A/N: Who was looking forward to seeing another sibling this chapter? Well, I have wonderful news!

You're stuck with Hinoka. See, I was going to have Corrin transition from one sibling to the other through Hinoka, but then a conversation was brought up, then another, and the next thing I knew, I got another Hinoka chapter. Well… to be fair. She is supposed to be the family member that understands her the most, with only Setsuna being the first human topping her. Besides, steam is being blown off here… and no! Not the sexual kind! There's no Valla, they are blood-sisters, and I'm not supporting incest… in this fic.

Canon name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

Curse of Whimsy: Hina has understood her mistake, but that doesn't mean such declarations are so easily forgotten or forgiven… *hint hint*

There are some brief appearances for some others in this chapter, buuuuut… it's mostly Hina and Lupus again.

And thank you for pointing that out, I personally had no idea the abundance of nicknames were causing issues.

Half-beastdragonsoul2013: Oof… well there goes that assumption. I'm sure they grow it, er cinnamon that is, not Old Spice. Oh boy… now I'm imagining a farmland full of Old Spice products growing out of the ground.

Consort: Nah, forget all that. What Hina obviously does is that she has her own personal garden, where she grows some nice things like maybe mint… but then she also has several Jalapeno plants. She adds a Jalapeno pepper with each container. Fresh as a mint, spicy as a pepper.

Yeah, considering their first 'spar' was… lacking at best. Could those two matches even be considered a spar back then? Anyway, it's nice that Hina is at least given a chance to stand her ground, since Lupus is holding back still, after all, but at least she isn't holding back as much.

Uh, I'm sorry… what was that? Did you mention that Lupus needs to make sure she is as at least physically fit as she left the pack to when she returns to the pack? Well, if you did, then I completely agree. Lupus needs to make sure she can, at the very least, do what she was able to do before she left by the time she returned… except that she can also turn into a massive dragon. BUT! Let's not forget… she hasn't actually trained in it yet.

A third of your arsenal is your weapons, a third is how skilled the person is using them, the final third is how good your stat growths are… True that with training, hands could be as effective as some common soldier, but… Lupus's skin is also far more resilient than most, not to mention when she finally learns to harness the 'Dragon Fang' side of her powers… y'know with forming a helmet, maw, lance and all that.

Perhaps Lupus could see if she can spend some time with her family in the library, reading up on combat styles. But, there is one huge problem with that… one that I haven't brought up, because Lupus's Luck is high enough to where she never got into this particular situation in the first place!

So, this is for everyone, why would it be a problem for Lupus to spend a day with her family in that manner?

Guest (Ch. 2 and 7, 4/19): Oh, I do hope I'm right, assuming this is only one Guest, since I saw these reviews come in at relatively the same time… Anyway, considering that I tend to give Takumi the worst time, I'm surprised I managed to make him come out as less than an ass… an Archass!

Lupus walked beside Hina, both of the women have suffered a number of bruises in varying sizes, some cuts here and there, and both have a healthy layer of dirt on them. Oh, and she can't forget about the scents coming from them… sweat and dirt and outside and… spicy. "What's for breakfast?" Lupus asks. "Is there gonna be chicken?"

"People rarely have chicken for breakfast, sister." Hina shakes her head, a smile already forming. "Expect a decent amount of grains, fruits, herbs…"

"No spices?" She asks, "As long as they're no spices, I'll try them."

"No spices." She nods. "But, would you also please try and keep some mind on your manners?"

"Pfft, stupid etiquette." Lupus kicks the ground mid-step. "Y'know what? Fine. I'll stick with it, but I'm gonna ask for you all to have a meal my way one day!" She pouts, forcing a sad and pleading expression, complete with fake tears…

Not that Hina could tell she was faking it. She sighs, "I'll… ask mother, okay?" Hina wipes the tears away, "Aw, c'mon. Don't start crying on me. You're gonna make me look bad."

Lupus slowly lets the tears stop… because if they were to stop instantly, then that would be suspicious. She sniffles a few more times and slowly nods, "O-okay… so, can we go eat now?"

"Uh-huh!"

Lupus smiles, though internally it's more of a smug smile. Oh… it's a good thing they can't tell the difference. "I've had a few fruits back in the pack. They were normally really small and round-ish. Kinda like…" She parts her fingers a relatively short distance, "And tough, had to crack them open."

"Nuts?" Hina asks.

"Oh, I dunno what they're called. All I needed to know is that they were safe to eat. The oldest bit…" She manages to stop herself from finishing that word off, "Wolfskin knew the differences between all the plants."

"What all did they teach you?"

She hums, "Well, I learned to disarm traps on my own. As for what they taught me? How to howl, knowing the difference between howls, what certain emotions smell like, how to hunt, and mating."

"Uh, what?" She asked, "They… taught you…?"

"Huh? Nah. The alpha just pointed out the scents involved. It's… intense, very thick. But, it also smells really nice, like it warms my body nice and…"

"Alright, please stop." Hina pleads, "It's just… no, nevermind."

"Okay." Lupus shrugs it off. "Then… not much else. We didn't need to know a lot of stuff. All decisions went through the alpha."

"So… this 'alpha. Was he like a King?" She asks, trying to wrap her head around Wolfskin details. "And… that's it? What about his children? His wife?"

Lupus shakes her head, "His pups, not his children. His mate, not his wife. The alpha leads alone. Though, my pack was a slight exception. One is the oldest female Wolfskin, she had some call in if a specific set of herbs needs to be brought in. The second was… me, actually. I could freely leave and enter the dens to go out and disarm traps… and if I needed extra time, I could request it."

"So… your pack didn't adhere to…"

"'Ad...here'?" She echoes.

"Follow."

Lupus scrunches her face, "Then why didn't you just say that in the first place?!"

"Having a larger vocabulary is a sign of higher education. Royals are expected to know a lot of the more complicated topics."

"...that's stupid."

She chuckles, "Hey, I'm not saying I agree with it. I'd rather spend my time with my naginata." She shrugs it off. "I'm sure Ryoma and Takumi would agree, too."

"Hina? Am I expected to do this 'higher education', too?"

Hina pauses, "I'm sure mother would want you to." She rubs the back of her neck, "And considering we're currently not at war, she even might push for it."

"Alright, well… how often do you use that knowledge?"

"Uh… not often."

"Then why teach it in the first place?!" She crosses her arms, "I'm not learning it."

"Sister… if mother asks you..."

"I'm not learning it." She stubbornly repeats, "It's a waste of time and energy. You humans wouldn't know about saving the most resources…"

A silence covers them as Lupus realizes what exactly she said. "...'You' humans?" Hina visibly recoils, "Do you… not see us as family? Would you really rather to… leave us?" The fire in her eyes seems to die down some, "Sister, I… I know I said things I shouldn't have before our spars, but gods… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. About keeping you from the pack."

"W-wait… big sister!" Lupus counters, "I… I didn't mean to say that! It's just… I got a little angry and I wasn't thinking."

Hina only nods, before she resumes walking, yet...

Somehow that hurts even worse than Hina arguing with her.

"Sister…?" Lupus asked Vella as she was chewing on a bone. She's been strangely distant, even not bothering with sniffing.

"..." Still she didn't respond, but… Ears down, tail still, muscles tense. Which combination was that again… anger? No, too intense, besides… she wasn't flashing her canines. Wary? No… her muscles wouldn't be so tense. "Frustration." Vella spoke. "...some hurt."

"About…?" Lupus moved closer, "If you wanna talk…"

"What do you dream about?" Vella suddenly became defensive.

"Day-to-day life in the pack. Why?"

"Really? Are you so sure?" She glares at her, "How about what things would've been like if you weren't with us? If you were raised human?"

"D-don't say that!" Did she ever? No… she can't remember dreaming about that. "Vella, sister…"

"Sometimes… sometimes I do wish you were born Wolfskin. Other times, I'd wish the packs could get together and start killing off humans. Then there are the ones where I want us to just… be away from everyone else. I… I refuse to lose you to humans. I'd fight tooth and claw to keep you with us."

"...was I really dreaming about that? Leaving the pack?" Vella slowly nodded, tears sparkling from her eyes. "Well… that's stupid! I love being here. I don't wanna leave!"

"...What if it did happen, though. I don't mean you choosing to leave. What if… your real family came? What if…"

"Then do what you said you were going to do, sister." Lupus cuts her off, "I will always want to be with the pack. Or… even just you and Keaty, I'd be fine with that. Fight with your all. I… I couldn't bear the thought of losing you, too. And… and if they try to take me then… they're stupid! I'd show them how much I'm staying here because… because I'll fight them, too!"

Ears raised, tail wagging, her muscles relax, "Then I will. I'd stain my body with human blood if that's what it takes. If you asked me to, I'd kill them all."

Lupus hesitates for a moment, while looking at Hina's back. Would… is Vella still wanting to hold that promise? Things changed. Lupus did go back on her word, she ended up wanting to leave, but… she needed to get stronger. But, there's something else she can't deny…

She spent a lot of time here. How long does it take to train in the sword? What would happen if Vella were here? Would she believe that her sister has been captured? That she is forced to be here? Lupus shivered as she began imagining Vella upholding her promise. She could literally see the gashes and bites all across Hina's body, the blood dripping, her life fading. The same for the others…

Lupus needs to make sure she gets to Vella first.

The rest of the walk was in silence. Lupus sure didn't know what to say, since apparently there were more human things she needed to learn. They enter the dining hall, there were only a few up this early… excluding the servants, that is.

Superman and Hana are two of them. The former is wide awake, the latter looks like she just crawled out of bed. "Good morning, Subaki, Hana." Hina greets them.

"Another early rise, Princess Hinoka?" Superman asks, "And for you too, Princess Corrin?"

"Goof… mornin', La...dy oka." Hana mutters from her spot, then yawns.

"Um… if you're that tired, then why not get some more sleep in?" Hina asks, clearly concerned.

"Challenge… won't…" She forces herself up.

"She wanted to prove that she could go through an entire day like I do." Superman informs the others, "So I did what I normally do… except I had to wake her up. We've only been up for about an hour now."

"Miss Hana… your coffee…" A Maid walks in, "Would you care for anything else?"

"No… thank you." Hana raises the cup, which contains a midnight black liquid… but there was only one thing truly certain about it.

"Why are you drinking waste?" Lupus asks… conveniently right as Hana took a sip. She coughs, and some of that black garbage comes right back out.

"Ah… hot! I-I'm awake! Gods…" Superman hands her a napkin, "Whew…" She takes a breath.

"Sister…" Hina sighs.

"What?"

"That is called coffee."

"And what's it made of?"

"Grounded coffee beans and boiling water."

"It looks bad. It smells bad... so it must taste bad." Lupus concludes. "I can see why it wakes you up. I'm sure you could wake anyone up if you fed them dung." Thankfully for Hana, she wasn't taking another sip when Lupus said that.

Superman chuckles, "Well, it's a good thing I don't need coffee."

"See? He gets it." She gestures towards Superman.

"Ugh, well…" Hana downs the vile liquid, "I'm going to go train and…"

"Train? Hana, that is not what I do after breakfast." Superman cuts her off.

"Alright then, what's next?"

"Inventory, discarding broken weapons and armor, repairing the ones we can, and organizing it all."

"Wh-what?! You… You do all of that… before training?" Hana asks.

"Well no… there's more than that before training, actually." He starts as they walk off, "I also go to the stables and make sure all of the beasts there are groomed and…" His voice slowly lowers until he is out of earshot.

Lupus scoffs, "...'beasts'."

"Sister?"

"They aren't 'just beasts'. They're smarter than people think."

"I know. Every rider knows that."

Lupus narrows her eyes, "Still smarter than you think."

"You sure? I understand my Pegasus very well. Sure, we may not talk like we're doing now, but she does understand me." She sits down, Lupus not too far behind.

"Big sister. I'm sorry for earlier." She quickly says, "For that 'you humans' thing. It's… I need to say something." She licks her lips, her mouth suddenly feeling so dry.

"And that is?"

"Do… you remember how you told me you'd fight to keep me here?"

She nods, "Yeah, and I was acting rash. I promise I won't deny what you want. If you truly…"

"You'd probably die, then."

"Uh… what?"

"Vella won't have the same reserves. She's always been terrified of losing me, and if she finds out that I haven't returned when I could, after I'm strong enough to defend the pack, then… she'll take it really bad."

"That's… well, what if you told her that you chose to…"

"No!" Lupus snaps back, "You don't realize how much that would hurt her! Do… do any of you realize how tough this is for me?! All my life, I was raised with the thought of 'humans are bad. Humans are greedy. Do not trust humans.' I believed it, all of it. The alpha knows what's best for the pack," No… no he doesn't. Seta pointed that out, "So I trust him. Vella and the others though? Especially Vella and Keaty? They won't hesitate to fight for me… to save me." She takes a breath, "Vella promised me many years ago that she would gladly stain her entire body in human blood, she would gladly kill as many as it takes to keep me with her."

A pause, then she asks several questions Lupus wasn't expecting, "What would you do then, sister? What if there actually came a day where you had to choose? What if you couldn't have both? Where would you go?"

Not fair, not fair! "I… can't answer that. I love the pack. I love my family. I can't just discard one or the other." A pause, "Alright fine. Big sister, what would you do if I went back with the pack? If."

Her eyes go downcast, and any earlier vigor fades, "It would hurt me like no other wound… but, if that is what you wanted, then I'd let you." A pause, "What would the pack do if you chose us?"

"Aside from Vella and Keaty? Most would just leave and forget, there's no use on dwelling if they could keep me. But, for my Wolfskin brother and sister? Well, like I said, I have no doubt they'd react violently." Lupus kicks the stone beneath her, "I don't think I'm leaving them Hina… no matter what. At least… at least you all are safe here, they're not."

"Sister… alright. Just know that… you are always welcome here, no matter what." She gives her a smile.

Lupus returns a smile, though it's smaller and lacking in true happiness, because yes… she would probably, in the end, choose the pack, but there are some things that are constantly gnawing at her, things that she still wants to be around. Her family, for one. Seta is playing a large role in that… even Ka-da and Silky, as they would definitely be 'kill on sight' if they were to visit.

Why does there have to be so much need to kill?

A/N: Oh dear… it seems as if things have been going steadily more downhill. First, Hina's decision to keep her family together negatively impacts Lupus, and now Lupus not only referred to her blood-family as 'you humans', but it's also revealed that Vella made her a very blood-filled promise. And on top of all that, it seems Lupus would, in fact, choose the pack over her family.

...Maybe it'd be better if Lupus spent some time with another family member? One who isn't so hot-headed and blunt?