Canon name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.
Consort: The alpha was right to send him with the others, rather than fight alongside him… despite being the second strongest shifter at the time. It's clear Keaty understands more than he lets on. It also sounds like the batch of pups that grew up with Lupus understands that need for change, which makes things run so much smoother. Imagine how much tougher it would be if a number of the older Wolfskin went with them? There would definitely be more challenging Keaty's status as alpha.
The percentage for 'Revelations' has jumped up!
Dadaan has already stood up for the things Lupus has done in the previous den, and he's just stood up for her in the scouting party. I'm sure he'll end up being a valuable ally to Lupus.
Le Cool (Guest): Gonna get wild n crazy… howling mad… chasing their own tails...
I have a few reactions ready, and y'all get to see 'em relatively soon.
Lupus awoke with a start, enough to cause Vella to wake up with a growl. Within that half-second, Vella was up and ready to defend Lupus. The half-dragon's eyes scan the area, her heart is racing… what was she dreaming of? "Sister?" Vella asks after all potential threats are looked over. "Is something wrong?" She sits back down beside her. "Your breathing really fast."
"Bad dream." She quickly answers. "I dunno what, but I know it was bad." Lupus takes a deep breath, "I'm happy to be back. It's good to be back."
Sniff sniff, Vella abruptly 'invades' Lupus's personal space. "You're afraid… terrified." She concludes, "Must've been a really bad dream."
"I… guess I am." About what? It can't be her blood-family, since they are more than safe back in the castle. The pack? No, the barrier… the barrier won't last if they don't do anything. But, what can a few over a dozen Wolfskin do to an entire army's worth of humans?
They can't. Not without risking the pack. "Sister?" Vella nudges her. "Do you… need to talk?"
Lupus hesitates, but nods, "I need to talk to Keaty again… actually important this time." She gets up, "Really important."
"Sister…" Vella's eyes follow Lupus as she leaves.
The den, relative to the old one, is louder. There aren't any scouting or hunting parties out right now, so all the Wolfskin are either in their dens or outside, and the ones that are outside, at least some of them, are attempting to chat…
And Lupus rather not listen to these, frankly, embarrassing attempts. But… this is a new thing to them, and without a human-half, they are having a tough time. They might be better off trying for their Wolfsegger forms.
The half-dragon follows Keaty's scent trail to none other than Keaty's den. "Keaty? Er… Alpha?" She hesitantly asks.
"Come." He responds and she enters. "...You're fearful." Is the first thing he comments on. "Is… everything alright?"
"It's about the barrier… the reason the Nohrian humans didn't follow the pack." She starts off. "It won't last long, y'know. There's so many humans out there, because they're going to force it down."
"We can move." Yet, before Lupus could say anything, he adds, "But this isn't as much about the pack, is it?"
"Well… my family has an army of their own. And I'm more worried about what we'll have to keep doing, rather than the pack itself. Brother, I don't want us to keep finding new dens… what if those humans move ahead of us? What if we run out of dens?"
Keaty huffs, crosses his arms, and looks away. "I get it. We can't keep running, but we don't have the strength to keep fending off those humans… especially if those three keep coming back." A short pause, "What are you going to suggest?"
What would Lupus suggest? Trying to get the Wolfskin to 'move in' with her family is going to be nothing but trouble. Hit and run tactics, like how with they use to raid caravans, is also too risky. "I… don't know." She admits, "I don't have a plan for it."
"Hmph." A silence follows. "Then don't worry about it."
"It's not that simple! I can't help but worry about the pack! About us! Is it wrong for me to be concerned about the safety of the pack?!" She nearly shouts back… not realizing how loud she was until Keaty rounded an intense glare at her. "...sorry."
"Don't. Concern yourself with it." He stresses. "Go back to Velouria, I need some time to think. Trust that I can think of something, alright?"
"...okay." Deflated, she leaves. That didn't go as easily as she hoped, but…
He's still learning. That is, if he can even learn it all in one lifetime. Which he probably won't. The pack is being forced into a situation they never had to deal with before. This isn't just groups of poachers that comes to try and take pelts. This is a group of humans that want this specific pack dead. For 'taking' Lupus away from their King. It won't matter if Lupus is actually here or not, they just want all of them dead out of revenge.
...And she doesn't know how to protect them. She… she doesn't even know how to properly fight in her dragon form yet, either. She looks around the den, before her eyes land on a now-familiar face. Dadaan. "Hey…" She calls him out.
"Hello Lupus." He looks towards her. He seems to want to say something else, but he can't think of anything.
They're still learning. So, she decides to take this in a more Wolfskin manner, "Playfight? Fast and rough?"
To which he smirks. "Fast and rough? Sure you can handle that?" Regardless, his Beaststone glows and he shifts into his Wolfskin form.
She taps into her Dragonstone, and shifts into her dragon form, "No choice. Gotta learn to fight." She lowers her body, "Need to learn."
"You don't know how to fight in your dragon form, but you want it fast and rough?"
"Yup." She nods. "So, c'mon. Don't be gentle." It's a statement she almost regretted announcing, since he closed the distance and almost slammed her on her head.
...And he isn't even a Wolfsegger. But, then again, she does not know how to best use her draconic body to fight. "You ask, I gave… you still sure?" He asks.
"Yeah… yeah, I'm sure."
He tilts his head, "You aren't."
She huffs, "Dadaan, I need…"
"To not hurt yourself too badly." He cuts her off. "You fight me, I'll guard." He plants his massive feet into the ground and holds his body still, "Ready."
Lupus slowly nods her armored head, "Alright, here I go…"
Embarrassing, nothing short of embarrassing. Lupus has never felt so ashamed in her life as she did when she was stumbling around in her dragon form, trying to actually get some decent hits in on Dadaan. If she wasn't tripping over her own feet, then she was thrown off balance by a sudden shift in her tail, or maybe she reared her head and her horns hit something else.
She just wanted to curl up and fall asleep, anything to avoid looking like the fool she was.
But, like with her learning to move in her draconic form, Lupus kept pushing. She forced herself to get up, forced herself to focus, and with time, learned to do more than accidentally slap his body. She wouldn't be able to handle a real battle, but at least she could defend herself, mostly.
Maybe she should have had Dadaan at least move a bit?
She sighs as she lies her head down, back in Vella's den… not that she is in here right now. Vella is out with the hunting party and due to Lupus's insistence on learning how to fight, meant she wasn't a part of today's plant-gathering group. She wants to go with them, but Keaty has a really good sense when it comes to her well-being. She would become more of a burden if she went right now.
Doesn't mean she has to like it.
As for Keaty himself? Well, he's at the den, too. She had thought about talking with him, but she's just feeling… 'eh'. Maybe if she didn't dance around like a fool in front of the rest of the pack, she'd be out there. "Lupus." She slowly raises her head to see Keaty leaning against the cave wall. Concern is on his face, but he isn't actually saying anything about it.
Maybe he doesn't know what to say? "Hey, brother." She lazily responds. "I'm fine, it's just… didn't think learning to fight as a dragon would be so… the rest made it look so easy when they first shifted."
He shrugs, "Instinct, I guess." At least he isn't snickering about her failures… "Sent another group out, just two of them, they went with the hunting party."
"Okay…?" She trails off, unsure of where he's going with this.
"They're going to break off of the hunting party and back towards the main road." He continues, "They're going to keep the high ground and scout out the humans. Gonna try and figure out what all they're going to do."
"Risky…"
"I know." He flatly states, "But… we need plans for the future. I thought about your concerns. Then I thought about what else should be changed. I'm… going to take more of the future into thought from now on."
"Oh, that's good." She gives a small smile.
"Do you have any ideas? I don't have much planned beyond the scouting."
"Not really…" She trails off. "I don't know a lot about the 'tactics' thing I heard when with my family."
"Tactics?" He echoes.
"It's like… instinct, but instead it being about yourself, it's knowing about the enemy."
"Humans do that?" He seems somewhat confused, but Lupus can see recognition flashing in his eyes… maybe it won't take as long as she originally thought. "Anything else?"
"..." Lupus looks away.
"...sister?"
"I could ask my…"
"No." He cuts her off.
"I know… I just wanted to say it." Still got a long way. Even with a potentially powerful idea, it isn't enough. Humans are going to have to offer a lot of things to even get on neutral terms with the packs. "I didn't learn that much there, brother. There are few battle-related things I learned."
"Okay." A short pause, "Uh, thanks… sister," He gets off the wall and walks out, "hope you get… better soon." He calls out.
"It'll take time." She reminds herself. "It'll take time before the packs 'gets it'." She sighs and lies her head down, might as well get a bit of rest in…
Lupus awoke with a furry body pressed against hers. Vella's human form is as wrapped around her as she can get. Arms going around her, legs entangled with her own, her head buried in the small dip around her neck and chest. And perhaps it's due to Lupus's… 'moment' with Seta, but she actually feels like Vella might be a bit too close.
Then again, Vella isn't human, so it doesn't really bother her.
So instead, Lupus reaches around Vella with her own arms and pulls her closer, earning an unconscious 'mmm' in response. She can even spot her tail wagging. She's… she really is attached to Lupus. Sure, Lupus has noticed that Vella tended to stay near her as much as she could, but she brushed that off as what sisters do. Of course, Hina and Saku disproved that. Afterwards, she could really 'notice' how desperately Vella clings onto her. Why is she so attached, while the others aren't? This has to be an even more intense need than mating…
No, it has to be a greater need, since Vella herself said she'd only leave her side if the pack 'needs' more pups while she's in heat. That sort of thinking is only hurting the pack, Vella needs to mate, she needs to bear pups. But… nope. If it means leaving Lupus's side? Forget it. What else is Vella willing to drop for Lupus? Would she ultimately refuse to follow an order from Keaty… er, the alpha if Lupus was in danger? How would Vella react if she was hurt and she wasn't there to protect her?
Dadaan managed to overwhelm a male with years more experience, he was one of the weakest of the pups born and raised with Lupus… so, Lupus could only imagine how much damage Vella would cause if that same surge of power were to cross her. She doubts that even Keaty would cross her if that happened…
And he's a Wolfsegger now.
"Lupus." Oh, wow… Keaty sure is coming to her a lot. "Come."
"She's staying…" Vella grips her tighter. "You already talked to her." Oh, dear… "Later."
Lupus looks over to Keaty, who is understandably irritated by Vella's bluntly defying statement. "I can cuddle with you later, Vella…"
Vella's eyes lazily opens up and she stares at Lupus. "Haven't I waited long enough for us to cuddle again?! C'mon sister, just stay…"
"Brother… can't you just talk to me here?" She tries to reason.
She can hear him sigh, "Hold, then." He walks out, and within a minute, comes back in. "Tell her."
"While scouting, we spotted a… metal tree?" A Wolfskin states, but not one Lupus remembers, "We could feel a strange… urge to it, but not much more than that. We only kept note of it as we continued down our route. However, we couldn't go as far as originally planned, as that human army was closer than before and by the time we came back… that metal tree was destroyed, with those humans now gathered around it."
"Well?" Keaty asks.
"Must be one of those 'conduits' keeping Mother's barrier up." Lupus replies, still as 'stuck' to Vella as earlier. "She said something about they keep the 'magical stress' on her down, so that she can keep it going without weakening her to the point where she can't have it up and rule as Queen at the same time." And the more that fall, the more likely Mother will have to drop it…
The more likely the pack will be in really big trouble.
"...On your next scouting mission, bring another of the pack with you," Keaty starts, "If you spot one of those 'conduits' and the area is clear, you are to report back, but the rest stand guard. Do not defend it with your lives, but also try to keep it from falling."
"Uh, right…?" The Wolfskin hesitantly complies. "I mean, as you order."
"Can we spare the extra Wolfskin?" Lupus asks, after the other left.
"Only going to have three guarding it, four when he gets back to it." Keaty states. "Won't be able to defend from a lot, but at least they will slow them down." A pause as he goes to leave, "...Don't deny me again, Velouria." He says with such a dangerous undertone that Lupus shivered.
In response, Vella just holds Lupus tighter, her body slightly trembling. "...not losing you, not losing you." She whimpers.
…
Lupus needs to figure out a way to get Vella to loosen her possessiveness of her. Things can only get worse if she doesn't obey Keaty. Yes, he may be Keaty 'the brother', but he is also Keaty 'the alpha'. He's only going to give Vella so much bending room before he 'puts his foot down'. And Lupus is worried what will happen if Vella crosses that invisible line, if she angers Keaty that much…
A/N: Oh dear, Hoshido just lost a conduit. How much longer until the next one drops? How many will need to fall before Mikoto has to give up the barrier? How long can four Wolfskin keep one of the conduits protected?
As for the Nohrians, who are now clearly in Hoshido, near the conduit… I'm thinking that that specific part of the barrier is weakened, so now they have a couple of Mages have a barrier of their own up, one that prevents Mikoto's magic from affecting them. So, now Mikoto lost a conduit, the Nohrians at the border are still bombarding the barrier directly, and there is a breach inside the barrier, with the Nohrians there adding even more stress with their own 'bubble', not to mention the Nohrian Mages that are probably stationed in this 'bubble' who are also assaulting the barrier itself. And maybe the Nohrians are repurposing the conduit they just took down, too?
One thing falls and suddenly the magical stress has grown so much in so little time. Goes to show how determined Garon is to force the barrier down. How organized his army is to get all of that done so quickly. With that kind of magical force being applied, I'm sure it'd only take a few more conduits before his army can take care of the rest.
So… how much longer will the pack be safe under her barrier? What will they do when it does drop?
Vella and her possessiveness of Lupus… it's clearly stronger than that her canon need to be with Keaton in their supports. At least, it's enough to where she's outright defying the alpha's orders, regardless if the current alpha is her 'brother'.
Things are definitely not as clear cut as Lupus thought it would be… there are more challenges than just surviving on a day-to-day basis. It's more than 'live to see the next day', it's also now planning for the future, helping the pack adapt to human things, helping the pack and the alpha with new ways to live… and maybe bridge that gap between Wolfskin and human? I'm sure Keaty understands that having her blood-family help would be an incredible advantage, but…
You can't just 'get rid' of, what is probably, centuries worth of ill will and bad blood between two races that easily…
But, then again, this is Corrin we're talking about here. The same one who was like, "Let's all jump off the bridge in the Bottomless Canyon, because that is where the real threat is."