AWOO, MUTHAFUCKAS! It's Werewolf Friday yet again. This is the chapter you've been waiting for! Or…one of them, anyway. Enjoy!
The implementation of Jaune's plan began early in the morning. The werewolves started spreading out, Flynt, Neon, Sun, and Blake using their beta powers to figure out where Adam and his cronies were and estimate the range of the two enemy betas. They split into three groups, each led by an alpha. Pyrrha went with Blake and Perry, Ruby went with Sun and Neptune, and Weiss went with Flynt and Neon.
Jaune watched his friends leave, hoping desperately that his plan would work and wouldn't result in anyone else getting hurt. He caught Pyrrha's eye as she led her group off, and managed a smile. He felt warm when she immediately smiled back.
The Huntsmen sharpened their weapons and slept for half of the day, then began their preparations in the late afternoon. The sky was turning red as they marched resolutely in the direction of Adam.
They were nearly at the point that the betas had described to them when they heard the sound of scrambling in the trees followed by running. Immediately, the Huntsmen pursued. Jaune heard some of the footsteps splitting off to the sides. "Divide," he hissed.
Instinctively, Ren and Nora gravitated toward Jaune while Fox, Coco, and Yatsuhashi followed Velvet. The two groups attempted to close in on the fleeing werewolves from both sides.
One set of footsteps veered to the left, and Jaune shot after them, eyes murderous as he thought of how close Adam was. He remembered Blake's story, thought about how close she had come to being violated by this sick creature, and wanted nothing more than to drive his sword through the beast's throat.
The figure ran too close to the bushes, and Jaune lunged forward, tackling it to the ground. There was a moment's scuffle. He felt sharp nails digging into his sleeve and flipped his opponent over, drawing his sword. "Don't move!"
The person he had pinned was a tall, bronze-skinned man with large fox ears. The man smiled up at him in a way that was almost serene. "I will not. There is no need."
Before Jaune could ask what was happening, a loud roar caused Ren and Nora to rush forward to flank him. Adam's summoning more Grimm, he realized. This was good. If Adam kept that up, he'd be more tired by the time the werewolves attacked that night.
Still, it meant that the Huntsmen suddenly had a giant Ursa to deal with. A roar to their right told them that Velvet's group was facing a similar problem. As Jaune drew his sword, the Faunus took the opportunity to dart past him and into the woods, away from where Pyrrha's pack was waiting.
"Follow him!" Jaune ordered. "Don't let any of them get too far. I'll handle this." He turned back toward the Ursa just in time to block its claws with his shield.
In the hours leading to dusk, the chase played out similarly, with one or both of the betas getting pinned, only for a Grimm to come rushing out of the woods from another direction. The Huntsmen got smart and started sending groups in the direction the Grimm had been coming from, but no one caught a glimpse of Adam.
Finally, the sun sank below the horizon and the first rays of moonlight touched the forest.
….
Pyrrha remained awake throughout the day, too nervous to fall asleep. Instead, she contented herself with having Perry calm her emotions while she lay down on the ground, staring into the trees.
She didn't like that the Huntsmen were fighting alone. She didn't like that she wasn't there to help protect them. She didn't like that she couldn't protect Jaune.
At least during the Grimm attack, the werewolves and Huntsmen had been together the entire time. When Pyrrha had led her group to cut off the Grimm attacking Burgundy, she hadn't worried too much about anyone else. Until Adam had showed up, of course.
Now, she was forced to wait and hope that Adam wouldn't cause too much damage before sunset. Once sunset arrived, however, she'd be sure to make this quick.
As the sky darkened, she stood up, nodding to Blake and Perry. "Stay close to me, Blake," she reminded the beta. "He'll try targeting you. That's how I'll find an opening."
Blake nodded in understanding, her eyes practically glowing with determination. She'd make these monsters pay for what she went through, and for what they had done to Yang, Scarlet, and Sage. This was going to end tonight, one way or another.
Once the moon was out, the werewolves transformed into their second forms as quickly as possible. They didn't howl. They barely made a noise as they immediately got on all fours and darted into the forest toward where the Huntsmen were still playing cat-and-mouse with Adam.
Blake's ears went back and she snarled as her beta powers picked up where the crazed alpha was. He was away from the two groups of Huntsmen, desperately trying to find more Grimm to send their way. His movements were jerky and tired, as were those of his betas, who had clearly been tasked with distracting the Huntsmen. Good. We'll be able to finish this quickly.
The three groups moved in tandem. Pyrrha's went for Adam, Ruby's went for one beta, and Weiss's went for the other. As they drew close, they sensed Adam and his cronies drawing together, standing back to back, preparing for a last stand.
Finally, the werewolves burst through the trees to see three panting wolves waiting for them. Adam's large, black and red form towered over his betas, whose tan-furred bodies were shaking with the strain of fighting and running for so many hours. The Huntsmen were quick to arrive on the scene, though their tiredness was obvious in the smell of sweat emanating from them.
Adam's red eyes darted around until they finally settled on Blake. They narrowed as he took a step forward.
Blake growled, averting her gaze immediately to avoid the alpha stare. Too late, Perry barked a warning as Adam suddenly turned around and lunged at Sun. Ruby moved to block him, only to be swatted to the side as the larger alpha sank his teeth into Sun's throat.
Sun thrashed desperately, his breath coming out in wet gargles. Adam was choking him, but his fangs weren't piercing all the way through. Still, Sun quickly realized that moving would only make his situation worse, and went still, gray eyes wide, mouth open as he gasped for breath.
Everything froze. Neptune whimpered loudly, wanting to rush to his friend's aide, but not wanting to provoke Adam to bite down. Blake was pacing back and forth, debating whether or not to run off and draw Adam away. Pyrrha's ears were back as she glared at the crazy alpha. The two tan betas were crouched low to the ground, tails between their legs. Unlike their leader, they knew that there was no way out, no matter what happened next. They were going to die. It was only a matter of whether or not Adam would take a few enemies with him.
Pyrrha stepped forward slowly, growling low in her throat, her eyes glowing green in the moonlight. One of Adam's red eyes moved to hers, as if he had been waiting for her to approach.
The first traces of the alpha stare entered Pyrrha's mind, and she immediately realized what Adam was doing. He was making it so that she would have to make a Leader's challenge with her own alpha stare. If she won, Adam would, by rights, be the new Leader of her pack. The others wouldn't stand for that, of course, but they'd be forced to run him off without actually killing him. If Pyrrha won, Adam would have to flee, while his betas would technically belong to her. Either way, he was free to come after Blake again in the future.
It had to be done this way, though. If anyone tried attacking him now, he would simply bite down and kill Sun.
Pyrrha growled, her eyes shining as she fixed Adam's red eye with her own alpha stare. Get out, she thought as she glared at him. Get out!
Smirking, Adam let go of Sun's neck and padded toward Pyrrha, his own eyes glowing with the force of his alpha stare. The pack, Adam's betas, and the Huntsmen formed a circle around them, everyone shifting nervously, wanting but unable to interfere.
Jaune's hand was tight on his sword hilt as he watched the two werewolves circling each other. He had always thought of Pyrrha as a mighty creature, but Adam easily towered over her, his huge, black and red form looking more like a monster than any werewolf Jaune had met up to this point. God and Maidens, protect her, he prayed, feeling his heart desperately pounding against his ribs.
Pyrrha, meanwhile, was focused utterly on Adam. His stare was powerful, driving into her in blood-colored waves. She could feel the crazed thoughts behind those manic eyes. Run away! Hide! Give me my gorgeous black mate. Yes. Run far away! Better yet, let me rip out your throat! his mind screamed.
That was the one advantage Pyrrha had. Adam was definitely crazy. His alpha stare had been used far too much. Even if he kept it up forever, he wouldn't be able to focus the way Pyrrha could.
With this in mind, she beat into him with the singular message: Get out! No other thoughts went through her mind. It was like she was shooting a single green arrow through a mass of blood red. A singular desire to send Adam away forever.
His thoughts wavered and Pyrrha pressed forward, grinning in satisfaction as the giant alpha began to back away. His tail went between his legs. His eyes started to widen with fear. Finally, he bowed his head with a submissive growl. He had lost.
Pyrrha's ears flicked and she sat back proudly, waiting for him to turn and leave as she had commanded.
She barely had a moment to react before a wild roar split the night and Adam suddenly lunged at her throat. Yelping, she dodged to the side, causing his fangs to sink deeply into her shoulder. Pyrrha dug her claws into his back, trying to turn her head enough to bite his neck. One of his feet wrapped around her hind legs, causing her to fall on her back. She felt the air being crushed from her lungs as the towering black form loomed over her, preparing for the final blow.
"NO!" Seeing his chance, and knowing that this was no longer a fair fight, Jaune drew his sword and rushed forward, plunging the blade into Adam's back. The alpha roared and spun around, swatting at Jaune, claws leaving deep grooves in his armor.
That was all the other werewolves needed. The instant Adam was off of Pyrrha, they surged forward as one. Nothing existed for them except for their anger. Anger for Blake. Anger for Sun. Anger for Yang, Sage, and Scarlet. Anger for their Leader, who had nearly been killed by a cheap, underhanded trick. The Huntsmen backed away as the pack fell upon Adam.
For the first time in a while, Jaune had to turn his head away from the wolves, bile rising in his throat. He heard the sound of ripping flesh, of Adam's pathetic final whimpers. Then, all was silent, and he dared to look back. The werewolves were backing away from what was now a pile of meat, bones, and black fur.
Pyrrha slowly stood up, holding her shoulder and grimacing. When she saw what was left of Adam, she flinched visibly, but tried to keep her composure. A deep, sinking shame filled her. She had failed. Adam had almost killed her. She hadn't been able to protect her pack.
Still, they were looking to her as they had before, and she forced herself to keep a calm expression. Lowering her paw from her shoulder, she nodded at the werewolves, letting them know that they had done well.
Then, two low whimpers caught her attention.
Turning, she saw the tan betas. They hadn't fled, but were lying on their backs, bellies exposed in the most submissive of gestures. Their eyes were clenched shut, as if they were anticipating some sort of punishment.
Pyrrha stared at them, dumbstruck, then remembered. That's right. Adam cheated. I won the Leader challenge. That means… She barked once at the tan betas, ordering them to stand up, which they did immediately, though their ears remained lowered and their heads bowed.
She gave them a long look. If she told them to, they would leave and never come back. That would probably be the safest option. On the other hand, she could keep them and have two more werewolf allies. Do I want werewolves who were won in this way, though? Then again, this is traditionally how packs change leadership…
A throb of pain went through her shoulder. Perhaps, this should wait until morning.
The group left the clearing, leaving Adam's body for the carrion birds to pick off once morning arrived, and kept walking until the smell was far behind them. The exhausted Huntsmen went to work examining each other's wounds while the uninjured werewolves made a perimeter around the area.
Ruby and Weiss volunteered to keep an eye on the tan betas that night, as they weren't tired or injured in any way, except for a few scratches on Ruby's arm, which Weiss kept worriedly licking. Pyrrha gratefully agreed. Still, despite her tiredness, she checked on each member of her pack to make sure they were okay.
Blake and Neptune were comforting Sun, whose neck injury was almost as bad as Scarlet's. Blake was curled up right next to the pale gold werewolf, nuzzling his shoulder and licking his ears, which he was clearly enjoying. Pyrrha touched her muzzle to his brow and gently commanded him to take it easy during their journey to Obsidian.
Perry was very shaken, but otherwise okay. Neon and Flynt were glad that Adam was dead, though was wary of the betas, who had apparently been very close to the late Leader.
Jaune, meanwhile, was watching Pyrrha. His damaged armor was off, and he was sitting by himself, the only Huntsman still awake after that long, grueling day. His eyes narrowed as he saw how Pyrrha walked, favoring her right shoulder but trying not to be too obvious about it. She had been close to death that night, far too close.
As she finished checking on her pack, Pyrrha's green eyes turned in Jaune's direction. This time, Jaune stood up and walked toward her, beckoning toward the fire.
Pyrrha padded over to an empty space near the fire, watching Jaune as he started taking medical supplies from his bag. Her gaze traveled to his scratched armor, and her ears flattened at the thought of what would have happened if Adam's claws had hit a more vulnerable spot. Her mind echoed with the desperate cry he had let out when Adam had pinned her. She had never heard so much fear and anger in a human's voice before, not even during the Grimm attack on Burgundy.
Jaune's hands shook as he took out his ointment and started examining the bite on Pyrrha's shoulder. It was deep, but the fact that it had missed its mark made it less severe than it could have been. If Adam had managed to get her throat on the first try… Jaune was surprised to feel tears prickling his eyes.
Gently, he spread the numbing ointment over the wound. "I'll wrap it up loosely for tonight. We can give it a better look in the morning." Technically, it would be easier for her to transform now and get bandaged, but Jaune had a feeling that all of the werewolves were feeling rather shaken, and felt safer in their bestial forms for the moment. He wasn't about to take that from them.
As he wrapped Pyrrha's shoulder, feeling her flinch a little as he tied the bandages, Jaune felt a few warm trails making their way down his cheeks. He knew that it was time to step back, to let Pyrrha return to her pack and sleep while he slept alone at the edge of the Huntsman group.
Instead, he stepped forward, erasing any distance between them, and wrapped his arms snugly, but gently around Pyrrha.
Pyrrha froze, her heart stammering as she tried to figure out how to react. Jaune had hugged her before, but never in her wolf form, and never in a way that felt this intimate, and why wasn't he moving away, and-
Then, she felt her human shift closer, burying his face in the fur of her neck. Her thudding heartbeat slowed, her frantic confusion suddenly overwhelmed by a warm sensation that filled her chest and spread throughout her body. Her arms came up as she drew Jaune into a long embrace. She rested her head on top of his, a low rumbling sound rising in her throat.
Jaune's muscles relaxed and he sighed contentedly. His cheek was pressed against Pyrrha's thick fur, and her strong arms were holding him close. She was safe, and she was alive. In that moment, that was all he needed to know.
As human and werewolf held onto each other, they both became aware of a definite change in the air between them, a wordless realization that both elated and thrilled them. The unlikely, but unbreakable friendship that had been forged between them was changing, as surely as a werewolf changes in the light of the full moon.
It wasn't love. Not yet. But, if they allowed their feelings to go down the path that they were clearly starting on in that moment, it would almost definitely become that.
Yet, neither one was afraid. They were just relieved, excited, happy, and incredibly tired. The latter feeling was what caused them to finally back away from each other.
Pyrrha looked down at Jaune, wanting to lick away the tears that were still leaking from his beautiful blue eyes, but resisted the urge. Instead, she leaned close and gently nuzzled the side of his neck before lying down on the ground. She looked up at him, ears perked as she waited for his next move.
Jaune didn't hesitate to lie down next to her, snuggling gladly against her furry form and closing his eyes. He smiled as he felt her arm drape over him, and allowed his fingers to gently comb through the fur on her chest for a few minutes. This caused her to make that low rumbling noise again. Jaune pressed his ear against her chest to listen, and found himself falling asleep quicker than he had in a long time.
Pyrrha stayed awake for another minute, glancing around the camp one more time before looking at Jaune again. A soft smile stretched across her muzzle as she allowed herself to relax for the first time in days. Adam was dead. One of the greatest obstacles against the pack was eliminated. Though Pyrrha had failed to defeat him on her own, she still had managed to overpower him and win two potential new allies. They just had to find Roman and the others and continue their quest.
Because now, she had yet another reason to bridge the gap between her people and Jaune's. Holding her human close, Pyrrha closed her eyes and fell into a pleasant, dreamless sleep.
Ding dong, the bitch is dead! But Adam was little more than a mini-boss. The real challenge is still coming. MWAHAHA! This actually worked out perfectly. Seeing as it's three days after the anniversary of a certain event in the RWBY canon that we shall not mention, I think it's fitting that the Arkos ball is starting to roll in this piece.
If you like what you see and want to show extra support in exchange for rewards, my P/atreon is Solora Goldsun.
Peace out!