Ruby Rose was an ordinary girl from the small island of Patch. Like many others around the world, she wanted to be a Hunter. She wanted to live out all the stories she had been told about, saving everyone they could without a care in the world. It was so much more exciting than the military or a local garrison, not to mention you got to travel around the world if you were a hunter.
But that's beside the point, right now Ruby was making her way through snow and wind. Even with the harsh elements her silver eyes shined with glee and an excited smile graced her face. Even as a little girl Ruby dreamed of being a hunter, in some ways she had been chasing this goal for as long as she can remember.
Ever since she had disappeared anyway.
Ruby pulled her scarf over her mouth her breath forming clouds in the cold air. Her gaze followed the disappearing steps in the falling snow, why did Qrow have to walk so far away?
She soon entered a patch of forest and found herself on a familiar trail that weaved through the trees. Ruby's pace slowed for a moment before she forced herself to take a step, no matter what a Huntress never stopped moving!
She made her way down the trail for a few minutes before she finally reached a clearing. The path leads to a cliffside void of trees, resting just before the cliffside sat a lone grave. The grave made Ruby pause, she didn't need to read it for she knew what it said.
Summer Rose, Thus Kindly I scatter.
She heard a small sniff and moved her gaze from the grave and toward the man standing beside it, Qrow. His own gaze was fixated beyond the cliffside almost as if he was looking for something a thousand yards away.
Ruby slowly made her way toward the grave and stood next to her uncle. Qrow glanced at her and quickly wiped away the tears, "Whatcha doing kiddo?"
"Visiting Mom," She lied, "What about you?"
"Same thing." He shrugged, taking a drink from his flask before letting out a long sigh.
"Everything ok?"
Qrow stayed silent for a few moments, "It's just… no, nevermind. It doesn't matter."
Ruby, shrugged and turned her gaze off the cliff. Enjoying the sunset and the light retreated behind the horizon. She smiled, how could something be so beautiful.
The two heard a branch snap, causing Qrow to whirl around quick enough to make him wonder if he'd get whiplash. He narrowed his eyes at the large man making his way toward the two, he didn't look familiar. This man was what many would describe as a tank, he had large steel-tipped leather boots with dark brown pants with a pouch on each leg containing Oum knows what. He wore a large olive green coat with a black shirt underneath. His dark skin was dusted with hair and scars, his hazel eyes scanning the two.
"Get behind me." The uncle ordered, pushing his niece behind him.
The man winced before taking a few more steps toward the two, "I take it your Qrow," The man began in a deep voice, "I need a word."
Qrow put a hand on his sword's hilt, "What's your name?"
The man let out a small sigh, "No need for violence Qrow, my names Hazel."
Qrow opened his mouth to speak when a loud explosion filled the silence. Ruby's eyes went wide as smoke slowly made its way toward the orange sky, it's origin being familiar. She suddenly found herself running from the cliffside and toward the trees.
"Ruby, Stop!" She heard her uncle yell.
She didn't stop, in fact, she increased her speed.
Meanwhile Hazel watched as Ruby left the area, a small frown on his face. This wasn't supposed to happen, Tyrion was a fool.
Qrow unleashed his blade from its place on his back, its tip pointed toward the large man. A small smirk found itself on the man's face, "I'm not surprised she would have acted so quickly, she's eager isn't she."
Hazel squared up, his expression neutral, "She was."
Ruby could hear the sounds of battle behind her but continued on her way nonetheless. Her feet carried her where her mind could not, why was she running? What was going on? Is Yang alive? Injured? Dead? What about dad? These were all questions swirling around her mind like a hurricane, but no matter what her feet continued to bring her home, it didn't matter what was happening.
A burst of gunshots? while she was scared her feet continued.
Haunting laughter floating through the forest? Definitely creepy but her feet kept moving.
Finally, her feet skidded to a stop when she exited the trail and saw her home. She gasped, Yang sat face down in the snow her back barely rising when she took a breath.
The silver-eyed little girl ran toward her sister, she only hesitated due to the gunshots that had erupted from inside the cabin. As Ruby checked her older sister for wounds she couldn't help but think about why she was outside. "She was probably trying to find me."
The girl's gaze moved to the cabin, smoke and flames erupting from a broken window in her room. She turned back to the forest, "Why is this happening?" Tears rolled down her cheeks as she turned back toward her home just in time to see her father fly through a wall and out into the snow.
"Dad!" She yelled, watching as a man in a brown cloak with wrist blades approached him.
The man turned his gaze toward the girl. His steps slowed as he scanned Ruby and his lips twisted into a sinister smirk. "Why hello there little Rose, you look just like Summer." The man said, squatting down to be on her level despite their distance to one another. Ruby stumbled backward as the man began to make his way toward her.
"Don't… say… that name." A voice gasped out.
The man sighed and turned back toward her father, "Why friend," He began with a sarcastic tone, slowly making his way to the crawling man, "You should take a breath and rest a little." He reared back his right foot and sent a kick toward her father's ribs, causing the blonde to scream in pain. Meanwhile, the man howled with laughter, his head looking up to the sky as he did so.
Her father went limp, and his assailant went quiet. He shook his head and made his way toward the girl once more, "What a shame, he used to be such a good warrior. But grief is more powerful than even the most mighty grim."
Ruby stumbled to her feet with tears rolling down her cheeks as she did so. She turned toward the forest but stopped when she saw the large man from before. Her eyes went wide when he saw what he had in his hand, Harbinger, Uncle Qrow's sword. She gasped when she noticed the limp body over the man's broad shoulder.
His hazel eyes drifted from her unconscious sibling, then to her father the finally to her, he winced when he saw her tears, "This didn't need to happen." He began.
"But our queen demands it." The cloaked man said from right behind the girl.
He brought a hand down on her neck before she could run, once it collided she went limp.
It was over.
—
3 Months Later
—
Lilac eyes gazed at the familiar sunset. How could this have happened? What did they want with Ruby? How could she fix this? These were all questions that flew around her brain, almost as if it was a hurricane. She sighed as the sun retreated behind the horizon, the familiar red shade of the sky drifting below as well, almost seemed like it was anchored to the sun.
It reminded her of Ruby, as much as those memories hurt to remember. The two of them had almost always been attached by the hip, they went almost everywhere together and did almost anything together. It seemed so long ago, each day dragged on slower than the last, and there was nothing she could do about it.
"Yang Xiao Long I presume?" An unfamiliar feminine voice spoke, the blonde looked over her shoulder and met the emerald eyes of someone who could only be described as a huntress.
She had bright emerald eyes with glasses and blonde hair that had been put into a bun with a curl going alongside her face. She wore a white long sleeve shirt that exposed a portion of her chest and resembled gauntlets on her wrists. She also had a high-waisted pencil skirt, black stockings, and a pair of heels.
Yang finished scanning the woman and fully turned towards the woman, "That's my name, don't wear is out!"
The woman raised an eyebrow, but nonetheless made her way beside the blonde, "How have you been holding up, after your sister's abduction?"
Yang grew silent, "It's…" She turned her lilac gaze toward the woman, "Wait, who are you? why am I telling you?"
The woman gave a small smile and gave a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder, "My name is Glynda Goodwitch, I work a Beacon and know your uncle. You have no reason to tell me what's going on if you don't want to."
Yang narrowed her eyes at Glynda, "If you work at Beacon what are you doing here?"
Glynda turned her back to the cliffside, "Follow me." Without waiting for an answer she made her way back onto the trail. Without much choice, Yang followed the older woman.
Yang had enough of the silence, "You know Uncle Qrow?"
Even from behind the woman Yang could see her nod, "I knew him quite well actually, we went to Beacon at the same time." She stayed silent, familiar memories played in her hand, "Even as a first year he was determined to beat those who stood in his way."
Yang sped up her pace in an attempt to catch up, "Did you two ever fight?"
Glynda smiled, "How is he by the way?"
Yang tilted her head, "I… we haven't seen him since it happened, said he had missions to go on."
"He's not wrong," Glynda whispered to herself, a frown pulling at her lips. She quickly switched back to her neutral expression and turned her gaze to the younger blonde, "Thus is the life of a huntsman."
From there, a silence descended on the two as they continued to walk. Yang thought about what Glynda had said, meanwhile Glynda focused on the trail. After a few minutes, the two had left the forest and entered a clearing with a familiar cabin.
Yang followed the woman as she casually strolled into the cabin, with narrowed eyes of course. Glynda only stopped to glance over her shoulder, a small smile pulled at her usual neutral expression. Yang narrowed her eyes further before crossing her arms and following the huntress into the cabin.
The warm air inside the cabin swept over the blonde as she entered, meanwhile her lilac eyes had quickly swept the room for anything out of the ordinary. While many things were still where her father had left them there was the sound of laughter coming from the living room. Yang glanced at Miss Goodwitch, who just nodded toward the door, before giving a small shrug and making her way from the kitchen into the next room.
In the living room were two people, both still laughing at some story someone had told. Her father sat on the armchair, while a man with silver hair and thin glasses slowly wound down from the joke.
His gaze caught Yang's and he stopped laughing entirely, a sympathetic smile pulled at his lips, "Miss Xiao-Long." He said calmly, "We have a lot to talk about."