"Stop it!" cried a young silver haired boy, barely seven years old. The two bullies didn't care. They were bigger and older than Cecil and as far as they thought, might made right. They merely kept shoving him about between themselves.

"Or what?" Asked one of them. "Your brother's not here to save you". The boy turned his green-eyed gaze toward the sound of footsteps in the sand. Standing there, with a wooden sward in hand, was Hauru. The seven-year-old gripped her sword tightly and stared the bullies down.

"Leave Cecil alone! He didn't do anything to you!" Hauru shouted as she approached.

"Oh goodie," the other bully said, pushing Cecil to the ground. "Or what? The dog-girl's gonna lecture us?"

"Nah. She's just gonna cry. Watch," said the taller one with black hair. "After all, her dad wasn't around to teach her to fight". Hauru started to tear up, but her expression showed something other than the expected sadness. It was rage. "Oh, I'm so sowwy. Did I touch a nerve? Well, come on then. Bring it. Hauru-roo-roooooooooooooooooo," he said mockingly, throwing his head back and howling to add insult to injury. Hauru took no time rushing in, screaming and growling. She dropped her sword and started clawing at the taller one, which caught him off guard. He was still bigger than Hauru, so he tossed her to his friend. The shorter one tried to grab Hauru, but she gave him a wicked headbutt. The fight dragged on, leaving Hauru scraped and bruised. She managed to bite the taller one on the arm before a deep voice rang out.

"What's happening here?" Hauru and everyone else turned to face the voice. Its owner. He stood taller than all of them and he quickly rushed to the scene. The bullies faced eachother.

"Oh no," said the short one.

"It's Theodore!" the tall one said.

"Run!" they shouted in unison before turning tail and running.

"Th...thanks bro," Cecil said, getting up with a sniffle.

"Alright, how'd this happen?" Theodore asked, kneeling to get close to eye level with the children.

"Th...they were pickin' on Cecil," Hauru said defensively. "Then they called me a dog-girl and..." Theodore let out a long sigh.

"You shoulda seen her! She was wild!"

"There's no honor in fighting like a mad dog," Theodore said. "I really SHOULD tell your mom about this".

"Mom would be glad I stood up for my friend".

"She might not be so keen on how you did it," Theodore said sternly. "But, we can keep this between us. Come on. Let's see if you've got any scrapes". But as Theodore looked over Hauru, and much to his astonishment, her wounds began to heal right before his eyes. Definitely faster than a human should. "You look like you're in good shape. Come on. Let's get some ice cream. My treat". Cecil wiped the tears from his eyes and looked up at Theodore with a big smile on his face.

"Yay! You're the best, Theo!" Cecil shouted with delight.

"Hauru?" Hayner asked, snapping Hauru out of her reminiscing. "You spaced out on us. You okay?" Hauru took stock of her surroundings. The usual spot. The light outside suggested it was late afternoon. Maybe a few hours before moonrise. It dawned on Hauru very suddenly just what the night would bring.

"Yeah," Hauru answered. "Just thinking of home. The struggle tournament's tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah," Hayner said, gathering the gang's struggle bats. "We should get to the sandlot and get some practice in. Wanna come with?" Hauru looked to Hayner and nodded.

"So long as I can get back before moonrise".

"Why's that? Curfew?" Olette asked. Hauru nodded. "Then let's get to the Sandlot". Hauru was the first to approach the exit of the Usual Spot, for some reason, she was worried. She shook her head and banished the thought. Today was about training. About making sure that the entire pack was in top form for the Struggle tournament. The Sandlot was empty. Mercifully so. This was where the tournament would be held, where She'd kicked Seifer's backside a few days prior. Hauru drew her struggle bat and her pack-mates did the same. Hauru organized her friends into pairs, Pence and Ollette were the first to step forward and fight. Hauru smiled as they took up their positions. Hauru had been working with Pence on his endurance and defense while Olette focused on her mobility. Seeing the two go head to head would be an ideal test for both of them. The fight began with Olette being the first to attack. Pence had a much more defense-oriented strategy. He blocked Olette's strike which caused her to stagger back a bit. Just enough for Pence to get in a good few hits. He focused on smaller more precise movements and blows to help him conserve energy. Struggle matches were not sprints. They were marathons. Strength and speed mattered, but the best Struggle fighters knew how to manage their stamina and keep up the pace. Hauru's seen fighters do really well initially only to get themselves winded and defeated in the second half.

As solid as Pence's defense and footwork was, Olette developed a keen sense for any such gaps. This was something of a requirement given her agility-focused fighting style. Her best defense was simply avoiding hits rather than weathering them like Pence preferred to. And as the fight wore on, Pence was starting to struggle to keep track of Olette's movements. She drew close and he lunged forward… But he over-stepped, and he and Olette were now locked in a battle of attrition. But that waws not to be the case for long. Pence was feeling confident. Maybe too confident. He managed to deflect each of her blows While Olette seemed like she was finally going to stand her ground to try and weather his next few attacks, Pence decided to drive home the advantage now that he had Olette on the defensive. Pence took his bat in both hands and raised it as if to deliver a blow strong enough to force Olette to stagger back. And as he brought it down, Olette managed to redirect the blow to the side and follow up with a devastating riposte that knocked Pence right onto his butt. "That's enough," said Hauru with a smile of pride.

Olette dropped her bat and reached a hand out to Pence to help him up. Pence, far from a sore loser, took her hand and Olette helped him to his feet. "Pence?" Hauru asked.

"Yeah?"

"Do you know why Olette beat you?"

"Because I thought it was over when I got her on the defensive. Didn't think she could stand her ground. I got cocky," Pence explained. Hauru nodded.

"Good. I know you want to rush in as soon as you see an opening, but that's the best way to get taken advantage of," Hauru explained. "Still, you've gotten WAY better. But there's always more to learn. Every scrape and scratch is proof of that". Pence smiled and gave Hauru a nod. Over the course of the next hour, Hauru and Hayner worked with Olette and Pence respectively on their techniques. Hauru focused on helping Olette learn to stand ground and weather sustained assaults... Hauru made as much use as she could of her enhanced abilities in that regard. Never staying still and keeping a good pace. Olette, to her credit, was following Hauru's lessons to the letter. There was no denying that Hauru was quick. "Remember," said Hauru, "Keep your focus on your opponent's entire body. Not just their weapon". Olette nodded and the two fought properly. Their battle was mostly a series of quick scuffles, as each fighter tried to stay in motion. Olette managed to maintain a solid defense in the face of Hauru's relentless assaults. Her stance changed to be better able to intercept blows from any angle. Olette was a fast learner and she was able to stop and stand her ground as the situation demanded. Meanwhile Hayner was working to help Pence learn to track mobile opponents better. His defense was already solid, but he needed to learn to move with the rhythm of battle. When to take the opening and when to stand firm. They practiced like this for hours before the sun began to set. "Alright… I think that's enough for…" Hauru paused and sniffed at the air. Her friends have long since given up trying to understand Hauru's canine mannerisms. Once that spark of recognition twinkled in Hauru's eye, she sighed. The sun was down. Moonrise was nearer. Hauru could feel it pulling at her blood. And to make matters worse, the scent of Seifer and his gang was near. "We should get home guys," Hauru said. "Before…"

"Before what?" asked Siefer in a mocking tone. "You owe me a rematch, Hauru".

"Yeah," said Rai. "Gotta settle the score, you know?"

"Grudge Match". Fuu's responses always unnerved Hauru. She never spoke more than one or two words and Hauru could never figure out why. Of course, it was harder to focus on that. She could feel it getting closer. She could feel the moon's influence getting stronger and stronger and fought it with everything she had. There was only so long she could, though.

"Listen… save it for the tournament… please," Hauru pleaded. "We can settle the score then. Or any other time and place… Just… not tonight". Seifer threw his head back and started laughing.

"Why? The great Hauru Corvinus of the Red Sky Pack is afraid?" he asked. Hauru could feel it stronger now… her hold on her human form was slipping.

"Yeah," she said, hands balled into tight fists and spoken through gritted teeth. "I'm afraid if you fight me…" Hauru closed her eyes, already she could feel the start of the change, teeth changing, fingernails darkening, thickening and lengthening into deadly claws. Hauru looked at Seifer and his cronies and opened her eyes. Dark blue sclera, Irises like pale icy sapphires.

"Not human," Fuu said, pointing right at Hauru. Hauru opened her mouth, revealing her wolf-like fangs.

"I won't…" Hauru groaned in pain as she could feel her legs getting ready to shift. Her boots already disappeared, and she let out a low growl. "I won't be able to hold myself back". Seifer and his gang all looked horrified and made a hasty retreat, not even looking back. Hauru smiled at seeing them run like cowards… But she focused so hard on slowing the change. And she could no longer fight it. She doubled over, gritting her teeth and clutching her sides. "Oh… oh no…" Hauru fell to her knees as her legs began to shift.

"Hauru!" Hayner yelled. He ran to Hauru, kneeling in front of her as she had to prop herself up with her hands. He was slightly taken aback on seeing her fingernails lengthen, darken and thicken into wicked claws. Worse yet he could hear what was happening to his friend. The sounds of bones braking and labored breaths. Hauru looks up at Hayner with her inhuman eyes. But what Hayner noticed wasn't just the color, but that they were pleading.

"Hayner… Take the others… and Go… I'll explain… I'll explain before the tourna…. Aaaaaaaaaaargghh…" Hauru arches her back, posture shifting and she manages to rise to her feet, looking up as her transformation finished. Such was the pain, better than it had been before learning to control herself in her werewolf form, that she couldn't focus on anything else. And was left unaware that her friends, her pack, were watching horrified at her change. She cried out as her transformation finished. Leaving her a good bit taller than her friends. She runs off into the night, paying no mind to anyone or anything. Her only goal was to return to the Old Mansion without being seen.