Having parted ways with his new acquaintances, Alex headed deeper into the forest on the slopes of Blackwood Mountain. He walked unhurriedly, listening to the crunch of snow beneath his boots and glancing up at the dark sky, where the moonlight barely pierced through the snow-laden branches.

He came across a beaten path lined with a wooden fence. Where exactly it led—he didn't know. His first intended destination was the mines beneath the mountain. Alex understood his "luck" all too well: either he would stumble upon the right entrance by accident, or simply fall through the ground.

The road remained the same—just snow, the occasional shadow of trees, and the wind whispering through the branches. All he remembered was that if he kept walking along this path, sooner or later it would lead to a fork, from where he could reach the abandoned mines.

Before long, he came upon a metal gate with a lock. He tugged at the handle—it was shut tight. Looking closer, he realized the lock was electric: it required a generator.

"No way," he scoffed aloud, speaking just to keep himself from feeling too alone. "Let someone else go hunt for a generator."

Instead, he simply turned intangible and slipped through the gate, not bothering with locks. On the other side, he found the path again, now climbing up a set of stairs. Lighting a cigarette, Alex exhaled smoke into the cold night sky and closed his eyes, trying to sense any nearby Wendigos. But all he felt were small animals and birds.

"Damn," he clicked his tongue. "Not even one."

He wasn't discouraged: he knew he would cross paths with them sooner or later. Among those Wendigos was supposed to be Hannah—the girl who'd gone missing a year ago. Even without Sam's words, he already pieced together what had happened on the mountain: Hannah and her sister Beth had fallen into the ravine, ended up in the mines… Beth died, and Hannah was left alone with her sister's corpse, the cold, and the gnawing hunger. And, as her diary revealed, she eventually did the unthinkable.

As he walked, Alex noticed police tape tied to a tree. He stopped, took a drag, and muttered,"If I remember right, Hannah's diary should still be somewhere in those mines… Should I give it to Sam? Hm. We'll see. If I find it, then it's fate."

He moved forward again, wondering how the girls' friends—especially their brother Josh—would react when they learned the truth. Suddenly, the thought struck him: of course! The reason the Wendigos hadn't sensed him was because of the protective wards. There were so many that he was practically invisible to such creatures. Even the Cullens admitted: if you weren't looking directly at him, you couldn't sense him at all.

At that moment, a sharp rustling came from the snow-covered bushes. Instantly, Alex reached for the grip of his revolver, the Blue Rose. But before he could aim, a large shadow burst from the thicket and latched onto his face.

"Facehugger?!" flashed through his mind. But then he felt thick fur. "No… Facehuggers definitely don't have fur."

Releasing the revolver's grip, Alex grabbed the attacker with both hands and easily tore it off himself. What writhed and hissed in his grip was a nearly meter-long creature with powerful paws and sharp claws. Dense black fur with pale stripes, an elongated snout, small ears, and strong jaws—an apex predator, perfectly adapted to harsh climates.

"A wolverine…" Alex muttered, raising a brow. "Well, aren't you a little cutie. You hungry?"

The beast still thrashed and hissed, its tail lashing in agitation. But when Alex suddenly pulled it tightly against himself, the wolverine jerked at first… then unexpectedly stilled. It lifted its snout and looked him straight in the eyes—with something like bewilderment.

Smiling, Alex pulled a piece of fresh meat from his inventory and held it out. The animal immediately snatched it in its paws and began tearing into it hungrily.

Watching the creature crunch the meat with gusto, Alex couldn't help but grin.

"Done deal. You're my friend now. You'll need a name… Hm. Perfect! You'll be Peach."

He lifted the wolverine above his head while it continued to happily chew its treat.

In response to Alex's words, the wolverine—already christened Peach by him—just growled grumpily but didn't even try to escape his arms. Waiting until the animal finished its piece of meat, Alex offered him another one, trying to win over the wild creature once and for all.

Those watching the broadcast through Navi, the fairy-drone, only sighed when they heard Alex naming the predator. Yet some of the girls, unlike the skeptics, suddenly realized that the wolverine really did look surprisingly cute.

Alex smirked with satisfaction, happy with his new friend, and set the animal on his shoulders. Peach wrapped his paws around Alex's head, settling in comfortably, and didn't even think about leaving. The reason wasn't just the food—every living being subconsciously trusted Alex. Humming under his breath, he continued down the path, searching for the way to the mines.

After some time, they reached a fork. One road was collapsed, while the other led toward a mine on Blackwood Mountain. Alex didn't hesitate: he knew that was where Jack Fiddler's hideout was—the hunter who had waged war against the Wendigo on this mountain for many years.

Entering the mine, Alex immediately noticed a rickety wooden barricade with a danger sign. He barely touched it before it crumbled with a crack, as if from sheer age.

"Looks like we're going down," Alex chuckled, playing with Peach's paws wrapped around his head. "Right, Peach? If you catch a scent of anything—let me know at once. You're my assistant now."

The wolverine growled and flailed his paws, trying to stop Alex from grabbing them again. Alex just smiled and stepped forward… straight into emptiness. With a dull thud, he landed on the rails.

Walking a bit further, Alex spotted a metal cart used for hauling stone and kicked it out of the way without a thought. Darkness filled the mine, but that didn't matter—he could see perfectly well without light. He knew he wouldn't run into a Wendigo here, but he still wanted to explore.

At the next fork, a collapse blocked the way forward, and Alex had no desire to clear it. To the left, however, a staircase led to higher levels, so he chose that path. All the while, he listened carefully, expecting to hear Jack's footsteps—but heard nothing. That meant Jack was most likely shadowing Samantha and her friends in Josh's house.

Climbing up, Alex heard Peach's growl and turned his head in the same direction. In front of them stood a sturdy outbuilding, serving as a storage shed. Inside, he found only rusty barrels, a deer skull, a bloody depiction of a Wendigo's face, and an old dreamcatcher. Nothing worth taking, so Alex and his new companion kept searching for an exit.

Meanwhile, back in Alex's house in Forks, Lucina and Alice sat on the couch. On the armrests perched GIR, MIMI, and Stitch. Nearby, Emmett sat with Rosalie hugging him, while Jasper and Jane occupied chairs. This odd assortment of people watched the broadcast of Alex's adventure on Blackwood Mountain with full attention.

With nothing else to do, watching him explore the "cursed" places turned out far more entertaining. Especially the stories about the Wendigo—no one had ever seen them, and burning curiosity stoked everyone's imagination.

When Alex had just begun his journey, Emmett couldn't resist joking that the moment he was left alone, he was already flirting with girls. For that, he immediately got smacked on the head by Rosalie, and then again by Alice—for his ill-timed humor. Lucina only hoped that Alex wouldn't collapse the mountain during his monster hunt. That hope was shared by all his loved ones and even the goddesses Freya, Hestia, Loki, and Hephaestus, who, watching the broadcast, silently prayed it wouldn't come to a catastrophe.

But the highlight for the viewers came when Alex met the wolverine and gave it such a sweet name.

"Peach," Alice murmured, watching the animal hug Alex's head. "Such a darling creature. I wonder if he'll bring it home or let it go free? I'd love to hug it… it's so fluffy."

"I think Alex will most likely drag it home," Lucina remarked calmly. "But yes, Peach really is adorable."

"Hahaha! Naming a wild beast Peach—that's priceless!" Emmett burst out laughing at the screen.

But not everyone was pleased that the wolverine named Peach suddenly became "cute." The first to voice their outrage were GIR, MIMI, and Stitch. In unison, they leapt off Lucina's and Alice's laps and began spinning around the room, staging an improvised protest. Somehow, the trio even managed to whip out posters with Peach's picture and a big caption: "Peach is NOT cute!"

Everyone in the house turned their eyes to the tiny rebels. Lucina rubbed her forehead wearily, wishing the circus would end soon. Alice, on the other hand, watched their noisy "rally" with a smile. Jasper smirked, while Jane only frowned harder, unable to understand how anyone could take this nonsense seriously. The Cullens had long grown used to the trio's antics, but somehow they always managed to surprise them again.

"Peach is cute—unlike you lot," Emmett snorted, poking his finger into Stitch's ear just as the little creature was holding a poster over his head.

"You touched me!" Stitch shrieked instantly, swinging the poster at Emmett. "I told you not to touch me! You touched me again!"

"I didn't touch you," Emmett replied calmly, still holding his finger out.

"I can see your finger right here!" Stitch barked, jabbing his claw at Emmett's hand.

"I didn't touch you," Emmett repeated, barely holding back a grin.

"Ma, can I kill him?" Stitch suddenly whirled toward Lucina and Alice, spreading his arms wide.

Lucina and Alice exchanged glances and barely kept from laughing. Emmett's face twitched, while Rosalie gave her husband a mocking side-eye—he'd asked for it again. Even Jasper and Jane couldn't hide their ironic smiles; everyone knew well enough that Stitch was far more dangerous than he looked.

"Stitch, you can't kill Emmett. He's already dead," Lucina said calmly, choosing her words carefully.

"She's right, kid," Rosalie added with a faint smile. "Don't kill my husband, I still need him. But you can whack him on the leg."

Stitch looked at Rosalie, then at Emmett… and grinned widely. A cold chill ran through Emmett—he knew exactly what was about to happen. But it was too late. Stitch pulled a collapsible baton from his little belt pouch and slammed it with full force into Emmett's knee.

A loud crack echoed as the kneecap shattered, followed by a cry of pain. Emmett collapsed from his chair, clutching his leg. Stitch, grinning with satisfaction, folded the baton and carefully tucked it back into his pouch. Emmett rolled on the floor, unable to believe the pain could be that intense. He simply didn't know that the trio's weapons were designed specifically to inflict maximum suffering.

Stitch bared his teeth in a smug grin, returned to Lucina, and curled up on her lap. She immediately began stroking his ears. The little creature blissfully closed his eyes, resting the back of his head against her chest. Alice, Jasper, Jane, and Rosalie all burst out laughing at Emmett's misfortune. Only after Rosalie had laughed her fill did she finally lean down to comfort him.

Meanwhile, Alex had already made it out of the mine with Peach perched on his shoulders. Out in the fresh air, he stopped and looked around. Suddenly, a chilling scream pierced the silence—a sharp, piercing cry, more like an inhuman shriek.

Peach growled warily, staring toward the source of the sound. Alex knew at once: it was a Wendigo.

His lips curved into a grim smile. He had a theory: Wendigos were once humans, cursed by a spirit after resorting to cannibalism to survive. These creatures feared fire, but burning the body didn't solve the problem—the spirit merely escaped and sought a new host.

Alex suspected the spirit could be cleansed. That wouldn't restore the transformed human, but perhaps it could finally grant their soul peace. To test the theory, he would need to capture at least one Wendigo alive.

"Well then, Peach," he muttered, adjusting the animal on his shoulder. "Time to hunt."

Following the trail and pondering his theory, which he still had to test, Alex reached a lookout platform. From there, a mesmerizing view of the snow-covered forest stretched out, bathed in the pale light of the moon. Moving closer, he noticed a pair of binoculars buried in snow and a sign displaying the animals that inhabited the area.

Leaning against a frost-covered wooden railing, Alex scanned the dark forest, hoping to spot the Wendigos that were likely prowling nearby in search of a victim to sate their eternal, insatiable hunger. But aside from the beautiful scenery—the dark silhouettes of trees under the silver moonlight—he saw nothing suspicious.

"All right, time to move on," he muttered under his breath, tossing another piece of meat to Peach. The little companion, perched on his shoulder, purred contentedly and set to devouring his treat.

Opening a small wooden gate, Alex began descending the snow-covered path. He listened intently to every rustle: one of the Wendigos had already let out its piercing scream, and time was running short. He needed to find the creature before it reached any of Samantha's friends.

Lighting a cigarette on the move, Alex couldn't help but think about the fate of the students. He knew their group would soon scatter, and some of them would get into trouble. This especially concerned Mike and Jess, who were likely to face the same path he had, and Matt and Emily, who would venture into the forest… though he couldn't remember exactly why. One thing was clear—the two pairs risked encountering Wendigos.

"Hell with them," Alex muttered. "If they're lucky, they'll survive. I'm not Mother Teresa to save everyone. Or should I?.. What do you think, Peach? Help just Samantha, or intervene and save the whole bunch? After all, besides Josh, she's one of the few normal ones."

He took the creature off his shoulder and looked into its eyes.

"Grr… (I don't care, I'm eating)," Peach growled discontentedly, not letting go of the meat.

Alex smirked.

"Fair enough. We'll see how it goes. At worst, I won't let them die, but they do need to suffer a little—they deserve it for last year's pranks."

"Grr… (As you wish)," Peach growled, continuing to chew the meat.

Rolling his eyes, Alex placed the creature back on his shoulder and pressed on. Soon, a pile of fallen trees blocked the path. Catching Peach with one hand, he easily leaped over the obstacle and landed on the other side. The wind carried distant, yet unsettling, Wendigo cries—sometimes fading into the forest, sometimes sounding dangerously close.

The trail led him to a wooden bridge. Alex stopped and peered through the railing down at the frozen, snow-covered river. In that moment, a familiar sense of presence washed over him. Crossing the bridge, the feeling intensified.

Suddenly, a deer dashed out from the trees onto the path and collapsed in front of him, panting heavily. Long claw marks streaked along its side. Peach growled toward the direction from which the deer had come. The animal trembled, staring at Alex with sheer terror.

Alex crouched beside it and gently touched its muzzle.

"Easy, hermano… I won't hurt you. Hang in there a little longer."

His palm glowed with a soft green light, and the deer's wounds began to close rapidly. The animal was gasping for breath but felt relief. Soon it stood up, nudged Alex's hand with its muzzle, and snorted, as if in thanks.

"It's all right. Go. And stay away from whoever attacked you," Alex said, stroking its muzzle.

The deer made a short sound and disappeared into the forest. Alex watched it go before turning his gaze back toward where it had come from. The trail of blood led straight into the dense woods.

Alex followed the trail, delving deeper into the forest. Soon the drops of blood stopped. He examined the area and noticed deep claw marks on a tree—Wendigo had attacked from above. Alex squinted and began scanning the surroundings.

Then his eyes caught a quickly moving silhouette leaping from tree to tree. The moon peeked out from behind the clouds, casting light on the figure. High on a tree trunk froze a thin, unnaturally long shape. Its emaciated body, with elongated limbs, resembled a grotesque shadow. The face—elongated, with gaping empty eye sockets and sharp teeth. The skin—pale, sickly, with veins showing through.

It was a Wendigo. It stared at Alex with hunger, like a predator sizing up its prey, unaware of who the real target was.

Alex bared his sharp teeth in a wide predatory grin.

"So, I found you. You're going to be first." His voice was low, filled with unrestrained amusement, and his iridescent eyes glimmered in the darkness.

At that moment, Peach, sitting on Alex's shoulder, growled at the Wendigo clinging to the tree with its claws. The monster let out a piercing, hoarse scream that sent chills down the spine, then, without hesitation, leapt away, bounding from tree to tree.

"That's right, motherfucker… RUN!" Alex shouted after it with a wide, savage grin.

He laughed low and guttural—like a hunter finally spotting his prey—and took off after it. The Wendigo raced across the treetops, while Alex easily navigated every obstacle on the ground. Peach dug her claws into his head, trying not to fall during the mad chase.

The creature made a single powerful leap over a deep ravine. Alex, without slowing down, pushed off the ground and vaulted across the gap in one motion, landing hard and immediately springing into the chase again. He wasn't in a hurry to catch the Wendigo yet; he was far more interested in tracking it to discover its lair. He had no intention of wandering through the forest searching for the cave where they slept and hid.

Soon the Wendigo jumped down from the cliff's edge. Alex slowed only for a moment and looked down—their eyes met. The creature let out another scream, filled with despair and rage, and bolted again. Alex smirked and, without hesitation, jumped down. The ground beneath him cracked, spreading out like a spiderweb.

The path ahead led through a chasm. Alex pushed through roots and fallen trees, breaking them as he went. Finally, he emerged into an open space and spotted tracks in the snow, leading up the hill. Climbing to the top, he stopped. Below sprawled a miner's town—abandoned, yet still holding traces of its former life. Off to one side stood a large wooden building. That was exactly where the Wendigo tracks in the snow led.

"Heh-heh-heh… Thanks for showing me your nest, buddy," Alex muttered, squinting predatorily toward the direction the Wendigo had slithered. "For this, I'll make sure to thank you… in a special way."

He began his descent, sliding over the snow, until he crashed onto a broken wooden platform. Peach clearly didn't enjoy this chase: the little creature shivered noticeably with every jump and fall. Alex stepped forward—and the floor gave way beneath him, sending him into the depths of the ruined miner's building.

Kicking open the boarded-up doors, he moved forward, following the Wendigo's trail. The tracks led through the entire town. Alex didn't rush—on the contrary, he walked calmly, smoking a cigarette. Eventually, the tracks brought him to a massive building. He pushed open the heavy gates and stepped inside.

The abandoned corridors greeted him with silence and the echo of his footsteps. Signs pointed downward—to the mine. To Alex's surprise, a faint light still burned deep within. He walked along the rails until he entered a spacious hall containing a huge lift for lowering the miners.

Looking around, he quietly hummed to himself:

"Far over… the misty mountains cold… to dungeons deep, and caverns old… we must away, ere break of day, to find our long-forgotten gold…"

The echo carried his voice into the darkness.

And right there, behind him, a movement flickered in the shadows. The Wendigo crept silently, as if the forest itself had exhaled its shadow. It waited for the moment to strike—and finally leapt. Its long, clawed limbs lunged straight at Alex's body.

But at that moment, Alex's shadow quivered. Long black strands burst forth from it, like living hair. They lashed toward the Wendigo, pinning it to the stone wall. Its clawed hands and feet were pierced through, and the black strands then impaled its emaciated body.

The creature let out a heart-wrenching scream of pain, writhing, but it could not escape. Alex's song had just reached its end. He slowly turned his head and looked at the helpless Wendigo.

"Gotcha," he said calmly, stepping forward. "It's a shame that brainless creatures like you never realize who really sits at the top of the food chain."

Alex lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled acrid smoke directly into the Wendigo's grotesque, twisted face. The creature continued to scream and thrash, futilely trying to free itself. But no matter how hard it struggled, it was firmly held by Zhang Ya's hair, which wrapped around the Wendigo like living chains. She hovered behind Alex, arms around his neck, eyes fixed on the creature as if silently judging its suffering.

Alex looked at the Wendigo up close, a twinge of regret in his expression. Deep down, he had hoped it might be Hannah, transformed into the monster, but alas—this was an entirely different Wendigo.

He frowned and pondered: "If it's not Hannah, then maybe she's following Mike and Jessica right now." Even as a Wendigo, some feelings could have lingered deep inside her—old love for Mike, jealousy toward Jessica.

"And what am I going to do with you, huh?" Alex smirked, tilting his head slightly. "Nameless Wendigo… Hand you over for experiments and a subsequent dissection? Or try out a few theories on you myself?"

The creature howled even louder, thrashing against the hair restraints. Alex just rolled his eyes.

"Alright, let's test one hypothesis," he said, grabbing the Wendigo by the head to keep it from struggling.

The idea was simple: if Heaven and Hell existed in this universe, and the banishment of demons and angels was possible through proper words, then perhaps the Wendigo curse could also be cleansed. Alex decided to try the power of God's word.

He spoke in Latin:

"Misereátur tui omnípotens Deus, et dimíssis peccátis tuis, perdúcat te ad vitam ætérnam. Amen."

It was, in essence, a prayer for forgiveness of sins. Alex reasoned: the Wendigo is the embodiment of sin, a symbol of insatiable hunger and greed, a warning against excess. Then words of forgiveness might just work.

As soon as he finished, the Wendigo's body shuddered. At first, it trembled slightly, then convulsed violently, until finally freezing. In the next moment, the creature's skin and bones began crumbling to ash, starting from its feet.

Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Whoa…" he muttered. "And here I thought it wouldn't work."

He watched as the cursed soul slowly cleansed itself and, freed from darkness, ascended somewhere above.

"Well, that was an interesting experiment. Who would've thought an exorcism would work even on a Wendigo? Alright. Worked out fine," Alex said, shaking his hands as if it were a routine matter. "Now I need to find Bett's grave and Hannah's diary. Hopefully, I can manage it before Samantha calls asking for help—after Josh begins his little revenge plan."

Zhang Ya, seeing the Wendigo turn to ash, withdrew her hair and softly dissolved into Alex's shadow, giving him the spotlight in his personal adventure alongside his new friend, Peach.

Alex approached the miner's lift, eyeing the iron cage with doubt. It looked like it would collapse from a single push.

"Nope, I'm not keen on falling like a rock," he muttered, beginning to look for another way.

To be continued…

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