Chapter Text
Steam lifted from Ymir’s brow as the wound on her skin closed quickly. With the little drops of blood, sweat trickled down her skin as well. Her chest heaved hard and her eyes darted around her, all senses on high alert. Behind her there was a sudden thud and when Ymir turned sharply she was attacked from behind.
Sharp claws sliced into her bared back, not too deep but enough to pierce skin and shed blood. The brunette hissed loudly and swung around to claw back, but the space behind her was empty. Other sounds distracted her and each time she turned those claws shot out and scratched her. At least they healed as quickly as they appeared, and disappeared with a torrent of steam, but that didn’t lessen the amount of pain. Ymir wasn’t weak, she could definitely handle pain, but it wasn’t at all pleasant.
A shake of the tree to Ymir’s left alerted her that her attacker would jump from above, and for once Ymir managed to look up in time and dodge the teeth and claws aimed at her shoulder. When her attacker landed on the ground on all fours, teeth bared and lips curled back in a nasty snarl, Ymir felt the hairs at the back of her neck rise. Her skin tightened and itched and she resisted the urge to shift. Her teeth and claws were out, however, and now Ymir’s eyes were glowing in anger.
The attacker bounded forward again and Ymir immediately stepped to the side, successfully evading another slash. With each new dodge Ymir gained in confidence and within a minute she was dodging attacks with ease, either stepping, sliding or jumping out of the way. Though not each attack was evaded and Ymir still suffered a wound here and there.
By now sweat was pouring down Ymir’s body. She was nude, from head to toe. In situations like these clothes was only a hindrance, so it was best to simply undress and fight from there. Unlike other times Ymir wasn’t as exhausted as she would have been. But now her body was starting to ache, especially since she had resisted the natural urge to change.
When her attacker jumped forward again, ready to bite, Ymir reached out instead of dodging. She grabbed her attacker by the scruff of the neck and then threw with all of her might, sending her assailant flying over her shoulder and into a tree. The blow was so powerful that the tree cracked halfway through the centre.
Ymir smirked in satisfaction but that was quickly wiped off of her face when hands grabbed a hold of her neck and her feet were swept out from underneath her. The world spun and then Ymir fell onto her back with a painful thud, the air whooshing out of her lungs.
“Fuck,” Ymir cursed harshly and struggled against the hands clenched around her neck and glared up into the glowing blue eyes on top of her.
“That hurt,” Nanaba said evenly. Her hands quickly disappeared from Ymir’s throat but she still sat on top of her and stretched her long arms above her head to pin point where she’d been hurt the most.
Ymir rubbed at her neck and grunted. “Sorry.”
Nanaba paused in stretching and glanced back down at Ymir under her. “Ymir, we are training your reflexes and ability to evade attacks. You are supposed to focus on moving out of the way, not attacking.” She flinched when she felt the ache in her shoulder. It had been dislocated when Ymir had thrown her into the tree, but luckily it was already back into place and on its way to healing.
“How the hell am I supposed to be okay with you having the advantage? If I can attack then I can at least stand a chance.” Ymir sighed unhappily and splayed her arms out to her sides. “Besides, your teeth and claws are sharp and it fucking hurts.”
Nanaba sighed deeply. “We’ve been at this for weeks now. When it comes to offense you’re at my level, but you can’t go onto the defence to save your life.”
“Yeah, well–”
“No, seriously,” Nanaba said, interrupting Ymir. She stood and helped the brunette to her feet. “I need you to get this, Ymir. We are so close to getting you ready.”
Ymir squinted. “Ready for what?”
“Ready to be a full grown cynan, Ymir.” Nanaba sighed in exasperation and wiped the sweat from her brow. “Come on, one more time.”
Ymir groaned. “Do we seriously have to? I’m insanely tired.”
“Yes we seriously have to,” Nanaba replied, already preparing herself to shift. She spared Ymir one more glance and then her eyes began to glow and her entire body phased out with a cloud of steam, and when she emerged she was standing on all fours, tail swinging back and forth.
Let’s cover the basics again, yeah?
Ymir tiredly wiped at her face but nodded.
Nanaba approached Ymir and paused right in front of her. In her cynan form she was huge. Her cynan body was almost similar in size to a horse, but slightly smaller, towering over Ymir. Her eyes were an unnatural but beautiful glowing blue, and when she opened her mouth Ymir caught sight of her sharp canines. Short, blonde fur covered the entire length of Nanaba’s large body. Her shoulders were broad and her head held high, the pride in her stance, at her heritage, obvious. She even struck awe in Ymir, and the brunette couldn’t help it since she still felt like a pup even though she was in her twenties. Nanaba had been doing the cynan thing for most of her life, Ymir hadn’t. The blonde was fluid and dangerous with her movements, Ymir still had a lot to learn.
We have sharp teeth and claws. A cynan, or even a lycan, will first start off with a swing of the paw. When they go for the throat with their teeth then you know they are aiming for the kill. If your enemy swipes at you from any direction, keep yourself sensitive to the shift in the air in order to feel which direction the blow will come from.
Nanaba lifted her arm and swung it down at Ymir but paused just before her sharp claws sliced through the skin on her chest.
We aim for the heart. Use your forearms to block the claws, and then either distance yourself or go in for a bite to the jugular or a punch to the sternum. The latter will give you a few seconds while the cynan or lycan recovers.
Ymir nodded, knowing this well enough but keeping her full attention on Nanaba’s voice inside of her head. She followed the blonde cynan’s actions when she swung her arm again, knowing that she wouldn’t pause to spare words this time. As Nanaba had instructed Ymir threw her arm out and knocked the paw away, and while Nanaba began to swing again, Ymir used the palm of her hand, her fingers curled slightly, to slam against Nanaba’s furry chest. The strength of the blow sent Nanaba flying back a few feet before she stopped her momentum and caught her balance.
Jesus, I never get used to your strength.
Ymir didn’t spare time to grin. Instead she beckoned Nanaba forward. “Let’s continue.”
Nanaba’s ears perked in surprise. As you wish. The blonde melted away into the trees and Ymir took that as her cue to return to her earlier spot.
Almost immediately Ymir closed her eyes and focused her senses. With a deep, calming inhale of fresh air, Ymir felt the surroundings flood into her senses. She heard each rustle of the trees, felt each brush of air on her skin. When the wind shifted the tiniest, and air brushed against her back she instinctively knew that Nanaba would come from that direction.
Ymir tensed her body, biting her tongue hard to distract herself from turning unconsciously due to the threat, and then she swung around and knocked Nanaba’s paw away just as it swiped at her. As Nanaba landed in a crouch Ymir jumped to the side and then she rose back onto her feet and jumped into the air to dodge the blonde lunging for her.
Nanaba growled deeply, as threateningly as she could, and disappeared amongst the trees again. She stayed hidden for a longer period this time, and when she eventually did emerge it was done slowly, with calculated, quiet steps taken towards Ymir.
The brunette’s body trembled, but she kept herself in check and made sure to watch each and every movement that Nanaba made. It was frustrating not being able to simply turn. But that wasn’t the mission for the day. Ymir’s focus had completely changed, and she now wanted to get this right and move on.
Nanaba could sense the change from her. Earlier Ymir had been irritable and stubborn. Now she looked fierce and determined. Her fingers twitched ever so slightly, and the sight made Nanaba’s thin lips curl back over her teeth in an awkward smile that looked more frightening considering her current body, than anything.
This time the attack didn’t happen in an instant. Nanaba took her time to lazily circle around Ymir, as if her fellow cynan was her intended prey and next meal. The blonde’s eyes were narrowed and just as fierce as the brown ones scrutinizing her, and her nails dug deeply into the soil with each heavy step she took. Softly at first, a deep growl emanated from her chest and rattled through Ymir’s very core.
An instinct to defend herself consumed Ymir, and when she saw the twitch in Nanaba’s right shoulder she knew how she would attack, so when Nanaba launched at her with such speed that she was almost a blur, Ymir was fast enough to drop to her knees and bend backwards just as the blonde cynan sailed over her.
Nanaba seemed genuinely surprised. Her mistake was glancing down at Ymir below her, because she then lost her rhythm and ended up crashing into the closest tree.
Ymir watched her do it, and at last she could not hold it in anymore and she transformed in a below of steam, laughing in a spurt of amusement as she did it. Her human laugh turned into a growling chuckle and by the time her two feet had turned to four Ymir was on her back, convulsing and scratching her paws over her face in her amusement. Her long, brown-furred body curled with her and each time she laughed her shoulders spasmed.
Nanaba stood and sneezed loudly to rid the blood from her sinus. The bleeding quickly stopped and her jaw hurt, but she had no other injuries except for the ones to her pride. She immediately bounded over to Ymir and closed her teeth around one of Ymir’s ears.
Ouch, shit, shit shit let me go! Ymir cried out internally.
Nanaba released a gruff growl in amusement and released the ear to sit down right on top of Ymir.
That was mean, Nanaba thought.
It was funny! Please get off of me, you’re heavy.
Ymir was significantly smaller than Nanaba. Her little confidence in her ability was to blame for it, and she was partly intimidated by Nanaba. The first time she had seen the blonde in her true form had been both frightening and sobering. Ymir had, however, doubled in size since she had been the “dog” Krista had found on the road.
Nanaba sighed through her nose and reluctantly got onto her paws. She scratched at the ground once in warning and then turned her head up towards the sky. She took a tentative sniff, eyes closed.
We should head back, it’s almost midnight.
Ymir shook her fur to get the leaves and dirt off of it and then she trotted up beside Nanaba and rubbed her head against the blonde’s shoulder – an instinctive show of apology. Nanaba took it with a short nod.
Yeah, shit Krista is probably pissed that I’m late again.
Nanaba sighed as they started to run. I’m sorry Ymir.
Ymir rolled her eyes and sped up faster, overtaking Nanaba and running ahead of her as if she was the alpha.
They had been training in a private area just outside of town. There were many large and lush trees, with a small pond somewhere nearby as a source of water and small animals for food. Of course, Ymir and Nanaba never became hungry enough to hunt. That was still one of the lessons left for the brunette. As civilized as she wanted to be, Ymir was still a cynan. She would need the skills to hunt and kill if she was ever to survive as one of her kind.
So did I pass, teach’?
You did. That last move surprised me. I think we’ll go over the other defence moves tomorrow, and then we’ll move on to other things.
What other things could there be? I thought you said that I’m almost ready?
Nanaba paused beside the road they had been following to turn and regard Ymir seriously. Ymir paused too and her ears folded back in worry that she had made Nanaba angry.
You’ve been training for a year. There is still much to teach you.
Ymir released a long string of relieved air and then she padded by Nanaba and lightly bumped her with her hip. Yeah, yeah. She threw a glance over her shoulder and then she started running again.
Nanaba rose to the challenge, running up beside her. For most of the distance she controlled her pace to stay close to the younger cynan, but when they reached the city and the many bright lights disturbed the natural dark, Nanaba tensed her strong muscles and ran as fast as she could, shooting right by Ymir and crossing the street in a blur.
Ymir yelped in absolute surprise, and then she lowered her head and straightened her ears, growling in displeasure. She imagined herself growing even stronger, and her body reacted. Just like Nanaba, Ymir ran at full speed and within seconds they both jumped over the fence to Krista’s home and crashed into a pile against the back porch.
“What the hell was that?” Ymir asked after shifting back into her human form. They had to change the instant they had landed, in case the neighbours saw anything. Though they were both naked now, and it was late, and Nanaba had landed right on top of Ymir and she was now sitting on top of her, so they probably looked even stranger than two giant dogs would have.
“Do you seriously think I’ve been racing you at full speed this whole time?”
Ymir’s eyes narrowed. “I kept up with you, asshole.”
“Just barely. That wasn’t even my full, full speed.”
Ymir laughed. “Bullshit. One day we will have an official race and I’ll make you eat my dust.”
Nanaba’s eyebrow lifted high. She crossed her arms over chest, covering her exposed breasts, and chuckled lightly. “You really act like a pup.”
Ymir bristled at the comment, as she always did, and mimicked Nanaba by folding her arms over her chest too. “So fucking what. You act like-“
“Ymir?” Their argument was interrupted when Krista’s voice echoed from the house and then the blonde stepped outside a few moments later. She immediately sputtered and covered her eyes with her hands when she saw a naked Nanaba straddling a naked Ymir. Not to mention they were both glistening in sweat and covered in blood and dirt. “Uh… y-you both are naked.”
Ymir was about to reply that she was pointing out the obvious, but Nanaba suddenly stood and spoke before she could.
“I’m sorry, Krista. I seem to keep Ymir away longer than I should.” Nanaba went over to their pile of clothes that they had left in Krista’s backyard earlier that day and then she quickly dressed herself. When she was covered she went over and handed Ymir’s clothes to her.
“So how did training go?” Krista had uncovered her eyes and yawned loudly. She looked like she had just been asleep, and Ymir could smell the faint scent of their bed on her. She knew then that her love had been asleep, and she felt bad for waking her up like this.
“Mm,” Nanaba finished taking a long sip of water from her bottle that had been left with the clothes and then gestured towards Ymir with a nod. “She struggled a lot today.”
“Really? Ymir, are you giving Nanaba a hard time?”
Ymir laughed humourlessly and snatched the bottle out of Nanaba’s hand to get rid of her own dry throat and thirstiness. “Yes I am. But I’m improving”
Both blondes blinked that Ymir admitted it, and then they sighed. Krista did smile though, finding her lover’s stubbornness cute on top of being annoying. “Is it still the defence thing?” Krista asked.
Nanaba nodded. “She isn’t fast enough to dodge my attacks and she always ends up breaking one of my bones when she gives up and attacks me back. Though she did get what I was trying to say at the end of it. She surprised me, actually.”
Ymir gave the bottle back to Nanaba and then leaned down to peck Krista on the lips. “How was your day though? I’m sorry that we woke you like assholes.”
“Oh, it was okay. I did some shopping with Sasha, and you don’t need to apologise for waking me. I was waiting for you anyway.”
Ymir knew instantly that Krista had fallen asleep in her pursuit to wait for Ymir, but she decided not to mention it since the little blonde was exhausted. “Let me guess, she nearly bought all of the food again?”
Krista giggled.
Nanaba asked, “Is Sasha really that obsessed with food?”
Ymir and Krista shared a look before they nodded in sync, Krista’s nod being the more serious one, though it was a lot lazier due to how tired she was. “She’s a chef at a restaurant in town, but she’s been in love with food since I can remember.”
Nanaba nodded. “She sounds amusing.”
This time Ymir laughed. “She’s an idiot.”
Even though Ymir and Krista had been visiting Nanaba for well over a year and a half now, that being the amount of time it had been since meeting her, the tall blonde hadn’t met any of Krista’s friends. At first it was because Nanaba was so busy with training Ymir, but then it was more of the fact that Nanaba didn’t feel comfortable with a group of people she didn’t know. Ymir teased her that she was shy, but really, Nanaba just didn’t want to impose.
Nanaba retrieved her watch from her pocket and glanced at the time. “Alright you two, it’s already past midnight. Krista, I apologise for keeping your mate away for so long.”
Krista blushed at the term, still not used to it, but dazedly waved her hands. “Oh no, it’s fine, really!”
Nanaba offered a charming smile and then put her arm around Ymir’s shoulders and roughly grabbed the back of her neck. “Tomorrow we’ll try again. Stop acting like a pup and concentrate harder. We can’t waste any more time.” There was an undercurrent of urgency in her voice that Ymir obviously didn’t hear but Krista did, and she took a good look at Nanaba as the tall blonde scolded her lover. She looked tense and it probably wasn’t just because of the training they had done.
Ymir growled angrily and rolled her eyes. “Yes, mom.”
They both stared at each other through narrowed eyes, and then they both shivered in disgust and Nanaba quickly withdrew her arm. “Stop being creepy and put your mate to bed. She looks like she’s about to fall over.”
Ymir laughed at the awkwardness and nodded. “I will. So, tomorrow, same time?”
Nanaba nodded and followed the couple through the house to the front door.
“Oh, Nanaba!” Krista grabbed onto Nanaba’s wrist to stop her and quickly looked up at the tall blonde. “Would you like to have dinner with us tomorrow? I meant to ask you when you and Ymir were about to head off this morning but I kind of forgot.”
“Thank you for the offer Krista but unfortunately I have something important to do.” Krista visibly deflated and Ymir glared at Nanaba for disappointing her. Nanaba saw both reactions and sighed guiltily. “No really, I’m visiting Adrian tonight and I’ll probably sleep there and have dinner with him tomorrow. I promise to make it next time, is that alright?”
Krista brightened. “Sure!” She gave Nanaba a tight hug around the waist.
Ymir’s expression made Nanaba linger back for a second. “Listen, stop being such a loser and visit us sometime. If you’re lonely then let us know.” Ymir felt uncomfortable with what she was suggesting, but she felt a strong kinship with Nanaba and she did possibly even care about her.
Nanaba was strong, serious, skilled and impossibly determined. She also carried a heavy sense of sadness and loneliness with her, and Ymir had learnt to smell it just by being around her. It bothered Ymir, and maybe it was also an instinct to help a fellow cynan.
The tall blonde smiled charmingly and grabbed Ymir’s wrist to give it a firm squeeze. “Thank you Ymir, I’ll remember that.”
Ymir grinned and squeezed back, her hand around Nanaba’s wrist, and then she let go and Nanaba walked out of the front door and down the pathway to the driveway. “Try not to kick my ass too hard tomorrow!” the brunette yelled after Nanaba had approached her car and unlocked the door.
Nanaba chuckled and waved. When she had climbed in and driven down the street, her amused and happy smile immediately dropped and her eyes drained of affection. The cynan woman tightened her hands on the steering wheel, and then she hurried to Adrian’s shop.
Once there she let herself in through the backdoor and found the old man sitting by the counter in the store despite the time. He had probably been expecting her
“Hey Adrian,” Nanaba spoke up, but she knew that he had already sensed her. “Any news?”
Adrian didn’t look at her but he did hand a newspaper over to her by sliding it along the table. “There’s been another murder.” Right down to business.
“Man found slashed to pieces in dirty alleyway; could this be the work of a serial killer or a wild animal?”
Nanaba read the first line of the article and then she cursed softly and tossed the paper onto the table. “Do you think there is a possibility?” she asked.
Adrian stood up to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, finding that Nanaba was already tensed and stiff. “I wish it wasn’t true, but these murders have been going on for a year. By the looks of the injuries… it can only be the work of one creature.”
“How can we know for sure?”
“The others have been getting restless, Nanaba. You can sense it too.”
Nanaba bit her lip. “I was hoping they would only pass through.”
“They’ve settled here.” Adrian pulled the tall blonde with him to the back room and sat her down on a chair. He then occupied himself by making tea for them both. “Is she ready yet?”
“No. Ymir is definitely strong, very strong, but she lacks the determination and seriousness. She hasn’t completed her training yet.”
“Then we must wait and bide our time.”
“But what if they act first and we aren’t ready?”
Adrian glanced over his shoulder. “You aren’t the only one unsettled by their presence. I’ve had the others come to me for reassurance. I warned them all to prepare for a fight.”
“Does it always have to come down to a damn fight?”
Nanaba was more anxious than usual and Adrian could see it. But he understood why. Unlike most, Nanaba experienced first-hand the terror they were sure to experience too. She had been victim, and now she was determined to prevent others from suffering the same misfortune.
“If I can’t get Ymir ready soon then her mate is in danger. Krista is the most wonderful human I have ever met. She doesn’t deserve to be harmed in any way.”
“So why don’t you warn them?” Adrian placed a cup of tea in front of Nanaba, but she didn’t notice. He sat down beside her, wise eyes watching her normally calm face.
“I don’t want them to panic. Ymir especially. She might even be the first one to act if I explain the situation to her.”
Adrian took a thoughtful sip of tea. “Then continue as you have now. If they make a move you will be the first to know.”
“Thank you.”
“It won’t happen again, you know. I won’t allow their kind to do that to you.”
Nanaba stood from the table and smiled. “Thanks Adrian, but I didn’t train as hard as I have all these years to be so easily overtaken by them again. This time I am ready. My main concern is those two.” She downed the tea in one giant gulp. “I’m gonna head upstairs for a shower. Training got me really dirty today. Can I sleep over tonight?”
“Of course,” Adrian said with a smile. He stood and followed Nanaba out of the room and up the stairs to the apartment above the shop. He pulled a blanket and pillow from the lounge closet and then dropped them down on the couch. “Would you like me to let the others know you’re here?” he asked.
Nanaba was busy covering the couch with the blanket and situating the pillow. “No. Honestly, I’m exhausted. But I’d like to go around the city tomorrow and check for scents again. Could you let them know to meet me then?”
Adrian merely nodded and then he watched as Nanaba left the lounge for the small bathroom down the hall to his left. A strange eeriness filled the room, and he quickly went to lock the windows and doors because of it.
XxX
A little while after her return Ymir was finally done washing the sweat and dirt from her skin. In doing so she had left Krista alone in bed, though, so when Ymir finally left the bathroom she saw that her blonde lover was asleep while sitting.
Ymir smiled affectionately at this and switched the bathroom light off behind her before tossing her towel into the dark room and padding quietly towards the bed. She climbed in beside Krista and pulled the smaller woman into her arms. Even though she was sure to be gentle, Krista startled slightly and looked up into Ymir’s face with bleary, sleepy eyes.
“Ymir? What time is it?”
Ymir chuckled and brushed the hair out of Krista’s eyes. She leaned over to switch the lamp off and then lay down with Krista curled up at her side.
“Just after one. It’s still early, go back to sleep.”
Krista breathed a sigh and snuggled up further. “Tell me about your training,” she requested sleepily.
Ymir released a yawn and chuckled afterwards. “Babe, go to sleep. We can talk about it tomorrow. You’ll fall asleep halfway through it anyway.”
Krista grumbled against Ymir’s neck. “Will not.” But her voice sounded distant, and a moment later her body relaxed and she fell asleep again. Unfortunately the warmth, clean scent and the comfort of being with Ymir again had relaxed Krista too much, and sleep had been inevitable.
While the blonde fell deeper into unconscious Ymir yawned again, and then she glanced outside of the window at the moon. It was half full, and the sight sent a strange shiver through Ymir’s body. She didn’t quite know what to make of it, and because of that she decided to ask Nanaba about it the next day.
With a tired sigh, Ymir buried her nose in Krista’s soft hair and then she closed her eyes and fell into just as deep a sleep.