a deep breath to prepare himself for what he was about to see. Creeping to the edge of a small opening, Kurt's eyes went wide at what he could only describe as a battlefield. All twenty small circular huts were on fire, smoke billowing into the trees above where witches and demons sprung from branch to branch, casting spells down on the wolves below, who jumped and snapped at the demons around them, tearing bodies apart. Wolves jumped high into the branches, biting into the arms of demons before dragging them down and letting another wolves pull away their limbs, delighting in their agonised screams.

Spells spun around the village, lighting up the sky in reds, blues and greens, while yelps and howls of pain came from all over. Kurt could make out Puck and all the male wolves from his pack fighting strong with Will and his wolves, even Sebastian was there, barking orders at his men, grasping a demon by the neck, shaking the lifeless body in his jaw. A black wolf sprung from a burning hut, jumping on a witch and ripping out her spine, a grey wolf following him out of the fire, carrying a pup in his mouth, with another injured wolf trailing him out of the village. Blaine morphed out of his wolf to watch Wes carry away the woman and child, cuts and blood decorating his heaving body, before jumping over to Puck's wolf, tapping him on the back then morphing back into his wolf and leaping at a demon.

Kurt couldn't see Emma, nor could he smell her with all the blood around, but with so many of Will's small clan around, he had a feeling she wouldn't be far. Standing, Kurt took his quiver, leaning it against a boulder then grabbed his bow in his left hand, reaching with his right for his first arrow, scanning the area. Watching the battle play out through the tip of his arrow, Kurt spots a demon chasing Sam's wolf and fires, the tip of the arrow alighting in a blue flame just as it vanishes within the belly of the demon, the body dropping to the floor before crumbling into ashes.

Puck's howl reaches Kurt and he smiled down at the Alpha, grabbing another arrow to fire at a witch in a tree then grabbing another arrow, not even waiting to watch her body disintegrate and wash away in the wind. Two more arrows flew as Kurt searched the area for Emma, his anxiety growing when he didn't find her. He spotted a demon crawling up behind Sebastian, tongue lashing out at the Alpha's heels and fired, the demon crying out in pain and disappearing. Sebastian looked up, spotting Kurt with a bloodied grin and howled up to him as he morphed back into his wolf. Blaine's wolf turned to Kurt, howling at him, and Kurt gave him a fleeting smile then fired at another witch just as his salt diamond shield lit up.

Ducking, Kurt hid behind the cliff as more magical attacks exploded where he stood, dust and rocks flying everywhere. Waiting, Kurt watched a witch rush through the smoke, right into the line of his pistol, bullet embedding in her skull. Kicking the dead body away and pocketing his pistol once more, he grabbed another arrow, rushing back to his vantage point, firing a flamed arrow at the demon jumping towards him, ashes shooting passed Kurt as he ducked for another arrow, catching a demon chasing Will.

Kurt continued to fire his arrows at the demons and black witches, concentrating on the ones attacking the wolves, not letting his blue flame out until the tip of the arrow broke skin. He watched Puck and Blaine work together to take down a group of demons, calling to their packs to box in a group before slaughtering them. Sebastian stayed at Will's side, fighting off a group that were targeting Will, probably able to smell Emma's scent on him.

Kurt reached for another arrow, muffling a swear when he finds nothing. He doesn't dare use his full blue flame with so many present, not while he still didn't understand it himself fully. Throwing his bow aside, he pulled out his pistol and katana then jumped from the ledge, firing at a demon who rushed toward him, then reaching out with his katana to slice through the neck of a witch, the blood spilling onto his shirt, his wolf's hunger for the fight building, his eyes glowing.

"Kurt! We're here, we can see you!" Came Santana's voice over his earpiece.

"About time, witch. You ready to get dirty?" Kurt ran his sword through the belly of a demon, dodging another who swiped for his back.

"Just don't make my job too difficult."

A shot ran through the sky, a witch dropping into the burning roof of a hut, allowing Kurt to pinpoint Finn and Santana's position before jumping into battle, stepping over a wolf to sink his sword through the chest of a witch, while his shield was set ablaze by an onslaught of attacks from behind. Twisting round, he gets one round out and into the skull of a witch before a chestnut brown wolf swipes at the other two, bellies emptying on the ground. Sebastian morphs into his human form as he strides to Kurt's side.

"About time you joined the party." That smug smile was back, though this time it was joined by bloodied teeth and lips, scratches on his cheek and forehead and burns on his neck.

Kurt fired at a demon over Sebastian's shoulder, "Where's Emma?"

All he gets is a shrug, "She was already missing when I got here." Sebastian's eyes flickered to Kurt's chest, where the orb lay hidden under his shirt, a soft growl seeping up, before morphing back into his wolf and leaping over Kurt's head towards a group of witches. Shots fire above his head as Kurt lunged through the crowd, slicing through demons and witches as he goes. Kurt jumped back as a demon swiped at him, long claws catching his shirt but not his skin, another demon from behind gripping Kurt's ankle, dragging him along the floor as Kurt fires a round into his head. Scrambling to his feet, the other demon caught his arm, tearing the skin, but it heals instantly, a green light hovering over the skin, holding back Kurt's scent.

"Thanks, Santana." Kurt muttered into his earpiece, slicing the demon's head off.

"That was sloppy, Kurt, get your head on straight."

"Can you see Will?" Kurt feels a blonde wolf shuffle passed him, and he taps Jeff on the back with the blunt side of his katana.

"Keep going straight, he's surrounded but Blaine's with him." He heard Finn shout before firing another round.

It's a struggle to make his way towards Will, demons and witches coming at him from every angle, while he manoeuvred between the leaping, snapping wolves. He soon runs out of bullets and pockets his pistol, reaching for a single sai, using it in conjunction with his katana, every inch of his body being splattered with blood. He gained a couple more cuts on his side and back, all of which Santana healed and covered with her spells. Kurt doesn't know how many he's killed, but they keep on coming, even with the ground riddled with bodies of all species, they keep on coming.

He's panting by the time he spots Will and Blaine, both as wolves, ripping through the demons who attack, their fur matted with blood and scorched from magical attacks and the fire from the huts. They look tired but they never waned, other wolves leaping in to help them, protecting them. Will howled when a demon latched onto his neck and tried to shake him off, Kurt rushing to his side and thrusting his sai through the demon's skull and kicking him away.

Blaine's wolf instantly stepped in front of Kurt and Will to protect them, howling for help, Wes, Ethan and Thad all rushing over to back him up. Will transformed back, clutching his neck, leaning on Kurt heavily.

"You need to get out of here, Will."

Will shook his head, "Emma's still here."

Kurt's eyes went wide, "Where is she?"

Will subtly motioned to the cavern behind him, boarded up and surrounded by barrels. Kurt sniffed the air, and there, beyond the blood and the smoke, was Emma's vanilla scent, hidden deep within. His head spun as a wolf's yelp came from across town, followed by Sebastian's mournful howl. Kurt took a look around the village at what he could see, trying to get a handle on the numbers.

"Santana, I need a count." Kurt spoke, pulling Will away when a witch fired down on them from a tree, his salt diamond shield lighting up.

"I got fifty wolves, ninety demons and twelve witches."

"Right, I'm done playing." Kurt pulled out his pistol, eyes flaring crystal blue, a blue flamed bullet flying from the barrel, twisting in the air to hit a witch in the chest, her screams catching the attention of all around as her ashes sprinkled on the ground. Out of his peripheral vision, Kurt spotted Will looking at him slack jawed, while Blaine's wolf looked back at him for a moment before calling his wolves to carry on.

"Kurt, don't do anything rash now." Santana's warning came in his ear.

"We're outnumbered." Kurt muttered, shooting at a couple of demons climbing trees, watching their bodies explode in a cloud of ash.

Kurt twisted his katana in his hand, watching it alight in his flame, scoring it across the ground in front of the cavern, blue flames igniting in its path, surrounding them. Kurt turned to Will, who was still looking at him in shock, "That should keep the demons out, but keep guard in case they put it out." He waited for Will to give him a numb nod before heading back out, slicing through a couple of demons as he goes, firing at three more who jump Wes from behind.

"Santana I need a ringleader, if we can find that one, they'll retreat."

He could hear Finn mumbling something in the background, his shots still ringing through the air, while Kurt jumped on Jeff's back to climb a tree, grabbing for a branch and swinging his body round to crouch on it. From this point Kurt takes down five more demons, his blue flamed bullets slicing through the air, bending at his will to hit their target.

"Shit."

He heard Santana in his ear while he groaned in frustration, watching a group of demons throw dirt on his flames around the cavern, extinguishing them to attack Will. Kurt jumped down from the tree, rushing to Will's side until he gets tripped up by a demon, swinging his sword round to slice through his belly, growling in frustration when he hears Emma's screams.

"Kurt, you need to hide." Came Santana's panicked voice.

"No time." Kurt stood, rushing at the demons, cutting down every one of them that get in his way, Blaine, Puck and Sebastian already at the cavern, stopping the demons from dipping into the gap that had been torn open, Will just inside, holding his bleeding side while Emma heals him, tears running down her cheeks. Kurt jumped over Blaine to protect him from a black witch's spell, his shield blinding him as the powerful spell explodes on his shield.

"Kurt, I've found the ringleader but you must make sure she doesn't see you! Please!" Santana screamed into his ear.

Kurt pulled his flaming sword from the ashes of another demon, "Why? Where is she?"

"South on the hill. Kurt, listen to me! You need to hide!" Santana took a deep breath before continuing, while Kurt turned his ice blue eyes to the hill, spotting the tall blonde scanning the village, hair tied back in a high pony, lightly tanned skin covered in a white, blood stained dress which skimmed the floor, the edges covered with dried mud. "Her name's Brittany, she's a powerful black witch, older than me. She'll know what you are!"

Kurt watched those deep blue eyes catch his own, a flicker of recognition passing by, while an eerily gentle smile settled on her face. He watched her lips contort into an order and all at once the demons stopped, every single one of them turning to Kurt, blood covered teeth on show. All the wolves tensed, their growls the only noise in the air above the crackling of the fire.

"Too late."

Kurt swallowed then jumped on Blaine's back to leap above the crowd of demons, rushing at Brittany, all the demons chasing after him. Kurt could only think of one way out of this and he needed to get to that witch before the demons got to him, so he picked up his speed, slipping passed a couple of demons. He heard Blaine's howl rush through the village, a call to his pack to protect Kurt and within seconds Kurt saw the wolves at his side, jaws snapping at the demons, whose claws were inches away from Kurt.

He heard shots behind him, demons screaming as they hit the floor, "Kurt, you've got a whole bunch of demons at your heels, you better have a plan!"

"Not really, just hope." Kurt panted.

His shield flared up as a witch fired down on him and the wolves, but her aim on Kurt was poor compared to her aim on Trent, whose back bursts into flames. He rolled in the mud, Ethan stopping to help him, allowing more demons to claw at Kurt's back. With a flick of his hand, a blue flamed whip snapped in the air, wrapping round the witch's neck, before he flicked it behind him, spinning on the spot to take out a whole row of demons, the whip disappearing as he spun back around and off towards Brittany.

As he approached the witch, her stillness and calm unnerved him; she made no move to attack or to cast a spell. That coy smile stayed on her lips as he rounded her, wrapping an arm around her neck and holding his pistol to her temple. The demons stopped dead in their tracks, evil snarls murmuring around the ground as they surrounded Kurt and Brittany, the wolves circling as well, unsure as to what to do or what was going on, growling threateningly and snapping at the demons.

"Hello, shiny key." Brittany smiled as she turned her head slightly towards Kurt.

"Key?" Kurt repeated.

"Oh, I see, you haven't been told. Oh this is fun!" Brittany's smile spread wide, eyes gleeful.

"Tell your demons to retreat." Kurt pulled the hammer back on the gun, eyes glowing.

"Oh so pretty." Brittany gasped at Kurt's eyes, "Like diamonds... Oh, does this mean I get to stay with you? Good, hanging around you will be much more fun than with these demons."

With a wave of her hand, Kurt watched the demons and other witches retreat out of the forest and out of sight, the wolves puzzled at the ease of their withdrawal. He kept his eyes on the horizon until he could neither see nor smell them. He didn't trust how easily Brittany was handing herself over, but they needed answers and he'd get them from her. Brittany's eyes moved down the green glow over Kurt's cuts, her eyes turning dark.

"Where's Santana?" She asked.

Kurt released his hold on Brittany's neck but kept the pistol against her temple, "Not one of the subjects up for discussion."

Kurt stepped away when Finn appeared next to him, holding a pair of handcuffs and cuffing Brittany's hands behind her back, "They're magical, they should hold her for now." Came Santana's voice through his ear. Brittany eyed Kurt before grinning, "Are you up for discussion?"

Blaine appeared next to Kurt, a hand on his back, "Kurt, we should take her back to our village, we can interrogate her there."

"Why did all the demons turn on Kurt?" Sebastian asked, walking over, hand on his bleeding hip.

"Oh, I can answer that for you!" Brittany called out, tilting her head to Kurt, "Or better yet, how about we show them... Kurt."

The salt diamond bracelets snapped off his wrists, the beads tumbling to the ground. Kurt could hear Santana's chanting in his ear as she fought Brittany's magic, the green bands across his cuts vibrating against his skin. The air around him went silent as he felt his stomach sink, the inevitable falling from his grasp, from his control. Santana's cry sealed it, not through his ear, but in the air, a cry of pain and regret... and then, they were gone. The green bands over his cuts vanished and there is came, lavender, his scent, drifting into the air, all the wolves breathing it in and Kurt could just stand there, limbs shaking as he waited.

The growls didn't take long to appear, Sebastian first, followed by his pack and then a few from the other packs. Wes, Jeff, Nick and Thad were around Kurt in seconds, protecting him from the others, baring their teeth at the approaching wolves. Blaine wrapping his arms around Kurt's shoulders, holding him impossibly close. Sebastian approached, his eyes golden, pointing passed Wes at Kurt.

"He's a Hound of God! You guys knew this?"

"Yes, we knew." Wes replied, calmly.

"Why are you protecting him? He's the one the demons are after! He's the key to the Gates of Tartarus!" Sebastian shouted.

"We know." Kurt's eyes snapped to Blaine, wide, Blaine only granting Kurt a quick glance, "We found out this morning, but it means nothing, Kurt is under our protection. You will not harm him." Blaine warned, the other Warblers growling at Sebastian.

"If the demons get to him, it'll be the black plague all over again! Wolves will drop dead everywhere, demons will be unstoppable, black witches will run every state! We only just got rid of the last of those demons! You're putting every wolf's life at risk keeping Kurt here! We should kill him and be done with it!"

Blaine growled, pushing Kurt into Wes' arms, morphing into his wolf and snapping at Sebastian, who morphed back to his wolf too, the two becoming entangled in a brawl, teeth and claws everywhere. Kurt's mind was a mess, his limbs shaking violently, he didn't understand what was going on, what was being said, he knew Santana was in his ear trying to calm him down, but he wasn't listening. Another wolf jumped Jeff, Nick rushing to help and soon all the Warblers were fighting against the wolves trying to get to Kurt. Taking steps away from the fighting, Kurt could hear Britney laughing and Finn calling out to Kurt to ask what was going on, but he was deaf to them.

He heard a snarl and growl next to him, followed by a snap and he ran. Reminded of all those times his mother and he hid from the wolves, the memories flashing before him and he was scared. He could hear the wolves behind him, chasing him, could hear the howls from all the packs following him into the forest, but he kept on running, tears streaming down his cheeks.

He ran as fast as he could, he didn't know where, he didn't know what he was going to do, he just kept running, panting heavily but still the wolves closed in. He wasn't prepared for this, didn't think his world would come crumbling down so hard, no control over how it happened. He had to get some control back, somehow, he didn't know how, but he was going to try. His mother worked hard to protect him and he was not going to give in now; yes he had been ousted, but now he had to use that to his advantage.

With one deep breath he transformed into his wolf, white fur darting passed the trees, gaining more speed, moving faster and faster. He could hear Sebastian's call through the trees to him, telling him to give up, but he wouldn't. He got this far, he wasn't about to give up now. Finding his bearings, he turned swiftly to the east, climbing a huge ridge which overlooked the tree tops; he was going to make this forest work for him.

Reaching the cliff edge, he took one look down at the lake before morphing back, turning and listening to gauge how far away Sebastian's pack was, then, when he was happy, he jumped. Diving into the water and sinking low, kneeling on the bed of the lake, his ears just about able to pick up the howls from the cliff. Kurt knew that if they wanted to get to the lake from that cliff they'd have to take a long route round, or risk the dive, depths unknown to the new pack. When the howls disappeared, Kurt took the opportunity to swim to the small hole on the back wall of the lake, squeezing his body through and following the path around and up.

Pushing passed the surface water, Kurt took a desperate intake of air, coughing up the small amount of water he'd swallowed, gripping the ledge, giving himself a moment to catch his breath and look around the cave he'd spent last night in with Blaine, breathing a heavy sigh of relief when he found it empty. He rested his head on his arm, trying to calm his breathing but that failed when the tears fell, sobbing hysterically into his hand, the other having a tight grip on the ledge.

He stayed in the water, too afraid to pull his body up and let out any more of his scent. Kurt knew he'd freeze if he stayed in too long but he didn't care right now. It was a security blanket he desperately needed at the moment, even when his jaw began to chatter.

Shivering, he lay his head down on his forearms, sniffing, the tears still flowing as he thought about how everything had gone so terribly wrong. How was he going to fix this? He knew he had Blaine's protection, and his pack's. If what Blaine said was true, and they had found out from David about Kurt's true nature that morning, they still protected him during the battle and Blaine had attacked Sebastian when he suggested killing Kurt. He needed to question them, question David and question Britney. He needed answers.

All his life he had been hiding. Not anymore, this was the last time Kurt was going to run and hide. Taking deep breaths, Kurt told himself that he would walk out of this cave and find those answers, with his head held high, no matter the consequences.