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"A commendable goal, but foolish." Red turned and walked away from the ghoul, stopping several paces away. She turned on a paw, arms crossed in front of her as she stared Sammy down. "Did you ever consider why the Hunters strike against us?"

"Oh? The hunters managed to nearly destroy an entire race?" If she had ears they would have been perked at the news. "It seems they have drastically come along since I last knew of them. But, I fear you are taking this too literally. Step back. Consider why they are attacking us. The Hunters seek to protect humans: their kin, friends, families and complete strangers."

"Humans are... fragile in some regards, stronger than us in others," Red continued as she began to examine her talons. "Dull teeth, no special abilities. They are akin to a Reaper without a weapon or familiar, but by bonding with a weapon that was one of our own can they even possibly begin to consider being like us. And yet it is from them that we are given Fear which we need to thrive and live. Funny, isn't it? For us to be so dependent on them that they seek to destroy us."

"Have you considered why they see you and your Amityville friends as a threat?"

The werewolf slowly nodded. "I see, that would explain why their presence is so heavy here. That would also explain..." Red trailed off looking thoughtful, her eyes looking off into the distance and seeming to grow pale.

Her attention snapped back to Sammy, eyes bright and filled with the color of her namesake. "I expect you to do what you will do," she snapped. "Why don't you stop and turn the tables? They are weaker than us. There are some of us who do not pay heed to the laws and go on a killing spree. Unlike us they do not come back. What would you do to me if I disembowled your Siddie again and again until the shadows did not gather to form her again? You would seek revenge. But what if you did not know who did it? You would seek them out. You, too would hunt."

"But for a human? A human's nose is too dead to tell whether their comrade was ripped apart by a hulking construction or by a reaper having a little fun with their weapon, or that a Sasquatch did it. They strike at the targets they can get access to in order to prevent deaths, to prevent the fear from spreading."

Red growled as she moved towards Sammy. "They attack us because some of us attack them. They are defending themselves against a force they can't help to even come close to. They do not forget, they do not move on. They are merely acting out as anyone would against a bigger threat that they cannot even hope to contend with."

She stopped in front of the ghoul and crossed her arms, scowling down at her. "We started this. Not you or I, perhaps not our kin. But those who seek to reap as much Fear as they can with little regard to anyone else? They began it, and we all suffer the consequences of it, both Halloween and Human alike. There will be no end to this, either now or many moons from now. There will always be someone who is not content and wants more, and their greed will be what spills blood."

Red threw an arm out, gesturing to her side and the empty space. "They don't know that. They probably won't care. To them it's kill or be killed, either by us or by their own damn superiors. Hell, it's like that for us too, Sammy. How many of your fellow students do you think will turn on you the moment you express an ounce of sympathy for the hunters? How many of them have had their families and friends mysteriously taken away? Look at Riley. Jericho. The students who have missing bits and pieces that no amount of dissipation will bring back."

"We are in the middle of a damn war that's being waged in the shadows. As soon as Halloween hears a lick of this do you know what will happen? A descent upon all humankind to root them out. Mass hysteria. Fear. Do you remember Halloween? How much Fear was gathered? An open war against the humans would create that to a far bigger extent. Imagine that power given to those who can't control it. Picture it. Savor it."

Red swung her arm back in, pointing it at Sammy. "That is what I and others are up against. Do you think I'm happy to let the hunters run around striking back against us blindly? You've experienced first hand what we can do to ourselves. Do you want to see that happen again on a larger scale?"

Red lashed her tail against the gym floor, emitting a loud CRACK! like a whip. "If you want to do something then allow me to kick your rotting undead head in to rattle your thoughts out. You aren't a jackdamned puppet, Sammy. You're a bloody ghoul that can make her own decisions. Don't expect me to order you around. You've already bit me once; you have yet to earn my trust again. You want to make amends? Then prove it."

Red stared at Sammy. "You assume they took him," she pointed out quietly, "What makes you so confident that he went against his will? Hunters will accept the willing."

The teacher leaned back when the ghoul spoke her piece. Then up came Red's foot and down went Sammy. The gym teacher followed up, planting her foot on Sammy's chest. Her talons were spread wide, pinning the ghoul down. "Listen to me." Red ordered. "If you want to speak with them, then you had better be careful. Some of them will attack you on site. Others will seek to capture you and try to turn you into a weapon whether you agree to it or not."

"But if you're lucky? Maybe, just maybe you'll find one willing to talk to you and NOT splatter your undead bits all over my haunted house."

The teacher stepped off of the ghoul and began to walk away. "Whatever you seek to do," she called over her shoulder, "It's out of my hands."

Red stopped. She glanced over her shoulder. "You seem well off enough to me, ghoul. I don't need to answer you." The werewolf continued walking, and soon left the gym.