A/N: Whaaaat? Hinoka's perspective again?! I wonder why she's been getting more attention lately? Well, at least one thing can be sure. This route can't be 'Conquest' anymore, not with Keaty allowing three humans to be in the pack. 'Revelations' it is.
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.
ZygardeFusion: Heh, whoops. Couldn't help it. Like I stated a few chapters ago, I've been itching to get to this section of the fic.
Person behind the Chromebook screen? Male. Hadronix, the OC, is female.
Camilla and Leo had their own ways, didn't they? Camilla opted to burn almost the entire forest down so she could lead the pack into a favorable position. She failed to kill them due to Hinoka and Subaki interfering. Let's not be to quick to forget that Lupus's dragon head was just a few inches away from being severed by Camilla's axe. She was almost nearly out of time with the barrier being weakened enough for her and her retainers to attack.
Leo, more or less, used Odin as a shield on his own. Could you imagine an 'E' rank Fire tome doing effective damage against Wolfskin and Kitsune in-game? It makes sense, right? Fur is flammable, after all. So, with the base fear of fire spells keeping the Wolfskin at bay, Niles and Leo could attack as they will… if Niles didn't have to also keep Subaki grounded. Then, of course, Hinoka returned, and well…
Lupus has seemed to gain a new ability, hasn't she? The water stream, which in this fic is magic-based, nearly killed Niles, and Leo chose to retreat, but of course, before he did… he raised those three dead Wolfskin to life.
It would make sense for Xander to arrive next. And frankly, if he did at this point, I doubt the pack would survive him and his two retainers. They are just too weakened right now. Vella will still be recovering for a few days, Lupus has a curse to be taken care of, but… lack of activity means they won't be as strong as they were beforehand. So, now what? Bringing more of Lupus's family while yes, might save them, but I don't think Keaty won't allow anymore, he has his limits, and changing too much in too little of a time would cause him to snap.
Guest (Ch. 29, 6/9/19): As in this particular fic? Well, Corrin would have to leave the pack. So, nope. It wouldn't work if Takumi lived in the pack, as by default, the alpha claims the females.
Half-beastdragonsoul2013: Yea, I know. Still… it's not like I play the toughest difficulties, so I don't need to optimize who does what or whatever. If I don't want to bring OP fancy Yumi-pants Takumi, then I don't gotta.
Besides, I didn't like Takumi the second my Corrin encountered him. I hadn't seen any of the 'blame Takumi' memes or anything. Heck, I'm still not a fan of him. So, there's no way Takumi is getting her. Buuuuut… I also never used to like Oboro, but then I made a chapter just for her over on 'Confined: Contained', and now I like her. Maybe I should to a chapter for Takumi.
Princess Hinoka is by no means a slouch. Despite being royalty, she has also done quite a number of things on her own. She didn't get as strong as she is now by obtaining some… magical superfood, no. She worked herself to the bone, until she couldn't stand, healed up, and did it again. Again and again until she had to improve other aspects.
However, it took until living with the Wolfskin that she truly realized how many of the very small things she didn't do. There are no servants to wash and mend her clothes. If she wants her armor and weapon repaired, she's gotta do it herself… big surprise here though, she can't. Sure, she can sharpen her Naginata's bladed end, but that's really it. There's no forges, no anvils, nothing to let her reinforce or repair the holes and dents.
Oh, and food… she hadn't realized the variety her life provided her with until now. For meats? Game like deer. Fruits? Whatever grows near here. There are no imports and no spices. To her, the food is bland at best.
She can understand why Corrin was so averse to spices in Shirasagi now. Corrin, her little sister. Her cursed little sister. Sakura is having trouble figuring out how to counter-curse it. She says it must have been recently woven…
And Corrin was simply a 'test subject' for this new curse.
The fire in her eyes burns anew. So much so that she immediately stands up, she needs something else to do. She wants to spar, but Subaki is occupied. Sakura is tending to the remaining wounds from Prince Leo's attack. Her eyes scan the Wolfskin, acutely aware that there's no way she can normally spar with any of them. There aren't even any proper training weapons. She'd…
She would have to fight them as Corrin did. Weaponless.
Her feet unconsciously took her to Keaty's location. The alpha seems deep in thought. "Hey, Keaty." The Wolfsegger just briefly looks her way, before returning his gaze forwards. "Hey!"
He growls, but she isn't deterred. "What?"
"Subaki and Sakura are…"
"I know what they're doing. Get to the point." He smoothly cuts her off.
"Sparring partner." She quickly states. "I need a sparring partner."
"Spar...ring?" He echoes.
Oh, right… Corrin didn't use that word to describe it, what was… "Uh, 'rough and fast' playtime." Her face immediately flushes.
He tilts his head, probably wondering why she is flushing. "You won't live."
"Can you do it in your, uh, human form?"
"Wolfskin don't fight in their human form. It's no benefit."
"This is for me." She quickly bites back, "I need to train, Keaty."
He smirks, "And if I say no?"
"Whatever the alpha wants done, gets done. If he tells you to stop, you stop." Corrin's words echo through her head. "Then the pack will suffer for it, as I won't be as strong as I could be!"
The smirk fades, yet his tail is wagging… then he smiles and takes a step forward, with Hinoka standing tall, unwavering. He stops when he is face to face with her, yet she never flinches, never blinks. That fire never fades. "Turn around."
"...huh?" She blinks her eyes at the bizarre order.
"Turn around." After another second's hesitation, she does so… her earlier head-strong attitude gives to a strange sense of unease. "What do you see?"
This… doesn't sound like something Keaty would normally ask. Yet, she gazes around regardless, "The pack. So many that have been injured. I see my little sister that has been taken from my family so long ago, who has been raised by this pack. I see the Wolfskin she calls her sister." A pause as Hinoka takes a breath, just thinking of that day… the day that her mother looked so broken.
"It was a trap." Mother stated, "My love, your father… he's been assassinated, every Hoshidan guard died. Corrin… has been taken."
"Is that…" Keaty starts.
"And," Hinoka cuts him off, "I also see… the pack of Wolfskin that has lived with my sister. I see the ones she grew up with, the ones that she loves."
"Why do you think Lupus fights?" He continues.
"For the pack, for…"
"Hmph."
"I wasn't finished!" She snaps… again. "Look, she fights for who she loves, what more reason does she need?!"
"For survival." He states. "Yes, the pack is the top reason, but there's more than just the pack itself. It would be no good if she fought for the pack, but in the process, doesn't consider her own life."
She narrows her eyes, "That much can be assumed." A pause, "...which is why I dislike that part of the oath to retainers. I don't want others to lay down their lives for me." She slightly turns, "And…"
"Don't turn." Hinoka gasps, "Look forward." Why… no, she knows why. She looks ahead once more. "You're quick to listen, human." She can hear a… provocative tone in his voice.
She grits her teeth, "I understand that you're in charge, Keaty. I respect the command you have. I was once under someone else's lead, I know when to follow." A short pause, "But, that doesn't mean I'm going to keep following without question." For emphasis, she turns around, facing an agitated Keaty, "And what's with the questions, anyway? This doesn't sound like something you normally do!" He is smirking again, his tail is wagging, but… without an understanding like Setsuna when it comes to body language, Hinoka can't discern his real… Ears perked… what does that mean again? "You wanted me to react like that." It wasn't a question.
"And you learn quickly." He adds.
"Why? Why did you want to get a rise out of me? Ah, forget it! Look, can I get a sparring partner or not?!" Another short pause, "Y'know what? I'm just… Ah!" Hinoka nearly screams as Keaty yanks her by the arm and threw her to the ground, "The hell's wrong with you?!"
"You wanted a sparring partner." He flatly states, his tail has stopped, but his ears remained perked and his body is quite… relaxed. "And I want to fight." Hinoka gets up, "I'll admit, I think this will be interesting, fighting without using my Beaststone."
"Could've given a…" She pauses, before something else from while ago 'clicks'. "No, I should've seen that coming. 'Always be prepared for a fight'... that's what Corrin told me. She slammed me into the ground while helping me with unarmed combat. I…" In the middle of her explanation, Keaty charged, "Nope, not this time." She sidestepped his claw swipe, and returned it with a punch, "What the…" While she expected him to not flinch, she hadn't expected to feel like his skin is… iron?
"No experience with a beast shifter?" He asks as he returns with a strike of his own, sending Hinoka skidding across the ground several feet. "Yea, I'm not shifted, but some of my strength from my beast form carries over to my unshifted form." Hinoka rises off the ground, suffering almost as much from his attack as the rocks and dirt that scraped against her skin. "I want to see that determination again. Fight me!" He growls.
"Ngh…" She grunts, "Fine." She takes a step, then charges, weaving around one, then two punches, and landing one on his undoubtedly softer stomach… by all means, it feels more like reinforced leather than skin. "G-Go…" She gasps as he effortlessly picks her up and tosses her to the side, like some sort of unwanted toy.
"Big sister!" She hears Sakura squeal. "St-stop!"
"No." Keaty commands. "She wanted to spar, so she's sparring. Stay by Lupus and Vella."
"You aren't supposed t-t-t-to spar s-s-so violently!" She cries out.
"I-I'll be fine, sis." Hinoka rises once more, blood pouring from various cuts and scrapes… just from her time sliding on the ground. "I've had plenty of cuts from training. Heh… can't forget the time I dislocated my shoulder and broke my arm from that one time my Pegasus bucked me off from high, remember?"
"...You were in the infirmary for weeks." Sakura softly says, her eyes downcast. "Mother forbade you from any Sky Knight training until your Pegasus accepted you."
Hinoka nods with a smile, despite how much pain that memory brings. "That's right." She readies herself again, "So, it's gonna take more than just a little training to keep me down! Come on, Keaty!" Keaty smirked as he charged once more, failing to land a strike, then a second, a third. "Thrust, side, downward, opening!" She sounds off for each strikes, before she socks him in the jaw. "Uppercut, right?" She nimbly dodges yet another one.
Keaty growls, clearly irritated by her mocking. "I'm…" Whatever Keaty was going to say was cut off as he finds himself with his back on the ground. Hinoka had simply tripped the alpha.
"That's something else I learned, y'know?" Her foot is on his chest, not that it mattered. His raw strength alone would probably be enough to snap every bone in her leg. "Keaty, you're strong. You're fast. I can see how you managed to get your Wolfsegger form, but…" She lifts her foot. "You're too easily angered. So, you tell me. What do you feel when your opponent predicts your movements? When even your strength and speed fails?" Her glare is as intense as his growling. "I'm not afraid. I'm aware of how 'weak' a 'human' can be to a 'Wolfskin'. I know that if this was a real fight, and you were shifted, I would have been dead in seconds." She takes a breath, and Keaty stands once more, yet… he doesn't seem as tall as last time. "So yeah, I might not be able to punch trees down, or throw a bear across the field, but there are more things to strength than just physical prowess!"
Tick tock, the two stand there as Hinoka slowly defuses. "I… understand." He states. "Leave." His ears are up and his tail seems to be wagging faster than ever.
"Keaty…" Hinoka trails off, before stumbling forward, her adrenaline is wearing off. "...huh?"
"Rest." He catches her before she falls down. "Let Saku heal you." Hinoka looks up to Keaty, it seems… unreal how gentle he is right now, how…
"I know." She pulls back. "I need to be ready… you never know when the next attack is going to come, after all."
"...More to strength than just physical prowess?" Hinoka barely catches as she walks away. "Hmph, maybe so, Hina."
Lupus lazily looks around, feeling so drained from… doing nothing. Must be this 'curse'. Her side still aches… burns, even. She groans as she rolls over… then outright screams when her side come into contact with a pebble. A simple pebble. "Tch… ngh…" Lupus pushes herself up, then feels a warm liquid running down her side.
A simple pebble broke the thin of her skin.
She growls as she pushes herself up. "Human…" She breathes.
"Sister!" Vella harshly whispers, "Rest. Rest!" She stumbles towards her, not looking much better herself.
"I'm fine. You need more rest." Lupus waves her off.
"...sister?" Lupus takes a better look at Vella. She does seem calmer. "I'm… sorry. I…" She takes a breath, "I need to apologize to Hina. I…" She grits her teeth and clenches her fists, "I almost killed her."
"Yeah, you almost did, didn't you?" Hina stumbles in, Saku not far behind her.
"Hina?" Lupus hisses from her own pain as she takes in Hina's battered appearance, "You fought Keaty." His scent is all over her.
"Heh, I wanted a spar, and I… ouch." Hina grunts as she grips her side, bleeding.
"Spars aren't s-s-supposed to be th-this…" Saku starts.
"I know." Lupus nods, steps closer, and sniffs.
"Uh, sister?" Hina asks. Lupus looks up and tilts her head, "Is something wrong?" She then sits down on a rock as Saku starts tending to her wounds.
"Wolfskin don't 'spar', sister." Lupus points out.
"Well yeah. I kinda forgot, it's, uh… 'fast and rough' playtime, right?" She flushes. "So, I asked for that." Lupus blinks her eyes as she thinks it over. "What?"
Vella chuckles, "Oh, you've asked for something, alright."
"...huh?" Hina asks. "Corrin?"
"It wasn't her intention, Vella." Lupus states, leaving Hina even more confused.
"Alright, what am I missing here?!" Hina all but demands.
"I know, but she can't smell it like us. Still, I can't believe that Keaty would…" Vella continues.
"What are you two talking about!?"
"It's also not my fault I got cursed while mine is happening. That doesn't mean he should…"
"Corrin! Vella!" Hina shouts, startling Saku.
"Yes?" The two respond in unison.
"What are you two talking about?"
Vella and Lupus share a look. "Heat." Vella plainly states, as if that will explain everything.
"What does the temperature have to do with 'asking for something'?"
"Not 'hot heat', sister." Lupus says, "'In heat', the females… me." She looks down and away. "I'm… in heat, but… I'm also cursed right now, so it's for the best that none of the males mate with me until the curse is gone."
"Mate? Hold on, what does…"
"Sister, I can smell Keaty on you."
"I know, we sparred." Hina takes a breath. "You already stated that, I already said that."
"...sister, I can smell Keaty's scent on you."
"Corrin." Hina firmly states, "I don't get what you're telling me. Explain in… 'human' terms."
"He wasn't playfighting to 'spar' with you, he was testing you. The scent you have is far too strong to be training." Lupus explains.
"...Testing me? For what? To be in the pack?"
Vella groans, "Forget it, sister." She curtly says, "Let her find out on her own."
"She's gotta know." Lupus slowly replies.
"Heh, no she doesn't." Wolfskin and Half-dragon lock eyes, before Lupus nods.
"..." Lupus pauses. "He's interested in you, sister."
"Lupus!" Vella rounds on her, "She's…"
"I'm not leaving her clueless." The other narrows her eyes, the wound on her side begins to glow again. "She deserves to know. She hasn't been raised with us, it's only fair." Lupus turns back to Hina, "What did you talk to Keaty about? Besides the spar?"
"...Well, right at the end. It was about there's more to strength than…" Lupus sighs as Hina explains, and she stops, "What?"
"How a 'human'..." Vella starts.
"Vella. Cut it out." Lupus cuts her off, "Hina." She starts, "I…" A gasp and she falls forward.
"Sister!"
"Little sister!"
"Big sister!" Each of the women call out as Lupus's glowing wound starts pulsing. "I-I-It's Dark M-Magic, I…" Saku frantically starts magically examining the half-dragon's wound and… "!"
…
Drip, drip. That smell, it's in the air. Enticing to smell, but awful to taste.
Deep breathing, why is it all so warm, so hot? Lupus can 'feel' arms pulling away, but there's some other kind of 'tug' pushing her forward. It's like… another voice, no. It is another voice. Her thoughts never had an actual 'voice', this sounds… male.
"Further! Deeper! Shred! Rip!" The 'man' orders… kinda like Keaty. "Threat to the pack! Kill her!" Kill who? But, if it means more of this warmth, this heat, this...
"Sister!" Lupus feels slickness as her arm? Is it her arm? Whatever it is, more warmth.
"Little sister!" She can hear them, but she can't hear them. Nothing is overpowering the hammering in her ears, the slickness on her arm, the heat in her body, the...
"What is… Lupus!" A third, wait. Keaty? But, he…
"Kill her!" Keaty yells as more of the fresh, warm liquid flows.
"Stop!" Keaty yells as she feels those 'arms' pull back.
"You will…" First-Keaty doesn't sound like Keaty.
"Listen!" Second-Keaty has that 'feel', that… alphaness.
"To me!" The two Keaty yell at once, but she can only really, truly hear the second-Keaty.
"..." Lupus heaves a breath, as she feels another wave of of that warm, thick liquid fall.
"Lupus!" The other Keaty fades as the world around Lupus returns. Why… what? Her arm is… that lance again? Red fruit juice? No, no, no… blood. Whose blood?
She coughs, blood soon follows. Did… she bleed on herself? No, there's too much. Then whose?
Drip drop, no that has to be her own blood, but if that's true, then how can her arm have blood from her own body if... "Lupus!" Keaty's claws, they're… but where?
"Sister!" Lupus blinks her eyes, burns, it burns! That glowing spot on the side… claw marks. Keaty?
"Little sister!" What happened? Hina looks angry, but worried. Vella is holding Lupus down, whispering words she just barely get by.
Wait. There's something wrong. One, two, three. One, two, three? One male, two females.
…
Keaty, Vella, Hina.
…
Why hasn't Saku called her out?
A/N: Let me at least start off with the good part, before we hit the intense thing. Let's do the thing with Hina bashing heads with Keaty… Yes, that's a 'good part', I guess? Hina is challenging Wolfskin tradition, but… let's just hope she doesn't push too far.
Now then, oh, oh… Oh dear. So… that curse Lupus has. Yeah. It seems like there's something magically implanted into her. Must be courtesy of Leo, since I did purposely didn't describe what exactly hit Lupus during the battle against Leo. Lacerations? Well, I hope you could guess that would be the Brynhildr's magical branches. The curse?
Well, let me just it like this, do you remember that thing Takumi went through? When he attacks Corrin's army in Birthright?
So, what now? Vella will take a day to recover. Hina has some cuts and bruises, but otherwise she's ready to fight. Lupus is obviously unable to control herself, and Saku's fate will be unknown until the next chapter. If Garon sent Xander and his retainers now, it'd be over, because you can be damn sure Peri would have a Beast Killer with her. And, of course, Xander would have Siegfried.