Happy Werewolf Friday, everyone! This week has Pyrrha returning to Obsidian, and the werewolves interacting with the returning townsfolk. And, of course, the pack will be singing for their departed friends.
Enjoy!
Pyrrha sat outside the vampires' cave, watching apprehensively as the sun set lower and lower. Even with her rapid healing, her back still felt as if it had been ripped to pieces. She was not looking forward to tonight's transformation.
Nearby, Neptune was checking the gash in his stomach, which had faded to an ugly red mark. "Looks like we're getting there, huh?" he murmured. He looked at Pyrrha's back and winced. "Lean on me if it gets to be too much, okay?"
"I will," Pyrrha assured him, though she had every intention of getting to Obsidian without any help. Her back hurt horribly, but she'd be stronger once she transformed. As long as she didn't let any of the rocks touch her injury, she'd be okay.
Jaune sat nearby with several clean cloths that the werewolves had brought earlier. They had wanted to stay to help Pyrrha and Neptune down the mountain, but things were apparently tense in Obsidian with all of the newcomers. Many of the fearful humans were calling for the wolves to be restrained before the full moon rose. Brawnz, however, was firmly refusing every plea for chains, muzzles, or collars.
While this show of respect was encouraging, it didn't do much for the terrified humans and Faunus in the town. So, the other werewolves had promised to remain near the town and transform in full view of everyone. Then, the returning townsfolk would be introduced to their allies' bestial forms under the watchful eye of the Huntsmen.
The sun cast its last feeble rays across the sky, turning it pink, orange, and gold. As the full moon began to rise, the werewolves began their transformation.
For Pyrrha, the pain got worse immediately as her bones shifted and her torso expanded. She bit her lip, causing it to bleed as her teeth turned to fangs. Her blistered skin was ripping as it struggled to stretch over her nighttime form. When the transformation ended, she slumped forward, whining loudly.
Jaune hurried to her side, grimacing as he looked at the damage. The blistered, reddened skin had cracked in several places and was now oozing blood and a clear liquid that spoke of infection. She definitely needs to be treated in the town.
Taking a sheet he had drenched with several water bottles, he draped it over Pyrrha's bare back. "Easy, now," he murmured. "Let's see if we can make this less painful for you." He secured the sheet with some bandages tied around her waist and under her arms. "Sorry," he said as the tightening of the knots caused Pyrrha to flinch. He also wrapped her legs and the base of her tail in bandages. "That should keep most of the rocks and dust off," he said, stepping back.
Pyrrha took a deep breath. The cool wetness on her back helped a little with the pain. She crouched down, ready to begin her descent.
Neptune was only bleeding a little after his transformation, and waved away Jaune's offers to bandage him. He just wanted to get away from this damned cave as quickly as possible.
After checking Pyrrha once again, Jaune nodded and began to climb down from the ledge, followed closely by the two injured werewolves.
…..
The werewolves were all gathered outside of Obsidian in the field near the forest. A crowd of nervously-whispering humans and Faunus stood a good distance away from them. Between the two groups was a line of Huntsmen.
"Okay," Brawnz called out. "The werewolves are going to transform soon. There is nothing to worry about. Anyone who wants to approach can feel free to do so. They will not lick, bite, or scratch anyone. In return, no one is to have weapons or Dust on hand when they come over here. These are our allies and friends, and the sooner everyone gets used to each other, the better."
Scarlet was the closest werewolf to the humans. It had been decided that, between his smaller size and his status as an omega, he would be the least threatening, and therefore the ideal first wolf to approach. He was also less skittish around the humans than Deery or Sandy.
Fox was in the middle of the group, along with Ferron, who kept looking hopefully at the bite Fennec had given him. One was anticipating his first transformation while the other was waiting to see if he would ever transform again.
The moon rose, and Fox gasped as a thrill unlike anything he had ever known shot through him. He could feel the cool light seeping into his body. It touched his eyes, and he felt as if he could truly see it for a split second. Tears trickled down his cheeks as he fell forward and gripped at the ground. He felt his nails lengthening, his hair turning to fur and spreading across his body. His ears and nose became even keener than they already were. It was incredible! He stood on his hind legs as the transformation finished, and let out a joyful howl.
The new townsfolk in the crowd cringed away from the sound. Some tried to run back to the town, only to be stopped by one of their more adjusted comrades.
While Weiss ushered Fox into the forest, where he'd be able to run and was less likely to accidentally hurt anyone, Ferron let out a howl of his own. This one wasn't a wolf's howl, but a cry of dismay.
As his pack turned into their nighttime forms around him, Ferron realized that he would never be able to do so again. That vampire's bite had turned him into a regular Faunus, and not even a new werewolf bite would bring his powers back. He fell to his knees, sobbing quietly while Deery enveloped him in her furry arms and Sandy touched his shoulder.
Meanwhile, at the front of the group, there was a hush as the werewolves waited for the first brave human to approach. The first to run over wasn't one of the new townsfolk, which wasn't surprising. It was, however, the best possible person to alleviate the overall sense of nervousness: young Argent.
The boy eagerly ran through the grass, past the Huntsman, and over to Scarlet. "Hi!" he chirped.
Scarlet rumbled a greeting, crouching down so that the boy could climb onto his back. He stood on all fours while Argent gripped the fur on the back of his neck.
Several humans in the crowd gasped at the sight of a small boy riding casually on the back of a werewolf. There were a few mutters of "He's bewitched." from the more doubtful people. Others, however, started to move closer, not wanting to seem less brave than a child.
It was a young man who approached next. He froze when Sun took the initiative to close the distance between them, but didn't bolt. He swallowed loudly, then shakily held out his hand to the pale gold wolf in a gesture one would normally give when meeting someone else's dog.
Sun sniffed at the human's hand, then bowed his head slightly, trying to look as non-threatening as possible.
The human's hand shook as it went lower and lower, finally resting on Sun's furry brow. "G-Good wolf," he muttered.
Sun mentally rolled his eyes, but continued to hold still. If it helped this human to think of him as a large dog, he supposed that was okay. At least Brawnz had promised that there would be no collars or muzzles.
Slowly, more and more humans and Faunus moved closer to the werewolves. There were many tentative touches and a few people who jumped back when a wolf shook himself or yawned. There were no sudden movements, and no signs of one group attacking the other. Gradually, a sense of awe and wonder replaced the fear as the newcomers slowly came to the realization that so much of what they had learned over the years was simply not true.
Even a few of Adam's former wolves found themselves willing to approach the townsfolk and be touched by the nervous ones. Deery tried using her omega powers to calm one down, evoking a confused reaction that gave way to a sense of sleepy curiosity.
The townsfolk and werewolves mingled for a few hours before Blake stood on her hind legs and barked once, looking toward the entrance to the town. Everyone turned to see Jaune, Pyrrha, and Neptune walking toward them. Neptune had a slight limp while Pyrrha was walking at an agonizingly-slow pace, an obvious grimace on her muzzle. Most of her body was covered with sheets or bandages.
Brawnz cleared his throat loudly. "Everyone, this is Pyrrha, Neptune, and Jaune Arc. Pyrrha is the leader of the werewolves who saved us, and Jaune is the leader of Vale's Huntsmen. They, above all, deserve your respect."
There were quiet murmurs as the crowd parted to let the three through. Jaune paused by Brawnz. "They're going to want to howl for Perry and Tukson," he murmured.
Brawnz nodded. "Okay, everyone. The werewolves have business of their own. Let's head back to town."
Pyrrha panted loudly with exhaustion. The pain and fatigue that dominated her after climbing down the mountain left little room for much else. All she could think of was mustering the strength to sing for her packmates. Even the sight of her pack mingling with the humans didn't evoke the sense of giddy joy she would have felt at any other time. Only Jaune's voice managed to intrude on her one-track mind enough to make her turn her head.
"Hey," he whispered. He walked over to her, seeing the pain and hard grief in her wolf eyes, which held just as much emotion as her human eyes could. Gently, he took her lupine face in his hands, drew her close, and touched his lips to the top of her head, right between her pointed ears.
For a moment, all agony and tiredness faded as Pyrrha felt those soft lips on her fur. Tears sprang to her eyes and her throat closed as she tried to swallow down the sheer emotion rising within her. She already knew that Jaune fully accepted both of her forms. Their first realization of their feelings had happened while she was transformed, after all.
Still, to have him kiss her while she was a wolf felt like a whole other level of acceptance, and perhaps love? Not for the first time, she found herself wishing she was an omega rather than an alpha.
As Jaune stepped back from Pyrrha, he became aware of the mixed reactions of the people around him. All of the werewolves, along with the humans who were aware of his relationship with Pyrrha, were smiling. Among the new humans and Faunus, emotions seemed to be ranging from confusion to outright disgust, based on their expressions. He didn't say anything, and smiled calmly as he went to rejoin the Huntsmen.
Pyrrha, remembering the task at hand, shook herself and led her pack into the forest, where Perry and Tukson were buried. Even though there were no markers, they had no trouble finding the right spot. Fox, having gotten the exercise his whelp's energy had required, stood with Weiss, waiting for the others.
The werewolves gathered around the burial site. Ferron knelt at the front, his head bowed, regretting that he couldn't howl for his friends. Sandy and Deery stood nearby, determined to howl twice as loud for his sake.
Pyrrha stared down at the graves, her heart aching as she wondered for the thousandth time what she could have done to save her packmates. Even now, she'd gladly lay her life down if it meant bringing just one of them back.
Closing her eyes, pushing her own pain to the back of her mind, she threw her head back and let out a loud, powerful howl. For a minute, her voice rang on its own, clear and mournful. Then, Weiss and Ruby added their voices. Ruby's higher-pitched howl twined effortlessly with Pyrrha's while Weiss's, which sounded more like a sustained note of song, carved its own path through the night.
Next came the betas. Sun's light, normally-joyful voice rang a little hollow as it tried to keep up with the alphas. Flynt's howl was brassy, like a trumpet, while Neon's was a light trill. Blake's was hard and firm, ringing out effortlessly with the others. Fennec and Corsac sang as one, their twin voices melding together in a gorgeous, powerful baritone. Ilia's was a bit more shrill, but managed to blend in with the voices of those around her. Ferron let out a sob.
Finally, the omegas added their voices to the dirge. Neptune's light, cool howl melded with Sun's, adding strength to it. Sage's deep, low bass and Scarlet's higher tenor twined together easily. Deery's howl rang clear as a bell while Sandy's trembled just a little.
Fox added his voice last, since he wasn't sure of his position yet. His howl was quieter than the others, but was definitely present, acting as a light undertone to the feral song. His ears twitched at the sheer intensity of the sound surrounding him, but he wasn't overwhelmed as he would have been if he was still human. Instead, he was a part of the sound, sharing in the sheer depth of the moment with the rest of his new pack.
The different voices came together in one, ringing moment as they all prayed to the Moon to guide their packmates' souls to the stars, where they could run through infinite forests and hunt silver deer throughout eternity.
Then, one by one, the wolves fell silent, until only Pyrrha was singing once again. She held out for as long as she could before finally closing her muzzle and bowing her head. The silence seemed to ring in her ears even more than the pack's howl had. Her fur was soaked with tears.
The pack looked at each other before trudging dejectedly back toward the town. Even Fox didn't feel like hunting tonight.
They were met at the border of Obsidian by the Huntsmen. Coco rushed over to Fox, throwing her arms around his furry shoulders and hugging him tightly. "You make such a pretty wolf," she murmured, combing her fingers through his burnt-orange fur.
Fox rumbled softly, hugging his wife close, barely resisting the urge to lick her face.
Yang was hugging Ruby, Blake, and Weiss one by one, ruffling their ears in a wordless gesture of reassurance. Neo smiled a little as Sage lifted her in his arms and held her snugly against his chest.
Jaune was guiding Pyrrha to the infirmary while Ren and Nora were attempting to comfort Ferron.
"Being a non-werewolf isn't so bad," Nora assured him. "We've been regular humans our whole lives."
Ferron managed a small smile. "I know. It'll just…take some getting used to."
As Jaune and Pyrrha approached the infirmary, they were surprised to see Roman waiting for them. The ginger trader tipped his hat as they approached.
"Glad to see you survived," he said, a shadow of his usual cocky smile on his face.
Jaune nodded. "I'm glad things ended as well as they did. How's Neo?"
Roman shook his head. "Still not talking. She loved that horse." He looked at Pyrrha. "Probably seems silly mourning a horse when you consider what else was lost, but there it is."
Pyrrha shook her head firmly. In her mind, losing Griffin was no less of a tragedy than any other death that had occurred. After all, she herself was part wolf. It would be a bit hypocritical to place less value in another animal.
Roman coughed as he continued. "I, uh, hope you don't think I blame you for my bad fortune. I know I might've made you think so with the way I've been talking." He leaned back against the building. "You're a bunch of heroes. I'm not. I wasn't meant to get involved with shit like this, but I went against my instincts and am now paying the price. I could've left at any time, but I was stupid." He shrugged. "I wouldn't mind, except Griffin and Neo had to pay for it the most in the end."
"Thanks, Roman," Jaune said, speaking for Pyrrha as well. "Will, uh…" He paused, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm not sure if this is insensitive, but will Neo maybe get better when you get another horse?"
"Probably," Roman said. "She'll love any horse I get. That's just how she is. Also, horses don't live as long as people do. Realistically, Griffin probably only had a year or two left before I would've had to retire him. Neo knows that. It's just the brutal nature of Griffin's death that's eating away at her, I think."
He shrugged. "Once I start getting some silver from this town, I'll look at buying a new horse. Neo should get better before then, though. Having Yang around has helped her a lot. I'm just waiting for that young lady to ask for her hand. They'll get my blessing, I can tell you that."
Jaune grinned. "Should I pass that along to Yang?"
Roman's eyes flashed. "Don't you dare! I have to keep up the protective, fatherly front, or my reputation will die completely!"
"Okay, okay," Jaune laughed before turning to Pyrrha. "Come on. Let's get you to bed." He led the wolf into the infirmary. The beds were too small for her nighttime form, so he laid out a bunch of blankets and pillows on the ground for her to lie down on. He removed the cloth and bandages, put a new wet sheet over her back and sat down near her head so he could stroke her brow.
Pyrrha closed her eyes, rumbling drowsily as she allowed herself to focus only on the coolness on her back and Jaune's hand on her head. Her tail thumped once against the ground. She felt her human lying down near her, and smiled, reaching out to place her forepaw on his arm. That warm touch was the last thing she felt before falling into a deep, exhausted sleep.
It's funny. The image of Jaune kissing Pyrrha in her werewolf form was the one I associated with this fic ever since I started writing it. I was seriously waiting all this time to type that one moment. It's still hard to believe that I've been working on this thing for over a year now!
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!