You leaned against your windowsill, staring at the sky as twilight turned into true night.
"(F/n)?" your familiar murmured, placing a comforting paw on your leg. Then, to your surprise, she added, "I'm sure that Levi will be okay."
"I thought you didn't like werewolves?" you questioned, dragging your eyes away from the sky to look down at her.
"I don't," she affirmed quietly. "But that one is important to you, and...well, he did save your life, so I guess he's not completely terrible."
Normally, you would have chuckled at such an admission, but not now. With a sigh, you stood up and murmured, "I'm going after him."
"You can't!" (c/n) cried, padding along beside you as you strode to the broom cupboard. "You heard what Levi said – it will be an all-out battle."
"All the more reason," you stated, fastening your cloak around your neck.
"But don't you remember what happened the last time you faced Rogues?" she whined. "They nearly killed you."
(C/n) hissed and jumped back when you snapped your fingers, creating a spurt of fire that was just enough to be intimidating. "They nearly killed me because I was unconscious," you reminded her sharply. "If you recall, I handled them quite well after I woke up."
Your familiar merely stared at you with wide, worried eyes.
You sighed, then knelt to the floor in front of her. "It's like you said," you continued softly. "Levi is important to me. And that's why I can't just sit here while he's fighting for his life, and for the pack that he loves. I have to help."
(C/n)'s brow furrowed. Her slitted eyes searched yours for a moment, and then she murmured, "Okay. Just...please, please be careful. I don't know what I would do if I lost my witch."
You smiled softly. "Don't worry. I promise I'll come back. And when I do, I'll give you a whole bowl full of treats."
The cat's ears perked up, but it was forced. She didn't have it in her to be excited, not now. She was too concerned for you.
With one last goodbye, you set off into the night.
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Rain began to fall as you neared the town – a light downpour that made it annoyingly difficult to see. However, you soon learned that you didn't need to see in order to discover where the battle was raging. The cacophony of growls, yelps, and howls was enough.
You thought it would be unwise to land in that mess, so you flew to the edge of town, where all seemed quiet. You muttered a spell under your breath, one that allowed you to borrow (c/n)'s vision, and soon, the darkened buildings and trees became clear as day to you.
You tucked your broom into an alley, deciding that you would need both hands to fight. You reasoned that Levi would probably be where the fighting was thickest, so that's where you would go. However, you froze in your tracks when you saw two werewolves walking in your direction.
Actually, "lurking" would be a better word. They stuck to the shadows, constantly glancing around, as if they weren't supposed to be here. As if this wasn't their home, but an enemy's.
Rogues.
You ducked back into the alley, pressing up against a dumpster to hide your scent. Cautiously, you peeked out, waiting on bated breath as the wolves drew closer to your position.
They passed without seeing you, continuing toward some unknown goal. An instant later, the wind picked up, carrying bits of their hushed conversation to your human ears.
"...don't see why we have to do this so slowly. All their fighters are out east. Let's just run in and slaughter the little twerps."
"We don't know that there aren't any fighters here. They could have left a few behind to defend the weaklings, or trained their females to fight."
"Please. You're scared of females?"
"Of course not! Look, let's just get the job done, alright?"
Their conversation faded as they walked further and further away, but you had heard enough. Those Rogues were planning to murder werewolves who couldn't fight. Judging by their use of the word "twerps", they were probably intent on killing children – pups. So even if the pack won this battle, their victory would be far outweighed by what they lost.
You had to stop them.
You grabbed your broom from the alley and flew up – high enough that the Rogues wouldn't smell you. Then you followed them, no more than a shadow, until you determined where they were going.
Their target was a building in the middle of town – one that appeared to be a school. You ventured a guess that any wolves not strong enough to fight were inside, lying low until the danger had passed. As a human, you never would have known that they were there, but the Rogues could probably scent them. After all, they seemed to have a pretty solid idea of where they were going.
Now that you knew their target, you flew ahead of the Rogues and landed in the schoolyard. You rushed to the doors and yanked them open, only to find yourself thrown to the ground, with a giant paw pressing down on your chest.
The wolf that held you snarled threateningly, and although you couldn't understand her animal speech with your human ears, you got the message.
"I'm here to help you!" you gasped, barely able to breathe due to the weight on your chest. "There are Rogues outside, coming this way! Please, I'm Levi's mate!"
Another wolf appeared – this one brown-haired and shaggy. She nudged the first wolf off you, then leaned down and sniffed you thoroughly. She ended by bestowing a long lick across your face.
"Ah!" you shrieked, unsettled by the wet sensation, as well as her foul breath. "Okay, okay! Can I please get up now?"
The wolf stepped back, allowing you to rise to your feet. As soon as you did, she shifted and pulled you into a hug, completely disregarding the fact that she was naked. "Yay! I finally get to meet Levi's mate! It's like Christmas came early!" Then she pulled back, grinning widely. "Wow, you really are pretty! What are you doing with Levi, eh? Anyway, I'm Hanji! Erwin's mate!"
"Er..." you muttered, looking anywhere but at her. "Nice to meet you, but...could you put some clothes on, please?"
She waved you off, completely unbothered. "I'll be shifting back in a moment, anyway. You said that Rogues were coming, right?"
"Right," you replied.
You were surprised at how quickly her elated expression became serious. "Thanks for the warning, but don't worry. Nanaba and I are prepared to give them hell. No one messes with our pups."
As if on cue, you heard a whimpering sound from behind Hanji. You peeked around her, only to see a cluster of werewolf pups huddled together in a darkened classroom. A few adults were there too, but they looked older and weaker than the two females in front of you.
"I'd like to help," you told Hanji. "My gift is fire, and I brought explosive powder that's pretty useful in a fight."
"Explosive powder?!" Hanji exclaimed, returning to her exuberant self. "How do you make it? Can I have a sample? Please? I really, really wanna see!"
Nanaba growled softly and nudged Hanji, who chuckled sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Right, fight first. Got it." Then she leaned in close to you and whispered, "But afterwards, you and I have a date, alright?"
"Um..."
However, you were saved from having to respond by the sudden change in the atmosphere. Both Hanji and Nanaba tensed, and a second later, the former had returned to her wolf form. She looked at you, then jerked her head.
You didn't need to speak wolf to understand the direction. You were to stay behind the two females. So you remained still and allowed them to step past you, before reaching into your pocket and gripping a sack of powder.
Your gaze drifted once more to the pups in the classroom. A small white one stared back, his wide eyes meeting yours in a wordless plea. Your chest tightened at the sight, and you nodded confidently back at him, trying to convey that it was alright. These creatures were innocents, and so you would protect them with your life.
Your eyes returned to the glass front doors, focused and ready. The rain outside the made it impossible to see what was coming. The only warning you had was when Hanji and Nanaba sank into defensive positions – right before the Rogues broke through the glass.
They only remained inside for a moment, though. Unconcerned with the shards flying through the air, the two females met the enemy head-on. The Rogues clearly hadn't been expecting such a strong resistance, and they were quickly pushed back, out into the night.
You were just about to follow when you heard a crash from behind you. Two more Rogues entered the building, apparently having snuck in from the opposite direction. Their eyes landed on you, and their lips pulled back to reveal grotesque smiles.
You didn't wait for them to make the first move. It was too dangerous to start blowing things up indoors, when you were so close to the pups, but that didn't mean you were useless. Fire could work well enough on its own.
It took a heap of concentration and power to create a sufficient attack, but you managed. Before he even had a chance to react, the Rogue on the right was blasted back, tumbling outside in a ball of fire. His partner soon followed suit.
You couldn't help the amused smirk that curled your lips, even as your chest heaved from exhaustion. Summoning huge amounts of fire like that was quite draining. Had there been more than two opponents, you probably wouldn't have managed.
Then Hanji was back at your side, and Nanaba stood just outside the shattered doors. Blood dripped from both of their muzzles, but thankfully, that seemed to be the only place stained red. The Rogues they had been fighting lay in a dark heap in the yard.
Hanji shifted, then wiped her mouth on her arm. "Thanks for watching our backs," she muttered, still retaining the seriousness that she seemed to use only when the situation demanded it. "The rest of the pack can say what they like, but I think that Levi was pretty lucky to get a witch for a mate. I'd fight alongside you anytime."
From her spot outside, Nanaba gave a short bark, and both your heads turned.
"Ha," Hanji hummed flatly. "She says that she doesn't have Mike's nose, but she's pretty sure that there aren't any more Rogues hanging around."
"Mike?" you asked.
"Her mate," Hanji explained. "And also the pack's Gamma – that means he's next in command after Erwin and Levi."
Levi. Although you didn't regret your detour to save the pups, you were quite anxious to find him. You knew that you were meant to be at his side, to fight alongside him, as an equal. As his mate.
"I need to find Levi," you stated.
Hanji nodded, as if your reckless desire required no explanation. "He'll be at the front lines. Just go to where the fight is the loudest. And (f/n)...be careful. Levi waited a long time to find you, so you can't die now."
You nodded gravely. "Thank you."
"No," she stated. "Thank you. You protected our pups. We won't forget."