Reine awoke the following morning to stirring in her bed. She opened her eyes and yawned, stretching her pale human limbs, wincing a little as this action stretched some of the scabs from the previous night. She was also a bit stiff from sleeping on a makeshift bed of grass and leaves. She had given her proper bed to her injured ward.
The girl was trying to sit up on the grass-stuffed pallet. She looked around, gasping as her silver eyes fell on Reine. Her hand instinctively went to her belt and started shaking as she realized that there was no weapon there.
"I'm not going to hurt you," Reine said calmly as she watched the girl. "I'm also not one of the werewolves who attacked your village. You were bitten, and will need guidance when your time of transformation comes. I'll be your teacher. What's your name?" She spoke slowly and precisely. Though she wanted to go over and comfort the girl, she knew that that would not be a good idea at the moment.
The girl swayed, looking like she would faint, but shook her head quickly. "I'm Ruby." She blinked a few times before her eyes widened. "Blake! Where's Blake? They took her too!"
Reine tilted her head. "Blake?" She thought back to the battle. There had been another upright wolf carrying something. That must have been this girl's friend. She sighed regretfully. "We weren't able to get her. She is with Adam's pack, Moon help her."
Ruby took a shuddering breath, clearly trying to keep from sobbing. "Who's Adam?"
"A rival leader. His pack is responsible for most of the attacks on your village." Reine walked over to the bed and knelt beside it. "You will learn about him soon enough. Are you hungry?"
Ruby said nothing, instead fixing her gaze on her hands in her lap. Her face was rapidly turning as red as her tattered cloak.
"What's wrong? Do you have a fever?" Reine placed a hand on the girl's forehead. The human winced instinctively in response to her touch, but she chose to ignore that. She glanced at the herb poultices. They still looked okay, but would probably have to be replaced by midday. "Your face does feel hot. I'll get some water."
Taking a wooden bowl from near one of the walls of the cave, Reine crawled out and started toward the stream. Sun met her on the way.
"Hey, if it isn't the new nursemaid? How's your whelp doing?" His words were teasing, but his tone was kind.
"She just woke up. I'm getting her some water." Reine knelt down and dipped the bowl in the stream.
"Is it smart to leave her alone in your den?"
"What would she steal? Besides, she can't run away. One, she's still too weak. Two, she can't go back to her home with those bites. I'm pretty sure she knows that." Reine stood up and started back toward her den. "How many were injured last night?"
"Ten were injured. Three were killed." Sun listed the names of those killed.
None of the newly-killed had been close to Reine, but she still felt their deaths as much as any packmate should. She bowed her head as she walked. "At least we were able to do sufficient damage to Adam's pack."
"I wonder why he wanted that girl. She seems a bit small, you know?"
"He didn't seem to want Ruby as much as the other one he had." Reine glanced at Sun, noticing his confused look. "Ruby is her name. Blake is the one that Adam got away with."
"Hm. Could've been a random turning, or maybe he'd been stalking them," Sun mused. "Maybe he fancied one or both of them."
"Don't ask her about that now," Reine warned as they approached the den. "She still needs to recover before thinking about anything else." She crawled through the entrance. "I'm back."
Ruby turned toward Reine and Sun before quickly looking at her lap again. It was easy to see the redness in her cheeks from where the two werewolves stood.
Sun frowned. "You don't need to be scared. We're not the wolves that attacked your village, and we won't hurt you."
Reine stared at the girl for a moment before realization hit her. She looked from Ruby's carefully-averted eyes, to her own naked body. "She's not scared. She's embarrassed."
Ruby's sideways glance and the deeper flush to her face confirmed Reine's assumption.
"Huh? What about?" Sun tilted his head.
"Neither of you are wearing anything," Ruby finally muttered through gritted teeth.
Reine nodded, chuckling a little. "It's been awhile since we've had a newly-turned werewolf. I forgot how you humans and Faunus can get." She was so used to not needing clothing in the warmer seasons, her nakedness and that of her companion hadn't even occurred to her.
Sun snorted, glancing down at himself before shrugging a shoulder. "Wearing clothes all the time sounds like it'd slow you down. Humans are such prudes!"
"I guess I'll have to get used to it," Ruby cut in, her voice coming out hollow. "I'm one of you now, right?"
"It's not as bad as your churches make it out to be," Sun assured her, shifting so that most of his body was hidden in the cave's shadows, more for her benefit than his.
"Doesn't the Church say that those who are bitten should kill themselves?" Reine asked, recalling some of her parents' lessons concerning the manic nature of humans.
"Yes." Ruby looked at her hands. "I…I don't know if I could have done it under different circumstances, but I know I can't do it now. Blake needs me. If I can rescue her, or kill her, then I'll figure out what to do next." She glanced at Reine. "You don't like that other pack, right? Can you help me?"
Reine felt a pang as she looked at the human girl's eyes. Despite her maturity, and the fact that she was likely a Huntsman, she was so young. While humans were fearful and zealous, they did at least seem to care about their friends. Reine couldn't help but think back to her human. Was he as compassionate as he had seemed to be eight years ago? Did he know Ruby or Blake? Would he be the type to challenge Adam for their sakes?
She shook her head. "Adam's pack is bigger than ours. That's why we had to make that attack while he was weak from attacking your village. A rescue of someone he wanted will be nearly impossible. I only got you away due to luck." Seeing the stricken look on Ruby's face, Reine continued. "I will teach you about how to use your new gift to your advantage. Train yourself and hone your skills, and you will become a member of this pack. Then, you can bring your case to Cinder, our leader."
"There's no time! Who knows what'll happen to her? She's all alone!" Ruby tried to get up, only to be forced back down by Reine's firm hand. "I'll go after her myself if I have to!" she protested, trying to struggle.
"You're no good to her dead," Reine growled, her eyes flashing. "Now, stop moving before you make your injuries worse." She fixed her gaze on Ruby's stubborn glare. Drawing on her instincts, she focused her stare until it felt like a physical force connecting her to this small human. A low rumble rose in her throat. She felt Ruby resist for a few minutes before letting out a sigh and turning her head away.
"Okay." The girl sounded deflated.
Reine closed her eyes, her shoulders slumping a little. Her head pounded for a few moments before she calmed down fully. "I will do what I can for you," she murmured. "Just don't do anything stupid." Quickly, she turned and walked out of the cave to get a breath of fresh air. She heard Sun follow.
After Reine had had a chance to breathe, Sun spoke. "So, you're getting better at that dominance thing. Maybe Cinder's gonna have to start worrying about you a little sooner than we thought."
Reine groaned, shaking her head. "That meant nothing, Sun. Any alpha wolf can do that. Just because I'm an alpha, doesn't mean that I have to be the alpha."
"If you say so." Sun shrugged. "I'm just telling you what I see. You're stronger than any of the other alphas our age. It won't be long before you're seen as a threat."
"Cinder doesn't see me as a threat," Reine protested. "Why would she have let me take charge of a new whelp if she didn't trust me?"
"Caring for the kid will take up time and energy, and even if she becomes a supporter of you for being her mentor, she wouldn't be enough to fight those loyal to Cinder."
Reine growled in exasperation. "First of all, I have no intention of usurping Cinder, so this conversation ends here. Second, when did you become so knowledgeable about pack politics?"
"I listen." Sun glanced to the side. "And I take lessons from Neptune. He's got a whole list of conspiracy theories concerning you and Cinder."
"Well, see that he keeps them to himself," Reine said firmly. "I need to tend to my charge. I'll see you for the hunt tonight, Sun."
Sun nodded, seeing that the conversation was over. "Okay. Take care, Reine."
Reine watched her friend go, a frown on her face. Sun apparently hadn't realized that he had been in a submissive stance during his entire conversation with her. Even my closest friends just view me as a future leader, she thought mournfully before looking back at her den. Was he right, though? Is Cinder letting me care for Ruby because she wants me distracted? What would she have done with Ruby otherwise?
She knew that Cinder was cunning and calculating. Above all, she was willing to make large sacrifices for the good of the pack as a whole. Some would say that the sacrifices were often too great. These werewolves often cast hopeful glances in Reine's direction when they saw her. She was always quick to avert her eyes.
Shaking herself, she returned to her den. Ruby was still lying on her back, head turned away. "Would you like some food?"
"I guess you don't have any cookies, huh?" There was the barest hint of a laugh in the girl's voice.
Reine shook her head, smiling gently. "I'm afraid not." She paused by a wooden chest and opened it, withdrawing a light brown cloak. She draped it around her naked form to make her new charge more comfortable with her presence. "There will be a hunt later, but I can dig up some bones or find berries for you."
"I think I'm fine for now." Ruby took a deep breath. "Thanks for taking care of me…" She paused. "Hey, you never told me your name."
Reine sat down next to the bed and gently started petting Ruby's hair. Looking at the younger, vulnerable-looking girl, it wasn't surprising that Reine's more maternal instincts were making themselves known. "Reine," she said. "My name is Reine. I'm glad to have you here, Ruby."