Let me hear an AWOO! It's Werewolf Friday, and I'm feeling pretty good. Guess who finally has a job, and may be getting another one? This dragon! It'll be nice to actually have a consistent paycheck coming in while I continue battling it out with query letters for my novel and magazine submissions to try and bulk my writing resume.

Anyhoo, enjoy!

Pyrrha's back finally stopped peeling, hurting, and itching, eventually fading into a map of ugly, white scars. She didn't mind those, of course. Scars were a badge of honor among werewolves, as she often reminded Weiss when she caught her fellow alpha starting to show signs of self-doubt due to her injury. The only thing she didn't like was the fact that she couldn't feel sensations on the scarred areas as well as she used to.

Jaune couldn't help but feel a little smug. "See?" he said to her once she was dressed. "It was only a few more days, like I said. Now, you can hunt and fish and go on dangerous patrols to your heart's content." He coughed. "Though, you don't have to do that last part."

Pyrrha laughed, kissing her human's cheek. "I'll try to keep the danger to a minimum. If Qrow is able to help us, we won't have to deal with this situation for much longer."

"At least the miners have been able to start bringing in some silver," Jaune noted. "So, depending on how fast things go, we might be able to go home once these Huntsmen clear out."

"I hope so," Pyrrha sighed. "Summer is ending. Our time is very limited now."

"I guess we could travel during the winter, if we get desperate," Jaune said, though he didn't much like the idea. Camping in the wilderness would be hell, and there was no guarantee that they wouldn't meet anti-werewolf hostiles in other towns now that news was spreading about them.

"That may be too difficult on the omegas." Pyrrha shook her head. "I just want to go home."

"Me too," Jaune agreed, closing his eyes and bringing up a mental picture of his family: His mom, his dad, Mary, Sapphire, June, Autumn, Katie, Jenny, and Silvia. He muttered their names under his breath before opening his eyes again.

"I'll make sure you get home to them," Pyrrha vowed, touching his arm. "I promise."

Jaune smiled, pulling her into a hug. It was a relief to finally be able to hug her like this without worrying about her burns. "I can't wait for you to meet them. Once they get over the werewolf thing, they'll love you!"

"Even your parents?" Pyrrha pulled away enough to meet his eyes. "I mean…you're going to tell them about us, right?"

"Of course I am!" Jaune said immediately. "That's just step two. Step one is getting them to not throw Dust at you on sight." He winced at how that sounded. "That was a bit blunt. Sorry."

"I know what to expect," Pyrrha said, waving her hand dismissively. "I grew up a werewolf, remember? That's not what I mean, though…"

Jaune tilted his head, frowning at the unsure look on Pyrrha's face. "What is it?"

"I…" Pyrrha felt her face heating up. "I fully intend to ask you to be my mate in the spring. I want you to be a werewolf and live in the pack with me. I want to be free to be as…as close to you as possible."

A warm flush went through Jaune's body at the implications of what Pyrrha was saying. He tried not to imagine what being with her in that way would actually be like. If he did, the thought of how long he still had to wait would probably drive him crazy.

If she was speaking to another werewolf, Pyrrha would have been straightforward about saying that she wanted to have sex with him. With Jaune, however, she felt that she had to word things more delicately. Judging by his blush, her meaning wasn't lost on him. "Would your family really accept that?" she continued. "Am I worth a change like that? Would they think I'm good enough for that?"

"Pyrrha." Jaune drew her close again, nuzzling the top of her head. "Of course you are. You're the most amazing person I've ever met, human, Faunus, or werewolf. You're kind, strong, funny, compassionate… You're a lot of good things, okay?" He moved down to softly kiss her cheek. "You're worth everything. I know you are." He smiled gently against her skin. "Also, I'll tell you right now that my answer will be yes. I just have one condition."

Pyrrha made a low rumbling noise in her chest as she savored the blissful warmth surrounding her. She desperately wanted to turn her head and finally claim his lips. Instead, she asked: "What would that be?"

Jaune drew back with a grin. "Well, if I'm going to be your mate, it's only fair that you be my wife." He could feel his face flushing and could practically hear his friends groaning at how unromantic this proposal was. "I don't care which comes first, but… I mean…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "We know you won't be struck by lightning in the churches, so…"

Pyrrha gently placed a finger on his lips. "I'd be honored, Jaune," she purred.

Jaune couldn't stop looking at the bright, happy glimmer in those emerald eyes. "I'd, uh, get you a ring, but…" He shrugged lamely. "We'll have to wait till we get some more silver in this town."

Pyrrha tilted her head. "A ring?"

"Yeah, that's part of the human custom," Jaune explained. "The bride and groom, or bride and bride in Ruby and Weiss's case, exchange rings. The circle is meant to represent eternity."

"That sounds grand!" Pyrrha said. "With werewolves, the male goes hunting alone and brings back prey that the two share. This can be before or after the actual mating. It's a way of showing that he'll support her when she's caring for the pups."

Jaune swallowed nervously at the mention of pups. "Uh, we don't have to have kids right away, right?"

"Oh, no! Not if you're not ready!" Pyrrha quickly assured him. "There are herbs that the females can chew, which keep them from having pups. I assume that's what Flynt and Neon did these past few years." She brushed some hair out of his face. "Don't worry. I don't think I'll want pups at first either." She hesitated. "I…think I would eventually, though."

"That's fine. Eventually is fine," Jaune said. "I just want to have more time for us at first, especially considering the pack responsibilities we'd have on top of everything else."

"I feel the same." Pyrrha rested her cheek on his shoulder, imagining what it would be like to wake up like this in her own den every morning. Is my old den even there, or did Cinder destroy everything…? she wondered. She didn't have too many things of value, other than the bone toys her mother had made her. Cinder wouldn't destroy those, would she?

"We wouldn't lose much time," she noted. "Werewolf pups age quickly."

"How quickly?"

"They stop being helpless pups after a year. Adolescence lasts for three years. After that, our aging slows down to match that of a human or Faunus."

Jaune nodded slowly. Then, his face paled as a thought occurred to him. He looked down at Pyrrha's right ankle, which still bore a white scar from being wrapped in brambles all those years ago. "How old were you when we met that first time?"

"Hm?" Pyrrha thought about it for a moment. "I'd say…three?"

"So…You're twelve?!"

Before Jaune could panic too much, Pyrrha hugged him tighter. "In human years, yes. Werewolves age quicker. I am far past being an adult, I promise!" She felt herself growing worried. What if her age was enough to deter him?

Jaune took a shuddering breath, resisting the urge to pray to the Maidens for forgiveness. She is definitely not the human definition of twelve, he thought. He'd seen her enough times to know that.

He coughed a little, trying to make light of this. "Well, you're the most mature twelve year old I've ever met."

Pyrrha blinked, then burst out laughing. "I suppose I am!" She drew back to meet Jaune's gaze. "I promise that there's nothing wrong here. Sun and the others are about the same age, give or take a year, and Sage and Scarlet became mates at the age of eight."

"Really?" Jaune gaped. "They were seriously full adults by then?"

"Long before then!" Pyrrha assured him. "Honestly, I'm a bit abnormal, since I waited so long."

Jaune snorted. "You can't be telling me you're the werewolf version of an old maid."

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Pyrrha said, her eyes glinting. "If anyone's the old maid, it's Cinder. She's nearly thirty!"

"Pyrrha!" Jaune let out a shocked laugh.

Pyrrha glanced to the side, trying to hide her own laugh. "I'm sorry. That was mean."

"Hey, I won't tell her," Jaune promised.

Once the weirdness of Pyrrha's reveal faded, Jaune realized that there was really no issue. He thought of the romance stories that Blake loved so much. There were several tales depicting humans falling in love with much older, immortal beings like dragons. If they could do that, there was surely nothing wrong with this, considering what Pyrrha had said about werewolf aging.

Still, this is probably one detail we won't tell my parents when I ask for their blessing, he thought. Just in case.

….

The return of Ruby's fishing patrol that night was met with mixed reactions. On one hand, everyone was happy that the group had gotten home safely. On the other, the party had barely brought back any game. They had caught a total of four ducks and a handful of small, barely edible fish.

"It looks like the trip isn't exactly worth it," Pyrrha noted. "However, you did very well to bring this back." She smiled at each of them, especially Sandy and Deery, who perked up immediately under her gaze. "It looks as if our efforts are best spent on the snares and on sneaking past the Huntsmen to get deer from the forest."

"There are four more Huntsmen out there, Leader," Flynt reported. "I checked. The group is getting bigger. We probably won't be able to sneak past them for much longer."

"Then, we should hunt tonight and bring back as much as we can to store," Pyrrha said. "I'll lead the hunt myself."

Jaune nodded, though he hated the thought of her going into danger so soon after her recovery. Still, he knew that there was no stopping her. "Qrow, when do you think you'll be ready to go to Burgundy?"

Qrow shrugged. "Whenever. I can go tomorrow, if you want. The sooner the better, right?"

Bartholomew coughed. "Ahem. I know I'm not a part of the pack, but I feel obliged to ask if anyone would miss my presence if I accompanied him."

Pyrrha gave him a surprised look. "You want to leave so soon?"

"Yes, Leader," Barty said, pushing his spectacles further up the bridge of his nose. "I can always come back here to ask questions about past events, but what happens when Qrow goes back toward Burgundy and Vale could change history. I want to witness it. Just do me a favor and don't die in the meantime. I plan to write detailed notes on all of you."

Pyrrha chuckled. "I'd be delighted, as long as you tell me one day how a rogue werewolf became so integrated into human culture."

"Gladly, my dear. Gladly." Barty inclined his head respectfully.

Qrow snorted. "So, I'm stuck with the coffee-addicted chatterbox?"

Barty cuffed him playfully over the head. "Oh, don't act like you won't enjoy the company! Ruby, is your uncle always so grouchy?"

Ruby, who was now firmly attached to her fiancé's side, covered her mouth to stifle a giggle at her uncle's stunned, slightly outraged expression. "Only when he's in a good mood."

The corner of Weiss's mouth twitched a little. "Or drunk."

"Hey, I'm always in a good mood when I'm drunk, princess," Qrow said with a wink.

Barty adjusted his spectacles. "Technically, alcohol causes one's mood to become more negative. The euphoria generally comes with the carefree-attitude that comes with inebriation. When that wears off, one's mood generally decreases."

Qrow covered his ears. "Can someone else take him?"

"Anyway," Pyrrha cut in gently. "We should arrange our hunting party. Ruby's fishing party shall rest. I'll take Neon, Fox, Sage, Scarlet, and Neptune." She decided against taking Weiss, since she knew that the alpha would be eager to catch up with her to-be mate. She also specifically chose Fox, knowing that the new whelp would likely be itching to run around.

The werewolves quickly transformed. Jaune walked over to Pyrrha and brought her head down so that he could kiss her brow again. He felt her warm, soft fur and heard the bestial rumble that rose in her throat at his touch. What would have been terrifying months ago was now utterly thrilling and beautiful to him. "Be safe," he murmured. He took a step back, closing his eyes as Pyrrha cupped his cheek. He nuzzled against her rough paw pad, loving the foreign yet familiar feeling.

He watched as the wolves exited the gate by the mountains, waited as they circled around, and let out a sigh of relief when they got into the woods without any sign of alarm from Flynt. When he turned around, he saw his friends looking at him and blushed. "What?"

"You've got it bad, huh?" Nora said, walking over and patting his arm. "Mister Worry-Wart."

Jaune nodded, grinning ruefully. "Watching the person you love almost die does that to you."

Nora's expression sobered and she nodded sympathetically. "Trust me, I know that." She glanced over at Ren.

Ren walked over to Nora, kissing her cheek before looking at Jaune. "I take it you intend to settle down with her."

"Yes," Jaune replied. "I want her as my wife and my mate. I'm going to be a werewolf…eventually."

"How well do you think you can hold out?" Coco asked, folding her arms and arching an eyebrow.

"We've done okay so far. What about you and Fox? How are you holding out?"

"Not well," Coco said bluntly. "I miss having him in my bed. This whole shitty thing can't end soon enough." She glared toward the woods. "I'm half tempted to march right in there and just kill all those Huntsmen so we can get out of here, silver be damned."

"Yeah, but that would mean making Obsidian a target and abandoning Roman," Yang pointed out, grinning over her shoulder at the trader. "We're not about to do that." She felt Neo squeeze her arm appreciatively.

"Yep," Roman grumbled. "I'm stuck with you crazy kids." He tried and failed to hide a smile.

"Why don't we make a pact?" Jaune suggested. "We both keep control of our…baser instincts until we get back to Vale."

"You mean resist snogging and fucking? Got it!" Coco grinned.

"Coco!" Weiss gasped. "Must you be so crude?!"

Coco snickered. "Oh, come on. Call me vulgar. You know I love that!"

"No, no! Say 'lewd.' That's my favorite!" Yang said.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "I'm surrounded by dolts."

"Ah, the classic Schnee insult," Yang said, spreading her hands. "Can't go wrong with that."

Ruby hugged Weiss's arm and nuzzled her shoulder, trying not to giggle at the adorable pout on her face. "At least we're your dolts."

Weiss's expression softened. "Yes, I suppose you are."

The group continued to talk until Pyrrha's hunting group came back, thankfully, without incident. Jaune hugged the werewolf leader as soon as she put down her kill, not caring about the blood on her fur. Already, he was longing for the simpler days when the werewolves and Huntsmen had been traveling alone in the woods, when Grimm were the only things to worry about, before Adam had decided to target them, when he didn't feel terrified every time one of the werewolves, especially Pyrrha, went off to hunt.

Pyrrha hugged her human, understanding his desperation fully. Soon, Jaune, she thought. Soon, we won't have to be afraid ever again. She hoped she was right. After all they had gone through, any other ending would be just too cruel.

Have I mentioned lately how much I enjoy writing Coco? Because I really enjoy writing Coco. I hope people aren't weirded out by the werewolf aging thing. It's just something that has always made sense to me in werewolf lore. Werewolves are part wolf, and are hunted relentlessly in most worlds that have them It would make sense for them to age quickly, and only be helpless pups for a short period of time.

Next week will be the start of the roadtrip. It'll basically be a chapter of bantering, which I'm sure you all won't have a problem with.

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!