Briar keeps an eye on the white wolf as Ren leads them along the cliff, wary about being suddenly reverted into his canine form now that she’s back and watching him; two unexpected changes in such short order is more than enough for him.

(He can already feel something odd in his soul, almost like the pins-and-needles of a waking limb.)

(He’s… not so sure that’s a good thing.)

Between that, the white wolf supposedly being a goddess, and a talking… insect?… named Issai, he’s starting to wonder if this is just some weird dream he’s having, a result of their first shift on foreign soil or… or something to that effect. The other option, that this is all real, is almost too unbelievable to think: generations upon generations of his ancestors had their gift tied to the phases of the moon, and yet in the past hour he’s been a wolf twice with no moon in sight?

He really can’t wait to just dump all of this in Erich and Alexis’ laps and dust his hands of this mess; they probably have no more idea than he does, but at least it won’t be his problem anymore. Or, not entirely his problem anymore.

(Damn, he just wants to go back home and curl up under the covers and pretend none of this ever happened.)

(Surely that’s not too much to ask, is it?)

“Here we go,” Ren announces as they stop walking and gesture towards the cliff edge not far away. “This is one of the best areas to get down from, though it’s still a bit high up.”

“It’ll be fine,” Briar says as he leans over to look down, judging the height; it doesn’t look too bad, maybe the height of two people standing atop one another, though he’s not going to ask Gregor to make it down by himself. “Gregor,” he prompts, holding out his hand to the other man.

Gregor wrinkles his nose but steps closer, slinging an arm over Briar’s shoulders and bracing as Briar grabs his waist and then jumps, drawing on the vast amount of free spiritual power in the area to cushion their landing.

“You—” Ren sighs and shakes their head, a small, exasperated smile tugging at their lips as they say, “Well, I suppose it’s good to know you can get down.”

“It’s not that high,” Ilsa says as she leaps down, Kai following in her wake, then turns to grin up at Ren. “Unless you need some help?” she asks teasingly.

Ren rolls their eyes and jumps down without difficulty, though they land significantly harder than Briar did. “Getting down is easy,” they say dryly, even as Amaterasu leaps down and immediately trots off along the path. “Getting up is significantly harder. We’ll have to figure something out so you can all return to your home.”

Briar considers the cliff again, then shrugs and says, “It won’t be too much trouble on our part, but we can talk about that later.”

“As you say,” Ren says, tone laden with disbelief, before gesturing to the path that Amaterasu took. “Regardless, I’m certain you’re more interested in meeting up with your missing leaders than talking about a cliff,” they say with amusement. “Come, this way.”

Briar hums and follows Ren down the path, taking in the area as he does; it’s a peaceful sort of place, with a little waterfall cascading over a cliff and turning into a small but deep stream that empties into a lake. There are a few small houses dotted around near the gap in the cliff wall the serves as the village entrance, and significantly more closer to the peak that the gigantic tree is growing out of, and the whole place is positively saturated with spiritual power, to the point where it’s hard to get a read on anyone in the area.

“Peaceful little village,” Gregor murmurs as they walk. “And very… ah… very.”

Briar makes an agreeing noise as they cross the little wooden bridge, knowing exactly what Gregor means; being here feels a little like being unmoored in time, like if they turn around and leave now, they won’t return to the world they know. He doesn’t know much about Japan’s history, but he knows what tradition feels like, and this village is steeped in it.

A sharp, welcoming howl reaches his ears moments before two wonderfully familiar forms race around a bend in the path and circle around his legs. Erich presses in and leans heavily against Briar’s hip, forcing him to brace himself to keep from falling over, and Alexis immediately settles against his other hip, sandwiching him between the two of them.

“Hello to you too,” he tells the two of them dryly, even as he reaches out with his spiritual powers to brush warmth-relief-love against their senses. “Made new friends, have we?” he asks as he buries his fingers in Erich’s ruff and scratches lightly, reassuring himself that he really has found his Clan Head after the mess that the day has been so far.

Erich snorts and casts a baleful look up at him while Alexis heaves a sigh and leans more of her weight against Briar’s hip, nosing at his free hand as she does.

“Yes, yes,” Briar says fondly, burying his fingers into Alexis’ ruff to pet her as well, feeling himself starting to settle even more at the touch. “I’m sure today has been quite trying, seeing as our newest friend is capable of doing the impossible,” he adds, lips twisting into a wry smile.

Alexis makes a soft noise and leans her head against his side, clearly in agreement with his words, while Erich just snorts again and brushes exasperation-bemusement-warmth against Briar’s senses.

“I take it these two are indeed your leaders, then,” Ren says with a touch of amusement as they look between Briar, Alexis, and Erich. “You can use that building over there for a bit of privacy, if you want,” they add as they nod towards a small building with an attached waterwheel. “It’s a bit dusty because it’s where we mill rice, but it shouldn’t be too bad.”

Briar nods, fighting back his embarrassment as he abruptly remembers that Ren isn’t one of their Clan, nor are they accustomed to their ways like Gregor has become. Nearly a decade of transformations have rather erased any sense of body-shyness he ever had, especially in the presence of his pack, but he really needs to remember that other people don’t think like that.

Ren flashes him a small grin, the corners of their eyes crinkling with amusement, and says, “I’ll do my best to keep Snowball occupied for a bit so you can all complain about her in peace, and then Shadow and Silver can show you the way to the Plum’s house when you’re ready.”

“Ah, thank you,” Briar says, inclining his head slightly in acknowledgment. “We’ll do our best not to try a certain someone’s patience too much,” he adds wryly, already sure that Amaterasu will interrupt if they take too long; goddess or not, she seems rather… puppy-like, if he’s being honest, and he very much knows how that goes.

(Their pack has plenty of puppies these days, since almost everyone seems interested in unlocking their Wolf, especially the younger members.)

“Well, even if you do, at least Issai is here now,” Ren tells him with amusement, then turns and heads down the path the way that Alexis and Erich had come. “See you in a bit!” they call over their shoulder with a small wave.

Briar huffs softly and then nudges Erich with his knee and says, “Come on, you heard our guide, let’s go hide and change you two back, and then you can tell us all about the adventure you’ve had while the rest of us were searching for you.”

Erich whuffs and briefly leans almost all his weight against Briar’s hip, only to pull away just as abruptly, making Briar stagger sideways as he tries to readjust, helped not in the least by Alexis giving him a small shove. Gregor is the one who steadies him, amusement in his gaze even though his expression is as bland as ever.

“I see how it is,” Briar grumbles for show as he straightens up and steps away from Gregor. “No appreciation for the people having to trek through unknown woods on foot, only to be accosted by an overpowered puppy with the ability to do the impossible.”

“I don’t know, it was quite a pleasant stroll from my point of view,” Gregor says with all the bland politeness that means he’s absolutely laughing at you, the bastard.

Briar rolls his eyes and turns away, refusing to dignify Gregor’s words with a verbal response. Besides, they have better things to do right now, like getting on the same page and figuring out at least the start of a plan.

Even if that start is just agreeing to see what Ren and the others say, it’s still a start.

(And, more importantly, it’s a start that isn’t just on him.)

(He’ll take what he can get at this point.)