Everything was blurred and disjointed around him, but the pain was always crystal clear. It started out as acute pinpricks of pain all over his body, but they soon faded into a dull ache that only really bothered him when he tried to move. He found out pretty early on that moving was a bad idea. A low groan rumbled in his chest every time he was bumped or mishandled. Why was he being carried? He wasn't quite sure. It was difficult to think about these things clearly because his head felt like to was going to split in half.

There was one thought that kept nagging at him, but he couldn't remember what it was. Somehow he knew that it was important for him to remember what it was. It was a matter of life and death, he seemed to recall. Someone, somewhere, was in trouble, and it was his job to find her. Her? Why did he think it was a her? That reminded him. Someplace beyond the darkness he saw was his real life with people he cared about and responsibilities that had to be met. He tried to open his eyes, but they seemed to be stuck. He had to get them open. Why? For her. Who?

Lili.

Ludwig sat up with a start and immediately winced at the pain in his side. White bandages had been wrapped around his bare torso and arms. There was even one stuck to his face. Gingerly, he touched his side and hissed. Werewolves healed quickly, but some wounds still took longer than others. He heard footsteps and turned to see who it was. Gilbert walked toward him with a combination of urgency and relief. The lines of worry in his face eased a little when he saw his brother watching him.

"You're awake!" he exclaimed. "For a while there we thought you weren't gonna make it."

"Why? What happened?"

Gilbert thought about what to say for a moment. "What do you remember, West?"

What did he remember? Ludwig thought back to what had happened. He remembered running through the forest toward the group of humans that were slowly getting closer to the cave. Everyone had tried to talk him out of it, but he wasn't going to be dissuaded. Deep down he knew that their only chance of getting Lili back was to gain the support of the humans. It was easier said than done. The moment he cleared the trees, they were firing at him. His last clear memory was collapsing in front of a stern looking man as the world went black.

"I found them," was all Ludwig said.

"Yeah, we know." Gilbert sighed and kicked a small rock with his foot. "They're here."

"What?!" Ludwig tried to stand, but his injured body strongly protested.

"We followed you to their camp, but it was already too late. I don't know what you said to them, West, but they insisted on helping you even though they're the ones who shot you full of lead. One of them even started pulling out weird herbal medicine." Gilbert looked back toward the entrance of the cave. "I don't know about this, West. I don't like it."

"Have they said anything about being in contact with Ivan's pack?"

Gilbert turned back to his brother and sighed again. "They're not exactly the most talkative."

"I'll talk to them," Ludwig said as he rose to his feet, this time successfully. The stiffness and pain in his muscles was starting to fade as he stretched them out. "There has to be a reason they didn't kill me when they had the chance." He started to walk away when his brother grabbed his arm.

"I know you want to save Lili, but you have to be careful," the elder brother warned. "What are we gonna do if you get yourself killed?"

There was a moment of silence. "It would be okay. The pack would listen to you."

"You know I don't want that." A tense minute passed as they contemplated what Gilbert meant by that. "That whole responsibility shtick isn't my thing," he said eventually with a forced air of lightheartedness. "Just don't do anything dumb, okay? She wouldn't want that you know." He let go of Ludwig's arm.

The alpha continued on his way without another word. It wasn't the first time he and his brother had discussed leadership within the pack, but the results were always similar. Ludwig stepped out into the dark clearing and saw two different fires had been built to ward off the evening chill. One was surrounded by his pack in their human forms, and the other surrounded by the humans. He moved toward the one with the villagers from Schattenwald huddled around in a tight, untrusting circle. They shifted away from him as he came closer.

"Thank you for sparing my life," Ludwig said solemnly.

"We didn't do it for you."

The same stern looking young man from the meadow sat at the head of the fire and glared with such deep dislike that Ludwig had to fight the urge to take a step back. He took a better look at the man and almost gasped. That style of blonde hair and that shade of green eyes were so familiar that he might have mistaken them for Lili's at a distance. Being as close as he was, Ludwig could see the permanent fixture of a scowl on the man's face that looked nothing like the young girl he thought so dearly of.

"You're her brother."

"How do you know that?" the man growled.

"She talked about you."

The young man narrowed his eyes. "Did you force her to tell you all of her secrets? Did you torture her until she talked?"

"No!" Ludwig said forcefully. "We're not monsters!"

"That's not what the other werewolf said!"

A sickening feeling settled in Ludwig stomach. If they had been contacted by one of Ivan's lackeys, then the rival alpha's plan was already in motion. "That other wolf was lying to you."

"How do I know you're all not lying to me?!" The man jumped to his feet.

"Because we want to get your sister back."

No one said another word. The humans gave each other nervous looks. A young man with a curl of hair hanging over his bespectacled face pointed at the other fire, and everyone turned to look. Ludwig's pack was watching the humans with grim determination written on their faces. It was clear to everyone that they were serious about getting Lili back.

"But you're the ones who took her," Lili's brother said, although he no longer sounded confident about it.

Ludwig motioned for his pack to join him as he sat in the human's circle. "Let me tell you what really happened that night."

Silence settled over the mixed group after Ludwig finished his story. The werewolves watched on as the humans tried to make heads or tails of the situation. Some shook their heads in disbelief, while others just stared blankly at the fire. The only one that seemed to be handling the situation well was Lili's brother, whom Ludwig had learned was named Vash.

"So what are they trying to gain from all of this?" he asked the alpha.

"My guess is that Ivan is trying to turn us against each other. That way he and his pack can take care of whoever is left after the battle is over." Ludwig's brows furrow together. "We can even go as far as saying he's planning to obtain complete dominance of the forest, which includes your village."

"We can't let him get away with that!" One of the humans stood up and faced the others. "We have to fight and save the day!"

"Sit down, Alfred," another one of the humans said with annoyance. This one had the largest eyebrows Ludwig had ever seen. "We can't go in without some kind of plan."

"We have a plan." Everyone turned to stare at Gilbert. He seemed to shrink under all the attention. "Er...well, Lizzie and I have a plan."

"We have to work together as a team," Elizabeta said to the group. "That's what Ludwig was after all along, right?" She looked toward the large man for support.

"Yes," he agreed. "Ivan thinks that we are fighting each other right now. He won't suspect an attack from a combined force, which is why we have to work together."

"Ai-yah! I don't know if I really understand this, aru, but it's worth a shot."

"Please don't say anything if you don't understand," scolded a short man next to the one that had spoken.

"You're always so cold, Kiku," the first man said with a defeated sigh.

"But how are we going to attack them all at once?" a man with shoulder length blonde hair asked. "I don't think they'll let us just waltz in there and surround them."

A prissy looking man adjusted his glasses. "Please don't deface the waltz by talking about it like that."

"We need a distraction," Ludwig concluded.

"I know!" The man named Alfred was on his feet again. "We'll throw Matthew at them!" He pointed to an empty seat beside his.

"There's nobody there, aru."

"Hwah?!" Alfred swung his head back and forth erratically in search for his brother.

"I'm over here," said a quiet voice. Everyone turned to look at the previously missing man.

"These guys are all idiots," Lovino mumbled under his breath.

"Be nice to them, Lovi," his brother scolded. "They're going to help us get Lili back."

"Yeah, I guess…"

"When will this attack take place?" Vash asked, ignoring all the nonsense.

Ludwig looked up toward the dark clouds that had gathered in the sky. "Tonight," he said. "We go tonight."