Charred: Six

"The accused will rise!" Edward coughed, and switched into a stage voice, directed at Shirou. "That's you, by the way."

"Figured." Shirou flexed his arms. The guards who had been holding him were thrown back, yelping in surprise. They reflexively reached for the guns at their waists. Shirou ignored them, simply standing to his full height.

"Well. Why have I been brought here?" Shirou eyed the sword in Edward's hand. "Does the weapon not meet expectations?"

"Oh no, nononono." Edward smiled charmingly, swinging the sword enthusiastically once more. "It has more than exceeded my greatest wishes."

Edward lifted the sword onto his shoulder, pouting. "And that's the problem. Shirou, how did you make this sword?"

"...Same as all of them." Shirou shrugged. "If you want to learn, I offer classes. In

fact, I think you know one of my students."

He waved over to Akinrinade, who had stopped struggling, though he looked over the proceedings with furious eyes.

"Really? And you had no trouble getting the materials?"

Shirou barely reacted to the question. "None."

"Hmm... interesting." Edward walked forward, slowly. Irene stiffened at the sight of her charge walking towards Shirou with no regard for his own safety. "Because

I've heard you traded with the Hunters for the metal used on this

beauty."

The room rippled. Alice's eyes widened, and she and Akinrinade whipped their heads to look at Shirou.

The old man stared at Edward, eyes carrying a storm within. He said nothing.

"Tell me Alice." Edward didn't look at Alice, simply smiling smugly at Shirou. "What is

the penalty for trading with humans?"

"...Death."

A ruling from Edward's first month, and one of his least popular policies in recent days. At first, the civilians had cheered for the ruling, having had enough of working

with those who treated them as second class citizens. Now, when both Hunters and Pack had trouble finding resources, the ruling had little to no support.

But that did not matter. The Alpha had chosen. And his word were law.

"Death... kind of a final sentence eh?" Edward sighed. "Tell you what. If you can tell me, honestly that you did trade with humans, and offer complete allegiance to me from now, I will offer you leniency."

So that was his game. Shirou was a popular and respected man amongst the Pack. If Edward could force him to bow his head, here, no one could ever listen to him again. They were wolves after all. Wolves do not follow the weakest of the Pack.

Alice bowed her head. She knew what was coming.

"I did trade with humans." Shirou shrugged. "Never had truck with yer policies Eddie." The old man smirked at Edward's sudden frown at the Alpha's hated

nickname. "Yer a shit leader. And I will say it now, for as long as I breathe. Kill me,

don't. I don't care. Now take that sword and spin on it."

Akirinade started laughing like a maniac.

It might as well have been a trigger.

Edward's arm was a blur. The sword whistled as it slashed outwards. His prior frown had become a wicked smile.

Shirou closed his eyes, wincing as the blades edge began to slice through skin and muscle, blood spilling out into open air.

A loud clang filled the air as Edward's blade was blocked by another. The room froze.

"Huh." Alice muttered as she looked at how Edward's sword had gouged into her own. "That really is a good sword."

"Told ya." Shirou and Edward said simultaneously.

They were the only three to speak, the rest of the room stood stock-still, as if frozen in time.

"What are you doing?" Irene said in a shocked tone. Her left hand hovered over her right hip, almost but not quite touching her gun.

"Yeah, Alice, what-are-you doing?" Edward said with a nervous laugh.

Now that was a good question. Alice quickly raked her mind for an answer before speaking. "If this is a trial, then the accused is allowed someone to defend him."

"Oh? Well, good job. Then, you defended him." Edward said in a roguishly jovial tone. Then, his voice hardened, the strength that led others to follow him from the start coming forth. "Now move, Beta, and let me deal with this as I see fit."

An order. Alice knew her decision at this moment would change...She didn't have time for this, she pressed her sword against his and pushed him back, forcing him to leap back or be pushed to the ground.

For better, or worse, Alice had already made her decision. She would deal with the consequences, whatever they may be.

Edward smoothed out his clothing, and waved his hands theatrically, sword still in hand. "Alright, Alright. Let's just calm down, and start from the beginning." He crossed the room to the door that Shirou had entered from. "Shirou walked in, I was about to kill him." He gestured toward the door, walked, then paused for a moment, putting a finger to his chin, the sword now at his side. "Now, what am I missing?" He furrowed his brow for a moment. "Alice..." He laughed, unbelieving. "No, no...I'm missing something. Alice would never...would she?" He asked turning to look at Alice.

Alice shook her head. "You harmed my family." She said turning to look at Shirou. "I don't hold no truck with that."

There was an audible snort from the side, where Akinrinade had stopped fighting with the guard.

"Now, Alice, I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation." Edward said, visibly losing his cool. "YOU DARE TO BETRAY ME?!"

He slammed his arms into the ground, eyes glowing. "I AM THE ALPHA! MY WORD WILL BE OBEYED."

His voice was a howl. Alice heard Irene and Shirou take a step back. Those watching stared in fear at their now feral leader.

Fur grew from his skin in a forest of black, tracing up the back of hands and wrists before extending to his face. Limbs shifted, bones cracked, and muscles grew. His face shifted as his mouth became a vicious set of fangs and a lolling blood red tongue. As he changed into his full, massive form, the beast Edward had become threw his head back.

"▄▅▄▅▂▂▃▃▄▄▅ !" The sound that came from him was not a roar or a howl. It was something primal, something that made the beasts within everyonearound him recoil from the predator who outstripped them.

Only Shirou and Alice stood still, unmoved by the beast that had been their Alpha.

"We are wolves Edward." Alice said sadly. "We are civilized. Controlled. But at our heart, we are, and always will be, wolves."

Akirinade stepped alongside her, his guards having long since let him go. "Wolves don't believe in letting bad leaders have their way without consequence."

Alice nodded. "Yes. And there is only one thing to do when the Alpha's prejudices bring them to insanity."

Alice threw aside her sword, her mind set on the task before her. "I challenge you, Edward, for the right to lead this Pack." Her words, though determined, were tinged with a heavy sadness. "To the death."

If Edward heard her, he didn't show it. He released a blast of noise once more, and went for her throat.

Alice hadn't said those words simply to say them however. With her declaration, she had declared the battle one to be fought between herself and Edward. Irene and Edward's guards would not help him. And her brother, Akirinade and Shirou could not help her.

That was fine.

As Alice stepped aside, she felt a moment of peace. She did not want this fight. The political consequences of it, what would follow, was too chaotic to control. But in a way, this fight had always been coming. Edward, the man who had held her home and Pack under his thumb, who had forced her to watch as he put families in debt and made himself king, was now her opponent.

She tried not to enjoy the prospect of fighting him too much.

The speed at which Edwards’s teeth snapped towards Alice's neck would have ended the fight there if she hadn't known he was going for that.

She leaped to the side, lashing out with a fist that slapped into Edward's muzzle with a meaty 'Thwack!'

The massive jaws of the beast clapped on nothing but air. He whined in pain as he fell to the floor, sent flying by Alice's backfist.

Alice got into a stance, one hand by her hip, the other raised high, her legs posed to either leap away or leap forward. Her breathing was steady, eye flashing with the cold control within her.

"Kishi kaisei." Alice whispered as her heartbeat roared within her ears. "Wake from

death and return to life."

The wolf before her spun and snarled savagely, red lips curling to reveal his blood red gums and ivory fangs. He rushed forward once more, claws slicing through the

concrete floor with ease.

Alice leaped aside, only for her eyes to widen she realized he was going even faster than before, and had no trouble intercepting her.

The massive beast lashed out with his right paw, long claws reaching out to disembowel her. Alice parried his claw away, then responded with a kick to his thigh. Edward ignored it to press his attack, and just like that Alice found herself in a maelstrom of teeth and claws.

Akinrinade watched in horror as the relatively tiny form of Alice faced off against Edward. The two were moving like a martial arts video on fast forward, parrying, blocking, attacking, and biting in Edward’s case. The young man hissed in horror when a long cut suddenly appeared on Alice's forehead, then another on her oblique’s, then cheered when she repaid her assailant with a palm strike that removed teeth and a punch to the chest that was followed by the crack of ribs.

Still, something confused Akinrinade.

"Shirou," He asked quietly as Alice was forced to a wall, only to leap onto it and go over Edward in an athletic movement. "Why hasn't she transformed?"

Shirou had been watching silently, eyes tracing over the battle with the skill only a true veteran could. To Akinrinade's words however, he could only shake his head.

"I...don't-"

Then he stopped, shocked beyond belief. Alice, for one moment, had looked over at him, and they met eyes.

Her eyes with a bright gold, slitted like a cats. Or a wolf's.

"She is transformed." He said in an almost awed tone of voice. "But not fully."

"What are you talking about?" Akinrinade replied as Alice leaped high over Edward, receiving a small cut on her thigh as opposed to the disembowelment her opponent

had been aiming for.

"She's somehow controlling her transformation, focusing it." Shirou focused his eyes on Alice's eyes as she swung down at Edward. So fast it was unbelievable, Alice's arm muscles thickened beneath the skin. She hit Edward far more strength than should have been possible, sending him back.

When he tried to strike her back, the subtle shift in muscle tone happened once more, and she dodged aside in a speedy movement. Her fingernails suddenly turned into razor sharp claws, and she lashed out to leave five deep bloody trails in Edwards’s fur.

The massive beast roared in pain, pulling away from her. Alice jumped back, carefully aiming herself.

When Edward looked up, Alice had already armed herself. With the very sword that had started this mess.

She took a moment to marvel at the balance of the weapon. She had often heard of people speaking about 'perfectly balanced' weapons. Not until today did she hold something that came close.

She swung the sword up to point at Edward. "For what it's worth... I hope you find peace."

Edward looked at her. Something in his eyes shook Alice to her core. A strange sadness. Regret. Something broken.

Then he rushed forward. And Alice ran to meet him.

Blood splashed on the floor. Like raindrops on concrete.