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: Very serious and 'game'-changing plot points, I might add. Ah, still wary of Princess Camilla? That's… a good call, actually, though at least we know neither she or her retainers are actually armed now… and Camilla's undead wyvern is dead!

Pfft, swords. Who needs swords when one arm can turn into a lance, one arm can turn into a dragon maw, and you can shift your entire body into a dragon? Seriously, I could see a version of Corrin in say… Fire Emblem Warriors who completely discards the Yato in favor of using her Dragonstone in more creative ways. I think Corrin is a completely capable fighter in both human or dragon forms without a conventional weapon. And yeah…

Corrin gets an in-game dragon form scene for the first transformation… and that's it, right? Corrin almost changed for Conquest Chapter 7, but other than that? Pfft, just show Corrin with a sword… And I'm like…

Bitch please. I got into Fates because there's a character on the Smash4 roster that can turn into a dragon! I honestly didn't even blink an eye at the 'chainsaw sword'.

Ah, Hina… just don't turn too hot-headed and I'm sure she'll be fine.

Zola, you little cowardly little dastard. You better do what you're told when you get caught. There's nobody more vicious in this version of Fates than Vella when someone is harming Lupus.

J-Dawg: Furry? Furry!

Heh, heh… I do believe you are quite off for Zola. He won't be getting such an easy break this time.

I know, right? Sakura has even managed a bit of genuine spite… sure, it's towards Iago, but the fact still remains. Then there is Leo, who tried to keep Sakura safe, but is now being taken away from her… boy, Iago better tremble if Leo is able to strike him down.

Uh-huh. Keaton is clearly more knowledgeable than he lets on at first glance, he is far more adjusted than Velouria is… and he's learning quicker! But yes, having Hinoka fight without a weapon would be completely unfair.

...I totally didn't forget about Silas, just like in 'Confined'. *whistles*

Hey, Selena is easy to provoke, Beruka is far too hardened by her youth, and Camilla… well, at least she wasn't fantasizing about using Lupus's dragon form for decorations.

Camilla's undead wyvern is dead. D-E-D, dead. That infected mount is the reason Sakura was brought over in the first place.

Lupus snarls as she dodges a swipe from Dadaan. Step, back, forward, thrust, dodge. She falls into a rhythm as she successfully continues to avoid being slammed by a fist or torn open by his claws. See, normally she wouldn't be so weak to the brute strength a Wolfskin possesses, but today is different…

Lupus is in her human form.

She has formed a combination of her lance, maw, and even a helmet. She knew the second she donned this set-up that her fighting style had to change. She's far too vulnerable to get struck by him. One hit could be worse than what Red suffered in his 'duel'. Side, crouch, thrust, snap… Dadaan howls as her maw rips into his side.

"Ngh…" He steps back, "I yield…" It's not a matter of how 'weak' he currently is, it's a matter of how severe that wound is. One single snap is all it took to take an entire chunk out of his side… far more than she had anticipated.

"Hina!" Lance, maw, and helmet all fade as Lupus screams for her big sister. "Festal!" A few seconds pass without a single scent or sound of Hina, "Hina!" Before turning to Dadaan, who has shifted back and, whew… "...!" And she takes a step back as she realizes just how bloody her hand is, the one that was the maw…

"D-don't… bl-blame… yourself." Lupus's other arm is bloodstained, but unlike the maw, which has a literal pool of blood on it, her lance arm is streaked all the way up to her elbow… Saku's blood.

"I… no, no, no! I didn't… Saku…" Lupus's breathing increases… so much blood.

"She's a threat to the pack… kill her!" The not-Keaty voice commanded.

"Lupus. Stop!" Keaty yelled.

"I…"

"Ow!" Lupus's sight wavers as she is slammed into the ground, Dadaan is looking her over, blood still dripping. "Wh-what?"

"...You didn't hear yourself screaming?" He asks.

"I was screaming?" She tilts her head, "I remember calling for Hina, but…" A pause.

"G-gods…" Hina arrives, red-faced and holding two Festals. "Wh-what…?" She then stops herself and shakes her head, no time for the 'human' questions. The familiar glow of healing covers Dadaan as his wound is closed. "Sister?"

"She's not wounded… physically." The Wolfskin speaks up as he steps back, allowing Lupus to get up, "Lupus started screaming… about Saku."

"Sister?" Hina moves over to Lupus, who is now shaking.

"Get back." The danger in her eyes return, the fury that should never be released. "Don't get near me." Fear. "Get back!" However, instead of listening, Dadaan instead seizes her by the arm that forms into a maw. "Dadaan…" She growls.

"Stop. Now." He matches her 'dominance' with his own. "Sit."

Of course, this angers Hina, "You can't just…"

Lupus sits, still visibly angered and bothered mind you, but she still sits. "Yes, she will." Dadaan speaks, if a moment too late. "She will listen to me."

A thought crosses Hina's mind, "But… you're not the alpha."

"That's correct." He nods.

"Okay, and…? I thought only the alpha could order Wolfskin around."

He shrugs, "I have rights."

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"Things change." At least someone is having some sort of amusement. "Lupus, come… Hina, she'll be fine." Dadaan shrugs off her concern.

"My little sister was part of a traumatic event, and it can't be so easily fixed just by 'asserting dominance'! She needs help." Hina counters.

Dadaan steps forward, until he is face to face with her like Keaty was. "Hina? I'll protect her." The air turns serious, "I'll guard her."

"She needs something other than physical…"

"In all ways. I may not know how to handle them now, but I will. Just… give me time." A… different kind of concern lines his eyes, something other than the need to protect one of the pack, "Trust me." Hina looks from Dadaan to Lupus, who is simply standing beside him… calm, as if she did not just have a mental breakdown.

...Right, even if Dadaan doesn't understand, Hina thinks she does. "Alright, Dadaan. I'm trusting you with my sister's well-being."

All he replies with is a simple nod. "Lupus, with me." He walks, she walks…

Hina remains idle for a few more moments, before shaking her head with a small smile. She decides to check with Keaty to see if now is a good time to get some more equipment… the sooner, the better.

Kagero stands idle as she watches her liege pace back and forth. With Lady Hinoka and Lady Lupus still in the pack, and Lady Sakura still captured… Lord Ryoma has started to become increasingly on edge. Of course, it doesn't help that Princess Camilla was so easily captured. The female Ninja retainer goes over the events again and again, anywhere from between the time they traveled here to the interrogation. Anything and everything she experienced… first-hand, second-hand, it doesn't matter.

All she knows is that something is off with all of this and… paper rustling as Lord Ryoma sits down and grabs a sheet alongside a pen. "Milord? A report to Her Highness?" Is the only thing she can assume, especially considering that Princess Camilla's assault was not part of the last one, simply because the last report was sent before then.

He shakes his head… troubled, unfocused. "I'm afraid not, Kagero."

...Afraid, unfocused, troubled? She runs through the events yet again… it has to be one of the Princesses. But, surely the pack wouldn't accept… "Milord, please reconsider."

"Nohr has a Hoshidan Princess. Hoshido has a Nohrian Princess and her two retainers." He counters… emotional.

...That's it. "Lord Ryoma, please listen. I think I figured at least part of it out."

His grip tightens, "...They have Hoshido's youngest princess. I'm aware of the risks…"

As he was with dueling Keaty? "Milord, you are playing into their hands. Please, stop and take a step back!"

"They have Sakura!" Too emotional, too blinded. Surely having both Lady Hinoka and Lady Lupus is also taking a heavy toll on him… "I'm not losing all of my family! I'm not going to stand aside and watch each of them leave… or taken away… or get stolen!" Angered, even shouting.

Kagero closes her eyes and sighs… Nohr has been intent on playing with his emotions and past troubles. Lady Lupus chose to remain. Lady Hinoka, at least in Lord Ryoma's eyes, has been stolen away as Lady 'Corrin' has been so long ago. Lady Sakura has been stolen away and is in captivity. What can she say to calm his mind? So that he doesn't make this request?

She should have noticed sooner.

"Hey… is this a bad time?" Kaden lets himself in. "Um, sorry…"

"Kaden, correct?" Lord Ryoma instantly stiffens, unwilling to show the same weakness he just displayed. "Did you need something?"

"Uh, yes, Alpha, erm, I mean…" Kaden takes a breath. "You hu… no, wait. You all saved Selkie's life, and I was trying to figure out how I can repay you all and… I think I figured it out."

"And that is?" Lord Ryoma asks.

"Let me help you… with finding and saving Saku." He offers, "A Nine-tails' speed can't be matched by anyone or anything. I can scout, I can fight, I can call upon my Foxfire to cast some pretty awesome things, stuff that even the best Mages can't do."

"Kaden, we appreciate your thoughtfulness, but I'm not pitting you against an army. Gods only know how many will be at that one base with Princess Sakura." Lord Ryoma shakes his head.

"Well, that's just it. I'm not going against the whole army, I'll only be doing hit and runs. Brief scouting… I won't put myself at such risk." Kaden eases the High Prince's worries. "I promise, no… I swear I can get her back… but, I have to agree with Kagero. Just, don't, uh… 'play into their hands'?"

To which she nods, "Milord?"

"This won't be easy." He replies.

"...I know."

"There are so many variables that could…"

"Var...ia...bles?" Kaden echoes.

"Oh, sorry. Chances. There are so many chances that could end up killing you."

"I understand. I'm aware of the risks, but I'm offering my skill set anyway." He pauses, "But, if this bothers you too much, then I'll think of something else."

Kagero looks at Lord Ryoma, who is in deep thought. "...I appreciate that you are willing to take such a dangerous task on your own without a hint of fear or regret." He finally starts, "I admire your determination to repay kindness with kindness… But I can't, with a clear conscious, ask you to go through with this. Don't misunderstand me, I'm sure you can do this, but… maybe if you were just asking to scout, then I would agree…"

Kaden frowns, but nods, "Alright, it's not a problem. I'll… try and think of something else, then. Um, sorry for interrupting." He steps out without a second thought.

"Milord?" Kagero asks as he resumes…

"I'll call for you later… dismissed."

"On your orders, High Prince Ryoma." With a frown of her own, she steps out. "...Thank you for trying, Kaden."

"I thought that…" He sighs. "I don't feel like I'm doing a lot here. Listening to emotions, giving such a near impossible request… are you sure this helps?"

"It's mental reassurance… trust me, simply offering your help like that has helped ease his burdens some."

Kaden looks off to the distance, his tail slowly swaying to and fro, "I don't understand." He sighs, "Kagero? Maybe there are things I can do for everyone, rather than the entire army at once?"

She slowly nods, "Maybe that would be a better idea." She then sighs, and stretches, feeling far too overwhelmed with the shear stress of…

"Hey, Kagero? I think I just thought of something." He smiles.

"Yes, Kaden?"

"Let's go take a nap!"

She lets out a small laugh, "Kaden, I can't do that right now, there are… Hey!" For the beast race known for their speed, Kagero was genuinely surprised to be lifted up with such ease. "Kaden, I'm serious…"

"It won't even be for an hour, c'mon." He carries her, despite all the protests. "Trust me, once you feel just how soft my fur is, you're gonna fall asleep soooo fast." Soon enough, her protests die down as she realizes that she literally can't even slightly overpower Kaden.

"...No more than an hour." She concedes.

"That's the spirit!" He gently sets her down next to a tree, shifts into his Nine-Tails form, and curls up around here, "Alright, ready when you are!" Kagero shakes her head with an amused smile, and lies her head down on his chest, to which five of his tails cover her body…

She fell asleep within half a minute with his unrealistically soft fur around her.

Prince Leo is hunched over the war table, looking over the most recent 'assault' that was 'planned' by his elder sister, Camilla. He knows something is off… something is wrong. There is no way she would be so easily captured. However, without a 'convenient' access to the reports, there's not much he can be definite on. There is only speculation, and he hates every last hunch he has.

"Tch." He pushes the 'map' away, growing far too irritated with these… 'reports'. "Nothing adds up! Why are the reports I have access to incomplete?! Why are there proportionally less reports when compared to before all of this?!" He grits his teeth and steps back. "What is going on?" A scream soon follows… a scream in his head.

…

Princess Sakura's scream, from whatever Iago did to her.

He grimaces… she was 'supposed' to be a prisoner of war, a 'source' of information. He assumed this princess would have been far more… 'rough' than the young Princess Elise, but no. Princess Sakura is barely even a spec different… only shy and reserved when compared to Elise's excitable and bounciness. He initially regarded her kindness as a facade, but no matter how he looks at it, her care is genuine…

He almost had Princess Corrin kill her, he had her shackled, imprisoned, and intimidated her… but all she wanted to do was to help. In his heart, he knew what he was doing was wrong. Princess Sakura is the textbook definition of innocence.

But, he also knew her status as a Princess was the only thing keeping her alive.

He ended up resolving to making her time here as comfortable as he could afford. And… the more time he spent, the more he realized he was faltering. She had an influence on him that nothing else could replicate. He felt it in him, he knew what it was, and it should by all accounts be wrong.

He cares for her.

Which is why he sees Iago in a newfound ray of hate… he made her scream.

He also doesn't want this war anymore. "Tch." He scoffs, all of this doubt stems from a single woman. "Alright, If I reposition…"

"Milord?" And, of course, a messenger just had to arrive now.

"What is it?" Leo snaps back, causing the man to flinch.

"Orders from his Highness, a new outpost has been built." Leo narrows his eyes at him… why use the resources now? There's no advantage right now…

"And what else?" He asks as he receives the position, primarily looking at the letter in his hands.

"It's a… request from…"

"Speak."

"H-High Prince Ryoma, milord." The messenger meekly gives Lord Leo the letter.

"Is that so? To whom?" The seal has already been broken.

"His Highness, but he requested that you also read it."

"Very well." A request from the High Prince? With his interest piqued, Leo opens the letter. Greetings, names, the usual when it comes to formalities and… "I see." No, he doesn't 'see', there are still pieces missing. "Anything else?"

"No, milord."

"Then leave." Keeping the letter, Leo reads it over. "Wait… Zola. Zola. I think I heard his name somewhere…" A pause, "Odin!"

"From the darkest crevices of…"

"I want everything you can get your hands on for Zola." Leo cuts him off, far too agitated for his theatrics. "Double-time."

Odin slightly flinches, but bows, "At once, my liege."

The letter… it seems rather hastily written, no… emotionally driven. In almost any other circumstance, he might not have even bat an eye at this, but now? Princess Camilla has gotten herself captured due to, what he can only assume, are false reports. Prince Leo has been forced away from Princess Sakura, who is now in the uncaring hands of Iago and Zola. High Prince Ryoma almost had himself killed by the Wolfskin alpha that had stolen Princess Corrin away. Princess Hinoka is apparently still in this 'pack'.

…

And now High Prince Ryoma wants to trade Princess Camilla for Princess Sakura. So soon, so fast.

Leo believes the answer lies in Zola.

A/N: So, Lupus is finally training her human form while using the partial shifting to fight. Let the creativity begin! Other than that, hm... Well, it seems like she's gotten some pretty big support points with Dadaan, but uh... maybe there's something a bit more going on here? I mean, Dadaan, that's a pretty serious promise you made there... something a human lover might say to another.

Oh man... hold on there, Ryoma. You're making a bad call. You gotta stop and... oh, he already sent the letter. Nevermind.

Prince Leo has a PoV in this chapter, which means he has crossed the line into the 'good' side, but... nothing from Sakura, oh dear.