All-in-all, it had been a very successful day in Crestwood. The sky was overcast, and it was almost as dark as when the rift was in the lake. Tanya was kept far enough away from the high dragon, away from the fight, when the Inquisitor's party killed it. Much to Cole and the Inquisitor's relief, no soul was consumed; it had the chance to pass on through the Fade. Cole was happy with the knowledge it still existed somewhere beyond, while Dawn found herself happy to actually harvest the dragon scales and webbing.

The siblings from Tamriel helped slay some bandits on the road, protecting Crestwood from their attacks. When the sky grew even darker (they could barely see the sun setting through the cloud cover) they made for the Inquisition camp nearest the cave where Stroud and Hawke were met. Tanya had settled by the fire, quietly scribbling down notes, quietly speaking with Solas, who was writing his own. The two had become fast friends, bonding over magic.

Vidar had barely had time to change out of his armor and into his outerwear to settle by the fire when it hit him. He shook and almost fell off of his seat as he convulsed, feeling his heartbeat begin to race. Wide-eyed, he peered up at the sky, looking for a moon obscured by the cloud cover. A thin cloud revealed it to him, a bright and beautiful full moon barely visible. Tanya gaped at it in alarm before turning to her brother, eyes wide as they darted between the Inquisition soldiers and her brother.

Dawn and her companions jumped at Vidar's sudden shaking and heavy breathing, baffled as his eyes seemed to lock onto the moon. "Vidar, what was that? Are you alright?" The Inquisitor asked, frowning. Vidar gave her a brief look and then met his sister's eyes. The change was coming, and coming soon. He wanted to kick himself for not even considering that Thedas might also have a moon or two that could get full.

As he felt the next pulse shake him, he knew he had no time to explain. He remembered a cave in the trench by the astrarium cave...there. He could hide there.

The man bolted, ignoring surprised cries and questions being yelled from the others. Tanya joined him, dropping her notes, keeping on his heel as they ran for the cave, before his transformation was revealed. Vidar didn't want to run; everything hurt, head thudding with agony, muscles beginning to burn. His senses began to heighten, and he could hear a stampede behind he and his sister, chasing him.

Tanya looked back to see the Inquisitor and most her party members having given chase, yelling for them to stop and explain. She made out Sera, Cole, Cassandra, Iron Bull, Dorian, and Solas among them. Scowling, she cast a haphazard wall of fire behind them with a swift wave of the hand and kept going. The wall did not slow them much or for very long; Dorian had settled the flames almost immediately with his own counterspell.

Her brother stumbled and yelped as another wave of pain hit him. Tanya wasted no time trying to pull him up to his feet, throwing a fire mine on the ground and taking off with him for the caverns. The warrior was stumbling, the moon taking him quickly. Dawn came to a halt to quickly dispel the mine while Sera watched them head for the caves in the darkness.

"Caves. They're headed for the caves. Let's go!" she urged, and on they went.

Tanya practically had to drag her moaning brother into the deepest recess of the cave. She couldn't see an inch in front of her candlelight spell, but eventually they found the room where the spiders were, their webs still sticking to the rocks. Vidar fell to his hands and knees, wheezing and making guttural, canine-like sounds against his will. He yelled out in pain as his body began to stretch and burn. His sister was left to kneel down to his side, trying her best to subdue the pain with what spells she could try.

She looked up in sheer terror as she saw the Inquisitor catch up, illuminating the room with a wave of the hand, making the torches come to life. She recoiled along with the others at the sight of Vidar, who was convulsing, heaving hard breaths of pure agony. Tanya glared at the group, wielding her staff. "Stay back! Don't hurt him!"

"We're not going to hurt him!" Dawn exclaimed, exasperated and heaving, trying to regain her breath. "Just tell us what's going on so we can help!"

Cole grimaced. "Skin burning and stretching, muscles aching and pulling, the moon hurts, I should have known there would been a moon here, can't stop it, can't escape the curse." he said anxiously. Everyone was left to watch in horror as the transformation went full-blown. Vidar's clothes ripped at the seams while he screamed in agony,

"Maker have mercy!" Cassandra cried, stepping back. "He's..."

"Werewolf!" Iron Bull blurted, putting an arm in front of Dorian, who paled at the sight, eyes wide and full of fear. All were frozen in spot as they watched the man shift, fur springing from his skin, mouth becoming a snout, teeth sharpening and nails extending. The sickening sound of bones cracking accompanied the growling and panting. His final scream had become a howl as the transformation finished, leaving a heaving werewolf before them.

Sera had screamed and jumped behind Cassandra in absolute terror, the seeker with a hand on her sword, looking horrified and pale. Dorian and Iron Bull stared, unblinking, jaws dropped and eyes wide as they tried to process what they had just seen. Solas was grimacing, more out of sympathy than fear for the werewolf before him. Cole merely looked saddened, unsure of how to help. Dawn was left speechless, opening and closing her mouth, ghostly white in the face, blinking in confusion.

Tanya growled at the shocked party and her brother, staff held at length, glowing with fire magic. She glared at them, swinging the staff to make them back up. "I said don't hurt him! Don't touch him, don't...I'll kill you if you tell anyone or hurt my brother! I mean it!" she screamed, red in the face. "Stay back!"

"Sister," Vidar groaned, still sounding pained, his voice raspier and shaken, "it's done." His words made Cassandra pull her hand away from her sword, and Sera peek out from behind her, though the elf was still shaking and whimpering. Solas's eyes widened.

"You retain your faculties, Vidar?" the elven mage asked. Vidar gasped and nodded, trying to move himself into a sitting position.

"Yes. My curse is not as bad as most werewolves. I retain my mind...just not my body. I'm here. I mean you no harm." He groaned. "I am sorry. I should have known that the full moon was still a threat in this world, too. I never meant for any of you to have to see me like this, much less the transformation. It...is not a pleasant sight."

Bull grunted, frowning. "Not a pleasant sensation either, I'd imagine. You alright now that it's over, Vid? It looked like that hurt. A lot."

The werewolf bit back any whines he would have made. "Fine. I'll be fine. This is hardly the first time this has happened." He looked to his sister, who remained red-faced and distrustful of the others. "Sister, they're not going to attack me. You can put your staff away."

Tanya glared at him. "You don't...ugh!" She glared at the group. "You're not going to hurt him?"

Dawn had regained her senses and nodded weakly. "Yes, Tanya. None of us will harm your brother. Isn't that right?" she asked the others. Everyone nodded awkwardly, silently, gawking at the werewolf. Dorian stepped forward, no longer looking nearly as shocked, but saddened.

"You...you're really all there, aren't you?" He frowned, eyebrows furrowed. "Maker's breath, how did this happen to you?"

Vidar sighed. "It's a long story, and to spare some involved, I'll give you the short version. I was under the influence of a potion for an injury and wasn't thinking clearly. I got out of bed when I wasn't supposed to, the curse was proffered, and then..." He groaned. "I can't tell you much other than it was an accident born of foolishness."

"When did this happen?" Dawn asked. Vidar shrugged.

"Two or three months ago, I would say."

Dorian sighed, his frown now entirely pity. "Then...this wasn't your fault, not really. You weren't of sound mind."

"Maker," Cassandra whispered, horrified, "you poor soul. I can't imagine being stricken with the curse of lycanthropy. I am very sorry."

The werewolf sighed. "It...hasn't been all bad. I can take this form whenever I want, I'm stronger, faster, and I'm immune to disease. When it's not a full moon, I can change back and forth at will." He grunted. "It doesn't change the fact that I still have some suppressed bloodlust...among other things, as you can imagine."

"Like the full moon, and how it brings out your curse," Solas murmured, "that pain you were in...does that happen every time you transform? I imagine the pain's half of the curse in and of itself."

Tanya crossed her arms. "It does. He'll deny it, but I've been present for most of them. It's agony for him every time. The screaming and howling..."

Cole knelt down next to the werewolf, unafraid. "Blood boiling, bones breaking and bending, muscles being stretched in every direction, it hurts, everything is pain. Everything is...angry. Hurt. His screams turn into howls while she watches, wanting to help but not knowing how. He howls to herald the end. He feels shame for liking the hunt." Cole spoke, this time earning all ears. "It must be hard. I want to help you."

"You're being helpful now," Vidar reassured, "by being accepting. I was certain that at least one of you were going to pull a pitchfork or a torch out of your ass and kill me." His ears twitched and he looked away. Cole extended a hand and began to scratch behind his ears calmly. Vidar's eyes initially widened, then drooped in pleasure, leg beginning to bounce up and down.

"You like this," Cole laughed, "good."

Vidar chuckled. "I guess I do. Now I know why dogs like it. That's so good."

"You are a dog." Tanya deadpanned, looking annoyed still, arms crossed. She pursed her lips and looked at Sera, who was still staring at Vidar and grimacing, hiding behind Cassandra. Vidar took notice and turned his attention to Sera, who shrank back at his gaze.

He frowned. "Sera..."

"You're all...furry." she mumbled, still sounding frightened. "Are you gonna eat me?"

"Divines, no," Vidar reassured, "please, Sera, don't be scared. Just trust me, please. I still wish to be your friend, and I promise I'll never hurt you, especially not in this form. Besides," he scoffed, "I doubt you'd taste good, anyways."

Her nose wrinkled. "You're a wolf. Wolves think everything taste good."

"Okay, but I'm a refined werewolf with excellent taste."

"Oh, go lick your arsehole." Sera retorted with an eyeroll. "That's what dogs do." She drew laughs from the others, Vidar laughing the loudest. He grinned wolfishly at her, teeth visible during his laugh. Sera scowled. "Don't smile at me like that. Your teeth are creepy. You're all weird and wolfy...you're gonna warn me before you go all wolfy, right? Next times?"

Vidar nodded. "I won't ever, ahem, 'go all wolfy', without fair warning. I don't do it unless pushed against a wall, anyways. Hopefully at some point I won't go wolfy at all. I'm looking for a cure, anyways."

Sera didn't move for a minute, and then finally she stepped out from behind Cassandra, staring hesitantly at him. He smiled, though this time his smile was not an open-mouthed grin. "Sera, you remember that time a few weeks ago we filled Vivienne's bedroll with stinky cheeses?"

The elf giggled. "Yeah, I do. Except only then you smelled like dog and stinky cheese, and Vivienne actually pushed you into the lake with her staff and threw a soap bar at you. Then you smelled like wet dog." She snickered. "You smelled like shite for a whole day, but it was right funny." Sera stopped smiling and began to frown at the werewolf. "You...you're really all there, Wolfy. It's you." The horror on her face returned, but no longer with fear, instead sorrow as she grimaced and crossed her arms, despairing. "Oh, shit...fuck, shit, tits, arse...you unlucky arsehole."

The Inquisitor nodded her head. "Perhaps the resources of the Inquisition can be used to help find a permanent cure for you."

Tanya hesitated. "We're close-ish, and I don't want a bunch of people knowing..."

"I trust the Inquisitor, sister," Vidar interrupted, "so long as she tries to keep this information between as few people as possible."

Dawn sighed. "I think that the rest of the inner circle should know, and the advisors. They can help us look for the cure. But no one else, I promise you. We should head back to camp to tell them..."

Solas looked to the Inquisitor, frowning. "Someone should stay behind to make sure he is undiscovered. He ran for a reason; he deserves our protection."

"Dorian and I can do it." Bull agreed, throwing an arm around his lover, who coughed and rolled his eyes but didn't protest. "We'll make sure no one tries to come in other than Inquisition."

The others headed back to camp with backwards glances while Bull and Dorian settled themselves by the mouth of the tunnel. Vidar pressed himself against the back wall, away from any voyeur's eyes, looking down at the ground in absolute silence, save for the noisy breathing that came from being in beast form. Tanya sat beside him, quietly leaning against him, eyes half-lidded.

A half hour passed quickly. Dorian and Bull spied someone further down by the tunnel entrance, and moved to stop them. Tanya stood up, readying her staff. Vidar merely pushed himself against the wall as much as he could, whimpering lowly.

"It's just me," Varric's voice echoed, "Varric Tethras. Don't throw a fireball in my face when I walk in, Bookworm."

Vidar sheepishly tried to hide behind his sister. Her slightly chubby frame did very little to hide the hulking beast, but nonetheless she stood tall to protect him. Dorian and Bull walked in forth, leading the dwarf. Bull's arms were crossed, staring bemusedly at the werewolf, while Dorian just continued to look tired out by everything.

Varric passed them and paused at the sight of Vidar, clutching a bag slung over his shoulder. His eyes widened ever so slightly, and his grip on the bag tightened; he didn't even notice himself doing it as he took in the werewolf. Hearing was one thing, but seeing...he resisted giving a 'well, shit' to the whole situation. He exhaled sharply. "Wolf. You know I can still see you behind your sister, right? I already know. The Inquisitor told me everything, along with Vivienne and Blackwall; you can come out now."

The werewolf moved out from behind her, ears drooping, eyes averted. Varric opened the bag and tossed Tanya's notebook to her, who caught it and smiled at the dwarf gratefully. He also pulled out some clothes, holding them up for Vidar to see. "For when you change back in the morning. Rainier donated some of his clothes. Said he didn't want you walking all the way back to camp naked."

"Thank you." Vidar murmured. Varric nodded, with the same look of pity that was on many of the others' faces.

"Wolf, you know that you're still my friend, right? You're good with me."

"Thanks, Varric." He paused and huffed. "I guess that nickname was more appropriate than you imagined."

"Much more appropriate. Foreshadowing at its finest." the dwarf agreed. "You doing okay now? I heard that the...transformation...wasn't pretty."

Vidar nodded. "I'll be fine. How are Thom and Vivienne? How did they react?"

"As well as you could expect." Varric answered, shrugging. "Both were pretty shocked; Hero took it pretty well after hearing you were of sound mind and harmless and asked me to convey his sympathy." He sighed. "The Iron Lady, on the other hand, was throwing a fit and arguing with the Inquisitor and Cassandra, last I saw."

"Well, at least most of the party came around. I suppose it can't be helped that Vivienne is not pleased." Vidar grumbled.

Tanya scowled. "If she breathes a word of this to anyone, I'll-"

"Who'd believe her?" Bull interrupted, rolling his eyes again. "Besides, who would she tell? Vidar's not famous here, practically unknown. Not to mention the Orlesian court would be disgusted by the mention of..." He stopped himself. "Er..."

"Well," Dorian continued, glaring at Bull. "I wouldn't worry too much about her running her mouth."

"And you, Varric? How'd you react?" Vidar asked. Varric rubbed the back of his neck.

"To be honest, somehow I wasn't that surprised." he admitted. "Maybe I've just seen too much shit in the last few years to be shocked by anything anymore. Anyways, the Inquisitor stationed a few soldiers to watch the trench and the cave entrance. They don't know what they're guarding or why, but they're loyally making sure no one steps foot over here." He began to pick through the bag again until he found a deck of cards. He smiled. "While you're stuck in here, care for a game of Wicked Grace?"

The werewolf blinked. "You'd actually play a card game with me when I'm...like this?"

"Why not?" Varric asked, shrugging again. "You're not racing to eat me, and since you're here until the morning, might as well do something to occupy us." He held up the deck of cards. Vidar shared a look with his sister, and Dorian with Iron Bull. He looked back to him tiredly.

"Deal the cards."