Hello, everyone! We're back with another Werewolf Friday. This chapter focuses on our buddies Blake, Flynt, and Neon. Enjoy!

The moon had just risen, and the denning area of Cinder's pack was full of activity. People in their daytime forms talked in whispers. The names Pyrrha and Ruby came up more than once. Others, who had elected to turn into their wolf forms, were coming in and out of the area, sniffing the boundaries, and playing with their friends.

Blake watched from the entrance to Sun's den as Neptune, Sage, and Scarlet bounded past. The three wolves were goofing off, as they apparently did a lot when not needed for a hunt. Sage's large, brown form frequently paused to allow Scarlet to catch up, and she noticed a look of tenderness passing between them.

Sun sat nearby, watching her out of the corner of his eye. He was wearing an old, tattered pair of pants he had found in his den, as well as an open jacket. He hadn't seen the purpose of wearing a tight, constraining shirt. Still, he wanted to make Blake as comfortable as possible now that Ruby and Pyrrha were missing.

The taste of paper still lingered in Blake's mouth from earlier that day, when she had found a note at the drop site. She had been relieved to find that Ruby, Pyrrha, and her friends from Adam's pack were safe. Following Sun's advice, she had eaten the note right after reading it. They weren't sure whether Cinder could read, but didn't want to take any chances.

"You know, you could try transforming," Sun suggested.

"Not tonight," Blake replied, as she had the past few nights, glancing uncomfortably to the side.

"It'll be easier to run to them if you're a wolf, and you really should get some practice." Sun glanced around to make sure no one was listening. After Pyrrha and Ruby's flight, Cinder and her inner circle had become very vigilant in keeping tabs on the pack members, particularly Blake, Sun, and his friends. "We'll need to wait for an opening, and you being in human form will only slow you down."

"And what if we leave during the day?" Blake protested. "Honestly, that might end up being the best choice."

"Even so, do you really want to spend the rest of your life not changing and hating the full moon?" Sun shook his head. "That's no way to live. You gotta know by now that werewolves aren't evil, right?"

"It's not that easy to just start thinking differently," Blake sighed. "I know that werewolves aren't all evil, but…I just can't stop thinking about how obsessed with transforming Adam and his pack were. I don't want to be like that."

"You won't," Sun promised. He really wanted to put a hand on Blake's shoulder, or at least comfort her in some way, but he held back. It was still spring, and she was still a whelp. He wasn't about to walk the same path Adam had. "You never got to experience the good parts of being a werewolf. Why don't you just change for an hour? You can join me and the guys for a howl. Those are always fun."

"I don't know…" Blake stared at the ground. "I'll think about it, okay?"

"Okay." Sun grinned. Well, that's something, at least. "Let us know if you decide to try. We'll stay right with you while you transform."

"Thank you, Sun," Blake said, allowing herself to return Sun's smile. "I…I really do appreciate all you've done for me."

Sun's face flushed and his tail curled at his side. "N-No problem." Damn, she's pretty. She really should smile more.

Blake hesitated before saying: "You know, you and the others don't have to come with me. I've already caused enough trouble."

"I'm gonna stop you right there," Sun cut in. "First of all, Adam caused the trouble, not you. Second, do you really think we're gonna let you guys have this big adventure without us? Since we're friends with Pyrrha, Cinder's gonna be on our cases, and that's going to get pretty annoying really quickly. I'd rather go with you and see where this crazy thing takes us. It's pretty exciting when you think about it."

Unable to argue with that, Blake just nodded. "I wanted to make sure." She looked out at the pack. Cinder was in her wolf form, pacing around in agitation. This had to be rough for her. She had just lost two pack members, and was about to lose five more. "Maybe she was right to worry about Pyrrha," Blake murmured, half to herself.

"That's what we've been saying all along," Sun sighed. "Pyrrha doesn't want to believe she's special, but she is. She's someone who can lead others effortlessly. She may not be smarter than Cinder, but she's way nicer, and more charismatic. She's also a good fighter. Someone like that is easy to be loyal to."

"I can definitely see that." Though Blake had only known Pyrrha for a few days, she had easily seen why Ruby had become so close to her so quickly. Though an alpha, and physically intimidating, she was incredibly gentle and naturally good-hearted. She alone was enough to turn the Church's stance on werewolves on its head.

Honestly, she was looking forward to leaving. Even though she had been safe with Cinder's pack for several days, she knew it was only a matter of time before Adam came to get her. He had attacked an entire town guarded by Huntsmen to kidnap her in the first place, after all. Even though the pack was in a well-defended position, that wouldn't stop him.

Her only regret was leaving her human friends behind. Having Ruby around would be a comfort, but she would never fill the void that would be left by Yang, who had been her best friend since they were little. Weiss had proven to be a true and kind person, shining as an incredible individual despite her upbringing. Jaune's goofy antics and steadfast loyalty had become paramount in her life. Ren's silent companionship and Nora's wild schemes would also be sorely missed.

Maybe we can come back someday, she thought. If things get better…

In the meantime, she sat back and watched the three omegas continue their game, wondering if she'd manage to work up the courage to transform before the next full moon.

….

Flynt and Neon moved slowly and silently through the trees. Flynt's beta powers were at their full potential while Neon was resting hers. This was a common arrangement when they hunted together. It conserved their energy, and working in a pair allowed them to be much stealthier when tracking their prey.

There were some rabbits nearby. Further off was a pair of humans who were asleep. Flynt guessed that they were the traveling merchants who had marked up the map.

Pausing near a bush, he waited before lashing out with his forepaw and grabbing a rabbit from the undergrowth. With a firm shake, he killed the small creature and placed it in a satchel that Weiss had given him.

They had received several items from the humans during their last visit, including clothes (which only Pyrrha and Ruby wore regularly), bags, medicine, and even some valuable items like fruit and candy. It was still so strange to be receiving gifts from beings who were supposed to be their enemies.

Flynt kept thinking back to the moment when Jaune had healed him. Not only had he found a way to keep werewolves safe from the effects of Dust, but he had shown genuine concern and regret for causing the initial injury. Flynt never would have thought that such empathy could exist in a Huntsman. His arm still stung, but he was grateful that it wasn't much worse. In a way, he was almost grateful for the experience.

He was jolted from his thoughts when something new appeared in the radius of his beta powers. A group of humans and Faunus were moving through the woods.

Neon tilted her head at him, but waited patiently for him to tell her what he was sensing.

Flynt's ears flattened. These weren't Huntsmen. They hadn't come from Vale. They were approaching the spot where the two human traders slept and were fanning out.

A few days ago, this would have meant nothing to him. Humans and Faunus had their own battles, atrocities, and interactions, and werewolves had theirs. There was no point in involving oneself in something that would likely get them killed.

Now, however, with the kindness of his human friends in his mind and the stories of their interactions with the traders fresh in his memory, Flynt found himself wanting to do something incredibly stupid. He communicated his desires to Neon.

Neon, to his surprise, flashed her fangs in a feral grin. Her tail started wagging and she bobbed her head eagerly. Bandits were worse than wild animals, after all. If allowed to do as they pleased, they'd likely kill the trader man and rape the girl. Nothing wrong with killing humans and Faunus who deserve to die, right?

With that decided, the two moved in the direction of the traders, hoping that this act of heroism wouldn't be their undoing. Briefly, they considered calling for the others, but the pack was just on the edge of Flynt's power's radius, and probably wouldn't get there in time. Besides, two betas were more than a match for some dumb bandits.

They broke into a run as the bandits drew closer to the traders. The sound of a muffled scream urged them to move even faster.

The clearing by the crossroads was in a state of utter chaos. The horse was whinnying fearfully, trying to break away from the cart. One bandit was on the ground, clutching a wound on his side. A small girl with a torn shirt was darting around, stabbing at the thieves with a long, thin dagger, eyes wide and fearful. In the cart, a man was beating off three others with a cane that seemed to double as a club. He kept calling out to the girl with a shrill voice.

Flynt snarled, lunging toward the injured bandit. A swift bite to the stunned human's throat was enough to finish him off.

"Werewolves!" one of the others shouted. "Run for it!"

Neon pounced on one, snapping his neck with her forepaws. One of them foolishly tried to stab her with a knife, but a slash to the chest with her claws sent him running. She knew better than to bite unless she was going in for the kill. They didn't need people like this turning into werewolves, after all.

Noticing that the bandits were retreating, Flynt glanced toward Neon, wagging his tail hopefully.

Smirking, Neon nodded. It was time for a little chase.

They ran into the trees after the humans, but Flynt paused just long enough to look at the two traders. The man was checking the girl for injuries. Then, he looked toward Flynt, eyes wide with shock. Deciding not to push his luck, Flynt turned away and bounded after Neon.

Neon was using her beta powers at this point, since it was about time for Flynt to have a break. She could sense five marauders still alive ahead of them. Putting on a burst of speed, she caught up to the slowest one and snatched him in her claws, pulling him into the trees.

Less than an hour was all they needed to track down and kill the remaining bandits. Flynt smirked. Well, that's a few less evil beings in the world.

Neon turned into her daytime form and started rifling through the pockets of one of them. "There's some coins," she muttered. "Ooh. This is a nice dagger. Could be useful during the day."

Flynt nodded. Once his mate was done with her looting, he crouched down, allowing her onto his back. It was about time to rejoin the others. With all the racket that had been caused, there would be little left to hunt that night.

As they went back, he couldn't help but wonder about the trader. Had the man realized that the werewolves had meant to save him, or had he been too scared to tell one way or the other. Either way, Flynt felt surprisingly good.

It's amazing how wrong Adam has been all this time, he mused. If only there was a way to tell everyone from both packs what we've found. He sighed quietly to himself. There was no point in wondering about the packs they had left behind. Now, they had to worry about themselves. With that in mind, he pushed his other thoughts aside and focused on getting safely back to their new, small pack.

…..

The following night, Flynt went out alone, holding a small cloth sack in his jaws. The sound of clinking coins punctuated every step, causing his ears to flatten in irritation.

After the encounter with the bandits, Flynt and Neon had explained everything to the others. After some discussion, it was agreed that the coins should go to Roman and Neo, and that the daggers and food would stay with the pack. Flynt had volunteered to deliver the money, insisting that he didn't need anyone going with him.

His beta powers didn't detect anything out of the ordinary nearby. As he drew closer to where the wagon was parked, he froze. Someone was awake over there.

Not surprising, since they were just almost robbed, he thought.

Did he leave the money there and hope the traders would find it later? No. That wouldn't do any good. Taking a deep breath, he stepped out of the trees and into the clearing.

The man, Roman, was sitting on the steps of his wagon, a crossbow resting across his lap. He turned his head in Flynt's direction and froze.

Flynt's ears twitched, but didn't move otherwise. His eyes rested on the crossbow. When Roman made no move to fire it, he took one step forward.

Roman picked up the bow and pointed it at the werewolf, but he lowered it, a stunned look coming to his face when he saw the small bag.

Slowly, Flynt bent his head, placed the bag on the ground, and started backing away. As soon as he was in the trees, he turned and bolted toward home, panting heavily. He would need a long rest and a nice, fat rabbit that night.

The plot thickens! Of course, I had to keep involving our favorite trader duo. Expect to see more of them later on.

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Peace out!