*A few hours after the events of the previous chapter*

*5/18/90*

"You okay, Rose?" Hunter asked as he led his sister into the woods. He noticed that she was even quieter than usual and was staring pensively at the ground.

"I'm not sure," Rose muttered. "I just don't know what to expect."

"Well, remember you saw Coraline in her wolf form once?"

"Yes, when we were all trying to kill her!" Rose shook her head, gripping her axe’s shaft as she instinctively looked around for any Shadows. She knew her confused, sad emotions would be like a beacon for them, and she tried to get herself under control. "What if I react badly?" She remembered how much she trembled when seeing Bandit’s transformation on the night of Emma’s failed rescue.

Hunter put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about that. Coraline says she had some pretty bad reactions to being a werewolf. She'll understand. Besides, I think you're underestimating yourself."

"I don't think so," Rose sighed. Everyone except for me has gotten used to Coraline being the way she is. I still cringe when I watch the other wolves eat raw meat. I still get nervous whenever their strange powers are brought up."

"You think we don't?" Hunter asked. "None of us look at Flint, Summer, or Steven directly since they don't wear clothes. And the alpha stare does freak me out a bit. We’ve all reacted to stuff, but you've been overly focused on your own reactions,” he coughed pointedly. "I think that your feelings about being the oldest sibling and your instinctual need to protect the youngest of us have much to do with that…."

Rose waved a hand irritably at him. "That's not important."

Hunter raised a brow. "It was pretty important before Coraline got turned. Back when we thought she was dead."

"Well, she has a new life now," Rose replied briskly, taking a deep breath and trying to ignore the persistent stinging behind her eyes. "She doesn't need me to protect her anymore. She’s all grown up. She has Ellora. I hope she stays good to her or so help me."

"She has-" Hunter blinked. "Wait, you think they're-?"

"Guys, we're over here!" Coraline's voice caused both humans to turn around. A moment later, the large, shaggy, chestnut form of Ellora stepped out of the trees. Her ears flicked, and her tail wagged at the sight of the two. She pretended not to notice the way Rose instinctively raised her weapon. Hopefully, things will be better after this. She glanced over her shoulder and barked.

"Do I have to come out?"

Another bark.

"I can just transform back here…."

Another firmer bark.

A pause. "Ugh, fine,” The branches rustled as Coraline stepped out from behind one of the trees. Her cloak was absent, as were the rest of her usual clothes. Her cheeks were dusted with an embarrassed shade of red, and her arms were folded self-consciously across her chest.

Hunter immediately averted his gaze, looking at one of the trees to his left. He noticed Ellora rolling her eyes. "What? It's a human thing. I don't want to lose my chivalry badge, okay?"

Ellora laughed amusedly before turning her attention back to Rose and Coraline.

"It's okay, Coraline," Rose said, slightly shaking. “I know it’s part of the transformation process. You don't have to be ashamed. We're the only ones here."

Coraline smiled slightly. "Th-Thanks, Rose,” she stepped forward, looked up at the moon through the trees, and took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm gonna change now.”

"I'm ready," Rose replied, unsure if that was the truth.

The first hint of the transformation showed when Coraline looked at the sky. Rose saw the reflection of the moon's glow in her eyes, turning them completely blue. It was different from the way a human eye would catch the light. A regular eye would reflect the light. In Coraline's case, her eyes seemed to drink in the moon's rays.

Coraline let out a growl as she fell forward. Her teeth began lengthening. At this point, Hunter had turned around to watch, eyes wide as black and red fur erupted across her pale skin in waves. She tossed her head back, and her ears became pointed. Her nose extended into a snout as she sniffed the air. Her nails turned to claws as they dug into the ground. Finally, a bushy tail grew from the base of her spine.

Rose watched with unblinking eyes, unable to keep her body from shaking as she witnessed her beloved baby sister shapeshift into a beast before her. She gritted her teeth, taking deep, steadying breaths as the transformation ended.

Coraline looked at her with those baby-blue eyes, which were so like and so unlike the eyes that Rose knew so well. The whites were gone, and the shining iris surrounded the larger wolf's pupil. For a moment, all Rose could see was a pair of barely-familiar eyes on a monster's face.

“She's still scared of me,” Coraline thought, her tail drooped and her ears flattened. She looked at the ground, whining softly.

Rose's heart sank, and she felt a sharp pang of guilt. “I'm just completely worthless at this, aren't I? Maybe I should just stop coming to these meetings altogether,” she thought to herself before speaking. “I’m sorry, Coraline. I'm trying." She stepped forward and placed a hand on her sister's brow to prove it. "I'm not afraid. I promise. I'm just getting over my old instincts. I know it’s you.”

Coraline's ears perked up again in response, and her tail wagged hesitantly. She looked up at Rose, a nervous smile on her muzzle.

Hunter watched the exchange, his shoulders slowly relaxing. Seeing Coraline transform had been jarring, to say the least. Yet, in many ways, it had been almost beautiful to witness. Unlike when he saw Bandit transform, he could appreciate the process now. Despite the sound of bones cracking and fur rapidly growing, there had been a pattern or poetry to the transformation. He wondered if Ellora's transformations were similar or if every werewolf had a different way of changing.

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He turned to look at her, only to see those green eyes already regarding him. He felt his face grow warm for some reason. "We should probably let them be," he muttered.

Ellora nodded and led the way into the trees. The rest is up to those two. She couldn't keep a slight grin from her face. “It looked like Hunter wasn’t put off by it at all,” she thought. “He really is something special.”

Rose looked over her shoulder at the retreating form of Hunter and then back at Coraline. Those baby-blue eyes were looking inquisitively up at her. Cautiously, she combed her fingers through her sister's fur, going from her brow and down the back of her neck.

Coraline closed her eyes at the pleasant sensation of Rose's warm, strong fingers, making a low rumbling sound in the back of her throat.

Rose froze when she heard Coraline growl. "Sorry. Did that hurt?”

Coraline blinked and shook her head rapidly.

"Oh." Rose paused. "Wait, was that…like a cat's purr?"

Coraline yipped and nodded, letting out a sigh of relief that Rose understood so quickly. She wagged her tail, hoping to look as non-threatening as possible.

"Okay,” a tentative smile came to Rose's face. Cautiously, she reached out again, scratching gently behind one of Coraline's pointed ears. Now that she was calmer, she could appreciate the rough, coarse feeling of the outer layers of fur and how they contrasted with the softer layers beneath.

Coraline's tail started wagging harder, and she leaned against Rose's side, rumbling contentedly.

Rose looked down at Coraline, her smile widening as she looked at the content expression on her sister's lupine face. “She's acting just like a puppy,” she realized. “She always acted like one before, but this is ridiculous.” It was also undeniably adorable.

Kneeling, Rose brought up her other hand to scratch under Coraline's chin while still rubbing behind her ear. When her sister's foot started thumping on the ground, she couldn't help but let out a giggle.

Hearing Rose's laugh, Coraline barked and lunged forward, gently headbutting her in the chest. She jumped back, crouching playfully while wagging her tail.

Rose blinked before bursting out laughing. "You're still a kid, even as a wolf," she remarked, standing up and ruffling the fur on top of Coraline's head. "Honestly, with that puppy act, I don't think you even need an alpha stare."

A wide, toothy smile grew across Coraline's muzzle. Her ears twitched as the sound of running paws caught her attention. She stiffened, standing on her hind legs, and looked around, nose twitching. Her eyes widened. Ember!

"Coraline, what is it?" Rose asked, lowering the pitch of her voice as she raised her axe. "Is it Shadows?"

Coraline shook her head while trying to figure out where Ember was going. Then, her blood went cold. Her eyes fell on the spot where Hunter and Ellora had left.

Rose followed Coraline's gaze and gasped when she realized what was happening. "We need to warn them!"

Coraline shook her head and turned toward Rose, giving her a firm push in the direction of the village. At Rose's hurt expression, she pointed to her feet and whined. “I’m Faster!” Coraline thought. “And we can't be seen together. Please understand.”

Rose relaxed, nodding reluctantly. "You're right. You'll be faster without me. I'm not running away, though. I'll wait here. Hurry!"

Coraline nodded before turning and rushing into the woods, hoping desperately that she wouldn't be too late.

~o0o~

Ellora and Hunter gravitated toward the wastelands as they walked, keeping their eyes and ears open for any sign of Shadows or other werewolves.

"It looks like things will be okay," Hunter said, speed-walking so he wouldn't fall too far behind. "Once Rose gets over the shock, there shouldn't be a problem.”

Ellora let out a whuff of agreement, pausing to allow Hunter to catch up. She nudged his arm in a comforting gesture and slowed her pace a little. However, when they neared the field, Ellora's fur bristled, and she let out a growl. Her nose twitched as the scent of Shadows flooded her senses. She barked once at Hunter before bounding ahead, baring her fangs in preparation for a fight.

She broke through the trees to see Flint, Summer, and Steven fighting against two house-sized thunderbirds. She roared in anger. “Get out of my territory, birds!”

The first Thunderbird was on the ground, trying to grab a nimbly dodging Summer. Flint ran as fast as he could to avoid the explosive egg bombs from the other one, high up in the air. Steven was darting back and forth, swiping at the Thunderbird on the ground, and quickly ran back to find a new spot to find.

Ellora ran toward the grounded Thunderbird, sensing it was already wounded. She landed on its back with a mighty leap and sank her fangs into the neck, shaking her head fiercely.

Hunter, meanwhile, was just crossing the field. He locked his gaze on the flying Thunderbird as he drew Red Redemption. He used a speed loader to load his weapon with light blue ice bullets. He shot the Thunderbird. Ice formed as the bullets shattered upon impact.

He cursed under his breath, realizing that a riskier attack would be needed to bring this creature down. He reached into his bag to withdraw a sling. He also withdrew a small glass vial.

"Flint, I'm using Stone dust. Get clear!" Hunter shouted, loading the canister into the sling. “This should slow it down.”

Flint bolted to the side, and once he seemed far enough, Hunter swung the sling around his head a few times before letting loose. The glass twinkled in the moonlight, then shattered across the beast's feathers, freezing one of its wings solid.

The Thunderbird crashed violently into the forest floor, making many trees fall and splinter. Now, with only one wing, the downed Thunderbird swung it, creating a gust of wind cutting through the foliage like a hot knife through butter, nearly taking off Flint's head.

Hunter wasted no time in closing the distance between him and the quarry. With his revolver in hand, he fired various bullets at the downed Thunderbird. The one-winged creature cried out to its brethren for assistance. The other Thunderbird swung both wings, sending two wind blades in Hunter’s direction. He dodged both blows but dropped his revolver.

He charged the one-winged Thunderbird, which was being mauled by Steven. He drove his sword through the creature's neck. It squawked weakly and then began to melt.

The second Thunderbird met a similar fate as Ellora's jaws crunched down one final time. She turned toward Hunter, her eyes glittering in admiration. “He underestimates himself. He's a much better fighter than he thinks,” she thought.

There was only a moment of silence before a pained yelp sapped away any sense of victory. Flint was on the ground, one of his arms twitching spastically.

Hunter felt himself grow as cold and ran over. “No, no, no. Please, no,” he gasped as he drew close.

Flint's right arm was a bloody mess. A small sprinkling mass of light blue Stone dust was matted in his gray and black fur. A sizzling sound rose from wherever the cold substance touched.

“This is bad. I need to stop it before it spreads, or he's dead!” Hunter knelt on the ground, barely aware of the distress behind him.

Upon seeing her mate's injury, Summer lunged toward Hunter, only to be stopped by a snarling Ellora. She crouched down, ready to attack the chestnut wolf if necessary.

Ellora shook her head and whined softly. “Give him a chance. He can help.” She thought.

Summer's ears were flat against her head, and her fangs were bared. She tried once more to dart around Ellora, but the bigger wolf pinned her easily to the ground.

Steven tried to run over, but a sharp glare from Ellora was enough to stop him.

Hunter, meanwhile, withdrew his flask and poured the mixture of water and wine over the wound, paying careful attention to the spots where the Stone dust was matted. “Move over after I do this, so you don't get any more on you."

Flint obeyed. He was in so much pain he didn't have the will to do much else.

Hunter moved with him, taking a clean strip of cloth from his bag and wrapped it tightly around the spot where the wounds ended. Once that was done, he withdrew cream that was supposed to stop accidental Stone fires by deactivating the substance. He smeared it over Flint's arm, praying silently that this would work.

Flint's breathing grew slower as the sound of sizzling flesh ceased. He blinked down at his arm. It still hurt terribly, but the poisonous Stone dust was no longer there. He stared at Hunter, wonder in his eyes. “So, this is what humans can do. They can bring you from the brink of death….”

Hunter let out a heavy sigh. "Thank goodness,” he took some bandages out and carefully wrapped Flint's arm. "Wash off the cream in the morning and put on a disinfectant salve I'll give you. It should be fine in a few days,” he smiled shakily at the werewolf. "I'm glad that worked. I never would've been able to live with myself if you’d died."

“He really means that,” Flint thought as he eyed the strange, kindly human. He was still getting used to the fact that the other blond had cared enough to craft a map for him and the others. This one showed remorse for causing him harm and saved him from the deadliest substance to any werewolf.

He looked at Hunter's stained hands. “He has no open wounds, so doing this won't change him. Yet, he would have done this, even if there had been wounded.”

Ellora smiled at Hunter before turning to Summer. She stepped forward, licked the smaller wolf apologetically between the ears, then stepped aside.

Summer immediately ran over to Flint, nuzzling his neck while whimpering. She glanced at Hunter, unsure if she still wanted to scratch him.

Hunter bowed his head. "I'm very sorry that happened. Please forgive me.” A thought occurred to him. "Before you three leave, I'll give you some salve jars. That way, you can heal any similar wounds you might get."

This was enough to sway Summer in the human's favor. Her ears went back up, and she barked once, eagerly nodding.

Before they could get too comfortable, however, Steven suddenly grew stiff and let out an urgent yip.

Ellora turned her head in the direction he was looking, and her heart sank.

Standing just at the edge of the woods by the wasteland, fangs bared, eyes wide, followed by several alphas and betas, was the red and gold form of Ember.