AWOO, MUTHAFUCKAS! Happy Werewolf Friday yet again. We have reached the aftermath of the big vampire battle. What could be next for our heroes? Only I know for sure! Mwahaha!

Enjoy!

Sunrise brought a whole new world of pain for Pyrrha. She slipped in and out of a feverish sleep after transforming into her daytime form, her back feeling as if it had been violently peeled away to expose the spine and organs beneath. Whenever she tried to move, a gentle hand would touch her head and urge her to be still. Occasionally, she felt a strange, drizzling coolness, as if rain was falling on her. That felt wonderful! She hoped it would rain forever.

She dreamed strange half-dreams during the times she drifted off. She saw fire, blood, and fangs flashing in the moonlight. Yet, she didn't hear any sounds of battle. Instead, she heard a familiar, soothing voice speaking to her, telling her that everything would be fine. Strangely enough, she believed it.

Her first time fully regaining consciousness only lasted a few minutes. She blinked, wondering why it was so dark. Her back cried out in protest to her mere existence, and she gritted her teeth, blacking out again.

The second time she awoke, she was aware of a cool, moist cloth covering her from her shoulders to her feet. It felt like heaven. She shifted, which caused the pain to immediately return, and let out a yelp.

Jaune was at her side before the cry was even finished. "Hey, take it easy," he urged. "I know it hurts, but you're getting better." He smiled when those familiar emerald eyes looked up at him. "You were so brave. You protected the pack."

That was when the memories came flooding back. Pyrrha tried to push herself up. "The pack! Where are-?"

"Easy!" Jaune pressed down on her head, the only part of her he could really touch without hurting her. "They're hunting right now. They'll be bringing back more water and clean cloth from town."

Neptune groaned, propping himself up against the cave wall. "Nice to see you awake, Leader. We were getting worried."

Pyrrha sighed, giving in to the pressure of Jaune's hand. "Tukson and Ferron. What happened to them?"

Jaune grew somber. "Tukson died. When we got to the bottom, we saw signs of a struggle. Looks like he managed to take out one of those Death Stalkers before his injuries got to him."

Pyrrha scrunched her eyes shut. "We could have saved him."

"Not without giving the vampires time to run," Jaune insisted. "Don't you dare start blaming yourself. There's nothing that could have been done. There's good news: Ferron's alive."

"He is?" Pyrrha remembered seeing the strong beta slumped against the cave wall. "Is he recovering?"

"Yeah, though…" Jaune rubbed at the back of his head. "It looks like he's a regular Faunus now."

"What?" Pyrrha gasped.

"Yeah. I guess a werewolf bite can turn a vampire back to a human or Faunus, while a vampire bite can do the same for a werewolf. Ferron hasn't been able to use his beta powers or transform. Fennec tried biting him, but we won't know if it worked until the full moon," Jaune explained.

"At least he's alive." Pyrrha rested her cheek on some cloth, which she realized was one of Jaune's tunics bundled up. She inhaled his scent, which calmed her down a little. "Who else?"

"Octavia was killed by the blast of the Dust crystal," Jaune said, looking downward.

Pyrrha wanted to weep, but didn't feel strong enough. "Too many…" she whispered.

"Here." Jaune coaxed her head up so that he could tip some water into her dry mouth.

Pyrrha drank eagerly. She didn't think water had ever tasted so good. Once she was finished, she let her head fall to the ground again. "Was Tukson buried?"

"Next to Perry. The pack is waiting for you to come back before they howl for them."

"How long will that be?"

"Not quite yet," Jaune insisted. "You got burned really badly, werewolf healing or not." He looked outside. "Tomorrow night's the full moon, so you won't have any choice but to transform. That'll probably be the best time for us to get back to town."

Pyrrha looked toward Neptune. "Will you be okay?"

"Me?" Neptune waved a hand dismissively. "I'm fine. I barely feel this stupid scratch. I'm just staying so you and Jaune will have some company while the pack's out hunting."

Pyrrha chuckled. "That's very kind of you." She looked back at Jaune. "Where are the Huntsmen?"

"Working on rebuilding the town and sending word to the other towns that the vampires are gone. Once there's more of a supply of food and tools coming in, they're going to reopen the silver mines. Once the silver starts coming in, we'll start seeing some compensation for our hard work."

"Then, we can go home and finally talk to your people and Cinder's pack?"

Jaune shook his head. "It's not going to be a quick thing, Pyrrha. You and the others have injuries to recover from. Also, rebuilding a town and re-establishing an economy takes time. Silver mining is also a long process."

"How long?" Pyrrha asked, her heart sinking.

"…I don't think we'll be leaving here until fall at the earliest. Spring if things go really slowly."

"Spring?!" Pyrrha tried to push herself up, only to be pushed firmly down again. Her back prickled all over.

"Repairs and getting silver from the mines will take up the rest of summer and possibly a good chunk of fall," Jaune explained. "If it goes till the end of fall, we'll be into winter. Not only will they need the help of the werewolves to hunt for food at that point, but traveling all the way back to Vale in the snow makes no sense. There's also the repercussions that are going to come when more people find out about the werewolves living here. Who knows what could happen?"

That was true. "Have any new humans come to town yet?"

"A few, but they're mostly people who ran from Obsidian in the first place. Brawnz has been able to talk to most of them. I'm more worried about what'll happen if the other towns get involved."

Yet another problem. Will this never end? Pyrrha wondered. "Spring, though… That's such a long time."

"Not really," Jaune noted. "Think about it: It'll only be a year from the time Ruby and Blake were taken. That's not a long time when you consider just how much has happened." He petted her head gently. "Trust me, I'm impatient to get home too. Maybe there will be some way to send a messenger ahead of us. I know Roman will be itching to get out of here."

"Does he have a new horse?"

"Well, no…" Jaune sighed. "And, according to Yang, Neo hasn't said a word since Griffin died."

Pyrrha felt a tear trickle down her cheek as she thought of the sweet young trader apprentice. An image of Perry also rose to her mind. "I dragged so many people into trouble," she breathed. "I'm so sorry…"

"Stop that!" It was Neptune who spoke this time. His eyes were blazing as he forced himself to sit up straight. "You always do that!"

Pyrrha blinked. "Do what?"

"Apologize and blame yourself for things that aren't your fault!" Neptune snapped. "You may be the leader, but we chose to follow you. Same with Roman and the Huntsmen. Whatever else happened, you helped to save a whole town. If you want to blame someone, blame the vampires, Cinder, or the close-minded humans back home. Just stop blaming yourself, please!"

Pyrrha gaped, stunned at the omega's outburst.

Jaune was grinning. "Took the words right out of my mouth."

The smallest of smiles came to Pyrrha's face then. "Thank you." She turned to Jaune, feeling a warm flush in her cheeks as she looked at his kindly smile and concerned eyes. "Jaune?"

"Hm?" Jaune brushed some hair out of her eyes.

Pyrrha's blush deepened a little at the tender gesture. "Could you kiss me?"

Jaune's heart warmed. "Sure." He lowered himself to the ground next to her and scooted close, careful to not bump into her burn. Slowly, he leaned in and brushed his lips against her cheek.

Pyrrha sighed happily. That quick, light brush against her skin felt sweeter than any amount of water on her back. She was deeply, deeply grateful that Jaune at least had not been among the dead. She wasn't sure what she would have done if she had lost him at this point.

Over the course of their time together, he had become so much more than a vague symbol of reconciliation between their species. He was a trusted confidant and friend. He made her feel stronger and more capable than she had ever felt. At the same time, she felt incredibly vulnerable, as if he could see right into her heart. And she was completely okay with that.

Jaune kissed her cheek twice more, then moved downward to lightly nuzzle the crook of her neck. Finally, he drew back and sat up, though not before taking her hand. He held it to his lips, peppering the knuckle and wrist with feather-light kisses.

"Get a den!" Neptune called over. He was grinning, however, at how incredibly happy his friends were. His omega powers were causing him to be hit with a sense of newfound love that made him feel dizzy and just a little lonely.

"We're in a cave!" Jaune said, not the least bit embarrassed as he smirked at Neptune.

"Yeah, but I'm in it too!"

"You don't have to look!"

Pyrrha giggled quietly. Boys… She smiled up at Jaune as he gazed at her with an adorable expression of combined warmth and shyness. He continued to hold and kiss her hand, and she savored the softness of his lips more than she had ever savored anything.

Yet again, she found herself longing to feel those lips on hers. And…maybe some other places as well.

Her cheeks flushed and she quickly pushed the thought aside. If Jaune's report was right, she still had several moons to wait before she could express her feelings the way she wanted to. For now, these kind smiles and cautious touches would have to suffice.

An aching sensation made itself known in her chest, and it was far deeper and more painful than any of her other injuries.

…

The sense of victory and relief that filled Obsidian was muted with grief and regret. Now that the vampires were truly gone, people were given the chance to step back and realize just how much they had lost. Friends, family, possessions, homes... So much had been destroyed simply due to the bloodlust of four evil creatures.

Brawnz's voice was hollow as he gave out orders, painfully aware of the fact that Nebula was no longer there to help him. When he wasn't working on rebuilding, he could often be found in the churchyard, staring blankly at her grave, along with those of Roy and Octavia. At night, he was in the church, carving out yet another grave marker. Though Pyrrha hadn't mentioned whether or not her packmates needed one, he already intended to make stones for Perry and Tukson.

The werewolves went about their duties, collecting medicine, hunting, and rebuilding as needed. They were constantly aware of the bodies of Perry and Tukson in the nearby woods and their heavily-injured leader on the mountain.

Neo still had yet to say anything. She had been standing right next to Griffin when an Ursa had grabbed him. The poor horse had screamed, thrashing and tugging at his reins as the claws tore into him. She had nightmares about it whenever she closed her eyes. She stayed close to Roman or Yang at all times, helping when asked and crying silently when alone.

"Neo practically raised him," Roman explained to Yang during one of their few break times. "When my previous horse got too old, I had to get a new one quickly. Funds weren't doing so well, so I could only afford a starved little colt from some backwater farm. Neo's the one who fed him and got him to trust people." He shook his head slowly and sighed. "We never should've gotten involved."

If anyone was holding onto a smart comment concerning whether or not a horse should be mourned, they kept it to themselves. Yang made absolutely sure of that.

Ferron's eyes were slightly glazed as he did his appointed duties. When asked if he was okay, he would simply shake his head and mutter: "Could've been worse. Gotta remember that." At night, he would try to change with the others, only to clench his fists and let out a wordless cry of anger as Sandy and Deery tried to calm him down.

The cloud of sadness was so deep, people almost didn't notice the fact that Obsidian was beginning to look like a town once again, rather than a collection of ruins. It wasn't until the first few residents started to return from neighboring towns that people finally started smiling again.

Of course, the response to the werewolves was mixed. Some people just gaped in shock and continued to have confused looks whenever they watched the creatures at work. Some had to be kept from attacking their new allies. Others fled the town immediately. While Brawnz and the Huntsmen tried to track down all of the people who ran, they knew that it was only a matter of time before the rumors started to spread.

"Will we need to defend the town against other humans?" Ruby asked one day.

"I hope not," Brawnz sighed. "Many places will obviously have strong objections, but it's a matter of whether or not they have the military power to do anything. The fact that we killed a coven of vampires and a Nuckelavee will carry a lot of weight, both morally and as a show of strength."

"Do you know if any of the towns are absolutely for or against us?" Weiss wondered. She was fiddling with her new eye patch, unused to the feel of cloth against her scarred face.

"No. Right now, I think they're all waiting and watching."

Ruby looked around and noticed something that drew a smile to her face. "Maybe it would be easier if we were all kids."

Brawnz and Weiss followed her gaze to where an almost-healed Scarlet was sitting on a bench near the infirmary. A young boy named Argent was sitting next to him, reading to him from a smaller children's book. Occasionally, he would point at a page and slowly enunciate a word. Scarlet was nodding, staring intently at each pen stroke.

Weiss chuckled fondly. "Perhaps we should approach Jaune's younger sisters first when we go back to Vale."

"I'm really sorry we'll have to make you wait so long," Brawnz muttered. "If we could spare the people any earlier, we would."

"I wouldn't mind staying if we didn't need to go back home," Ruby admitted. "Now that this place is almost rebuilt, I really like it here. I just wish there was a way to tell our families what's going on."

"Depending on how news spreads, we may be able to," Weiss pointed out.

"Let's hope." Ruby thought about her father and uncle, and about the unfortunately mixed feelings that would arise when they finally reunited.

…

Qrow set out on a path away from Burgundy, feeling more confused than he had ever felt in his life. The werewolves and Huntsmen had been through here. There was no doubt about that. When he asked around, he had heard several matching descriptions for Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Jaune, and even Blake, along with several others.

From what he had gathered, they were all traveling with that weirdo who sold perverted books (that Qrow absolutely owned several of) for a living. Of course, the people he spoke to had no idea that half of the people they had hosted were werewolves. And that was the problem.

They were walking around in their human forms, he thought. Interacting with other people without attacking anyone. No one could even tell what they were.

What really stumped him was this one baker who was currently working to rebuild his shop. While Qrow had been asking him about the Huntsmen, the Grimm attack had come up.

"I'll swear it by God and the Maidens. I don't care who makes fun of me," the baker murmured. "A werewolf saved my life."

No accounts spoke of Ruby or Weiss coming through recently, so Qrow guessed that they had taken a more roundabout way after their last encounter. He would head down the line of villages until a tip led him elsewhere.

So many questions ran through his head. What were these kids up to? How could Ruby, Weiss, and Blake still have humanity in them after all this time? Why would a werewolf save a human? Why had Ruby and Weiss returned to Vale? Were the Huntsmen really traveling with them and protecting them? If so, where were they all now, and how many of them were still human?

The more he thought about it, the deeper his sense of dread became. He thought back to that fight on the border, remembered the seeming lack of ferocity in Ruby's attacks. He remembered throwing that Dust vial and watching it break open on Weiss's face.

A sick feeling arose in his stomach, and he took a deep swig of whiskey to calm himself down. He had to keep moving.

Of course, problems can't end with the defeat of a few vampires. There's always gotta be more trouble. And more Arkos sexual tension. I know you all love that. *senses several glares being shot in my direction* Heh… Don't kill me.

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

For writing tips, prompts, top 10 lists, and fandom rants from yours truly, check out my blog at soloragoldsun dot wordpress dot com.

Peace out!