[Outskirts of Argus]
Seeing the wolf regurgitate a piece of the boy's clothing, Pyrrha did her best not to panic. She had been trained for situations like this, so she forced herself to calm down and analyze the entire scene.
Her gaze settled first on the giant wolf and then on the shredded clothes scattered across the ground. However, she noticed the absence of blood both on the fabric and in the surrounding area, making it highly unlikely that the wolf had eaten him. No matter how large it was, it could not swallow a person in a single bite.
"ARE YOU STILL AROUND HERE?!" she shouted, hoping the boy would respond.
"Woof!"
But the only one who answered was the wolf, barking while lightly wagging its tail.
"I'M SORRY IF MY WORDS OFFENDED YOU! BUT I REALLY NEED YOU TO GIVE ME SOME SIGN THAT YOU'RE ALIVE!"
"Woof! x2"
The wolf barked again, panting with something resembling a smile on its face.
"Damn it..." Pyrrha growled, convinced that the boy had most likely already wandered too far away.
Quickly, she pressed the communicator in her ear. "This is Pyrrha Nikos requesting assistance in sector four."
The reply came almost immediately. "Nikos? What's the problem?" asked the professional Huntsman supervising her and several of her classmates.
"There's a civilian lost in the forest. Apparently he's a faunus around seventeen or eighteen years old, about one meter eighty tall, green hair, bronze skin. Possibly injured and frightened because of a wolf."
"Don't you mean a Beowolf?" the Huntsman asked through the communicator.
"No!" she corrected him quickly. "It's a real wolf, and it's still right in front of me."
She looked at the wolf, which stopped panting to stare back at her before raising a paw and placing it on its chest, as if asking whether she was talking about him.
"Could you describe it?" the Huntsman asked, clearly doubtful because of how unlikely it was to find a wolf in Argus.
Pyrrha looked back at the animal. "It's large, over one meter sixty tall and around two meters long. It's also completely white..."
Her words cut off when the wolf in front of her completely changed color, turning pitch black.
Pyrrha hesitated for a second. "I mean... black..."
She stopped again when the wolf changed once more, this time into a bright pink. But it did not end there. The animal continued shifting through practically the entire color palette until it finally ended up green with yellow spots.
[Overactive Imagination: Allows the user to create illusions that can be seen by others.]
"Nikos? What's happening?" the Huntsman asked after not receiving an immediate response.
Pyrrha was not sure how to explain the situation. "I think it's a mutated animal..."
Mutated animal was a relatively new term used when an animal displayed drastic physical changes or developed special abilities similar to semblances. Though calling them animals was a bit of an exaggeration, since up to that point the only recorded case had been the bird known as Pidgey, a resident of Emerald Forest in Vale.
The creature had been discovered a little over half a year ago and stood out both for its immense strength and its strange fascination with killing any Grimm that entered its territory.
"Are you sure it's a mutated animal?" the Huntsman asked, fully aware of how important it was to study creatures like that.
Pyrrha looked up at the wolf and watched as its head was now spinning on its own axis, like an owl's, but with no apparent limit to how far it could turn. Each rotation faster than the last.
[Futterwacken: Allows the user to move their joints freely.]
"I'm pretty sure it is," she finally confirmed.
"Is it dangerous?"
The wolf, as if it had heard the Huntsman through the communicator, stopped spinning its head and returned to its original white color. Then it tilted its head to the side, sticking out its tongue while leaving its eyes half-crossed.
[Image]
Pyrrha stared at it for a few seconds, unable to decide whether it was cute, stupid, or some very strange combination of both.
"It hasn't shown any signs of hostility toward me, but it probably injured a civilian."
"Understood," the Huntsman replied. "Maintain your position. Reinforcements have already been dispatched to search for the civilian. For now, we need you to keep an eye on the wolf and not lose sight of it until a team of specialists arrives to evaluate it."
The wolf, hearing them talk about it like it was some simple test subject, got annoyed. It turned its back to Pyrrha and used its hind legs to kick dirt at her before starting to walk away at a brisk pace.
Pyrrha quickly brushed the dirt off herself and, having received orders, started following it.
"Wait!" she shouted, forgetting for a moment that she was talking to an animal.
Pyrrha picked up speed, trying to catch up, but every time she managed to get a little closer, the wolf slightly increased its pace, always keeping a certain distance between them.
Very quickly, the chase escalated from a brisk walk to a jog and then into a full sprint.
Pyrrha, being a Huntress-in-training with an active aura, had no trouble matching the wolf's speed. She just needed to hold out long enough for the animal to tire itself out or for reinforcements to arrive.
Or at least that was what she thought, until she noticed a small problem: the wolf was running straight toward the walls of Argus.
"Oh no! Come back!" she shouted immediately.
It was dangerous for the wolf to get any closer to the city, both for the people if it truly turned out to be aggressive, and for the animal itself if the Huntsmen decided to classify it as a threat and eliminate it without giving it a chance.
Pyrrha pulled out her weapon in javelin form and took aim. She had no intention of hurting the wolf, much less killing it; she only wanted to scare it into changing direction.
She aimed quickly and threw the weapon in a perfect shot.
The javelin soared through the air, closing in on the wolf with a flawless trajectory meant to land right in front of it. However, before it even touched the ground, the wolf jumped.
Pyrrha panicked instantly. She had not expected it to jump and, for a moment, thought it would end up skewered by the javelin.
But her concern quickly turned into astonishment.
The wolf, displaying incredible agility, twisted midair, opened its jaws, and caught the javelin with perfect precision before landing back on the ground and continuing to run without slowing down for even a second.
Now the wolf was armed.
"Oh no, no way!" Pyrrha shouted, speeding up even more as she watched the animal run off with her weapon.
After all, she had built it herself thanks to the financial support of her family and several sponsors. And she was definitely not willing to lose it.
She ran as fast as she could until she caught up to the wolf and, once she was finally within reach, impulsively threw herself onto it, landing on its back and gripping its fur tightly. But even with the extra weight on top of it, the wolf neither stopped nor slowed down.
Moving quickly, Pyrrha wrapped both arms around the wolf's neck. She did not plan to hurt it, only restrain it enough to make it drop her weapon.
"I promise you'll be okay," she told it as she started squeezing hard.
However, almost immediately, she realized it was not working. She tried applying more pressure, using all her strength, but the result was exactly the same. Worse still, the wolf's body was absurdly sturdy, like trying to strangle a massive rock covered in fur.
She had no choice but to move to plan B.
Holding tightly onto the animal, she planned to plant both feet against the ground and try to use her own body as an anchor to stop it. She braced herself, tensed her muscles, and tried to move.
But she could not pull herself away.
"Huh?"
[Surface Adhesion: The ability to stick to surfaces.]
Confused, Pyrrha tried again with all her strength, but her body seemed completely glued to the wolf. No matter how much she pulled or struggled, she could not free herself. Her hands, her legs... practically her entire body was stuck to the animal's fur.
She could not even call for help through her communicator because she could not reach her ear from that position.
In a situation like that, she only had one option left.
"HEEEELP!!!" she screamed as loudly as she could, hoping someone would take pity on her.
To Pyrrha's surprise, her cries were not in vain. After a few minutes, several shadows quickly appeared a short distance away. Forcing herself to look up, she managed to make out two of her classmates struggling to keep up with the wolf's pace.
And if they were there, then that meant...
"Nikos! Get off that wolf!" shouted the professional Huntsman, positioned much farther ahead and partially blocking the animal's path.
"I CAN'T!!" Pyrrha yelled back at the top of her lungs.
"What a brave girl..." the Huntsman thought as he watched her clinging to the mutated animal while trying to stop it before it reached the city.
But no matter how impressed he was, he could not let a student do all the work.
"Subdue it," he ordered the two students through the earpiece.
The girls, upon hearing the order, attacked at the same time from both sides of the wolf. But before they could get close enough, and before Pyrrha could warn them about the animal's strength or its strange abilities, something unexpected happened.
Small bolts of lightning began crackling all around the wolf's body.
[Super-Speed: Allows the user to move at incredible speeds, accompanied by an electric trail.]
To the animal's eyes, everything around it suddenly became slower. Not because the world had changed, but because it had just accelerated itself.
It turned its head to look at both girls, whose eyes slowly widened in shock as they watched the enormous wolf increase its speed even further.
The wolf wasted no time.
It spun several times in place, building momentum before releasing the javelin still clenched between its teeth and hurling it toward one of the students.
The girl barely had time to open her mouth in surprise as she saw the weapon spinning straight toward her, moving far too fast to dodge.
But the wolf was not done yet. Using the momentum, it leaped toward the other student and slammed into her body with its paws before using her as a springboard to launch itself back to its original position.
Only then did it stop using its ability, and time seemed to return to normal.
The first student was struck in the head by the long side of the weapon, crashing to the ground and rolling several times across the path, while the second, who had taken the impact head-on, was sent flying through the trees, smashing through several trunks along the way.
The professional Huntsman barely managed to process what had just happened. He would have liked to say he was not impressed or frightened, but he definitely was.
Even more so because the wolf, which had just incapacitated two students, had not slowed down at all and was still rapidly approaching, baring its teeth in a strange grin that made it painfully obvious it was enjoying the entire situation.
The Huntsman quickly prepared himself, drawing his weapon: a halberd that could also transform into a sniper rifle.
The wolf was clearly dangerous, and he could not allow it to get any closer to the city.
With no other options left, he aimed directly at the animal's head... and fired.
"BAM!"
The bullet shot forward with perfect precision, though the Huntsman was already preparing to fire again, certain that the wolf, with the speed it had shown earlier, would be more than capable of dodging the shot.
But to his surprise, a second shot was unnecessary.
The bullet struck the wolf directly in the forehead. Though he could not see what happened afterward, because at that exact moment a brutal pain exploded inside his own head, making him stagger before collapsing to the ground.
[Pain Transfer: Allows the user to transfer part of the physical pain they receive to a nearby target.]
[Amplify: Increases the sensation of pain caused by the user's attacks.]
The wolf, showing absolutely no respect for him whatsoever, ran right over him, stepping on him not once, but twice. It even turned around just to step on him one more time before continuing on its original path toward the wall.
The Huntsman clenched his teeth, doing his best to endure the pain as he managed to press his communicator. "Highly dangerous mutated wolf! It's heading toward the central wall sector! All available Huntsmen, intercept and stop it!"
He barely managed to finish the warning before losing consciousness.
—/—
Pyrrha was not having the best moment of her life.
She did not understand what was happening to the wolf. Setting aside its bizarre abilities, it was becoming progressively more aggressive, completely different from the almost tame animal she had seen before.
And the worst part was that it seemed to be enjoying it.
She thought about it for a moment, but it did not take her long to figure out what was happening. Her eyes widened slightly as she realized that, for some reason, the wolf liked being provoked. At first, it had not done anything to her because she had not really attacked it either.
"I need to warn them to stop attacking it!" she thought.
But how was she supposed to do that when she was still stuck to the thing?
"Grrr...!" she growled in frustration as she tried to pull herself free from the wolf and failed completely.
The animal kept moving forward, getting dangerously close to the wall.
However, around two hundred meters before reaching it, several students and various professional Huntsmen were already waiting for it.
"Don't let go of the wolf, Nikos!" one of the Huntsmen shouted. "We almost have it!"
Pyrrha would have loved to tell them that she could not let go even if she wanted to, since from her position she could barely speak.
To everyone's surprise, the wolf stopped when it saw such a large group blocking its path.
The massive animal locked eyes with the group while slowly narrowing its own.
And for a moment, nobody moved.
Everyone remained perfectly still, waiting to see who would make the first move.
—/—
But while all of that was happening, inside the still-under-construction Aperture Science laboratories, an orc screamed in agony.
"GGAAAHHHH!!!"
It writhed in pain, uselessly trying to escape its restraints while strapped to a metallic table. Around it, several mechanical arms worked on its body, cutting off parts, replacing them with new ones, or modifying them to test what effects they would have.
That brutal scene was observed by a single spectator.
"This is wrong..." Entrapta said from beside the table.
Right after that, she pulled out a roll of tape and covered the orc's mouth, silencing it instantly.
"Hahaha! Much better!" she laughed, satisfied.
Its screams had been extremely annoying and kept interrupting her concentration while she tried to genetically modify subject number twenty-three.
Rosella's projects were going surprisingly well. They were making enormous progress in modifying the orcs and, thanks to the combined knowledge of the three of them, casualties had been reduced to a minimum.
Only a few hours had passed, and the number of deaths had barely reached twenty-three. Technically, that could be considered an absolute success if you asked any of the women present.
While Entrapta handled the orc modifications a few meters away, both Rosella and GLaDOS remained focused on modifying the Smile Fruits, attempting to graft the werewolf curse into them.
That had actually turned out to be the easiest part. The real problem was removing all the other genes from different species that were still present inside the fruit and could alter the final transformation.
Rosella, leaning beside GLaDOS while they examined a microscope, could not resist trying to make conversation.
"So… is everything okay between you and Daniel?" she asked curiously.
GLaDOS stopped working for a second to look at her with obvious confusion. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, you've been humiliating him more than usual," Rosella commented without stopping her work.
GLaDOS rolled her eyes. "Ah, that..." Her voice sounded unimpressed. "It's just to keep his stupidity under control."
The words surprised Rosella a little, enough for her to finally look away from the microscope. "Isn't that a bit excessive?" she asked. She knew Daniel was not exactly the brightest person in the world, but she did not consider him that stupid either.
Upon hearing those naive words, GLaDOS stopped working and looked at her directly with a completely serious expression.
"Listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you. I've known Daniel longer than you have, and I can confirm that his stupidity is, and always will be, a mystery."
While she said that, back in Argus, the wolf in front of all the Huntsmen rose onto its hind legs, surprising practically everyone present.
"Nothing in his life happened that could justify the way he is," GLaDOS continued.
The wolf, noticing it had everyone's attention, started performing tricks while still standing on two legs. It made two small hops forward and then two more backward, causing several people to slowly lower their weapons in surprise or maybe confusion.
"Some people don't want anything logical..."
The wolf performed a backflip before panting with a clearly friendly grin.
"...They can't be bought, reasoned with, or negotiated with."
The animal, seeing that it was gaining the trust of the group waiting to see its next move, did another backflip.
"Sometimes a man just wants to watch the world burn..."
But the instant it finished the flip, it opened its jaws and a massive stream of fire burst from its mouth, completely taking all the Huntsmen by surprise.
[Inferno: Allows the user to expel continuous streams of fire from their body.]
To avoid being burned alive, several immediately scattered while others barely managed to shield themselves.
Rosella looked slightly bewildered. "If that's the case… why did you leave him alone in Argus?"
GLaDOS dismissed the concern with a casual gesture. "He's with Aegis. I'm sure it'll be able to keep him under control for a few days."
—/—
Pyrrha watched in horror as many of her classmates and several professional Huntsmen scattered to avoid being hit by the wolf's fire, which had reached genuinely extreme temperatures.
"STOP!!" she shouted while struggling on the wolf's back, trying to stop it somehow.
It did not work, but that did not mean she was completely useless at that moment.
Huntsmen outfits were generally made almost entirely of durable and comfortable fabric, mainly because mobility was prioritized over protection. After all, that was what aura was for.
But that was not exactly the case for Pyrrha, whose outfit was complemented by several metal pieces, both for defense and, more importantly, to use them in combat thanks to her semblance.
[Polarity: Allows the user to control the magnetism of metallic objects.]
Using her ability, Pyrrha tore several metal pieces off her outfit, sending them flying toward the wolf's snout before wrapping around it like an improvised muzzle.
The metal clamped shut tightly, preventing the animal from continuing to spew fire.
The wolf turned its head to look at her with narrowed eyes.
"Sorry?" Pyrrha apologized, even though she herself was not entirely sure why she was apologizing.
They did not have time to exchange more words with their great friend, because at that moment all the Huntsmen charged at them.
The wolf turned its gaze back toward the Huntsmen. Many were firing their weapons while advancing, but the animal, unbelievably fast and agile, began weaving through the attacks, dodging bullets with movements that looked almost unnatural.
Not wanting to feel useless, Pyrrha tightened her grip around the wolf's neck even more. Even if it had the slightest effect, she would do her part.
One of the veteran Huntsmen did not miss the opportunity when he saw the wolf distracted dodging gunfire. He rushed in quickly from the side with his weapon, a massive axe, and delivered an upward slash carefully calculated not to injure Pyrrha.
And it worked.
The strike connected cleanly, sending the wolf flying several meters backward as a wound opened across its body.
Several people could not help but smile when they saw they were finally managing to subdue it.
The smiles disappeared almost instantly when they watched the wolf's wound begin closing at an unbelievably fast speed.
The Huntsman growled in frustration, preparing to continue attacking, but his anger quickly turned into pain when he felt a brutal stab in his chest, exactly where he had wounded the wolf.
There was no visible injury, yet it felt as though he had just been split in half.
He cursed under his breath while trying to stay standing. Seeing him suddenly stop, his companions hurried to help him and pull him away from the wolf.
But they never got the chance.
Everyone froze in place.
Every gaze slowly shifted toward the enormous wolf, which, to everyone's horror, was beginning to grow larger and larger. The improvised muzzle Pyrrha had placed on it finally snapped in half, unable to withstand the increase in size.
Everyone felt something difficult to describe.
A primitive fear. Instinctive.
[Aura of Terror: Passive ability that generates psychological pressure, paralyzing nearby enemies with fear.]
The younger Huntsmen, or those with weaker minds, felt a genuine urge to flee. Meanwhile, the veterans, though clearly frightened, held their ground with weapons ready, fully understanding that this could very well turn into a fight to the death.
And even so, they were willing to fight if it meant keeping that beast away from Argus and its people.
The wolf advanced slowly, each heavy step making the Huntsmen tighten their grip on their weapons even more.
But after only a few steps, it suddenly stopped.
The aura of fear vanished completely.
At the same time, the wolf sharply turned its head to the right and lifted one paw, pointing into the distance as if something even worse than itself was about to appear.
Almost instinctively, everyone followed its gaze in alarm, expecting to see whatever it was that seemed to concern the wolf so much.
Several seconds passed as they stared in that direction before realizing there was nothing there. And when they turned their attention back forward, the wolf was gone. They had fallen for its trick.
Alarmed, everyone began desperately searching for it.
"...Oh my God..."
They found it thanks to the horrified words of a student who was staring directly at the top of the wall.
Everyone recoiled in horror when they saw that, indeed, the wolf was running completely vertically up the wall, climbing it at full speed while being only moments away from entering the city.
"Maximum alert! All available Huntsmen to the city, we've been breached!"
"Sir!" a student shouted while pointing directly at the wolf's back.
That was when they noticed Pyrrha Nikos, who, even after everything that had happened, was still clinging to the animal's back, refusing to let go.
The veteran Huntsmen could not help but feel moved by the sight. Even an experienced Huntsman probably would have let go of that thing already, yet the young champion, the pride of Argus, still endured without giving up.
A tear slowly rolled down the commanding Huntsman's cheek. Later, he would personally make sure she received a medal for her bravery.
Though the reality was far less heroic. Pyrrha had not been conscious for quite a while.
She had passed out the moment the wolf used "Aura of Terror" at such close range, though nobody needed to know that little detail.
—//—
Author's Note:
I hope you all have a good week! As for me, mine's been complete shit. I didn't have my laptop for five days because I had the brilliant idea of sending it in for cleaning, and now the fan sounds weird and I want to die.
I wrote this on Saturday, hope you enjoy it. I was thinking about making the MC fight a giant Grimm while in wolf form, nothing else to say. If you have any ideas, leave a comment; I like reading them.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter…
Hugs and kisses! 🧀🐀