Annalena reeled back as she saw Margarete's face turned toward her. Her body told her to run far away and take her chances in the forest, but something in Margarete's gaze stopped her. It looked like her host was scared or panicked, as if she had been startled. The seven men just stared at the doorway, unwilling to move. For what felt like several minutes, they all stood frozen in fear.

"Annalena," Margarete whispered as she inched towards the door, which was now open. Annalena stared at her as she trembled. "It's okay."

"What's going on?" Annalena hissed under breath, barely audible. Margarete slowly reached out for her before holding her hand.

"It's okay, I promise. I can explain everything," Margarete continued as Annalena glanced between her and the seven strangers behind Margarete. The men started to relax as the room calmed.

"What's happening? Why did they..." Annalena started before trailing off. She wasn't even sure what had happened or even an inkling of why. It was hard to describe what exactly she had seen. "Why did they-"

"I can answer your questions, but you have to promise not to tell a single other soul. We have lived peacefully here for, well, for a long time," Margarete began, pleading with Annalena. 

"Alright," Annalena whispered, a little concerned on Margarete's tone. Even though Annalena was the one that had seen the terrifying event, Margarete's eyes were filled with terror and fear. Her host took a deep breath, relaxing slightly.

"I will warn you that what you're about to hear won't make sense at first, and you will have to accept it to understand," Margarete started as she motioned for the men to leave the kitchen. They also left the carcasses in there was well as they tried to wipe away the blood around their mouths. Annalena tensed as they neared her, but they kept a safe distance. "Theses are my adopted sons."

"Sons?" Annalena repeated as she looked at Margarete. All of them looked to be the same age, somewhere in their early twenties. They could be potential siblings, but it was strange that she said she was their adoptive mother.

"I found them when their parents died, but I think that was the wrong place to start," Margarete laughed nervously, glancing over to her sons. "The rumors of this forest being dangerous are both true and false. It is true that this forest is dangerous, as bears and wolves live here. However, we are not dangerous and I want you to remember that. No one here will hurt you."

"Okay," Annalena commented, growing worried. Margarete glanced back at her sons again before inhaling.

"We are considered monsters in the human world, and I would not be surprised if you agreed with them. I am hopeful that you do have an open mind," Margarete stalled before she closed her eyes. "The reason why you saw them biting those animals is because we are a small clan of vampires."

There was a swell of silence as Annalena stared at Margarete blankly.

"Vampires?" Annalena asked softly, not sure whether to laugh or to scream. Her mother told her stories about the Black Forest, but none of them involved vampires. Witches and wolves, sure, but not vampires. 

"I turned them when they came of age. My sons, I mean. Their parents had been attacked by a bear, and I tried to help. When I got there, their father was dead, but their mother was dying. She saw me fight off the bear away from her children, so she told me to raise them just before she died. Their ages ranged from two to ten years old," Margarete answered, more than willing to fill the silence. Annalena just watched her and her sons for a moment, not sure what to say. "I raised them in this castle, and they grew up to fine young men. I tried to get them to move into Stuttgart or Freiburg, but all of them independently asked me to turn them."

"I don't know why she thought we would want to move away from here when this was all we knew," the dark haired man, who had one of the wolves, mentioned.

"You were the only one that doesn't remember life before your parents brought you to the forest," one of the blonde haired men added, folding his arms. Annalena stared at them, unimpressed. At the moment, she didn't care about their life stories. She was more concerned that she was in front of eight potential vampires, although the evidence was strong in their favor.

"I will recognize that I don't know a whole lot on the subject, but you found me during the day. I thought vampires could only go out at night," Annalena reminded, needing more information. 

"I found the Black Forest almost two hundred years ago, and found that the leaves and branches blocked out most of the sunlight. I'm sure you noticed that, as well. It gives us more options, but if we were ever to go under direct sunlight, our skin would start to burn," Margarete explained quickly, wanting to clear the air.

"I see," Annalena whispered before inhaling, staring at the group, wonder what she should do.