No matter what Sabo said, it was still rough on Ace to give up his territory. He knew he wasn't really "giving" anything up. The mountains may be the bandits, but the clearing? Their treehouse den? That was his. His and Sabo's, and Luffy could never take that from them.

(Luffy couldn't take Sabo, because he was clearly still here. Still with Ace, living in their den and sharing his food. If Sabo didn't want Ace– well. Ace wasn't sure what he'd do if Sabo figured out he didn't want Ace either, but for now he could be comforted with the idea that Sabo wouldn't hide it when he did realize.)

(Ace ignored the smaller, quieter thoughts. The ones that nagged, exasperated and hurt all at once. The tiny, whimpering reminders of "We could share. We could be one. One body, one family, one pack." It didn't do him any good to dream before and it wouldn't start now.)

No, Ace was just indulging Sabo. Why else would he let Luffy follow them home? It wasn't like they were keeping him.

Luffy was beyond excited.

A whole pack, and they were his, and he was theirs, and they were werewolves– well, one was a werewolf. But compared to before? Back in Fushia, when all he really had was Makino and Woop Slap and the fishmonger and the baker and some of the other nicer people there? A lot of the adults were kind to him, but they weren't pack.

Out of everyone there, Makino had almost been pack. She was even happy to let him scent her, but Luffy didn't want to. It would be disrespectful to Shanks, trying to cover up his marks! Luffy may not have much of a bone in his body left for courtesy, but no self-respecting werewolf tried to cover another wolf's claims. Especially not when that wolf was Shanks, the first other werewolf he had ever met besides Gramps.

...Makino never really got it, when he tried to explain. But she trusted his words and trusted his instinct, and that was sometimes more precious than understanding. She was pack, even if technically one of Shanks' pack rather than his own. Even without the right ears, or a tail, or claws and proper teeth. Makino was happy being human, in her human body. Luffy had to learn to respect that in case any of his future pack didn't want to be furry either.

(He wouldn't be hurt. Shanks was so happy even when Makino refused the bite. Luffy wanted to be that happy someday too. Pack wasn't about bodies. It was about nakama. Luffy would love them no matter what. They would be his to protect.)

It was a valuable lesson. He didn't expect to put it in practice so soon, but now he had a pack! a real one! Now he had Ace and Sabo, and Sabo was a human but Luffy could smell Ace's claim on him and Sabo never pushed Ace away– They were obviously a pack. A very small, weird pack, compared to Shanks huge and loud and crazy pack, but they were pack.

Luffy was sure Sabo had his reasons for rejecting the bite. Gramps always said it wasn't his business whether people accepted the bite, and Shanks said everybody was different. Luffy knew that. He wouldn't ask, because he knew.

Ace was a little prickly, but so were lots of people. He snapped sometimes, and cuffed him a lot, and liked to swat at him hard enough to make him fall over, but it didn't hurt. He never drew blood. In an odd way, the wildness of them both made Luffy even happier. Ace played rough, and that meant Sabo played rough, and that meant Luffy could play rough. He could do whatever he wanted because they could take it– and he wouldn't– they wouldn't think he was a freak. He couldn't hurt them. Sure, it got a little annoying and frustrating that he never won any fights, but he was just happy to… to finally...

it didn't matter. He had a pack. A whole pack. One that didn't snap at him, or leave him in dangerous places like Gramps did, and sometimes they smiled at him or rubbed his ears or ruffled his hair like Shanks sometimes did and that felt so nice, to have again.

(It felt nice to be wanted.)

Ace didn't understand. He tried, but it wasn't working. Spending more time with Luffy wasn't working. In fact, it seemed to make his confusion worse.

Nothing was making Luffy give up. He just kept coming back, no matter how many times they beat him in hunting, or a spar. He just got up every time Ace bowled him over as if nothing could dampen his spirits. It should have been frustrating. It was frustrating. Frustrating, and infuriating, and annoying– and confusing. It would have been so much easier if Ace could just be angry.

...Why couldn't he just be angry?

"Maybe that's just how he is," Sabo said offhandedly one night, when Luffy had once again fallen asleep long before them and Ace got too quiet. "Maybe he's just. Really, really lonely." Lonely enough to crave even whatever company Sabo and Ace could give him.

Like you. Like us.

Ace did not whine. He didn't. He will admit to pushing his snout further into the crook of Sabo's arm though, as if covering his eyes would make every issue Luffy brought vanish into smoke. It didn't work, but Sabo scratched at his ears and that was pretty nice too.

"Maybe we're his first, like you were mine," Sabo mumbled. "I'm… I'm glad we have him. And each other. I'm happier than I think I've ever managed to be." He fell asleep with his hand still buried in Ace's fur. As if he hadn't just said something more openly sincere than he had managed since he was still injured and Ace had to drag him around. As if he hadn't singlehandedly ruined Ace's chances of a good night's sleep without even trying.

(He spent the whole night wide awake, staring at his pack, his family, and wondered when that stopped being a shallow reassurement and started being a concrete part of his reality.)

"What do you mean our pack?! Neither of you are pack– Sabo is a human!"

…

"Wha– of course I haven't offered him the bite!"

Apparently, Luffy knew more about what a pack was than Ace. Maybe he really shouldn't have stopped challenging Ace to be the alpha after all, if he couldn't even recognize his own pack. Was his nose broken? Good thing he had Luffy, then.

Ace had a pack. Had had a pack for months, since Sabo started living with him– how the hell hadn't he noticed? He was embarrassed enough that it took Luffy pointing it out for him to realize.

...He doubted Sabo noticed either. He wasn't a werewolf. He didn't understand what pack really meant. Only a werewolf had the internal pull of a pack bond, and Sabo wasn't– didn't– Did he even know Ace cared about him? As far as Ace knew, normal friends didn't live together. He had seen the people in Goa, and in the Terminal, before they had stopped going there. He doubted any of them wanted to even touch each other, much less live codependently.

Luffy opened his eyes. It was up to him now to take care of things, like a good alpha should. For the good of his pack.

Ace had been acting weird since he and Luffy had gone hunting together, but Sabo didn't think it was something bad. His friend barely seemed able to contain his own excitement.

"Did you know, you guys?" Luffy and Sabo both perked up as Ace whipped a familiar bottle seemingly out of nowhere. "To humans, if you exchange drinks then you can become brothers." They all watched intently as the eldest poured out three separate cups of sake, eyes wide. Luffy's tail began to wag violently enough to send dirt flying up. "When we become pirates, we may not be able to end up on the same crew… but the bond we share will never die." Sabo grinned as both his brother's broke into a brief silence, wiggling in excitement. Sabo waited patiently, not even bothering to mask how rampantly his heart raced with eagerness.

Finally catching a hint of his previous composure, Ace leaned forward and snatched up the cup closest to him. "No matter where we are, or what we do, This is one bond we can never break…!" He watched with eyes practically sparkling for Luffy and Sabo to pick a cup of their own, raising it high above their heads. (His pack, following his lead. They were happy to do so. He was– Ace could be a good alpha, to his pack.)

"Starting today, we are brothers!" They threw the sake back in tandem.

Luffy gagged, near immediately spitting the alcohol right back out. Ace and Sabo both made equally disgusted faces, eyes watering as they forced it down. "That's gross," Ace said matter-of-factually. They all slammed the drinks back down on the stump.

None of them cracked, Sabo mused, eyeing the cup suspiciously, but I almost wish they did. Not that the vile taste of alcohol could manage to dampen the affection still rolling just under his skin. His new brothers seemed to radiate warmth, glowing under the solidification of their new bond.

Lost in his thoughts, he missed the considering look the werewolves shared- both Luffy's questioning head tilt and Ace's determined nod. It was only when Ace reached out and grabbed onto Sabo's sleeve, Luffy latching onto his opposite arm, that Sabo looked up from their empty cups.

"Sabo." Ace hadn't looked so serious since he had told him the truth of his blood. "Lu 'n I need to tell you something." Sabo only blinked, brow furrowed in silent question. He obediently sat when they both pulled on him, tugging him down to the ground alongside them. Both his new brothers were regarding him with an intense expression– more resolute than Sabo thought Luffy was ever capable. "You're our brother now," Ace started, "You're family. Nakama."

"Pack," Luffy chimed in, nodding seriously.

Pack. He called me… Ace didn't correct him. They both know I'm human, why didn't– Sabo paused. He took in the still posture of his brothers, the alert ears, the attentive gaze– "What are you asking me?" He said seriously.

Ace hadn't let go of him. Nor had he actually blinked, Sabo was pretty sure. His grip wasn't tight enough to keep him still, not quite, but it put Sabo's brain into hyperfocus on his two werewolf siblings. They seemed to be watching him for something. A reaction, but he wasn't sure which one they wanted just yet. "You know Lu and I are both born werewolves. We're both D's."

"What does that have to– ow!" Sabo winced, glaring when Ace cuffed him. "Okay, okay, I'm listening." They both settled back down and Sabo distantly noticed Ace didn't release his grip on his sleeve even to smack him.

"We're true werewolves," Luffy cut in, wiggling impatiently. "So we're the ones who have to build the pack. We gotta find our nakama, and–"

"Do you want the bite?" Ace blurted out. Absolutely no tact. His grip tightened when Sabo didn't immediately respond, blue eyes blown wide in shock. The blond barely even noticed when claws pricked through his sleeves. His eyes were frozen on Ace's face. Ace's ears flattened to his head in the face of rejection, anxiety seeping into his posture. "We–We're supposed to ask, first, but– if––" The eldest made a frustrated huffing sound, edging halfway into a whine Sabo rarely heard from him.

"You'll be like us," Luffy said reverently. He pressed closer to Sabo's side, tucking his head against his shoulder. Compared to how Ace looked like he was bracing himself, Luffy was completely relaxed. Happily lounging against his human brother as if everything was already long decided.

Stunned, Sabo wasn't able to do much more than stare. Ace shifted uncomfortably, ears pulled back tight the longer Sabo was silent. "You…" He trailed off. The clearing was bereft of any sound. Not even the distant waves or chitter of insects and leaves managed to reach his ears past the barrier of shock. "A werewolf?"

He was staring at Ace, but he could feel when Luffy nodded his head violently against his shoulder. Ace met his eyes gaze for gaze, the grey even and neutral. "A werewolf," He confirmed quietly. "Like us."

Like them. I can be–

"We won't if you… If you really don't want it," Luffy murmured, his lowering ears and tail betraying how badly he wanted otherwise. He said it as if the idea alone was painful despite his best efforts to appear otherwise. (He couldn't help it. He doubted Sabo would refuse the bite, and he knew better. A bite alone did not make a pack. Nor did it make a crew, or a friend, or a brother. He knew that. But if– he wasn't, wasn't ready to face it yet, if Sabo refused it would hurt–) "You can just be human, and still be our brother. You'd still be pack. No matter what. We promised, so– so––"

They lapsed back into silence.

Sabo's mind raced. I didn't even know this was possible. That werewolves could– well, only werewolves like Ace and Luffy, or Gramps? Gramps is a D too, isn't he– through a bite. A bite they just offered me. For me to be a werewolf. A bite is all it takes for me to be a werewolf, because Ace and Luffy are werewolves, and I am pack apparently and they want me to be a werewolf by giving me the bite and–– His brothers jerked in surprise when Sabo abruptly reached up and slapped himself.

I'm only driving myself into circles.

Looking up, he glanced between his two brothers. They were taking turns between staring at him and the floor, unable to handle the prolonged silence. A baby whimper had kicked up in Luffy's throat unnoticed. "You want to make me a werewolf," He said again, unable to help the lasting tinge of disbelief in his voice.

Two nods.

"By biting me."

Two nods.

Sabo fell quiet again. Luffy's quiet you'll be like us rang on loop in his head, louder and louder the longer he tried to focus. You'll be like us. A werewolf, like Ace. Like Luffy. He'd lose his humanity, change in ways he didn't fully understand. He wouldn't be the same anymore. It was more than likely permanent.

I wouldn't be human anymore, he thought, the concept muffled as if through multiple mental walls and buried under a hundred blankets. I won't be human anymore. I'd be like my brothers, who love me.

The farthest thing from a noble. My family would be horrified. They'd never want me back. What good would a perceived "monster" be in the family business? A single bite is all it would take to render me useless, in their eyes… even more useless than before. They wouldn't have any reason to want me back.

Something disposable, something not worth their time. Was it even an argument, what he wanted?

Sabo felt resolve firm in his gut, heated and intense. "That's all it takes?" He asked, and the words were steady for how quiet they were. "Just a bite?" Two huge eyes snapped to his face, ears shooting up high. Sabo smiled, a tremulous little thing that slowly steadied, strengthened– "Well if it's so easy, hurry up," He teased.

Immediately, he was bowled over by two overeager siblings, yipping excitedly and fur flying everywhere in their seeming struggle to clamber all over him. Sharp claws clipped and scraped, poking through his clothes. Fur jammed into his mouth and tickled his nose– and yet, even as Luffy licked his cheek, he could only throw his head back and laugh.

Pack, his head screamed, loud and warm even without a bite branding him, this is my pack.

"So how do we do this," Sabo asked once they all calmed down. "Does it matter where…?" He jumped when Luffy nipped at his shoulder, teeth gently catching on his collar. "Oh– is that–" Ace pushed Luffy's face away, growling playfully when the youngest snapped lightheartedly at his fingers. Sabo calmly let him maneuver him until he was sitting between them both, Luffy behind him and Ace in front, watching on as the eldest pulled his collar and shirt away from the spot Luffy had mouthed at.

"Gramps always said nakama are marked around here," He muttered. Despite his words, he nervously prodded at the meat of Sabo's shoulder until the blond squirmed away with a laugh. "Hold still," Ace grumbled.

"It tickles."

"Well, it'd tickle less if you weren't moving!"

Huffing, Ace roughly tugged at Sabo's collar until his brother obediently stilled, scowling in a poor attempt to hide his embarrassed flush. Luffy badly muffled his snicker into Sabo's other shoulder. "Just," Ace started, voice becoming serious, "just say if it's too much? I've— we've never turned someone."

Sabo frowned. Normally such an expression on his brother would be enough cause to poke fun, but there was a distinct little spark of real fear in Ace's posture. Hunched shoulders, downcast eyes— he didn't need Luffy's quiet whine or tightening grip to tell him how seriously his brothers were taking this.

"What if it doesn't work?" Luffy blurted out. He didn't want– never meant to doubt Shanks, but he couldn't help it. He burrowed his face into Sabo's shoulders, ears flat to his head. His quiet "W-What If Gramps was wrong?" Was nearly unheard, buried the way it was against the blond. There was no response from Ace. Not a reassurance or an insult— just silence. The eldest shifted uneasily, seemingly unable to meet Sabo's eyes.

Sabo sighed, loud and obnoxious. Immediately both his brothers' heads snapped up. a low offended growl starting up in their throats only to shift to a confused whine as Sabo smacked both of them upside the head. "Who cares?" He asked bluntly. Reaching out, he tousled both of their heads in a way uncharacteristically gentle. Luffy leaned happily into his touch, responding instinctively to the comfort even as Ace was still frozen from the smack. "We'll still be brothers, we'll still be pack— I just won't be as furry, or smell as bad." ...and probably have a shiny new scar. The second one he'll have gotten, connected to Ace. The older boy had only just stopped fussing over Sabo's healed leg, he wasn't excited to field the anxiety of a new wound if this failed. Ace finally slapped his hand away.

"S-shut Up," he snapped. "That's so stupid— you fucking dumbass! We— we know that—"

Sabo grinned. "Your tail is wagging."

"Fuck off!"

Rubber limbs wrapped around them both, cutting off their squabbling with a single tug. "Shishishi," Luffy giggled, "Sabo's right! Ace is dumb." Ace sputtered. Struggling didn't do more than pin him further. "We took the oath. Brothers no matter what! It doesn' matter if it works!" It was Sabo's turn to flush, ducking away from the brilliant smile Luffy so easily radiated his way. For such a scraggly little puppy, their youngest was uncanny in his ability to glow like a star in every space. Sabo snapped out of his thoughts when clawed hands skimmed his bared shoulder. Luffy's grip had finally loosened enough to free their arms, allowing Ace to return to his previous position with new determination.

"Either way," Ace mumbled, unsure if to himself to his younger brothers, "our bond can never be broken." Luffy leaped to mirror him and Sabo reeled at how quickly they both bounced back to attention. The sudden return to seriousness made his heart leap in his chest, an abrupt and loud hammer of Is this really happening? "At the same time?" Ace asked Luffy. The smaller werewolf nodded excitedly, nearly vibrating with anticipation. His claws ripped Sabo's shirt a little moving it out of the way of his other shoulder, but Sabo was too nervous to even comment. His heart beat so loudly in his ears as both werewolves leaned closer.

His hands were vice tight around both of them as teeth sank deep into the meat of his shoulders.

Immediate pain flared up like twin flames. He whimpered, unable to help it, and could feel it through the new wounds when they twitched in barely subdued response. Blood trickled down his collar. Still, he held on for what felt like hours. The feeling of teeth sliding out of his skin forced a strangled noise out of his throat that made both his brothers immediately whine, Luffy lapping almost guiltily at the new marks until the blood slowed to a stop. Sabo was too busy struggling to breathe to even react. He just sat there, trembling through the aftershocks of pain as they gently cleaned the blood away from his skin.

"Hurts?" Luffy whispered, nudging against his jaw. The tips of his ears tickled Sabo's cheek, distracted him from the ache of the bites. Even with his tail still wagging, stuck in the lingering feelings of marking a Nakama, his eyes were wide with worry. "Sabo, does it hurt?"

Ace met his eyes evenly, daring him to lie. Sabo grit his teeth and smiled. "N-no, Lu, it doesn't hurt," he soothed. He earned a growl for that, but it was half-hearted at best. Neither of them wanted to further upset their youngest.

"Gramps didn't say how long it takes," Ace Informed him with only a hint of unease. "But Lu an' I will hunt for all of us until the bites heal a li'l."

Now that, for as sweet the intent was, was offensive. He knew this would happen. He wasn't about to let this start again.

Sabo struggled to sit upright, glaring at his older brother. "I can hunt," he retorted. Luffy yipped unhappily, pressing against his back until the wounds ached, pulsing accusingly. "It's just a little blood! We can just wrap them, and I'll be fine." He carefully stood up, ignoring how the bites pulled. The longer he focused on them, the more he registered how a low thrum seemed to burn from the marks outward– as if venom was spreading through him. A small twinge of uncertainty went diligently ignored. "I'll just take a nap, and we can go get lunch."

There was a whine followed by a series of pops and cracks. Sabo turned to be greeted with the familiar sight of his brothers shifting. Luffy pressed his cold snout against Sabo's leg, only whining when Ace trotted forward to nose at him carefully. Sighing quietly, Sabo just allowed his pack to tug him back down to the floorboards. Encircled in soft, warm fur, his brothers attentively snuffing at his bites with every wince, it was easy to fall asleep.

The world was spinning. Sweltering, disorienting– as if waking up in the full heat of the sun, nauseous with heat.

He couldn't open his eyes. Not just yet, the lids feeling heavy and swollen. Sabo groaned.

Something freezing cold and wet poked his cheek and he cringed away, weakly attempting to bat the uncomfortable object away. Moving was sluggishly slow, pulling at sore muscles as if he had been training with Garp for hours beforehand. It took three tries before his hand actually made contact with anything– settling against thick, coarse, familiar fur–

Sabo's eyes flew open.

He was forced to squeeze them shut again the next moment. Everything was dark, the fuzzy shadow he was sure was one of his brothers rippling like a swarm of angry hornets. "Ace?" He croaked out. His voice sounded terrible. Like nails on a chalkboard, like scraping rusty steel– "L-Lu? 'S 'at you?"

A piercing whine rang through his head painfully and he jerked back, only managing to make his head swim with the sudden motion. "It, it hurts– q-quieter, please…" Clasping a hand to his head made him nearly flinch back in shock, barely managing to avoid the impulse before another wave of nausea drowned out the world. The heat running rampant through his body couldn't compare to how hotly his forehead burned to the touch. He swore he'd be steaming, if he could. "...'M I sick…?"

"You're changing."

Sabo winced, his head throbbing noisily. The new voice was loud even for how softly it's owner spoke. He could make out a shuffle of feet before cool hands apologetically steadied him, carefully pressing him back down to rest back against Luffy's side. "Sorry," Ace whispered. "We did warn you." Sabo was too busy focusing on trying to breathe to properly retort, hoping futilely that maybe if he filled his lungs with enough cool night air he'd settle a little. A low murmur passed over him and he wasn't sure whether it was meant for him or Luffy– he barely reacted even as one of their ratty blankets was tugged over him.

A softer series of muffled noises managed to pass even more distant to Sabo's ears, meaning lost even as a clawed hand shook him lightly for his attention. He wasn't able to pry his eyes open again. Sagging, Sabo managed a hazy "mhm" in response to whatever was being said before the world faded back out to nothing but blissful quiet and darkness.

When Sabo next managed to open his eyes, everything was a hundred times less oppressive. His eyes didn't sting trying to make out his surroundings, and sitting up took less effort– his vision barely spun for it all. Everything was still multiple decibels louder, uncomfortably sensitive to his hearing, but for the first time since he settled down he wasn't in pain.

It might have helped that he was alone this time.

Sabo blinked, scanning the treehouse. Neither of his brothers were currently with him– their blankets had been left piled over his legs. Likely tossed onto him before they went out to hunt for breakfast. How long have I been asleep? A day? The sun was still low enough to shine directly through the windows, so it couldn't have been very late in the morning… Maybe just a few hours. Hopefully.

He heard them long before he saw them.

Head swiveling, Sabo leap to the doorway just in time to watch Luffy crash through the undergrowth, flying head over paws like a rolling bundle of dark fur and dust into the clearing. "Lu!" He yipped, and immediately froze. His hands flew over his mouth only to flinch as claws dug into his cheeks, almost tearing skin as he violently jerked them away again. Whatever noise he made next, staring at his hands, was strangled beyond recognition.

"Sabo!" Luffy skidded to a halt at the base of the tree, mid-shift, totally missing his brother panicking in front of him in his struggle to rocket up into the tree as fast as possible. "Sabo! Sabo! Ace, he's awake!" Ace stumbled into the clearing, dragging a massive boar behind him with both his and Luffy's pipes tied to his back. His black ears perked up at the sight of his blond brother and he immediately abandoned the animal in favor of scrambling up the tree himself.

"You're awake," He said, tail breaking into a wag. When Sabo didn't respond, he backed up a step in order to scan him over quickly, frowning when he was unable to immediately see what was wrong. "What's wrong?"

Sabo just stared at him, limbs dead weight as he tried uselessly to speak. Luffy pressed up against his side worryingly. "Sabo?" His older brother carefully reached out, poking hesitantly at Sabo's shoulder, under his bite. There was no pain, no pull or ache anymore– just the usual twinge of Ace's claws hooking in the fabric of his shirt. "Is it the bites? It's been a couple days now, last time we checked they were mostly sealed up–"

"A couple days?" Sabo finally blurted out, eyes wide.

He threw his hands up, tangling them into his hair. A sharp sting of pain made him yelp, immediately letting go just as Ace growled and slapped his hands away. "Don't do that, you dumbass!" He hissed, but Sabo wasn't listening. His hands were shaking when he slowly reached up to prod at the source of the ache, meeting something soft and unmistakably furry.

"Oh my god."

His free hand flew to his ears, cursing when sharp claws caught on the curly hide of the new appendages. Ace gave him a particularly exasperated look, posture slumping in realization.

"Are you serious? We gave you the bite, you really shouldn't be so surprised."

It was undeniably true, but– "It's not as if you've ever done it before?! It had a chance of not working– of course I'm startled to find my biology changed–"

"Why do you think you got so sick?! I said you were changing!"

Ace watched his brother abruptly cut himself off of whatever was going to leave his mouth the moment he felt soft fur brush the underside of his knees. He could see the second Sabo registered exactly what was touching him too. "I have a tail, Ace!" He squeaked, eyes huge.

Luffy yipped sharply in excitement, practically wiggling in place with excitement enough to cut both his brothers off. "Yeah! Isn't it great?!" He asked. Unable to contain himself, his tail thumped loudly against the floorboards. "Now we're all wolves!" Sabo flushed, unable to handle the flood of positivity practically radiating off his smallest brother. Ace cackled at his expression and Sabo yelped when his hand ruffled his hair, rubbing over his ears in a way that made something in him go loose and warm even through his embarrassment. Ha, take that. Now you get to know how it feels to be pet too.

"You're a werewolf now," Ace said seriously. "You're not human anymore. You can't always act like one, either." A wicked look took over the eldest's expression and Sabo froze, having a mini heart attack as he felt his ears instinctively press back.

"What do you—"

"We have to fight! An' hunt!" Luffy screeched. Sabo yelped as the youngest pup launched himself at him, forcing them both to tumble head over heels and—

Directly out of the treehouse.

"Luffy!" Sabo screamed, flailing to catch himself on a tree, or vines, or foliage— The rush of leaves past his ears, the snap of branches and startled birds was so impossibly louder now–

Even over the noise he could hear Ace cackling, the bastard. "Better get used to it!" He vaguely heard, "'cause now we're gonna teach you how to be a wolf. No take-backs now!"

AN this is getting uploaded on the last day of my break before next semester starts,, so will probably be a bit before next chapter. Have an extra long one.

also! finally, finally getting to the reasons i wrote this fic. the majority of this chapter was actually written several months ago when i first had the idea sankdbhfjn but yeah no more bridging chapters. now we get tot he Meat which is All Pain