Erhart found the front of the car, torn ragged and sitting ugly on the sidewalk. He gave that a wide berth when he picked his way around. The fight behind him was not loud, looking over his shoulder insured him it was still going on. It was a lot of dodging from both parties, even Summer, and Winter's breaths made no noise. It was eerie. Erhart would have preferred a more dramatic fight, more noise, more action. At least he could tell what was going on better, without turning around.  

“Good luck guys,” Erhart said, not that anyone could hear him. Those long slinky shadows seemed to slow down, acting more like a slow slime, instead of a fast acting shadow. Looking around, Erhart decided waiting in the car park would be his safest bet. It wasn't until they left the car park, that things had gotten dicey. Sighing, Erhart entered the garage. Looking around, he didn't see anything dangerous, only parked cars. Walking further in, the lights flickered yellow. A warning about what was going outside, he bet. 

“I won't be going inside, that's for sure.” Yellow lights, meant the doors had entered, looked down. Even the small town, by his home, had the same system. A universal safety feature placed way back. Erhart didn't fancy meeting anyone from that conference room anyway. Erhart felt a headache forming thinking about it. That could have been the car accident too. His brain tacked on for him. 

One place was good as another, so Erhart took up a seat in the middle of the parking lot. Close enough to see the entrance, far enough away to get away if a Doden showed up. Not a bad spot given the circumstances. If he knew anything about cars, he could even admire the cars; unfortunately, he knew nothing about them. Leaving with not much to do, but wait.  

The car park was quiet. Erhart couldn't even here the drip of a leak, which he thought would be fitting. He sat with his legs stretched out, then folded into a yoga pose, sat his knees, and then he stood up and jumped up and down. Grinning to himself. He enjoyed the simple movements; that he couldn't dream about doing before. Way to have fun when your new clan… friends could be dying. Erhart berated himself. 

“What am I doing?” Erhart smack his face, the sound echoing throughout the car park. “Should I check on them?” Waiting was making him lose track of what he was supposed to be doing. Hiding, being fearful, but; he was doing none of that rather well. “The amount of bullshit I can take to reach its limit.” Erhart sighed, and pulled his hair back, and tucked it behind his ears. 

“Funny, so has mine.” Erhart knew that creepy voice right away, the smell that followed confirmed it. 

“I knew it!” Erhart couldn't resist saying. When he turned around, they were standing head to toe in the same filth. In fact his beard looked longer, and more matted than before. Dressed in the same rags. Erhart couldn't understand why he wouldn't want to break the curse that forced him to look and smell that way.  

“Yet, you're still here.” His eyes, soulless and dark, looked him up and down and sneered. Erhart wasn't scared, he felt nothing, and feeling nothing made him a lot braver than was normal for him. 

“Well, you destroyed my ride, and sent those Doden's after me again.” Erhart waved his hands in the way, demonstrating himself weighing his options. “I don't have any other options.” 

“You could have escaped,” Leonhard started walking, circling him. Erhart echoed him, keeping the distance between them. 

“You want me to run?” Erhart sneered at him back, curling his lip. “Weren't you trying to catch me?” Doing quick glances at the surrounding cars, which would be the best to hide behind. Leonhard may be a cursed Bearskin, but he was still a Bearskin. By default, he was stronger and faster than Erhart, but he wouldn't be as nimble. In theory, the row of fancy looking cars behind him, would make good cover.    

“Shame you had to pick a clan already, but we can work around that now.” Leonhard grinned, and Erhart swore he saw a bug slide itself between his teeth, and into his mouth. Nasty, Erhart bit back the urge to vomit.  “As long as it doesn't kill you, but that's not my problem.”  He shrugged, and Erhart ducked between two cars. Running until he was behind the cars, and out of sight.  “Fleeing? How very like your father, you are!” A car went flying behind him, metal hitting concrete made a spine-chilling sound. 

“Thanks!” Erhart called out, there was no denying that Leonhard knew where he was. He was turning cars over like a toddler with building blocks. He was trying to keep one step ahead of the mad man. What was more surprising was that his body was holding up! Being a Heart was having some major perks. “Shit!” A car flew pass his nose, the breeze knocking him into the truck on his side. At least the car missed. 

“Hello, Heart.” Leonhard breathed could have knocked him out. Eyes watering, he lashed out with his foot. Striking something soft and tender. Erhart thought he might have hit his balls, because Leonhard's head through back with a howl. He knew he had to have hit them. That had to hurt.

“Goodbye, asshole.” Erhart muttered. Backing up, his path to zigzagged through the line of tipped over cars. He needed to do more than hit the man in the balls. For which he had no sympathy for, even for his fellow man, Leonhard hardly counted as one. In fact, he hoped he smashed them flat. 

“You little brat!” A hand came and picked him up by the back of his shirt. Tossing him onto the blank spot in the parking lot. In midair, his dog tag tried to leave him, but Erhart got it in his hand. His skin paying for him not trying to stick the landing. Scrapping his back along the smooth pavement. Rubbing hard enough to sting, but not bleed. Erhart was at grateful for that at least. “I'm going to kill you, like I did your old man!” 

“Bullshit!” Erhart rose up on his elbow, wincing with his bodies protests. “Like I would believe such classic villainous crap!” Erhart had read his weight in books, trying to mess with your head, was bad guy 101. 

“If you could defeat him, why bring the Doden?” Erhart sat up and Leonhard looked demented. He walked towards Erhart, tearing at his sleeves, which weren't even in his way. Droll spilled down his beard, glossing the nasty mess… Wetting it, while his body gave off more of a smell, but a aura that Erhart could see. Blacker than his soulless eyes, the air around Leonhard. Changed, for lack of a better word. It was the most dangerous thing Erhart had the misfortune of meeting.   

“Ow,” Erhart’s hand, stung enough to drag his eyes down. The edges of his dog tag dug into his palm, he held it so tight. “The dog tag,” Erhart flipped it over, fingers fumbling with the simple task. Erhart had little time, but he remembered one of the needles on this dog tag back was poisonous. Come on, he willed himself, come on! They all looked the same to him, when a hand came and grab him around the throat. His fingers snagged on one, and he curled his fingers around it. Dropping the rest to the ground. 

“I had my hand around your father's throat,” Leonhard's gritted teeth shot out spit between its gaps. The tight grip on his throat. Stopped him from gagging from the dripping stench, sliding down his cheek. Hands on Leonhard's wrist, he clutch the small needle in three of his fingers, using the rest to try and pull him free. Erhart’s feet dangled in the air, and his lungs burned for more air. “I straggled the life out of him! He begged for life!” 

“Bull-” Erhart words hissed out. Erhart eyes danced with small black lights, giving up on prying his hand off his throat. He let go and brought the needle in his up for a striking it down the best he could. 

“Ha!” Leonhard laughed at the small needle sticking out of his arm. “I'll find the family a stronger Heart.” Erhart looked at the small needle, it was doing nothing; he had chosen the wrong one. “One that has some fight.” Leonhard's mouth dropped open, and blood spilled down like a river. Dropped to the ground, Erhart took in mouthfuls of air. Dragging, and kicking himself back until his back hit a bumper of a car. 

“What did you do?” Words bubbled through blood, Erhart could just understand what Leonhard was saying. His skin rolling in waves, Leonhard's blood looked like it was trying to burst from his dirt ridden skin. Leonhard reached out towards Erhart, he kicked his hand away with ease. Sliding on his butt. Erhart scooted away from the pooling blood still pouring out of Leonhard's open mouth. Only when he watched Leonhard's eyes fade and shut, did he answer his last question. 

“I had some fight.” Erhart said, numb all over. He kept his scooting ways until his back hit something that stopped him from moving. It wasn't the hard, cold metal of a car.  

“Winter,” Erhart's hoarse voice said. When he looked up at the familiar blue eyes and white hair; he slumped over. Leaning all his weight on Winter's legs. Thanks to the deities for small favours.

“What happened to him?” Summer came sliding in, her eyes on the bloody mess that was Leonhard. 

“Summer,” Erhart said her name with relief. He hadn't known them for more than a few minutes, but he already started to care for them. It was this Heart business, some might say, but to Erhart, it was an instant bond. A real thing, not an induced thing, like the ones his dad spoke of. Though, he never mentioned any names. 

“I'm glad you're both okay.” Winter slid done, Erhart notice how careful he was with him, he must look pretty bad. “Oh,” his brain got up to Summer's question. “I choose the right needle.” Erhart said, with a laugh, that sounded high pitch and crazy to his own ears.