Happy Werewolf Friday, my lovelies! Here we see a nice little battle between our heroes and the Grimm. Enjoy!

Neon's senses were on full alert as she leaped at yet another Boarbatusk, sinking her fangs into the back of its neck and forcing it to roll over before slashing at its belly. Her eyes were wide and her heart was surging with anger. Just before the Grimm horde had attacked, she had sensed a single, familiar, evil presence.

Adam.

She had no doubt that he had used his alpha stare to send the Grimm their way. That explained why they had hardly seen any during the past few days. Adam had been gathering them, waiting for the group's guard to be down before sending them to attack. If Fox hadn't insisted on bringing a beta with them for this patrol…

A Beowolf slashed at her, barely missing her as she jumped back. Her ear flicked as she heard and felt the approach of her pack. Thank goodness! The Huntsmen were holding their own, but would not be able to beat all of these Grimm without serious injury.

As the pack drew closer, Neon sensed a group of Grimm branching off from the main group. They were going toward Burgundy! She barked desperately, then mentally cursed when she remembered that none of the Huntsmen would understand her.

Fox swung like a madman, gritting his teeth. Damned Grimm! I knew something wasn't right! He felt the wind of a Boarbatusk running by him and spun around, plunging his sword into its back.

Jaune winced as a Beowolf's claws grazed his armor, making a sharp squeaking noise that caused his teeth to hurt. He stabbed at the creature's neck, watching it disappear into shadow, heart sinking as he looked once again at the massive horde that still remained.

At that moment, a familiar howl signaled the approach of a certain red-furred alpha. With a roar of rage, Pyrrha jumped clean over Jaune and brought down another Beowolf, ripping its throat out with her fangs.

She didn't have time to look at him, however, because she heard Neon's desperate barks and realized that half of the horde would be attacking the town. There was no time to change back and inform the Huntsmen. They weren't fast enough to get to Burgundy in time anyway.

Making a split-second decision she would probably regret later, she barked an order to Ruby, Sun, Sage, and Neptune before running toward Burgundy. A flash of white fur told her that Weiss had decided to accompany them as well. There was no point in scolding her in that moment, so Pyrrha simply allowed it. It made sense that Weiss wouldn't want to be separated from her to-be mate after all that had happened. Pyrrha just hoped that the whelp would be capable of fighting in her new form.

The Grimm were already far ahead of them, making it necessary to run even faster. Sun told them where the horde would likely get in, and they adjusted their course accordingly.

Pyrrha's heart raced and her teeth were bared. The feral need to destroy Grimm, that need that had been passed down ever since the first werewolf was blessed by the Moon so many years ago, was at the front of her mind and that of the pack. Their paws ran as one. Their fangs and claws all had the same purpose.

Despite their speed, there were already Grimm scattered around the town when they arrived. People were screaming and running. Some places were catching fire.

Roaring, Pyrrha lunged forward and onto the back of a Nevermore just as its beak was poised over a young woman. The woman screamed and ran as Pyrrha's claws shredded the Nevermore's neck.

Ruby and Weiss both tackled a Beowolf, Weiss biting its ankle while Ruby went for the head. Memories of the attack on Vale surged through Weiss's mind as she heard the screams and watched the people run. She would not let Ruby out of her sight for a moment!

Sun tried to fight, though his mind was clouded with worry. Blake had sensed something before the Grimm attack, and he had heard from Neon that it had been Adam. If that was true, how close was the crazy alpha? And what was his plan? Use the Grimm as a distraction while he took Blake?

If that was the case, Blake probably was safest where she was, battling the main horde alongside the Huntsmen. Still, Sun would have felt better if he could have been with her. He had signaled for Scarlet to stay close to her, just in case.

Sage was having similar thoughts as he crunched a Boarbatusk's head in his jaws. His mate was defending Blake, following Sun's orders. What would happen to him if Adam showed up? Emotional manipulation likely wouldn't do much against that obsessive creature. He hoped that the Huntsmen would be vigilant.

Neptune darted around, slashing at the Grimm, trying to drive them away from the town and toward his fellow pack mates, who were easily finishing them off. He noticed an Ursa lumbering toward a smithy and growled, bounding after it and jumping onto its back. He slashed until it fell beneath him, then delivered a clean bite to the back of the neck. He glanced toward Sun, making sure his best friend was still safe, then ran on to the next Grimm.

Pyrrha noticed Neptune herding the Grimm, and an idea came to her. She remembered a day in spring, which felt like ages ago now, when Ruby had been a new werewolf. While learning about her new form, Ruby's emotions had caused a Grimm stampede, which had only stopped when Cinder, Pyrrha, and the other alphas had stood together and used the alpha stare as one.

There are only two alphas now, she thought, then shook her head, remembering Neon's warning about Adam being nearby. If Adam could do it on his own, Ruby and I can do it together. We just need to get all of the Grimm in one spot.

She barked at the others, using the wordless language of werewolves to briefly explain her plan. Neptune redoubled his efforts, joined by Sage. Pyrrha, after making sure the others were okay, went off to kill or herd any outlying Grimm.

The familiar scent of the bakery flooded her senses, along with the sharp tang of Grimm. She heard a shout and her blood went cold. Wallace! The windows of the bakery were broken and something was crashing within. She doubled her speed and jumped through the window, heedless of the broken glass cutting her paws.

Wallace was cringing in a corner, using a heated poker to fend off a Beowolf, Pyrrha grabbed the creature with one paw, swung it around, and bit its throat. It turned to shadows in her jaws.

She needed to get back to the others, but she still felt herself pause. She looked toward Wallace, making sure he wasn't injured. His eyes were wide and fearful. His poker was pointed at her, and was shaking twice as much as his hand. She flicked an ear, then retreated back out the broken window. She ran around the town, occasionally dodging a thrown item, but didn't see any more Grimm.

Meanwhile, back near the edge of town, most of the Grimm had been either killed or herded. Ruby was leading the efforts in keeping them at bay.

Part of the horde started to surge toward her and Weiss lunged forward, letting out a piercing roar, eyes blazing. To her surprise, the Grimm stopped, bowing their heads and backing away. She took a step toward them, glaring intently, and they stepped back.

A bark from Ruby caused her to shake herself. She blinked, causing the intensity to leave her gaze. Was that…the alpha stare? she wondered. She looked at Ruby, and felt her thoughts mirrored in Ruby's excited barks. It was! I'm an alpha! Her tail started wagging just as Pyrrha approached.

Pyrrha stopped in her tracks as she heard Weiss and Ruby barking excitedly. She felt her own tail starting to wag. Three alphas! We might actually be able to do this! Ordering Sun, Sage, and Neptune to stay behind them, she stood in a line with Ruby and Weiss, focusing her gaze on the horde.

Three pairs of glowing eyes acted as one force with only one order in mind: "Get out!" The Grimm resisted, but began to back away.

Neptune heard noises behind him, and his ears flattened. The humans! Barking at Sun and Sage, he turned around, heart sinking when he saw the humans running toward them with weapons. He knew that they wouldn't distinguish between werewolf and Grimm. The alphas needed time!

Sage's heart pounded. The humans were coming too quickly. The werewolves couldn't fight them, so what could they do?

Then, he and Neptune exchanged a glance. This was a job for omegas. The two stepped toward the rushing mob and fixed their eyes on the nearest humans, trying to subdue their panic. It wasn't easy, since the humans were so frenzied and angry, but there was just enough fear of the werewolves, enough hesitance to actually attack. Sage and Neptune targeted that, drawing the feeling out more, making the humans hesitate further. Finally, they began to send calming thoughts over.

Sun's eyes flicked between the Grimm and the humans. The Grimm were retreating, though the humans were still coming closer. Just a few more seconds! That was all they needed!

Then, a terrified howl in the distant woods caused them to freeze. Sage turned his head as he recognized Scarlet's voice. With his gaze not focused on the humans, they were able to find their anger yet again and surge forward. One of them threw a handful of Dust, which hit Sage fully in the face and shoulder.

Screaming with agony, Sage fell back. Sun growled and jumped in front of him, swiping threateningly at the humans.

Pyrrha gritted her teeth as the Grimm finally, finally turned around and ran back into the forest. She staggered from the force of her alpha stare. When she heard Sage's scream, however, she felt new strength surge back into her.

Ordering the pack to retreat, Pyrrha jumped past the others and stood alone in front of the humans, fixing a hard stare on each of them, forcing them back one by one. Once she felt that her pack was a good enough distance away, she retreated, chased by the jeers and shouts of the humans.

As she ran, as she wondered whether they'd get to the medical supplies in time to save Sage, she found an ugly thought entering her mind: What was the point? These humans didn't care that werewolves had just saved them. They couldn't see what was right in front of them! They hadn't thought twice about throwing poison at a creature who hadn't done them any harm. They had thrown things at Pyrrha while she had rushed through the streets to save them. Did they really deserve to be friends with her kind?

Then, she heard the distant battle cries of the Huntsmen. Jaune's voice was among them, causing her to come back to herself. They are victims of ignorance, just like our friends were once. We will have to endure if we are to survive. With this in mind, she pushed her feelings aside and focused on reaching the Huntsmen in time to get the healing cream for Sage.

…

Jaune barely registered when Pyrrha led a small group of werewolves toward Burgundy. He only had enough time for a mental prayer that they would be safe before he had to focus on the Nevermore swooping at his face.

Blake growled as she slashed at an Ursa with her claws. Even now, it felt strange to be fighting with her bare hands instead of a sword or knife. Scarlet was right at her side, biting at the head of a Boarbatusk. She knew that Sun had asked him to stay with her, and was deeply touched by the gesture.

When Neon had told them of Adam's presence, the cold dread she had started to feel before increased tenfold. There was no doubt that he was behind the Grimm attack. She hated that he was here, hated that he was doing this right when things were going so well, hated that it was probably her fault that he was doing this in the first place.

Perry, meanwhile, started to tremble when his leader left. Even though he was surrounded by the Huntsmen, he didn't feel safe unless Pyrrha was nearby. He hoped she would come back soon. Whimpering, he jumped at one of the smaller Boarbatusks and started swiping at its back.

Velvet barely jumped out of the way fast enough to avoid a Beowolf's jaws. She smiled when Yatsuhashi was quick to dispatch the creature with his sword.

Flynt stayed close to Neon, helping her take down a giant Death Stalker, stopping its stinger before it could graze Coco, who was busy with a trio of Beowolves.

He sensed three new presences rapidly approaching and barked a warning.

Blake didn't have her beta powers on, and Scarlet was closest to the edge of the pack. So, he barely had any time to react before Adam leaped out of the trees and closed his jaws on his throat. He howled in fear, then his voice was cut off as the alpha wolf bit down.

The other two wolves flanked Blake, snapping at her sides to drive her away from the group. Blake yelped, swiping at them as she tried to get to Scarlet.

At that moment, a screaming, red-eyed Yang was on the scene, punching the nearest wolf in the head and causing it to stagger. This allowed Blake to leap over the other and land square on Adam's back. The shock of this loosened his grip enough for an injured Scarlet to stagger backwards.

Blake was tossed from Adam's back easily and spun around. Cold, hard fear coursed through her veins as she found herself looking at the horrifying red eyes that had haunted her nightmares for months. She barely remembered to avert her gaze in time to avoid an alpha stare. Instead, she lunged at him, trying to headbutt his chest. His claws sank into her fur, bringing her easily to the ground.

Yang let out a howl that rivaled that of any wolf. "GET AWAY FROM HER!" She ran at Adam, only to be stopped by one of his cronies, who grabbed her arm and pulled, claws slipping under her armor. She pulled back, which only caused the beast's razor claws to drag down, cutting through skin and muscle alike. Too angry to feel the pain, she punched the werewolf's shoulder with her other hand, then returned her attention to Adam.

At this point, Nora and Ren were flanking the powerful alpha, forcing him away from Blake and toward the woods. Perry joined them, shaking visibly as he snapped and swiped at his former leader.

They heard Pyrrha's howl and the feet of the rest of the pack approaching. Weiss ran to stand next to Jaune, using her alpha stare to help stop the horde. Pyrrha and Ruby ran straight toward Adam, whose eyes widened with fear. Quickly, he ran toward the forest, followed closely by his two betas.

Ruby shot ahead, silver eyes gleaming with rage as she saw clearly for the first time the monster who had taken Blake, the one who had nearly caused her to break. She could smell Scarlet and Blake's blood, and it only fueled her anger.

Then, a bark from Pyrrha caused her to fall back. She shook her head to clear it, reminding herself of her priorities. The Grimm were still attacking. She needed to help Pyrrha and Weiss send them away.

Reluctantly, she turned back and rejoined the pack. They, along with the Huntsmen, were gathered behind Pyrrha and Weiss. Behind them were Sage and Jaune. Jaune was hurriedly washing the werewolf's injuries and applying cream, trying to stop the spread of the Dust injury. Ruby stood in line with Weiss and Pyrrha, adding her stare to the mix.

The Grimm resisted for a few more minutes. Thankfully, without any humans to distract them this time, the alphas were able to send the Grimm away relatively quickly. Finally, once the Grimm were a good distance from the group, the alphas collapsed, panting with exhaustion.

The omegas immediately gathered around them, sending soothing thoughts into their minds. At the same time, Jaune managed to patch up Sage, though he knew that the werewolf would have several lasting scars.

The group walked silently, some limping, some carrying others, to the clearing Ruby had found. Sun was supporting Blake while Ruby was carrying her sister. Yang's arm had been wrapped up, but blood was already beginning to seep through the bandages. Jaune wanted to stitch the wounds, but was worried that unwrapping them would cause Yang to bleed out.

When they got to the clearing, Weiss shapeshifted into her human form in order to make a suggestion. "Sometimes, in order to stop a serious wound from bleeding, we use fire Dust to cauterize it."

Ruby winced. They would have to burn Yang's entire arm. Would it even be functional afterward? She looked at the bandages, which were entirely red by this point, and sighed, setting her down so that Jaune could take over.

Jaune carried Yang to a far corner of the field, where the Dust wouldn't get on any of the werewolves, and unwrapped her wound. "Okay, Yang," he muttered. "This is going to hurt." He called for Nora to come over. "Nora, hold her down."

Yang groaned, only half-conscious at this point. Her face was pale and her mouth hung open.

Jaune unwrapped his friend's arm, wincing at the sheer amount of blood gushing out. He thought he could see the white of bone, and tried to not think about it. While Nora held onto Yang, he started to pour the Dust onto the wounds one by one, holding them closed with his other hand.

It was hard to tell what was worse: Yang's scream, or the smell of burning flesh that caused Jaune to nearly throw up. He bit his lip, tears streaming down his cheeks as Yang yelled and thrashed. He finally covered her entire arm and drew back, feeling bile rising in his throat.

The Dust sizzled and burned, sealing the wounds abruptly. After another minute, Jaune washed it away and started spreading liberal amounts of healing and numbing cream on Yang's arm. "She won't be able to use it for a long time," he muttered. "If at all."

Blake watched from a distance, gasping at the pain in her back and sides. Still, she knew it was nothing compared to what her best friend was feeling. Her eyes glowed, and a low growl rose in her throat. She would kill Adam for this. Him and his two cronies. They would suffer and die, so that no one else could be hurt by them again!

Pyrrha sat alone on a rock near the creek, watching as the Huntsmen and werewolves recovered and tended to each other's wounds, ready to rush to whoever called for her. Her ears were drooping, and her tail hung in the water. Had this been a successful first battle? Had she led the pack well?

None of them were dead, which was certainly a good thing. Still, Sage and Scarlet had almost died, and there were several more injuries to speak of. What if she had thought to use the alpha stare earlier? Would they have kept the Grimm from reaching Burgundy at all? What else could have been done?

Breathing a long, heavy sigh, Pyrrha pushed those thoughts from her mind. She had to focus on what would happen next. They couldn't stay near Burgundy anymore. That much was certain. Did they continue traveling with Roman, or would it be better to leave him and take away the extra risk he was enduring?

One thing was certain: They couldn't go near another town with Adam still on their tail. Before they could continue with their plan, they would have to kill him.

Pyrrha looked at the sky, some light returning to her eyes. I am the Leader of this pack for now, she thought. So, this is my responsibility. She took a deep breath and nodded resolutely. I am going to kill Adam.

Be afraid, Taurus. Be very afraid. Pyrrha is coming for you! This was fun to type, as it gave me a chance to show all of the werewolf powers in action. What will the first steps be in taking down Mister Psycho? You will see next week!

If you like what you see and want to show extra support in exchange for rewards, my P/atreon is Solora Goldsun.

Peace out!