AWOO, everyone! Happy Werewolf Friday. This chapter holds a bit of transition and a lot of shippy goodness, because I'm such a nice person. Enjoy!

Roman's cart passed through yet another town without stopping. The closer they got to Obsidian, the clearer it became that a traveling trader would find little business in the refugee-overrun towns. The people preferred to go to the local merchants and purchase more common, practical goods. Raunchy books and sweets from other parts of the continent were pleasures that few could afford to indulge.

"This is so bloody stupid."

"Yang…"

"I mean, I wasn't expecting it to be fangtastic, or anything, but still."

"Oh, sweet Maidens…"

"This just looks like a very Grimm situation. That's all I'm saying."

"I will throw you from this cart!"

"Then, you will see my lovely face Nevermo- Ow!" Yang yelped when Neo punched her arm. "What? I'm just trying to lighten the mood."

Neo rolled her eyes, trying to suppress a snicker, knowing it would only encourage Yang to come up with another slew of horrible puns. "Come up with some better jokes, then try again later."

"Aw." Yang pouted. "You just don't appreciate the incredible skull that goes into them."

"Okay, now you're stretching," Neo said, giving Yang a deadpanned look.

"Yeah, okay. I'll stop." Yang scooted over to the young trader and waggled her eyebrows. "Should I start something else?"

Before Neo could stammer a reply, the cart went over a bump, causing her to fall into the Huntress's lap. Her face started burning, and she suspected that it was bright red. "Uh…"

"You'd better not be getting into any funny business back there," Roman called from his seat at the front of the cart. "I don't want any of that going on in my wagon! I'll ride Griffin over every bump on this road!"

Neo managed to get over her embarrassment enough to sputter an indignant reply. "You're such a hypocrite! Have you forgotten when we were in Vermillion and you met those four brothel girls-"

"That is not a story for mixed company, Neo!" Roman snapped.

"I wanna hear it!" Scarlet piped up. "This human is starting to sound more like an animal than us, huh Sage?"

"He certainly is," Sage murmured, raising a curious eyebrow. "Tell us more, Neo."

Neo opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted when Griffin started trotting and the cart hit another bump. "Is it worth jostling your stock, Roman?" she called snidely.

"You're picking up bad manners from these ruffians, Neo. I don't like it." Roman tried to sound angry, but couldn't hide the laughter in his voice.

"Hey, who are the ruffians?" Scarlet asked. "The Huntsmen or the werewolves?"

"Yes."

"Says the guy selling perverted books."

Another bump.

"Roman!" Neo scolded. "Don't forget we have people still healing back here."

"Ah…yes, of course." Roman had the grace to sound sheepish as he slowed the cart down again. "Sorry about that."

Yang shrugged. "It's fine. I have the numbing stuff on, and it's almost better anyway." The wounds were mostly healed by this point, though it was becoming clear that it would be a long time before she could use her right arm as well as she used to. She looked at it, flexing it slightly.

Neo noticed the action and gently took her hand. "Do you need more salve on it?"

"Nah, I'm good," Yang replied. She was glad when Neo didn't move from her lap, and decided to risk drawing her closer. She smiled when the smaller girl snuggled shyly against her front.

Over the past few days, she had found her feelings for the young trader deepening. While she had certainly been interested initially, she was sensing something different in their interactions now. Their bold, flirtatious statements were tinged with shyness. There was an extra layer of tenderness in the touches shared between them that hadn't been there before. It made her a little nervous, but in a good way.

She knew that falling for a trader was a bad idea. Eventually, the Huntsmen would have to return to Vale, and Neo and Roman would continue traveling. Yang would probably see them maybe once a year, if that.

Still, that was a long way off, and Yang was the kind of person who lived in the present.

Neo yawned quietly, resting her head in the crook of Yang's neck. "You're really warm," she sighed.

Yang's heart skipped a bit as she nuzzled the top of Neo's head. "You can sleep, if you want."

"Hm. I may take you up on that." Neo could already feel a sense of drowsiness creeping in as Yang's heat surrounded her like the warmth of a hearth fire.

Scarlet watched the two from across the cart, a knowing smile on his face. He felt Sage's eyes on him and looked up, his gaze warming as he allowed his omega powers to activate. Immediately, his mind was flooded with the love of his mate.

The two had been mates for over three years, and had gotten together relatively soon after they realized their feelings. Since they were both omegas, they had recognized the mutual love between them rather quickly. It was interesting to watch their packmates and Huntsmen friends discover their feelings and come to terms with them at such a slow pace.

Sage leaned down to brush his lips against the bite on Scarlet's neck. Scarlet returned the favor by peppering several kisses across his mate's healed, but heavily-marred face. He knew that the Dust wounds would scar, but didn't care. Sage was always beautiful to him. All that mattered was that he wasn't in any pain.

The four sat in the wagon until around midnight, when Roman stopped the cart and passed the reins to Neo. Yang gladly moved to the front to sit next to her.

"We'll be in Obsidian in another day or so," Neo said as she urged Griffin on. "Are you nervous?"

"Nervous? Nah." Yang waved her hand dismissively. "I've dealt with seeing my sister and best friend come back from the dead, becoming buddies with a bunch of werewolves, and getting savaged by one while fighting a horde of Grimm. A few vampires should be easy."

Neo made a sympathetic noise in her throat. "I remember when we heard that Blake was dead. We mourned for several days."

"Sorry," Yang said. "For all we knew at the time, she was. And we couldn't exactly tell anyone that she was possibly living as a werewolf."

"I understand." Neo looked up at Yang. "What was it like when you found out?"

Yang thought back to that full moon hunt, which felt like so long ago now, when she had first seen her sister's silver eyes on a wolfish face. "Ruby headbutted me," she said with a fond, slightly sad smile. "Even though it was her first time transforming, even though I was attacking Pyrrha at the time, she didn't bite or scratch me. That was part of what made me realize that she wasn't necessarily damned."

She looked at her hands. "Then, the next night, when we left Vale to kill her, I knew I couldn't do it. I saw her in her human form, and she wasn't any different from the Ruby I knew."

Neo gently touched her arm. "Even though she's your sister, it's amazing that you were able to get past what you thought you knew about werewolves." She returned her attention to the reins. "I was so confused on the night when Flynt and Neon saved us. I just couldn't believe that two werewolves had chased off those bandits, then left us alone. When Flynt came back with the money bag…" She shook her head.

"Must've been pretty weird," Yang laughed, leaning back against the wagon. "I wonder how hard it'll be swaying the people of Obsidian."

"Well, it can go either way," Neo speculated. "Either, they'll be so afraid of the vampires, they'll welcome anything that can fight them, or they'll be doubly suspicious of anything even remotely non-human."

Yang grimaced at the thought of things being twice as hard. "I think I'll take the first option." She looked at the road ahead. "I just hope that everyone will get to Obsidian…"

Neo scooted over and leaned up to peck Yang's cheek. "They'll be fine. If they could fight off that Grimm horde, they can handle three crazy werewolves."

Yang's expression softened, and she smiled gently at Neo. "Yeah, you're right." She hesitated, then leaned in, brushing her lips against the trader's, immediately tasting sweetness on the very tip of her tongue.

Neo melted against Yang, closing her eyes as she savored the warm feel of her lips, the slightly spicy taste…

"Neo! Eyes on the road!" Roman barked from inside the wagon.

The two girls sprang apart, both blushing furiously. Neo looked back at the road, biting her lip. After a moment, she glanced at Yang out of the corner of her eye. Upon seeing that the Huntress was trying very hard not to laugh, she couldn't help but start quietly giggling. This, of course, led to Yang letting out a loud snort, which led to both girls bursting into laughter.

A loud, exasperated groan sounded from the wagon. "Do you ladies need a chaperone?!"

….

The journey to Obsidian began the day after Corsac departed. The werewolves and Huntsmen packed their gear in the evening and began their trek through the woods. It was agreed that they would travel mostly at night, as leaving claw marks and scent markers was most easily done in wolf form.

It was an awkward affair initially. The tension Fennec felt in the presence of so many Huntsmen was nearly palpable. Pyrrha tried to stay near him to comfort him, but found that being close to an alpha only made him more nervous. In the end, she put Neon and Perry in charge of keeping an eye on him.

She was very aware of Jaune, whether he was walking behind everyone to make sure there were no Grimm approaching, or at the head of the Huntsmen, talking quietly to Ren or Nora. Occasionally, he would walk next to her, allowing his hand to brush against the fur of her shoulder. It was a small, but comforting gesture.

When they made camp, Ruby volunteered to lead some of the wolves on a quick hunt. Pyrrha agreed, making sure that Fennec went with them, largely because she knew he'd be uncomfortable surrounded by so many humans.

Once the hunting patrol was gone, she turned back into her human form and called Perry to her. "Any changes in his emotions?"

"A little," Perry told her. "He seems…disgusted with Neon and me."

Pyrrha tilted her head. "How so?"

"I'm not sure," Perry said. "It's like he feels betrayed for something we did."

"I see." Pyrrha nodded. "I'll talk to him about it in the morning. I know he doesn't want to transform into his Faunus form at night."

"No. Adam's pack is obsessed with their wolf forms. Not turning at night was considered a crime." Perry shuddered as he thought back. "I was badly punished the one time I forgot…"

Pyrrha touched his shoulder. "I'm going to be counting on you, Perry," she said gently. "You, Flynt, and Neon know what it was like under Adam, and I'll need your help getting our new packmates readjusted when they arrive."

Perry's eyes widened, but his back straightened proudly. "I won't let you down, Leader! I promise."

"I know you won't," Pyrrha replied, chuckling a little at the omega's enthusiasm. "Now, why don't you go rest with the others? The hunt will be back in a little while."

"Yes, Leader," Perry replied, bowing his head before walking off to find Neon and Flynt.

Pyrrha heard rustling behind her, and turned to see Jaune approaching, unfolding the map that Roman had given them. "Hey," he greeted. "I thought maybe you'd want to go over our path.

"Good idea." Pyrrha sat down on the ground with him and peered at the map. It had taken some time to understand the concept of maps, but Roman had taken her aside and explained it over the course of a few days while they were in Burgundy. Flynt, Neon, and Perry knew a little from their earlier tutoring from the Huntsmen, from back when they had planned on fleeing the Vale forest alone to find a new pack. It all seemed so long ago.

"Pyrrha?" Jaune tilted his head. "You okay?"

Pyrrha shook herself from her musings and smiled at Jaune. "Yes. Just thinking back a little."

Jaune nodded in understanding. "We've really come a long way, huh?"

"Absolutely. And it'll only get better." Pyrrha was sure of this. If they could defeat Adam, they could do anything!

"As long as we can get to Obsidian in one piece." Jaune spread out the map. "I think we should take a more roundabout path, going a bit wide of the towns instead of skirting them like we originally planned. Since Corsac and a bunch of other wolves will be following us, it would probably be best to not put them too close to humans."

"Good idea," Pyrrha said. "I've already decided to leave a small party behind to meet Corsac's group halfway and follow the markings to Obsidian."

"I think Ruby would be a good choice to lead that group," Jaune commented.

"Exactly what I was thinking. I'll also leave Weiss. Having two alphas will make things a bit more stable, considering the size of the pack." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "As for betas, I might leave Neon and Blake, since Sun and Flynt are in charge of making the markers."

"Is Blake a good idea, though?" Jaune wondered. "Considering her history with Adam's pack?"

"She said that some wolves were sympathetic while she was there, and I don't want to send only one beta," Pyrrha explained. "I'm debating on whether it would be better to send Neptune or Perry as the omega of the group."

"Wouldn't Perry be better, since he's familiar with Adam's wolves?"

"I'm not sure. Perry told me that Fennec doesn't seem to feel favorable toward him, Neon, or Flynt. I'll talk to Fennec in the morning, and see what he says. He's been very distant."

Jaune shrugged. "I mean, I can't blame him. He's suddenly in a new pack with completely different ideals. I don't think he knows how to think for himself. Perry was the same way at first."

"Yes." Pyrrha looked toward where Perry was, her heart warming. "I'm glad I was able to help him. He has so much more light in his eyes than he had when we first met him."

"It's hard to believe that, just two or so months ago, he was tied to a tree trying to bite Ren's hand off," Jaune mused. He folded the map. "Well, I'd better start making a copy of this for Ruby and Weiss, just in case the scent markers fade too much."

"The markers should remain noticeable to the betas," Pyrrha said.

"Still, nothing wrong with being careful." Jaune hesitated. "Uh, I was wondering…" His face turned red and he rubbed nervously at the back of his neck. "Would you mind if, uh…"

Pyrrha tilted her head, trying not to grin at how adorable her human looked in that moment. "What is it?"

Jaune coughed a little. "I mean, do you think… Could we, uh…" He met her gaze slowly. "Is it okay if I sleep next to you again tonight?" His cheeks darkened further at the bluntness of his question.

What are you doing?! You don't ask an unmarried woman something like that, even if you are interested in her! one part of his brain scolded.

Werewolves do things differently, another part of his brain protested. You've already slept next to each other. There's nothing wrong with asking to do it again.

You're not a werewolf, though!

Pyrrha blushed, suddenly finding it hard to meet Jaune's gaze without feeling her heart flutter in her chest. Sweet Moon, you're acting like a lovestruck pup. "I'd like that very much," she murmured.

The hunting patrol returned with some fresh rabbits, which were cooked over the fire. It was past midnight when the Huntsmen and pack settled in for the night.

After checking on the rest of the pack and giving Fennec a reassuring smile, she went over to where Jaune was setting up his sleeping gear. He was right at the edge of the Huntsmen, near the werewolves, for which she was grateful. She watched him lie down before scooting close. She had decided to remain in her human form this time, wanting to know what it was like falling asleep near him this way.

She blushed as he wrapped a snug arm around her middle and drew her close, allowing her to nestle her head in the crook of his neck. She snuggled up against him, liking the way her human body fit so neatly against his. She felt warm and safe, similar to how she felt when sleeping with the rest of her pack. However, there was a definite edge of excitement that was entirely unique to her closeness to Jaune.

Jaune sighed happily, closing his eyes as Pyrrha relaxed against him. Though he definitely appreciated her wolf form, he found himself loving the feeling of holding her in her more vulnerable human form. It felt almost like he was protecting her, though he knew that she was far stronger than he could ever be.

It was amazing how natural this felt. Then again, thinking back, a lot of things already felt natural when he was around Pyrrha: holding her hand as they walked through Burgundy, hugging her when she needed comfort, riding on her back that one time he tried running with the pack. And now, there was…whatever was happening now. His cheek tingled a little as he remembered her quick, chaste kiss.

Before, his romantic experience was limited to his onesided crush on Weiss when they were young teens. Now, however, he was really beginning to understand just how immature and shallow his feelings had been back then. Nothing about Weiss had ever made him feel this happy, this complete, this excited for whatever was going to happen next.

The annoying side of his brain reminded him to be careful. If and when his feelings for Pyrrha deepened, it would become harder and harder to resist certain temptations, and he could not afford to turn into a werewolf!

Not now, anyway, he added before mentally shaking himself. You're thinking too far ahead. Just enjoy the moment and be ready for tomorrow. With these wise words in mind, he was finally able to find sleep.

Fennec slept on the edge of the pack's area, unsure of his place. He tensed when Neon and Perry lay down next to him, but didn't move away.

This new pack was so strange. Not only were there three alphas, but they treated the betas and omegas like equals. He had felt the small red and brown alpha's praise when he caught a rabbit during the hunt. No one ever praised him. It was so odd.

His gaze traveled to his leader, who was not in her wolf form, and his ears went back. His lips drew back in a confused half-snarl. Why was she approaching the yellow-haired human? Why was she acting like a female being courted in the spring? Didn't she know that a human like that could easily stab her in the back when she let her guard down?

In the end, he elected to remain awake and keep his beta powers focused on the human and his leader. If she was going to be naïve, he could at least be ready to warn her when one of the Huntsmen inevitably tried to kill her.

He had hoped that, with Adam's defeat, he would have a leader with a stable mind. Sadly, that didn't seem to be the case. Still, he had tolerated Adam's descent into obsession and madness, like the good beta he was raised to be. He could handle his new leader's fascination with her enemies, at least until this pack inevitably was destroyed by its own folly.

Such is the way of things for those who don't follow the old laws, he thought as he continued to faithfully watch his leader.

…

The cold air was like a fine blade on Tyrian's bare arms. He grinned at the sting, loving the gooseflesh that rose on his white and black skin. A long, lethal scorpion tail flicked casually at a Beowolf as it scampered by. His grin widened as the creature hurried its pace, yellow eyes shining with fear.

It was fun to just jump on the Grimm and kill them sometimes. Their almost-human shock in those moments was so amusing! It was like they didn't realize that Tyrian was so far above them, that they were mere pawns to the queen that they all served.

Tyrian, Watts, and Hazel were not pawns. Oh no. They were knights. Knights protecting their beautiful queen.

A Nevermore flew overhead, turned in the air, and landed a few feet away. It ruffled its feathers and fixed its yellow gaze on Tyrian's. "Mistress hungers. Mistress needs food. Yes, yes. Sent me to help. Good help. Help master on hunt."

Tyrian grinned as he stood up, his eyes flickering happily when the Nevermore flinched. Good. They should all fear me. "Let's go, then," he said aloud. "We certainly don't want to keep our lovely queen waiting."

The Nevermore bowed its head and turned around, offering its trembling back to the scorpion-tailed vampire, who giggled gleefully as he jumped on. "Good flight. Quick hunt. Yes, yes."

"It'd better be a good flight," Tyrian drawled as the Nevermore prepared to take off. Hm. This one is rather respectful. Perhaps I won't kill it when we return.

Of course, if he was given a bumpy flight, or if the Nevermore couldn't assist in the finding of new prey in the town, well… Salem always said that culling the weak made them all stronger by extension. Tyrian was merely doing his part.

Dun dun DUN! Yeah, you knew that Mister Crazy-Giggle would pop up sooner or later, didn't you? Tyrian is a funny character for me. Part of me wants to give him a hug while the rest of me wants him in a box and far away from any other breathing individuals. (For those who want to know, I refer to Watts as Douche-Stache.)

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

Peace out!