It's Werewolf Friday, and I'm feeling awesome! Hope you all feel awesome after seeing some more Arkos goodness. Enjoy!
Jaune awoke just before sunrise to a warm weight on his chest. He opened his eyes slowly. There was no panic this time as he looked at the red-furred form curled up against him. Instead, he felt completely peaceful.
Yawning, he brought up a hand to gently scratch at the soft fur behind Pyrrha's ears, which flicked under his touch. He watched as her eyelids flickered, then blinked open.
Her emerald eyes were truly beautiful, whether they were the soft human ones or the wild werewolf ones. Any fear Jaune might have felt when looking at her lupine form was nothing more than a distant memory. All that remained was a sense of awe. Here he was, holding one of the most powerful creatures in the world, scratching her ears as if she was a simple lapdog. It was strange seeing such a mighty being acting so tame under his touch, and utterly thrilling when he thought about the woman this beast truly was.
Pyrrha couldn't remember a time when she had felt more at peace with the world. Adam was dead, her packmates were near, and her human's heartbeat was thrumming against her fur. She closed her eyes again, rumbling lazily as Jaune continued to scratch at her ear. Her tail thudded against the ground.
The sun touched her fur, and she felt herself starting to change back. To her delight, her human didn't move away.
Jaune's heart pounded as he felt the wolf nestled against him grow smaller and lighter, felt the fur under his hand turn to long, slightly tangled hair. He carefully avoid looking at her body, though he could feel it against him, and decided that it would be best to get up before his own body's reaction became too obvious.
When he sat up, he immediately noticed Neon watching him from across the camp. The cat Faunus's pinkish tail flicked and she winked, a grin spreading across her face.
Pyrrha looked at Neon, blushed at the beta's grin, and minutely shook her head. Thankfully, Neon got the message and schooled her expression as she stood up.
"Leader, the…uh…" Neon hesitated. Were these betas prisoners? "They're awake," she finally settled on.
"Thank you, Neon," Pyrrha said, walking over to the two fox Faunus. Normally, she would have put on her clothes at this point, but figured that these werewolves wouldn't appreciate the human gesture. This was a delicate situation, after all.
When she approached, the two knelt in front of her, heads bowed. The Faunus with the fox ears had them folded back submissively.
"What are your names?" she asked.
"Fennec, Mistress," replied the one with the ears.
"Corsac, Mistress," said the one with the tail.
Pyrrha winced. She liked the title of Mistress even less than Leader. "My name is Pyrrha. You may call me by my name, or Leader, if you wish."
"Yes, Leader," the two replied at the same time. They continued to stare at the ground, their bodies tense as if they were anticipating a blow.
"You don't need to be afraid," Pyrrha assured them. "Our quarrel was with Adam, so we won't hurt you."
At this, Corsac looked up, his orange-brown eyes wide and confused. "Will you not mark us, Leader?"
"Mark? What do you…?" Pyrrha trailed off as she took a closer look at the two werewolves. Each of them had a scar on his right shoulder, a scar of a bite mark. However, this wasn't like the scar of the bite that changes one into a werewolf. These scars looked…layered, as if a wolf had bitten repeatedly in the same spot over the years.
Her stomach roiled as she realized what they meant. "No, I will not mark you. That is not my way."
"As you say, Leader," Corsac replied. His shoulders, and Fennec's, relaxed just a little.
Pyrrha turned toward Neon, Flynt, and Perry. "Did Adam mark you?"
Neon nodded, showing a mostly-faded scar on her right shoulder. "Just one time. He didn't have a chance to do it again."
Perry rubbed at his shoulder, which had a more prominent scar. "I wondered at first why you didn't give me a mark, but I didn't want to say anything."
Blake's ears flattened. "That's where he bit me!" She looked at the faded bite on her shoulder, her lip curling with disgust as she remembered how Adam had licked her shoulder whenever she was near him.
Sun brushed his tail against her side. "Hey. You're not his, okay? You never were."
Blake's eyes softened slightly at his gentle tone. "I know."
Pyrrha suppressed a shudder as she remembered a bit more of werewolf lore. Marking was an ancient tradition from a time when Leaders were said to own the rest of their pack. It was an outdated custom that Cinder never used, so Pyrrha had never needed to think about it. How many other old traditions had Adam adhered to?
"I want you to understand something," she said, looking back at the two Faunus. "My pack doesn't follow the old ways. We follow our own rules. Currently, we are looking at building up a force of humans, Faunus, and werewolves so that we may return to Vale and make peace between the humans there and the werewolves in the forest."
She didn't miss the look of shock that passed over their faces. "If you wish to leave, we won't keep you prisoner. However, if you wish to follow us, we'd be happy to have you. You must, however, promise to behave yourselves and to not attack or change anyone else."
"We, uh," Fennec coughed. "Beg your pardon, Leader. I'm not sure what…"
"What he means," Corsac cut in. "Is that we will follow you. You won against Adam, and we have no other alpha to follow." He cast a distasteful glance toward the Huntsmen. "We will do as you say, but we will not associate with the unturned. Does that satisfy you, Leader?"
Pyrrha sighed. "I suppose it has to."
"What of the others?" Fennec asked.
"The others?"
"The wolves of our pack," Corsac explained. "You won them when you defeated Adam."
For a moment, everyone was silent. Pyrrha barely kept from letting her mouth drop open. Adam's pack, she thought. I am the Leader of Adam's pack. His whole pack?! She thought of the mighty pack that had held Cinder's at bay for so long. Just like that, it was hers. Her head reeled. That's…more than enough werewolves. We could join the packs together! There would be no more fighting! If we can just get a good amount of humans, we'll be able to go home before spring!
Fighting to maintain her composure, Pyrrha replied: "We will need them with us as soon as possible. Would one of you be willing to bring them to me?"
Fennec and Corsac looked at each other before Corsac bowed deeply. "I would be honored, my Leader. Should I bring them here?"
"No." Pyrrha asked Jaune for the map and unfolded it. "We are going to be traveling to the east, toward a town called Obsidian. Bring them to the forest surrounding it, a mile out at least, probably more."
"We can mark the trail between here and there," Neon added. "Since he's a beta, he'll be able to follow it, even if it's not fresh."
"Okay." Pyrrha nodded. "Flynt and Sun can be in charge of that." She looked back at Corsac. "We'll rest until tonight. If you feel ready, you can leave at sunset. If you wish to rest for another day, you will leave tomorrow night."
Corsac's tail flicked. "You are…letting me choose?"
"I haven't forgotten that we drove you to exhaustion before fighting you for a good portion of last night," Pyrrha replied with a kind smile. "I won't let members of my pack get hurt needlessly. Be honest about whether you're ready to travel when nighttime comes. In the meantime, eat and rest. That's an order."
"Yes, Leader," Corsac murmured, bowing his head once again. Both he and Fennec had stunned expressions on their faces.
Pyrrha looked at them, wondering how to tell them to stop kneeling and bowing. "Um, as you were." She was glad when they immediately sat down and relaxed.
As she was putting on her clothes, she noticed Jaune approaching. She smiled at him, though tilted her head as she noticed a troubled look on his face. "What is it?"
Jaune walked with her to the edge of camp before talking. "Is trusting him a good idea?" he murmured. "I mean, those two were Adam's literally yesterday. What if he tries to pull something?"
"I don't think he will," Pyrrha replied in an equally-hushed tone. "Judging by their scents, they're brothers, and they seem to be close. I don't think one would abandon the other. Besides, there's little he can do. Either he'll run away, or he'll bring the pack to us."
"Or, he could tell Cinder what we're doing."
"So? We were going to confront her eventually anyway." Pyrrha shrugged. "Maybe the knowledge that we're gathering a force will cause her to think, and she may lean more favorably toward us by the time we get back."
"Maybe," Jaune murmured, though he was still doubtful. "I don't want this to turn against us."
"I know," Pyrrha replied, touching his arm. "But, think about it. If we can bring Adam's entire pack to our side, we'll have more than enough werewolves, and can focus on swaying the humans and Faunus. Don't you want to go home soon?"
"Of course," Jaune sighed, glancing to the side. "We've passed the month deadline Schnee set for us. I wonder what my family is thinking right now."
Pyrrha's gaze softened with sympathy. "You have seven sisters, correct?"
Jaune nodded. "Mary, Sapphire, June, and Autumn are my older sisters. Katie, Jenny, and Silvia are younger than me." A slight smile returned to his face. "I think you'd like them."
Pyrrha gladly returned his smile. "You'll have to introduce me." She started to withdraw her hand from Jaune's arm, only for him to reach out and take it. Her heart fluttered like a sparrow as she looked up at him.
"Something's happening between us," he muttered, his cheeks warming, but his gaze remaining fixed on Pyrrha's face. "Isn't there?"
"Yes," Pyrrha replied without hesitation, gently gripping Jaune's warm, familiar, calloused hand. "What do you think will happen next?"
"I don't know," Jaune said, his throat becoming dry as he rubbed his thumb over her wrist, feeling her quickening pulse. "But…we need to be careful." He glanced toward where Weiss and Ruby were resting. "Whatever happens, we need as many humans as possible on our side right now. And, since my family is so prominent in Vale…"
"You're doubly important," Pyrrha finished. "I understand." She hesitated before stepping closer. Making sure there were no open cuts or scratches on his cheek, she softly kissed him there.
Jaune closed his eyes, his breath hitching. Her lips were warm and dry, and the touch was feather-light. Still, it was one of the most wonderful sensations he had ever felt. He squeezed her hand once more, then let go, watching as Pyrrha moved away from him and walked back toward the werewolves. No more words were needed just then. They'd figure things out as they went.
Pyrrha tried to get her heartbeat under control as she approached Perry, who was carefully watching Corsac and Fennec. "What do you think?" she asked him.
Perry started slightly. "Oh, hello Leader." He nodded at Corsac and Fennec. "It's strange. I never really read those two, even while I was in Adam's pack. I don't sense any malice toward any of us, or any real happiness. It's like they just…exist. They feel loyal to you, but only because you defeated Adam. I have no doubt that they'd throw themselves in front of you in a battle, just because you're their Leader."
He shook his head slowly. "I…almost forgot what the wolves in Adam's pack were like…what I was like."
Pyrrha's heart sank. "Adam really did brainwash everyone." She thought about Perry and what his situation would likely have been if he was with his old pack rather than hers. "I'm even more glad that he's dead," she growled.
Perry nodded in agreement. He looked at Pyrrha, did a double take, and openly gaped at her, rabbit ears twitching.
Pyrrha noticed his look and chuckled. "What is it?"
"N-Nothing, Leader!" he said quickly, turning away.
Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "Nothing?"
Perry blushed. "I just…Adam's death isn't the only thing you're happy about, is it?" he whispered.
"No, it's not." Pyrrha smiled. "Don't think too much of it. Our mission comes first. I'll figure out my personal feelings on my own when the time is right."
Perry nodded, glancing at her, then at Jaune. "I…I hope you end up happy, Leader. You deserve it."
"Thank you, Perry." Pyrrha pulled the omega into a brief hug, glad that he only tensed for a moment before relaxing. At least Adam didn't get to hurt you too much… Perhaps, with time and patience, she could help Fennec and Corsac in the same way she had helped Perry.
That night, Corsac declared that he was well enough to begin his journey to retrieve his packmates. Armed with a satchel of medicine, some dried food, and a rough copy of the map, he departed. He touched his snout briefly to his brother's, then was gone.
Fennec watched his brother leave, whimpering softly and staring into the trees. He winced when Pyrrha padded over and licked the side of his neck. It took a moment for him to realize that the lick was meant to be a gesture of comfort.
Why would a Leader be comforting a beta? Wasn't that the job of the omegas?
Fennec shook his head to clear it. Strange as this new pack was, it was his now, and he was going to do what he could to help his Leader. That was the werewolf way, after all.
So, Jaune and Pyrrha are officially on the path toward Arkos. I've been looking forward to this part of the story, because I knew early on that the main point of tension wouldn't be because of their different species or because they'd be hiding their feelings, but because of the fact that Jaune needs to stay human until their plan is completed.
If you like what you see and want to show extra support in exchange for rewards, my P/atreon is Solora Goldsun.
Peace out!