(Next update is here. Hope you all enjoy it.)

Death Fury: Thanks.

: (Sorry for the last chapter, I thought I wrote your username in response. My bad.) I think with being a werewolf, one would be connected to nature in ways humans could maybe only imagine.

Chapter 32: A Wolf's Touch

(Unknown location, several days later)

Drew meditated atop the mountain Ulva had taken up some days ago. He felt the magic around him, melding his mind and spirit with the magic around him. He often didn't get time to meditate since he'd come back to this reality. The times he did he always found himself rejuvenated and had a reminder of where he had been before.

He heard walking coming up the mountain and could smell two approaching him. Drew sighed and ended his meditation, turning to meet those who were coming up. Ulva stood before him. Beside her stood a beautiful woman who appeared to be in her 40s, with long brunette hair and with a similar build to Ulva. Drew bowed to them.

Ulva smiled.

"How was your meditation?"

"Good, needed a little time to connect to what's around me."

The woman beside Ulva chuckled.

"Well that's what we're here to do."

"Drew, Frida will be taking you on a walk through the forest. I must help prepare with the others. She will explain on the way."

Drew nodded.

They all made their way down the mountain. Ulva walked to another part of the village while Frida led Drew into the forest.

"You know that we have superhuman regeneration and healing, we can survive nearly all forms of wounds and injuries when we are rarely hurt."

"I assume that's why we never get sick?"

"Correct. We are immune to all diseases and illnesses and poisons…except for Aconitum…wolfsbane. Though we were once immune to it is as well…until we and all therians were cursed to become vulnerable to it…except for the first pack and those directly descended from us…our power is too great to be vulnerable to it."

"It can kill those of us who aren't among you all?"

"Your blood is a melting pot of all beasts, we know you come from one of us…though we fear because of what happened to you, your blood and spirit is not totally one of us. While you aren't a true werewolf, you are werekin. There have been others, born from different therian parents only their spirit determined which beast they were bonded with. You, however, are tied to the wolf and yet other beasts. Your 'hybrid' transformation could be just the wolf…or more."

Drew scratched his chin.

"What do you think, completely?"

"I believe you may surprise us."

Frida smiled as they walked deeper into the forest. All the sounds and smells were all present to Drew and yet one might believe they'd be overpowering but he felt they were harmonious not overbearing.

"What is the plan here?"

Frida chuckled.

"You shall see."

They continued to make their way through the forest and soon they could hear whimpers and whines and the scent of blood. Drew turned to Frida who simply nodded. They came upon a clearing, a red fox laid in the clearing, asleep, with one leg bloodied. Drew sniffed the air.

"Gunpowder."

"Yes…humans…to hunt a stag or a boar for food is one thing, to hunt a fox for fun is another thing entirely."

"What do we do?"

"For you any form could possibly work, for now shift to wolf form as shall I."

Drew nodded. Both shifted into wolf form, Frida was larger than him with a stunning steel gray and white coat. She nodded her head and Drew followed her into the clearing. The fox's nose twitched and ears perked up. The animal's whimpering and whining went quieter as the two wolves approached. The fox's ears dropped.

Drew turned to Frida.

"What now?"

"Lick the wound."

"Lick the wound?"

Frida nodded.

"Do it and see."

Drew nodded. He slowly approached the fox, who whimpered slightly. The young shifter lowered his head and licked the wound. The fox's whimpering stopped as the animal looked to its injured leg. The bullet popped out and the wound healed. The fox carefully stood on its legs. Upon realizing the wound had healed, the fox leapt up and began crying out in excitement. The fox rushed up to Drew, licking his muzzle. Drew's eyes went wide and froze. Frida chuckled.

"Wolves lick other wolves and animals to build and strengthen bonds, to reassure and calm others, and help in the healing process. With therians, it allows us to heal one another and others."

Drew smiled and rubbed his head against the fox's. The fox's laughter-like cries were joined with eccentric jumping and rolling around as it licked and jumped up at Drew.

Frida turned to Drew.

"We'll take the bullet back to our lab and discover who did this. Their scent is on the fox. With both the technical search and the target's scent we'll make sure they don't do this to any more animals. We discovered them before we got you from the mountain. Come, we should head back"

Drew nodded. He gently pushed the fox with his nose. The little red beast licked the young shifter's muzzle one more time and rushed off into the forest. Frida nodded. The two shifted back to human form. Frida walked over to where the bullet laid. She knelt down, and from one of the pockets in her pants pulled out a medical glove and a small clear bag. She put the glove on and put the bullet into the bag before zipping it up.

Drew rubbed his chin.

"I have wondered as to why we're able to transform and not tear what we're wearing off."

Frida chuckled.

"As we're bonded with nature, organic and natural materials are not damaged during our more animalistic transformations. That's why anything and everything we wear or carry is or usually is natural or organic."

She put the bag and glove into her pocket.

"Though with the bullet now, it would be thrown off were I to transform."

Drew nodded. Frida led him on the walk back.

"So…what's the worst kind of injury we can heal by licking someone?"

"Depends on the individual therian and the wound. Though there is more than one way we heal."

"How?"

"There are spells we perform sometimes. Another way is to use our blood. Given to someone it will heal nearly any wound or injury, even if it's old or possibly unfixable. It would also grant those who are not therian a brief time of enhanced strength, speed, agility, reflexes, healing, and senses. Though not as powerful as ours, but still greater than a human's."

Drew nodded. They walked in silence for a little while. Frida, however, turned to look at Drew.

"You can talk to any of us about what's going on. Besides, we're literally empaths. We can feel what you're feeling. Like how dogs sense what humans are feeling?"

Drew chuckled.

"Speaking of dogs, where are your all's?"

"They're just not home right now. Some of our pack take trips around the world or go outside our home to patrol the outside perimeter and to check to see if any unwelcome surprises are occurring. The dogs are taken as extra help or to have fun. We can communicate with dogs nearly the same as with wolves, there's some differences yet the bond is still there. Ulva's dogs are the dominant ones of the pack living with us. They all play and run with the wolves in the forest who also come to our home from time to time."

Drew nodded.

"Well, what I've been thinking was…I'm trying to learn so much: your fighting style, your language along with others, the magic you use, and all these new powers. I'm wondering if I'll be able to learn it all in time…and I'm also worried when that battle comes…the League and the team will be there."

"We know."

"Do you think they'll fight us too?"

"With a force coming to destroy the planet or enslave the planet, it could be either way from previous interactions involving Apokoliptian activity…they will most likely focus on them. Perhaps even respond to it before we can."

"What do you mean?"

"We don't know when they're coming. And before battle our people always hold a ceremony honoring the Great Spirit and all others. You will see. And if we win. The pack has all agreed to do our ceremony for when one is ready to join the pack. The spirit quest done by the Great Spirit is one and we have ours. We cannot do it until after the battle."

Drew nodded.

"Even with that, they won't stop searching for us…and take us in."

"And undo the blessing of the Great Spirit then go after our other therian brothers and sisters around the world. And any species of individuals who are allied with us."

Drew sighed.

"I'm sorry I dragged you all into this."

Frida put a hand on his shoulder.

"You didn't drag us into anything. When Ulva discovered you, you were already our concern. And hopefully soon, you'll be a fully fledged werekin."

Drew smiled, nodding. Frida patted his shoulder then led him back to the homes of the first pack.

Ulva approached them. Frida nodded to her.

"I have the bullet that maimed the fox. Drew healed him."

"Good. We spared room in the lab for it. Good work, both of you."

The two nodded. Frida patted Drew's shoulder before walking off. Ulva then walked with Drew.

"I imagine it was a bit of a surprise to learn you could heal others?"

"In a way, yeah. My healing restored me after every experiment and test done to me in the past, not to mention the fights that followed. Though that fight with Ares took me longer to recover from."

"Fighting a god and surviving is something that would weaken anyone. His divine power was something you never truly faced before. And you hadn't started your training with us."

Drew nodded.

"There's just so much I never knew I could do and I'm still learning."

Ulva chuckled.

"You're doing well. Yes, you still have more to learn. Part of it will be you going out into the world to explore and hone your abilities."

"And when will that be?"

"We will see where your training goes. Though it may be soon, Apokolips is coming and you need to be ready. All of us need to be ready."

Drew nodded.

To be continued…

(Hope you all enjoyed the update.)