Hello, everyone! We have reached chapter 10! Double digits! When I first started this, I thought that this would be the halfway point, but this is turning into a much longer piece than I had originally planned. I hope you enjoy it!
On the night of the first patrol into Adam's territory, Weiss went to the Church. Her head was bowed as she walked down the aisle leading through the pews. This was normal, so no one was likely to guess that her posture was due less to reverence and more to guilt and confusion. When she reached the five altars, she knelt down. Only then did she chance a look at the portrait of God.
A smiling, white-bearded face regarded her with the same expression it always had. Mentally, Weiss smacked herself for being so silly as to anticipate anything else. Part of her had expected to see the painted face glaring at her with disapproval. Things like that don't happen, she reminded herself.
But then, if that was true, that meant that God and the Maidens could very well be mad at her. Their portraits wouldn't change, but the gazes of the real ones could be very angry. Weiss shivered at the thought.
There was no going back at this point. She was already in too deep. She had repeatedly spared the lives of werewolves and even conversed with them. Worse still was the ugly flare of jealousy that had risen in her chest when she saw the closeness between Pyrrha and Ruby. That could only mean one thing: She was still in love with her old friend. She was in love with a werewolf.
Her shoulders shook as she knelt in front of God's altar. There were no Dust urns, like there were for the Maidens. Instead, the space in front of the white portrait held a thick book bound in ivory and gold leaf. It contained the Scriptures of the One God and the Four Maidens. Winter says you don't hold all the answers, she thought. But, would you be able to help me?
"Weiss?"
Weiss jumped a little at the sound of her sister's voice. When she looked up, she knew that some of her inner conflicts were reflected in her eyes. There was no helping it. "Hello, Winter."
"What is wrong?" One perfect brow was raised as Winter regarded her little sister. While kneeling before God's altar was certainly acceptable, it generally wasn't done on a regular basis. People often approached the Maidens, due to how much closer they seemed to mortals. God was who they approached when they were at their lowest point and needed guidance that the Maidens couldn't offer. Weiss had never knelt before this altar before.
Knowing it would do no good to lie, Weiss elected to tell a half-truth. "My feelings concerning Ruby and Blake have not improved."
Winter nodded, kneeling down next to her sister. "Is it continued grief, or something else?"
Weiss opened and closed her mouth a few times before shaking her head mutely. She wanted to pour her heart out to her sister, feel those strong arms wrap around her shoulders, and hear that firm voice telling her exactly what to do. She couldn't do that, though. If Winter knew what was happening, she would never speak to Weiss again. She would be duty-bound to turn her in to the Elders. Weiss couldn't even vent partially, because there was too much of a risk that she'd say too much accidentally.
When it became clear that Weiss wasn't going to tell her, Winter sighed. "If you can't confide in me, then I hope you can find some comfort in God. Tell him all that's troubling you, if no one else. He will listen, as will I if you decide to come to me."
Weiss nodded, her lip trembling as she forced a smile. "Thank you, Winter." She bowed to the portrait before standing up. "I…will be going on a patrol tonight. Would you give me a blessing before I leave?"
"Of course." Immediately, Winter changed from a concerned sister to a calm priestess. Raising her hand, she did the Sign of the Five-Pointed Star, representing God at the top, and then the four Maidens in the points below. "In the name of God and the Maidens, I bless you as you go forth in their name. May Spring grant you vitality, may Summer grant you joy, may Fall grant you bounty, and may Winter grant you wisdom. May God's watchful eye see that you remain on his path. So may it be." She leaned down and kissed the top of Weiss's head. "Go well, little sister."
Warm tears streamed down Weiss's cheeks as she left the Church. She adjusted her saber at her side, remembering when she had come so close to plunging it through Ruby's heart. That memory alone almost made her throw her weapon away, but she quickly regained control of her emotions.
That's enough of that, she scolded herself. You have work to do tonight. Blake needs you.
Having a task to accomplish helped immensely with forcing her worried thoughts away. It was almost better than anything the Church could do.
…
Jaune's nerves were on high-alert as the group went through the forest. The past few days had almost been enough to make him forget that danger lurked between the trees. Now, he had to forget about Ruby and Pyrrha and remind himself that the werewolves they would meet tonight, if any, would gladly kill them if given the chance.
Unless we're really lucky and run into Blake, he thought. That would be nice, certainly, but it was pretty clear that that wouldn't happen. If speculation was to be believed, Adam would have her at the center of the territory, potentially trapped somewhere. The mental image of Blake being held in a dirty cave with a grinning wolf looming over her made Jaune shudder, and he tried to think about something else.
Instead, he fingered the scraps of cloth in his pocket. They were a newer part of the plan that Ren had come up with.
When they were younger, the group had fantasized about excelling as Huntsmen, to the point of being renowned heroes throughout the kingdom. They planned everything, from what they'd name their horses, to what each person's coat of arms would look like. Jaune's was simple: two golden arcs on a blue background. Some were more elaborate, like Ruby's and Weiss's. Blake's had been a black flower on a dark purple background.
Over the course of the day, Ren had painted all of their symbols on different scraps of cloth and gave them out. If they were scattered around during the patrol, they might be taken by the wind to the inner parts of the territory. The werewolves wouldn't know their meaning, but if Blake saw them, she might figure out that the others were looking for her.
They paused as they reached the border. Pyrrha had described in detail the path they would have to take to skirt the western side, the one that bordered Cinder's land. After that, it was up to them to figure the other parts out.
Ren knelt down, examining the ground. "There are lots of tracks." He narrowed his eyes as he tried to see some of the trees. "Further in, there are claw marks on the bark."
They walked a few more miles in, Jaune's sword arm shaking whenever a bush rustled. He looked at the trees every now and again, noticing clawmarks on most of them. When they stopped again, he listened for any sign of approaching werewolves or Grimm.
It wasn't until their next stop that something occurred to him. "Can we expect any weak spots here? Won't all of this border be heavily-marked, since it's right next to another pack's territory?"
The others frowned, realizing that he was right.
"In that case," Weiss said promptly. "Patrols on this border should focus on finding out exactly when the wolves come to different areas to reinforce the boundaries. It would be better if we can get Blake out on this side, after all."
Nora groaned. "Why do we have to find this out? We've been hunting here for years. Haven't other Huntsmen figured stuff like that out?"
"Not really," Yang reminded her. "Vale has always thought werewolves are stupid animals. We just hunt down what we can find and kill them. Tracking stuff like that isn't usually a thing."
Ren's brows furrowed. "But…even animals have a pattern of behavior." He shook his head slowly. "We've blindly followed so many things, haven't we?"
Weiss shifted uncomfortably, her thoughts returning to the Church and her father. What even do we believe anymore? So many things are different from how we thought they were… She thought back to her time in front of the altars and shook her head. The Maidens will forgive me if I'm wrong, and commend me if I'm right. I have to believe that much.
They skirted the rest of the border, dropping cloths at intervals and keeping an eye on how recent some claw marks were compared to others. As they reached the northernmost end of the border, they heard several approaching werewolves.
They readied their battle stances. There was no running away or hiding. The wolves would detect their scent and give chase. The air was charged as the footsteps drew closer and the pace of the beasts quickened. Some of the wolves branched off and the Huntsmen adjusted their position so that they wouldn't get flanked.
Then, from two different places, a total of five werewolves burst out of the brush. The first one immediately lunged for Ren, jaws open wide and claws ready. Ren nimbly jumped to the side, slashing at the creature's side with his shortsword.
Before the wolf could turn and retaliate, a hammer came down on its head, effectively ending its life. Nora's eyes blazed as they fixed on the next enemy.
Jaune took the initiative to run at the one closest to him, swinging his sword in a series of quick, darting motions he had learned over the years. The end result left the wolf bleeding severely from several wounds. Still, the creature rushed forward, lashing out with its claws. Jaune felt them clink against his armor as he tried to back away.
A cry rang from where Weiss and Yang were. A wolf had a tight grip on Weiss's (fortunately) armored arm. The teeth sank into the reinforced leather while Weiss tried stabbing it with her free hand and Yang mercilessly beat at its head. Even then, it took Ren throwing a dagger to finally get the creature to loosen its grip so that a very pale Weiss could run it through.
The three remaining wolves exchanged glances before two of them retreated. The third, the one that Jaune had injured, tried to run, but collapsed after less than a yard. It fell to the side, panting loudly, blood gushing from its front.
Weiss strode toward it, saber raised, only to stop at Jaune's shout.
"Wait!" He ran over to Weiss, putting a hand on her shoulder. "What if we took it and questioned it?"
"Are you crazy?!" Weiss gaped at Jaune. "We can't capture a live werewolf! The people in Vale will kill it before we can ask it anything, and we'll be suspected for not killing it immediately!"
"What if we took it to Pyrrha?" Jaune suggested. "She could take it to her pack as a prisoner. That could help her standing with the others, and it'll be secure."
"What if it gets loose? It'd go back to its leader and tell him that there are Huntsmen working with wolves from Cinder's pack." Weiss shook her head. "No. It's better to kill it." She turned toward the werewolf. It was still lying on its side. One eye was turned toward her. As she stepped closer, it raised one of its paws feebly.
It was an easy kill. This werewolf was an enemy. Yet, Weiss found herself faltering, her mind going back to the last time she raised her blade against a vulnerable werewolf. Against her better judgment, she looked at the eye that was fixed on her. In the moon's glow, she saw that it was a dark brown color, the pupil barely visible in it. It blinked and the creature let out a whine.
Its fur was brown. It was lighter than Ruby's, but… The fearful look on its face seemed to pierce Weiss's soul. As she looked at it, she felt her determination to kill fading. A strange, alien sense of peace flooded through her and she lowered her hand, frowning in puzzlement.
Jaune took a step toward the creature. "We're going to bind you. Will you come quietly if we let you live?"
The creature nodded its head rapidly. A loud whine punctuated its consent.
Yang sighed. "If we're gonna do it, let's do it quickly. We don't want his friends coming back with reinforcements."
After binding the muzzle and wrists of the wounded werewolf, Jaune reached into his bag and withdrew some medicine that was meant to stop bleeding. After rubbing it on some of the wounds and using cloth bandages to bind the worst of them, he stepped back. "Okay. Stand up."
Whimpering, the werewolf stood on its hind legs. Now that the battle was over, the Huntsmen realized that this was a relatively small wolf. It was about as tall as they were, rather than being over a head taller. It was either really small in its human form, or just very weak in general. It didn't even try to snarl at them through its rope-wrapped muzzle.
As they walked, they realized that they would need to find a place to keep the beast until they could meet with Pyrrha. Someone would also have to guard it. Ren and Nora volunteered, since they didn't have families and wouldn't be missed as quickly.
Jaune suggested keeping the prisoner in the woods bordering the Faunus District. "We know there won't be as many Huntsmen there," he muttered dryly.
It was almost sunrise as they reached a decent spot that was still a good distance away from town. Ren and Nora watched as the others left before turning to look at their prisoner.
"Hey!" Nora realized. "We'll probably be the first people in a long time to see a detransformation. This is kinda cool!"
Ren said nothing, but reached into his bag, withdrawing a coat. "Just in case it gets cold after turning back," he explained.
Nora rolled her eyes at him. "I swear, you bring extra clothes no matter where we go."
"And extra bandages, rations, and water," Ren added. "It's good to be prepared."
As the sun came up, their dull-eyed werewolf prisoner shuddered. It looked like ripples were running through its brown fur. The shudders intensified, its feet and hands flexed, and its muzzle started to shorten.
"Nora, hold its wrists!" Ren said as the fur started to disappear. "They'll shrink when it turns back!"
Nora got to the wolf just in time to hold its arms steady. The ropes fell from its shaking wrists as more and more fur disappeared as if being sucked back into the skin. She felt the beast try to claw at her a few times and grimaced, tightening her grip while holding the beast at arm's length. While claws didn't usually turn people, blood did. The wolf had some of its own blood on its paws. If Nora got a cut from them, she would be in the same situation as Ruby.
The sound of bones cracking made both humans wince. It looked incredibly painful as the beast shifted and changed from a wolf to an average-sized young man. As the rope fell from his face, he opened his mouth to yell, only to have a handful of cloth bandages shoved in. He glared at Ren as Nora re-bound his wrists.
Ren pointed his sword at the werewolf. "I know you don't want to die, or you wouldn't have been so willing to follow us. If you call for help, you'll be dead before it can arrive. We have some questions for you, and you're going to answer them. Understand?"
The man huffed through the cloth, but nodded. He was a tan-skinned individual with dull, brown hair and dark brown eyes. Now that he wasn't writhing and twitching, it was easy to see the floppy, brown ears that hung at the sides of his head.
So, he's a rabbit Faunus. Ren thought of Velvet. Would this werewolf be just as quiet and mild-mannered? That would certainly be nice. Bending down, he withdrew the cloth from the Faunus's mouth, relieved when he didn't yell. "I'm Ren. That's Nora. What's your name?"
The werewolf let out another resigned sigh, squinting a little as he looked up. "I'm Perry. What do you humans want with me?"
…..
Pyrrha and Ruby sat outside the den, watching the sun set, feeling thick coils of tension within their stomachs.
"I hate this," Ruby muttered, kicking at the dirt. "I want to help. I can't stand waiting like this. What if something goes wrong?"
"We have no other choice," Pyrrha said. Her voice was calm, but her mind was on Jaune. The gentle-eyed, cheerful young man wasn't just her fantasy human anymore, but her real-life friend. The thought of Adam's wolves tearing him apart as they had her parents was already too horrible to bear.
"Pyrrha. Ruby. Come here." Cinder's voice broke both women from their thoughts. They turned to look at the leader, who stood over them. Like most of the werewolves, she wore no clothes. Pyrrha and Ruby were considered odd for wearing theirs, but Pyrrha felt that her charge's comfort was more important than what the others thought.
"There will be a hunt tonight. I think that you have been trained enough. I want you running with me." These last words were directed at Ruby.
"O-Oh!" Ruby quickly stood up. "Okay."
Cinder's eyes flashed and she tilted her head, her mouth becoming a fine line.
Pyrrha hurriedly stood as well. "She means 'Yes, Leader.' Don't you, Ruby?" She gave Ruby a pleading look.
Ruby paled as she realized her error. "Oh, sorry! Um, yes, Leader. I, uh, await your orders."
Cinder's look softened, if minutely. "Very good. Be ready to transform when the sun sets. We leave immediately." She turned and walked away.
Ruby's shoulders slumped. "She's scary…" She glanced up at Pyrrha. "Is it normal for new werewolves to run with the leader?"
"Not usually." Pyrrha was frowning at Cinder's retreating back. "Inexperienced hunters usually stay in the middle of the pack, where they can observe without interfering with the direct contact with prey."
"Do you think it's because I'm an alpha?" Ruby asked. "She saw me use the stare on Mercury."
"That could be it," Pyrrha allowed. "There aren't many alphas in the pack." Her heart sank as she spoke. She wasn't sure if she was just being affected by Sun and Neptune's conspiracy theories, but she found herself wondering if Cinder was hoping to bring Ruby over to her side, so that she wouldn't potentially help Pyrrha overtake the pack.
She quickly shook herself. No, that's silly. She just wants to get Ruby accustomed to giving commands. She knows that I'm adept already. Besides, now that Ruby is trained, it's important that she have a relationship with our leader. With these calming thoughts, Pyrrha pushed her mind away from worries about Jaune, Cinder, and Ruby. She just focused on the transformation and the thrill of the following hunt.
I knew that Perry would make his way into this story, but I didn't realize it would be in this form until after I started typing this chapter. It's funny how things work out. What will they find out from him? What is Cinder planning? Dun dun DUN! All will be revealed…over the course of several more weeks.
Peace out!