Chapter 38

For the first time since her arrival in the past Viola was traveling abroad. That wasn't to say she had never traveled before. There was the Campina, which was a passenger ship to New York City, but they never made it. This was the first time she went to a foreign country. However, like before, it all had to do with Ciel and his work as the Queen's Guard Dog.

"Viola, are you paying attention?"

She tore her sight away from the Germanic castle in distance, shifting her head back to Bastian. He frowned, looking as if he would smack her with a ruler.

"Sorry, I got distracted," she said with a sheepish smile.

"Try to be more invested. You're the one who asked for lessons," he reprimanded. Clearing his throat, he lifted the phrasebook he held in his hand to read. "Now repeat after me. Eine Freude, Sie zu treffen. Sprichst du Englisch? (A pleasure to meet you. Do you speak English?)"

She parroted it back. Her tongue struggled to wrap around the harsh syllables. It was atrocious compared to Bastian's fluent ease. He agreed with her as he grimaced.

"That... could have been worse. It will take practice to make yourself legible."

She sighed. "I should give up on German, shouldn't I?"

"Are you truly going to give up so easily? You were so adamant to learn as well."

"Only because I didn't want you to play translator during the whole trip. I'd rather learn some of the language myself." She would rather be subpar at a language than have Bastian be a translator the whole time in Germany. There would be times she would be by herself. Knowing some of their tongue was better than knowing none at all.

For this mission the Queen had requested for Ciel to investigate a matter in Germany. She was concerned over several odd deaths occurring in a place called the Werewolf forest. Because the Kaiser nor the German government were telling her anything, she sent Ciel. He was the only option as she couldn't send any officials. Forced to go abroad for an underdetermined amount of time, he brought along the entire household staff. Traveling most of the day, they had arrived in the town where they were to investigate.

She gazed around the German town they had stopped in Nuremberg. The Gothic style the buildings were known for was easy for her to recognize. Being at the outskirts of the town, they saw a variety of different classes wandering about to the marketplace. It was so different from London or the tiny village that was in the Phantomhive Earldom. If the Germanic language around her wasn't enough to tell her she was in another country, being there was what did it for her.

"Have you ever traveled abroad before?" asked Bastian. He sat on their clothes trunk to her right, gazing at the scene as she was.

She shook her head. "I've only ever been to America only because I lived there for awhile." When she was younger before her father died their small family would travel to nearby towns where they lived. Before moving to London, that was the closest she ever got to being in a different place, let alone country. "What about you?"

"I have been to Paris to accompany my father on a business trip once. Beyond that, I have mostly stayed in my manor. I doubt this is a pleasure trip as well."

Humming, she agreed. She had quickly learned that traveling with Ciel Phantomhive often meant they were not going sightseeing.

"My butt hurts, " Baldroy groaned, rubbing his buttocks to massage them.

"Bard, that's indecent! " Mey-Rin scolded for the sake of her and Viola's eyes.

"But we've been doin' nothin' but sittin' for a whole day!"

"But it's rare that we even get to come, " said Finny as he gazed at their surroundings in awe.

" Yeah. Can't help but notice the young master brings these two everywhere." He jerked a thumb at Viola and Bastian. "I still think Bastian should've stayed behind with Madame Red. He ain't fit for travelin."

"I've spent more than enough time around the madame, thank you," said Bastian, primly crossing his arms and legs in defiance. "Not only that, I am the only one among us who can speak German. If Mr. Sebastian is not around to act as translator, the role falls to me."

"I still think it's crazy you can speak German." Viola had no idea that her great-uncle could speak German as well as Hungarian. Out of all the languages he could choose to learn, he chose those two. Then again, she knew Japanese. She was the least likely person to know the Asian language.

"We don't really need ya here even as a translator," Baldroy continued. He was about to go on and explain why when Finny pushed away from where they were gathered around their luggage. He stooped down to pick up a leather ball, said something in German, then threw the ball to the kids that it belonged to. In normal Finny fashion he overestimated his strength and launched the ball to the other end of the street, hitting a wall and bouncing out of sight.

"Entschuldigung!" Finny apologized to his hands together and bowing his head.

"You speak German? says Dan, " Snake inquired.

"Ah, yeah. A litte." He laughed lightly. Viola's ears picked up the uncomfortable lilts to it she herself had whenever her birthmark was brought up.

"See? We've got another German translator," Baldroy said to Bastian, "We didn't need to bring ya."

Bastian shot the chef a dark look which clearly expressed who he thought should have been left behind. He didn't get the chance to rebuff him when a black speck approached them and was a never ending stain in her life. She lifted her eyebrows at seeing two carts drawn by horses that trailed behind him.

"Everyone, " said Sebastian, gesturing to their vehicles, "we have procured a carriage. Please put on the luggage."

Baldroy and Finny jumped to activity. The two were restless after enduring the long train ride. The rest except Tanaka moved at sedated pace loading the clothes chests onto the two-horse carts they were to use. Ciel was already seated in the open carriage drawn by a white mare.

"Are we headed into the forest now?" asked Viola as she lugged a heavier chest with Bard. The chef had protested that the men take the heavy items until he saw her lift the end. She may not have been as strong as Finnian, but she was decently hefty.

"Yes. The forest is our best lead at the moment," Ciel answered. His eye was fixed on his ring, a calculating gleam making it shine the same shade as the gem. "The locals are frightened by this supposed 'curse' and the survivor was put in an asylum. If we are to find any answers, we must delve into the forest."

"So, are we not concerned about this curse, or what?"

"Don't tell me you believe in that hogwash?" Baldroy snickered, climbing into the back once all the luggage was put in. Snake clambered into the driver's seat with Mary around his neck.

"You aren't?" Mey-Rin shuddered on the opposite bench. "Sound's like something out of a gothic story, it is."

"Exactly! There ain't no such things as were wolves or curses. It ain't nothin' but superstition."

After the year I've had, I'm reserving judgement, Viola thought, getting in next to Tanaka, her legs drawn up to her chest. She had seen some of the most unbelievable things that year things that had only existed in myths and legends. If werewolves really did exist, she wouldn't be surprised in the least. Glancing at Bastian's resigned expression, his thoughts mirrored her own.

Sebastian climbed into the driver's seat on Ciel's carriage, urging the horse to maneuver through the town. Snake diligently followed him the cart bouncing at each bump. Viola soaked the fleeting town life in, burning the images into her brain. This was the last thing she would ever get to see that was normal. She remembered the children playing in the streets and the Germans going about their lives even after they exited the town and entered the cursed forest.

As they crossed the forest's border, the change was immediate. The trees around them had branches sticking out as if they would lower them and grab them. The air permeated an ominous chill that seeped through all her clothes, stagnant and soundless. She drew her cloak closer, hunching and curling towards Tanaka. The older gentle man noticed her plight and shifted to share his body heat.

"So, this is the werewolf forest," Mey-Rin said, breath shuddering.

"It's creepy," Finny agreed, teeth chattering.

"I get why people say it's cursed, " Baldroy murmured uneasily, gazing into the shadows.

"Do you believe there is a curse now? Bastian teased. Because of the atmosphere, it was half-hearted.

He nodded, afraid to say more. They all wore unwilling to make any conversation, they stewed in their silence. Viola kept her eyes on the path, ears strained for any noise. There were several bird cries in the distance, a safe reminder they weren't alone. If there were none at all, she would have been more concerned. The horses felt safe enough as well, although they whinnied softly on occasion. It was if they could sense the dangers within the shadows before they could.

Time marched on as they followed the path towards their doom. The entire time Viola was a bundle of nerves. She didn't know what to expect. How many horror movies had she seen that took place in a forest? Hidden in the shadows lurked a mysterious entity they knew not. She stared down the single path to where the trees broke up ahead. Beyond them were buildings, the roofs hidden by the thin fog. Instead of relief to see civilization, she was apprehension coiled in her belly and squeezed her sanity in a slow death.

A village in the middle of the cursed woods? Yeah, not shady in the slightest. If this were truly a horror film, she would be yelling at the characters to get the fuck out. Against all common sense, they headed towards the German village. She adamantly swore to herself that she wouldn't be the first one to die. She was sacrificing Bard if it came to that.

Their carriages trotted up to the village entrance marked by a stone archway. Lanterns hung on it to guide lost souls home. They came to a stop. Then, they climbed out, Baldroy in front of Viola and Mey-Rin as they went to the town border. They followed like loyal dogs after Ciel and Sebastian. The town itself was miniscule compared to Nuremgard. There were fifteen buildings in the same architecture as any other town arranged around the town square. There were no animals around nor were there people. It didn't sit well to her.

"Where is everyone?" Bastian murmured gripping his hand in this trouser pocket.

"Is this place abandoned?" Baldroy asked, chewing on his cigarette butt between his teeth.

"No. The buildings have been taken care of. "Sebastian eyed a well to their left. At its base was a worn tin bucket, drops gleaming down its side. "There are signs that people live here. I doubt they evacuated recently either."

"Then, where are they?" Finny cupped his hands around his mouth shouting in German. Its volume woke Viola's survival instincts.

"No, Finny! Why would you do that?" she despaired at the same time a door up ahead slammed open.

"Eindringlinge! (Intruders!)" a deep get clearly feminine voice yelled.

Suddenly the town, burst to life. Doors and windows were opened hitting the walls from the force, sounding like gunshots. Women flooded out the buildings in waves. Caught off guard, they surrounded their tiny group.

She reached for the knife in her cloak pocket never breaking eye contact. Sensing the angry mob, she saw they were all women-young and old alike-in period clothing. She knew their clothes were outdated. None of the women in Nuremgard wore such things.

The first woman they heard, a blonde haired beauty whose eyes blazed in her fury, barked something, a hoe brandished at them. The rest did the same-the picturesque angry mob. Sebastian responded back as he pushed Ciel behind him shielding him with his arm.

Whatever he said had them murmuring, a buzzing that made their low voices loud in unison, their unease rippling through each individual body. One word spilled through the language barrier: "Sullivan."

"Master Sullivan?" Sebastian said, confused.

"Die Ruhe! (Be quiet!)" the blonde, who was their leader, snapped. She said something, her fury reaching a peak.

"What rats?" Bastian gasped, alongside Finny. Like their superior, they were able to decipher why these women were so hostile. Without it they could assume they we unhappy they were trespassing in their lands.

Their leader said something and the mob surged forth. They pointed their farm tools at them, chanting a single phrase, Slowly, they came forward. It forced their tiny group closer together, backs facing each other to cover their weaknesses. Viola unsheathed her knife when another voice called out, annoyed and commanding. It was more youthful as well.

Upon hearing it, the mob froze. As one, they faced the speaker, stepping aside as they drew closer. She saw them bow including the angry blonde. When the women parted they saw it was a tall man, whose sideburns made her pause. He carried a girl around Ciel's age in his arms. She was small for her age, a delicate thing in a black period dress. Though she appeared to be like a doll, the way she held herself was that of a proud noble woman. Viola's gaze traveled down the girl. A disgusted gasp was robbed from her throat once she saw her tiny feet. They were too unnatural, the bone structure growing high than wide.

Good God, who bound that child's feet!

She knew she should have been paying attention to the conversation that the girl held with Ciel, Sebastian his translator. However, she couldn't look away. At this time, she had forgotten foot binding was a popular ritual in China. She had learned about it in her world history class when they had studied the Chinese section. They bound young girls' feet under the belief small feet was what men desired. In the name of marriage and desirability they rendered their daughters unable to walk just as English women wore corsets to alter their waist line.

It made her sick they did it to be desired by a man. However, this was Germany. Why was this girl's feet be bound?

"Perhaps we should leave and think of a plan," Ciel suggested loud enough for the servants to hear his plans.

They nodded. In a hostile environment like this they were outnumbered.

Sebastian was dismissive and light as he spoke to the girl. As he did, he motioned for them to turn back. Eying the distrustful women, they started back for the entrance.

"Warten sie! (Wait!)"

The command had the mob at the ready again to stab them. Viola's hand back for her knife. It was the singular German man that spoke.

"'M gettin' real tired of hot knowing what they're sayin," Baldroy grouched as he glared at the pitch forks. "Bastian, mind translatin'?''

Bastian gave a sharp nod. He tilted his head to listen carefully.

"You know I do not believe you realize how lucky you are to cross the forest unscathed," he translated softly. "I'm sure you have heard of it-the werewolf that protects this forest."

"There's an actual werewolf? says Emily," Snake said, brows furrowed.

Viola shushed him. She watched as the girl whispered into her servant's ear. The main frowned and protested, but the girl gave him a sharp reprimand. He spoke again.

"Listen, "Bastian quickly picked. "If you go back now, night will fall before you exit the forest. It gets very dangerous at night. I can't guarantee that you'll be able to get home safely. No, better to say you will not. So just this once we are going to allow you to stay for the night!"

He accidentally yelled the part, astonished. The others servants had the same reaction.

"Io it safe to stay here over night?" Moy-Rin tittered shifting on her teet.

"We don't have a choice," Sebastian said. "Until sunrise, we shall have to remain in this village at Lady Sullivan's Green Manor."

He pointed to the building that the Lady Sulivan and her man servant originated from. Over the tree line, the sunset cast behind. it, was a stately building where spires pointed high. It was hard to make it out. She was sure it was a sight.

The man servant, Wolfram, Bastian told her, had them follow him. They stuck together, their collective body heat keeping the chill away.

"First they want us to leave, and then they let us stay," said Ciel, his suspicion palpable. "What is going on?"

"I do not know. However..." Sebastian trailed off, his attention drifting to the side. They naturally followed and Viola had to take a physical step back. In the yard were various medieval torture devices. From the classic iron maiden to a spike wagon wheel that could roll on another spike bed known as a Breaking wheel, they were on display for anyone to use. "This is surely not a normal village."

"Wh-What is this place!" Mey-Rin gasped, her pallor pale.

"It's full of torture instruments! Says Wilde," Snake said.

"They were used for the early 16th century witch trials," Viola whispered, unable to look at them. She was getting awful flashbacks to when they had studied them in grade school.

"Viola's a witch!"

"If we sink her in a lake, will she float?"

"Let's put her in a casket!"

The childish voices echoed in her head, taunting her to this day. She shivered. Bastian saw this and frowned, but she smiled to reassure him she was fine.

They continued on towards the manor following the long path up to the gates. The further away they got from the village, the more sparse the land appeared. The bricked path set out was flanked by trim shrubs all the way up to the tall wrought-iron gates. Wolfram shifted his hold on his mistress to open them one-handed and allowed them to enter.

Crossing the connecting bridge with a short amazement at the bottomless moat surrounding the manor, they found themselves before it. The manor was massive at easily three stories high, the pointed towers giving the illusion it was taller. Its style reminded Viola of the Germanic castles she often saw in travel brochures, the flora surrounding it adding to its fairytale setting.

Wandering inside, they found it mystical where a weeping willow tree dominated the center and had various lanterns hung from its drooping branches. Wolfram carried his mistress up the staircase curled around the tree. Sebastian translated that the Germans wanted them to follow. Ciel did so while the rest of the servants were told to go downstairs to the servants' quarters. They did so without question. If anything, they were excited.

Finny and Mey-Rin were happy to explore their quarters for the night. Bastian and Tanaka separated from them as the former could help the older servant to settle down. Baldroy followed the others to try and keep them out of trouble. It left Viola to do as she pleased.

Considering her dislike for large, empty mansions had not died and had only increased, she decided exploring by herself was not for her. Instead, she wandered back outside and went back down the path to town, deciding to check that their belongings made it to their lodgings all right. She hurried along as quickly as she could, not wanting anyone to worry about her-especially Sebastian and Bastian. A shiver rocked through her at the thought of the former finding her. No, that wouldn't be good at all. She wasn't sure if she could handle being alone with him for more than five minutes.

Viola tried to distract herself by examining the forest and the village when she got close enough. It was fascinating how the women managed to maintain themselves and their culture with such a small population. They seemed self-sufficient enough, she thought, as she spared a glance at the women. After the fiasco they had caused, they had gone on with their daily lives. Most had taken their farming tools to till and sow the herbs and vegetables in their gardens while a shepherdess was leading her sheep to graze. They were all activities she had grown accustomed to, but seeing only women do these jobs fascinated her.

As she passed the villagers, they became tense, halting their routines to eye her in pure hostility. Viola hunched her shoulders, her gaze to the ground, as she took hurried steps to get away. Even if she was the same gender, she wasn't going to be accepted here with open arms.

She tried her best to ignore them as she scurried to the edges of the forest. In a hostile environment she didn't feel comfortable being surrounded by them. Sneaking behind the houses was the only way she thought she could reach the village gates. During this trek, the sky dimmed, the fading sun making it colder than it should have. She hurried along. The werewolf rumor was still in the back of her mind.

At the village entrance she found some women were already in the process of moving Ciel's belongings up to the manor. They took the horses and led them through the village up to the manor path. The one directing them was the same blend that had tried to create a lynch mob. The woman spotted her standing to the side and openly scowled in her direction. Viola waved and gave a wobbly smile. She narrowed her eyes, the smile falling. Yup, nothing she did would earn their affections.

Seeing everything was in order and the women didn't trying anything with their luggage (Sebastian would know if they did and there would be hell to pay), Viola decided to head back to the manor as well as the way she came. By that point, the only light that guided her were the candles and lanterns inside the homes. She carefully picked her way through the back alleys, cursing when she stumbled over a pail or an abandoned gardening tool. She tripped over a rope and had to stop to untangle it when she spotted a light up ahead bobbing as it separated from the collective and headed in the forest.

The hairs on Viola's neck rose, her stomach dropping. Every horror film she had watched flashed in her mind's eye, especially Friday the 13th and Blair Witch Project. If there were supernatural happenings going on, it was never advisable to go alone. It was suicide. She knew she couldn't, on good conscience, let that women go off on her own. If something happened, she didn't want to be interrogated or accused for not doing anything.

Against her better judgement, she followed after the light, hurrying to catch up to it while she kept her distance. Whoever this women was wouldn't appreciate her help, she knew. The language barrier would make it difficult for her to explain her reasoning on following her. Add that to her obvious distrust in all outsiders, and Viola would ruin whatever peace Ciel had made. As the light faded behind her, the lantern was the single thing keeping her from getting lost. The light didn't venture far into the forest, much to her relief. It stopped several yards ahead of her, lowering close to the ground.

Viola did her best to stay within the shadows and pressed herself behind a tree. Peering around the tree trunk, she squinted into the dim light. It was difficult to make out as the shapes were nothing more than outlines. She could make out the woman knelt on a patch of herbs because her proximity to the lantern made her the brightest. Everything else was difficult to make out. She had to rely on her other senses to stay alert.

The forest was not as still as she would have expected. In all horror media she watched or heard about there were moments of pure silence, long stretches that noise couldn't penetrate and were afraid to shatter. It was these moments that her heart leapt to her throat and took up lodgings in her vocal cords. Gooseflesh popped up all over her uncovered skin. She stuck her hands behind her neck to keep them warm. In the distance were soft owl hoots as well as the crinkle of leaves made as the wind rustled them. It was like any other night Viola had experienced in the woods.

This paranormal nonsense has made me paranoid, Viola thought as she continued to be on the lookout for strange happening. She was unsure when she had transitioned to a believer in the supernatural, but she was quick to point at that for the reason behind strange happenings. For all she knew there was nothing quite as spooky here and she was making things up. As the minutes ticked on, her blood stalling to warm her fingertips, it was becoming likely that was all in her imagination. This was nothing but a figment that had gone on as a rampage from all the horror films munching away at her common sense like a zombie.

She stood up, brushing her paranoia that covered her common sense in dust when there was suddenly a low snarl that came from deep in the chest. Peering around the tree again, her limbs locked up, ice sliding through her intestines. Behind the women, stepping out of the tree lines, was a hulking figure. They were covered in head to toe in fur so dark it was difficult to tell it apart from the pitch black tar that was the darkness. It was behind the woman as it entered. She had no idea it was there until it snarled.

She came to the realization too late as the figure attacked. Viola could only watch unable to react in time when it attacked the defenseless female. Its huge paws slashed to cut her down. The woman screamed. It was so shrill it scattered the birds out of their safe haven. Viola was scared out as well for an entirely different purposes. She darted for the figure on top of the woman lying on the ground. She drew her hidden knife, then tackled it and thrust the blade into its shoulder. It made a low gurgling grunt and lashed its arm out. Viola didn't know what it had done, but a flash fire burned through her chest and arm nerves. Blood gushed out and stained her clothes.

While pain blinded her, Viola was quick to react. As its other arm swung out to claw her to death, she ducked beneath the nimble limb and brought her foot up in a quick kick to its lower region. She knew it connected as the creature let loose a howl that chilled her bones. Astonishment overcame her, and she let loose a shriek so loud it echoed as well. The creature must have been startled by the volume, because it flinched back into the brush. It fled until she could no longer hear twigs snap beneath its heavy feet. Her harsh breathing and the woman's soft sobbing was loud to her ears.

The adrenaline in her veins seeped out through the cuts on her arms and left her dizzy like she had just gotten off a merry- go- round. Viola sank to her knees as she cradled her injured arm to her chest. Both wounds throbbed in time next to one another. The burning sensation on the edges drove her to tears, the pain blinding her in a haze as thick as the night fog. This was not comparable to the one that ruined her back, but it was enough to push her past her pain threshold.

Get it together, she scolded herself. Her wounds were terrible. Compared to the agony the woman went through, this was nothing. She glanced at the woman. All Viola saw was the thick blood pooling on her back and she had to avert her eyes. Damn, that monster had shredded her back! Nothing was left of her clothing at all!

Pressing her uninjured arm straight to use as leverage on the ground, she hauled back to her feet. She ignored the teetering sensation and stumbled towards the woman. She dropped to her side. Then, she tore off a portion of her ruined sleeve and took care to not jostle it and failed. She used it to mop up some of the blood.

"Sorry, sorry," Viola murmured as the woman gasped and writhed. She knew those kinds of wounds stung. The woman would be lucky if none of her nerves were damaged or even reached her spinal cords.

She continued to whisper reassurances pushing past the pain that slowly fogged the edges of consciousness. Time didn't seem to have passed at all when the forest came to life. Twigs snapped and gravel shifted beneath soles. Viola blinked as the night was chased away as lantern light illuminated their world and shattered the nightmare upon entering the clearing.

She raised the bloody rag up in the face of the mob of angry German women.

The next twenty minutes was a whirlwind-one event happening one right after the other. Viola and the poor women were carried to the center of town where the other villagers had gathered. Their torches lit up to ward away anymore werewolves. The woman was in a worse condition than her, so they laid her on a straw mat. They cut open the back of her shredded dress to expose the wound for cleaning. They got to work to console her as she wept bitter tears hoping it would ease her pain.

For Viola they were not so kind. At first they did not wish to do anything for her. The injured woman had something through her tears and their hostile glares turned to disbelief. It melted in reluctance and had them moving to wipe some of the blood off her arm. When they tried to do the same to her chest she refused to let them near her.

She shook her head even as the villagers parted. Wolfram came through, his mistress in his arms, as Sebastian and Ciel followed. Lady Sullivan gasped upon spotting the grievous back wound. She was lowered next to the woman. As she took out a bottle, Ciel saw Viola. His eye widened.

"what happened?" He asked, running toward her. He honed in on her arm and chest that slowly soiled the cloth she had pressed against the wounds red.

"We were attacked by a-I can't believe I'm saying this," Viola said in her disbelief, "A werewolf. A six foot tall black furred werewolf attacked us out of nowhere."

She hurried to explain the fight she had with it stating she couldn't see as well as she would have liked. As she got to the part where she had stabbed it in the shoulder, Wolfram approached her with a sour pinched look. She said something in German she couldn't understand, then grabbed her uninjured arm. She looked to Sebastian helplessly as the German butler led her to Lady Sullivan who had finished helping the injured villager the best she could.

Wolfram placed a hand on her shoulder with enough force to make her kneel. Lady Sullivan crawled over and reached over to touch her bleeding arm. She held up the same bottle she had used on the woman. Tentatively, she relinquished it to her and used her free hand to keep her bodice up. The young girl tipped the bottle's contents on her wound.

Viola jerked as a stinging pain threaded through the nerves. A flood of curses spilled forth from her mouth as she attempted to keep tears back. God, it hurt so much! Lady Sullivan chanted under her breath in a language she was certain wasn't German. Once finished, she replaced the cloth back on before she turned her gaze to her chest.

"No. No way," said Viola as she stood. However, with Wolfram behind her there was nowhere to go as he attempted to force her back down. She struggled against him, twisting to get away from the girl's grasp. "Nein! Nein, you asshole! Don't touch me!"

She yelled at Lady Sullivan who jerked back her hand. It was enough of a surprise to make Wolfram release her. She slipped past him to go take refuge behind Sebastian. Her fingers trembled as she pressed them against her shredded bodice. Sebastian's lulling German kept her from slipping into a spiraling panic she would not have been able to reorient herself from. She focused on his voice even as the village hag screamed in Ciel's face, her crackling words filling the silence.

A hand tapped on her wrist where the itching burn spread. It reeled her back to reality.

"Come along," said Ciel, keeping his eye strictly on her face. "We will need to dress your wounds. No doubt Bastian will fret over you once more. Why must you two be in the habit of getting injured? It is absurd."

"Sorry, young master," she said without meaning it. She never intended to get hurt so much. Each scar on her body was a reminder she had traveled to this wretched time, a mark she would carry along with the burden.

The wrinkled in his brow betrayed how she knew she was lying. Then, it smoothed as he followed Lady Sullivan and Wolfram back to the manor. She trekked behind them beside Sebastian, pushing the cold eyes of each villager laying their presence with the tragedy they brought upon their home. Viola held her chin up unafraid.

Heaping tragedy upon innocent people was nothing new to her.

XXX

So after a million years I'm finally back! Sorry for the wait on the start of this arc, everyone. I've been doing a lot of writing in school that has completely zapped my creative juices to hell and I've been sitting on my butt trying to get all the scattered pieces of this chapter together to edit. Hopefully, I won't wait months to post the next chapter (might have just jinxed myself though).

We have officially started the Green Witch arc! I have to say this arc is honestly a breath of fresh air in the manga. I love the fact that there is so much to this arc where, if I don't think too hard about the facts and history behind one of the major plot points (Spoiler alert: I don't buy it ONE BIT), we learn a lot more about Ciel and Lady Sullivan's tragic backstories. Plus, I do love me some werewolf stories.

Let me know your feelings about this arc or whatever feedback on this chapter!

Please review!

P.S Any or all German phrases may be incorrect. I do not have much knowledge on the language. Please PM me if you do know the correct words so I may edit it.