AWOO yet again, folks! It's Werewolf Friday, and I'm here with a bit of a mood-lightener. You know, before everything goes to vampire vs. werewolf hell. Enjoy!

It would be less than a week before the group of wolves and Huntsmen got to Obsidian, and their eagerness to finally reach their destination was clear. They walked for longer stretches of time, slept less, and ate quickly. When it was the pack's turn to hunt, they transformed quickly and rushed into the woods.

Fennec ended up missing a rabbit, remembering at the last minute to not use his fangs and consequently losing the creature into its hole. Pyrrha had told him that, when hunting for everyone, only claws could be used. He felt that the whole thing was rather tedious, but didn't talk back to his leader.

She was always emphasizing to him how important it was that they had a large number of werewolves, humans, and Faunus on their side. If everyone turned into a werewolf, they'd have a good pack but no way of progressing relations between the species. Fennec would have preferred a good pack, but didn't say so.

It would have been nice to run down a full deer, but cooking that much meat would take time. The past few days had been spent focusing on smaller game.

Sitting back, Fennec allowed his beta powers to activate, searching for something else to kill. His tail thumped against the ground when he sensed a pond nearby with several ducks. If he was lucky, he might be able to snatch two. That would definitely please his leader.

As Fennec set off in the direction of the pond, he thought of his brother. Had Corsac been successful in convincing Adam's former followers to join with them? Though his brother had been hopeful, Fennec had his doubts.

In the weeks following Blake's escape from the pack, Adam's mental state had deteriorated rapidly. He would obsess over her, barely remembering to send hunting parties out. When some wolves were killed during a hunt, he hadn't even noticed. A sense of discontent had risen within the pack, even though no one dared to go against him openly.

What if they had scattered after Adam's departure? What if Corsac couldn't find anyone? What if Cinder found him first?

Fennec shivered at the thought of Cinder. He couldn't remember a time when her pack and Adam's hadn't been rivals. He wasn't sure if they were former mates, or if they had refused an alliance out of pride. Either way, it was well-known that Adam's wolves and Cinder's were mortal enemies.

For this reason, Fennec hoped that Pyrrha would change her mind about submitting to Cinder once they returned, as she seemed determined to do. He would gladly follow this oddly-kind leader if he had to. Cinder, on the other hand, terrified him.

He reached the pond and quickly killed a duck. The others took flight, and he again lamented the limitations that came with not being allowed to use his fangs. Growling to himself, he picked the duck up with a forepaw and started walking on his hind legs toward the campsite.

Another thing Fennec hated was walking on his hind legs while in his wolf form. It could be done, of course. If one was going for a casual stroll, it could even be nice. But Fennec had never been on a pleasant walk in the woods. He was always in situations where speed was warranted.

He reached the camp, where the Huntsmen were either sharpening their weapons, talking, arranging supplies, or poring over that map. He hesitated, realizing that the other werewolves hadn't returned yet. Part of him wanted to return to the woods until one of the others got back, but he didn't want to seem weak.

So, resolutely, he stepped into the campsite with his catch. He noticed Fox, Coco, Velvet, and Yatsuhashi sitting nearby. Out of all the humans, he liked Fox the most. Despite being blind, the Huntsman had a very good sense of the world around him. A wolf's sense of smell and hearing would certainly benefit him. It was a shame that the werewolves were forbidden from turning anyone.

After a moment's consideration, Fennec approached Fox's group and placed the duck on the ground near Fox's feet. In a pack, offering prey had several meanings. During the spring, a courting wolf will often hunt for his or her intended mate. Lower ranking wolves often offered prey to higher ranking wolves as a sign of humility and fealty. Eating prey together was a sign of friendship. He wasn't sure what meaning a non-wolf would take from his gesture, but it was worth a try. Pyrrha had said to make more of an effort to reach out to the Huntsmen, after all. Since he still avoided speaking to the humans and the Faunus girl, this seemed to be an okay compromise.

He watched three of the Huntsmen exchange surprised looks. Fox just tilted his head before taking the duck.

"Thank you, Fennec," he said.

"Yeah, thanks!" Coco said. "This looks really good."

Fennec flicked an ear and rumbled quietly before walking away to sit on the edge of the camp. Silently, he marveled the fact that Fox had recognized him. He hadn't made much noise, after all. Did Fox somehow recognize his footfalls, or even his smell?

His thoughts were interrupted as Sun and Flynt returned with some rabbits. Pyrrha and Perry were last with a few pheasants. After taking half of a rabbit for himself, Fennec went to sit alone, chewing the fresh meat, wishing he could sink his fangs into a large deer.

He finished and started to bury the bones, when something hit his paw. He blinked, realizing that it was another bone. This one was a leg bone from a deer, obviously several days old. He could smell Sun's scent all over it. He looked up to see the pale gold beta wolf in a playful crouch. Flynt and Perry were also nearby, staring at him hopefully.

What do they want? Fennec looked at the leg bone, which caused Sun's tail to wag harder. Hesitantly, he nudged the bone across the ground toward the other beta.

Sun immediately pounced on it, passing it between two paws before throwing it to Perry, who caught it in his jaws. The omega bounced around before throwing it at Flynt, who jumped up to hit it with a forepaw, sending in back toward Fennec.

On instinct, Fennec swatted the bone away, watching as Sun went to grab it again. He blinked. Are they…playing?

This pack just got stranger and stranger. The leader flirted with a human while the betas played with an omega like a group of pups. It was absurd!

Still, the activity was harmless enough, and Fennec was a little bored. So, when the bone came toward him again, he caught it midair and threw it readily to Sun.

…

"You know, the scars make you look pretty awesome in your wolf form," Neon commented as the pack continued on their day trek through the forest. "I mean, I doubt any sane person would mess with the huge, fierce, pure-white, one-eyed alpha!"

Weiss tried to smile, though it came out as more of a grimace. Though her wound was healing, it still stung a lot. Also, the mixture of disinfectant cream and moss that she had to plaster on it every morning itched like crazy. Ruby had to keep reminding her not to pick or scratch at it.

"Don't worry," Ruby said as she grabbed Weiss's hand to stop another scratch. "In a few days, you won't need the moss." She leaned close and added in a whisper: "Neon's right, though. The scars definitely add character, and not just when you're a wolf."

"Part of me wants to find a still pool to look in," Weiss admitted. "The other part of me doesn't want to look. I know how ugly I must be right now."

"You don't-"

"Ruby," Weiss cut in. "Don't try to sugarcoat this. You've said already that I'm beautiful to you, and I'm immensely happy about that. It doesn't take away from the fact that my wounds are ugly."

Ruby hesitated before slowly nodding. "Okay. It is pretty bad. It could be a lot worse, though." She thought for a moment. "Maybe you can get an eyepatch. Ooh, you could be a pirate werewolf!"

Weiss rolled her eye. "Ruby, please."

"No, seriously. Think about it! Imagine a one-eyed, pirate wolf climbing the lines and watching the horizon by a huge black flag!" Ruby's eyes shined with excitement. "We need to find the coastline at some point!"

"Wouldn't that make her a dogfish?" Blake asked, causing everyone to groan.

"Just because we miss Yang doesn't mean we miss her jokes!" Ruby moaned.

Corsac was listening to the exchange, his fox tail swishing and his head tilted curiously.

Ruby smiled back at him. "What do you think, Corsac? Would a werewolf pirate be awesome?"

"Uh, well…" Corsac hesitated, not wanting to disagree with his leader's second in command.

"Lighten up, we're just joking," Neon urged, grinning over her shoulder at him. "You're allowed to say stuff. Watch." She turned to Ruby. "Hey, Ruby. You're addicted to cookies and need serious help."

Adam's former followers gaped at Neon. Then, their jaws dropped further when Ruby didn't immediately discipline the beta. On the contrary, she was giggling.

"See? We're all friends here."

"So…" Ilia, who Blake had learned was a chameleon Faunus, hesitantly spoke up. "You want us to insult you?"

"No," Weiss replied. "Neon was merely proving a point. Though the pack is led by alphas, we're a group of friends first. The betas and omegas are not treated as lesser beings. You'll see when you meet Leader Pyrrha. She's one of the kindest people I've ever met."

"What about the humans?" Sandy, the coyote Faunus asked, his black-tipped ears flicking nervously. "Are they actually kind? Or are they just slightly less likely to kill us?"

"They won't kill us," Ruby promised. "And they're all very kind."

"Ma'am?" Tukson hesitantly spoke up. "Perhaps, if you told us more about these Huntsmen, we would be a little less anxious about meeting them."

"Ooh, good idea!" Ruby gasped. "Let's see… I'll start with my sister, Yang."

For the next few hours, Ruby, Weiss, and Blake took turns telling the newcomers about their former lives in Vale. Neon and Neptune were silent, listening curiously to these new stories.

Ruby talked about how Yang had raised her for a time when her mother's death caused her father to temporarily shut down. Weiss recalled the various arguments Winter and Qrow often had with a nostalgic smile.

"Winter always won, of course," she said smugly.

"Did not!" Ruby protested.

Blake reminisced on when the team had first gotten together and described their first Grimm hunt. She wisely left out the fact that the group had killed a werewolf that night as well.

Listening to their three superiors talking so easily slowly caused the newcomers to open up. Eventually, they were brave enough to ask the occasional question, like "What are cookies?" or "What is the purpose of drinking something that dulls the senses?"

With all of this nostalgic talk, Ruby couldn't help but be pulled back into an earlier, simpler time. Just a few months ago, she had been a human Huntress. She had had her family, friends, and town. Nothing was wrong.

And yet, everything had been wrong. She had been so mired in ignorance back then. She hated to think back on how many werewolves she must have killed in the past. She felt an especially strong flush of shame when she remembered how hungry for death she had been when she had first been bitten. Everyone had truly come a long way since then.

"And then," Blake continued, recounting a childhood story. "Velvet jumped clean over the pile and landed in the neighbor's chicken enclosure." She let out a laugh. "That rooster chased us through the streets for hours."

"Why didn't you kill it?" Tukson wondered.

"Well, we did kinda scare his hens," Ruby said. "And we would've gotten in even worse trouble if we'd have done that."

"What's the point of jumping in leaf piles?" Ilia wondered. "Was it an exercise?"

"No, we were just playing." When the newcomers were silent, Ruby felt a sinking sensation in her chest. "Didn't you guys ever play as pups?"

Ilia, Corsac, Deery, and Sandy shook their heads. Tukson and Ferron nodded, though their expressions clearly said that they barely remembered it. Ruby exchanged sad glances with her friends, and didn't say anything else.

That night, they found a small clearing to rest in. They all transformed into their second forms to hunt, anticipating a few more hours of running before they would rest.

After they ate, however, Ruby had an idea. She looked at the small clearing, which had a few fallen leaves. There were more hidden in the undergrowth. It wasn't fall yet, but there still seemed to be enough to make a decent pile.

A grin spread across her muzzle as she started to gather the leaves in her long arms and move them toward the center of the clearing. Weiss and Blake, when they realized what she was doing, gave her a look that clearly said "Are you serious?"

Ruby just nodded and kept working. Neon and Neptune joined in. The newcomers just watched in confusion.

Once the pile was complete, Ruby ran to the edge of the trees. Noticing the eager wag of Neon's tail, she let the beta go first.

Neon yipped happily, bounding forward and leaping into the pile. She rolled around, loving the spicy smell. Shaking wet leaves from her pink-orange fur, she let out a short howl before starting to pile them up again.

Neptune went next, though he accidentally inhaled some dirt and was sneezing for several minutes afterward.

Ruby was next, bouncing through the leaves like a puppy, yipping joyfully. She looked at Weiss and Blake, tongue lolling from her mouth.

Meanwhile, the newcomers were dumbstruck. Why was an alpha acting like this? What was the purpose?

Sandy and Deery, both omegas, were slowly edging toward the pile, their curiosity driving them forward. After Weiss begrudgingly took a turn, they rushed in, bounding through the leaves and kicking them into the air. Deery, in a moment of spontaneous playfulness, headbutted Blake, who was sitting nearby.

Almost immediately, she froze, her ears flattening. However, Blake didn't react in anger. On the contrary, the black wolf let out a whuff of laughter before shoving Deery into the half-destroyed pile.

It was Weiss who cut the game short, reminding the others that they still had more ground to cover that night, and the wolves reluctantly left the clearing and the leaves behind.

Ruby ran at the head of the pack, silver eyes shining in the light of the waning moon. She had definitely gotten through to these new wolves. By the time she was done with them, they'd be all too ready to befriend some humans and Faunus once they got to Obsidian. She was certain of it.

For those wondering, Ferron is the blacksmith we saw in Volume 4. He wasn't given a name, as far as I know, so I called him Ferron, which literally means "blacksmith." Sandy is one of several RWBY OCs I've made over the years. Him, along with a bunch of the others, are going to be eventually adapted into some original pieces I have planned. I wanted to have one more person in the group and couldn't think of anyone who I hadn't already used at some point in this fic, so I put my cute little coyote boy in there. Yay!

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

Peace out!