“You’re what?” asked Alek, voice dripping disbelief.

“A marwaid, Aleksilkandrin,” sighed Val, “keep up, I thought you were clever.”

“You haven’t even explained what that is!”

Val huffed, stepping away before deflating, her expression softer, “no, I suppose I haven’t.”

Val walked ahead of her, hands linked behind her back with her shoulders straight and proper. Alek trailed behind, feet shuffling and catching on trodden reeds. Val was silent then, truly silent for the first time since they had met those weeks ago. No running commentary, no snide remarks. She seemed older than. Alek had always pitched her to be in her mid to late twenties, but now she could easily be in her mid-thirties, perhaps older. Without her youthful grin tugging at her lips, she seemed ageless. Simultaneously, old and young. Perhaps that’s what a marwaid was. What Alek has become.

The seemingly older woman stopped suddenly, before a cobblestone pathway that sectioned off the woods from the coast.

“Who turned you?” she asked, finally breaking the silence.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“The person who bit you? Surely you know who that is, even if you don’t have a name for them.”

“I wasn’t bitten,” said Alek softly, confused. Maybe she hadn’t been a marwaid, that Val was wrong. Gods, she hoped Val was wrong.

“Interesting.”

Val turned her head to regard Alek, scanning her eyes up and down as if sizing her up. Alek had never before felt so much like prey, like a meal.

“Look, Val, I really don’t know what you’re on about. I’m just a Templar,” Alek shook her head, “was a Templar. I really know nothing about… marwaids.”

“Well, the basis is that you’re an undead bloodsucking bitch,” shrugged Val, “any abilities, strengths and weaknesses vary from person to person. Some get nothing but the bloodlust.”

“What did you get?”

Val looked at her properly now, shooting a grin. “I can’t lay all my cards on the table, now can I? Gotta keep some mystery.”

“Val, I barely know anything about you.”

“And we’ll keep it that way, for now. Keeps things interesting, “ she chuckled dryly, “I’ll let you know soon enough, for now, you need to drink.”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her flask, once again offering it to Alek.

“I’m good thanks.”

“I don’t think you want to murder your ah, friends. Now drink.”

Alek reluctantly took the flask and took a sip. The liquid was thick, tangy, and all too familiar. Blood. Had this been what Val had been offering the entire time? Had she known the entire time?

Alek choked, messily handing the flask back to Val as she doubled over in a coughing fit.

“Oh dear,” she said in a condescending tone, “you’re used to far fresher by now, aren’t you?”

“Fuck you,” growled Alek in return, voice hoarse from near hacking up a lung.

“Better get used to the older stuff, Aleksilkandrin, you can’t always feed fresh.”

Alek grumbled and straightened up to her full height, crossing her arms.

“If you figured it out so quickly, how hasn’t Raelyn?” she asked sceptically, seeing Val in a new light.

“She’s a pup,” Val rolled her eyes, “she’s likely never seen anything like us before. I’m sure she knows that there’s something up with you, but is too polite to say anything. That’s all you’ll have with them, quiet politeness.”

“That’s not true-”

“Do you really think she could ever love you?” Val cut across, face pulled into harsh lines, “do you think they’d still care about you, knowing what you are?”

“Raelyn-”

“Fuck off, you know better than to think that the alpha would risk her pack for you.”

“I am her pack,” growled Alek again, Val scoffing at the display.

“Sure you are, a non-werewolf amongst the dogs. That’s called a nicety, you’re not the same and you’ll never be.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I’ve met werewolves, considered myself friends with one, but that didn’t stop her from turning on me. Didn’t stop her from making me unsafe in my country.”

Alek fumed, but let Val speak. Val didn’t know what Raelyn was like, didn’t live in close quarters with the woman for half a decade. Alek was certain that Raelyn wouldn’t abandon her, not over this.

“Your experiences are not universal,” huffed Alek, turning on a heel to storm back to the cabin.

“They’re a warning, Aleksilkandrin.”

It had been truly nighttime when they arrived back, full moon hanging proudly in the sky. They walked in silence, mostly, besides Val occasionally repeating her messages of betrayal. Alek had stopped listening to her midway through their journey, focusing on the walk ahead and the moon that poked its way through the clouds.

Raelyn had rarely shifted. Alek’s presence alone was usually enough to stop the process in its tracks. She wasn’t sure about the logistics behind it, she never thought to ask, but it had something to do with being connected to a non-werewolf loved one. She dreaded to think what she’d return to. She could only hope that she had still been close though for her presence to work.

As if some horrible deity had listened to her thoughts, a howl pierced the air. Alek cursed under her breath and ran the last few minutes to the cabin, feeling lighten on her feet -foot- than she had in a while.

The door of the cabin hung open, swinging on its one remaining hinge. Finn shoved De Silva back into the building with a grunt. She caught his eyes, and he nodded, pointing towards the town and taking off, with Alek not too far behind him.

The town quickly came into view, the streets and surrounding area more full than Alek had seen that day. The townsfolk ran from the vicinity in thick crowds, upper and lower meshed together, united in their fear.

A powerful, penetrating growl sounded through the area, but its owner was nowhere to be found. Alek unsheathed her sword, using its light as a torch, holding it aloft.

“Raelyn?” she called, voice peaked with panic, eyes searching the horizon.

“I don’t she’ll listen when she’s like this, Al,” said Finn softly, panting slightly.

“She’ll listen to me.”

Val scoffed, “Do you know anything about werewolves, Aleksilkandrin?”

Alek ignored her, heading into the town.

Drinking from a fountain in the upper half was a creature that could easily be larger than any of the houses in the lower half. Dark fur jutted from its head to tail from cracked skin that slowly sewed itself back together. Its forelegs could easily be larger than Alek herself, thick with muscle and sinew. It stopped drinking as Alek approached slowly, lifting its colossal head and regarding her with immense amber eyes.

“Hey Raelyn,” murmured Alek.

Raelyn growled in response, ears pressed down against her head and lips pulled back into a snarl. Alek sighed, lowering her blade and backing away a few paces.

“It’s alright Rae, it’s just me. It’s just Cooper, yeah? It’s just me, Alek.”

She flashed a look at Finn and Val, Finn nodding and pulling Val away, remaining close enough to step in if necessary. Val didn’t seem overly pleased with the idea, but Alek didn’t have time to spare her feelings. She needed to help her friend.

Raelyn growled again, standing hackles raised as if ready to pounce. Alek backed away again, dropping to her knees and looking up at what had become of her friend. She hoped that she seemed non-threatening enough to not be attacked as Raelyn slowly made her way over.

Alek stayed still as Raelyn sniffed the air in front of her. In all her years of knowing her, it had been a rare sight to see her turn. The same with the majority of the pack. They had accepted her as one of their own, and it seemed to efficiently curb their shifting. Alek could count on one hand how many times she’d witnessed any of them after shifting, Raelyn least of all.

Raelyn shook her head and snarled, lips pulled back revealing long dagger-like teeth, Alek’s heart jumping into her throat.

“Raelyn - stop,” she said in what she hoped was reminiscent of the tone she used as Captain. “You know me, you’re fine. You’re safe.”

Raelyn grumbled again, more of a huff this time than a threat of violence. Alek slowly held her hand out, palm facing outwards. Raelyn tensed again, sniffing the air between them. Alek held her hand out a little further, and something snapped within her friend. Her friend-turned-wolf snarled again, leaping over Alek’s kneeling form. Alek cursed, getting up on shaky legs.

“Told you you weren’t pack,” sighed Val, coming to her side and letting her lean on the shorter woman, “you got your hopes up.”

“You don’t know her like I do,” grumbled Alek, pulling away from her fellow marwaid. “Come on, we need to catch up to her before someone hurts her.”

Alek ignored any pain in her leg as she followed the trail of discarded fur. It was phantom regardless, she could pull through this. Still, her body screamed from kneeling. Val kept looking at her as if she was pitiful, as if she hadn’t already felt that way.

Finn took the lead, moving quicker than Alek could at that moment. He looked back at her now and then as she hobbled behind him. Another howl pierced the air, ear-splitting and disorientating. Alek groaned, doubling over as she covered her ears.

The growling turned into whining, long and pained, the closer they got to a warehouse, presumably where the fishing supplies were kept.

The large wooden door creaked open as Finn pushed his way in, Alek following closely behind. Three men stood in the centre barring fishing poles and spears, before them was the largest wolf they’ve ever seen. Raelyn snapped at them, pushing them back momentarily before they lunged for her again. Alek growled and ran in, ignoring the pain in her leg, sword raised and ready.

She caught the closest man, taking him by surprise as she slashed down hard at his neck with a sickening crunch. He fell to the ground, spewing blood from his nearly severed head as the other two men turned towards the new danger. Finn summoned his flames, his hands blackening and charring, veins setting themselves alight. One man threw his spear at the Hawthorne man, only for it to be caught mid-air by Val. She laughed darkly, spinning the spear in her hands before she launched it back at the man, pinning him to the wall through his shoulder. The last man, the largest of the three, focused his attempts on the large wolf form of Raelyn Godrick. She stood on three paws instead of four, bleeding profusely from wounds that tried to heal but ripped open at her movements.

The man that Val had speared ripped the weapon from his wound with a hiss. He had been bleeding heavily, but that hadn’t stopped him from facing the trio again. He glared at them, raising his hand to his wound, tendrils of light squirming out of his skin like snakes. His shoulder slowly healed, and with a re-energized grin, he charged.

Finn blocked his path with a ribbon of flame. A thick plume of fire danced from floor to ceiling in a wide loop. The other man backed away from Val and advanced towards the one attacking Raelyn. Alek growled, deep and reverberating through her entire body, her blood boiling. She lunged at the man in front of Finn, muscles repeating the training regimes that she was raised on. Finn served as a backup, lashing out with his magic whenever their opponent was too close to hitting Alek, or pressing him back into the fight whenever he backed away.

Val threw the larger of the two men over their heads, his body crashing into barrels of fish. He groaned, shakily getting up before Val casually pulled out her gun, shooting a single bullet that put him down for good. The last man took his chances and fled, Alek lunging to go after him only to be held back by Finn’s rough hand on her shoulder.

“Easy,” he said softly, “it’s over.”

Alek nodded, patting his hand before pulling away to check on Raelyn.

Raelyn, despite being in her towering wolf form, had never looked so small. She had curled herself between the stacks of hay, not even concealing herself. Alek let out a shaky breath, approaching the oversized wolf. She had to try again. For her friend.

“It’s okay, its just us,” she said softly, choosing not to kneel again after cracking her knees earlier. Raelyn grumbled, more broken that a true growl. Alek held her hand out again, and when her friend didn’t object, she placed it behind Raelyn’s large ear and stroked it gently. Raelyn leaned into the touch, her form slowly contracting. Breaking and cracking as it reformed her friend’s human form. Alek held her tenderly, offering comfort in the painful process as Raelyn groaned and cried out.

Raelyn - the true, human Raelyn - lay in her arms, bloody, disorientated and blinking at her surroundings. Finn shrugged off his long coat and lay it over her nude form, smiling awkwardly and backing away. Alek carefully helped Raelyn to her feet, looping the taller woman’s arm around her shoulders for stability as she shot a ‘told you so’ look at Val.

“I got you, love,” she said fondly as Raelyn leaned heavily on Alek, stifling a yawn with her natural hand. The other presumably had still been on the floor of Myrtwydd’s cabin, flung off as she turned. Alek had no choice but to hold Raelyn by the wrist, above the stub that was left behind, in order to keep her stable. Val rolled her eyes, leading the remaining trio out of the warehouse and into the night.