"It's 8pm, this is Todd McKenzie, you're listening to Phoenixbrook Radio, and on such a warm and pleasant morning, I sincerely hope you have a very good explanation for why you're sitting there listening to me! And if not, here's one to get you started. Coming up next, we have a sneak preview of Nightlights' brand new single, 'Chase,' touted by many as their most groundbreaking music so far. But first, the news headlines."

The next three months passed swiftly and, for the most part, uneventfully. To anyone outside of the city, it may have seemed that Phoenixbrook's inhabitants had recovered from the Skiryk's visit rather rapidly. However, it had not been the first visit from them, nor would it be the last, and in an odd way it just seemed part and parcel of life in the city, albeit an unpleasant one, which people just seemed to deal with, almost instinctively. They knew there was little choice but to carry on as normally as possible, or leave the city they loved.

News of the death of Kael, the snowkitten actor, reached Phoenixbrook via Jarret, whose many contacts across the planet ensured such an occurrence couldn't slip the net. It was likely that once Jarret had the news, he would have kept hold of it, either out of sheer spite, or for some other totally unfathomable reason. It was not to be, because once Ailee inevitably found out about Kael's death - Jarret could never keep things from his twin for long - she let Eliki know by email, and naturally the news spread swiftly to the other snowkittens from there.

It was, not surprisingly, an immense shock and the Phoenixbrook snowkittens knew the method of execution could only mean one thing - he had died at the hands of an Elysia officer. Both Leana and Jarret's attempts to find out more failed every time. Eyewitness accounts described the killer as a tall, elegantly dressed otter, and the Elysia officers were all felines. Aside from the bluntly obvious - the Elysia were already beginning the early stages of their game plan - it was a disturbing development if they now had the ability to disguise themselves so effectively. Unable to attend the funeral, and aware their presence would have been difficult to justify for any number of reasons, the snowkittens held a small memorial in the wintry gardens of the Phoenixbrook city hall. Even Jarret attended, though he skulked at the back and said nothing.

A few weeks later, the snow thawed, much to most people's relief, since it made travelling a viable option again, and far more comfortable. However picturesque the snow may have been, there was only so long it could be tolerated before it became a nuisance rather than a novelty. Andrina's new range of pendants, each embedded with a luck crystal bought from Loganberry's shop, sold out astoundingly fast. Eliki's painting of a shadowy, black furred snowkitten crossing the market place in a huff, had sat in the local art dealer's window for a few weeks before Jarret himself secretly bought it. The picture was not displayed, but he kept it safe in the cellar of his nightclub, and nobody was allowed to see it.

Since then, the weather had improved in leaps and bounds, and today, the early April morning of the twin's birthday, Leana was optimistic that the spring sunshine and blue skies would last for the duration of the day. Since it was her turn to make the breakfast, invariably it meant they'd be having something a little more inventive than just toast. Leana stirred calmly at a saucepan brimming with porridge, adding in a small pinch of cinnamon, when she heard the kitchen door creak open.

"Morning sis," Eliki mumbled as he ambled in, hair in a tangled mess and still wearing his nightclothes - a green t-shirt and blue boxer shorts. His tail dragged behind him in an untidy, dishevelled state.

"Morning bruv," Leana grinned back. In contrast to her twin, she had been awake long enough to take care of grooming, and looked considerably tidier, though equally undressed. Her tail swished side to side, trailing from underneath a light pink, fluffy dressing gown, as she upended the saucepan's contents into two blue bowls. While she twirled a spoonful of honey over each bowl, making spiral shapes on the porridge, she added, "Oh, and happy birthday!"

Eliki smiled as he shuffled over to where they kept the mugs, preparing them for the tea that bubbled ominously on the stove. "Thanks, happy birthday to you." He carried the mugs of tea over to the kitchen table, plonking them down, and almost dropping like a stone into the nearest chair.

Leana nodded to the window. "Looks like we're in luck. The weather held out long enough, so we should be able to go ahead with our little remembrance ceremony after all."

As she placed the breakfast bowls down, easing herself into a wooden chair opposite Eliki, her brother reached for a small object shaped like a mobile phone, which lay on the worktop just behind him. After a few moments of button pressing, he pocketed it and told her, "Yeah, the forecasts say it should be warm for the rest of the day. Breezy by the afternoon, but other than that it's ideal. Considering where we're headed, that's all to the good. I didn't much fancy trailing through several acres of mud."

As Eliki attacked his porridge with considerable enthusiasm, Leana twizzled hers thoughtfully with her spoon. "Are we still sticking to what we agreed on?" she asked. "About taking our birthday gifts with us to open in the clearing?"

Eliki nodded. "Sure. I'll make certain they're packed with all the other stuff we need, and Andrina mentioned she'd bring along a present too."

"Awww. That's sweet of her," Leana commented. "Hey, you've got some on your face."

Eliki looked bemused. "Where?"

She grinned, dipping her finger in her own porridge, then dabbing it on Eliki's nose. "There."

He went cross-eyed looking at it, and gave a wry smile. "How careless of me." He licked the blob off his nose before continuing. "Well, that's me done. While the drinks cool, I'll check the emails to see if mum has been in contact."

A little under an hour later, both snowkittens left the house. Eliki carefully descended the white staircase that led down the small hill their house was built into. He had changed into his favourite blue jeans and a retina burning t-shirt showing flames forming a spiral shape, which covered the entire surface. The small backpack he carried contained the twin's gifts to each other, as well as their coats (it may have been a warm April day, but there was still a risk of showers, and given the length of the journey, it would have been foolish to leave coats behind) and a few other "essentials."

Leana clicked the front door shut, double checking it was locked, then she too made her way down the stairs, admiring the flowers which were just starting to bloom across the entire hill. Her knee length tie-dye blue and white dress swished around her legs as she headed across the path to join Eliki on Apple Avenue. They walked briskly to Andrina's cottage - they decided not to go by car, planning to make the most of the decent weather, but also because the place they intended to visit later had no road access, and Leana didn't wish to leave the car in the middle of nowhere.

With Andrina bolstering their ranks, the snowkittens boarded a small bus from the market square, which headed past their favourite café by the bridge, before making its way over the Phoenixbrook suspension bridge. Andrina pressed her nose to the glass for a better view, as the bus travelled under a huge arch forming part of a vast tower spanning the bridge entrance, flanked either side by public walkways. Over those were the large, transparent monorail tubes. The section of the tower which the arch cut through, was hexagonal, covered in blue tiles, above which were the iridescent tiles of the cylindrical upper tower section, housing machinery and power supplies for the bridge. The bus sped past a small selection of shops - mostly cafes and newsagents - along the edge of the walkways, before passing the towers that marked the halfway point. These were no less elaborate than the entrance and exit towers, but much taller and rectangular, with viewing rooms at the top that gave stunning views of the river.

From those rooms and the walkways, it was also possible to see the unusually placed Riverdome restaurant, owned and run by a family of otters. Most of the building, accessed from a smaller bridge, was submerged below the river's surface. As a result, it proved to be an extremely popular tourist attraction, and provided much talk from people who did not know of its existence, once they noticed it from the suspension bridge.

As the bus disembarked onto the riverfront boulevard, it took a sharp left, heading past row after row of leafy, green trees, and small, highly picturesque gift shops, crammed full of jewellery, trinkets and oddities, with flower baskets hanging from every spare space on each shop front. The bus fleetingly stopped to let a few passengers off, outside the Catnip Club (the most popular nightclub in Phoenixbrook, specialising in dance and synthpop) then drove over the railway bridge, and out through the towerless northern city gate, leaving the place behind. And so it began the four-mile journey towards Listore village.

When the bus stopped briefly at some traffic lights, Andrina scooped a blueberry toffee from her bag, deftly unwrapping it. Before she had chance to put it in her mouth, the bus started away suddenly, and the toffee was jolted straight out her paw, bouncing down the centre aisle.

Leana looked across at Andrina, who sat slightly wide-eyed, still clutching the wrapper. "Consider it a blessing. You've had those toffees in your bag since we went to see my mum in January!"

"Toffees last forever," Andrina said with authority. "In fact some last longer than that." She delved back in the bag, digging around for a replacement, letting out a muffled "Ooof!" as the bus entered bumpy country lanes. She then noticed that Eliki was looking more than a bit nervy, due to his dislike of travelling, and used her tail to tickle his nose. If nothing else, it proved to be a worthwhile distraction.

Ten minutes later they arrived at Listore village, climbing off the bus along with the few remaining passengers, watching for a while as it headed back towards Phoenixbrook. Listore was a pretty little place with close ties to their hometown. Most of the buildings were small, thatched cottages, which ran parallel to a stream that wound its way through the centre of the village. There were, however, a few shops selling the essentials, as well as a café and restaurant, and just behind these lay the spacious car park, set into a grassy bank which was lined with trees.

"Well, we made it this far," Eliki mused, watching Andrina nosing in the nearest gift shop window at some of the jewellery, clearly checking out the competition.

"You're okay then?" Leana asked.

Eliki nodded. "I think so. It was a bit rough at one point with those country lanes, and that old boneshaker of a bus wasn't helping much. But it seems to have eased off now."

"Good," Leana smiled. "Now all we need to do is pry Andrina away from the shops, and then we can make our way to Inclene. Excuse me just one moment…"

Leana marched purposefully towards Andrina, who saw her approaching, did a cheeky grin and a wave, and then vanished into the cake shop. It seemed to Eliki that it would be an insurmountable task getting Andrina away from a shop like that, but shortly after, Leana reappeared, leading the reluctant snowkitten out by her arm. Andrina's other arm was wrapped securely round a large bag of assorted donuts - she had no intention of heading to the Inclene fields without provisions.

The snowkittens, and donuts, left Listore on foot, going round the back of the car park, up a thin track that led over a hill, across a thin country lane and then through an old wooden turnstile, leading into the Inclene fields. The first of these was "resting," so nothing grew there except for untidy clumps of grass. As it was so early in the year, even the fields that were in use only had the tiny beginnings of corn and wheat appearing above the soil. Each of the fields the felines passed through were separated by large lines of trees, with a naturally formed arch of branches that spanned the pathways. The track eventually headed northwards along a gradual climb to the top of the field, where a large meadow awaited, full of lush, green grass and several huge oak trees. Below one of these lay an old wooden bench, which had seen better days, but was still more than capable of serving its purpose. The other trees both had tattered rope swings hanging from the lowest branches, neither of which looked remotely trustworthy.

With the April sun proving surprisingly warm, the meadow seemed an ideal place to rest, and to nibble on the cherry donuts provided by Andrina. They also had the chance to look down the hill at the stunning panorama formed by northern and central Aredria, the vast expanses of Phoenixbrook's city walls and its southern tower clearly visible in the distance.

Eliki used the time to sketch the scene quickly. They didn't often make this particular journey, and often the weather didn't grant such an ideal view, so he had no intention of missing the opportunity. Andrina sat by a thin stream, using her powers to float small globes of water across the surface, each containing a small golden fish.

She glanced over at Leana, who was sat on the weathered bench, asking her, "Do you remember that really, really rare butterfly I found last year?"

"I remember it well," Leana replied. "We never saw anything like it again."

"Maybe if we stay here long enough, we'll see another rare butterfly," Andrina mused. Leana smiled, closing her eyes and concentrating. Moments later, a twig and four large leaves levitated from the ground, forming the rough shape of a butterfly, which danced and flapped around in front of the red haired snowkitten.

"Ahhh, the ultra-rare woodenback!" Andrina giggled, before it span off into the sky, gone forever. With a mischievous look in her eye, she floated another water globe towards Eliki, who had packed his sketchbook away and was idly daydreaming. The globe popped on the back of his neck, causing him to 'yeep' in surprise.

"Right!" he grinned, chasing after Andrina, who ducked out the way, but didn't quite escape when he flicked a pawful of water out the stream, over her back.

As they played around, Leana sighed happily, watching for a while. It was nice to see, however briefly, all worries gone and the Elysia forgotten. She stood, stretched, and called across to the drenched pair, "Okay, you two clowns, let's carry on with our journey." Eliki took one last look at Phoenixbrook on the horizon, and then joined the other two snowkittens as they climbed the wooden fence, leaving the meadow behind.

The next field they traversed was completely empty, the soil in neat little furrows, but the following field was very different - packed with strange, knee-high spiky plants they had never been able to identify. There was a crisp, unsettling silence here. No sound could be heard from any birds or insects. Even though there were no strangers around to hear, Eliki whispered, "There it is…"

They stopped to look across the mass of fields, following the direction Eliki had gestured towards. A long way off, only just visible, lay an old, wrecked farmhouse with a barn attached to the side. If they hadn't actually known what it was, only binoculars would have made it recognisable, but the snowkittens knew all too well what it was.

Leana shivered. "I was hoping these plants would have grown high enough to block out the view of the damn place."

Andrina noticed the sudden change in mood, putting a paw in Leana's as she asked, "Is that it? Is that the farmhouse you told me about? The one the Skiryks start their journey from."

Leana squeezed Andrina's paw, unsure who was comforting who, as she replied, "As far as we can tell, that's where they appear from. But there are other reasons we're trying to avoid that place, and I really would rather not talk about it. Not here, not while we can see it."

Staring towards the field's northern exit, no longer willing to look at the ancient farmhouse, Eliki muttered, "It's just a building, but there's evil in there, far beyond anything else we know of. That's why we took this route, even though it takes longer, so we can give that dump as wide a berth as possible."

They walked on quickly, into the final, very small field, which had a dense forest along its westerly and northern borders. All the trees seemingly swayed as one, in a gentle breeze that drifted across, while the snowkittens wasted no time entering the forest. They picked their way through until they found a wide, fast flowing stream at the bottom of a steep, slippery bank. Andrina protested at the idea of clambering down the slope, until Eliki pointed to an alternative method - ahead of them, once they ducked under the low branches of a pine tree, were several round, flat stones, forming a crude staircase down to the stream, the stones having been placed there years ago by an unknown person.

They waded over the stream carefully; glad to reach the other side, which thankfully was nowhere near as steep or intimidating. However, along the entire length of this side was an utterly impassable mess of extremely dense branches, bushes, tree trunks and thorns.

"Well," Eliki announced. "This is the fun part!"

Andrina looked nervously at the tangled foliage, as though it were razor wire. Leana took her paw and nuzzled her cheek. "You'll be okay, kitty. Just make sure you keep hold of my paw and don't let go, and nothing can go wrong, okay?" Andrina swallowed, nodded, and they began to make their way forwards into the dark trees.

To say the maze created by the trees was impenetrable was an understatement. The only people in Aredria that could have found their way through, and back out again, were Eliki and Leana. Anyone else, unless led through by the twins, would simply have found it impossible to advance beyond the borders. The branches had grown in all directions, twisting together and overlapping, in such a way that not only prevented a casual 'visitor' from getting in, but also made it pointless trying to see what was beyond the first few layers of trees.

What made this area so special, and so well protected, was the clearing at the centre of the forest, which is where the snowkittens were aiming for. This clearing was a sacred place for them. During the time of the original Elysia invasion, ancestors of the twins - members of the Sharinda clan - had apparently fled into the forest to escape, and had, in turn, used their powers to save the trees from mass destruction as the Elysia attempted to burn them out. Since then, it was as though the sacred clearing was sealed off to all but the Sharinda clan.

The twins couldn't explain how they knew the way through, especially as it seemed to change every time they visited, but it was almost like an instinct. They knew just where to turn, which branches to climb over, dodge under, and lift out the way, in order to progress. Fortunately for Andrina, despite not being of the Sharinda family, she was able to follow them unharmed, by keeping a tight hold of Leana's paw, until they reached their goal.

Andrina tripped and nearly stumbled into the clearing ahead. She let out a little gasp of excitement at what she saw - a beautifully serene, grassy space about twelve metres in diameter. All around, the trees formed a near-perfect circle, broken only by a curtain of leaves and vines to the north. The trees created a leafy canopy overhead, which let in plenty of light, but blocked out any views from anybody flying overhead. A thin stream wound its way out and back in among the trees along the western edge, and odd multicoloured flowers covered much of the eastern section. Andrina parted the vine curtain, letting out another gasp as she peered through. There before her, carved out of blue and purple stone, was a large, arched, ornamental fountain. Water sparkled and ran from an unknown source, into a small bowl at the centre of the fountain, made from blue gemstones. She marvelled at the sight for a time, bemused at how it got there and what purpose it served, before returning to the main clearing.

Standing in a sunbeam, Andrina murmured, "Its beautiful! I know you said it would be, but this is far more amazing than anything I imagined!"

Eliki grinned. "Isn't it though? Now you know part of the reason this place is so special to us. It takes a while to get here, but at least now we can spend as long as we like here, and nobody will interrupt our little ceremony."

Andrina clasped her paws together. "Ooooh yes, but first we have to eat and eat and eat, 'cos I'm rumbling hungry and nobody ever does a ceremony on an empty stomach. I read that on the Internet. I think…"

Leana, with no warning, suddenly pounced on the red haired snowkitten, tickling her without mercy as Andrina rolled on the floor, giggling loudly, making a futile attempt to escape. Grinning down at her, Leana said, "I'll take your word for it, you nutbar. And what is it that you wish to eat?"

"Oh, a cheese sandwich. Anything, as long as it's a cheese sandwich."

"Just as well, really," Eliki noted, prying a bundle from his backpack. "Lucky we knew you'd go for that option. Right, no excuses. Get chomping!"

As it was, the one thing they'd forgotten to bring along were drinks, but this was easily remedied thanks to the fountain. The water in the bowl was very clean and pure, perfect for drinking. Eliki filled a few bottles for the journey back, using some unused emergency containers he'd brought along as part of his art equipment. They relaxed for a while after lunch, in the warmth of the sunbeams that danced and shifted round the clearing, then the twins took the chance to open their birthday gifts.

From Andrina, between them, they received a small golden carriage clock, in a glass dome, with a tiny model train that chugged round the clock face every time it chimed the hour. Leana's gift to Eliki was a rare book she'd found at The Bookshelf, about the history of Phoenixbrook's train station, and the development of Aredria's magnetic train network. In return, he'd bought her a very decorative silk headscarf, which she had been hinting about for months. Andrina, never one to wait, immediately sat behind Leana so she could tie her hair into a ponytail, using the scarf.

"Awww," she purred, "Leana, you look so pretty with that tied in your hair."

The snowkitten blushed under her fur, while Eliki rustled around in his backpack, very carefully removing an item covered in layers of green tissue paper.

"Oh, woe is me!" Andrina declared dramatically, pretending to swoon. "It's a special ceremonial knife, and I'm to be your sacrifice. That's why you brought me here - you needed my virgin blood to give to the clearing."

"Virgin blood, my foot," Leana grinned. "You silly furball. It's the sapling we found up at the churchyard. That's why we're here, to plant it in memory of all our snowkitten ancestors."

The three snowkittens knelt at the side of the little stream. While Eliki held the oak sapling to his chest, Leana extended her claws, digging a small hole in the earth. The sapling was placed gently in its new home, and then she replaced the soil, patting it down and smoothing it, whispering something to the ground. She turned to Andrina. "Okay, your turn."

Andrina gestured towards the stream with a tightly closed fist, opening it slowly as she lowered her paw to the ground. A miniature rain cloud formed out of nowhere, above the sapling, drizzling its contents down on the tiny plant, which almost visibly seemed to grow stronger as the water fell.

Leana took Eliki's paw in her own, and Andrina's in the other, and all three closed their eyes, while she began to recite a long poem she had memorised. It was a remembrance poem, written entirely in an ancient snowkitten language, which she'd painstakingly researched during quieter times at the bookshop. Though the poem itself was ancient, she had modified parts of the writing to suit the ceremony they now took part in. Once she reached the last verse, Andrina and Leana joined in.

Roughly translated, the words were a highly emotional thank you to their ancestors, who had fought back to save other Aredrian inhabitants from the various incarnations and predecessors of the Elysia. They vowed to avenge their fallen brethren, but above all else there was a heartfelt promise, bringing Leana to tears, never to forget the snowkittens that had lost their lives over the centuries. She took the chance to mention the latest victim, Kael, specially.

They sat, silently watching as the poem concluded, and Leana untied a light blue ribbon from round her ankle, loosely tying it to the sapling. She closed her eyes again, and as the other two snowkittens waited, tiny lights flickered into view among the tightly packed trees surrounding the clearing, swirling and leaving behind a trail of blue mist. The lights increased rapidly in number, till there were hundreds all around. Then, a few at a time, they streamed inwards, striking the tiny sapling and dissipating, making it glow increasingly brightly. More and more of the streaming lights shot forwards until the snowkittens were forced to look away from the blinding light, then it finally faded, and they realised the ribbon had completely vanished.

A puzzled Eliki asked, "What was all that about? Where did the ribbon go?"

Leana, looking a bit tired, replied, "I'm not entirely sure. It was a complex spell, but I wasn't certain just how it would manifest. The ribbon symbolised us three, as well as Ailee and Jarret, and it has fused permanently in the heart of the sapling. So in a way, we'll always be a part of it as it grows, hopefully big and strong, as a central part of this clearing."

"The lights you saw were some of the snowkitten spirits who guard this place, and they've given a part of themselves to the sapling, to protect it and make it stronger."

Eliki blinked, unsure of what to say other than a quiet, "There were so many."

Leana squeezed his shoulder, and they both stood as she said, "I know… I know."

They watched as Andrina patted the sapling lightly, telling it, "You grow big, little tree, and then you can protect this clearing with all the others. And we'll come back often to make sure you're okay, and I'll feed you more water and talk to you. And ohhhh how I'll talk to you 'cos there are so many things I want to tell you, like secrets such as where Leana hides her lavender soap and…"

As she rambled on, Eliki looked to Leana, who smiled and told him, "Yes, that's another part of the spell, which was probably the trickiest part. I've convinced the guardians to allow Andrina unhindered access to the clearing from now on. So she can visit whenever she wants, without needing us as guides. Not that I'd be too happy with either of you venturing out here alone, with the current situation, but hopefully in the future when all this is over, it'll be safe to do so."

She returned to the fountain for one last, long drink, strolling back to help Andrina to her feet. Leana took another look around the clearing before announcing, "Come on then, let's return home. If we start now, we won't need to rush at all, and I for one don't much fancy hurrying."

Eliki ensured everything was packed away safely, they said their goodbyes to the sapling and guardian spirits (even though they couldn't see them), then made their way precariously back through the maze of branches and thorns. This time though, as Leana had promised, Andrina found herself able to pick her way correctly without any assistance.

When they reached the edge of the forest and the stream, Andrina jumped back with a muffled squeak. Leana realised why, gesturing to Eliki to be quiet. He crept forward, looking in the direction she pointed.

"Jarret!" he whispered. "What the heck is he doing here?"

There, on the other side of the stream, further down near to the 'staircase,' stood the imposing black and white feline, staring at the trees with a puzzled frown. He looked northwards along the footpath, and then turned suddenly to march south, stopping to glare at the spot where the snowkittens hid. They ducked back into the trees quickly.

Crouching, Andrina asked quietly, "Did he see us?"

Leana peered out, prying aside several branches. "No, I think the trees are blocking his view totally. See? I told you they protect us if we need their help. Jarret must have guessed, or found out, that we were going here today, and he followed us. Quite why he wants access to the clearing is beyond me, but it's something that can't be allowed. He knows it would be impossible for him to get in."

Eliki squinted through a gap in the branches. "Not that it would stop him trying."

"Exactly," Leana commented, "Or he might be hoping to force one of us into guiding him through. And… oh wait, I think he's given up." Jarret had muttered something unrepeatable, striding suddenly back down the footpath, before vanishing into the trees.

The three snowkittens stayed hidden for a few more minutes, until Eliki said, "We ought to get over to the other side of the stream in case he returns."

Jarret, in an even fouler mood than usual, having decided this lengthy journey had been an utter waste of time, wasted no more in leaving the small forest, returning quickly to the fields. He knew for a certainty that Andrina and the twins had been this way. Although he had no idea what lay beyond that mass of trees, a mixture of curiosity and the knowledge that there was an immense power in that area, meant he had every intention of finding his way through the forest. But not today. That much was evident.

A previous attempt to get through had failed miserably. Crossing the stream was simple enough, but every direction and entrance he'd tried along the edge of the forest had proven completely impassable. He'd contemplated bringing his sword, but knew it would take hours, if not days, to cut even a short distance. Besides which, Jarret was no fool. He sensed something or someone was deliberately preventing him entering the forest, and it was considerably more powerful than him. The repercussions for using force against the forest could be potentially serious. So he left it alone, and had instead hoped to somehow memorise the route Leana used, or force one of the weaker snowkittens to lead him through to whatever was so fascinating within.

That had been the original plan, but either they had left by an alternative route before he even arrived or, more likely, they planned to stay longer than he had patience for. As it was the twin's birthday, he'd suspected they would go somewhere more special, and this had been the obvious choice, following his initial investigations, which is why he'd attempted to follow them as far as he could. It was a long distance to travel for what amounted to nothing.

Jarret stood in the field of spiky plants, looking towards the haunting, distant farmhouse that instilled so much fear in the other snowkittens. He knew the rumours and stories well, but also knew a good deal more than most about the truth behind the evil lurking deep within the building. He was frustrated enough to consider taking his anger out on the farmhouse, bombarding it with lightning bolts, just to stir up trouble with whatever was within, but thought better of it. The city had enough potential troubles approaching, without antagonising another threat that, for now, was dormant and as such, relatively harmless.

He took one last look back towards the northern field and the forest, in case the group of snowkittens were trailing him, but seeing nobody along the dirt track, he decided to return to the Listore village, intent on being as awkward as possible to the owners of the village shops.

Finally, back at Phoenixbrook, the twins waved goodbye to Andrina from the end of her cottage path, then went straight back to their home on Apple Avenue. While Leana trudged up the staircase, front door key card at the ready, Eliki used his own card to open the metal post box attached to the wall below the stairs, checking if any post had arrived during their absence.

In the hallway, Leana turned as her twin clicked the front door shut, placing the post on a little wooden table.

"We've been sent a parcel," Eliki told her. "Looks like it's from mum. I knew she wouldn't forget us!"

He extended a sharp claw, whisking it across the parcel tape that held it shut. The first things the twins dug out of the box were a letter and card, which Leana grabbed immediately, while Eliki plunged his paws into the voluminous pile of plastic chips, used by Koreen to protect whatever lay inside during transit.

With those out the way, he peered into the depths of the box, and almost leapt back in surprise.

"What in the name of the goddess is that?"