AN: Chapter 40! How did we even get here so soon :O

Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Riza inched forward silently, nose sniffing the air around her. Glancing up at the sky, she spotted the darkening clouds above, confirming her thoughts that rain was on the way. The spring air was cool, a breeze brushing over her golden fur. The light wind pulled at the branches and the leaves surrounding her, filling her ears with rustling. Pushing past it, Riza tuned her hearing to the forest beyond her. The stream to the north gurgled happily as it wove its way through the forest and into the valley down below. Two deer were grazing to the east, about a mile away. Her mouth watered at their scent, but Riza fought the urge. She had a job to do.

A faint smell of incense reached her all of a sudden. Instinctively, she recoiled, but after a moment Riza sniffed again. The burning sensation that had been present before was gone. There was an itching in her nose instead, causing Riza to sneeze involuntarily. She froze after making the sound, searching the forest once more to see if she had given herself away. Everything continued about its business, same as before.

Cautiously, Riza changed her direction towards the incense, expecting it to grow stronger. But it never did. Before she knew it, Riza was on top of the trap. A rope surrounded the burning sticks, ready to pull up its prey when they stepped inside the circle. After almost stepping inside the circle, Riza inspected it curiously. She tested the scent once more, but found no irritation from the normally offensive sticks.

That is odd. Normally this stuff stinks to high heaven. Could it be…?

An idea suddenly occurring to her, Riza dipped her muzzle and took in a deep breath, her nose only centimetres from the sticks.

"Stop!" someone shouted from behind her.

Interesting, Riza mused, continuing to eye the incense, ignoring the urgent command.

Riza sprang away as the trap activated, pulling the incense up into the air. They flew, landing scattered on the forest floor.

"What are you doing Hawkeye?" Breda asked, baffled. "These can kill you, you know!" He bent snatched up the sticks, holding a rag over his nose and mouth. Holding them at arm's length, he dumped them into a bucket the werewolf behind him had suddenly produced.

"Do they stink for you?" she asked once changing into her human form, surprised. If they do for Breda, why do they not affect me? Was this a side effect from my time with the vampire?

"Yes!" he replied, his tone baffled, as if it was an obvious answer. Both Breda and the other werewolf stared at her as if she was crazy.

"They didn't for me."

Breda stared at her. "What?" His tone was as baffled as his face.

"I mean, I could smell them, but it didn't hold the same bite as before. There was no burning sensation, no watering eyes, nothing. It just made me sneeze."

"That's…" Breda trailed off, trying to find the right word. "Odd," he finally settled on, lamely.

"What does it mean?"

"I don't know. Did they affect you before?"

Riza visibly shuddered at the memory. "Yes."

"I really don't know then." He truly seemed at a loss.

"This is our plan people," Grumman announced, silencing everyone in the room. He looked around it, proud to see so many people present and fighting for their cause. It seemed everyone who lived here was present, minus those who were on patrol or on guard duty.

"In a month, we will take a small force and begin our first assault on the Hunter's base of operations on the western mountains. They are established in an old mineshaft which extends a good distance into the mountain. We will send six in first. That should be enough to distract them with an initial assault. Another force will follow shortly behind, providing back up, then the rest will follow to overwhelm. I want the werewolves to go in first." He looked towards the other species in the room and found no argument from them. "They have killed too many of our kind and I want to be the ones who give them hell. All I ask is that the vampires also provide back up, along with the witches playing support. We will need spells to assist with any incense or poison they may use. Is that all right?" A murmur went through the room as both vampires and witches agreed to the terms. Grumman let out a breath, pleased. "Thank you." He grinned.

"I have a potion cooked up," a witch announced, standing from her seat. She was average height, in her thirties. Her long brown hair had been tied back in a ponytail, her bangs framing her face. "It will nullify the effects of any poison for at least a couple of minutes. I know it isn't much, but it will help to remove yourselves from the action so we can work on your further."

"That is excellent Christine," Grumman nodded. "Any help is welcome. This sounds like a good idea. My only concern is how to deliver it to werewolves in need."

A hand shot up and another woman stood to speak. "I can help with that." She was even shorter than Pinako. She had the appearance of an elderly woman, but was as spry as the young werewolves in the crowd. The witch was gifted with martial arts training and could manoeuvre herself out of tricky situations at the drop of a hat. "I can help with that. I have been training my apprentice and I can help deliver the potions."

"Good idea. Does anyone else have any further points on this?"

The discussion continued late into the night. Grumman wanted them to be as organised as possible regarding their assault on the Hunters. He didn't want it to fail. They had taken almost everything from him. It was time for them to get a taste of their own medicine. Most importantly, he wanted to show them the werewolves shouldn't be messed with.

It was into the early hours of the morning as everyone began to file out. Only a few remained. Riza and her pack, Breda, Falman, and Havoc. He had asked them to remain behind, wishing to speak with them. They each looked tired, but ready to open to hear what he wanted to say. Another man had stayed behind Grumman noticed. A vampire, Maes Hughes. He was an intelligent man, Grumman had deduced. He could strategize well, having been the main driving force of the discussion tonight. So had Mustang. The pair working together was something else to behold. What Grumman hoped to achieve in a couple of days of talks had been accomplished in a couple of hours.

"I know the hour is late, so I will keep this brief. I would like you all to spearhead the initial assault. I have watched you closely over the past couple of months. You all work well together. Within each of you is the same force pushing you towards fighting against the Hunters." He met each of their gazes in turn. "With you all together I believe we have a real chance of getting somewhere. Will you all help me?"

A united "yes" sounded from the small group, as if it was never a question. Even Hughes stepped forward.

"I would also like to offer my services."

Grumman nodded. "I will take a look at the rough plan we have drawn up tonight and fit you in. I wanted the initial force to be smaller, but I think someone who would still be able to communicate with the Hunters, if necessary of course, would be beneficial."

"I would really appreciate that."

Grumman let out the air from his lungs once more, satisfied with the night's work. "Okay then. You are all dismissed. Breda, could you run training programs ten and elven tomorrow? I want you to practice working as a team."

"Will do," Breda answered.

Grumman watched as they all left. Riza approached him, her eyes curious. A minute later, it was just the two of them left.

"Where is your shadow?" Grumman teased, a glint of mischief in his eyes.

"Very funny," she commented, but grinned nonetheless. "Away home to sleep."

"And what, pray tell, are you still doing here then?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, causing Riza to make a face in disgust. In response, he doubled over laughing.

"That's inappropriate and something I never want to discuss with you, thank you very much."

"It is funny to me."

"Doesn't make it right," Riza replied, her voice taking on a sing-song quality. She hopped up onto the desk Grumman had spent the night behind. She helped him pack up the numerous pieces of paper.

"How are you doing?"

He was still worried about his granddaughter. When Hughes had told him about his call from Roy, he had wanted to leave right that second and attend to her. But, there were people here who depended on him and Grumman could not up and leave at a moment's notice for an unpredictable period of time. Roy had kept him updated over the phone, but he desperately wanted to see Riza for himself. To see with his own eyes that she would be all right.

He hadn't expected to see Pinako after all these years. Admittedly, he still held animosity towards her. She had assisted in Berthold and Riza leaving here, leaving him. And right after he had lost his daughter too. At this point, after so long, it felt childish to still be so hostile towards her. But it was already a difficult and dark time in his life and the witch had made it infinitely worse. Grumman wasn't proud of the words he had said all those years ago. He wasn't proud of a lot of things in his life. His family and this settlement were the only things that brought him joy. When one had been ripped away from him it a tough blow to take.

Riza shrugged. "All right considering the circumstances."

Grumman frowned. "Just all right? Look, if Pinako did or said anything –"

Riza waved away his concern. "I am fine," she stressed. "Things are… easier now. Being in the dark isn't as frightening as it used to be. I can stand being alone for an extended period of time. I am better." Grumman nodded in relief. "Not great, but better. Pinako helped me and I am thankful for that. You should be too."

Like a child, he muttered something under her breath. Riza rolled her eyes.

"What is your problem with her anyway?" she asked, exasperated. She handed her handful of paper with a flourish, her eyes curious once more. "You act like an angry child whenever her name is mentioned."

Grumman sighed. He took the stack of paper after a moment, placing them carefully in his briefcase. Once composing himself, he began his explanation.

"She helped Berthold leave with you that night. She was a close friend, but neglected to tell me that my son-in-law was about to run off with my granddaughter, leaving me with nothing after the death of my daughter." Riza was taken aback by his harsh tone. "When I found this out we shared some… unpleasant words. She left that same day and I never heard from her again."

Riza was silent as she pondered his words. "It is understandable the way you feel. But, don't you think it is about time to leave the past in the past?" she questioned. Her gaze caught his and through it, she implored him to do just that. "You have already had so much pain and heartache in your life. There has to be a point where you stop worrying over such trivial things. She was only doing as she was asked. My father begged her not to tell you anything. If you blame anyone, it should be him."

"Do you?"

"I don't know."

The pair were silent as they regarded each other. Riza looked away first, her gaze lowering to her lap. Her hands sat in her lap, entwined.

"I used to blame him for a lot," she continued. "The loneliness I felt as a kid was because of him. Every negative emotion I felt, was all related to him in some way because he just didn't talk to me. He seemed to pretend I didn't even exist." Grumman felt sadness wash through him at her words. Riza shouldn't have experienced that growing up. Why didn't you do more? He asked himself in frustration. "But I know now that it was because he couldn't. Pinako gave me two letters from him, explaining everything." Riza reached into her rucksack and pulled them out. She handed them over without hesitation. "It is all in there." Grumman took them, handling the old letter carefully. A part of him was almost frightened to read the information they held. "So no, I don't blame him anymore. I just… I want to see him once more. To see how he is doing and to ask him… why."

"Why what?"

Riza shrugged. "I haven't figured that out yet," she smiled. "Probably why he left. I understand he did what he thought was right, but running away from his problems was not the right way. I want to ask why he felt the need to leave even after the spell had been cast on our minds. Being here would have helped, surely. There were people here who knew how to deal with the effects of the spell. And we had you here," she gestured to him. Riza shook her head. "I don't know. I just want to talk to him. Whether this is some misjudged childhood wish for a better relationship with him or not, I am yet to find out."

Grumman studied her, noticing how mature she was being about the whole situation. Even after everything she had been through, she was still standing tall and moving forwards. Sure, there had been dips in the road, but that happened to everyone. After her unsavoury childhood she still wished to return to see her father. She was worried about him, Grumman could tell.

"I will help you," Grumman offered. Looking at Riza's outlook on the situation, perhaps it was time to get over his hostility towards Pinako. She was only doing as she was asked. She wasn't the one who was at fault here. Both he and Berthold were. Riza had only been a child. Grumman had been so caught up in hate and anger towards the Hunters for what they did to Amelia, he was blinded to the fact that his granddaughter had become seriously ill after what she saw that day. Berthold had taken a stand to protect his daughter, but ultimately had run away from his problems. He had a lot to learn both about and from his granddaughter. He smiled as he thought how she was already making him a better person by simply being here.

"Are you sure?" Her gaze was doubtful, which stung a little.

Grumman nodded. "Yes. Like you said, there had to be a point in my life where I let go of trivial things. What's in the past is in the past. It is time to look to the future."

Riza grinned. She stood from her perch and hugged him. He returned the gesture, squeezing her tightly as a sign of gratitude. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Don't you cry now," he chuckled. "Or I will to."

"They are not sad tears," she replied, amusement in her voice. "I have had enough of that for one lifetime."

"That you have," he chuckled. When they pulled apart, Grumman gave her upper arms a squeeze and offered her a grin. "Right, off you go. Come and see me tomorrow and we can organise something for you to see your father."

Riza stared ahead at the road. The highway was silent. She listened carefully but there were no approaching cars. In a burst of movement she sprinted across the tarmac, her paws hitting the ground loudly. It was thrilling to run so openly, rather than only under the cover of trees.

"Slow down tiger," Rebecca urged as she emerged from the trees behind her. Roy burst through after her, panting.

"Thanks for leaving me behind guys," he huffed in irritation.

"You gotta keep up Roy boy," Rebecca replied, mirth in her voice.

"There was a whole convoy going passed. What was I supposed to do? And I knew you would start calling me that," he added, grumbling to himself. "I'm gonna kill my aunt for still using that nickname."

"Come on, it's cute!"

"Not from you!" he snapped, barking at her.

"Can you two kids quit your yapping and cross the road?" Riza interjected. She watched the two of them bicker as she sat on a boulder by the side of the road. It was entertaining the majority of the time, but they were so close to her childhood home now that Riza was anxious to get moving. "Or I will leave you both behind." She stood once more and hopped down. She landed silently, the only sound was the snapping of a twig. If Riza had really wanted to, she could have made her landing much, much louder. It was a great intimidation technique. Especially against the Hunters, Havoc had told her.

"You wouldn't." Rebecca's reply was casual as she loped across the highway.

"Maybe I will. But, then again, I am afraid you might just kill each other if I'm not there to referee."

"We don't need a babysitter," Rebecca huffed, butting Riza's body with her shoulder.

"Clearly," Riza replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Come on, we are almost there."

That announcement seemed to sober the other two up. They were silent for once as the trio ran through the forest towards her childhood home. Just over the crest of the next hill and I'll see it. The thought sent a bolt of nervous energy into Riza's stomach. She wasn't sure what she would find when she returned. Her only hope was that she wasn't too late.

"Can you guys wait nearby?" she asked as they approached the suburb where she grew up. "I want to see him by myself first."

"Of course," Rebecca replied.

"Just let us know if you need us," Roy added, after agreeing with Rebecca. "We will be on standby."

"I don't know how long it will take."

"That's okay. We will get checked into the hotel then circle back to your street. I was thinking we could wait near the park behind your house?"

Riza dipped her head in agreement. "Good idea. I'll see you soon."

Changing into her human form, Riza walked from the treeline and into a street which was a few over from where she grew up. Walking this way meant she would pass the park where Rebecca and Roy would be waiting nearby. As she spotted it, nostalgia overcame her and she smiled as she thought back to playing there after school with Rebecca, and once or twice with Roy.

Her chest constricted as she approached her old house. It was in the centre of the street and from her current angle Riza could just make out the front yard and the porch. It was a large house, painted white and complete with a picket fence at the yard's boundaries. However, no matter how picturesque it felt, there was no happiness in that house. Riza was more understanding of the situation now but it didn't erase the fifteen years of loneliness.

It looked run down now. The paint was peeling off the walls and there were a few loose tiles off the roof. The garden was overgrown, but the path to the door was still passable. Before Riza could change her mind, she stepped onto the path and made her way up to the door. Knocking on it quickly, she took a step backwards, heart hammering in her chest.

There was movement on the other side of the door as the homeowner approached. Grumman had it on good authority her father still lived here. He had sent a scout out before Christmas to confirm his location. But there was a small, cowardly, part of Riza that hoped he wouldn't be the one to open the door.

Her hopes were dashed as she stared, wide-eyed, at the man who opened the door.

"Riza?"

DUN DUN DUN

Sorry to leave it on a bit of a cliffhanger. Gotta keep the suspense up and all that ;) I am also aware this isn't the most exciting chapter, but ~foreshadowing~