Awoo yet again, everyone! This Werewolf Friday is a special treat to my Team Sloth and Black Sun shippers out there. Time for some of the background pairings of this fic to get some love!

Enjoy!

"Hurry up, Ren!" Nora urged, tugging on Ren's hand as they headed out into the field behind Obsidian early that morning. "The sun is up! It's time to be awake!"

"It's not completely up," Ren muttered, letting out a yawn and rubbing his eyes. He, Nora, Coco, and several others had volunteered to set the first round of rabbit snares that morning.

Nora giggled. "You're so cute when you're sleepy!"

Ren's cheeks flushed as he smiled down at her. "You think I'm cute, no matter what I'm doing."

"Well, yeah," Nora admitted with a bright grin. "You're basically the most adorable person ever."

Ren smirked, leaning down to kiss Nora's cheek. "I'd have to disagree with that. I think you have me beat by a lot." He winked, eliciting a blush and a shy "Eep!" from his best friend. "See?"

"No fair!" Nora pouted. "You shouldn't be allowed to give me looks like that!"

"Looks like what?" Ren flashed a flirtatious grin, which prompted Nora to hide her face in her hands.

"Hey! Are you two working or flirting?" Coco called over, putting her hands on her hips while grinning at the two. Maidens, they are just too cute!

"Both!" Nora promptly replied, kneeling on the ground to set the first snare. "It's been a while since we've done this, huh Ren?"

"Yeah," Ren muttered. "Snare-setting was always a chore for the trainees." He set one a few feet away. "I still remember those mornings."

"Remember the time Jaune caught his ankle in one?"

"Oh, yes." Ren grimaced as he thought back. "The wire cut right into his skin. He was terrified it would slice his foot off. Left a scar, if I remember correctly."

"I can't believe we're blocked off from the forest." Nora scowled as she thought back to the infuriating Huntsmen from the previous night. "It's so unfair! I mean, I know people were taught to hate werewolves, but Obsidian should be enough to convince even the dumbest person!"

"Apparently, people can get dumber than your definition of the dumbest," Ren said dryly. "I'm not too worried. A lot of people are on our side due to the killing of the vampires and the Nuckelavee. If we could somehow contact one of the other towns, like Burgundy, we might have a better chance."

"That's not a bad idea," Coco noted. "Qrow's gonna have to go back to Vale. He could easily cut around those Huntsmen and get a message to Burgundy."

"We'll suggest that once we get back," Ren said. "For now, let's focus on these snares."

Once they were finished, they headed back to town. Coco sought out Fox while Ren and Nora gravitated toward the inn they had been staying at.

"You still sleepy, Ren?" Nora asked, stroking his arm. "We were up pretty late last night. Wanna go cuddle for a bit?"

Ren smiled drowsily at her. "That sounds nice."

They went back to the inn, a partially-repaired place called "The Silver Pickaxe." The owner had insisted that all the visiting Huntsmen get free room and board, as well as a free breakfast. Today, Qrow was sitting at the bar with Bartholomew. Both were sipping black coffees.

"Hey, Barty. Hey, Qrow," Nora greeted. "No whiskey today?"

Qrow shook his head. "Nah. I've been drinking too much since spring. Gonna cut back a bit. Whiskey's for the afternoon."

"That's something, at least," Ren said. "We were just talking about you, actually. How likely do you think it is that you can slip past those Huntsmen?"

Qrow snorted. "I could probably walk right through that pack of greenhorns without 'em noticing anything. Why?"

"We were thinking that it might be possible to send help from Burgundy. They know us and, according to Pyrrha, at least one of them knows she's a werewolf and is okay with it."

Qrow looked up. "Huh. Now that you mention it, there was this baker who kept talking about a werewolf saving his life." He nodded slowly. "Yeah. You're thinking we could send people to force those greenhorns off. It could work. And, it'll give me a chance to update Tai on what all is going on."

"Hm. Depending on when you go, I may accompany you," Barty commented, sipping at his mug. "I'd like to talk to a few more people here, but perhaps having me along would help to prove that werewolves can be civilized." He fixed his spectacles. "Or…they may shoot me as soon as they see my bite. Ah well. No risk, no results!"

"You should discuss it with the others," Ren said. "We just thought of it while in the field."

"Ah, yes. How are those snares?" Barty asked.

"Pretty good!" Nora chirped. "Setting them up was easy."

"Good." Qrow nodded his approval before waving them off. "Go to bed. You kids look tired."

"Hey, we're not kids anymore!" Nora put her hands on her hips.

Qrow laughed. "You'll always be kids to me."

"I don't know, my friend," Barty commented with a slight smirk. "They seem more well-spoken than you. Perhaps, you are the pup in this scenario."

"Hmph!" Qrow snorted. "Have a drinking contest with me sometime, and I'll show you who's a pup!"

Ren and Nora went up to the room, which they shared with Jaune when he wasn't with Pyrrha, which wasn't very often anymore. Nora plopped down on one of the two beds and hugged Ren when he sat down next to her. "You know, I feel pretty good about everything."

"Yeah?" Ren turned to smile at her. "Even with the Huntsmen in the woods."

Nora shrugged. "I mean, we fought a Nuckelavee and a coven of vampires! If we can do that and survive, we can handle this." She slipped a hand under his shirt, touching the now-scarred wound on his abdomen. Her expression sobered a little as she remembered dragging Ren away from the battlefield that day.

Ren gently tilted her chin upward and brushed his lips against hers. "It was just a scratch, Nora. I was never in any danger."

Nora rolled her eyes. "Don't lie. Yes, you were!" She hugged him tightly. "You're not allowed to scare me like that anymore, okay?"

"Okay." Ren lay down on the bed, pulling Nora down with him. "As long as you promise not to go on dangerous missions without me. I was really scared when you were on that mountain."

"Deal!" Nora pecked the tip of Ren's nose. "Boop!"

Ren leaned in, playfully rubbing his nose against hers, causing her to giggle and hide her face against his chest. "I love you." He hugged her close, nuzzling his cheek against her soft ginger hair.

"I love you too!" Nora said against his chest, brushing her lips against his collarbone. She could feel Ren's breathing becoming steadier. "Hey, Ren?"

"Hm?" Ren stroked her hair, smiling contentedly.

"Later on…would you, I mean…" Mumble, mumble.

Ren pulled away a little, so he could look at Nora's face. "I didn't hear you."

Nora looked hesitantly up at Ren, feeling her cheeks getting hotter and hotter. "I was wondering if… I mean, I know we've only known we loved each other like this for a few months, but we've been together much longer, you know? And I don't want to be with anyone else. And we keep getting into dangerous situations. And I guess it's normal for people to do that after only a few months because of how dangerous things are, but still-"

"Nora," Ren gently cut in. His heart was pounding. He already had a feeling concerning what Nora was getting at, but he wanted to hear her say it. "What are you asking, exactly?"

Nora pushed her hair back in a shy gesture. "Will you… Will you marry me, Ren?"

Ren felt a tear trickle down his cheek as he pulled Nora close again, kissing her deeply. He felt her muffled squeak of surprise before her fingers came up to tangle in his hair. He held her tightly, feeling her ecstatic heartbeat against his own.

When they ended the kiss with twin gasps for breath, they rested their foreheads against each other. Ren recovered first. "Honestly," he panted. "I'll marry you the instant we get a priest in this town. I'm not kidding. First priest we see, we're dropping everything and saying our vows."

Nora let out a breathless laugh. "Deal!"

Ren pulled the covers over them as Nora snuggled against his chest and yawned. "I thought you weren't tired," he murmured, rubbing her back as he rested his head on the pillow.

"Hm. You're comfy," Nora muttered. She let out another yawn.

Ren smiled, closing his eyes and letting sleep take him. For the time being, he expected nothing but pleasant dreams.

….

That night, Ruby prepared her small fishing party. After sharing a kiss with Weiss and saying goodbye to Qrow, she turned into her wolf form and led Blake, Sun, Sandy, and Deery toward the town exit by the mountain. They would circle around and run through the fields away from where the rabbit snares were, far out of sight of the woods, and keep going until they reached the lake Roman had pointed out on the map. They'd fish as much as they could get, dry them over a fire, and bring them back. The results of this trip would determine whether or not future trips to the lake would even be worthwhile.

Initially, the group focused on running as fast as they could go. As a result, Ruby had to continuously stop and wait for the others to catch up. If they kept going at a good pace, they'd reach the lake by sunrise.

Ruby had packed some fishing gear, but Sun had promised to teach her and Blake how to fish "the werewolf way." By that, she assumed he meant plucking them out of the water like a grizzly bear. She highly doubted that she could master that technique in the short time they'd be there.

Sun was in good spirits, his tongue lolling from his open mouth as he ran. Occasionally, he'd run over to Blake and playfully nudge her shoulder, to which she'd give him a bored look. After the third time, however, she finally nudged him back, prompting him to dart to the side with a challenging bark.

Blake snorted at Sun's antics, but couldn't bring herself to hate them. Considering how long they'd been stuck at Obsidian, it was easy to feel a certain amount of glee at the prospect of an all-night run.

Deery's ears were back. She was still so unused to seeing betas playing so obviously.

Sandy huffed at the absurdity, but he wasn't complaining. This pack was weird, but it was strong. That was good enough for him. He wasn't even that scared of the humans anymore.

They arrived at the lake just as the sun was starting to rise. Panting, Ruby put down her bags and transformed into her daytime form. "Okay," she said. "Which beta is less tired?"

"I can take first watch," Sun said, noticing how tired Blake looked.

The omegas were quick to fall asleep. Ruby checked their gear and made sure that nothing would get wet if it rained, then allowed herself to curl up in the grass. Blake found a dry spot a little further away.

Sun decided to sit next to her. He activated his beta powers while gently stroking Blake's ears with one hand. To his delight, she didn't move away.

Blake sighed at the soothing scratches to her fur, snuggling a little closer to Sun in the process. She hummed quietly in her throat, not even caring when the sound came out as a purr. She was already falling asleep.

Sun's heart stuttered at the sound of Blake's purr. Yeah, I am definitely asking you to be my mate in the spring. I hope you say yes… Forcing his attention away from the beautiful woman at his side, Sun focused on keeping watch. The last thing they needed was for some stupid human to catch them unaware.

The group only slept for a short while, as morning was the best time to fish. Sun took the opportunity to sleep while Ruby set up the fishing lines.

"When you see the line go stiff," she was explaining. "Pull it in. Got it?"

Deery and Sandy nodded eagerly.

Blake, in the meantime, was taking out a bow that she had brought from Obsidian. "It's been a while since we've hunted like Huntsmen," she noted.

Ruby nodded, withdrawing a knife from her bag. "The more we bring back, the better."

Walking along the edge of the lake, the two managed to catch two ducks before returning to camp. They saw Sandy and Deery waiting for them, both sporting guilty looks.

"What happened?" Ruby asked, keeping her voice gentle.

"W-We're sorry, ma'am!" Sandy stammered. "Th-There was a f-fish, and…"

"We got it off the hook, but…"

"It got away?" Ruby finished. When the omegas nodded, she smiled comfortingly. "It's fine. It happens sometimes. Getting the fish off the hook is hard. I'll pull in the next one, and you can watch me, okay?" Her heart broke at how relieved they looked. The omegas must have gotten the worst of Adam's abuse…

Blake set about plucking the two ducks and taking out several more items they had gotten from both Roman and the man at the inn. There were jars, some empty, some with vinegar. The hearts, gizzards, livers, and tongues would go in the vinegar jars. The duck fat would go in the empty jars. She also took out a wax-lined bag for the bones, which could be used to make soup broth.

Sun started the fire up again before watching Blake. "This is probably really useful for winter, huh?"

Blake nodded. "It is. In Vale, we have storehouses, where smoked and salted meat would hang throughout the season. We also preserve fruits in honey."

"Huh." Sun helped her skewer the meat. "And the bones?"

"Those are used for soup," Blake explained. "There's a lot of juices in the bones that can be extracted by boiling them in water. It's better if you have meat, vegetables, and other things."

"I didn't realize the soup you guys made could be made with just bones," Sun noted. "And I always thought we werewolves used every part of our prey. We're missing out."

"Werewolves use the bones too, though. Don't you gnaw them to get the juices and marrow out?"

"Yeah, that's true. The soup sounds much nicer for winter, though. Also, you can't really gnaw duck bones." Sun licked his lips as the duck fat started to sizzle. "Too bad we can't eat this."

"We can have a little," Blake said. "We have to keep our strength up. Just don't get carried away."

"I'll try," Sun sighed. "But it's been way too long since I've had duck!"

"I prefer fish," Blake said, looking wistfully at the lake. "We don't have any large bodies of water in Vale, so I've only ever had jarred or dried fish. I'd love to visit the ocean and finally find out what tuna tastes like."

"What's tuna?"

"Apparently, they're fish that can be this big!" Blake stretched her arms out. "And the meat is very fatty. Some of it is lighter-tasting and white while other parts are heavy and blood-red."

Sun groaned. "Great, now I want some!" He looked toward the fishing lines. "I guess we won't find anything like that here."

"Probably not," Blake said. "Honestly, we'll probably only get a few small fish. Good as the duck may be, it won't be worth coming back. If we had a boat to get deeper into the lake, things would be different."

"Just wait till we transform again." Sun grinned. "We'll get huge fish!"

"I suppose." Blake thought for a moment, then frowned. "Wait. You lived in the forest by Vale, didn't you? Where did you learn how to fish?"

"Uh, well…" Sun rubbed at the back of his neck. "I mean, it's gotta be part of our instincts like hunting is, right? I'm sure I can get it."

Blake groaned, rolling her eyes. They definitely wouldn't be coming back to the lake after this, at least not while they needed to get a lot of food quickly.

Sun scooted closer, hesitantly wrapping his tail around Blake's waist. He smiled when she didn't pull away. "You know, the ocean is pretty far, but I've heard stories of a huge river to the west. There are giant fish in there called salmon. I saw it on Roman's map. Maybe, once we settle down in Vale, I can take you there. It could be like a fun trip after all this questing."

Blake felt herself smiling at the idea. "I'd like that," she said honestly. "I really would."

That night, the werewolves all transformed before Sun led them out into the water. Ruby scattered a few bits of duck gristle onto the water, and they waited.

After a few minutes, a fish swam into the moonlight. Sun, grinning with excitement, lashed out with his claws, ready to grab this new prey.

He missed entirely and splashed Blake in the face.

Blake wrinkled her muzzle, raising a brow at Sun, whose ears flattened a little. Part of our instincts. Brilliant, Sun. Brilliant.

After several more failed attempts, the wet, tired, slightly grumpy werewolves returned to the shore to dry off. Sun shook his fur out and smiled hopefully at Blake.

Blake gave him a scathing look, though she couldn't help but let out a whuff of laughter at how his fur was sticking up like a porcupine's. When he took a step closer, she easily shoved him back into the water and padded away with a smirk.

Sun sputtered as he struggled out of the water, then sighed wistfully as he watched Blake stretching out, her slick, black fur glistening in the moonlight. Yep, he thought with a confident grin. That's gonna be my mate… I hope.

I love writing these dorks when they're just being happy dorks. It's good for the soul. And yes, the Barty/Qrow roadtrip is going to happen. I couldn't not do it. I actually have a bit of a surprise for that roadtrip, but you'll see what it is later on. Let's just say that I'll be giving you guys the character interaction that you didn't even know you needed.

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!