Awoo, everyone! Happy Werewolf Friday! Sorry for the late update, but I was really, really sick yesterday (on my birthday, no less…) and was delayed on today's blog post as well as yesterday's patron update. It was kinda horrible. Seriously, we should all stop and appreciate our day-to-day ability to eat food without feeling immense pain. It is a blessing. Believe me.

Anyway, enjoy!

"So, think of this," Ruby was saying as she and Weiss carried yet another wooden beam from the forest edge, where several volunteers were cutting down trees and preparing more building materials. "Metal gloves that go over our paws, and have huge serrated blades for claws!"

"Wouldn't that reduce mobility?" Weiss asked.

"Not if you use chainmail between the metal plates!"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Aren't our natural claws sufficient? We were able to kill several Grimm and vampires, after all."

"Yeah, but shouldn't we always improve?"

Weiss placed the beam on the ground with the others as they reached the fortified wall. "Admit it, Ruby: You just want an excuse to run around with a sword or scythe while in your wolf form."

Ruby's face flushed. "Wouldn't that be amazing, though?"

"It would," Weiss allowed. "The problem is that Huntsmen will always get priority for weapons, since we have our own natural abilities. It'll be a while before you can ask the blacksmith for something like that."

Ruby's shoulders slumped. "Aw. You're right…"

Weiss pecked her fiancé's cheek. "Don't worry, Ruby. You're a very scary werewolf already."

"Now, you're patronizing me," Ruby said with a pout.

"Never," Weiss assured her as they went back toward the woods. "You're definitely a force to be reckoned with."

Ruby's expression quickly brightened, and she started skipping. "You bet I am!"

Weiss watched her with a fond smile, still unable to believe her luck. Here she was, alive and with Ruby, nothing to stop them from being together. Part of her wished that they could just stay in Obsidian, far away from her father and Cinder's pack.

Then, she thought of Winter, and remembered exactly why they needed to get back to Vale. No matter what, she could not just leave her sister believing she was dead or damned.

"Why don't you ladies go on break after this one?" one of the humans preparing the lumber said as they approached. "You've been at it for hours."

Ruby tilted her head. "Really? I didn't notice." She was unable to hide the glee in her voice. Back when she was a normal human, any form of heavy lifting had been out of the question. Without a weapon, she had been next to useless. Now, she was discovering perk after perk that came with being a werewolf.

Weiss lightly elbowed Ruby. "Pick up your end so we can carry it, dunce."

When they got the next beam to its proper place, Ruby stepped back to look at the wall. "How much more will we need?"

"Not much," Weiss noted. "The wall took a lot of damage from the vampires and Grimm, but it's not like we're building a completely new structure. Repairing is much easier. It should be maybe another week, if nothing bad happens."

"I heard Huntsmen keep coming to the gate," Ruby said as they went to the entrance to the town. "Brawnz wants to forbid us from going into the woods."

"Well, since that's where we hunt, and since we're still short on food in town, I think that's a terrible idea," Weiss said dryly. "Though, it's nice that he's so concerned."

At that moment, Dew ran up to them. "Guys, hurry and get inside! Ilia senses some people in the woods coming toward town."

Ruby and Weiss quickly obeyed, Ruby calling up to Ilia as they entered town. "How many are there? Should I get Pyrrha?"

Ilia's eyes were closed as she used her beta powers, her brows scrunched. She shook her head slowly. "There's only two, but…"

"But what?" Dew asked. "Are they Huntsmen?"

"I can't tell from here," Ilia muttered. "But, it feels like a human and a werewolf."

Ruby's mouth dropped open. "Okay, I am definitely getting Pyrrha. Be right back." She zipped down the path toward the infirmary.

Weiss elected to stay by the gate, hiding behind the wall as Ilia signaled that the newcomers had just left the forest. She waited, her head tilted, her ears keen to hear everything that was said. Was it possible that there were other human/werewolf friendships that were being drawn to the haven of Obsidian? Pyrrha would definitely want to see this if that was the case.

"Who approaches?" Dew called.

"Bartholomew," the first voice replied. "I am a scholar who heard about your…unique situation, and who wishes to learn more."

The second voice caused Weiss to let out an audible gasp. "Qrow Branwen. I'm looking for my nieces. Not sure if they're here, but I had a feeling. Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long. Sound familiar at all?"

Before Dew could even answer, Weiss stepped out of her hiding spot, glaring daggers at Qrow, who took a stunned step back when he saw her. "So, you're here," she snapped.

Qrow gaped, his eyes widening as he looked at a face he never expected to see again. Weiss Schnee had the same scowl as always, as well as the same icy…eye. He winced as he took in the horrific scars covering the left side of her face, as well as the eye patch that hid what was probably the worst of the damage. "How…?"

"The cream used to stop Dust fires also stops its effect on werewolves," Weiss answered.

Dew, who had been staring between the two with a look of shock, quickly recovered. "Yes, and we ask that you leave any Dust on your person at the gate if you plan on entering the town."

Qrow, still feeling numb, took his vials and Dust bombs from his pockets, dropping them to the ground. He held up his arms as Dew patted him down, too stunned to even make a lewd comment, as he normally would have done while being searched.

Barty allowed himself to be patted down. Of course, he had no Dust. "No worries, no worries," he said calmly. "If that's a fellow beta I'm sensing on the wall, you should know that I pose no threat to you."

Qrow turned to stare at his traveling companion. "Wait, what? Beta?"

Barty smiled calmly, removing his scarf to reveal the mark of an old werewolf bite. "Sorry for the deception, my friend. I felt that it wouldn't be safe to tell you until we got here."

"You- That-" Qrow stared at Barty, then back at Weiss, his heart sinking lower and lower. "Shit."

Seeing the lost, confused, guilty look on Qrow Branwen's normally-smirking face caused Weiss's anger to fade. And here I was, all set to give him a verbal thrashing before forgiving him. She touched the warped flesh on the left side of her face and breathed a sigh. "Look, I know you were trying to save my soul," she said. "There's no way you could have known."

Qrow shook his head slowly. "Weiss, I…"

A startled, cut-off shriek caused everyone to turn. Ruby was standing a few feet away, eyes wide, hands clasped over her mouth, a stunned Pyrrha and Jaune behind her. She couldn't believe it. Right there, right at the entrance to Obsidian, was her beloved uncle. Mixed visions of him holding her in his arms and throwing Dust at her face battled in her mind.

Qrow took a step forward, hurriedly wiping his eyes before those annoying tears could start to fall. "Hey, kiddo. If you wanna scratch me up a bit, I think I deserve it."

That did it. Sobbing, Ruby rushed into her uncle's arms, jumping up to hug him around the shoulders. Even now, he was able to easily lift her up and hold her against him, just like he used to. "Uncle Qrow," she sniffled. "I can't… How did…?"

"After our little encounter near Vale, Tai and I were held up by the asshole Elders," Qrow muttered. "Then, I finally decided to just say 'fuck 'em' and come looking for everyone. Figured I had to either bury or kill all of you." He hated the way Ruby winced as he said that. "Then, I started hearing interesting rumors. People in Burgundy talking about werewolves killing Grimm for them. Then, this business with Obsidian. Figured I'd take a chance at looking for some answers."

Ruby smiled through her tears. "I guess you know werewolves are okay, since you were traveling with one."

Qrow chuckled. "I guess so. He could've chomped on my throat at any time." He glanced over his shoulder at Barty. "Won't be underestimating scrawny scholars ever again, that's for sure." He looked at Weiss, his expression sobering. "Sorry about the Dust, princess. I've always said battle scars add character, though."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "You're terrible at apologizing, but I forgive you. Just a few months ago, I had a sword pointed at Ruby, after all." She gave her fiancé an apologetic look. "You only did what you thought you had to do."

Qrow smiled gratefully. "That's right." He looked around, doing a double take when he finally noticed Jaune. "Well, well. Is everyone here?"

"Almost," Ruby sighed. "We lost some packmates when fighting the vampires. Yang's fine, though," she added, noticing Qrow's panicked look. "She's still human. Blake's a werewolf, like me. Fox too."

"No kidding." Qrow looked around, still trying to process all this new information. His nieces, against all odds, were fine. Werewolves, despite everything he had previously known, seemed to be as sentient as any person. "This is gonna be a bitch to explain back home," he finally said.

"We plan on returning after Obsidian has been repaired," Pyrrha said, finally deciding to enter the conversation. "We will bring humans from here, so that there will be a large enough force to make everyone listen. We hope to create an alliance between the people of Vale and Cinder's pack."

Qrow gave her a curious look, glancing between her and Jaune. "And which are you?"

"A werewolf," Pyrrha replied. "I was originally from Cinder's pack, but now I lead the werewolves here. My name is Pyrrha." She nodded toward Barty. "I welcome you, brother. Feel free to interact with my pack as you wish. It has been a long time since we've been around another werewolf who holds no ill will toward us."

Barty bowed his head respectfully. "Thank you, Leader Pyrrha. You won't have any trouble from me. Just the occasional question, of course. Lots to learn here. Lots to learn."

"So, are you actually a scholar?" Qrow asked. "Or did you make that up to get my guard down?"

"I am a scholar of sorts," Barty said. "Though, I never got to finish my formal education." He rubbed at the bite on his neck as he said this. "I travel from place to place, collecting what I can. I've become quite good at blending in with regular humans, as you can see."

"Anyway," Ruby said, tugging on her uncle's cape. "Let's go find Yang!"

News spread quickly of Qrow's arrival, and it didn't take long for all the Vale Huntsmen and werewolves to gather at the center of town near Roman's cart. Yang was hugging her uncle fiercely.

"How's Dad doing?" she asked.

"Not good," Qrow said bluntly. "Losing two daughters'll do that to you. I just hope we can get you to him before Jackass Schnee puts a bolt through everyone's head."

"That's why we came here in the first place," Yang said. "We're getting more humans on our side, so he'll have to listen."

Qrow snorted. "It won't be easy. The Elders have been getting crazier. Oz and Glynda are the only sane ones, and they're the minority. Jackass is totally loony, Winchester lost it after Cardin's buddies were killed during that one hunt, and Jimmy's just as battle-hungry as always."

Pyrrha frowned. "Have the werewolf attacks been more frequent?"

"Oh yeah!" Qrow groaned. "That's why it took so long for me to get out of there. This won't stop till one or both sides are dead."

Pyrrha shook her head. "We need to get back there." She started reaching around, only for Jaune to grab her wrist.

"No scratching!"

"I know," Pyrrha murmured, leaning back against her human, allowing his warmth on her back to take away some of the itch.

Qrow glanced at the two, cocking an eyebrow but not saying anything. Instead, he looked at Ruby. "Well, I have a couple questions for you. How about you tell me about all that happened after you were bitten."

The story took several hours to tell. By the time it was done, most of the werewolves and Huntsmen had dispersed until only Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Pyrrha, and Jaune were left. Qrow was mostly quiet when listening, though he did have a good laugh when he found out how Weiss had turned.

"So you made her one of you by putting your tongue in her mouth, huh?" he said, doubling over with laughter. "You really are my niece!"

"Ew! Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Ruby groaned, covering her ears while Weiss huffed angrily at how "vulgar" Qrow was being.

When the story ended, it was after nightfall. Qrow let out a breath, glancing toward the mountain. "So, vampires exist. Good to know." He folded his hands. "This changes…basically everything." He looked at Pyrrha. "From what you said about this Cinder, she'll be just as hard to convince as Jackass."

"Must you keep calling him that?" Weiss asked.

"Am I wrong?" When Weiss didn't respond, Qrow nodded. "Thought so. Anyway, our best bet would be getting the families of everyone out of Vale alone to meet with you first. That'll add to the overall voice. I can help with that part when the time comes. Not sure how you'll negotiate things with the werewolves."

"I plan to take my whole pack to meet her," Pyrrha said. "I'll offer an alliance, and stake a claim to the territory to the south of Vale, away from her land. If she's willing to talk, I'll then introduce her to Jaune and the others."

"That's gonna be a pretty big if," Jaune muttered.

Qrow nodded, then stood up, clapping both Yang and Ruby on the shoulder. "Well, we'll worry about that later. Right now, I got two nieces who are back from the dead who I wanna spend some quality time with. Either of you up for sparring?"

Both Ruby and Yang grinned. "You know it!" Yang said, clenching her fists eagerly.

"Be careful," Weiss warned. "You did a lot of heavy lifting. Don't strain your muscles."

Qrow snorted. "Jeez. She's already acting like a naggy wife."

Ruby elbowed him. "Oh, stop! She's going to be your niece soon enough."

"I know," Qrow said mournfully. "That means I'm gonna have Winter as a niece! Ugh!" He shuddered.

Weiss rolled her eyes as the three walked off. "He's just the same as always," she muttered.

Blake snickered. "You know, now that he's here, I realize that I kinda missed him."

"Me too," Weiss admitted. "But don't you dare tell him that!"

"I like him," Pyrrha commented. "I think we'll have good luck if more of the people of Vale are like him."

"Let's hope," Jaune said. He glanced at the sky. "Come on. Time to put on the aloe vera."

"A bit eager, aren't you?" Pyrrha purred. She laughed at the bright shade of red Jaune's face turned. "You really need to stop making this so easy for me," she teased as she led the way back to the infirmary.

Weiss and Blake watched them go. "Sun, Scarlet, Sage, and Neptune have placed bets on how long it'll take before Pyrrha changes Jaune," Blake noted.

Weiss shook her head. "They seem to have good restraint, but it's hard to be sure how long that will hold out." She looked at Blake. "Speaking of Sun, have you made a decision yet?"

Blake's ears flicked. "Almost."

"Almost?"

Blake shrugged. "I do like him a lot, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to be official mates with him. I have until spring, but it'll be easier to think about once this whole thing is over and we're back home."

Weiss looked at the ground. "Do you…think we will get home?" she asked in a hushed voice. "Do you think we'll actually get everyone to see reason?"

"Well," Blake said. "When this started, you all thought Ruby and I were dead, I thought I was going to be stuck with a crazed rapist, and Ruby was convinced that she was damned. And look at all we went through after that! We've survived a lot of things that we shouldn't have. I think that, if the Maidens are up there, they definitely want us to finish this."

"They are," Weiss said with firm conviction. She smiled at Blake. "Thank you."

Blake smiled back. "Anytime." The two friends looked at the sky for a few minutes before heading into the woods. Danger or no, Obsidian always needed food. It was time to hunt.

Surprise! I just made Oobleck even more adorable! Coffee-addicted wolves for the win!

Feeling cheated because we didn't get to see a Qrow/Barty road trip to Obsidian? Don't. Remember, he only had one day left to get to Obsidian, and he still has to make the journey back to Vale. Meheheheh. Also…you like Qrow's nickname for Jacques? I'm honestly surprised that calling him Jackass Schnee isn't more of a thing. It needs to be a thing. It's too perfect!

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!