When the winds had calmed and Marco was sure he could get down the mountain without freezing, you started off back down to the town together. He very well could've flown back but insisted on walking with you instead. You were actually surprised at how well he kept up on foot. Some places were very steep, others were covered in thick layers of slick ice but he handled the terrain almost as easily as you did.

When you were about halfway down, you paused, listening in to the close sounds of howling. Marco watched you scan the trees curiously as you listened in.

"Other wolves besides you here?" He asked, catching your attention.

You nodded. If you were going to leave, you wanted to say goodbye to them at least.

"Hey, where are you going-yoi? The docks are this way!" Marco groaned as you changed direction and he trotted after you.

It was getting late in the evening and it wouldn't be long until true dark set in, but you'd be able to guide him back down no problem, first you just had to make this detour. A short trek from where you currently were would take you to the pack's den. It'd be a quick stop and then you'd be on your way again.

And it also worked as a convenient excuse to take longer getting back to the crew. You still had your apprehensions about that and were more than a little worried about how you'd be accepted, if at all. Marco was confident there wouldn't be any problems but you never know.

He stuck close by as you approached the wolves. They must have hunted recently, they were lazing about their den like they were working off a food coma and showed little interest in you bringing a human along. A few spared him passing glances as he walked among them with you but they didn't do anything else.

Their home was in the thicker part of the woods. It was a low to the ground cavern with an opening just big enough for someone your size to squeeze through, perfect for keeping the chilly air out and the warmth of shared bodies in. A few of the younger pack members poked their heads out from the opening, checking out their visitors. Marco smiled at them before focusing on the giant black wolf suddenly in front of you.

"I didn't realize normal wolves got so big-yoi." He commented, unphased by the pack leader.

The alpha tilted his head at your company and then looked at you. "A human?"

"Old pack." You said.

His eyes lit up with understanding. "You never did say they were wolves."

"But it makes sense to assume so."

"Not really." He shook some loose snow from his coat and moved in for a closer look at Marco. "I should have assumed you had connections to humans."

"I don't understand that." You sat and flopped your tail around, finding it funny how your friend tried to wipe away at a wet spot on his cheek from the alpha nudging him with his nose.

"A wolf is a wolf no matter appearances." He was hinting at your colors and slightly different proportions. "But you carry the faint smell of a human."

That was relieving to hear. You'd been away from people long enough that the scent couldn't have rubbed off on you from someone else. It was your own. That meant there was still enough of you that was human that you weren't quite animalistic.

"That means you're wolf but not." He continued, a little confused. "I don't understand what you are."

Poor Marco had no idea what was being discussed but he looked very interested in the fact that you were conversing with an animal. He watched intently, begining to pick up on the back and forth between you and the alpha.

"My kind are called Druids. We're half human and half animal, usually with the ability to go between forms."

"Usually." He repeated. "And you cannot?"

"No. I used to be able to but got stuck. My old pack was trying to help undo the damage."

"And they're back for you." He stared at Marco who stared right back.

If he was a wolf, it would've been taken as a direct challenge of authority but the alpha wasn't about to be petty. He let it slide.

"Yes." You said with a sigh.

"So that's why you came here finally. You're leaving."

"Don't sound so dejected."

"I had hoped you'd stay with us."

"I know how much you'd like that to work, but it never would."

"So you've said before."

You both looked at Marco silently, mulling things over. The blonde frowned and glanced between the two of you.

"Everything good-yoi? Are we ready to go?"

"Return to your pack then." The alpha said, giving Marco a push back the way you'd come. "We've enjoyed having you here and hate to see you go, but other things call for you."

"Supposedly. We'll see how it goes with the others."

"I'm sure they'll accept you as this one has." He motioned to Marco.

"Only one way to know."

"That's right, now get out of here." He nipped at your tail playfully and watched you pad away.

It was a shame you never asked for his name and he never offered it. But maybe both of you knew deep down all this was only temporary.

----

The snowstorm had completely dissipated by the time you reached the foot of the mountain. The skies were clear and all the untouched snow covered every surface perfectly. That was until your paws and Marco's boots made perfect imprints in the white stuff as you made your way into the town.

"Now don't say I didn't warn you, I'm pretty sure pops is going to chew you out. You've had him worried sick."

You didn't think Whitebeard cared for you that much. After all, you did invite yourself on his ship after he told you no and he was often very gruff in general. He didn't seem to act the same around you as he did everyone else. It wasn't bad or mean, just different.

But you nodded along, like you assumed as much would be the case.

"Here we go-yoi." Marco lit up and smiled as he caught sight of a couple other crewmates wandering the otherwise empty streets. The locals weren't in the mood to rub elbows with pirates.

You paused as they started running over excitedly. As they got closer, you recognised Ace and Jozu. Suddenly you were very nervous and debating turning around and heading back to your den. Marco must have felt you tense up and he grabbed a handful of fur to keep you in place.

"Relax, you'll be fine." He said confidently as he tugged you along to meet the others.

"(Y/n)!" Ace shouted excitedly and launched himself at you, wrapping his arms around your neck. "We've missed you!"

"How'd you find her?" Jozu asked Marco as he pat your head with a heavy hand.

"Some kids mentioned seeing her. Said they saw a monster wolf playing with coyotes. I figured that was our girl-yoi."

"How lucky." Jozu chuckled. "Let's get you back to pops then. He and everyone else is dying to see you again."

It was funny how the small, annoying interaction you had with the coyotes was what led to you being found but so far, things were good. Maybe this would be easier than you thought.

Ace hopped up on your back, burying his face in your fur. He was elated to have you back and had no problem showing it. Marco and Jozu walked on either side of you, the former filling the other two in on where he found you and such.

The docks weren't far and soon enough, you were climbing back on board the Moby Dick. A sense of nostalgia washed over you and you felt happy to be back. The ship held quite a few good memories for you, even if you time on it wasn't all that long. Your reminiscing didn't last long though. As soon as other crewmates saw you, the ship erupted with shouts of glee and you were quickly swarmed.

All your prior apprehension disappeared as you fell victim to the men's affections. One person or another was constantly hugging you. More hands pat your head and scratched through your fur than you could count. And all the while your tail was wagging back and forth excitedly. At least one person got knocked over by it unintentionally during the uproar.

"It seems the lass is back." Whitebeard had spoken calmly but upon hearing his voice, everyone else quieted down and gave you enough space to see him in his seat. Some things never changed. You met his eyes and he immediately broke out into a grin.

"It's good to see you." There was a shuffle from the crowd and you focused in on it to see Thatch staring at you.

He was the one person you were most afraid of seeing again. Everything about him looked the same as before, except now there was a scar where your teeth had slashed him. It curved around the side of his face, almost framing an eye.

"Jeez, don't look so spooked (Y/n)." He joked. "I never was angry with you. Whaddya say we put this all behind us?"

You were overjoyed. Your whole body wiggled with happiness as you wrapped around him and rubbed your head along his face as a show of affection. No matter how much of an animal you felt sometimes, you wouldn't go as far as to lick him.

The men fell into boisterous laughter as you pushed Thatch around with how hard you were practically cuddling up to him. When he tumbled to the ground, chuckling, Whitebeard cleared his throat in an attempt to regain some semblance of order so he could speak again.

"Now lass, we have some things to discuss." He drummed his fingers along an arm rest as he took on a serious expression. "Someone needs to go find that damn board, then you all can get this ship moving and busy yourselves somewhere else. Below decks, crows nest, other end of the ship, I don't care. Clear out!"

A private conversation with Whitebeard. Now that was intimidating.

Everyone acted quickly, doing as he said. Soon enough, the steady feel of the ship pushing through the ocean waters took over and you watched nervously as different members trickled away and out of view until it was just you and the captain. At some point someone had come by to drop off the board and slip away. Teach must have not lost it after all. The piece of wood was rather battered though, like someone had beat the hell out of it while you were gone.

"I think we need to discuss your actions that day." Whitebeard leaned forward and spoke sternly. "What happened wasn't normal but we could have handled it differently if we knew something like that might have happened."

You took a deep breath in and out. It was going to be a long talk but it was one that needed to happen. You weren't going to argue that. With a bit of finagling, you were able to position the board in front of him, making it easier for him to see what you were saying, and began.

You started by telling him the feral episodes happen at random but they'd been becoming a bit more common as of late. They were primarily ran by your fight or flight instincts and therefore made you seem completely out of control. While you were conscious of what happened, you couldn't make any decisions on how you'd react. It was like watching the ship you were on prepare to crash into another without a way for you to steer it. All you could do was sit back and watch.

He asked questions and you answered them to the best of your ability. All in all, it was very civil. You were fully expecting him to tear you a new one but once he understood there was literally nothing you could do, he felt he had no reason to lecture you. Not like it would accomplish anything anyway.

When he was satisfied with everything discussed, he leaned back in his seat and let out a sigh. It was well into the night and you were tired. No doubt he was as well, but you could feel the weight to the momentary silence. He still had one last thing to say.

"Here's what's going to happen lass." He dragged a hand over his eyes, rubbing the exhaustion from them. "We head straight for Manta, that was already discussed with the crew some time ago. As soon as we found you we planned on heading there to get this straightened out first thing. It's going to take a few weeks to reach there and in that time, we will all be keeping a close eye on you to prevent future accidents. It may feel off for you, maybe like you're being singled out. But understand this; we'd like you back to normal so you can continue to live your life as a real member of this crew. Everything we do will be for your benefit. This is a family and we are here to help you."

Leaving had to top the list of stupid things you'd done unnecessarily. If you'd known they'd all be so accepting and able to help you through this, things would have been so different. The heartbreak you'd felt for the past two months suddenly didn't matter. Given a bit of time, things were going to turn out okay.

You nodded at him, letting him know you understood, and he got up. This was done for the night.

"Get some rest lass. Things will be truly normal for you soon enough."

And that you believed wholeheartedly.

(A/n)
This shouldn't have taken all day to write but lately I get tired around midday and I can't shake it off. It makes focusing on writing a little difficult and it's hella annoying.