Happy Werewolf Friday, and happy anniversary! That's right, this fic is exactly a year old today. AWOO! I suppose it makes sense that this is the chapter that would be posted today. Prepare yourself, for shit is going down!

Enjoy!

Ruby jumped from rooftop to rooftop, biting and using the alpha stare on every Nevermore that came close. Before this point, she had never really thought about the fact that there were only three alphas in the entire pack. It would certainly be nice if she had at least two more on the roofs with her.

A Nevermore was hovering near a window. Ruby barked a warning, prompting a nearby Huntsman to shoot the Grimm from the sky. Take that! she thought, baring her fangs at the other incoming attackers.

She chanced a look toward the entrance to the town, which was getting hit pretty hard with Ursai, Creeps, and Boarbatusks. In the far distance, Pyrrha's mountainside patrol was probably dealing with the worst of it. Ruby said a silent prayer for everyone before returning her focus to the task at hand. Weiss would never forgive her if she let herself get killed, after all.

Roman was standing firm by his cart and horse, brandishing his cane at any Nevermore that tried to swoop too low. Neo had drawn her thin, needle-like weapon from her umbrella and was glaring at the skies. Fox was standing near the entrance to the infirmary, holding his sword with a grim expression on his face.

"Neo," Roman muttered after beating away a Nevermore that had swooped too close to poor Griffin. "I'm really starting to regret this."

Neo nodded in agreement, her thoughts on Yang, who was with the werewolves and Huntsmen at the town entrance. They had been lucky so far, but how long would that hold out? Jaune's plan was to starve the vampires, but could they honestly keep this up every night?

Fox ducked as he felt a whoosh of air and swung his sword, feeling the satisfying resistance of Grimm flesh before the creature dissipated into the air. His neck twinged at the sudden movement, but he ignored it. He could handle this. He had to. He'd be damned before letting a random Nevermore kill him after what he'd already been through.

Neo rushed to calm Griffin, patting the horse's neck and clicking her tongue softly. "Easy, boy," she whispered. "You're going to be just fine."

Griffin snorted loudly, not believing a word his young owner was saying.

At the entrance of the village, the smell of decay nearly overwhelmed everyone, werewolf or not. The giggling scorpion darted from person to person, its tail lashing out at any target it could find. Several times, a werewolf had to jump in front of a human to take the poisonous barb for them. This, of course, made them dizzy, which turned them into easy targets for the Grimm.

Nora slammed her mallet on an Ursa that had been charging a stumbling Neon. "Oh, no you don't!" she shouted, her eyes blazing.

Ren dodged a swipe from the mustached vampire, jabbing with his daggers. He saw the blades sink into the creature's white flesh. Of course, it barely flinched. How do these things die?!

Jaune was pulling Neptune away from the battle. The omega had taken a hit from the scorpion tail and had continued fighting for a few minutes before collapsing. Sun cast a concerned look in their direction, but was quickly occupied with another Boarbatusk.

After hiding Neptune behind a building, Jaune rushed back into the fray. His mind, however, was at the foot of the mountain, where Pyrrha had led the first of the patrols. If she dies because I suggested those patrols… He quickly pushed the thought aside, stabbing at an Ursa.

He didn't need to be concerned, he knew. Pyrrha had taken Ferron, Tukson, Flynt, Sage, Scarlet, and Perry. They were more than capable of taking care of her and of each other. Still, he found himself feeling irrationally protective of the alpha, despite the fact that he was probably in more danger than she was.

Focus, Jaune! he scolded himself, spinning around to block a Creep with his shield.

Weiss tried desperately to get at one of the vampires, but they continuously darted behind yet another Grimm whenever she or another werewolf got close. Get over here, you cowards! A sudden vice of pain clamped around her left arm, and she snapped angrily at the offending Grimm, cursing the blindness in her eye for the thousandth time.

Yang punched a Boarbatusks's head, her eyes red with rage. Her blood was singing and she was ready for battle. These bastards would never see the light of day again!

….

It was Flynt who first sensed what was coming. Ever since they came close to the mountain, he had sensed many, many Grimm, more than he had ever seen. When the Grimm had started to stampede down the mountain, he had howled a warning to the town. Then, the patrol had been occupied with the horde. They stood in a circle, slashing and biting at anything that came close. They saw the vampires dart right past them.

There was something else in Flynt's radius, however. It was another Grimm that felt like nothing he had ever experienced before. A deep sense of evil and power radiated from its unholy form. He could see a silhouette in his mind's eye, and it was enough to make him tremble.

For several hours, the patrol kept killing and killing the Grimm, wondering when the tide would end. Sunrise was approaching. They just had to last a little longer.

Then, the vampires could be seen retreating to the mountain. Pyrrha cursed the fact that they couldn't attack them.

That was when Flynt let out a loud, despairing cry. More Grimm were coming from the mountain. Worse still, the horror he had sensed was among them!

He barked and whined desperately. The other betas activated their powers and began to let out similar sounds of fear.

Pyrrha's blood went cold at the sheer terror in their voices. If they were sensing something horrible enough to send them into a frenzy…

Tossing her head, she barked a command. Run! They had a few minutes before sunrise. They had to get back to the village before they changed into their vulnerable daytime forms, or they would be doomed.

They threw aside the Grimm that crowded them and ran as quickly as they could. Perry, the fastest in the group, shot ahead. His ears were flat against his head as he barked and howled along with the others, desperate to warn Obsidian of what was coming.

The werewolves rushed past the entrance to the town just as the sun's first rays peeked above the horizon. Jaune rushed to Pyrrha's side, holding her as she turned into her human form. A scream caused him to turn his head toward the mountain, and his heart dropped at what he saw.

As the red light of the rising sun bathed everything in its bloody radiance, a figure appeared on the mountain. At first glance it looked like some kind of freakish horse bearing a helmeted rider. Then, as a bone-chilling shriek echoed through the air, Jaune realized that this was one creature, one Grimm.

All of Obsidian became deathly silent as the thing began its descent. Its long arms dangled behind its flopping torso, which resembled a human corpse. Hooves pounded the ground. For a moment, all was frozen, as if everyone was convinced that they were in the middle of a bad dream that they just had to wake up from soon.

Then, when the black wave of Grimm behind the horror became visible, everyone sprang into action.

"Get the civilians out of here!" Nebula shouted. "I don't care if we have to fight the vampires in the woods later! Get them out! Huntsmen, to me! We're gonna meet that thing halfway!" There was a scramble as a group of Huntsmen started rounding up the civilians and rushing them out of the town.

The horror was moving so fast, that would hardly make much of a difference. Still, the Huntsmen surged forward, shouting their defiance at this new enemy.

Pyrrha watched with dismay as the humans rushed to meet the Grimm. There aren't enough.

Jaune kissed her cheek before standing up. "Take the pack deeper into town. We can handle this." Even as he said this, he didn't believe it. They were honestly doomed, but they could at least give the werewolves a window to escape.

"We're not leaving you!" Pyrrha insisted. "Werewolves, to me! Find weapons!" She silently thanked the Moon for some of the recent sparring sessions, which had involved teaching the werewolves to use weapons while in their human forms. They weren't perfect, but they could still hold their own.

Weiss was already running toward the armory, urging the others to follow. Ruby jumped from her roof and joined them.

Jaune shook his head. "Pyrrha, you can't-"

"Don't waste time, Jaune!" Pyrrha snapped. "Just go! We'll follow. We'll either live or die together. At the very least we'll give the civilians a little more time. Now hurry!"

Jaune wanted to say something else, but the horror was almost upon the Huntsmen. So, he just bit his lip and ran into the battle, praying that it wouldn't be his last. He rushed toward the horde, his sword ready.

"It's a Nuckelavee!" Ren shouted to him, eyes wide with terror. "They're not supposed to be real!"

"Like vampires?" Jaune managed a humorless laugh before the creature was upon them.

It swung one of its massive arms, knocking over several people in one hit. A few ducked. Roy was one of them, and was quick to lunge for the horse head, which bit down on his arm, causing him to scream in agony.

"This way, you bastard!" Nebula shouted, aiming her crossbow at the thing's horned human head. The creature screeched, lurching to the side to dodge the bolt, dragging Roy after it.

Dew stabbed desperately at the creature's side, trying to get it to let go. It only crunched down harder.

Roy started to scream louder, but that sound was quickly drowned out by a bloodcurdling howl from the Nuckelavee itself. The very air seemed to pulse with evil intentions. The Huntsmen clutched at their heads. The werewolves, who were rushing from the town to join them, fell to their knees as their sensitive ears were assaulted.

Meanwhile, the horde of Grimm arrived, advancing on the cringing humans while their horrifying leader continued to let out its unholy cry. Several were felled in those few seconds.

Nebula gritted her teeth, aiming her crossbow once more at the creature's head. Again, it lurched just as the bolt approached, but not far enough. The projectile dug deep into the thing's shoulder and Nebula hurried to reload, only for an Ursa to charge her.

She drew her sword, plunging it through the Grimm's chest. "Outer circle, focus on the horde! Inner circle, KILL THAT SON OF A BITCH!"

The Nuckelavee thankfully stopped screaming, which allowed half of the Huntsmen to surge toward it. The horse head snorted, biting down on anything it could find, crushing muscle and bone between its teeth. It spun around, kicking with its hooves. Then, its arms began to search for prey.

The long, unnatural appendages shot out to their full length, its claws gouging anything that stood in their way, whether it was a human or Grimm. Its right arm shot toward where those annoying bolts had been coming from.

The werewolves ran toward the fray. In an instant, Pyrrha saw the arm and saw its destination. "NEBULA!"

Nebula heard the shout and instinctively jumped to the side, yelping with pain as the claws left deep gashes in her shoulder. She tried to lift her crossbow, only to feel something sharp digging into her abdomen.

She blinked a few times, her eyelids suddenly feeling like lead. Slowly, she looked down to see a Boarbatusk rooting into her stomach. She saw a thick, dark red stream flowing from her body, coating the creature's skull, but she didn't feel a thing.

Pyrrha let out a roar of anger as she closed the distance between her and Nebula, digging her newfound spear into the Boarbatusk's back. "Sage, carry her to town!"

Nebula slumped to the ground, shaking her head. "N' time… Go…" she groaned.

Sage crouched down over her, paused, then shook his head. "She's gone."

Pyrrha spat out a curse, but didn't have time to dwell. More Grimm were coming.

Jaune was dragging Roy's trampled corpse away from the Nuckelavee, swinging his sword at any nearby Grimm. He felt bile rise in his throat as the creature spun around again, crushing even more victims. Between the pounding hooves, ear-splitting screech, fierce horse head, and those arms, how could they stand a chance?

Then, as the creature stomped again, he realized something. "Get away from it!" he called. "We need to get away! Make it reach for us!"

Brawnz spun toward him. "Run away?! We can't let this thing go to the woods!"

"We can't beat it up close," Jaune insisted. "Not in a group this thick. It wants us close so it can take us all out at once! If we keep away, we just need to worry about the arms and its voice!"

"Where's Nebula?"

"I don't know!"

Brawnz spat to the side. "Dammit. Everyone, fall back! Make a ring around this bastard! Don't get too close! And kill that horde while you're at it! Pull back! Archers, focus your fire on that thing's heads!"

No arrows whistled.

"Archers?" Brawnz turned around, eyes widening with horror. While the ground troops had been occupied with the bulk of the forces, a flock of Nevermores had managed to completely decimate the archers on the rooftops. The great birds squawked loudly before flying off into the night.

The Huntsmen hurried to get away from the Nuckelavee while the werewolves worked from the outside to clear a path through the horde. The creature shrieked again.

A few people stopped to clutch their ears, only to be mowed down by the Grimm. Scarlet screamed as an Ursa bore down on him. He felt claws digging into his chest before the weight was lifted and Sage was dragging him away from the field.

Fennec fell to the ground, writhing with agony as all four of his ears felt as if they were being ripped to pieces. His fox ears were completely flat against his head. He could only stare numbly at the three Creeps that stampeded toward him.

"Brother!" Corsac jumped in front of him, swinging a blade, trying to remember the few lessons he had been given. Oh, how he wished it was still nighttime!

Weiss and Ruby stood side by side, using their alpha stares on a pair of Ursai, sending them toward the Nuckelavee, which managed to kill its former allies within seconds. Weiss shook her head. "This is hopeless!"

Jaune ran to Brawnz. "Does anyone have Dust?"

Brawnz shook his head. "We used it all! Do you?"

"No." Jaune's heart sank. They had used what remained of their Dust supplies during the past few nights of vampire attacks. "Wait! What about the church? Don't the shrines have Dust offerings?"

Brawnz blinked. "Yes, but the Maidens-"

"We'll ask their forgiveness later! Where is it?!"

Brawnz noticed Dew nearby. "Dew, you and Jaune go to the church and get the Dust offerings!"

Dew nodded. "Follow me!"

Jaune called to Sun, who was the nearest werewolf. "Get the werewolves to fall back! We're getting Dust!"

Sun nodded and shouted to the others as he beat off yet another group of Grimm.

Dew and Jaune rushed into the town and headed toward the church, only to stop, eyes widening with horror at the sight before them. Even more Grimm had circled around the edge of town and were attacking the infirmary and Roman's cart.

"Get the Dust!" Jaune ordered. "I'll help them!"

He held his sword at the ready as he rushed into the horde, stabbing a Creep in the back. He could see Roman standing on top of his cart, swinging his cane like a madman. Neo was jabbing at anything that came near, her face streaked with tears as she stood over a huge, motionless form.

When Jaune drew closer, he saw that Griffin had fallen. The horse's gorgeous chestnut pelt was slashed through with bright, ugly red gashes. He rushed toward the infirmary, where Fox was struggling to fend off a trio of Ursai.

Pyrrha, meanwhile, was struggling to find and move all of her werewolves further from the horde in preparation for the coming Dust attack. An anguished cry caused her to turn around. Ren was lying on the ground, blood pouring from a wound on his stomach. Nora was trying to drag him away while fending off more Grimm.

Without a second thought, Pyrrha ran toward them and picked up Ren. "Cover me, Nora!" she called as she moved toward the town. She could feel Ren breathing. Thank Moon!

Unfortunately, with her arms full and her movements slowed, she didn't hear the whoosh of the Nuckelavee's arm.

Perry's eyes widened. "LEADER!" Mustering every ounce of strength he had left, he ran as fast as he could. He barreled into Pyrrha, knocking her and Ren to the ground. In the next second, he felt those cold fingers wrapping tightly around him.

Pyrrha groaned as she tried to gain her bearings, crouching over Ren to protect him. When she saw Perry squirming in the Nuckelavee's grip, she struggled to her feet. Before she could take a step, the Grimm squeezed. She heard the sickening crunch of bones and a single, choked scream. Then, Perry was tossed to the side, landing on the ground in a tangled heap, looking like a broken doll.

Roaring with anger, tears streaming down her face, Pyrrha picked up a nearby sword and ran at the horror's arm, driving the blade through it and into the ground. The creature howled, sending another soundwave over the field, and tried to pull free of the sword.

Remembering Ren, Pyrrha hurried to pick him up again. The Nuckelavee was still struggling. An idea occurred to her. "Pin its arms!" she called. "Pin its other arm!"

The Huntsmen nearby heard and rushed to drive more blades through the arm Pyrrha had incapacitated. Others tried to draw the second arm to another spot. When the creature turned its human-esque head toward them, they started running in a wide curve. With a shriek, the Nuckelavee shot its other arm toward them.

Ready this time, the group scattered. Yang let out a cry as the thing grabbed her injured arm, but was able to struggle away as the others closed back in and stabbed their weapons into the creature, pinning its other arm to the ground. She cracked her neck, brandishing her gauntlets. "Okay, let's get the heads!"

By this point, a few people had salvaged some fallen bows. A girl with long red hair grimly held Nebula's crossbow, aiming at the horned head.

Yang joined the group that went at the main body and the horse head, punching at its side with one hand while stabbing with a dagger she held in the other. The creature howled, thrashing as it tried to free itself. It lurched forward, running down several of the Huntsmen that were in front of it.

Finally, a sword was driven through the beast's equine chest. A second later, a crossbow bolt hit the creature's human head. The Nuckelavee shuddered, then let out one last echoing cry that caused the very ground to shake. Another pulse of air went across the land as the horror finally returned to the shadows where it belonged.

Pyrrha stabbed at another Ursa as Dew ran up. She checked the battlefield before nodding at the Huntress. "The werewolves are clear."

"Good. Stay back!" Dew withdrew three Dust vials from her pocket. One was earth, one was fire, and one was water. Taking aim, she threw the fire one as far into the horde as it could go. It exploded, killing several Grimm and making several more burst into flames. The earth one went next. When it burst open, the ground opened beneath the Grimm, eating them into a greedy crevice. Dew held onto the water one, not wanting to douse the flames that were destroying even more Grimm. Wait, I can use this one to help protect Roman!

"Can you handle the rest?" she asked. When Pyrrha nodded, Dew shot off to find Jaune.

Most of the Grimm further in were clustered at the side entrance to the village. She could see Fox fighting off a Creep. "Fox, get back! I'm throwing Dust!" She wasn't sure if it would hurt him, since he had yet to transform, but didn't want to take any chances.

When she threw the vial, a torrent of water sloshed over the Grimm. Some of the waves were strong enough to cut up the lead few. The Grimm that remained were greatly disoriented, which allowed Jaune to kill several more. Dew jumped into the fray, jabbing anything that came near.

Even with the Dust, even with the Nuckelavee dead, it was another half hour before all of the Grimm were finally killed. The victory of Obsidian was graced with a stony silence in the blood-scented air. A silence that was later punctuated with a chorus of agonized, mournful cries.

….

A numb, heavy, exhausted sense of grief hung over Obsidian like a cloud. People trudged through the streets, carrying the injured or the dead in their arms. Volunteer gravediggers worked steadily in the cemetery behind the church.

Brawnz found Pyrrha and the rest of the pack carrying Perry toward the forest. "We'll give him a plot in the churchyard," he offered. "He has definitely earned it."

Pyrrha smiled, even as tears continued to stream down her dirty cheeks. "That is very kind of you, but it's the werewolf way to be buried in the forest that provides for us."

Brawnz nodded in understanding. "Well, if you want a grave marker for him, we'll make one. Assuming we aren't all killed tonight." He shook his head with a sigh. "Jaune told me he has an idea about the vampires. Once you're done burying Perry, come find us by the church."

The pack walked into the forest, inhaling the comforting scent of trees and dirt, which was free of the blood and smoke of Obsidian. All together, they dug. Their hands were coated with dirt by the time they were done. Carefully, they lowered Perry into his final resting place. They filled in the grave, not saying a word as they did so. Then, they stood.

"Perry died saving my life and Ren's," Pyrrha said, her voice coming out thick. "He was one of the bravest werewolves who ever lived. He came such a long way since we first met him, and proved to be not only a loyal packmate, but a true friend. I swear on the Moon herself that I will avenge him. The vampires will not terrorize anyone else. I will not stop until they are dead, or I am dead."

She turned to look at the rest of her pack. At this point, she had no illusions about getting out of this alive. The vampires were too strong. In her determination to complete this quest to win over the humans, she had led Perry to his death. She would not do the same to the others. Her thoughts went to Scarlet and Corsac, who were both badly injured. Who else would be lost before this ended?

"I do not hold any of you to this vow. In this moment, I release you from my leadership. Go where you wish. Live long, happy lives away from here." She bowed her head, hoping desperately that at least some of them would choose to go.

As one, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Sun, Neptune, Sage, Neon, and Flynt moved to stand beside her.

"You were there for me when I first changed, Pyrrha," Ruby said. "I won't abandon you, or any of my friends. I'm with you."

Weiss nodded. "We must finish what we started. I'm not about to leave these dolts to fight those monsters without my help."

Blake rolled her eyes at the very notion of leaving. "I may be a werewolf, but Yang and the others are still my fellow Huntsmen. Nothing will make me leave them."

"We've been friends for years, Pyrrha," Sun said. "We followed you when you left Cinder. We're not about to run away now."

"It was always said that you'd be a leader," Neptune noted. "I'm glad you're mine, Pyrrha."

"Besides," Sage added, yellow eyes blazing. "I have a bit of a bone to pick with those vampires for hurting my mate."

"Perry wouldn't want us to give up," Neon said, wiping her red-rimmed eyes.

"Agreed," Flynt said. "He gave our life so we would have a chance. We have to finish this."

Pyrrha's heart warmed at her friends' declarations of loyalty. At the same time, a cold sense of dread filled her stomach. She had known that they would stay with her, even though she desperately wanted to send them to safety.

She turned to the wolves from Adam's pack. Her words had been mostly directed at them. "No one will think less of you for leaving," she insisted.

Fennec's ears flicked. "I will not run. You are my leader," he said, taking a step forward. "You won my loyalty by defeating Adam. Then, you won me. You cared for me in a way no leader has done before. You showed me a new way of thinking, a way that allows us to not live in constant fear." He knelt at her feet. "I stay for you, for my injured brother, and for my new human friends."

Tukson nodded. "This pack makes me feel like I have a place and a purpose. I will gladly fight alongside you, Leader."

Ferron, Ilia, Deery, and Sandy also expressed their agreement, kneeling beside Fennec and bowing their heads submissively.

Pyrrha hadn't thought it possible to shed even more tears, but she did then. She covered her mouth to muffle a sob as her cheeks were stung with salt water. She felt the full, true weight of her pack's trust and love. In that moment, she shouldered that intangible burden and remained standing. For the first time, she felt like a true leader. "Everyone…thank you. I don't deserve such an incredible, courageous pack. I will do everything in my power to get you through this, so that we can finally go home."

She looked at Perry's grave. "We will sing for Perry the first chance we get. For now, let us leave the Earth Mother to reclaim his body while the Moon takes his spirit to run among the stars."

When the pack returned, the first thing they saw was Roman's cart. Griffin had been dragged away and was being buried at the edge of town. Neo was on her knees, her shoulders shaking while Yang held her tightly.

Roman was standing nearby, shoveling more dirt into his beloved horse's grave. He looked up as the pack approached. "I hope you have a plan to kill those leeches once and for all," he growled. His eyes, which were normally dry and rimmed with black eyeliner, were red, wet, and smeared.

"They're calling a meeting by the church," Pyrrha said. "Roman, I'm so sorry."

Roman shook his head. "Y'know, things were fine before I started getting involved with this bullshit. I had Neo, Griffin, a cart of goods to sell, and the road beneath my feet." He looked toward Neo, the only one of those things he had left. "If I lose any more, there's not much point in me holding out."

"Roman…"

"I don't wanna talk right now," Roman sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Go kill those bastards, and try not to die, okay?"

Pyrrha nodded, leading the werewolves toward the church. I did this, she thought numbly. I was so determined to bring werewolves and humans together, I destroyed the lives of those who joined me.

What else could you have done? another part of her mind protested. Leave a town to die? Take your pack far away and try to forget what you've learned? Live knowing that werewolves and humans are needlessly killing each other? Was there really any other option?

She had to quiet her reeling thoughts as they reached the church. Jaune, upon seeing her, rushed over and hugged her tightly.

Pyrrha gladly returned the hug. "Is Ren okay?" she whispered.

"He's fine. Thanks to you." Jaune squeezed her once before letting go.

Brawnz cleared his throat. "Okay, Jaune. Let's hear your plan." A few other Huntsmen had gathered, those who weren't busy digging graves.

Jaune nodded. "After today's attack, I'm convinced that the vampires want to wipe us out. They weren't even trying to take anyone away. This was just to kill. Tonight, the vampires themselves will come with even more Grimm. I'm sure of it." He shook his head. "The only thing we can do is go to them first."

"That's a suicide mission," Brawnz said bluntly.

"It's suicide if we stay here!" Jaune insisted. "We're decimated. Our only chance is to take them by surprise while there's still daylight. Otherwise, they'll wipe us out and then go after the civilians in the woods."

"I agree," Pyrrha said. "If we get up there during the day, the werewolves can transform at night in their den. If we converge on them as a pack, we might be able to kill them."

"How do we kill them, though?" Nora asked. "We nearly decapitated one, and he didn't die."

"No, but he didn't show up in Obsidian at all after Perry bit him," Jaune pointed out, feeling a pang as he thought of the spunky omega. "I'm convinced that werewolf bites do something to vampires. If we can get to their Lord or Lady, we can beat them."

One Huntress, the red-haired girl who had taken Nebula's bow, cleared her throat. "I know what might kill them."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner, Octavia?" Brawnz asked.

"Because Nebula was saving it for the lead vampire," Octavia replied. "I'll go get it."

When she returned, she was holding something red and shiny in her hand. A collective gasp went through the assembled group when they saw what it was: a fire Dust crystal.

"Amazing," Weiss breathed. "I've only ever seen one other."

Brawnz frowned. "That was on God's shrine. We all thought it was lost."

"Nebula took it after the initial attack on the church," Octavia explained. "She figured it might be more useful for killing the vampires than on the shrine where it could get stolen or set off. She was holding onto it in case the leader showed its face." She pocketed the crystal. "You can count me in."

Jaune looked at the people around him, then finally at Pyrrha. He couldn't help but wonder if this would be his last time seeing any of them in the light of the sun. "It's settled, then. Today, we kill those vampires once and for all."

….

The thirst was unbearable.

Watts clawed at the ground, causing black blood to flow from his fingers. He hadn't tasted blood in so long. He couldn't think. All he could do was smell the traces of salt and rust wafting from the town as he drifted in and out of his cursed daytime sleep.

Nearby, Tyrian twitched in his troubled slumber, whimpering and snarling.

The Lady had eaten every goat in the area. There was nothing else, especially since Obsidian was being destroyed as they slept. Maybe there would be some left by nightfall. Yes. He still had a chance to feed.

He needed to feed soon. So soon…

Several days went into the typing of this chapter. As I've mentioned before, battle scenes are my weakness, and here's a giant behemoth of a chapter that is almost one huge battle scene! It wasn't easy, let me tell you.

I may have promised not to pull a Volume 3 on you, but I couldn't have a battle this big happen without a few character deaths. I knew early on that Perry would get killed off, though I thought it would be later in the fic than this. When I made Nebula the leader of the town, I knew that she was likely to go out in a heroic sacrifice for her people. Griffin was an unexpected tragedy. I always hate killing off animals, but I couldn't see a way for a regular horse to survive a Grimm attack this huge.

Next week will be another doozy, as that will be the big attack on the vampires themselves, so stay tuned!

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

If you're interested in writing tips, prompts, top10 lists, and fandom-related rants from yours truly, check out my new blog at soloragoldsun dot wordpress dot com.

Peace out!