Can we get an awoo up in here, yo? Are you ready for more werewolfy goodness, White Rose, collars, and Tyrian action? I'm willing to bet that you want at least some of these things, if not all. Enjoy!
When Ruby awoke first that morning, she made sure to kiss Weiss awake, brushing her lips gently across the uninjured side of her face, not wanting to hurt her by mistake. Her best friend responded with a sleepy smile as her one good eye slowly opened. "Good morning," Ruby chirped.
"Good morning." Weiss blinked, wondering why her view of Ruby seemed somewhat off. Then, she felt the left side of her face and remembered.
Ruby kissed Weiss again when she saw the beginning of a frown forming. "Hey. Don't be sad. You're my beautiful, amazing, strong alpha wolf." She had taken to saying this and other similar statements multiple times a day.
Weiss returned the kiss gladly, even though her breath was thick from just waking up. She really is too good to me, she thought as Ruby hugged her gently.
When they sat up, they noticed Ilia watching them and simultaneously blushed. "Something you need, Ilia?" Ruby asked.
The Faunus girl averted her eyes. "My apologies. I didn't mean to stare."
"You don't have to apologize," Weiss assured her. "What is it?"
"I…" Ilia's freckled face took on a pinker hue. "I'm confused. You told us about two male omegas who are together, which I can sort of understand, but why would two female alphas be allowed to be mates? Doesn't our leader want strong pups?"
Ruby glanced at Weiss, feeling oddly shy at the use of the word "mates." "I mean, anyone can choose to be with who they want in our pack."
"We're a new pack, and have yet to settle in one spot," Weiss explained. "We haven't really thought of pups yet." She glanced hesitantly at Ruby before adding: "If either of us ever wished for pups, I'm sure an arrangement could be made with one of our male packmates."
Ruby felt a jolt go through her. Weiss was talking as if they already were mates.
Ilia nodded slowly. "I suppose that makes sense. Thank you."
After Ilia walked away, Weiss turned to Ruby, only to see her friend giving her a timid smile that was slowly widening into a sinfully-adorable beam. She felt her face heating up. "Wh-What are you giving me that look for, you dunce?"
Ruby's smile turned into a full grin. "Talking about kids already, Weiss? We aren't even married yet." She giggled when this caused Weiss to make a noise in her throat and hide her face behind her hands. "Hey." She scooted closer and hugged her. "I'm just teasing. Come on." She kissed Weiss's cheeks where she could reach them.
Weiss swatted Ruby away. "You're making a scene, dolt," she snapped, though her words held no actual anger.
Ruby snickered, shielding her face with her hands. After a moment, though, she grew serious. "So… Do you want to be mates with me?"
Weiss paused, glancing to the side and coughing nervously. "I mean…I assumed it was already clear that I wanted to stay with you for the rest of my life. It would be sensible to make such an intention official. If you also want to make it official, of course." Mentally, she was smacking herself. That was probably the most unromantic proposal of all time. Well done, Weiss!
Ruby, on the other hand, was desperately trying to keep from jumping up and down and squealing like a child. Her silver eyes were nearly as wide and bright as her smile. "I'd love that! I'd really, really, really love that! I love you, Weiss!" She pulled Weiss into a long kiss. When they broke apart, she had to wipe a few tears from her eyes. "Werewolves don't become official mates till spring. I guess that makes us fiancés, huh?"
Weiss giggled, realizing belatedly that her right cheek was damp with her own tears. "I suppose it does." She looked at Ruby's face and was convinced that her beloved friend had never looked more beautiful. Her silver eyes were outshining the sun, and her smile was one of pure happiness.
A polite "ahem" caused them to turn their heads. Blake was approaching, her knowing smirk suggesting that she had overheard their conversation. "Happy as I am for you, we should probably think about getting up. We have a lot of ground to cover today." She laughed as she watched her friends scramble to their feet, muttering with embarrassment. "I love that it took both of you becoming werewolves for this to finally happen. You two really are hopeless."
"Oh, shut up," Weiss huffed, brushing herself off and trying to will the blush from her face. "Weren't you just saying that we need to get moving?"
The pack walked for a few hours before stopping to sleep in the afternoon. They'd then spend most of the night running in their wolf forms. There was some chatter between the werewolves as they walked, which made Ruby happy. It was a definite improvement over the scared silence that had tainted the first few days of travel.
The only real sense of tension came when Neon interacted with her former packmates, who seemed convinced that she was some sort of traitor due to her leaving Adam's pack and going to a leader who had not yet defeated him. At one point, Ruby had to intervene before a fight could break out between her and Ilia.
Ilia had been infuriated at the time, claiming that Neon had no right to give orders to loyal werewolves who actually followed pack law. It took an alpha stare from Weiss to finally calm her down.
Thankfully, Ilia was in a good mood that night and Neon had taken to staying closer to the omegas, Sandy and Deery, who were less vocal about their disapproval. They were still bristly, but Neptune was slowly whittling away their nervous hostility.
Blake had developed an easy friendship with Ilia and Tukson, who were relatively quiet, while Ferron had taken a liking to Ruby due to her love of weapons. It turned out that Ferron had been an apprentice blacksmith before being transformed by Adam as a young man.
"He often targeted Faunus," he explained. "He believed that they were abused by the humans and would do better in a pack. He frequently reminded us of how he gave us a better life."
The more Ruby learned about Adam, the gladder she was that he was dead. The pack that had followed him clearly saw him as a charismatic savior despite all the abuse they had suffered. Perhaps he had been at one point, before he went crazy with the alpha stare.
Yet, despite their apparent love for the late leader and their disdain for wolves like Neon, Flynt, and Perry for leaving the pack, they showed no anger toward Blake for running away. Even with all the brainwashing they had gone through, they could not seem to come up with an excuse for what had happened with her. That, at least, was encouraging.
Ruby only hoped that they would mesh well with the rest of Pyrrha's pack and be an actual asset to their plan. Even with the memory of her father's sword and her uncle's deadly Dust vials, she was beginning to feel truly homesick for Vale.
The group eventually made camp and slept for a few hours. As the sun set, Weiss separated from the pack to get a drink of water. The rising shattered moon was bright, and the pool she found to drink from was relatively still. Utterly unprepared, she suddenly saw the true extent of her injury, and it brought her to the very edge of tears.
She looked hideous. Her cheek and part of her brow were covered with pock marks and lines. Her caved-in eyelids failed to conceal the black, gaping socket behind them. Part of her hairline had also been burned away. It looked as if her face had just started to melt and stopped halfway through.
Her hands clenched in the grass as she stared at herself, gritting her teeth with disgust.
"Weiss?"
Weiss jumped a little, looking over her shoulder to see Blake watching her. One look at her friend's expression caused Blake to hurry over and kneel at her side, hugging her tightly. The tears started to fall then.
"Oh, Blake!" Weiss sobbed. "Why didn't anyone tell me how bad it was?"
Blake, unlike Ruby, didn't waste time trying to tell Weiss how beautiful she was. That wouldn't do any good just then. "You're a Huntress and a werewolf, Weiss. Scars are part of it. Be proud of them."
"What will Winter think?!" Weiss gasped. "I'm already a werewolf. Now, I hardly resemble myself even when I'm human!"
"Don't be stupid," Blake muttered. "Once she sees past you being a werewolf, the scars won't mean anything. You'll need to adjust to your vision, but that's the worst you need to worry about." She rubbed Weiss's back slowly. "Remember that Ruby loves you, no matter what you look like."
"I know that. I just…"
"I know. You hate this. Anyone would." Blake squeezed her comfortingly. "We're here for you, Weiss. I promise."
The two held each other for a few more minutes as Weiss finished crying. Then, she turned away to splash some water in her face. It would be best to transform here, so no one would see the tear stains. "Don't mention this to Ruby. I don't want her to worry." She said as she stood up and started to remove her clothes.
Blake nodded in understanding.
A few minutes later, the two wolves stood by the pond. One had pure yellow eyes and fur as black as the night. The other has eyes of mist and a coat of unbroken snow. They glanced at each other and grins spread across their muzzles as they realized what a pretty image they probably made in that moment. Black and white. Night and day.
Weiss glanced at her reflection in the pool once more. In her lupine form, the scars didn't look quite so bad. The ugly pinkness was shadowed by her white fur, and her lost eye wasn't as jarring. Maybe it was simply because scars looked better on a wolf. She looked less like a ruined beauty and more like a tough, seasoned beast. That was slightly better, if not by much.
Shaking her head, she reminded herself that vanity had no purpose at that moment. It was time for the pack to hunt.
…
For the seventh time, Sage vowed to himself that, once he finally got out of Obsidian, he wouldn't go near leather again for as long as he lived. It surrounded his muzzle and squeezed his neck as he tried to resist tugging at the leash. Leather was all he could smell, and he hated it! It was sharp, musky, and left a bad taste in his mouth whenever he absolutely had to drink from the water bowl.
Near him, Scarlet was having similar thoughts, scratching irritably at his collar with his hind foot, hoping to loosen it somewhat. Brawnz always tightened it more than Nebula did.
Then, something small hit him in the shoulder. He jumped and looked around, trying to see what had hit him, and saw a pebble on the ground nearby. Another one hit his head, and he growled. When several hushed children's voices sounded from behind a nearby building, he was positive that he was about to die of shame.
"Throw another one."
"Are you kidding? He just growled! I'm not doing that again."
"I'll do it, then."
Scarlet yawned and put his head down, pretending to doze. He heard a whistle and swatted the stone away with his hand. He glared at the building and barked once.
"Hey!" a nearby Huntsman called. "You leave those kids alone."
Scarlet flattened his ears and sat down, barely suppressing an indignant snarl.
The young voices began whispering excitedly.
"He's mad now!"
"Let's just go."
"You're such a fraidy cat."
"Am not!"
"Oh yeah? Go over and touch one of them."
"What?!"
"They're all muzzled, and the Huntsmen are there. It'll be easy!"
Scarlet glanced at Sage, giving him a despairing look. This was so humiliating!
Sage shrugged. There wasn't much they could do. If they scared a group of children, the townsfolk would trust them even less. They just had to put up with it until Yang got back from patrolling the base of the mountain with Nebula.
Scuffing feet caused Scarlet to perk up his ears and turn his head. A boy of about eight years was being pushed forward by three other kids. The three pushers were grinning while the fourth boy looked utterly terrified. They shoved him sharply, so that he stumbled forward, nearly colliding with Scarlet. He froze, letting out a whimper of fright.
Scarlet blinked down at the kid, feeling a twinge of sympathy. You're their omega, aren't you? He lowered his head, turning it to the side and whining softly.
Sage looked to his left, where the Huntsman who had yelled at them was standing, bow cocked and pointed at Scarlet. He stood up, eyes narrowing as he put his bulk in front of his mate.
The kid, meanwhile, blinked a few times, licking his lips nervously. Then, tentatively, he touched the side of Scarlet's neck. When the werewolf didn't move, he started cautiously combing his fingers through the ruddy fur.
The Huntsman walked around Sage and froze, gaping at Scarlet for a moment before shaking himself. "Argent, get away from there."
The boy smiled at the Huntsman. "It's okay. He's a nice wolf." He patted Scarlet's head a few times before walking back over to his friends, who were all staring at him in awe.
Sage's heart warmed as he looked at Scarlet. Even when being humiliated like this, his mate managed to be as gentle-hearted as ever. He lovingly nuzzled his shoulder, shooting a glare in the direction of the Huntsman in the process.
The Huntsman didn't say anything, but went back to his post. All was quiet until Nebula and Yang came back. Sage couldn't help but smirk when he heard an angry shout of: "AND YOU LET THEM KEEP THROWING ROCKS?! WHAT KIND OF ASSHOLE ARE YOU?!"
Nebula, meanwhile, walked away, leaving the poor Huntsman to Yang's rage, and approached Scarlet and Sage. She gave them a long look. Then, slowly, her hands not shaking for once, she reached up and undid Scarlet's collar. She did the same for Sage. Then, she backed away.
Scarlet and Sage looked at each other. The muzzles were still in place, and they could recognize Nebula's unspoken command to not remove them. They nodded in understanding.
Yang was seething when she walked over. "Can you believe this?!" She noticed that the collars were off. "Good. If you hadn't done that, I would've. What about the muzzles?"
Nebula shook her head. "Those need to stay for now."
"Bullshit!"
"Are you saying that they need their fangs to defend themselves against the people in this town?" Nebula asked, her eyes flashing. "Because you know what that would cause."
Yang's eyes were bright red. Only a paw on her shoulder kept her from flying into a rage. "You are so lucky these two are so forgiving," she muttered. "Well, I'm staying with them tonight. If anyone throws anything else at them, I'll punch their freaking heads off. How does that sound?"
Nebula sighed. "Just…don't get into any fights." Her shoulders were slumped as she walked away, though her eyes remained sharp as she looked past the borders of her town and into the distance.
Scarlet touched Yang's face, urging her to look at him. He gazed into her eyes, pouring every ounce of calmness he could into her. Her eyes slowly returned to their regular lavender color. Her breathing became even. After a minute, she stepped forward, leaning her head against Scarlet's furry chest.
"Thanks, Scarlet. Don't worry. You won't have to put up with this for much longer. Once the pack gets here, we'll kill the vampires, get some human allies, and leave."
Scarlet hugged Yang while looking at Sage over the top of her head. Both wolves had similar looks of doubt on their faces. Their memories of that battle with the one vampire were still fresh, and they knew that defeating a whole group of these creatures would be anything but easy.
…
Hazel tried to set a fast pace back toward the mountain, knowing that he didn't have much time. He kept his ankle and the bite that adorned it hidden, wrapping it tightly with moss, hoping that Tyrian's nose wouldn't be able to distinguish between his various wounds.
He would make it back to the mountain and be food for his Lady. That was the last thing he could do now that a werewolf's fangs had found him. There would be no turning back into a vampire after this.
They ran throughout the night, and Hazel realized that his steps were not as fleet as they were supposed to be. His heart pounded with true fear for the first time in ages when one of the Grimm, recognizing what he was becoming, turned to attack him. It wasn't the Grimm that scared him, however.
Tyrian pounced on the Ursa, slicing it to pieces with his claws before turning his head toward Hazel. He bared his sharp, white teeth in a grin. His yellow eyes glinted dangerously. "You're looking a little under the weather, my friend. Let's take a look at you."
"I'm fine," Hazel said gruffly, taking a step back.
The other vampire was lightning-fast as he grabbed Hazel's arm and pulled him forward. "Well, well," he giggled. "You are looking fine. In fact, I'm seeing a definite blush to your skin. You're really getting your color back." His grin widened as he realized what a fine position he was in. He could have an entire human to himself, not just the leftovers from his Lady! Better still, he could play with his food for as long as he wanted. He had always wondered what would make someone like Hazel squirm…
Hazel knew his companion's thoughts already. "I am for the Lady, and no one else," he growled.
"Oh really? Are you so special?" Tyrian gripped Hazel's wrist tightly. "Because, you're looking more and more like a regular, boring human to me." He licked his lips.
"I'm still a vampire, Tyrian." Hazel yanked himself free, trying not to tremble when he saw the bruise forming on his wrist.
Tyrian shrugged. "For now. Tomorrow night, though…" He ran his tongue over his teeth. "It looks like I won't be returning to the Lady hungry."
Hazel walked the rest of the night, his stomach sinking as he realized that there was no escaping his fate. He could try to run during the day, of course. But it wouldn't matter. Tyrian would have him the following night, one way or another. The sadistic vampire would toy with him, play with him, and torment him before finally granting him a long, slow death as he drank his life away.
Not necessarily… he thought as a new idea occurred to him. He looked toward some of the Boarbatusks, which were glaring at him with beady yellow eyes. I won't be for the Lady, but I can keep myself from Tyrian's sadistic fangs.
The following night, Tyrian let out a howl of disappointment. The smell of rotting flesh that had been sitting out for hours greeted him when he awoke. When he left the shelter he had constructed, he saw a form barely resembling a large human man smeared across the ground. Blood painted the grass, blood that was no good to be consumed anymore. Several Grimm paced around, snuffling at the soaked scraps of clothing.
With a scream of anger, Tyrian killed every Grimm that had even a drop of blood on its skull-like mask, relishing in the confused roars that he so quickly cut off. No matter, he thought, licking his lips. With Hazel dead, there are more humans in Obsidian for me to feed on. Once I get back. Yes. The Lady won't be mad at her Tyrian for failing.
"I tried to save him, my Lady," he recited under his breath in a trembling voice. "There were just too many werewolves. They bit him and ate him up once he was human. Yes. I barely escaped, my Lady. I came back to you, so we may take revenge together." He licked his lips, nodding rapidly. "Yes. That's what I'll do."
He led the Grimm on, kicking dirt onto what remained of Hazel's corpse as he walked by.
I might have to write Tyrian in some other fics in the future, because he is a ton of fun. I'm convinced that Salem broke his mind somehow in canon, so I'm in a weird position of wanting to hug him while also wanting him to not be near any other breathing individuals ever.
If you like what you see and want to show extra support in exchange for rewards, my P/atreon is Solora Goldsun.
Peace out!