A/N: In which Corrin makes more awkward moments, learns some words, and maybe reaches 'E' support with Hana.
Canon name = nickname:
Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Hinoka = Hina. Setsuna = Seta. Corrin = Lupus. Sakura = Saku.
Consort: The most Corrin has ever been alone is when she began disarming traps for the pack, but at least she could still hear them howl. Now she is almost the entire length of Hoshido away from them. It's going to be hard on her, hence the relatively frequent memories popping up. And, she will end up bonding with the others, she just needs extra time. Think of it like, instead of having a 'C' to 'A' support, she has to go through an 'E' and 'D' support first.
Yes, but let's see how long it takes before she gets comfortable and starts slipping up.
An absolute physical beast!
Oh, her dragon is there alright, lurking below the surface. And if you want a glimpse, all you'll have to do is anger her.
Corrin's opinion on human society only went down as the place of living got larger. The 'Village' with A Lady Mozu was… bearable. The 'Town' after that was horrible. But now the 'City' near Castle Shirasagi? Corrin wanted to leave. Now. It was somehow even louder than the town, there were even more people crammed into one place. Hina and Seta were handling it just fine, but Corrin? "I'm leaving." Corrin proclaimed without hesitation, unwilling to deal with all of these humans.
"C-Corrin?!" Hina exclaimed, "We're almost there!"
"Aw, you're leaving, Lupus?" Seta asked.
"No! She is not leaving!" She fires back. "Rig… Corrin!" Corrin had already walked off, heading straight for the entrance to leave. "Please Corrin, wait!" Hina quickly grabbed Corrin's arm…
Then found herself flat on the ground less than a second later. "I'm. Leaving." For a moment, her expression is dangerous, her red eyes seeming to make their own source of light. There was something unspoken of in her eyes, something chained, held back by only some sort of wall. Whatever hazard lurked in the depths of her eyes was enough to freeze Hina in place.
Whatever was in there was to not be let out.
It wasn't until Corrin took two steps before Hinoka regained herself, "But, you wanted to meet our family. You've finally returned after…"
"I'm not dealing with these…" Corrin stops herself, closes her eyes, then takes a breath. "Fly me in." When she reopens them, that lurking danger is gone, and the glowing red has dimmed back to it's normal hue.
But it's not like Hina can simply forget what she saw, "It's not a long walk…" Hina slowly states as she gets up.
"Fly me in, or I'm leaving." She stubbornly declares.
"...Alright, sister." Hina conceded, "C'mon then, I'll take you to the stables." Corrin followed Hina, nearly step for step behind her, with Seta within arm's reach. Outwardly, Corrin had a mask of bravery on, but inside? Anxious, she didn't think the human settlements could have gotten any worse after the 'Town', but they have. "Setsuna, go on ahead to the castle, we'll be there shortly."
"Suuure thing, Hina… I'll see you soooon, Lupus." Seta lazily smiles as she walks towards Castle Shirasagi.
"Sister, could you please tell me what has happened over the years?" Hina tries as they enter the stables.
"The pack's location isn't to be known, pup." Once more, the alpha's warning echoes through Corrin. "I told you, traveling."
"Not the whole time! Who… who took care of you? Who taught you the things you know? How do you know what a wolf's howl means?" Tears steadily started to increase as Hina nearly rambled the questions. Corrin simply looked away, both unable to get a lie out quickly enough, and to prevent herself from breaking down from Hina's increasingly distressed face. She… looks a lot like Vella when she gets that concerned.
"Corrin?" Vella asked one day, a worried expression about her, ears down and a tail that refused to move. "What… happened? Why are you bleeding?"
"I wanted to help." Corrin simply replied, going over the various cuts and gashes that formed when she 'snuck' out recently. "I heard that traps were a problem and…"
"And what would have happened if you got caught?! What if we lost you!?" Vella's facial expression showed a mix of anger and hurt, but the rest of her body language is nothing but concern.
"How can I consider myself part of the pack if I can't contribute? I can't hunt, I don't know how to fight, I don't know which herbs are which, I…" Corrin went from relaxed to tense, her fists already so tight that her fingers were going white, "It's not fair! I know I'm not like everyone else, but I need to be able to do something!"
"Sister…" Vella pulled Corrin into a hug, like she always does whenever Corrin seems to need the physical contact.
"I… I might as well learn something now. The alpha won't keep letting me just do nothing for much longer… I mean. Both you and Keaty are already doing a lot of things, and here I am… just…" In that moment, Corrin broke down, returning the hug with a more vice-grip and crying freely on Vella's furry shoulder.
"Sister?" For a moment, Corrin thought Vella was actually here, holding her, but no… Hina is the one hugging her, assuring her that everything will be 'alright'. "I'm sorry, I had no right to push for answers… if you don't want to answer, I won't keep asking."
"...Thank you, Hina… sister." Both stood there for a few minutes, two sisters sharing a hug, "I'm sorry for being rude. This is just new to me." Corrin whispers.
"Having you taken from us damaged us in a way that is just…" Hina stops herself, "I'm just so happy you're back, happy beyond anything I can express." When they break the hug, Hina's eyes are shining and a full smile is on her face.
Corrin returns the smile, "Can I go see them, now?" She asks.
"You bet!" And just like that, the mood was raised, the sorrow nearly gone. Corrin wiped what tears remained off of her face as Hina guided her Pegasus back outside. Hina applied the saddle and got onto the flying beast and Corrin quickly followed.
"Uh, not too sudden…" Hina started, but was shocked as Corrin's abrupt and somewhat forceful mounting actually didn't bother her Pegasus a bit. In fact, Corrin was already stroking the feathers of the beast, earning a small whiny. Somehow, her Pegasus was already comfortable with Corrin riding her. Hina smiled, "Alright, hold on, sister." Corrin wrapped her arms around Hina and pressed her body against hers… before taking a deep breath of her scent.
"You still smell spicy…" Corrin says as they took off.
Hina landed her Pegasus in the gardens, the only really open area around the castle. Corrin dismounted first, taking in the sight of the trees and flowers already available to look at. It… was like a piece of the forest, right here in the center of a human settlement.
She liked it.
Corrin immediately started walking around, looking at each and every different plant, honestly trying to find some that matched the ones near the den. Ultimately, she didn't. "They're pretty, aren't they?" Hina commented.
"They're unfamiliar…" Corrin started, "I don't like that." It was selfish of her to wish that the garden would only sport plants like the ones near her den, but her heart still aches for Keaty and Vella. Is it wrong to want a piece of home here?
"Sister…" There is disapproval in her voice.
Maybe learning them will help? "Hina?" Corrin starts, "What's that?" She points at some yellow flower.
"A sunflower." Hina said as she followed Corrin's line of sight, "But uh… don't expect me to know all of them."
"How about that one?" A white… ball of sorts.
"Uh… dandelion?" Hina sounds as uncertain.
"That?" A tree, pink-ish petals.
"Cherry Blossom. I'd never forget that one." Hina proudly proclaimed.
"That." One of the many trees sporting green leaves.
"I don't know which one, specifically."
"Oh… that?" Some red flower. A very uncertain 'uh…' followed. Scrunching her face, Corrin pointed at another one, it's purple.
"I'm not an botanist, Corrin, I…"
"What's a botanist?" Corrin interrupts.
"Someone who studies plants." At least she knows that. "Sister, did you not have flowers where you were?"
"Trees, I wasn't the one who knew plants." She replies, "Hina? Why were you so surprised when I switched clothes in front of you?"
Somehow, that question made her face burn, "People don't… get naked in front of other people."
"Hina? Can you teach me other things, too?"
"I would be happy to share what I know." Hina smiles, but then the smile dips to a thin line, "Wait, what do you mean 'I wasn't the one who knew plants'?"
Corrin's eyes widened for a moment and she snapped her mouth shut… she slipped. "I…"
"Sister please, if you would just tell me." Contradicting her earlier statement, Hina pushes again, "Were these people at least nice to you? Can I know that much? Were you in good hands?"
Corrin wracked her mind, looking for a way to end this topic, but… "Yes, they were." She replies in a clipped manner. She's failing, but at least she didn't tell who they were. "Family, even." Corrin whispered to herself. "Where are the others?" The question came out loud.
Thankfully, Hina seemed pleased with her earlier response. "Takumi is probably training, Ryoma is either training or attending to some royal duties, Sakura is most likely in the clinic, and Mother is managing Hoshido as Queen." …Only a King is supposed to rule. If the alpha were to die, his mate wouldn't be the one to rule, it would be the next strongest male.
...wait, "What's a clinic?" Humans are weird.
"A place where people have their injuries healed."
Nodding, Corrin then asks, "Who are we seeing first?"
Corrin can practically hear the smile forming on Hina's face, "Our little sister, Sakura." With that, as if on cue, Hina stops at a door, then proceeds to knock on it. "Little sister?" She calls out.
"B-Big s-sister? H-h-h-hold on!"
"It's okaaay, A Lady Sakura… I can wait." ...What's Seta doing in there?
The door opens to reveal a lighter-red hair woman, about the same height as Corrin. She's gripping a wooden staff of sorts, "Big sister!" Sakura immediately greets Hina.
"Setsuna…" Hina sighs as the sisters share a hug, "What are you doing in here?"
"Heeeey, Hina… I tripped in a dirt hole and sprained my ankle." Seta drawls out from her cot.
Hina sighs again, before returning her attention to Sakura, "Little sister? There's someone I want you to meet."
Sakura's eyes quickly flick towards Corrin, "Is she hurt?"
Hina actually chuckles, "No. I know you never seen her before, but… Sakura. This is Corrin, your other big sister."
"C-Corrin?" Sakura takes a step forward from Hina, tears already forming. "Y-You're Corrin? Big sister?" In that moment, Sakura practically leapt towards Corrin, pulling her into a hug. "I-I-I'm so h-h-happy to s-s-s-see you!"
Corrin eagerly returns the hug, relishing it more for the physical contact than anything else. Then, on reflex, take a breath of Sakura's scent… flowery and sweet. Sakura didn't seem to notice she was being sniffed, but Hina did. "Saku." Corrin declared.
"Saku?" Saku echoed.
"Saaaaaku." Seta also echoed.
"Corrin likes giving people nicknames." Hina informs her.
"O-oh!" Saku pulls back from the hug.
Corrin nods, "Saku." She points at Sakura, "Hina." A finger at Hinoka. "Seta." Towards the bed-ridden Setsuna. "Lupus." She gestures towards herself.
"Lupus?" Sakura tilts her head.
"Lupus." Corrin confirms.
"Doesn't Lupus sound good, Saku?" Seta asks from her cot.
"Setsuna has already picked up on a few of Corrin's habits." Hina supplies for Saku.
"Is that why she kept calling me 'A Lady Sakura'?"
"...Yep."
"Sister… where…" Saku starts.
"She won't tell." Hina finishes.
"B-But… she's back! You're back!" Saku suddenly exclaims, then instantly reddens at her own boldness. "Gods, you're back…" Another hug, this one far more tighter than the last. Saku only seemed to clutch tighter as she started crying. "Big sister…"
Is she back? For how long? No, Lupus internally disagrees, she isn't 'back'. It's just a visit, until she can learn how to properly wield a sword, then she's leaving. Her family, the pack, needs her. They struggle daily, and it looks like the humans don't face the same issues. They have excess of food out on the streets! It's no wonder there are so many of them, they keep shoving food their way so they can practically mate without worry!
It sickens her.
"Let's go see Takumi next." Hina suggests, "he's your little brother."
"She… doesn't remember?" Saku asks as Hina starts walking, the others, including Lupus, follow suit.
"No, she doesn't."
"That's…" Saku is now visibly trembling.
"Lady Sakura? Lady Sakura!" Another woman, this one is about Saku's height. Long brown hair and wearing what Lupus recognizes as a Samurai's outfit, a katana by her side. "You… weren't in the clinic." She takes a breath, a look of disapproval on her face.
"O-Oh. S-Sorry, Hana." Saku taps her staff, "Big sister br-brought C-Corrin back."
The Samurai, Hana, looks over to Lupus, who gives her a blank stare in response. "Lady Corrin?"
"Yes?" Why are there so many humans now? This woman isn't family, so why is she here?
Perhaps she asked that with a bit too much venom, since Hana frowned. "Hey, Hana." Hina says in a lowered voice, "Something serious has happened to her, she refuses to speak about where she's been."
Apparently, they must think her hearing is as weak as theirs. "Oh…" Hana replies as quietly. "It's good to meet you, Lady Corrin! My name is Hana, and I am one of Lady Sakura's retainers!" Her enthusiasm is faked.
And it only serves to worsen her opinion on humans. While yes, Lupus too, fakes emotions, at least she can be convincing. Hana is more of a pup trying to act innocent even though they were clearly caught in the act. "Right." She replies curtly, making her annoyance well known. "Can we go see Takumi now?"
Hana shares a look with Hina and Saku, clearly confused on what she's done to annoy Lupus. "Sure thing." Hina smoothly states, trying to keep the situation from getting any more tense.
"Never trust them." A Wolfskin, one of the eldest, told her at one point, "Humans will pile on each other to get what they want. Want, not need." He stressed.
Corrin nodded, "Understood." The alpha, Keaty, and Vella were all out, and Corrin still hadn't found something she could contribute outside of the dens. The eldest Wolfskin invited her over, sharing what wisdom he has in store. "Humans are evil." She paused, "Will I become evil?"
He chuckled, it came out more as a rumble than humorous, "I think not, pup. Tell me, do you think yourself as human?"
"..." She thought it over, "I don't want to. I'm part of the pack."
"Then have no fear of going down their path. You may not be born Wolfskin, but as long as you consider yourself one of the pack, you won't ever stray into the humans' pit."
"Even if I still do 'human' things?" She tilted her head.
"Even if you still have human habits." He nodded, "Now, let's finish off teaching you how to better insulate the dens."
Corrin's face started beaming, "You bet!"
"I'm not human." Corrin whispers to herself, almost so quietly that even she couldn't hear herself. "Wolfskin, not human. Wolfskin, not human."