A/N: First and foremost, whew… I'm glad the, uh, 'mating' topic during Hinoka's scene last chapter didn't cause an uproar. It means I have gotten off the differences between the pack and humans defined well enough, as I was honestly kinda worried bringing up the thought of non consensual sexual intercourse would have been called out more. Now then!
Allow me to bring in a thought for the overall Sakura captivity and Leo's potentially changing morales. Taking the last chapter into account…
Sakura isn't in a completely healthy state, her senses have probably dulled from the constant confinement and lack of the recommended amount of nutrients… however, she could clearly hear Leo when he yelled at the top of his lungs from her cell while the prison door was closed.
Leo arrives, apologies for being unable to protect, is then forced to leave by Iago. Leo would be healthy, his status as second eldest Prince surely grants him access to enough nutrients, he makes his way out. Sakura, being female and rather young, would obviously let out an extremely high pitch scream. So, with all of that said, let me ask you this…
Do you really think Leo was out of earshot when Sakura screamed?
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: Disclaimer: This has already been PM'd, but I'm putting it here anyway…
Whaaat? SakuraxLeo? Where!? *Shifty eyes*
Being an absolute ass, it makes me feel really bad for poor young Sakura.
Well, considering that there's no support between Keaton and Hinoka… I had to fix that ;) Er, not that I'm saying that there will be an 'S' support, because, heh… why would a Wolfskin want to 'marry' a Princess, right? *Hides the support between Lupus and Dadaan and points towards the 'S' support between Lupus and Seta*
Guest (Ch. 36, 6/27/19 4:17 PM EST): We'll see who gets to kill Iago to death. He, Garon, and Hans are the only deaths that I'm making definite right now, the rest of the units are up in the air.
And Hinoka is the only one in the pack who has to explain why 'mating' with a female is an immoral action. Corrin might have been able to understand, but that wasn't something she was told while with her family. To everyone one else in the pack, it's fine…
To a human raised as a human? It's just wrong, really wrong. Which is why Lupus and Velouria are so confused to why Hinoka is so distressed… they just don't get it.
But yes, I agree. This is a topic that needs to be directly addressed… with a sense of care. I'll split the rest of this up with Consort's shout-out.
Consort: Ah yes, plans. Well, I gladly announce that your assumption on the reasons why Camilla is captured are… almost right. Yes, there is more to her capture, but… I'm afraid things are not as cut and dry as a 'simple' planned attack. Let me put it like this, there is a lot of deception going on with Nohr's tactics… even to their own people.
And oh… poor Sakura. Lupus was on the receiving end of a newly weaved curse, and now Sakura has been the test subject of a mana-burning toxin. The results? Say hello to the Magebane Arrow.
Hina… kinda brought that onto herself, **hold on, I do not mean the non-consensual sexual intercourse, I am referring to getting Keaty's attention!** And all of it stems from her little 'training session' with Keaty and that one comment about how there is more to strength than just being physically strong. But yes…
Hina can't simply just stomp up and demand Keaty to listen. He won't change easily. She's going to have to remain a more… constant assertiveness, borderline pushing his boundaries, but not to the straining point. See, the problem with her just forcing things, or… y'know, just leaving is that would fracture any future attempts at connecting the Wolfskin and humans.
Like with choosing to leave Saku behind, there is no 'easy and correct' choice. This could be the last chance to ever mend the gap, because let's be honest. After King Garon dies, do you think there will ever be a similar situation to Corrin's life? It's just another delicate situation combined with tough choices, and I hate to say it…
It's not the last.
Silky? Geez, Keaty is having a ruff (HA!) enough time dealing with humans and some human habits, and now you wanna bring the Kitsunes into the mix?
…
We'll see.
J-Dawg: First off, I suppose you've been reviewing long enough to where I'm just gonna drop the (Guest) part of your shout-outs, now then...
Well, like with the first line in Guest's shout-out, the only deaths I'm assuring is Garon, Iago, and Hans. Everyone else is not safe. Well that, and Takumi is also outright stationed in Castle Shirasagi. Ah, revenge… the perfect way to ruin all progress made.
It's only a matter of time to see who gets to take Iago's slimy head! I know, but I'm also trying to not make chapters… too dark, y'know? Like, I want to show that it's not all 'bad things' and 'hard choices', but I also don't want to really crack with an all-out humor scene.
It was intentional to not directly mention Camilla's retainers, as they will show up during the interrogation scene in this chapter.
*Shrug* He might, he might not. But… he will start having some significant influence on events… and maybe if he crosses into the 'good' side of things, I'll even give his PoV out. Oh yes, Hadronix can, in fact, type a villain who isn't one-dimensional, as opposed to my track record to almost every other villain. Maybe even a villain who will cross into the hero side of things.
Long review? Eh, it's all good. That just means I have more stuff to respond to… which increases the word count, mwahahahaha! She's almost there, and it hasn't been more than two weeks. I've already been getting more time to type. Heck, the first night and every night she is here, she sleeps through the entire night without having to relieve herself.
Kagero closes her eyes and sighs, she was assigned the task of interrogating Princess Camilla and her retainers. She understands the necessity of it, but that doesn't mean she likes the idea of it. However, before she can even start with that, there comes the 'basics'... First off, the 'attack' was noticeably simple to end, which she comes to her first assumption.
That Princess Camilla was meant to be caught.
She nods at the prison guards, who let her through without a single word. One, two, three… One of Camilla's retainers, a red-head twin-tail scowling face greets her… Selena, if she recalls correctly. The second is a seemingly emotionless axe-wielder named… Beruka? She was a Wyvern Rider, before one of the Wolfskin killed her mount. Last is Princess Camilla herself, who has had her undead Wyvern executed.
If Kagero traced things back, then Camilla's wyvern is the reason Princess Sakura has been kidnapped in the first place. If her undead wyvern didn't infect Vella with rabies, then Lady Sakura wouldn't have been brought over… which would mean she would still be safe.
All three regard Kagero with silence, and the Ninja decides with Selena first. Beruka just looks like she's going to be tough to crack and Lady Camilla undoubtedly will have tight lips herself, so… that leaves the only one showing any large amount of any emotion. But, before Kagero can even go through with that, first things first…
"Stand still." She orders as she pats Selena down.
"H-Hey! Get off me! Pervert!" Right as she said that, Kagero felt a 'bump' near her right ankle.
"Dagger." She simply comments as she unsheathes the hidden weapon, before resuming her search. "Clear."
"Hmph." Emotional indeed, Kagero has a good feeling.
"Your battle was lost from the start." Kagero states and Selena seemed ready to snap back, but managed to keep her mouth shut. "Few numbers, weakly trained, yet you still arrived. What ploy is in effect?"
"There's no 'ploy', fool." She spits out.
"You'd so quickly throw your life away?"
"I let you guys win this one." She crossed her arms. "If I had been trying, then you would have never gotten me down."
"So, your dedication to protect your liege is mandated by if you want to try?"
"Huh? No way! I'm always…"
"And what if it was your 'lack of trying' that has gotten Lady Camilla and Beruka killed?" A pause, "Unless, of course… getting imprisoned was part of a greater plan?"
"I told you! There is no greater plan! We were…"
"Yes?" Kagero smirks.
"Hmph." She shuts her mouth.
"Then I'll let you think your words over." Kagero steps back and out of the cell, before moving on to Beruka, who will probably be the 'iron wall' of the three.
"..." She kicks two hidden daggers out of her boots, then shakes out one, two, three… four daggers from her sleeves. All of this was done while she is shackled.
"I'm still going to search you." Kagero flatly states as she does just that.
"..."
Nothing. There has to be something else… Kagero removes her gauntlets and boots and… "There it is." A small vial filled with a sickly green liquid came out of one of her gauntlets. A lethal dose of a highly potent toxin, if she is to assume, to be used upon capture… perhaps her duty to Lady Camilla has prevented her from using it right now? "Your mission failed." Kagero makes an intentional mistake.
"..."
"You do realize there's no need for either you or Selena to remain alive, correct?"
"..." Nothing, not even the slightest trace of fear, remorse… or anything! Sure, Ninjas are trained to seem without emotion, but even the most skilled ones can't completely remove all of it…
Beruka literally has no emotion present. It's like she's been raised from the dead. "I'll come back for you." Kagero concludes as she leaves her cell… making a note to have Beruka get the most 'intense' of the treatments. "Princess Camilla." Despite her current imprisonment, Kagero still respects her title as she enters the third and last.
"Hello, dear." She smiles. "I assume you want to see what I have to offer, first?"
"..." Kagero is the one without an actual response this time as she goes through the woman's garments.
Nothing?
Camilla smiles at her, "All I had on me was my axe, darling."
Another search over, going through boots and gauntlets and… nothing. Now slightly frustrated, Kagero moves on, "You assaulted with a severe disadvantage."
Her smile turns into a frown, "That's not my fault…"
"You are a Princess, surely you hold more value in your own worth."
"Hm, well…" She is quite willing to talk, which only serves to set off even more red flags for Kagero, "Let me put it this way… you can give your best for everything, but… you can't take good care of your body with sticks and leaves, can you?" Kagero thinks it over. So, Princess Camilla and her forces were trying their best… but what would be the 'sticks and leaves'? Their weapons and armor were certainly no waste, then… "Oh, it seems you figured it out."
"If you expect me to believe such an outlandish reason…"
"I did as I was ordered, as did the scout. I was told that the High Prince was critically injured, that the Hoshidan base camp was weakened, but that wasn't the case, was it? Nor any talk of a Nine-tails working with the army." She leans back, "Believe what you will, but that is what I know."
Kagero narrows her eyes, before shaking her head and taking a step back. "I'll let you think on your near future carefully, Lady Camilla." And out she goes.
One who regarded her with complete silence, one who almost let something go, and one who is 'admitting ignorance'. Something isn't adding up, as there's no way Nohr would just send a Princess with so little preparation, or with unreliable scouting information. Walking out of the cells, she briefly stops right outside, "What's your conclusion?"
"Can't be too sure without getting closer, but… I didn't pick up any deception." Ka-da shrugs. "Nothing obvious anyway… sorry."
"It's alright, I might have been asking for too much." She half-bows. "Thank you for your cooperation, Ka-da."
"Not a problem, I'm glad to help… especially since you guys saved Selkie," but then he grimaces, "I understand that is what Lupus calls me, but could you please call me Kaden?"
"Of course, Kaden." She offers an apologetic smile. "You are an ally of Hoshido, if there is anything you need, please, don't be concerned to ask. We're here for each other…" A short pause, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to report this information to my liege."
"...Same. I'm here to help." Kaden adds, if just a bit too late, as she's already out of earshot. "Besides, I don't think I can ever properly repay saving Selkie's life."
Lupus yawns as she gets up, slightly sore from her latest playtime with Dadaan. At least she can say she's improving. Is she on the level of the other Wolfskin? No, probably not, but she is far better than she was… and she knows that because Dadaan isn't just guarding, he's fighting back. "Wonder why Hina is so… upset?" She wonders aloud as she starts stretching…
Whatever clothes she had is starting to fall apart. There has been no time to get more, nor are there any caravans to raid. Once this set is gone, then that's it. A few of the Wolfskin are already striding around in full glory… something that only bothers Hina.
"Mmm, sister…" Vella gives Lupus a tight hug, her tail wagging as she takes in her scent.
"Sister." Lupus eagerly returns the hug… before bringing her own tail out, just to wag it, except that her tail is so long that it is hitting one of the cave walls. "About Hina…"
"I don't wanna talk about her." Lupus can pick up irritation in her voice. "Why would Keaty choose… her?"
"It's his choice…"
"She is only a human." Vella cuts her off. "If she's so worked up about it, then she should just leave."
"Well, I think we should at least try to understand why." Lupus fades her tail out and pulls back, determined. "I… I still want peace, and we're not going to get that if we keep pushing them away!"
She huffs, "You want peace, I just want to be with you." Oh, here we go again…
"You know what? Nevermind, I'm gonna talk to Hina." She turns and only manages a few steps before Vella snags her by the arm.
"Let her leave." She growls.
"No." Lupus pulls away again. "Vella, I love you. I don't want anyone else to ever replace you, but I'm also not going to lose Hina, because you and only you refuse to change! Keaty has changed, Dadaan has changed, the pack has changed, but you are the only one who is staying the same!" The air between the two sisters starts to heat up. "I'm going to see Hina." Lupus resumes walking…
"She will…" Vella takes a step and stops as Lupus turns around and forms her lance, piercing the space between Vella's legs and the ground.
"I'm. Going. To. See. Hina." She repeats before dismissing the lance and all but storms out. Once she was out of the cave, she looks over her arm… the lance that almost killed Saku. A thought passes by, if she can form a lance and her dragon's tail, then what else can she do? Words and images flow through her mind until one of them settles… her maw, her dragon's mouth. Her other arm changes to suit a much larger version of it… teeth and all. "Huh." Open, snap, open, snap.
Lupus resolves to figure out what all else she can form… later. Right now, Hina.
Hinoka looks at her armor, face twisted with concern as she realizes that some of it is going to have to be discarded. No proper forge means no repairing, and even something as simple as dirt and debris can end up ruining gear. The cloth portions have been shredded from random tree limbs and hitting the ground. Metal is starting to rust and even being scratched and torn into. So, off goes the metallic reinforcements to her chest guard and a few of her joint guards. Her naginata is becoming dangerously close to being discarded…
Her only weapon.
Hinoka groans before rising. It doesn't matter, she will talk to Keaty and get some sort of trade going. Without her weapons and armor, she might as well do nothing… and she hates that feeling of helplessness. Sticking with just the remaining cloth portions, which, "Gods…" Her face starts burning as she realizes that there isn't enough to properly cover her own body with. "Nope, don't think about it… they won't care, so I shouldn't let it bother me…" She tells herself as she leaves her cave.
She has never wanted an actual bed so bad before in her life…
A fact that becomes very apparent as her muscles protest with an acute soreness. She walks towards Keaty, feeling somewhat self-conscious of how she can feel the very sides of her breasts being struck with the wind. She is also thanking the gods that the portion of her gear around her… upper thighs hasn't seen much wear and tear. Hinoka frankly probably wouldn't even leave the cave without her… 'core' having proper concealment.
She has no idea how the other female Wolfskin can walk around without… undergarments.
Shaking her head, she picks up her pace, wanting to free her mind of any of the more embarrassing thoughts. "Hey, uh… Keaty?" She reaches out.
And, of course, he is not even slightly bothered by her relative nudeness. "Yes?"
"I'm gonna need some more armor and weapons." She gets straight to the point. "I won't be able to…"
"Go ahead."
"You need to understand that…" She pauses as her counter-argument dies on her tongue, "Wait, really? That's it?"
He shrugs, "Yeah."
"...But it involves more, uh… 'human' interaction."
"Having you fight without your weapon is having a Wolfskin go without shifting. I'm not cruel, Hina, I understand that you need more things to fight well. Just… keep the trip short."
"Oh, well… thank you." Hinoka smiles.
"Hmph." He takes a step and…
"I… also wanted to talk about something else." He stops, turns, and raises an eyebrow. "It's about why I'm so against you just… y'know. After the war."
"Mating with you?" He asks.
"Yeah." She nods.
"The pack needs strong pups, Hina, and I think yours will be worth raising." Almost word for word on what Corrin said.
"It's not that, it's… gods…" Hinoka sighs, "Keaty, there are… standards in human society. Boundaries in place, things that are 'right' and 'wrong'..." She grits her teeth. "Keaty, there's a specific term that humans have for a… situation where one person… forces themselves… o-onto another."
"Hina, I can't say I'll 'get' what you're saying, but I understand how much Lupus wants humans and Wolfskin together. I understand how much this means to her… I can say that I will at least try to understand why this is bothering you so much."
"Keaty…" Hinoka breathes, before nodding. "It's a highly immoral crime c-called… rape."
Keaty remains stoic… and sure enough, he still doesn't seem to understand why it's bothering her. "So… a male can't just… mate with a human?" He slowly asks.
"Any human, it doesn't matter who starts it. If both sides don't agree to it, then it's wrong to continue. That is called consent."
"...Alright?" He tilts his head. "Never heard of it." Of course not. "So, if I wanted to mate with you, but you don't want to… then it's wrong? What if you miss your heat?"
Gods… "Keaty, humans don't go into heat."
"Then what was that thing you were talking about Lupus with?"
"A 'cycle', with that part of it being called a period." Keaty gives her a flat stare and Hinoka sighs. "Hey, maybe we should just resume this talk later? I don't wanna push too much on you at once."
"...alright." He shrugs, "Just tell me when you're planning on getting your armor and weapons."
He… almost sounds like a concerned parent when he said that. "Okay. Um… have a good day, Keaty."
"Yeah…" He turns and leaves.
Well, that went better than she expected, so now… "Hina!" Corrin calls her out, "I wanted to ask about why you were so bothered when you told me that Keaty wanted to claim you…"
Hinoka closes her eyes, sighs, and nods. "Alright sister." Hinoka takes a deep breath, "Now, the first thing I need to explain is a human thing called consent…"
Sakura coughs as she slowly opens her eyes. Weak, so weak… she can still feel that burn from that… toxin Iago injected into her. "Ngh…" She whimpers. Sure, she's magically exhausted herself before… sure, she has participated in physical training until she was too tired to keep going… But to have muscle atrophy in addition to magical exhaustion? "!" She squeals as a sudden burn hits her. She then raises one of her hands, tries to get even a spark of magic out. "Ahhh~!" She screams in pain, as if another dose was being sent into her. She can literally feel the magic being burned out of her again.
She can't even cast spells… a much more painful version of a 'simple' Silence.
"Ah, Princess Sakura is awake, it seems." His voice echoes into the room. "And it seems the Anti-Magic serum is even better than originally thought." He strides into her cell, "So, it still burns? And if you were to cast another spell…?" He gives her an expectant look.
"Y-you are th-the worst person ever!" She shouts.
"Oh-ho! You are even harboring some spite?" He smiles. "I want to see it for myself… cast something."
Her face visibly pales, "No!"
"You will do as I say, girl." He pauses, "Cast. A. Spell." Sudden determination meets consistent cruelty. "I can do so much worse… trust me, that little toxin was nothing."
Shaking, she raises her other arm, closes her eyes, and snaps her mouth shut… only to bite straight through her lips as the burn returns. "A-Ahh~!" Another scream… nothing.
"Perfect." He smiles, before recording her agony on a simple sheet of paper. "Now, you have a visitor today, and you are going to be on your best behavior, understand?"
Her vision blurred simply from pain itself, she slowly nods. Dazed, damaged, hungry, thirsty, so many points of discomfort and pain are hitting her at once. "O-Okay…" She just wants to lie her head back down.
"Aw, so cooperate…" he pauses as a second set of footsteps enter. "Sakura meet your new… personal advisor." Another man walks in, looking no less worse than Iago himself. "Play nice." Iago leaves.
"Hello, Princess Sakura…" The man bows… for what it's worth. "I know you'll enjoy our time together, because I will be learning so much about you. My name is… Zola." He flashes a wicked smile.
A/N: Dun, dun, dun… the interrogation scene was really… kinda anti-climatic, don't you think? Well, I won't lie… y'all might wanna put some extra faith in what Camilla was telling Kagero. Because the real reason is *blocked behind the spoiler brigade*. Oh, and I suppose Kaden is helping out, too. Remember kids… always repay your debts!
Ah, welcome back to the PoV collection, Lupus! Even if you didn't really get much important stuff to contribute. At least she discovered she can form a dragon maw out of her other arm… maybe I should give her extra partial-shifting abilities since she isn't using a sword?
Princess Hinoka… another rather anti-climatic scene, right? There really was no argument for getting her more armor and weapons… and Keaton just kinda… listened to her on the more sensitive subjects. Maybe… maybe he does understand more than he lets on?
Aaaand Sakura's scene, oh… I can sum this up in two words. Remember Zola?
See ya next chapter!