A/N: I gotta admit, I wasn't sure which direction to take this chapter… At first, anyway, but as I kept looking the other version of this chapter over, I figured it was too, I dunno. It was too idealistic 'happy'. This ain't all sunshine and awkwardness. I'm going to tread over some more serious topics sooner or later, buuut this also won't ever go down a really dark path, either.
Canon name = nickname:
Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Hinoka = Hina. Setsuna = Seta. Corrin = Lupus. Sakura = Saku. Ryoma = Red. Azama = Monkundo. Subaki = Superman.
Consort: Yea, it is. I guess that would be the 'Revelations' path, uniting Wolfskin, Kitsunes, and also being able to keep Lupus's family. Then what… 'Conquest' would be sticking with the Wolfskin only and 'Birthright' would be staying with her blood family?
As long as she doesn't get too serious, to where the playtime becomes, well… *hint hint, nudge nudge. Say no more, say no more. A wink is as good as a nod to a blind man*
RoselineGift: Exactly, you get what's going on. Lupus is developing a feeling that is otherwise foreign to Wolfskin, love. However, Lupus also recognizes the power that Kaden holds, which is what one of the beast-races look for: The strong survive. So, now she wants Seta because of love. She also wants Kaden because of mating… Now, whoever she ends up having will be known later... since I don't know.
Weird things can happen when you start delving into high feats of strength.
Then wait no more… oh, should that have been a *spoiler* comment?
SerpentFeather: Well, I'm glad you like it.
Hey hey, hold on. Don't get ahead of yourself, there. Lupus hasn't asked the rest of the family yet.
And I'm the other way around, I tend to prefer Wolfskin over Kitsune, but… I'd take either over most.
Except Ophelia. Sorry Velouria or Selkie, my M!Corrin is more often chosen by the stars to be with Ophelia Dusk.
Goldenyoshistar1: I wonder how things are going to go, too. I only have like, one actual coherent idea on what is going to happen later down the line. Pretty much everything after Chapter 5 has been made on the spot.
Ah, Azura. I'm glad someone finally brought her up. Well, canonically, the Hoshidans took Azura because Corrin's place was too guarded, right? So, since Corrin was absolutely nowhere to be found, the idea of taking Azura never happened. So yes, she's still in Nohr…
But, then who will use their 'plot' song to fix certain topics of interest?
Lupus and Selkie had chased Kaden literally around all the sections in the forest around them, and it was of the best moments she has had recently. Ducking under tree limbs, hopping over the roots above ground, and even using trunks to make sudden turns. The wind rushes by her face, some small limbs and leaves smack her across the body, but she wouldn't want it any other way. Selkie ran by her side, just as into this game of chase as she is.
"Think we should actually catch him, now?" Selkie asks as she pants heavily, still in her human form.
"Split up?" Lupus suggests.
"Ohhhh yes." In the next moment, Selkie and Lupus break off, each going to a slightly different direction, they were looking to pin him in a cross-sectional movement.
"It isn't happening twice!" Kaden growled, tapping into his Beaststone again. His form shifted back into the Nine-tails, and he managed to stop on the next step, before completely reversing his direction. He almost left Lupus's hearing range only two seconds later.
"You're just gonna wear yourself out faster!" Selkie shifts into her Kitsune form again, leaving Lupus as the unshifted one… again. It… actually hurts. Being unable to shift was like, the only real constant downside of being in the pack. Selkie sprinted off, leaving Lupus to try and keep up.
But she wouldn't… she couldn't. She could win in a test of endurance, yes… but Kaden could probably easily keep enough distance to recover enough with the speed his Nine-tails form has.
It hurts. It's like how she couldn't have rough playtimes with Keaty and Vella in their Wolfskin forms, because a single hit could have left Lupus crippled. But instead of strength and endurance, it's now speed and agility she lacks. She simply can't keep up with Kaden… and he hasn't even fully recovered yet!
She too, growls. She refuses to stay so far behind. So no, not today, not anymore. Lupus hears that roar, but instead of curiosity catching her attention, it's a need. A need to be able to keep up with the beast-shifters, a need to be able to be strong enough, fast enough to be there for them.
The pain of being unable to keep pace feeds the roaring.
"Sister! Sister! Can we play today?" Cor… Lupus tackled her sister, who remains uncharacteristically stoic.
"I'm… sorry sister. Keaty and I need to train today." Lupus visibly recoiled, "We've matured enough, the humans are getting more skilled, we need to make sure we remain superior."
Lupus easily relented, she knew. She didn't need to be told. The strong survive, the weak perish. "...Understood." She confirmed with a nod… but that didn't mean it hurted any less to see Vella walk off like that. Being unable to help in that manner always hurts Lupus. "Because I could easily get killed if I trained with you all…" She whimpered.
Drops of water fell from Lupus's eyes as she ducked under another branch, sidestepped a trunk, and hopped over a root, all in the same swift motion. "I'm not staying behind. I'm not… falling behind again." She keeps repeating, seeming to feed that roar. "I'm not weak, I'm strong. I'm… not even an actual human. Mother said I'm part dragon. I'm a dragon. Not human, not Wolfskin, but Dragon." Something changed in that moment. Lupus was no longer weaving around the wooden obstacles, because there was suddenly no need for that. Twigs snapped, trunks were pushed aside, roots were flattened to the ground…
Lupus gasps, scrambling up off of the dirt… no wait. A… bed? Her breathing comes in rapid as she scans the area. Where is she?! She sniffs… it's like that 'castle'... Shirasagi? When did she get in here? Kaden, Selkie! Did she pass out? She places a hand on her chest, feeling how her heart is seeming to want to burst out of her. Then her other hand grips her head, why does she have such a headache? She then attempts to get out of the bed…
And manages to successfully collapse. The floor comes in to greet her, and she nearly howls from the aches and… why is there blood? She hisses as her midsection is burning.
What happened? Where was she? She could have sworn she was… it hits her. She was playing with Selkie and Kaden, a chase. She and Selkie were chasing Kaden, and… she was getting frustrated that she couldn't keep up and… and what? Why is everything a blur? Roaring? There was roaring?
Lupus ends up vomiting.
Someone comes dashing in the next moment. "B-b-big s-s-s-sister!" Uh… Saku? "Thank the gods you're awake!" She feels Saku's hands over her, some sort of glow and calming feeling from them.
"Saku…?" Lupus groans as she manages to get up with her little sister's help. "Selkie… Kaden."
"They're recovering." Saku says.
"Oh…" A pause, "Kaden pushed himself too much." She adds.
"Actually…" Lupus hears tapping as Saku fiddles with her staff, "No, nevermind. You're right. Just… exhaustion. R-R-Right."
"Saku?"
"And, uh… you need to recover, too!" She nudges Lupus down, "Healer's orders."
...As if that could keep her down. "I'm fine. Tired, but fine. Where are they? Or Seta."
"Y-You should r-really focus on y-yourself…" Saku ends up sighing.
"No!" Lupus counters, "Saku. What. Happened!"
"Little sister." Red walks in, "I think you should heed your own advice, you're overworking yourself." With a pat on her shoulder, Red nudges Saku out. "Corrin." He directs his stern gaze to her. "What were you doing out there? With those two Kitsunes?"
"Doing what I wanted to do with you all! Play!" Lupus crosses her arms, "But humans can't keep up with me!"
"Compared to who?" He presses, "Your standards were set by something else, what were they?"
"Me."
His stance shifts slightly, "I won't be able to tell you everything, but I can give you an idea on what happened out there."
"Really!"
"If you tell me where you..."
"Aw, come on!" Lupus sighs and lies back down, "I'm here, aren't I? Who cares where I've been?!"
"You nearly killed Kaden and Selkie." His voice comes out harsh. "Setsuna was the only reason we were able to know what was going on. So, with that in mind, you told Setsuna where you've been."
"I…" Lupus flinches back, "Almost…?"
"Setsuna knew the meaning of beast howls." He ignores her near-whimpers. "It'll be better if you just tell us." A pause, "Mother has your Dragonstone ready, and we agreed if you would just tell us where you've been, then we'll give it to you, right now."
Lupus looks away. Seta was still looking out for her… even if it meant her secret was in danger. Even Seta knew it shouldn't stay a secret. "Nohr." She finally admits. "The alpha told me he took me from the King of Nohr. His pack raided the caravan, only the King and me lived, but he took me with the pack. Said I was different."
"The pack?" He echoes.
"Wolfskin. I lived with my family, the pack. The alpha, Keaty and Vella, my brother and sister. I know what I know from them… I loved them all. But, poachers were so persistent, and I ended up finding out I was good at disarming traps. So that's what I did… but then I was with Vella's group one day, and I couldn't even defend myself from a single human…"
"A Ninja, I'm assuming." His eyes light up, "Which is why you had such a violent reaction to Saizo."
She nods, "So, I told the alpha I wanted to go out and learn how to use the sword, so I could return and properly be able to defend them." Her gaze returns to Red, "There, you know. Please, please don't send anyone after them. I promised not to tell, I don't want them hurt, I…"
"Why would we?" He asks. "I… might not agree with their methods, but you're alive, safe. You care, you love, and they even let you leave when you expressed the desire. Sister, things could have turned out so much worse. Gods only know what would have happened if King Garon actually finished his trip with you. He could have used you as a bargaining chip, he could have had you beaten, but none of this happened. This alpha and his pack, they kept you safe." Red smiles and places a hand on her shoulder, "I promise you, no harm will come to them as long as we have a say in it."
Lupus's eyes lit up, "Thank you…" She gives him a sturdy hug… enough to actually keep him from getting a proper amount of air in, but he lets slide… this time. "Big Brother? Can I go see Selkie and Kaden?" She needs to apologize… She really hopes she didn't lose them from this.
Red guides Lupus to another room, where the two Kitsunes were resting, and yeah, she can easily tell they've just been through something huge, despite any wounds that could have been are closed. Lupus's chest tightens as the fact registers that she put them in this situation. The two lie near-naked, though if they were bloody, they don't look it now. A hesitant step forward, then another. She gulps, "K-Kaden? S-Selkie?" She gently calls out.
While Selkie remains still, Kaden's ears twitch. "Wolfskin." His voice has an understandable amount of venom. "Is that the tactics you were taught?"
She stops and keeps her distance. "I… didn't know. Mother told me I could shapeshift into a Dragon and…"
"You did it without a Dragonstone." His growl comes out weak. "Did your 'pack' ever tell you the dangers of shifting without a Stone?"
"No…" She turns away, despite him not even looking at her. "You're gonna leave, aren't you?" She didn't need a response, it's in his body language…
Betrayal.
"My sister and I are all that's left of the hamlet, so what was running through your head when you wanted to shift?" He turns towards her, though she is still looking away. "Or did your pack teach you more than you let on?"
"...I wasn't good enough." Lupus mutters, "I wasn't strong enough to play rough with the Wolfskin… I'm not fast enough to keep up when you were shifted… And I'm sick of being so far behind! I'm like, right in the middle! Better than a human, but weaker than a shifted Wolfskin or Kitsune! Don't you understand how much that hurts me?"
That seems to have killed off Kaden's aggression. "Oh, I… didn't think about it like that." He backs off, losing himself in the blankets… Even though his fur is probably providing more warmth and comfort than them.
"...Kaden, I just wanna know, can we still at least be friends?" Lupus reaches out, getting his attention.
"Better off asking Selkie." He turns away, "None of this changes the fact you willingly shifted without your Stone, after all."
"Oh, alright… uh, sleep well then, Kaden." A short pause, "I'm really sorry…"
"...Thanks, Lupus." He seemed to ignore her attempt at an apology. With ears drooped, Lupus left their room.
She nearly killed them! Tears form in her eyes as she went over the accusations from Kaden… which were true. Well yeah, she might have never been told about the dangers of shifting without a Stone, it should have been implied. She almost killed them, and she can't even remember it! Lupus backs up against the wall, ashamed of herself. She willingly fed that roar, she wanted to experience being a dragon…
How was she to know she would lose control?
"Sister?" Red asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. "How are you?" Concern lines him.
She lowered a hand to her midsection, where the aching and pain is the worst. "I wanna see Seta now."
He hesitates, and she can get the sign of… disappointment? What was he expecting her to do? She wants Seta! "Alright, if that's what you want." Still, he leads her.
"...What happened? To me."
"You were out of control, sister. We had to… wear you down, and after enough time, you collapsed, before turning back into a human." Now being able to see him at a different angle, she can see he suffered some pretty bad scratches himself, since there are some holes in his armor, and scars lie beneath that.
"Re… big brother?" She asked, causing him to stop, "I'm sorry." She hesitates for a moment, "I'd never want to cause you all any harm but I was getting so tired of always being behind on a lot of things and I wanted to be better so I could defend the people I care about more because I love my family and I love the pack and Keaty and Vella and I already really like Kaden and Selkie and I just want everyone to be together and be happy but…" Her rant continued into a more of a string of incomprehensible words as tears started streaming down.
"Hey, little sister." That… didn't sound like Red. No, it's… Hina? "We're here for you, alright?"
"Sh-She's right!" Now it's Saku, "Pl-please don't cry. I-If we can h-h-help, then we w-w-will!"
"Sister, if the source of your current grief had a physical form, then you bet I'd be the first to fire at it." Takumi, too.
"You're not alone, sister." Now it's Red. "We're your family, there's little we wouldn't do for you."
"Aw… what's gotten my dear daughter down?" And to finish it off, Mikoto arrives. "Shh, don't cry." She slightly lowers herself, a necklace of sorts in her hands. "Here." She smiles as she brings it around her neck, clicking some sort of piece behind her, a sudden surge of… peacefulness covers Lupus. "Keep this safe, okay? It's your Dragonstone. I promise, as long as it's with you, this won't ever happen again." In response, Lupus wraps her arms around her and she returns the hug…
Then Saku joins in, and Hina, then Red, and... "Oh, come on, little brother. One family hug won't hurt you." Hina calls him out.
"I suppose you're right." He remarks before he too joins in.
"I love you all so much…" Lupus whimpers as she is practically smothered by everyone… but it's the good kind of smothered. The same kind whenever it got really cold in the dens, then Keaty and Vella would smush her between their furs.
Emotionally and physically drained, by the time the hug dispersed, Lupus already fell asleep in her mother's arms, a peaceful smile on her face.
A/N: So, it went from slightly light-hearted, to a relatively troubled part, and ending with a nice fluffy bit filled with family warmth.
That just leaves this: Taking into consideration how well Ryoma, er, Red took that information. How much different would it have been if Lupus did, in fact, tell them where she's been from the start?
Also, I hope that Red's reasoning for his acceptance came out natural enough. It makes sense to me... but that doesn't necessarily means it makes sense to everyone else.