Awoo. Yes, yes. A fine and dandy awoo to you lovely people. (I don't know what I'm doing. I just thought I'd mix up my usual AWOO MUTHAFUCKAS.) This chapter is gonna be a bit of a gut-punch. Enjoy!
During the first day of being temporary leader of half of Pyrrha's pack, Ruby conferred with the others on what to do. Did they wait for Corsac and the others to find them, or did they go back in the direction of Vale to meet them halfway? Both plans had pros and cons, of course.
If they waited, they would be able to build up their strength a bit more and patrol the area, making a suitable base where Corsac's group could rest when they first arrived. On the other hand, it also meant that a large group of confused, human-hating werewolves led by a submissive beta would be unsupervised for a longer amount of time.
If they went toward Vale, they could give Adam's wolves more guidance and keep the humans safe. On the other hand, it meant venturing closer to Vale and risking discovery by the Huntsmen who were probably now patrolling the forests to the south as well as the north.
In the end, it was decided by a majority vote that there would be a greater risk in leaving Corsac's group unsupervised for very long, and the small pack headed in the direction of Vale.
At one point, there was a disagreement between the two alphas of the group concerning whether or not they would use their alpha stares on Adam's wolves if they got out of line.
"They've been forced against their will for years," Ruby pointed out. "It would be cruel to keep doing it. We're trying to prove that we're better than Adam!"
"Yes, but it's what they're used to," Weiss argued. "Without it, they might go rogue."
"But we can't take away their free will!"
"They probably don't have any free will left at this point."
"So, we should try to help them."
"It's too big of a risk. What if they wander and attack someone?"
In the end, Blake stepped in. "You might need to use the stares to keep them in line initially. It's like when someone is given a powerful herb for healing. They have to be slowly weaned off of it afterward, otherwise they keep craving it. Over time, you'll need to use it less and less as they learn to think for themselves again."
Ruby glanced at her two friends before letting out a sigh of defeat. "Oh, okay. I'll use it a little. It just doesn't feel right."
"You've always been softhearted," Weiss said, though not unkindly. "I still don't like the idea of the alpha stare. However, it will be useful in this scenario."
"I guess…" Ruby murmured, still unsure.
"Would it make you feel better if I handled using the stare myself?" Weiss asked.
"No. We'll both do it. We don't want either of us to overuse it" Ruby quickly pecked Weiss's cheek. "Thanks, though."
It was a week before the betas first sensed Corsac's group. This confused Blake greatly. As she had explained during the day, their original location had been a few days' worth of travel to Burgundy, which was about a week's travel from Vale. If both groups were going toward each other, they should have met up before this point.
Neon also sensed something wrong as she sniffed the air and expanded her beta powers to their fullest potential. There were far, far fewer werewolves than she had expected. Adam's pack was huge, but she could only detect a half-dozen wolves in all.
That could be addressed later, however, as the betas sensed something new that caused the entire pack to burst into a run: two humans. Corsac's group was being tracked. The moon overhead was full and bright. Vale was expanding its full moon hunts into the southern forest after all.
They fell into a battle formation with Ruby and Weiss leading the way, Neon and Blake flanking, and Neptune acting as a rear guard. The humans were getting closer. The pack had to get there first, or someone would almost certainly die.
As they drew closer, Blake let out a distressed yip. She recognized these two humans. They were Taiyang and Qrow!
The pack burst through the trees, nearly running into Corsac and a dark red wolf in the process. Both of them were panting and looking nervously over their shoulders.
Neptune took one look at the six wolves and knew why they hadn't confronted the two Huntsmen yet: They were confused and afraid. Without Adam to lead them, they had no idea what to do. They were second-guessing every decision, and doubted their ability to go against what felt like two very capable Huntsmen who likely had Dust at their disposal. They were starved, scared, and desperate for leadership.
Before they could calm the panicked werewolves, the bushes rustled, signaling the approach of the two Huntsmen. Ruby and Weiss immediately moved to stand in front of the pack. Weiss barked an order over her shoulder for the others to run, while Ruby stared at the bushes, eyes wide, fur bristling as Blake communicated to her exactly who these Huntsmen were.
She waited, ready for the slightest movement. Then, just as the first figure stepped out of the trees, she jumped forward, headbutting it. Her head hit leather armor, and her heart sank. Dad.
Weiss, meanwhile, was circling Qrow, who was brandishing his scythe with a grim expression on his face. His eyes, free of their usual drunken haze, were narrow with pure hatred. He took a swing at Weiss, who jumped back, blocking with a swipe of one large paw.
Taiyang recovered quickly from Ruby's surprise attack and clenched a gauntlet-covered fist, punching her square in the chest. Ruby gasped, falling to the ground. A boot came down on the back of her neck and she quickly shook her head, causing Taiyang to trip.
"Damn dog!" the brawler cursed, stumbling backward before quickly regaining his footing. He reached into his pocket.
Ruby's eyes widened. He was going for a Dust vial. Desperate, she swiped at his arm, leaving four long gashes. Tears blurred her vision and she whimpered. I'm sorry!
Weiss yelped as the blade of Qrow's scythe cut into her shoulder. She managed to turn her head and bite down on the handle beneath the blade, wrenching it from the human's hands and throwing it to the side. She stumbled over, placing one paw over the weapon and growling.
Taiyang groaned. "I told you that thing was too flashy."
"Aw, shut up!" Qrow called back, drawing a short sword. "These wolves are more fun than the ones we were chasing, huh?"
Taiyang frowned as he eyed his opponent. The wolf was whining softly, even though it didn't look badly injured. And it wasn't lunging forward. It was like it didn't want to attack. "I got the impression that they aren't even trying." He tried punching the brown werewolf again, glaring as it darted out of the way, moving backward a few more paces. Its silver eyes remained fixed on him.
Silver eyes. All at once, Taiyang felt the strength leave his body. He swayed where he stood, barely keeping from falling over. He grabbed a tree for support. Even then, the wolf didn't attack.
"Ruby," he breathed.
Qrow froze at Taiyang's whisper, not taking his eyes off of his white-furred opponent. White fur. Now that I think of it, I only saw one other white wolf before. "Princess?"
Weiss immediately relaxed, though not completely, flicking an ear and huffing.
Tears were streaming down Taiyang's cheeks. He had given up hope of seeing Yang ever again. She had gone off with the hunting party after Weiss, and hadn't returned after the month Jacques had given them. The Council of Elders had declared all of the missing Huntsmen to be fugitives, and that they were to be considered dead to the people of Vale, because they would be killed on sight if they ever returned.
Now, here was his supposedly-dead youngest daughter, staring at him through the cursed eyes of a beast. Would the Maidens never show him any mercy? Was he destined to endure tragedy after tragedy?
He drew a dagger from his belt. "Don't worry, sweetie," he whispered. "I'll do it quickly. You were such a good person, and an amazing Huntress. The Maidens will accept you, even now. I'll pray every day for the rest of my life if I have to."
Ruby's heart sank. Of course her father thought she was damned! And of course he was going to try to kill her. She took a step back, snarling a warning. To her right, she could see Weiss growing tense again.
Qrow was also regaining some of his sense, and was slowly reaching toward his pocket.
Weiss saw the movement and leaped forward, shoving him to the ground and pinning him on his back. She opened her jaws over his throat and kept them there, making her threat clear.
Ruby stared up at her father. His hand was shaking, but his mouth was set in a firm line. His eyes were on hers. She realized that there was one way out of this, a way that wouldn't involve attacking him again.
Taking a deep breath, she focused on her father's blue eyes and activated the alpha stare.
Taiyang froze, his face going slack, his eyes widening as he tried to blink.
Tears created dark trails through Ruby's brown fur, but she refused to look away. Go home, she thought. Drop your dagger, and go home.
Taiyang's fingers clenched.
Drop it!
The dagger fell to the ground.
Now, go home.
Taiyang hesitated, trying and failing to resist the will being pressed upon him. Then, slowly, jerkily, he stepped back and walked into the trees.
"Tai, what are you doing?!" Qrow shouted.
Weiss withdrew her jaws and backed away from Qrow, growling quietly.
Qrow looked between the two, then started to turn away. Just as he reached the trees, however, he spun around. His hand went into his pocket and he turned in the direction of Ruby.
Weiss bounded forward, her head hitting Qrow square in the chest. The Dust vial shattered in his hand. He landed in the dirt with a thud. An instant later, Weiss threw back her head and screamed as the worst pain she had ever experienced started spreading across her face. The Dust had hit her! It was in her eye!
She stumbled to the side, clawing desperately at her cheek, her right eye wide and wild with pain.
Ruby rushed forward and nudged Weiss toward where the others had gone. Neptune had the supplies. Weiss just had to get to Neptune!
Qrow was starting to get up. Gritting her fangs, Ruby made a fist with her large paw and hit her uncle as hard as she could. The back of his head hit a tree. His eyes rolled back and he slumped to the ground, looking strangely like he would after a night at the bar.
Ruby could only spare a short look at her uncle, her ears flat, her heart sinking with regret. Then, blinking away tears, she turned away from him and rushed after Weiss.
Thankfully, Blake had kept her beta powers activated and had rushed back at the first sign of trouble, taking the supply bag and leaving Neon and Neptune to keep herding Corsac's group away.
She was now fumbling a bit with the water bottle, pouring the water and wine over Weiss's face as she whimpered and trembled. The anti-Dust cream came next. Blake ended up using the entire container, rubbing it firmly onto her friend's face.
Ruby approached, her ears low, her tail drooping. She whined questioningly.
Weiss was still shaking, but the burning pain was gone. Her face still hurt terribly, and there was a horrible, deep sense of agony in her eye socket. It was almost as if her eye had gone numb while the area around it hurt worse than anything. Still, she was alive. She allowed Ruby and Blake to support her as they walked through the trees and toward their pack.
The group had stopped to wait for them. Both Neon and Neptune let out small gasps when they saw Weiss's injury. They couldn't see her eye beneath the matted cream and blood. Neon quickly started sniffing around for a special moss that the wolves would sometimes use to stop bleeding. Once she found some, she chewed it into a pulp and pressed it to the wound. She found herself wishing that their Huntsmen were with them. Their smaller hands would be useful in this situation. Why did this have to happen on a full moon?!
Though Ruby wanted nothing more than to remain at Weiss's side all night, she reminded herself of her responsibility and approached Corsac. The tan beta was trembling. He was expecting to be punished. Why was he expecting to be punished?
Ruby shook her head and gently licked his forehead. He shuddered, lowering his head. She moved to each of the other five wolves, licking each of them before ordering Neptune to calm them down.
In the meantime, she sat down near Blake and stared into the trees. Blake was using her beta powers, and could tell that Qrow had regained consciousness and left. Ruby was glad of that, though she found herself filled with conflicting feelings that she had never felt before.
Against her better judgment, she found herself hating both her father and her uncle in that moment. Taiyang had tried to kill her, and Qrow had almost killed Weiss. They had recognized both Ruby and Weiss, and still tried killing them!
Just a few months ago, you would have done the same thing, she told herself. They thought they were saving both of you.
Still, as she listened to Weiss's pained whimpers and looked at the new, terrified wolves who were now in her charge, she couldn't help but wonder if their quest was truly hopeless. If her own father couldn't see the humanity that she still possessed, how could she expect any other human in Vale to?
These troubled thoughts stayed with her as the pack continued to put as much distance between themselves and Vale as they could. Eventually, they collapsed in a clearing and fell asleep, Neon barely having the presence of mind to remain awake and keep watch.
The werewolves awoke the next morning to a choked scream. Everyone jumped up immediately, looking for danger. It was Ruby who first realized what was happening.
Weiss was kneeling by a nearby stream, blood and water streaming down her face. One small, white hand was probing at her flesh.
"Weiss, stop that!" Ruby gasped, rushing over. "You're bleeding again. You need to-" She stopped suddenly as her best friend turned around, revealing the reason for her horrified cry.
The entire left side of Weiss's face was scarred. The Dust had left deep, ugly creases in her perfect skin. Worst of all, however, was the bloody hole that had once held a mist-colored eye.
Weiss's lip trembled as Ruby helped her to the camp and started applying more moss. "I can't see, Ruby…" she gasped. "I tried washing the cream off. I can't see from this eye, Ruby. I can't…"
"I know, Weiss," Ruby cooed softly. "I know." She pressed the moss to the bleeding hole, praying that it would stop. Thankfully, she had noticed over the past few weeks that werewolves seemed to heal very quickly. Something like this would probably be fatal for a human, but she could already feel the blood ebbing a little.
Blake walked over. "Let me," she murmured. "You need to talk to them."
Ruby nodded, brushing her lips quickly against Weiss's uninjured cheek before approaching the six new werewolves. Besides Corsac, there was freckled girl with red hair and weirdly-shifting skin, a ginger-haired deer Faunus with tiny antlers on her head, an older man who was flexing his long claws, a bearded man with prominent horns on his forehead, and a twitchy coyote Faunus who looked to be about Ruby's age.
"Hey," she said, making her voice quiet to keep from startling them. "My name is Ruby. I'm second in command to Leader Pyrrha." She had already decided that naming her rank would probably be a good idea. "I already know Corsac. What are your names?"
The red-haired girl introduced herself as Ilia, the antlered girl was simply Deery, the man with the claws was Tukson, the bearded man was named Ferron, and the nervous coyote was Sandy.
"It's good to meet all of you," Ruby said. "Corsac, have you explained anything to them yet?"
Corsac nodded, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground. "Yes, ma'am… That, uh… That's why there are so few of us."
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, keeping her tone gentle.
Corsac shivered anyway. "I'm sorry. I thought that Leader Pyrrha wanted it known that she seeks an alliance with the humans. Most of the pack has chosen to ally itself with Cinder, though." He bit his lip. "They tried to imprison us and make me tell them where Leader Pyrrha was. We barely got away, then those two Huntsmen came after us, and…" His tail bristled and he shook his head. "I'm so sorry," he repeated.
Ruby's blood turned cold at this news. Cinder had taken Adam's pack. She was all-powerful in the forest now, and clearly still against Pyrrha. Between that and the obvious increase to the werewolf hunts by Vale, peace would be nearly impossible. We'll have to be extra careful to make sure none of Cinder's wolves follow us. She remembered that Sun and Flynt would be marking a clear trail to Obsidian, and her heart sank.
"You did a good job," she said aloud, pushing her worries aside for the time being. Corsac gaped at her, and she smiled in response. "You got five werewolves. That's more than we had before. We're going to go to Obsidian, meet up with Pyrrha, and see what's next. I'm sure your brother will be glad to see you."
"Y-Yes, ma'am," Corsac muttered, relaxing a little at the mention of Fennec. "Glad to help, ma'am."
"Why would we want to ally ourselves with the humans?" Deery asked, her voice trembling, as if she wasn't sure if she was allowed to speak out.
"Because there's no reason for humans, Faunus, and werewolves to hate each other," Ruby replied. "It's just that most of them don't realize that. If we can all become friends, we can focus on fighting the Grimm and help each other in the future."
"You saw that anti-Dust cream, right?" Neon piped up. "A human gave us that. It's saved three wolves in our pack now."
Corsac glared at Neon, clearly still remembering that she had chosen to leave Adam while he was still the Leader, but didn't say anything. The others were looking at Weiss's healing face in wonder.
"Wait, she was hit with Dust?" Tukson gasped. "And you healed it?" He shook his head. "By the Moon, I'd ally with some humans just to get some of that stuff."
"I'm glad you feel that way," Ruby said. "Now, let's get some more rest. We need to put more distance between us and Vale, but there's no point in walking till we collapse. We have some dried meat in our bags if you're hungry. Help yourselves."
Leaving the new wolves to themselves for the time being, she approached Blake and Weiss. "How's the wound?"
"Better," Blake replied. "It's gonna scar pretty badly, though."
Weiss turned away from Ruby, trying to hide the left side of her face.
"Hey." Ruby kneeled in front of her. "Don't do that. You're still the most beautiful werewolf in the world. Got it?" She turned Weiss's face toward her again. "Uncle Qrow always said that scars add character." She winced even as she spoke, remembering that her uncle was the one who had done this.
Weiss managed a shaky smile. "I hope you know that I'll be berating him very severely once we return to Vale."
Ruby giggled, wiping some stray tears from her eyes. "I think you deserve that. Just make sure he's not drunk, or he'll just fall asleep."
Weiss started to laugh, then winced in pain, bringing a hand to her moss-covered eye socket. She felt Ruby's hand on her shoulder, and drew comfort from the familiar warmth. Once the pain subsided a little, she looked at her beloved best friend again. It was easy to see the lingering sadness and doubt in those silver eyes. "Are you okay?" she whispered. "I know that fighting your father must have hurt."
"It did," Ruby said before hesitantly admitting her thoughts from the previous night: "I almost started hating them for what happened."
"Don't," Weiss replied firmly. "Remember, we set out to kill you when you were first turned. If you can forgive us, you can forgive them. I'm willing to forgive Qrow after I yell at him a bit."
Ruby nodded, then forced a grin. "You know, if we get Winter on our side, maybe you can get her to yell at him."
"Wouldn't that be too cruel?"
"Nah. He can handle it."
The two laughed softly for a few minutes, joking lightly in an attempt to ignore the pain. Though, the dark humor only served to make them aware of Yang's absence.
They exchanged a look that said all that needed to be said: They needed to be back with their friends. Nothing would feel right until the pack and the Huntsmen were all together again.
So, after another hour, Ruby rounded up her temporary pack. "Okay, everyone. It's time to go to Obsidian."
Yeah, I felt that things were starting to go a little too easily for our heroes. We can't have them getting too used to that, can we? I was going to have Taiyang and Qrow let them go, but had to remind myself that they still hate werewolves every bit as much as (or more than) our main Huntsmen did at the beginning, and are wholly convinced that werewolves are damned. And they're dealing with the fact that Yang is banished on account of going after Weiss, on top of everything else. Next week, we'll look back in on Pyrrha's group and the people in Obsidian.
If you like what you see and want to show extra support in exchange for rewards, my P/atreon is Solora Goldsun.
Peace out!