A/N: The pack goes from a new den, to being almost slaughtered or burned by the Nohrians, to being saved and healed by a couple of humans, but they aren't in the clear. In addition to the Wolfskin awaiting Superman's return with what herbs and tonics he can bring to cure the Beast Killer struck Wolfskin, now Vella needs Hina to be swift so something terrible doesn't end up happening to her.
Also, this chapter is split between Hina and Lupus. Otherwise, this probably wouldn't have been nearly as long, and it would have been mostly Lupus sharing the 'primary' watch between Keaty and Dadaan… unless I added something, and I have a feeling that if I did, it would have been an unnecessary change, maybe even unrealistic.
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: It's another big decision for him, but to be fair, there was truly only one choice. Vella has to be saved. As stated, she's the second strongest Wolfskin… well, to be technical she is the strongest Wolfskin, since Keaty has the Wolfsegger form. And with the pack's numbers dwindling as it is, losing such a powerhouse like Vella would seriously cripple them. Keaty was right in making that call… is he particularly happy with the fact that he is relying on humans? No, of course not. But, just like with Hina and Superman saving the pack, he realizes that without outside help, the pack will lose Vella. Y'know, I never really did bring up the other things that kill Wolfskin… I only ever brought up poachers, but there are other things. Even though it was shown they are more resilient to diseases and poisons, specifically when Lupus pushed through receiving a near lethal dose of venom from Kagero, that doesn't mean the Wolfskin are immune to all of it.
True, but Hina and Superman secured a huge leap with saving the pack… and they will make another incredible bound if Vella can be cured. Again, will it be enough to completely close the gap? No, but it will be definitive proof that some humans can probably be more than respected… they can be trusted. Hm… I think that, ultimately, the Wolfskin, or at least packs, will remain outside of human villages. I can see them doing what Ka-da's hamlet did, and that is to establish some sort of trade. I could also see, maybe one or two Wolfskin from a given pack living in a village, but again, not a whole pack.
The Wolfskin are really making huge steps with Keaty as alpha… the previous alpha was right to choose him. *shrug* If slice-of-life genre wasn't so foreign to me, I probably would get a Keaty/Lupus version of 'When a Kitsune and a Half-Dragon Mate with Each Other…' fic up. But yeah, I can agree. On one hand, you have the ending where everyone, more or less, comes out happy… Ka-da/Lupus. On the other hand, you have the ending where you can see how much a given species can adapt to a new situation… Keaty/Lupus.
So, now brings the next question. Will Saku be able to harness a combination of herbs and magic to save Vella? Rabies certainly aren't something humans normally deal with, but I'm sure Hoshidans have had some, like pets, fall to the disease, so I'm confident they have some sort of countermeasure. Then again, this is a place where some people can transform their bodies into giant 'wolves', foxes, Nine-tails, and Dragons… I'm sure there is some spell that will cure Vella… even if she is past the stage where she could be helped in real life.
The wind whips by Hinoka as she guides her Pegasus across the skies, from the Wolfskin's den to Castle Shirasagi. Her wound from Vella's sudden attack burns as the air practically slams into it. This is the first time, and hopefully last, she'll fly without anything protecting her front… but, she simply had nothing to use to cover her chest right now. Vella literally tore through her armor…
In her 'human' form.
She shivers as she recalls the snarling Corrin's Wolfskin 'sister' directed at her… the pure intent to kill. Had Hinoka not been as trained as she is, she would have lost her heart from that attack. Hinoka is also torn between wanting to go back and staying her course. Corrin is out there, with that enraged be…
Hinoka blinks her eyes. No, she isn't just 'a beast'. Gods, if she actually said that in front of Corrin…
'You humans'. That phrase hurt her like nothing else. It was somehow worse than any string of profane words or insult that any human could use on her. 'You humans'. It was probably because Corrin didn't think herself as a human when she said that. Or maybe it was because that meant she didn't see the rest as family. 'You humans'. Maybe it was because it showed just how far the detachment is between Wolfskin and humans. How bad the relationship still is, despite Corrin having a direct connection to both sides.
Can they even mend this gap in one lifetime?
Hinoka's Pegasus whinnied… tired. "I'm sorry, girl." She pets the majestic mount. "I've been pushing you too much… How about I let you rest in the stables when we get there? I… I can use a different one for the next trip." Of course, just saying that hurts, too. "Trust me, I don't want to… but I think it would hurt more for you to get injured." She can 'sense' the sorrow from her Pegasus… but also the understanding. "I'll make it up to you, I promise. How about a whole day of relaxing, hm? Brushing your feathers, a bucket of carrots, a deep clean…" In response the Pegasus lets out an approving neigh, slightly bucking up, but not so much that it even phases Hinoka. "Heh, alright. Consider it done… but first! We need to get back to the Castle."
Hinoka can only hope they'll be fast enough for Vella.
Hinoka touched down right outside the stables, as close as she could get. Temporarily forgetting about her lack of decency in favor of getting her task done, she lets a slightly stunned stable handler guide her Pegasus to a stall as she practically sprints into the castle, her incredibly built legs carrying her with an ease that probably only a Swordmaster like her elder brother could match.
She can hear gasps and some words, but it's not like Hinoka is really listening… well that, and she's focused enough on her task that she doesn't even know why.
She might have forgotten the fact that her breasts are showing.
Actually to be more accurate, she did forget that her chest is on full display.
She twisted and weaved through the hallways, firstly assuming that her little sister would be in the infirmary, healing as usual. Mainly, due to the peacetime, she's healing scrapes and light cuts from accidental strong strikes from training sessions, but occasionally a group comes in after fending off a wave of Faceless from a village.
She's worried that the number of injured are going to go up, with the Nohrians assaulting the conduits.
"Little sister?" She hears Ryoma call her out, "What's the… gods!" She sees him look away, for whatever reason.
"Where's Sakura? I need her to come with me and…"
"I understand you aren't much for Princess duties… but could you please cover your chest?"
"...huh?" She looks down and, "Oh." A second passes and her face starts burning, "Oh!" Now suddenly conscious of her partial nudity, she quickly uses her arms to cover herself. "Sorry, it's just that Vella has an infection and I need to get Sakura and some herbs to cure her."
"Lady Hinoka…" A servant, a Maid, approaches with a small towel and hands it to her.
"Oh, thanks…" Now with proper coverage, she wraps the towel around her chest and the remaining bits of her armor.
"And… why is your armor torn?" Ryoma now asks, no longer having to avert his eyes.
"Vella." She simply states.
"I'm sorry, who is Vella?"
"Corrin's Wolfskin sister." She supplies… "Wait, Corrin didn't tell you the names?"
"Little sister, you know she kept information about 'the pack' to a minimum." He flatly says. "But… what do you mean she torn your armor?"
Now see, if Keaty, Dadaan, Lupus, or any other of the Wolfskin, maybe even Seta, were the ones doing this task, then this conversation wouldn't have extended much past Ryoma asking what was going on… but Hinoka isn't like them, she's a human. Despite the severity of the situation, ettique plays a large role in her life.
"I was helping heal the pack after saving them from a forest fire made by the Nohrians, and when they got to…"
"A forest fire?! They burned their own forests, too!?"
"No… ours."
"How?! Mother's barrier would prevent any Nohrian aggression on our soil!" He nearly shouted.
"Princess Camilla said something about…"
"She was there!?"
"Yeah. She said something about the barrier not staying weakened enough in the area, so they ended up leaving." A pause, "Wait, wait! Where's Sakura!? I need to get to her!"
"She's in the training grounds, with Takumi. She won't say why, but she's suddenly picked up an interest in bows." He supplies.
"Thanks! I'll tell you the rest another time!" At last, she finally dashes off, but...
Why is her little sister interested in weapons? Hinoka can scarcely imagine Sakura wanting to learn how to fight. That just doesn't seem like something she would do...
Lupus has a dead-eye look as she keeps watch on the den Vella is in… infected, dangerous. Keaty, Dadaan, and her have been switching primary guard for, what… one day? Two? She wouldn't know, because all of her focus is literally on the cave, even the sun's position has no effect on her. All that matters is making sure Vella doesn't get out. That she doesn't infect others, that the pack is safe.
She fears what will happen if Saku can't… if she can't…
Lupus suddenly felt the urge to vomit. What does Vella even look like right now? What all does this disease do? She has a morbid curiosity, but it's something she resists. Walking into that den would probably just result in her dying to Vella's infected claws. She doesn't know what's worse, dying to Vella's claws or Camilla's axe. A diseased sister or having her body used as decorations.
She then turned away as she does end up vomiting. "Lupus?" Dadaan asks, in his human form as Keaty is the one shifted right now. "Are you well? Not sick?" Is the first thing he assumes.
"I don't think I was struck by that dead wyvern." A short pause, "Look me over, please." Paranoid, she quickly undresses.
"Lupus, if you were struck, you would had to be experiencing something by now." Keaty states.
"Look me over." She repeats stubbornly. Shrugging, Dadaan inspects each section of her body.
"Burns, some cuts… but they smell like her axe." He sniffs. "I don't smell whatever is coming out of Vella's den." He concludes… if with a slightly husky voice.
"You sure? That was really quick." She narrows her eyes. "Nothing? Dadaan, please…"
"Lupus, clothes. Now." Keaty orders.
"I'm just making sure…"
"Now."
Lupus huffs, but complies. "Of course." She looks at Dadaan, who is shifting around, "What?"
"You don't recognize?" He asks.
"...huh?"
"Lupus. You're in heat." Keaty flatly states. "Switch out, your scent is distracting us."
"But…"
"Now." He growls.
Another huff, but again, she obeys. "Fine." She walks off, "I'm in heat… huh?" She lowers her head and sniffs, "I don't notice a difference." She's smelled it before, it's strong enough to 'leak' out of a den. She doesn't smell any different than before. Or maybe… the one in heat can't smell it?
If that's so, then it's stupid.
Why would she be unable to know when she's in heat? "Ah, Lady Corrin!" Superman greets her. "The remaining Wolfskin have been properly healed and all Beast Killer toxins have been purged from…"
"Pu...rged?" She echoes.
He briefly frowns, "Removed. My apologies. The remaining toxins have been removed from their blood. They will all make a full recovery." He offers a smile.
She only returns it halfway. "Thank you, Superman."
"Hm? What's wrong?"
"Vella… she's infected with something serious. It made her really violent. She tried to kill Hina. She's like… drooling a lot and she…"
"Rabies." He cuts her off. "It's a highly cont… erm, it's a disease that very easily spreads, mostly among…" He pauses, "I mean no offense, of course, but… beasts. Common signs are heightened aggression and too much drooling or foamy mouths. It's… difficult to cure. Of course, I can't speak for Wolfskin, but house pets have an average of three days before it becomes untreatable."
"...Hina's been gone for a day or two." Lupus frowns. "Superman, I… I can't lose her. We can't lose her!"
"She'll return in time, Lady Corrin." He assures her. "There's no way Lady Hinoka would disappoint you. Trust me, she will not fail you."
A pause, "I'm glad you think so. It makes me feel better."
Yet, he gives her a critical look, as if he doesn't believe her. "Lady Corrin? Would you mind if I shared a few things with you?"
Lupus tilts her head, interested, "Sure."
He takes a deep breath, like he is preparing to unleash a groundbreaking… "I'm not perfect."
She blinks her eyes a few times. "But, you do things so well so quickly."
"Would you believe that there was a time that I stumbled around while learning how to use a naginata? That I sometimes burned my food while cooking?"
She lets the image roll in her head, then shakes, "No, but… why are you telling me this?"
"I want to get across to you how much can be done with determination." He sits down, one leg against him and the second stretched out. "I used to have so much trouble getting things done. But… one day, I came to a realization."
"Alright…?" She trails off, still unsure.
"I looked up to the sky, towards Castle Shirasagi, and I saw them. The elite Sky Knight squad. The best of the best. I don't know what came over me then, but what I do know is that I figured out what I wanted to do with my life… become a royal guard. I would join the ranks of the elite. But, for that to happen, I had to change. And that's what I did. Lady Corrin, I only seem perfect, because you don't see the hours and days I put into practice before I actually travel out into the public and do those things."
"Is this supposed to help me?"
He smiles, "I'm getting to the part that will. I distinctly remember a certain day while training. We had a new person join us… which isn't unusual, mind you, but what caught my eye was her appearance." He places a hand over his face, fingers tracing a trail under his eyes, "Her eyes were red and puffy, there were tear trails down her face so deep, it seemed like someone just drew on her face with paint. She looked ragg… er, weakened."
"So… someone who didn't belong there?"
He chuckles, "Oh, and that's what the other recruits said. However, I noticed something that the others missed. If you looked past her tears, her relative lack of muscle… and instead looked right into her eyes, you would have seen the single most driven person possible. I figured out that she recently suffered a major loss, and that she was guiding that pain into training." He pauses, "Of course, what also stopped recruits from bad-mouthing her is when she introduced herself."
"Who is she?" Lupus asks, completely interested.
He flashes a generous smile, "Your big sister. Princess Hinoka."
Hina? The quick to rile up, spicy-smelling, protective Hina? "No way. I don't believe that!"
"It's the truth, Lady Corrin." He laughs. "She was there because she lost you, as I learned later. She swore to herself that she would become the best Sky Knight ever… something she kept procl… erm, announcing to the rest. Honestly, at first? It seemed like she was only dreaming, that she wasn't fit to be a Sky Knight… especially when her Pegasus kept throwing her off."
"Really?"
He nods, "But, it seemed like we all turned our attention away from her for a few days, and do you know what happened?" Lupus shakes her head, "She was suddenly near the top. Princess Hinoka committed herself to being the best, and when she was given the opportunity, she did. She surp… erm, quickly became better than every single recruit and even some of the veterans."
"Well… thank you for sharing this, but I still don't understand why."
Yet another chuckle, "Lady Corrin… she did all of that for you. She pushed herself for you. She refused to lose anyone else again, because of you. That is why I know she will not let Vella fall too far. I know she will return in time. She refuses to lose again, it doesn't matter who the person is. If she said she will save Vella, then she will save Vella."
A pause, before Lupus smiles, "Thank you, Superman. I really needed that."
"Anytime." His smile returns, "Now, would you care for a meal while you wait? I can go harvest some fruits, maybe catch some game?"
"Do peaches grow here?"
"I'm afraid not, Lady Corrin. Mountains don't provide a good grounds for them to grow. But, if you're craving a sweet fruit, might I recommend an apple? It won't be as sweet, however."
"Sure, some apples, then." She nods, "Deer, too? Oh!" She suddenly exclaims, then lowers her voice, "If it isn't too much, could you get a bear? Not for me, but for the pack? Especially the ones that are still recovering?"
"Consider it done, Lady Corrin." He smiles. "A batch of apples, one deer, and one bear." He turns and whistles for his Pegasus. "I shall return shortly."
Lupus smiles… but then frowns, "Please hurry, Hina…"
A/N: The time is ticking away. Hopefully Hina and Saku can get back in time.
On the topic of rabies, I decided that due to magic, there is a greater duration before rabies becomes untreatable, and that Wolfskin would have slightly longer due to their humanoid traits.
Still, that doesn't mean Hina can afford anymore of those lengthy conversations. Speaking of lengthy conversations…
I suppose Superman just achieves his 'A' support with Lupus out of literally nowhere, since he canonically doesn't admit he isn't perfect until his 'A' supports. I'll admit, it was also kinda fun to have him tell Lupus some of Hina's blunders when she was younger. That, and it also makes it clear Hina took up Sky Knight training quickly, not even bothered that she might look like a wreck.
I'm also trying to imagine the other recruit's faces when they find out that the 'new girl that probably doesn't belong here' is actually the eldest Princess of Hoshido.
Speaking of 'probably not belonging here', how about Saku taking bow lessons from Tako? I wonder what pushed her to go through the Priestess class training?
Lastly, let's not forget that the pack can't linger in their new den for long. Especially considering how quickly that second conduit fell, and how shortly after the pack was attacked. However, that does bring up one more point. Well, you know how many trips Hina and Superman have made by now? And how both the previous alpha and Keaty would ultimately forbid Lupus from just making random trips to see her family?
I'll just leave it at that. *hint hint*