Before we start, I want to say that we're now entering the final arc of this story.

I like writing short self-contained stories. It's not just easier, but helps maintaining focus in the storytelling, something a lot of long fics I've read seem to struggle with. When I start, I try to have bullet points of what happens in each chapter, to get a grip on the pacing. You can do that with a longer story, but it's a hell of a lot harder. That doesn't mean I'll never try to write something large scale, it's just where I feel the most comfortable right now.

This story couldn't last forever, now could it? But don't worry, there are still surprises waiting. And who knows, maybe the ending doesn't mean it's game over, if you know what I mean.

8. Your Heritage

Penny turned the door handle, trying to be as silent as possible considering her absurd mass. Dawn would be approaching soon, but it was still quite dark, and she didn't want to wake the two girls who slept peacefully in their rooms, none the wiser about her plan. It was hard to be acting behind the sisters' backs, but her mind was set on the objective. She'd been given no choice.

As she snuck outside and shut the door behind her, a voice called out, making the statue jump up in surprise.

"Where exactly are you going at this hour?"

Startled, she looked to her left and noticed a pair of golden eyes staring back. Feeling her sight adjust to the dim lighting, she saw Blake leaning with one elbow against the wall, in a quasi-seductive pose.

After the Adam crisis, the female lycan had started to spend more and more time around the house, slowly becoming a member of the family as well. She and Ruby had become friends almost instantly, trading hunting stories and strategies, and she had offered some help in Yang's recovery. The sculpture enjoyed the silent company of the other creature, although she wasn't sure where the raven-haired woman had been sleeping, seeing as there were only two beds in the house, and those were occupied by the siblings.

Being caught while leaving was an unexpected complication, so the golem tried to come up with an excuse. The panther-girl would surely be unhappy if she was met with absolute honesty this time around.

"I was just going out for a walk…"

"Right. And you snuck out so quietly because…"

"I didn't want to wake them up." Her words were starting to come out less confidently than intended, and the marble girl was sure she'd been caught.

"Come on, Penny, you're a terrible liar. Just tell me what's wrong." Her companion gave her a stern look, tired of beating around the bush. If there was something defining about the bow-wearer's personality, it was her direct and dry attitude. Trying to deceive her had been a mistake from the start. Penny sighed, feeling the burden of the truth.

"I'm going to meet that witch Ruby talked about."

"What for? Wait…" Blake grabbed her shoulders, and the stony girl let herself be pinned to the wall. "You're not going to…"

"I want her to make me human."

There was an expression of shock in the dark-haired shifter's face. Then it turned to fear, and finally to anger.

"Why? Why would you want to be human? You shouldn't be ashamed of what you are, Penny! Just because we're different doesn't mean we're something lesser."

"Look, I know you're proud of your heritage, Blake, and that's great. But what I am, it's just a burden."

"How can you say that? You can't just give up on who you are, on what makes you unique."

"Don't even go there. You were born a lycan, but I was made. It's not natural, and hopefully it can be unmade." There was regret in her tone, not from the thing she was about to do, but the decisions that had led her to this point, to the despair that deprived her of all other options.

"What would Ruby think about this?"

"Ruby is the exact reason why I'm doing it!" She barely managed to contain her roaring shout, trying not to disturb the slumbering girls inside.

The lycan released her and stumbled back a few steps. Her face didn't look as angry, but there was a hint of something else on it. A hint of understanding.

"You've seen the way she looks at me. Ever since… Adam… she's been avoiding me. She won't speak to me more than a few words, never looks me in the eyes, runs away whenever it's just the two of us in the room. She's afraid of me, Blake. Afraid of what I am, of what I can become. And, honestly, I don't blame her. I'm a monster. Fighting and killing is all I know how to do, it's what I've been created for. Who would want that in their life?"

It was a painful but undeniable truth. Ever since seeing Penny smash a skull into tiny little pieces, the huntress hadn't been able to act the same around her. She flinched at any form of contact, and was actively avoiding the thing that had once been her friend. She spent more time around the forest, safely far away from the stony girl, and returned home only at nightfall. There was no cheer in her voice when she was greeted upon arrival, no trace of the wide smile that warmed her ivory-skinned partner's heart, only furtive glances and mumbled words.

"Please, don't do this. You shouldn't need to change so others can like you. If they can't accept who you are, they're not worth it." Her motivational speech was cut short by an arm grabbing at the hem of her shirt, a menacing look completing the violent action.

"Don't you dare say that about her. You don't have the right…" Realizing what she was doing, the golem let go and faced the other with a disappointed expression, more in herself than anything else. "You see? I can't be trusted, I can't be around anyone until this is fixed."

"You're sure about this, aren't you?"

"Yes. I need to do it. And, please, don't tell them anything."

Blake nodded, her faced clearly in sorrow. She didn't understand, but it didn't matter as long as she respected her friend's wishes.

Penny walked away, leaving the panther-woman to her own despair. She knew it was the right thing to do, the only way she could recover the thing most precious to her, the broken relationship she had foolishly broken. Her mind had no doubts, no reserves or anxiety. She would be rid of the white clear marble that adorned her, or she would not return home ever again.

The sun was beginning to rise when she reached the farthest hut. She had managed to inconspicuously pry its location from Yang, feigning concern towards her sister. The blonde hadn't even payed attention to the words she said, her consciousness clearly altered by the painkillers she was taking. Small and overlooking the nearby fields, this was the exact place she sought, and not a minute too late, as the coming of daylight removed any possibility of crossing the streets unnoticed.

She opened the door and walked inside. She didn't know what the table with the candles meant, or the curtain behind it, neither did she understand why the room was so small. She hadn't been introduced to proper protocol, and so she stood expectantly for her presence to be acknowledged. Not long after, she heard a voice come from the other side.

"You're new here."

"Yes, I'm-"

"Penny, I assume. Rose has told me all about you." The sound was demanding, but not authoritative. Its owner clearly wasn't in the mood for idle chat. "I'm guessing you want something."

"I want you to make me human."

"Oh? That's quite the request… Just be warned, it'll cost you greatly."

"I don't care, just do it." Her voice was unwavering. Whatever the price, she was ready to pay it if it meant returning Ruby to normal. And besides, after Adam, how much worse could it get?

"Oh my, aren't you eager?" There was a tinge of amusement coming from the sorceress, like she was enjoying the situation far too much, the delicious feeling of control over the stony figure's fate. "Well I just happened to come across some lycan ears, courtesy of your red-hooded friend. I could harness them to help transform you, but it's not enough."

She actually went through with it? No one in the household was aware that the archer had delivered on her promise to the witch, and it was quite an unexpected turn of events for the statue. Even after all the carnage, Ruby had decided to complete the task. That was… colder than she'd imagined the silver-eyed girl capable of. But, in the end, it didn't change the reason that had brought her to the small room she was in, so Penny decided to proceed with the conversation.

"What do you need?"

"Well, if you've been made alive by magic, I'll need to revert the original work. But complex enchantments like that usually have defenses, a way of ensuring no one but the creator can tamper with them." The woman behind the veil went on about the specifics of the spellcasting involved, but the golem, despite her attempts, couldn't keep up with the technicalities, something which the sorceress picked up on soon after.

"You didn't get any of that, did you?" The statue shook her head, before realizing there was no line of sight between them, but to her surprise the gesture seemed to be enough. There was a sigh on the other side, patience running thin. "I need something of your creator, your 'father' as you put it. Something dear to him, that would have left residual traces."

Penny thought for a second, before sprouting an idea inside her.

"Well, I'm sure there's something like that in his lab!"

A loud crash was heard from beyond the veil, the sound of something breaking, although she couldn't be sure what or why.

"The… what? There's a laboratory? Why am I just hearing about this?" Ruby had mentioned everything that pertained to the statue, and that one detail had managed to slip by their conversation.

"I could search it for-"

"No! You will take me there, I need to see it for myself."

Penny was surprised by the urgency of those words, for some reason the sorceress was yearning to see the place she had just heard of.

And then, the curtain was swept aside, revealing she who lied behind it.

"What are you waiting for? Let's make you human. Lead the way."

Do you hate me yet after that cliffhanger? I would say I'm sorry, but that's a lie. I love teasing, it's so much fun.

After the previous chapter was the largest yet, this is the shortest I've written since the very first Fried Circuits. But don't worry, chapter 9 is currently bigger than 8, and I still have so much to write in it. Might even cut it in half. Double the teasing hehehe.

Meet me again next time when we solve that horrible cliffhanger. Or do we? :P