AN: Apologies for the wait on this one! I've been super busy the past week with work and other projects that I completely forgot to post on Sunday.

I hope you enjoy this one, where we get an intro of Wolf!Roy :D About time too :P


"You need to clear your mind," Rebecca stressed, getting frustrated. No wonder, Riza thought. They been trying for about an hour to teach Roy how to change, but he couldn't do it.

"I am," he replied through gritted teeth.

"Well, obviously you're not trying hard enough," the brunette snapped.

"Becca, you are really trying my patience," Roy warned her. He had turned to face her fully now, fists clenched by his side.

"Good, because the feeling is mutual."

Roy glared at her.

"Oh for the love of…" Riza stood from her spot on the snowy ground. "Take a break Becca, before you two rip each other's throats out."

The brunette huffed. "Gladly." She stalked off back into the house. The fresh snow crunched loudly underneath her boots as she stomped away.

"The way I thought about it was imagine the wolf inside you as a fluid being," Riza explained before Roy could retaliate with a smart comment. "Clear your head and focus on it." Riza paused, waiting for Roy to do so. Nodding, he closed his eyes and relaxed, focussing on the wolf within him. He felt a stir in his chest. It was an odd sensation, but not uncomfortable. Roy likened it to the same sensation felt when someone had butterflies in their stomach. In the short time he had known he was a werewolf he had learned to accept it easily. He had no choice. There was no way to get rid of it.

"Let it take control and cover you completely. Find the energy within you and succumb to it."

Roy imagined his wolf form as a ball of black fluid, matching the colour of his wolf's fur. He envisioned it within his chest, covering his heart and then his whole body. There was a surge within him and Roy jumped, startled. He lost concentration and opened his eyes in wonder.

Riza chuckled at his reaction. "That was it."

"Wow."

"It's cool, right? Now, do the same again but don't hesitate. Let it take control."

Roy nodded in determination, closing his eyes again. Taking a deep breath, he refocussed. This time, Roy didn't fight it. He let the wolf take control.

Roy felt his body start to change in an instant. There was no pain, which he hadn't expected. His body fell forward involuntarily and there was a loud crack. His eyes flew open at the sound, thinking it was his bones snapping. But again, there was no pain. Relief washed away the brief moment of panic. He watched in fascination as his arms elongated in front of him, along with his fingers. Sharp claws sprouted from the end of them, gripping into the snow and ground beneath him. An odd sensation over took his mouth. It began to tingle before he felt it stretch forward. A nose appeared before his eyes, along with a snout. Sharp teeth sprouted from his gums. There was a slight pain as they pushed through, but it was over in an instant.

Finally, the changes stopped and Roy stood before Riza as a tall, black wolf. She grinned up at him, pleased with her work.

"Oh, so now he does it!" Rebecca shouted from inside the house. It was followed by muttering, but Riza could barely make it out.

"What can I say?" Riza called back, teasing her friend. "I have a gift."

Roy barely paid attention to their banter. He was too busy testing out his new body. The oddest thing was having a tail. It stretched out behind him as if it was another limb. He shook it slightly, testing the movement. Testing his paws, he dug his claws into the ground then retraced them. They sunk easily into the snow, slicing it like butter. There was a sudden cramp in his jaw and Roy opened his large mouth to stretch it off. Relief was instant after the movement. He shook his head, finally satisfied.

"It is odd the first time, but you will get used to it pretty quickly," Riza told him.

Roy opened his mouth to reply, but all that left it was a growl. He shut it in surprise, not expecting the sound.

Riza laughed at the expression on his face. It was a mix between wonder and bewildered.

"This will make it easier." Roy watched as Riza changed into her wolf form, fascinated at the changes in the body as she did so. He wasn't sure he would ever get used to this. It was too unreal.

The wolf before him was beautiful. The golden fur glistened in the low winter sun. It glowed before him, catching him in a trance. Golden eyes pierced his and Roy wondered what she had meant.

"Can you hear me?" she asked.

Roy jolted in surprise. Riza hadn't moved her mouth, but he had heard her voice. Had it been in his head?

"Yes, it's in your head," Riza replied with an amused tone.

"You can hear me too?" Riza dipped her head as a nod. Roy laughed. "This is crazy."

"After everything you have experienced in the past few weeks, is it really that crazy?"

Roy pondered her statement. "No, I suppose not."

"I don't know why we can communicate telepathically." Riza's head tilted like a dog's would if it was trying to figure something out. "Probably because we are a cross between two different species?" she hypothesised. "We can growl as if wolves would, but human can talk to each other. My guess is to compensate for no longer being able to do so."

Roy was silent as he thought. He had to admit, he was extremely surprised with both Riza and Rebecca's capabilities. They were both so new to this, but had already discussed theories and drawn up their own conclusions regarding their condition. Whenever they had discussed anything, Roy felt helpless because he didn't have anything to contribute. He still had a hard time wrapping his head around the fact werewolves were real, never mind the fact he was one. Roy was nowhere near being able to draw up his own conclusions yet.

"It would make sense," Roy replied. He trusted their judgement. At this point he had to. Until he could learn more and adapt he would be lost. He felt like a new born, unable to take care of himself. It frustrated the hell out of him.

"So you finally did it," a cheery voice announced. Roy froze in place, recognising the voice in an instant.

Hughes.

Panic flitted through him. Both woman had stressed that he should keep their secret safe. They couldn't fully trust anyone because it would cause panic if a normal human discovered them. If a Hunter discovered them, they could possibly end up dead.

The fact that Hughes had discovered them… That couldn't possibly end well.

Roy's gaze snapped to Riza's. She changed back into her human form in an instant and greeted their visitor with a smile.

"He did. It took a while, but we are making progress."

Roy had already began to turn to face his old friend. He was terrified to do so. What would he see on his face? Wonder? Terror? Disgust?

Hughes gave him a once over, examining his wolf form. Roy shifted uncomfortably. Shifting his gaze to Riza for some help, she remained neutral.

Hughes grinned. "Awesome. Glad to hear it."

Okay… I am confused.

"It turns out he only listens to Riza though. I wonder why that is?" Rebecca grumbled, shooting him an accusatory glance.

"Hmm…" Riza pondered aloud, bringing her hand to rest on her chin. "Could it be because within the first five minutes you were ready to tear his head off in frustration?"

"I was not," Rebecca muttered to herself.

Roy, annoyed he couldn't reply himself, bristled at Rebecca's comment and had begun to shift in frustration.

"Use the same method you used to turn into a wolf," Riza commanded. "Except, reverse the forms. Obviously," she grinned.

The black wolf stopped moving and did as Riza directed. Within a few moments Roy was back as a human. He staggered on his feet once the change had completed, losing his balance. Hughes grabbed his arm and steadied him.

"Thanks. Wait, no, you aren't the least bit concerned?" Roy asked his friend.

"I have been filled in on the situation."

Roy looked between the three of them.

"And you are okay with all this?"

"I used to love this shit growing up," Hughes reminded him. "This is awesome."

That is true. As a kid Hughes had been big into fantasy novels and games where supernatural beings existed.

"I just came by to see how you were doing? The last time I saw you, you were dying on my living room floor."

"I'm… All right. All things considered. I'm handling it."

"Make sure you are aware of your surroundings next time, okay?" Roy didn't miss his hidden meaning and he felt his cheeks go slightly red in embarrassment.

"The one saving grace of yesterday," Riza announced as she stood to clear away the glass he had shattered. "Was that the Hunters didn't find you."

"What do you mean?" Roy asked, confused. "I was poisoned, wasn't I? I smelled wolfs bane before I passed out. I knew it was that because my face felt it was burning."

"Well…" Riza trailed off, stepping around Rebecca as she handed him a plate. "Yes you were poisoned. But it wasn't by them."

"Who was it then?"

"You walked through a patch of the flower," Riza announced.

Roy blinked in surprise.

"It is in the forest?"

"Of course, it is a wild flower. Didn't you say you were warned to stay away from it?" Rebecca questioned.

"Yes, but not while I was here! Why didn't you tell me it was out there?" Roy exclaimed.

"It isn't harmful to us unless it is being burned or we are hit by something covered in the powder. When you stepped on the flowers it kicked up the pollen."

"But still!" he exclaimed in a futile attempt to argue with them. "You had to have known it was out there! Why didn't you get rid of it or something?"

"Do I look like a gardener of the forest?" Riza asked. "Are we supposed to comb the place and weed all the harmful plants? That would take years!"

Rebecca snickered.

"So I just walked right on through it huh?" Throwing his arms up helplessly they both dropped to his side, limp. "I am a walking calamity."

"Well, I wasn't going to say anything…" Rebecca started with a grin. Riza knew she was going to love winding him up.

Roy glared at her.

"You should have at least told me," he muttered to himself, stabbing his noodles with more force than necessary.

Rebecca stared at him while Riza wasn't going to dignify his mutterings with an answer. Suddenly, she turned to the blonde. "He's like a child," she stated simply.

Riza choked, almost dropping her food down her. Rebecca cackled away as Roy's glare intensified.

"I will," he huffed, not liking being reminded of that particular past event. "Anyway, this doesn't bother you in the slightest?"

Hughes shrugged. "I will admit it is a bit weird to see you like this. I mean, you might actually be able to take care of yourself now," he grinned as he teased his old friend.

Roy scowled. "I could do that already."

Hughes laughed in response. "If you say so man. Do you have a minute? I wanted to chat with you about something."

"Yeah, of course." Hughes turned and led the way, while Roy followed.

Riza watched as they walked away. "You've got to stop winding him up, Bec," she told her friend as she turned to return to the house.

"But he bites so easily and it is really funny."

Riza sighed. It was like she was dealing with children.

"It is funny how easy it is, but it is giving me a headache and I really can't be bothered trying to keep you two from attacking each other." Feeling said headache coming on, Riza massaged her temples.

Rebecca opened her mouth to retort, but noticed how irritated her friend was. I mean, Roy hadn't been her favourite person when they first met, but she had to admit she had warmed up to him slightly. He wasn't in any way obnoxious or rude as he had been during their first meeting. He seemed like a really decent guy. But it was just so easy.

"Okay, I'll dial it down."

Rebecca stopped walking when Riza did, turning to the blonde expectantly.

"What did you say?"

"I said okay. I won't do it anymore."

"I didn't expect it to be so easy," Riza muttered.

"I can see it is taking its toll on you. It isn't worth it."

"If I had known that I would have asked earlier!" Riza smiled. "Thank you. We need to help him adjust first and get him prepared for life as a wolf. Until we get through that, please hold off."

"Scouts honour."

Riza grinned and shook her head as Rebecca saluted.

For the first time around Hughes, Roy felt apprehensive. He didn't know what Hughes wanted to discuss with him. After the discovery of Roy's new identity, he wasn't sure what to think. Roy kept his guard up.

"So you're really a werewolf huh?" Hughes asked with a chuckle.

"I guess I am."

"That is some crazy shit."

"Tell me about it. I can still barely believe it myself."

"How are you holding up?" Hughes stopped walking and perched on a nearby boulder. Crossing one leg on top of the other, he made himself comfortable. His hands joined together and rested on his lap.

"I'm okay. I'm just trying to get used to it all." Roy leaned back against the tree across from him. One foot rested against it while the other remained on the ground. Crossing his arms, he chose his next words. "It has been a difficult concept to grasp."

Hughes nodded. "I can imagine."

"Like, I can feel the wolf within me. It stirs every now and then. Especially if I get angry." Roy thought back to a few days ago when he had crushed that glass in the cabin's kitchen as if it was made of paper.

When Hughes didn't reply, Roy looked up from the forest floor and met his piercing gaze.

"You seem a lot calmer than you did before," Hughes commented.

Roy was surprised Hughes had even noticed. True, he had noticed he had better control over his anger and found himself not being rude to people while talking to them. In truth, it had only been Riza and Rebecca he had spoken to since he had gotten some form of control over his wolf form. Roy didn't want to return to his home until he would be safe to do so. He didn't want to put his Aunt at risk.

"I feel… different. Before…" Roy struggled to explain himself. Both Roy and Hughes had never discussed his recent behaviour, but Roy knew Hughes didn't approve of it. Still, he had stuck with him despite how rude he had been to him. "I felt like I had no control over what I said. I didn't want to be rude or aggressive, but it just happened. I know that sounds really pathetic and I'm not trying to make excuses," Roy quickly added to reassure Hughes. The other man simply nodded and made a motion with his hands for Roy to continue. "I tried really hard not to, but I simply couldn't. The only thing I could do was avoid people so I didn't say something that I would regret."

"Do you think that could be because of the wolf within you?"

Roy considered Hughes' suggestion. "Possibly. When did it first start? I only noticed about three months ago."

"It first started about…" Hughes trailed off as he thought back. "Five months ago. I remember because you went off on a rant with me about something so tiny and insignificant. You blew the whole thing way out of proportion and I thought it was really odd behaviour. I stuck around to observe your behaviour."

"What did you find?" Roy asked fearfully. He knew he had been an idiot. Now was the time to face his past actions.

"You had begun to be unnecessarily rude to people. Often quite aggressive, but never physical, thankfully." Roy shut his eyes, hanging his head in shame. "Do you think the sudden aggression and anger is a result of the wolf…" Hughes cocked his head to think of the correct word to use. ""Appearing" inside you?"

Roy nodded. "I think so. Now that the wolf is out and "free", so to speak, I have an outlet and the pent up aggression and anger was freed with it."

Hughes nodded, considering his words. "It would make sense. The wolf was angry and/or frustrated at being contained within your body. Of course, you had no idea changing into one was even a possibility so you didn't know how to deal with it. The change, from what I have gathered from the other two, puts your hormones out of whack. The extra testosterone can result in aggression."

"It's so stupid, huh?" Roy chuckled humourlessly, thinking back to all the people he must have alienated over that time. If only he had known. Then he might have been able to do something about it. He didn't know what though. Hindsight is 20/20 after all.

"It is. Just a little bit," Hughes smiled. "Well, it has all happened now. The question is, what are you going to do about it?"

"Start making apologies for one thing. Starting with you."