It's Friday, Friday. Gotta get down on Friday! Everybody's looking forward to White Rose, White Rose. Friday! Friday! Gettin' down on Friday. Everybody's looking forward to some Arkos. Team Slothing, Team Slothing. YEAH! Team Slothing, Team Slothing. YEAH! Fun, fun, fun, fun. Looking forward to more werewolves! *shot* Okay, I'm done. Read the thing.

Three days after Ren and Nora placed Blake's letter in the tree, the group found a reply waiting for them.

"Cinder is watching all the time. Night won't be safe. Will run day after full moon. Try to injure many."

When they met with the werewolves that day, they discussed what could be done.

"The day after the full moon does make the most sense," Pyrrha mused. "All of the werewolves will be tired after running all night."

"And, the Huntsmen will lower their guard," Jaune added. "After a hunt, the town becomes really complacent."

"That means we need to plan quickly," Weiss said. "The full moon is two weeks from tonight." As she spoke, she drew Ruby closer. The small werewolf was curled up in her lap, hugging her tightly. Since their confession a few days ago, they had decided to make the most of the time they had left together. As a result, they stayed close during every meeting, only separating when Yang wanted to be with Ruby for a while.

Ruby snuggled as close to Weiss as she could, trying to memorize her friend's scent and warmth. During their last few meetings, she had basically gone from Weiss's lap to Yang's, then back again. She knew it was childish, but didn't care. She wanted to be able to cling to the memory of them long in the future, when she was far away from Vale.

More than anything, she wished she could have just one more chance to fall asleep in her father's lap, to feel her uncle carrying her to bed. Already, she was worried about forgetting what their arms felt like. She made a mental note to cuddle with Jaune, Nora, and Ren a few times before the next two weeks passed.

"It may be safest if we meet them a little ways into the woods, maybe a quarter mile from the border of Vale," Ren suggested. "If we stick with our old plan of skirting the edges until we get to the clearing, we should be fine."

"We will have to leave immediately," Pyrrha murmured. "If we wait for nightfall, there's a chance that Cinder will come after us. Losing five wolves at once won't please her, after all." She looked at Ruby and Weiss, then glanced sadly at Jaune. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate the help you've given us so far."

"Are you kidding?" Jaune asked. "After all you did to help us, it's the least we can do." He breathed a sigh. "I just wish you didn't have to leave. I feel that we could've learned a lot from each other."

"We've already learned so much. Perhaps, we can use that knowledge to influence others." Pyrrha smiled. "I have a feeling that this goodbye won't be forever."

Jaune wished he had a way of voicing the sense of pure frustration he felt whenever he thought of the werewolves' upcoming departure. It was separate from the regret he felt at the thought of not seeing Ruby or Blake anymore. In truth, he desperately wanted to get to know Pyrrha better. Though they had declared themselves as the other's friend, the fact of the matter was that they had not been able to truly spend much quality time together. First, they had been focused on rescuing Blake. Then, they had shifted their attention to helping Flynt, Neon, and Perry. Now, they were preparing for an imminent separation. He couldn't help but feel that, if given the chance, Pyrrha could easily become the closest friend he'd ever had. He didn't know why he was so sure of that, but the feeling was impossible to ignore.

He didn't know how to say this, so he just said: "I really hope you're right."

Meanwhile, Flynt was talking to Weiss, wondering whether or not to reveal himself to Roman and Neo.

"I mean, he didn't shoot me when I went to give him the money," he reasoned. "Could that mean something?"

"I don't' know if you should risk it," Weiss said thoughtfully. "He could have a more flexible mind. Traders tend to not be devout Church worshippers, after all. Then again, maybe he didn't shoot simply because he was shocked. Your pack is small enough, even with the addition of Blake, Sun, and the omegas. You shouldn't risk yourself unnecessarily."

"You're right," Flynt sighed. "Well, at least Neon and I were able to repay him for his help in our own way."

"And you saved a bunch of other people from those bandits," Ruby added. "You know, werewolves could do a lot of good if we were just allowed to."

When the meeting ended, Ruby hugged everyone tightly and shared a long, slow kiss with Weiss. It took every ounce of self-control to not cling to her best friend when the kiss ended. For the hundredth time, she wished that Weiss could somehow come with the pack. It wasn't going to happen, though. Weiss would never abandon Vale, her sister, or even her father. At this point, it would take a miracle for Ruby and Weiss to be together.

…

Over the next two weeks, the Huntsmen and werewolves met as often as they could while also planning for the pack's upcoming departure. They only sent one note to Blake, confirming where they would wait for her after the full moon.

That last day before the full moon was a somber one. They had to keep their meeting short, since they would have to be on their guard throughout the hunt that night, as well as Blake's escort the following morning.

Weiss and Ruby went off on their own for a few minutes, where they shared one last kiss. They held each other, crying into each other's arms, and kissing away tears.

"Y-You take care of everyone," Weiss muttered, clinging tightly to Ruby. "P-Pyrrha will n-need help, after all."

Ruby nodded, burying her face in the crook of Weiss's neck. "I will," she sniffled. "M-Make sure Yang behaves. Okay?"

"I'll do what I can, but she's such a hellion sometimes," Weiss said with a tearful laugh.

"Pfft. Hellion." Ruby rolled her eyes. "I love you, Weiss."

"I love you too, Ruby." Weiss hugged her one more time before reluctantly stepping back, wiping her eyes. "You'd better say goodbye to the others."

Ruby nodded. They returned to the clearing, where she rushed into Yang's embrace. For once, she didn't complain when her sister nearly squeezed her in two. "Hrk! Take care- urk- of Dad and Uncle Qrow- hngh!- Yang."

"No problem," Yang replied, trying to blink back her tears. "You'd better kick a lot of Grimm ass while you're adventuring in the woods. Put those fangs to good use, okay?"

"I'll think of you every time I kill one," Ruby promised. She snuggled one last time against her sister, inhaling the spicy scent and savoring the too-tight arms around her. "I love you."

"Love you too, sis." Yang kissed the top of her head and stepped back.

Almost immediately, Jaune walked over and pulled Ruby close with one arm. With his other hand, he proceeded to noogie her hair. "C'mere," he said, managing to grin despite the sadness he was feeling in that moment. "Say uncle!"

"Eep!" Ruby batted at Jaune, giggling through her tears. "Jaune! Cut it out!"

"That wasn't an uncle," Jaune said, though he let her go in order to hug her properly. "I'll take care of our group. Don't worry."

"I never doubted you would," Ruby replied, smiling up at him. "Thanks again for believing in me and Pyrrha at the beginning. You probably saved our lives."

"Well, the others were pretty easy to convince," Jaune reminded her. "But, you're welcome. Be careful out there."

Both Ren and Nora hugged Ruby at the same time, Nora squeezing her tightly while Ren gave her a gentler hug around the shoulders.

"You two had better be happy together," Ruby said, looking between them. "We all waited too long to see you finally confess, so that's an order. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am," Ren replied, smiling at her.

"You'd better visit someday," Nora said, shaking a fist. "Or we'll have to go looking for you!"

"I will. I promise." Ruby hugged them both once more, then stepped back to stand with the other werewolves.

Pyrrha said goodbye to each of the humans in turn, regretting that she wouldn't have time to get to know them better. When she got to Jaune, she hesitated before stepping close and hugging him. "Goodbye, Jaune. May the Moon shine on your path," she murmured, saying an old werewolf blessing.

Jaune readily returned the hug. "May the Maidens guide your footsteps, Pyrrha," he replied, his voice cracking a little. "And thanks for everything."

Just before leaving, Jaune turned to Flynt. "I hope you won't need the medicine I gave you, but keep it with you, just in case."

Flynt nodded, shouldering a satchel full of ointments and bandages Jaune had given him. "Thank you, Jaune. I'm glad we were able to meet, Dust injury notwithstanding. You've taught me much about humans, and I'm grateful for that. I hope we meet again someday."

The parting was slow and reluctant, but the humans eventually left the clearing and made their way back toward Vale, their hearts heavy. They would see the werewolves once more the following day, but there would be no time for goodbyes at that point.

Weiss started crying again as they walked through the trees, and Yang wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Ren and Nora stayed close to Jaune, letting their arms brush his. Jaune wiped his eyes with his sleeve and let out a shuddering sigh.

I can't believe it's only been a month since we found Ruby in the forest, he thought. Will we really be able to go back to our old lives after the werewolves are gone? He didn't think so, but it seemed that they would have to try.

…

They were ready for the hunt long before sunset, so they waited near the center of town for the others to show up. Their weapons were sharp and their expressions were grim. Tonight would be just as important to their plan as the following morning. They had to injure as many wolves as they could, so that they wouldn't be able to hinder Blake, Sun, and the others' escape. The hard part would be injuring the wolves without killing them, as they knew Pyrrha would want them to do.

Jaune double-checked to make sure each of his friends were ready. When he got to Weiss, however, he paused. "Weiss, are you okay? You're sweating." The evening air was pleasantly cool.

Weiss blinked before shaking herself. "Oh, I'm fine." She forced a smile.

"Are you sure?" Jaune asked in a low voice. "I know how hard it was for you to leave Ruby. Will you be able to focus on the hunt?"

Weiss was looking at the sky, eyes narrowed as the sun sank lower. Her skin tingled. She couldn't remember a time when she had been so eager to leave for a hunt, not even during the hunt after the raid.

"Weiss?"

"Huh?" Weiss looked back at Jaune's concerned face. "Well, to tell the truth, I'm feeling a bit…antsy. I'm not sure why."

Jaune's shoulders relaxed. She's using the hunt to block out her sadness, like what happened after the raid. "Well, let me know if you get too tense. I think Yang has a bit of whiskey in her flask."

"Nope," Yang called over. "I'm going dry for the next few months."

"Good for you!" Nora quipped. "That means I don't have to carry you home anymore."

At that moment, Jacques Schnee led the Elders to the center of town, and began his usual pre-full moon hunt speech. "Huntsmen of Vale," he began. "This past month has been one of relative peace. After the raid on our town, we struck back at the savages in the woods with everything we had. As a result, they have shunned us out of fear."

Weiss's gaze moved from her father and to the sky. The sun was nothing but a red orb on the horizon. Why wouldn't it set already?

"However, we must not allow our vigilance to waver. If we wish to keep our town safe, we must constantly remind the ungodly creatures of the night that we will never rest our guard!"

Jaune was distracted from the speech by the sound of ragged breathing. He turned to see Weiss staring at the sky, shoulders shaking. "Weiss?" he whispered, grabbing her shoulders. "Hey, Weiss. Get ahold of yourself."

"Go now, Huntsmen of Vale, and bring swift death to all enemies of God and the Maidens!"

Weiss stared unblinking at the sky as the sun finally finished its descent behind the horizon. At that moment, a feeling akin to an electric shock traveled down her spine and across her skin. She trembled. "Jaune…I feel strange…" Her voice came out as a hoarse whisper.

Jaune, on the other hand, was suddenly incapable of speech. His eyes widened as a sense of dread deeper than anything he had previously known set in.

Yang turned toward the two. "Hey guys, everyone's leaving. What's the hold- Oh, shit!"

Ren and Nora also looked, and barely stifled their gasps of horror at what they saw.

The rising moon was reflecting in Weiss's blue eyes. Her pure blue eyes, that lacked any whites whatsoever in that moment. Her blue eyes, which were gleaming with a familiar, feral light.

Dun dun DUN! (I say that a lot in this story, don't I?) A bunch of people actually predicted this in the reviews, which is one reason why I haven't really been replying to reviews lately. I'll see you next week with how Weiss's transformation will go. It's totally going to be a smooth process for her. Totally. *shifty eyes*

Commissions are still open with two slots left. PM me for details if you're interested. If you want to show monthly support in exchange for extra rewards, my P/atreon is Solora Goldsun.

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. If you're crazy enough to go Black Friday shopping, please don't get run over by a rabid mob.

Peace out!