So sorry this is so, so incredibly late I've been struggling to find the time to write lately!

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Scarlet

Scarlet glared into the window, the tapping of her shoe the only sound in the deserted hallway. On the other side of the glass, she could just make out Wolf's hulking form amidst the white-clad scientists crowded around him, pulling back his lips to look at his teeth, measuring his claws and the width of his arms. She could hear their muffled voices calling out observations, and their assistants would hurriedly scribble them down onto a notepad.

Well, why don't they include Wolf's obvious discomfort with the entire situation in their observations then? Because that's something Scarlet thinks is very noteworthy! Honestly, he's a human being (admittedly, with a fair amount of wolf mixed in) not a science project! They could at least have the decency to treat him with respect! Great skies, the only reason she wasn't in there giving those stuck-up lab coats a piece of her mind was because Wolf had specifically asked her not to before they took him away. The man had an annoying amount of foresight.

Finally, when Scarlet thought she couldn't restrain herself anymore, the scientists dispersed (Wolf's shoulders slumping in visible relief as they did so) and one of them left the room to talk to her.

"Everything looks good." She said in an annoyingly cheerful voice, "The enhancements from the letumosis don't seem to have affected his overall health, and he appears to be mentally stable at the moment. But I'm going to have to advise you to bring him back down here once a day so we can keep performing checks. You can't be too careful!"

"Right." Scarlet replied. Short. Sharp. Blank. Completely devoid of all the things she actually wanted to say like, "Stop pretending this is for his own good" or "Of course he's mentally stable you idiot" or "What do you mean "bring him back down here" he's not my pet".

Damn, she needed to punch something.

Wolf trudged out of the lab, the new claws on his feet clicking as they touched the floor. With each click he gave the tiniest wince, each step a reminder of what he was.

Scarlet forcibly shoved her irritation at the scientists out of her mind, letting her gaze soften as she wrapped her fingers around his wrist. "Come on. You're probably hungry. I think I've got some tomatoes in my dorm."

He smiled. It was a small one, showing only the tips of his sharp teeth, but still a smile. Scarlet hoped that it would grow into a full grin before the end of the day.

Scarlet's hope was quickly being dashed.

Rampions were being let out of the med bay in their dozens as the staff struggled to make room for the many, many injured, so the floors were bustling with prodigies riding around on wheelchairs and wearing casts.

And all of them were staring.

Actually, no, they weren't staring. They were glaring.

Every step they took was shadowed by a hateful glare as each of the Rampions noticed Wolf's giant form. Great skies, some of them were downright threatening! Summoning fire in their hands, making knives sprout out of their wrists, one of them even shot a laser right at Wolf's feet. Only his reflexes kept his toes from being burnt off. But when Scarlet glared at the offending hero, he simply narrowed his eyes and limped away.

"I swear by all the powers, if these people don't start being respectful soon, I'm sending one of them home with a black eye." Scarlet growled, clenching her fists.

"Please don't." Wolf pleaded. His voice was slightly gruffer than she was used to, but still very much his. "These people are just looking for a fight. You'll get in trouble if you attack them."

"I don't care! In case you didn't notice, that guy there just attacked you! That laser could've seriously injured you, I can't just let that slide."

"You're going to have to." Wolf told her, placing one oversized hand on her shoulder. Scarlet deliberately ignored the way every Rampion around them tensed. "I was in the thick of that fight, and for half of it I wasn't even on the Rampions' side. Of course they aren't going to trust me. Just, try to let it go, okay? I don't want you getting in trouble because of me."

Scarlet sighed, reaching up to take Wolf's hand. The fur on his knuckles faintly tickled her fingers. "Fine. I don't like it though."

"Excuse me."

Both of them halted, as a Rampion suddenly stepped out in front of them. She wasn't one that Scarlet recognised. Then again, she didn't really interact much with Rampions outside of her team. She thought this one was codenamed, "Solar", though she couldn't remember her powers off the top of her head. She was leaning slightly on her left side, and had several still-healing cuts on her face that would undoubtedly leave scars, but other than that seemed relatively uninjured.

And that, if the heavy scowl on her face was anything to go by, was bad news.

"Can we help you?" Scarlet asked her coolly.

Solar jerked her chin up at Wolf. "That thing shouldn't be walking around here."

Scarlet grit her teeth. ""That thing" has a name."

"And I couldn't care less about that." Solar snapped, "Maybe you think that just because it can speak in full sentences it's safe to be around, but the rest of us aren't that naïve. I saw it maul my teammate to death, completely ignoring his screams of pain. That animal is a danger to everyone and everything around it. It should be in a holding cell, not wandering around the building like it owns the place!"

Scarlet felt herself rise from the floor, gaining a few inches on Solar. "Stop calling him "it"! His name is Wolf, and he's fine. In fact, he's probably the least dangerous person in this room. At least he doesn't go out of his way to antagonise people!"

"Oh, so I just imagined it ripping Hunter's throat out?" Solar shouted, her skin starting to glow a weirdly bright golden colour.

Scarlet barked an incredulous laugh. "Hunter? You're throwing a fit about Wolf being violent, when the guy he killed was Hunter? The same Hunter that goes out looking for fierce animals to kill so he can collect their teeth? The same Hunter that tried to kill Wolf during Rampion tryouts? That Hunter?"

"Well at least he never pretended to be something he wasn't!" The glow around Solar's skin grew brighter. And, wait, was it always this warm?

"Oh, so that excuses him acting like a massive bully, does it?" Scarlet yelled right back.

"He still didn't deserve to die!" Okay, the temperature was definitely rising. Scarlet could feel sweat trickling down her neck and she swore the ground at Solar's feet was turning red.

"I have a feeling the bears who died so he could wear their teeth as a crown disagree."

Solar let out a wordless cry of rage, drawing her very brightly glowing fist back, ready to punch Scarlet in the face. Scarlet rose another foot in the air, fully ready to return the favour… until a set of fingers closed around her leg.

"Scarlet, calm down." Wolf said, his voice disarmingly soft as he gently tugged her towards the ground. "It's not worth it.

"I beg to differ." Scarlet grumbled, but she touched down anyway.

Solar was glowing brighter than ever, and the air around her was starting to waver with the heat. Scarlet felt her skin start to sting, like if she was standing right next to a flame, or getting a sunburn…

Oh, right. Solar could basically turn into a human sun. That was her power. Now wonder it felt weirdly hot.

Keeping a wary eye on the still-fuming hero, Wolf carefully let Scarlet away. She followed reluctantly, but not before shooting a hate-filled glare at the other Rampion. She'd keep her fists to herself for now, but if anyone had the audacity to so much as look at Wolf the wrong way on her watch…

Well. They're going to find out just how hard it is to eat when you don't have teeth.

A/N: Please Review!