"Oh... Was it a left? ... Or a right?"
The middle of a forest was not an ideal place to get lost. Even moreso when it happens to be the enchanted Emerald Forest. Stories of shifting trees, witches that ate children, and of a tower impossible to enter by normal means. Very few entered the Emerald Forest, save for traveling merchants, bandits, and one teenage girl. This particular girl was currently standing at a crossroad path, one hand to her chin as she turned her head back and forth to look at the two options before her.
She thought aloud once more. "Left, right? Or...right, right?"
She tapped her boot on the dirt path and grumbled under her breath. She was beginning to regret taking that detour to a wild strawberry patch. Despite having made the trip she was on countless times before, she could never remember the exact path through the forest. The girl pulled back the hood on the bright red cloak draped around her shoulders and wiped her brow with the back of her long black sleeve. She spent a few more minutes grumbling to herself before kneeling down to pick up the wicker basket she had set down earlier. When she straightened up, the girl alternated pointing down each path before her.
"One, two, one, two, I choose you," she said, her hand stopping on the leftmost path. She shrugged and pulled the hood back over her black and red hair. "It's probably the right way. If not, then it's just the longer way," she said before starting down the path she had chosen.
Humming to herself, the red-hooded girl walked calmly through the forest, lazily watching the occasional animal that crossed her vision, or munching on the occasional cookie she grabbed from her basket. It wasn't until the sun began to set that she realized she had taken the wrong path. It was too late to head back to that fork and try again. The girl sighed and began looking for any large stumps or large overgrowth patches on the side of the path she could spend the night in. It wouldn't be the first time she had to camp out on her journey. The trip usually took a day or two.
As she was scoping out her makeshift campsite, a gleam of white and silver caught her eye through some brush ahead. The caped girl stopped and stared, squinting her eyes for a better look. Sure enough, something a vibrant white dipped and moved erratically in a low cluster of bushes. The cloaked girl had seen quite a few different kinds of wildlife in the forest, but nothing that color before. Almost as if she was entranced, she walked towards the shining strange white-colored thing.
She was very close now, and could start to make our details. It was definitely living. But not like any animal she had seen before. Suddenly, a loud snap halted her in her tracks. She had unknowingly stepped on a particularly large and brittle stick. At the same time, the white object froze. The hooded girl all but held her breath as the white thing rose up from the bushes it was in.
The girls eyes widened and she took a short but sharp inhale. Standing in front of her was a pale girl about her age. Her White and pale blue dress was torn in some places, but still held a regal look to it. Her hair that was pulled up into a side ponytail was white as snow and the hooded girl realized that's what had caught her attention in the first place. This new strange girl stared at her for just a few moments before spinning and running away into the trees.
"H-hey! Wait!" the cloaked girl called before running into the trees after her.
Tracking the other girl wasn't hard. Although she got a head start, the girl in white clearly wasn't used to the uneven ground and dead wood to avoid. The girl in red was able to keep good pace, slowly catching up . Suddenly, the teen in white took a sharp turn, hurdling over a fallen tree. When the cloaked girl passed the same obstacle, she found herself on a large dirt path. She stopped for a moment, out of breath.
This was a part of the Emerald Forest she had never seen before. The trees were closer together, almost blocking out the nearly set sun. The brush was gnarled and seemed to be reaching out to her, ready to grab and pull her back into the uncharted woods. A nearby slam grabbed her attention, and the hooded girl spun in the direction of it.
Just off the path sat a small wood cottage. The girl almost didn't see it, for the forest seemed to be trying to reclaim it. After completely catching her breath, she approached the cottage curiously. At just a few feet from the door, she stopped when the old wood cracked open, and a sliver of white was revealed.
"Stay back!" a female voice yelled, "I-I have Dust! And I know how to use it!"
The cloaked girl cocked her head slightly. "Yeah, so do I. Most people do," she said. She reached into her basket and pulled out a small vial filled with a red powder. "See? It's good defense against something like wolves!"
There was a pause before the girl in white called out again. "Who sent you? Was it my father?"
"...Huh? No one? Well, I guess my dad did. I was supposed to be on my way to my Grandma's," the cloaked girl responded bluntly. She held up her basket. "I got some supplies and food for her here. But, uhh... I guess I got lost. And found you and now I'm here."
She was met with silence in response. She looked up and saw through the overhanging branches the once orange sky was slowly turning darker and darker blue.
"So, umm, my name's Ruby! Ruby Rose!" the cloaked girl called, "My dad and sister call me Little Red, but you can call me Ruby. Umm, if I could, I'd like to stay in your cottage at least for the night. It's getting dark, and if I don't have to camp that'd be great."
More silence. Ruby shifted her weight, unsure what to do next. She sighed and let her shoulders droop. This didn't seem like it was going anywhere. Ruby turned her gaze out to the path in the direction she emerged from. Maybe she could get back on track if she started now.
The door from the cottage creaked again, and Ruby's attention was drawn to it. The girl in white was visible again, watching Ruby warily from the threshold. Now that she was closer, Ruby was able to get a much better look at the strange girl. Her skin was pale, and as almost as white as the hair on her head. Her bangs partially obscured her ice blue eyes.
Ruby faltered a bit as she watched the girl watching her. She was beautiful.
"Well, hurry up and get over here, dolt," the girl called out, "or are you going to stand out there all night?"
Like a record scratching to a stop, Ruby felt her trance shatter. But a little rudeness wasn't going to stop her. It was well known fact creatures roamed this forest at night. The locals called them Grimm. Ruby was lucky enough to never encounter one, but their roars caused her to have more than one sleepless night on her trips. Ruby headed to the cottage and was let through the door, the other girls eyes on her the whole time.
When the door shut, the girl in white immediately left to light some dust lamps, bringing the cozy wood interior to life.
"So... What's your name?" Ruby asked, rocking on her heels.
The girl finished lighting the final lamp before taking her time to cross the small living area to a small sink at the back. Finally, she spoke. "Weiss."
"Weiss...?" Ruby asked, waiting for a last name. When it became apparent that wasn't going to happen, she tried to strike up conversation. "Well, Weiss, what brings you out here? Do you live by yourself?" she asked.
"No. Klein lives here. He's just letting me hide out," Weiss deadpanned, grabbing a cup from a cabinet. She paused to fill it with water and walked back to Ruby, thrusting the cup at her. "Here. Water."
Ruby took the cup, and Weiss turned to sit at a small dining table. As soon as she settled herself, she went right back to watching Ruby. Ruby, who was starting to feel uneasy with all the staring, took a long sip of her water.
"Is there something on me?" Ruby asked, taking a moment to check herself for abnormalities, "you've kinda been staring at me for a while and..."
"That hood. Huntsman wear those," Weiss said sharply.
Ruby pulled the red hood off with her free hand. "Oh no, I'm not one of them. I'm just a girl. With a grandmother who can't get into town occasionally, promise."
Weiss narrowed her eyes. Ruby scratched the back of her head.
"Okay, my mom was one. She worked for the late Queen some years ago. I thought she was cool and made one of my own. In her memory," Ruby explained, "Hers was white. I guess I just like red more."
Seemingly satisfied with the answer, Weiss let out a long exhale and leaned back in her chair. "The late Queen, Willow Schnee... was my mother."