Greetings, everyone! It's Friday, and that means an update to your favorite werewolf fic. It's funny: This was originally going to be way shorter. Like, 24 chapters overall. It's interesting how stories can expand as you type more and more, huh? Enjoy!

Every part of Pyrrha's mind and body felt numb. Still, she had just enough mental presence to place herself between Cinder and her friends. This action caused the leader's ears to flatten with anger. Pyrrha lowered her head submissively, silently willing her companions to back away.

This was a delicate situation. One wrong move could easily be seen as a challenge. Then, there would be no choice but to have an all-out fight. If Pyrrha could avoid that, she would.

Unfortunately, Cinder and her accompanying patrol seemed to have come to the wasteland looking for a fight. The leader took a step forward, amber eyes glowing in the moonlight.

Pyrrha felt her will being sapped away as an order to stand down was pressed into her. Cinder's eyes bore into hers, piercing her like a lance of flame. She whined, backing down as her tail went between her legs. She could feel the other pack alphas nearby, and had no doubt that they would turn their gazes on her if she resisted. Run, she silently begged of Jaune, Flynt, Neon, and Perry. Run while you can.

The alphas and betas started to circle around. Perry had already been caught by an alpha's glare. Jaune and Neon were standing in front of Flynt, who was backing away, carefully holding his injured arm close to his chest.

Thankfully for Pyrrha, Cinder's attention was briefly diverted by the sound of brambles rustling. Ruby burst from the trees, barreling toward her friends. When Mercury moved to intercept her, she immediately focused her alpha stare on him. Two of the other alphas were quick to overpower her.

Jaune took a step forward, drawing his sword. A whine from Pyrrha stopped him. He looked down and was met with a piercing green gaze. His anger slowly melted away, as did his will to fight. One goal became prominent in his mind: Get Flynt, Neon, and Perry. Then, Pyrrha closed her eyes, allowing him to blink again.

Did she just…? Don't think about that now! Get them out! Jaune turned toward Flynt and Neon. "Start running! I'll cover you." He cursed silently when he realized that Perry was still enthralled by one of the alphas. With a yell, he lunged toward the group of wolves, which allowed Perry to stumble back. "Go!" He withdrew a Dust vial and brandished it in front of him. "This is fire Dust. You don't want me dropping it in the dry grass."

Cinder turned on Jaune, baring her fangs as she ran toward him, only to be pushed to the side by Pyrrha and Ruby. Ruby groaned, shaking off the effects of the leader's alpha stare. Amber eyes glistened with rage as she tried to lock her gaze on one of the others.

Thankfully, everyone was now looking fixedly at the ground. Pyrrha barked, signaling everyone to run. There would be no negotiations at this point, at least not with Jaune or the three rogues around. To her relief, she heard Flynt, Neon, and Perry retreating toward the path they had decided to take to the southern woods a few days prior.

When she didn't hear Jaune's footsteps, she looked in his direction, her heart sinking when she saw his sword ready and a look of grim determination on his face. She barked at him again, but he shook his head. He wasn't going to leave her to fight alone.

Cinder barreled into Pyrrha, fangs sinking deeply into her shoulder. Pyrrha yelped in pain while trying to scratch at her opponent's underbelly with her hind feet. She felt claws swiping at her from behind, but couldn't risk turning to snap at the other assailant, as that would leave her throat open.

The alphas grappled, neither one gaining or losing ground. Pyrrha managed a bite at Cinder's ear, which loosened the leader's grip enough for her to shake free.

Jaune was dealing with three wolves at once, swinging his sword desperately while using the Dust canister to make them back off at intervals. He didn't want to risk throwing it with Ruby and Pyrrha so close, but was beginning to wonder if he had any other option. A gray wolf grabbed his arm, thankfully biting the metal armor, and Jaune took the opportunity to run his sword through. The wolf gasped as it fell to the ground. Jaune looked at it for a split second before turning away and focusing on the other two. He had no wish to finish off any of these creatures.

Ruby was facing Emerald and two alphas. She swiped at their snouts, pointedly avoiding the eyes of the alphas while trying to use her own stare to her advantage whenever she turned toward Emerald. Unfortunately, the beta wolf seemed to have steeled herself against any alpha stares but Cinder's. Ruby wondered exactly how it was done, but it was far too late to ask.

A yelp from Mercury caused Emerald to briefly be distracted, which allowed Ruby to grab her by the scruff and throw her to the side. One of the alphas bit down on her arm, and she tried tugging away, which caused the teeth to go in deeper. She whimpered as the sharp fangs cut through her skin, leaving deep gashes.

Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass followed by an eruption of ice behind the attackers caused everything to go still.

Weiss stood at the edge of the woods, saber ready, Dust vials in hand. Her eyes shined with fury, challenging any werewolf to attack her.

They never got the chance. In the wake of the explosion, Ruby broke free of her attacker and rushed toward Weiss, nimbly dodging the still-stunned wolves around her. She skidded to a halt next to her friend and crouched down, barking urgently.

Weiss wasted no time in scrambling onto Ruby's back. She barely had time to put away her vials and get a grip on her friend's fur before they were moving again, faster than Weiss would have ever thought possible.

Pyrrha ran to Jaune, nudging him sharply as Ruby was running for Weiss. He nodded once before running ahead. Pyrrha turned just in time to lash at a charging Cinder. She grabbed the leader's shoulders in her jaws just as Cinder's claws dug into her chest, almost causing her to lose her grip.

"Pyrrha, get clear!" Jaune called.

Pyrrha used what remained of her strength to shove Cinder away and run, staggering as blood gushed from her wound. Behind her, she heard glass breaking and felt an eruption of heat. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she heard the horrified yelps and howls of her packmates behind her.

It felt as if her dreams had just shattered along with that glass vial. There would be no peace between her pack and Vale now. There would only be burnt corpses on a field and a pack of fugitives forced to flee to the south.

They made a wide circle around the border of Vale and made it safely to the patch of woods that had been marked on Weiss's map. There, they stopped. Pyrrha fell to the ground, sides heaving.

Jaune was at her side immediately. "Okay, Pyrrha. Let's take a look at that." He looked at the gash and winced. It was right in the center of her chest, and would likely leave a nasty scar. "She got you good, huh? Can you roll onto your back for me?"

Pyrrha groaned as she complied, trying to focus on her human's voice, rather than the sharp, relentless pain going through her. His fingers combed through her fur, carefully brushing it away from the wound.

"Weiss, do you have your flask?" Jaune called, not taking his eyes from his work.

"Here." Weiss, who was in the process of dressing Ruby's arm, tossed her flask to Jaune. "Easy, Ruby," she murmured. "You're okay. That brute will have some scars to remember you by."

Ruby's tail wagged weakly. Truthfully, she hadn't landed many hits at all on the alphas, but she allowed her friend's soothing words to do their work.

Jaune opened the flask. "There's wine in here, so this'll sting a bit." He slowly poured half of the flask over the wound, wishing that he had better light than the waning moon to work by.

Pyrrha yelped, fangs clenching as the stinging liquid mixed with her blood. She dug her claws into the ground.

"You're doing great, Pyrrha," Jaune murmured, keeping up a steady stream of encouragement as he worked. He used what remained of his disinfecting cream and generously spread a numbing agent onto the gash. "I'm gonna need to stitch this. Hold still, okay? Weiss, can you start a small fire?"

One of the most useful lessons of becoming a Huntsman was to always be prepared. Even when going on short walks, Huntsmen were expected to be ready for anything. They were supposed to have flasks, armor, weapons, Dust (if they used it), and medical supplies. Many of their early training days simply consisted of running across uneven ground and learning to maneuver easily while bearing such burdens.

There were many Huntsmen, such as Cardin, who liked to cut corners when packing, choosing lighter bags over safety. Jaune was not one of them. He withdrew a needle and thread from his medical supplies. Once Weiss had a tiny fire going, he sterilized the needle and started working.

Pyrrha was letting out a whine that sounded more like an ongoing groan. The numbing agent was starting to work, so she only felt the slightest sting when the needle went in and out. Compared to the pain she had been feeling, it was nothing. She kept her ears perked toward Jaune, listening to his words of encouragement.

Ruby sniffed the air and stood up, yipping quietly at the trees. Her tail wagged as Flynt, Neon, and Perry stepped out, still in their wolf forms.

Weiss looked at the three in surprise. "You waited for us?"

Flynt shot her a glare, huffing loudly. Of course they waited. It was the least they could do.

Weiss's face flushed. "I didn't mean… Thank you."

Flynt's expression relaxed a little and he nodded, if a bit curtly.

Neon was pacing around the improvised campsite, her beta powers fully-activated. It felt as if Cinder's group hadn't followed them out of the wastelands. They were south of Vale and a good distance from the pack's territory. They likely wouldn't face any trouble unless they went back.

"Ah, damn," Jaune muttered as he realized something. "Will these stitches come loose when you turn back in the morning?"

Pyrrha shook her head, smiling comfortingly. Even if they did, she would be mostly healed by that point. Werewolves healed quickly when wounds not relating to Dust were concerned. Besides, the wound inflicted by Cinder hadn't been serious other than how much it had bled.

"That's good." Jaune returned to his work, eyes narrowed in concentration. Once he was done, he moved back with a sigh. "It's a bit patchy, but it should hold until morning. Try not to agitate it."

Pyrrha got up gingerly, wincing a little at the tugging sensation of the stitches as she moved. She looked at Jaune, tail wagging. Though she wanted to lick his face with gratitude, she settled for rubbing her head gently against his chest. She wasn't sure if there were any cuts on his face, after all, and she didn't want to turn him by accident.

Jaune blushed at the affectionate gesture. He rested a hand on her head, hesitating for a moment before ruffling her ears. He smiled when Pyrrha's tail started wagging harder in response.

Ruby looked at the moon and closed her eyes, allowing the spell of the night to seep out of her and into the earth. As she did so, her fur retreated, along with her claws, fangs, and tail. Turning back was always a draining sensation, unlike the rush one got when turning into a wolf. When she was in her fragile human skin once more, she fell forward.

Weiss quickly grabbed Ruby and eased her into a sitting position. "Are you all right?" she asked, looking at her best friend with concern. At this point, the fact that Ruby was naked in her arms didn't even matter. There were more important things to focus on.

"Yeah. Thanks, Weiss." Ruby smiled weakly. "You showed up just in time." She leaned into Weiss's embrace, resting her head in the crook of her neck. "But, what'll we do now? Cinder won't let us go back. What about Blake?"

There was a moment of silence as everyone looked at each other. Neon growled and Flynt whined softly.

"I mean, Cinder shouldn't punish her, right?" Jaune spoke up, glancing at Pyrrha. "She's usually reasonable, right?"

Pyrrha nodded, though her eyes were unsure. She had a sneaking suspicion that Cinder had specifically gone to the wastelands to find them. Also, there was no telling what she would do in response to seeing Pyrrha and Ruby with a human.

Her main reassurance was the fact that Sun and his friends wouldn't let anything happen to Blake. Sun had taken to her very quickly, and the others would gladly fight in defense of anyone Sun cared for. If they thought it necessary, they would run. Sun would know the right time to retreat.

However, it would not be easy for the humans to see her from this day forward. Depending on what was decided tonight, this might be the last time Pyrrha would get to see these people. She found herself looking at Jaune, ears flattening sadly.

Flynt and Perry turned back into their human forms. Neon remained in her wolf form and kept her beta powers in effect. Pyrrha, for the sake of keeping her stitches intact, also remained as a wolf.

"So, what are we going to do?" Flynt asked. "I don't like the idea of leaving Blake with that pack, no matter how reasonable you think Cinder is."

Ruby sighed. "I don't either, but we can't exactly go back. They'll be looking for us. This isn't like when you guys got Blake out of Adam's territory."

Perry whimpered. "Adam, Cinder…We're dead either way. I say we use that map and go south. We can find a wild pack that lives far away from humans."

"No!" Weiss blurted before she could stop herself. Her face flushed when the others turned to look at her. "I…I mean, you haven't been able to prepare sufficiently. Remember, you were planning on leaving during the full moon. It's only luck that allowed us to get this far. There are merchant caravans with Huntsmen guarding it, and various other dangers."

"Well, what do you suggest?" Flynt snapped. "Should we just hide here in the trees and hope that no one from Vale decides to patrol here? Cinder could easily decide to follow us as well." He breathed a sigh. "That being said, I wouldn't feel right leaving without Blake. I don't know…"

"I think we should leave," Ruby piped up, her voice sounding hollow and small, even to her own ears.

Weiss's heart sank and her mouth went dry. She just barely resisted the urge to hug her friend tighter.

"It's not safe here anymore," Ruby continued. "We should look for a new area to live, but I agree that we need Blake with us." She looked at Jaune. "What if you got a message to her? Pyrrha said that most werewolves can't read, so Blake may be the only one able to. We'll tell her where to go. You guys can escort her there. Then…then, we can go." She couldn't keep the sob out of her voice during that last sentence.

Weiss sniffled quietly, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Ruby, I…" She shook her head. "You're right, of course. We'll try to get Blake here as soon as we can."

Jaune was nodding, though his own eyes were starting to get teary. "Looks like we'll be losing you guys after all." He looked at Ruby for a long moment. Getting her back after thinking she was dead had been nothing short of a miracle. He didn't know if he could handle saying goodbye to her forever.

His gaze then went to Pyrrha. Even though he had only known her for a short time, he already considered her to be one of the most loyal friends he had ever known. He really didn't want to say goodbye to her either.

Pyrrha met Jaune's sad gaze and whimpered, articulating her regret in the only way she could.

Perry cleared his throat. "Um, until we get out of here and find a new pack, we'll need a leader." He looked at Pyrrha. "You're the only alpha besides Ruby, and she's a whelp, so…"

"And, she'd be a great leader even if we were all alphas," Ruby added, smiling confidently at Pyrrha.

Pyrrha's ears flattened and she felt her face growing hot under her fur. She had no wish to be a leader, even a temporary one. She would have been more than happy to defer to Flynt or Neon. However, they were looking at her and nodding.

Just until we find a new home, she decided, forcing her ears to go upright again. She nodded once, and immediately sensed the relief that the other wolves felt.

Weiss glanced at Ruby, unable to keep from feeling a little jealous at how quick the small girl had been to praise Pyrrha. It's for the best, she reminded herself. She won't even be here in a little while. You don't have a chance. Just accept it.

Jaune looked at the sky and stood. "We'd better head back, Weiss," he muttered, his voice as heavy as his heart felt. "We'll catch everyone up in the morning." He looked at Ruby and Pyrrha. "We'll try to come out during the day and meet with you guys. Maybe bring some food. Hang in there until then." He withdrew more disinfectant cream from his bag and placed it on the ground. "Use that on your wounds.

Pyrrha stood up fully, placing a forepaw on Jaune's shoulder to express her thanks.

Jaune smiled, returning the gesture. "Hang in there, okay?"

Pyrrha couldn't help but smile in return. Something about this human managed to give her confidence, even after what had just happened.

Weiss, meanwhile, hugged Ruby tightly, trying to gain some control over her tears. "Keep hidden."

"I will." Ruby hugged back, sniffing loudly. "I'm sorry this happened, Weiss."

"Don't you apologize," Weiss hissed. "If I hadn't wanted to come out…"

"Stop it!" Ruby interrupted. "It's not your fault. Cinder would've found out eventually."

"I know. I just…" Weiss shook her head. "I don't want you to go."

Ruby bit her lip as more tears welled up. "I don't want to go either." She rested her chin on Weiss's shoulder. "I really, really don't…"

Jaune allowed them another minute, then gently called out to Weiss again. "We need to go," he said, his voice apologetic.

Weiss nodded and pulled back. "Be careful, Ruby."

"I will." Ruby hesitated for a moment before leaning in, touching a quick, soft kiss to Weiss's cheek. She smiled in response to her friend's thunderstruck expression. "Get going." She backed away.

"I…I…" Weiss shook herself. "We'll see you soon," she managed to croak as she followed Jaune back toward Vale. Her head was spinning, and she felt more confused, devastated, and strangely happy than she could ever remember feeling before.

Now, I just gotta sit tight until tomorrow. That's right, tomorrow! I'd like to give a shout-out to one of my awesome readers, Dongyrn, who gifted me with a six-month RT sponsorship so I don't have to wait for the episode and be at risk of online spoilers! You are freaking awesome!

In other news, I have finally started my P/atreon account, which is under Solora Goldsun. If you want to see updates to this fic a day early, along with other benefits, consider becoming a patron. Money will fund my student loan payments, travel costs, and ultimately help so that I can put out more work for you all to enjoy.

Peace out!