Wolf and Rabbit

Thorne quickly stood infront of Lilly and surrounded the two in Aura to suppress the onslaught that came from Raina. Thorne was about to reach for his sword, but noticed the bloodlust was quelled as Sarah glared at Raina.

"Now Missy, these are our guests. If they had threatened us, you know well that your Father would've dealt with them." Her voice was cold, making Raina suddenly look like a child who was caught stealing candy.

Sarah then sighed and took her hand to follow the same tradition. As Raina leaned her head in, the last of her Aura was drawn in.

To Lilly, the pressure was overwhelming. It was like she was being looked down on a predator that had trapped her in a corner. For Thorne, he was reminded of his old days of war. That pressure was without a down from an Aura Master. If they went head to head with Raina being so angry, he couldn't even imagine the outcome.

As the two did their best to relax, Sarah then turned around to gesture to them. "Raina, these two came from the Capital to meet you. The man is General Micheal Thorne of the Royal Knights. Behind him is Priness Liliana Elswear, daughter of King Richard and Queen Lilith of our kingdom. In short, your cousin."

Raina looked up to the two in a cold gaze. As she wasn't anywhere close to them, she only showed the barest respect with a small nod. After receiving a hit from Sarah to her stomach, Raina sighed softly and brought her fist up to her heart and dipped her head a bit.

Thorne cleared his throat and stood tall to follow the same gesture. It was a normal salute for the kingdom among soldiers, making Thorne assume this was the etiquette the couple had managed to get Raina to learn.

Lilly peeked out from behind Thorne, her face pale in fear and her ruby eyes watered with tears. All she did was nod to Raina, who had stiffened upon getting a better look at her.

Sarah noticed this and raised her brow. "Raina." Her tone was warning the taller woman of something, causing her to look down at her and hold two fingers up. She then curled the tips and bounced her hand a bit before gesturing to her face and dropping her finger.

"I get that, but please refrain from your antics. I've already warned Thorne, but do your best to keep your paws to yourself." Sarah glared as she folded her arms over her chest.

Raina then gave an exasperated look and tilted her head at Sarah. She tried to sign her innocence, but was interrupted by the Duke who wrapped his arm around her shoulders and laughed. The two were at the same height, with Raina being a little taller.

"Now now, let's leave it at that dear. You how all the men already look at our niece." The Duke chuckled as she pat Raina's back, making her blush and scratch her cheek.

"I will not have our daughter corrupt our niece. Any other girl is fine, just not Lilly." Sarah sighed as she looked back at the two at the doorway.

Thorne was rightfully glaring at Raina as he understood that the conversation entailed. For Lilly, her eyes had yet to leave the golden eyed woman. She couldn't help but eye each scar and curve the woman held, that black hair and bright eyes made her feel like she was being consumed.

Raina noticed the stare, looking back at Lilly with a warm smile. After leaning in to give Sarah a kiss on her forehead, she stepped around the woman and gestured for the Princess to come closer.

She hesitated for a second and looked to her Uncle. The man simply gave a gentle nod with a warm smile in reassurance, letting the girl know it was safe. She then gave a nod in return before trying a step towards the taller girl.

Thorne raised his brow as he watched Lilly approach Raina. His eyes glanced at every feature of the woman to make sure she wouldn't attempt to harm the Princess. It was then he noticed something flitting behind Raina. It was slight, but there was definitely something waving behind the girls butt.

Sarah and Jeremiah simply gave some sighs and shook their heads as they saw what Thorne only caught a glimpse of. How many years had it been since they'd seen such a sight, it almost brought Sarah to tears again.

As Lilly stepped up to Raina, she looked up and held her hands together over her stomach to play with her fingers. The height difference was intimidating enough, but those golden eyes staring down at her really brought the reality of it home.

Seeing the slight fear in the girls eyes, Raina held up a finger and slowly got down on one knee. This allowed Lilly to stare down at her like how Raina had, making it a little less awkward for the two.

Lilly finally gave a shy smile and tilted her head a bit, admiring not only the woman's sleek hair, but also the embroidery in the headband. The fur was small, but it hugged Rainas forehead like it always belonged. In the center was a simple leather patch with a tuft of black fur at the top, but it seemed much more special than most of the jewelry she'd worn.

"What is the meaning behind that patch, Miss Raina?" Her words came out slowly to try and break the ice.

The woman's eyes saddened a little as she brought one hand up to her chest. She then gestured to the manor with a saddened smile, making Lilly turn around and look around at the building.

" 'My home.' This is what she's saying Lilly." The Duke spoke up for Raina as Sarah leaned back into his chest.

Lilly turned back to Raina with pity in her eyes. After she'd heard of Raina's tale, she found only pity in the larger woman. Raina moved on instinct, reaching for the girls hands and gently taking them in hers as she gave a small shake of her head.

Her hands then slowly transformed in the Princess'. As the short, pitch black fur caked her hands like a small rug, her nails hardened and sharpened above her finger tips with a small curl.

Her hands then slowly got smaller and smaller in Lilly's. There was no sound of bones cracking as they shrank either, amazing Lilly more and more. Then, a sudden squeal was heard from the Princess, making Thorne jump a little and grab the handle of his blade.

Before he could jump in, Lilly gave a happy giggle and began to play with the freshly formed pads on Raina's new wolf paws. "Oh God's, they are so soft. Aunty, how could you keep such a thing to yourself?"

The Duke and Duchess were both shocked at the sight. Raina had never shown anyone this transformation before, as Were-Kin often used it for surveillance or to hide away. This was a big secret Raina revealed, and the wolf didn't seem to care at all. In fact, she looked more excited the happier Lilly was.

It was then that Raina held a paw up and slowly stood up. Lilly raised her brow and took a step back to observe the woman. After watching her smirk and wink, Lilly's face felt a little hot, making her bring her hand up to cover her mouth and cover her shy smile.

Raina then closed her eyes and made a few short hops. Black mist began to envelope her as she jumped into the air at an angle. Flipping over, she landed back on her hands and knees with the black mist fully enveloping her.

It then fell to the dirt and began to disappate, leaving Raina in the form of a pitch black wolf, much bigger than either Thorne or Lilly had ever seen before. Both were astonished to see such a rare sight. Yet, while Thorne felt fear, Lilly was the only one who felt excitement.

Raina then stepped up to Lilly and sat down to lift her head, allowing Lilly to hug her and feel her smooth, long fur.

"By the Gods, you look so cute like this Raina."

"To think she..." Sarah muttered as she held her hand over her mouth.

"It seems she's chosen someone, hmm?" Jeremiah chuckled as he kissed the top of his wife's head. "It seems the God's are smiling down on our Niece."

"There will be problems." Sarah sighed and drooped her eyes.

The Duke simply chuckled and pat her shoulder gently. "Raina's strong, just believe in her."

"Duke, this is unacceptable. You know what this means?" Thorne shouted as he drew his blade to aim the tip at Raina. "I will not have this bea-"

"Enough, General Thorne. I will not have you aiming your blade at my daughter." The Duke's expression turned cold as he glared at the man.

"General Thorne, for what reason do you point your blade at Raina?" Lilly asked as she stood and turned to him.

Raina circled around to sit between the Princess and the General, a low growl leaving her throat and her ears falling flat. Thorne grit his teeth as he looked between the Duke and Lilly. His anger had reached its peak now that Raina had shown that form, but he couldn't tell the Princess why for fear of the Duke's further anger.

It was then that the Duke cleared his throat and gestured to him. "Tell you what, why not give Raina the same test as the others? I know you fear for other reasons, but I can promise they do not matter."

Thorne raised his brow at the couple. If it weren't for the Duchess' gesturing, he would not have understood the hidden meaning. Turning away for a second, he got lost in thought and lowered his blade.

"Are you certain?" He finally asked with a quizzical look.

"She's our daughter, why wouldn't we know?" The Duchess gave him a soft, threatening smile. This made the man clear his throat and turn to Raina to glare at her.

"Fine, if it's as you say, then I've no reason to not allow a chance. However, you must come with us to convince His Highness."

"If that's what it takes, then proceed with the test so we can prepare to journey back." The Duke sighed as he walked past his wife to Raina.

Kneeling down, he gave Raina's head a gentle pat with a warm smile. "Sweetheart. Are you sure of your decision?"

Raina responded by leaning in to rub her muzzle against his cheek. Jeremiah then sighed softly while scratching behind her ears. Standing with a soft groan, he gestured for Lilly to follow before walking back to his wife.

"Raina, if you're gonna do it, go all out. The last one fought that old man till he lost an arm." He warned as he wrapped his arm around Lilly's shoulders. "As for you, young lady, your Aunt and I have some words for you after their duel."

"Wait, duel? What's all this about?" Lilly asked as she raised her brow and turned her head to look at Raina.

"This is not something I'm allowed to explain, little flower. Just sit back and watch how our daughter fights." He chuckled softly before turning to General Thorne. "A word of warning, General. Do not think of her as a Noble. I would hate for it to end to fast."

Thorne cocked his brow at the warning before turning to Raina. "Well, if you are ready, come at me anyway you choose." He sighed as he raised his sword again and took a stance.

Raina gave a sigh as she shook her head. She hadn't expected this kind of development realistically, but she had gone to far to turn back now. Instead, she decided to try out the new powers she discovered after reaching this new level.

After a deep breath, Raina looked up and gave a long, low howl that reverberated through the air.