You thrust Gambol Shroud through another beowolf, blocking a slash from behind with the sheath of the katana. You pivot on your heel, slashing the katana through the side of another wolf, and you look up to see how the rest of the team is faring. Ruby is fighting off a group of Mecha Men by herself, and Weiss is fighting tag-team with Yang, both of them darting back and forth in order to dispatch another Giant Armor, two others lying shattered around them.
Another wolf jumps on you from behind, and you fall forward into the packed dirt, grunting as your chin slams into the ground, crushing your teeth together. You try to roll over, but the heavy weight keeps you pinned down, snarling and snapping at your neck, barely held off by the sheath of Gambol Shroud levering its muzzle up. You swing your weak arm, which was holding your blade, up towards the wolf, and you grin into the dirt as it shrieks and scrambles off of you.
You quickly roll over, thrusting both blade and sheath into the air, impaling the wolf, leaving its face snarling inches from yours. You push it off of you and you jack knife to your feet, pulling your weapons up with you.
You survey the area again, seeing it only left with a few more wolves that you could easily deal with, and Ruby, Weiss, and Yang all fighting the last remaining Giant Armors, when you hear a tremendous creaking and groaning of a lot of metal moving at once. The ground starts to shake, so you transform your blade into a hook, quickly throwing it at the nearest wolf, where it stuck into its head. You pull tightly on the attached ribbon, and fly through the air towards the four remaining wolves.
The sheath of the blade cleaves through another wolf, and you swing around on the ribbon, kicking another wolf in the face during the process. The blade pulls loose from the wolf anchoring it, so you flick the ribbon tight, and it arcs into the last two wolves and spins free. You roll into the impact when your feet crash into the ground, mindful to not stab yourself on any blade.
The rest of the wolves done for, you flash over to the rest of the team, who were angled outwards, backs to each other, the groaning still echoing throughout the thick forest. "What do you think it is?" You stand in between Yang and Weiss, hands wrapped tightly around your blades.
Weiss murmurs, "It sounds like a Giant Armor, but no Armor is this loud."
Another shriek of metal-on-metal echoes throughout the forest, and you twitch your head towards the source. Your ears start to pick up steps through the echo, and you tense, feeling everything slow down a fraction before it rushes back into full speed as a blunt blade sweeps the air where your waist was, and you're on the flat of the blade, snarling at the hollow Armor that finally emerged from the trees, weapon first.
As the wide arc slows, you leap off the blade as Ruby starts shooting rounds into the armors chinks, to no effect. Yang lands a solid punch to the back of the armor's helmet as its hollow visor was fixed at you. Weiss was shooting off spell after spell at a rate unseen yet, and the armor was unfazed, just slamming the blade into the ground where you were standing not a moment before as you leap out of the way.
Racing up, you slash at the armor's knees, and not even a scratch appears, the armor staying dull and tarnished like it was. Your eyes widen, and you flip back, dodging another swing as you try to think of something you could do. The last enemy you fought that your blades couldn't scratch was with Adam, and he was long out of your life now.
Instead, Yang, tried to grab the armor's attention, shouting things at it and hitting it repeatedly at the joint of the knee, making it bend slightly. The armor spared not even a glance at her, as it just slammed the hilt of the blade into her stomach, sending her flying backwards and tumbling across the hard dirt. Ruby cries out her sister's name, starting towards her when the armor starts swinging at her rapidly.
Your eyes narrow in anger and you start to feel your senses heighten, anticipating the next move as Ruby frantically blocks punch and swing after punch and swing from the armor. You leap onto the armors helmet, spearing Gambol Shroud through the small chink the connected the helmet to the breastplate. The armor reaches up behind its head, grabbing you in a bone-crushing, all-encompassing grip that sent waves of pain through your body.
You squirm in its grip as your anger rises, and you try to stamp it down as the armor squeezed tighter. You feel your ribs start to creak when it suddenly releases you, and you fall to the rapidly approaching dirt, covering your head as you impact, the air rushing out of you. You push yourself up onto your hands and knees as you cough, desperately sucking air into your lungs when a metal boot crushes into your side, sending you into the nearest tree with a deafening thud.
Weiss turns to you after throwing a quick glyph, and you throw your hand out in warning when the glove swats her aside with not a care. Ruby, being the last one standing, starts fighting back futilely, and you feel your anger rising higher and higher as she gets pushed and shoved around, the armor playing with her.
Finally, you snap, and feel your body meld seamlessly with the wolf inside that has been throwing itself at the bars of the cage you keep it in. You snarl deeply, and leap at the armor, ignoring Ruby's surprised gasp when a huge black wolf soared over her head, crashing into the armor's chest, pushing it back several feet.
All pain you felt was gone with the surge of adrenaline, and you clamp your jaws into the armors arm that swung in front of you, feeling sick satisfaction when the armor bent and shredded under your teeth. The armor shook you off, your front paws hitting the ground first, absorbing the impact, your whole body coiling energy as it compresses and spins, and it was all expended as you leap again at the armor, grabbing its sword arm at the shoulder, crushing and bending it until it ripped off.
Your claws leave deep scores across the breastplate, finally finding purchase in the dent that your body created earlier. The armor lurches, stumbling as the arm was ripped off, and folding over as you push off to leap away.
You yelp as the shredded metal you left on its arm scratches your face, scoring the fur above your eyes, blood trickling down into the corner of your eye. Ruby was watching in awe as you stood up, lips curled back to show sharp teeth. Yang was stirring from where she was swatted away by the blade, which was now hilt deep in the earth. Weiss was starting to carefully stalk back to Ruby, small scratches covering her exposed skin.
Seeing your friends injured, red rage washes over you, and you leapt off the butt of the sword, straight into the helmet, crushing it in an iron jaw, ripping your gums apart as shredded metal found its way into your mouth. The armor starts disintegrating from the head down, leaving you to drop down to the ground, panting and growling.
Feeling the danger disappear, and the anger subside, you shifted back into your human form. Hearing a gasp, you whip into a crouch, Gambol Shroud held aggressively in front of you.
Turning and seeing nothing, you focus on the shocked faces of your teammates. Full realization washing over you, that you shifted in front of them, you stammered out, "I-, I-….!" Backing away from them, you drop Gambol Shroud and run off into the forest, ignoring their cries and especially ignoring the sting of tears that pricked at your eyes, and blood trickling from the cut through your eyebrow.
Hours later, you sit on a branch of a tree, leaning against the rough bark of the trunk, thinking about earlier.
I shifted in front of them! They're going to think I'm a monster, and never speak to me again! I don't want to be alone again, not after Adam.
You scream in frustration, twisting and punching the tree, a self-satisfied smirk burying the pain in your now throbbing knuckles as the echo circles the forest in a small area.
"Hey guys, that was her, this way!" You hear Yang's voice faintly on the wind, and you stiffen, not wanting to move and give away where you are, but not wanting to wait and get found.
Fate makes the decision for you when the branch you are sitting on groans and creaks, causing you to roll off of it, starting your fall to the ground. You slow yourself by grabbing branches as you flash past them, scraping your hands raw as you get closer to the ground. Weiss appears at the base of the tree, and you twist when you near the bottom, pushing off the trunk to soar over her head and into a roll. Weiss flashes her hand out on instinct, ice encasing you up to your shoulders.
"Let me go!"
You snarl, Weiss' eyes widening as she shouts out, "Guys, I found her!"
You try to struggle against the ice holding you still, and Weiss just stays backed up against the tree as rage bubbles up, causing the snarling to deepen, and your hair to thicken and creep down and around your neck. Your eyes, already animalistic, sharpen, and your ears prick.
Your muscles tear themselves down and rebuild themselves instantly, and you start snapping at the air as your face elongates and your mouth fills with jagged teeth. Thick black fur coats your body as your legs shrink to accommodate your arms, and you break the ice with one push. You leap at the person who trapped you, ignoring her whimper of fear as you snarl in her face. Claws shred the bark beside her face, both of you frozen as a yell echoes the clearing.
A solid force crashes into your side, shoving you to the side and scoring your claws across the bark. You both roll a ways, you twisting and trying to end up in a position to fight back. You roll to a stop, and leap up, ready to run at the person who was groaning on the dirt in front of you, when something hooks your paws out from under you, causing you to crash down onto your side. The person who ran into you originally jumps onto you, clamping their hands around your muzzle, leaning in with all their weight to hold your head down.
"Now, Weiss," they call, and you feel the ice form up around you again, the hands releasing your muzzle and backing up quickly.
Another person, this one smaller, approaches carefully, with you snarling and whining, struggling against the ice prison containing you.
The person says tentatively, "Blake?"
You snap into focus on her, since she knows your name, who you are.
"Blake, are you in there?"
You feel the human side of you pulling against its feeble restraints, calling out and struggling, but you snarl and push her away. When the small, delicate hand reaches towards your ears, you twist your head, snapping at it.
The person yelps, and quickly draws her hand away, clutching it close to its chest. The blind rage is starting to subside, but you still struggle against the restraint, hearing it creak and groan. The girl who you pinned against the tree starts moving towards you, her steps even and careful.
She reaches your head, and places a steady and firm hand in between your ears, saying firmly, "Blake, calm down. We're not going to hurt you, we just want to talk."
Your human side surges against the restraints again, and the wolf is powerless to stop it. The shift back happens quickly, fur receding, eyes becoming slightly rounder, and your teeth reverting back to normal.
The ice disappears around you, and without the support you drop to the ground onto your hands and knees. Yang approaches cautiously from one side, Ruby looking at you in confusion and concern a little ways back, but Weiss' face was right in yours, commanding your attention.
"Blake, why didn't you tell us you were a shifter?" Weiss is looking at you with sadness in her eyes, and you push back, sitting down heavily. You hold your head with your hands, letting out small, pathetic whimpers. You look at Weiss with tear-rimmed eyes, and you lurch forward, wrapping your arms around her back and pressing your face into her shoulder.
She wraps her arms around your shoulders, gently rubbing your back as you cry out, "I didn't mean to, I didn't want to!" You repeat that over and over, Weiss still rubbing your back in comfort as Ruby and Yang lean down on their knees next to you. Yang places a heavy hand on your shoulder, squeezing reassuringly before just sitting next to her sister.
Your shaking starts to slow, and you just breathe, your face still hidden from them, as you cling to Weiss like she's your life-line. Eventually you pull your face out of her shoulder with a shaky smile, and you lean back until you sit back.
"Does anyone want to tell me why my friend just turned into a wolf!?" Yang gestures wildly at you, and you sigh and rub your face, your eyes peeking out and looking at Weiss in a begging sort of way.
Weiss shifts slightly, before confessing, "Blake is a shifter, a rare type of fauna that, when angered, shift into an animal form. When in animal form, they almost never feel pain, and are guided by blind rage. Most shifters have such a close control on their emotions that they only shift when a loved one gets hurt, in effort to protect them, or when they feel trapped so they can protect themselves.
"When we all got taken out by the Giant Armor earlier, Blake protected us in the easiest way her body knew how, by shifting."
You shift slightly, and add, "I ran off when I shifted back because I panicked and thought you guys would hate me for who I am. I should have had better control on my emotions, and I didn't. When I shifted just now, I could have seriously hurt one of you, and not have felt any remorse until I shifted back. That's why I've always been alone." You look seriously at every single one of them. "No one wants to associate with a heartless killer."
Weiss looks at you with pity, while Ruby gasps and covers her mouth with her hands. Yang looks at you and stutters, "Y-you've-"
You stare at your hands as you think back. "Yeah, one person. I could barely stand myself for weeks afterwards…."
You scramble away, your legs frantically propelling you backwards as the man approached you.
He chuckles evilly, and you start to panic as your back bumps into the wall of the room, giving you nowhere to run.
"C'mere little girl, I won't hurt you much," he said, poison dripping off of his words. The knife he brandished glinted madly, and you start to breathe heavily. Your hair starts to feel heavier, but you ignore it, until the knife gets buried into the wall next to your head with a dull thump.
This man has killed your parents, attacked your sister, and you've left her to die, while you ran away.
Rage bubbles up, red hot, and all-consuming. Fur races along your arms, and the man backs up fearfully, all of his previous boasting gone.
Sharp teeth fill your mouth, and you spare not another thought when the wolf leaps forward, and you clamp your jaws around his neck. You instantly release him, but the damage is done. He just stares at you in fear as blood pools in his throat, drowning him.
You shift back, and you scramble away, the harsh copper tang of blood stuck on your tongue. You race away from the house, only stopping to grab your father's katana and its sheath. You keep your back to your house as you run, not stopping for hours, until you collapse against a tree, unable to keep moving.
The pervasive copper tang is still hanging stubbornly around, and you think about what just happened. Your stomach starts rolling, and you roll over, retching and dry heaving until your stomach has lost all its contents and you can't even hold yourself up. You manage to roll yourself away from your sick, and you fall asleep.
"I've never forgotten that day." You sigh, and continue, "But how can you, when you lost your parents and sibling, and killed a man in less than an hour. That day changed me forever, it was the first time I shifted, I couldn't control it in the slightest. I can still barely control it, and I've been shifting, albeit rarely, for twelve years now."
Ruby did quick math, and her eyes widen in horror. "That means you were five when you first shifted. Oh Blake, I'm so sorry!"
You just look at her, and say, "It was in the past, and I've had plenty of time to get over it." You stand up, dusting off your hands. "I think we've spent plenty of time in this forest for one day. Let's get home; I think we all deserve a rest."
When you go to take a step, you stumble as pain lances up your leg from your ankle, and Weiss grabs you quickly. Lifting up the offending appendage, you start to hop, using Weiss as support, until you feel strong arms scoop you up into a bridal style carry. Yang smirks down at you, and you smack her playfully, laughing while you say, "Hey, put me down! I'm fine, I just need to readjust!"
Yang grins, before responding, "Nah, I think you're fine right here, so that's where you're staying."
You hear Ruby snort as Weiss laughs lightly, and you groan with a small "Fine", before settling down for Yang to carry you out of the forest.
Later, while you sit on a couch with your ankle wrapped in an ice pack, Weiss comes in, sitting down next to you.
"How's your ankle feeling?" She looks at you carefully, and you hold her gaze.
"I can't feel a thing, it's so numb." You break out a half-smile before looking at your wrapped ankle. "Sorry for earlier, when I trapped you against the tree. I tried to stop but I couldn't get enough control to stop completely, so I just forced the wolf to stop moving."
Weiss nods slightly, accepting the apology. "You know, I knew you weren't going to hurt me. I could tell in your eyes. It was probably the only reason I didn't run you through with Myrtenaster."
You hum slightly in response, mulling over her reasoning, before saying, "Well, I guess I have your judgment to thank, or else I'd have a blade stuck in my stomach."
You spend the rest of the night talking with Weiss, and idly watching a movie when Yang and Ruby put one on to play.
You thought your friends were going to hate you for what you are, what a monster you are. After today, you decide to never doubt them again, because if they can handle you at your furry worst, why would they leave you at your best.