To Lyger 0: In her veins the wolfblood does, indeed, flow.
As the woman finished her story, Valkyrie lowered herself down to land next to the Knight, giving him a curious look. The Knight shifted his weight from side to side, his hand not leaving the hilt of his sword as he stared intently at the woman, who swallowed nervously, quailing under his silent examination. Letting out a breath, Valkyrie placed her hand on the Knight's shoulder, cocking her head to one side. "So, if it were the full moon… would you just… completely lose control?" she asked the woman.
The woman frowned, her brows furrowed in thought. But after a moment, she shook her head hesitantly. "Sort of, but not exactly…" she began, her mouth turning into a grimace. "It's not that we are completely unaware of what's happening. It's more like… all our senses get dialed up to the maximum and our animalistic instincts take over. I'm still me – I still know what's happening around me. I can still recognize my friends and where I am, but it takes a lot of effort to keep from attacking something that's really close to me. If a non-lycan friend is with one of us at the full moon, they are usually safe… but it's not exactly a guarantee. And it's not something I would want to risk." As Valkyrie glanced up at the sky again, the woman winced. "Still a couple weeks to go," she told her. "With any luck, this will all be over before then. Because otherwise, they could put their plan in motion." She frowned. "And then it really will all be over."
Valkyrie's eyes widened nervously, and she glanced to one side, in the direction that the other wolf had run off into the forest. How many of these werewolves were running around? Her stomach clenched. Had they been attacked by werewolves, back when Queen Bee and her sister were visiting Berlin? She swallowed back bile. Was that what had happened to that missing woman?
"What are the other werewolves going to do?" the Knight demanded, folding his arms.
The woman's jaw set in a thin line. "Frankly, they want to cause as much damage and destruction as they possibly can," she answered curtly, a look of frustration on her face. "His plan is that during the next full moon, his followers will unleash themselves on the closest village. They want to spread the destruction as far as they can in a single night, and then expand their power from there. The more humans they can kill and drive away, the better."
"Are they serious!?" The Knight jumped, placing one foot back behind the other, and looked away from the woman toward Valkyrie.
Valkyrie swallowed. "But why would they want to do all this?"
The woman let out a breath. "They think we are superior to anyone else, because he thinks he is superior to everyone. He wants us to rule over all the non-lycans, to dominate Germany, to…" She shook her head with a scoff. "He is insane. He thinks he can do it – and that's what makes him so dangerous. That's why I had to leave."
The Knight glanced over at Valkyrie. Valkyrie's mouth set in a thin line, all her focus on the woman in front of her. A werewolf. She had grown up with stories about werewolves, that they were monsters, unfeeling, uncaring, likely to murder you the moment you lay your eyes on them. But now, this woman had come to them for help. Because she didn't want to see her pack turned into savages. She had trusted them to resolve her problem. So, they had to help her, if they could. Who knew how many people could get hurt if they refused to do anything, even knowing that this danger was out there? How would they live with themselves if they failed to act when someone came to beg for their help.
Finally, the Knight nodded back to the woman and asked her, "Why did you come to us?"
The woman gulped, shuddering under his scrutiny. "The name of the Teutonic Knight has been passed down in hushed tones for well over a hundred years in the pack – sometimes in tones of awe, others as a hated enemy. But even though we were rarely on the same side, my people have always respected the Teutonic Knight." She gave him a pleading look. "I was hoping that you would be able to help me to stop them."
The Knight nodded slowly, looking down at the hilt of his sword. "My grandfather was likewise suborned into serving Hitler – a legacy that I have been unable to forget and which I have been trying to atone for ever since I became the Knight. But it is a legacy that I had started to wonder if I would ever shed." He sighed heavily. "Yes, I think that we can help you," he told her finally.
Valkyrie nodded. "Absolutely," she agreed, giving the woman a reassuring smile. "We need to do what we can for you, especially after everything you've been through." She frowned, giving the woman a quick once-over. "But what happened to your clothes? Is that from the transformation? Or the travel?"
The woman glanced down at her shirt and shrugged. "A little bit of both," she admitted. "Our clothing doesn't go away when we transform, but it can rip if it's too tight. I think it was almost a century ago that one of our textile manufacturers developed a fabric that could stand up to the rigors of the transformation. Unfortunately, from everything I've been through the last two weeks…" She sighed heavily.
Valkyrie hummed. "I think we might be able to help you with all of it!" she assured the woman. "But before we worry about the rest of your people, we should take care of you: get you into some better clothes and get you somewhere you can sleep inside."
"Really?" The woman's eyes widened in surprise as Valkyrie nodded firmly.
"You can come and stay with me for a few nights," Valkyrie assured her, giving her a nervous smile. "And while you're there we can see if any of my clothes fight you; otherwise, we can ask the Heroes of Paris for some help with finding clothing that will fit. They might even be able to design something that can transform with you without tearing."
The woman's eyes widened. "Are you serious? They could do that for me?"
Valkyrie raised an eyebrow at her meaningfully. "Certainly."
The woman gulped. "Th–thank you."
The Knight shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and turned toward Valkyrie. "Are you sure about that?" he muttered under his breath meaningfully.
Valkyrie nodded, giving him a teasing smile. "If she needs help, then we need to help her. And besides, if you're not going to move in, then I have plenty of space. She can sleep on our couch."
The Knight sighed heavily, taking Valkyrie's hand and rubbing her engagement ring with one thumb. "This should keep you safe," he reminded her. "But make sure you take care of yourself. So just… be careful."