A/N: First story, new author, blah blah blah. Been reading a lot of RWBY fan fiction here and thought I'd give it a go, since I finally mustered up enough of whatever to watch volume 4 after the V3 finale. Recently caught up on the Attack on Titan manga too, so that'll explain the inspiration for this story. Sorry for all the scene changes, just sweeping over events that won't change much. Let me know how I'm doing so I can suck less.

Legends.

Stories scattered through time.

Mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, forgetting so easily that we are remnants, byproducts, of a forgotten past.

Ruby Rose sat alone in a dark interrogation room, humming to herself nervously. She had been waiting for what felt like an eternity, trapped alone with her thoughts.

Her first and loudest thought was about why she was even here. Mentally going through everything she had done that day, before the dust shop incident, and she was sure she wasn't in trouble... unless a visit to the bakery and some window shopping was illegal now.

A quick, icy worry gripped her heart even as she realized how dumb that sounded.

Of course, she could always be in trouble for trying to stop the robbery. Sometimes it happened to heroes in her comics, when a hero would be unjustly accused of aiding a criminal or of interfering in a police investigation. It all got resolved in the end though. And if Remnant worked like that, she was pretty sure she'd hear more distaste of Huntsmen and Huntresses. Especially when she went anywhere with her dad or Uncle Qrow.

Especially Uncle Qrow.

It was with this thought that she heard the door click, and the blonde, librarian-looking Huntress she met earlier walked in. Ruby tried to put on her best smile.

Surely she wasn't in trouble, right?

Ozpin leaned back in his chair with a slight smile and another sip of his coffee. Glynda was still staring at him in disapproval, he knew, so his drink lasted a little longer than it would have otherwise.

The interrogation room remained nearly silent as the door to the room continued its slow drift shut, gently dragging rose petals across the floor. Once it clicked shut, Glynda broke the silence.

"She's too young for this."

Finally removing his lips from the cup, he sighed. "Glynda… she has silver eyes. The earlier she starts training for the real world, the more likely she will survive all of this."

"That's exactly why she shouldn't be anywhere near here, Ozpin. You've seen Qrow's latest messages, just as I have. Our enemies aren't going to risk letting their objective go a third time." Glynda circled around the table, ending next to the Headmaster with a hand on his shoulder. "If the girl's remained undiscovered on Patch for this long, she should remain there as long as she can. We may need her there if the worst happens."

She turned and began her walk out, before realizing Ozpin had her hand pinned to his shoulder with his own. Turning back, she met his eyes staring into hers.

"I wish that were the case, Glynda. But we have other factors to consider. Factors that will undoubtedly have her come into contact with our enemies, due to their searching for her…" He set his cup down onto the table, next to a crumb-covered empty plate. "... Or her searching for them. Believe me, I don't want to have to tell Tai about potentially endangering both of his daughters, but I believe we will all regret it if I don't."

Releasing Glynda's hand, Ozpin rose from his seat and made to follow her out, only to meet her stern, teacher stare.

"Forgetting something, Headmaster?"

With the heaviest sigh made in the room yet, Ozpin turned and retrieved the plate and cup before following Glynda out the door.

Ruby was enjoying the wind battering against her face. She normally wouldn't, and probably shouldn't, but was it her fault things were just more enjoyable now?

"Heheh… Nope."

Paying for her subconscious self-answering with a bug down her throat, she hacked a few coughs before giving up and settled on being disgusted with herself. But not too disgusted. After all… She was at Beacon now! She was a Huntress in training! No amount of bugs swallowed could get her to feel too bad at herself now! Well, maybe there was a number, but not one she ever wanted to find out.

Ruby angled her body against the wind, Crescent Rose gripped tightly in her hands. The wind was whipping at her combat skirt and hair, but she couldn't hear it. She was too busy deciding on a target. After all, she'd need a good, thick tree to try her landing strategy on. She'd first concocted this particular one while day dreaming at Signal, and even had a doodle in her old notebook that outlined her steps. Not that it helped her where she was now. Mid-air, and less than a few couple dozen feet above the treeline. The speed she was fine with, thanks to her semblance, but not everyone had that little advantage. A far-off continuous yell attested to that.

"No… No… No… Yes!"

Slinging Crescent Rose around in its rifle form, she fired a few shots in her target's general direction to slow down, before quickly extending it into scythe form to spin and bleed her velocity on her target, a thick tree branch.

Landing on her feet and taking off in a run, she started her search for the partner she'd share the next four years at Beacon with.

Sometimes Jaune thought the universe was using him as a joke.

Before he'd decided to become a Huntsman, all he ever did was spend time with friends and family. Working around the house, sure, but not many hobbies held his interest long. So whenever someone asked if he was busy, his go-to answer was usually "Nah, just hanging around. What're we doing?"

When he'd made up his mind to be a Huntsman, and finally told his sisters and parents, he'd expected congratulations or support of some kind. Instead, he got a few laughs from his sisters, a grunt from his dad, and a distracted smile from his mom while she read from her scroll. When he'd asked his dad later to train him, his dad chuckled. Actually chuckled at the idea of Jaune being serious for once. He swore to himself that day that he'd work his ass off, and dedicate his efforts to becoming a Huntsman. He would never "just hang around" again!

Which he currently found himself doing. Suspended dozens of feet in the air by an admittedly neat-looking javelin pinning him to a tree. He was literally "just hanging around."

Gratitude for whoever threw the spear aside, couldn't they have thrown a parachute or something at him instead?

Hearing some crunching branches nearby, he looked down to see Weiss, his current target of love, making her way through some bushes. Nervously laughing with renewed hope that the universe was a fair place, he got her attention and waved.

Then she sighed and walked back the way she came. The universe was a joker for sure.

Dropping his hand and head, he looked down, and noticed the bronze-clad warrior he met that morning coming from the other side of his tree. It didn't take her long to notice him, at which point she crossed her arms and gave a friendly smile, though he could swear there was a little smirk in it as well.

"Jaune, correct? I don't suppose you have any more spots on your team, do you?"

"Very funny…" He huffed a little, before a smile came through anyway.

Maybe the universe wasn't so bad after all.

"By the way, Jaune, if you are through with it, could you hand my spear back?"

One embarrassing fall and a lesson on Aura later, Jaune and Pyrrha stood outside a dark cave, inspecting some drawings on the wall outside. Jaune couldn't really see what the drawings were supposed to tell, it just looked like people... eating... smaller people...?

Nah, he was just seeing it wrong.

"Is this it?" He looked over to Pyrrha, getting a slight shrug in answer.

Grabbing a suitable-looking fallen branch, Jaune used some flint from his belt to ignite it, and make a temporary torch before leading his partner inside.

Not a few dozen feet into the cave, Pyrrha spoke up. "I really don't think this is it."

Jaune looked back at her briefly and sighed. "Pyrrha, I made the torch. Could you at least humor me for maybe... five more feet?"

In another universal joke, he tripped and fell on his face well within five feet, and the torch winked out with a splash from a nearby puddle.

"Do you... feel that?" Jaune had been too thankful that she didn't offer him help to stand to notice, but now that she mentioned it...

"Soul-crushing regret?"

"No, it's... warm."

"Ah. Forget what I said."

He bent over, feeling around the cave floor for their dropped torch, hoping that there was some part of it dry enough to light. Shuffling his feet around he quickly found the puddle, and was rewarded for it.

With a half-wet torch and completely wet shoes.

"Found it, Pyrrha." Retrieving his flint, he went to work.

"Let there be... light!" He said, only after his success. He'd had enough embarrassment today, thank you.

Pyrrha gasped as he did so, and he heard her draw her weapons. He started to reach for his own, and was halfway there before he realized his sword hand currently held their only light source.

"Pyrrha, what's-?" He started, facing her. She was staring intensely, weapons in his direction. But that wasn't what worried him.

She was staring at a spot behind him. With surprise and fear evident on her face for a brief moment, before her face clamped down into one hardened for battle, and her stance lowered.

"Jaune, behind me." She hissed, and it didn't take him long to do so. Once he was, he saw what had elicited the reaction from her.

What looked like a human stood twice his height, leaning against the wall of the cave further inside. It wasn't moving, but its head was facing them, and he could swear it was staring intently.

"Wha-" Jaune's mouth failed him, drying as he spoke. Wetting his tongue, he tried again. "What the hell is that?!"

Pyrrha shushed him, eyes still on the thing. "I-I don't know. Do any faunus get that big?" She breathed, already knowing the answer.

They didn't.

"I don't know which is scarier, Pyrrha, that whatever that thing is looks human but isn't, or that there's a naked faunus twice my size lounging in caves around Vale." She glanced at him, a little worried he was making jokes in such a situation, but she was as relieved as she could be that he was completely serious. In a normal situation, Pyrrha would have even blushed and giggled at that, but this was decidedly not the time.

"We need to leave and tell someone about this."

"Agreed." Pyrrha began to back up slightly, and Jaune helped her slowly navigate out of sight of the thing. She relaxed a little at that, which made the rest of their walk to the cave entrance quicker, but kept her weapons drawn.

Once more outside in the fresh air of the Emerald Forest, Jaune almost couldn't believe their encounter had happened. The grass was still green, birds were singing, the air carried a light breeze and the sound of weapons fire in the distance. Normal Remnant things.

"We should probably get back to looking for our relic." Pyrrha said softly. "We can tell the Headmaster what we found afterwards. I'm not sure it could move at all, if it was unwilling to follow us as we left."

"Yeah... sounds good to me. Maybe we should follow you this time." He gave a half effort at a laugh, and was glad to see a small smile return to Pyrrha's face as she took her bearings and began their march to the sound of the fight in the distance.

Ruby had no idea what she was looking at. It could have been the figurative Nevermores flying around her head after she crashed into the open arms of her sister that were affecting her sight. Or perhaps the adrenaline from not only riding, but jumping from the giant Nevermore that she and Weiss had tried to use to reach the ruins. Either could maybe explain what she was seeing, but from the way Yang and her black-motif'ed partner were watching the same thing she was made her doubt it.

Far above them, Weiss could be heard screaming. Mostly incomprehensible shrieks, but some seemed really pointed towards Ruby. Which was weird, because it wasn't like this was her fault.

How would she know that this giant Nevermore flew so erratically? It had seemed fine before they hitched a ride. It was only after Ruby jumped, that the Nevermore began alternating between flying normally and upside down, changing directions every once in a while quickly and with seemingly no reason behind it. Through all of that, Weiss kept her grip, and the three girls at the ruins just watched the white speck bounce up and down at the Nevermore's leisure.

"Huh." Yang observed the spectacle for a bit longer, hand questioningly stroking her chin. "Didn't peg Weiss for a thrill-seeker."

"I, uh... don't think she is." Ruby spoke quietly, her eyes already getting tired from following the Nevermore.

Blake had a small smile on her features the first minute or so, but now approaching the three minute mark, seemed to get bored. "Why doesn't she just let go? It's not as high up now."

Ruby and Yang shrugged, and Weiss' screams got louder as the Nevermore apparently decided the same thing, and began a high ascension into the sky. Just before reaching one of the clouds dotting the sky, it flipped end over end and began a dive to the forest below. Beyond the point the three girls would have expected, it flattened its flight, and performed what could only be called a flyby past the ruins, Weiss' screams giving the Nevermore a more satisfying sound effect than it was used to.

Turning to fly past the ruins again, the Nevermore coughed a few times. Ruby almost thought it sounded like chuckling. Well, for a giant bird.

"We should probably help her." Blake said, surprising the sisters. At their look, she sighed. "She's your partner, Ruby. I don't think any of us would be welcomed into Beacon if we just watched her fly off with a Nevermore."

Ruby looked down and kicked at a stone, muttering about maybe being given a new partner, but drawing Crescent Rose all the same. Yang began bouncing on her feet, fists in a fighting stance and a wide smile on her face. "Alright, Rubes, what's the plan?"

"Well, ahhh..." Ruby extended her weapon into its sniper position. "Shoot it until Weiss jumps off?"

Now it was Yang's turn to kick at a nearby stone, mumbling about how aiming was for the birds.

Blake managed to hear it and shook her head in distaste, but drew Gambol Shroud and joined Ruby in taking aim at the flying Grimm.

They began firing at the Grimm's face, trying to avoid body shots lest they hit Weiss. Their rounds didn't appear to do much damage, but definitely attracted its attention. Beginning a lazy turn back over the ruins, it slowed to perch atop one of the arches near the canyon wall. Weiss, having stopped screaming entirely, managed to release her white-knuckled hold onto its feathers, and ran into the nearest treeline shakily and not in a straight line in any sense of the word. Ruby and Blake stopped their fire to make their way protectively over to Weiss, as vomiting noises began to come from the bushes. Yang stood where she was, just waiting for a good time to make a charge.

"Oh wow, Ren! That thing's huge!" A singsong voice shattered the mood, as two more initiates entered the clearing.

"Nora..." Ren warned, his attention on the Grimm.

"It looks like it could split me in two! Well, not me, personally, more like me-anybody-else me, but you know what I mean. I'm flexible!"

Ren didn't even answer this time, drawing his weapons and nodding at Yang as he joined her. "Any plan?"

"Not presently, Medium-Well."

Ren sighed and took a battle stance.

The Nevermore watched them all, silent and unnerving. That is, until Weiss returned to the clearing with her weapon drawn and murder in her eyes.

That was when it began that harsh, coughing laugh again.

Ruby must not have been alone in that interpretation, as Weiss growled and drew her weapon, forming a glyph to attempt freezing the bird to the ruins. To their astonishment, the Grimm was already in flight, and began a slow circle around the mountain on the other side of the small canyon ruins.

The group stood, ready and waiting for the Nevermore to peek back into view before they opened fire.

...

Any minute now...

"Hey, uh, what're you all doing?" They glanced back to see Jaune and Pyrrha standing hesitantly by the treeline.

"Jaune! Oh, there's a huge Nevermore behind that mountain! We're waiting for it to attack!" Ruby squeaked, her sniper rifle starting to get heavy in her hands as she kept the sight up.

He looked around and saw the rest of the Huntresses and Huntsman in a serious way, all besides one that looked and waved at him with an infectious enthusiasm and wide grin, so he shrugged and followed Pyrrha to the relic stands.

After another minute, the group gave up, and just looked at each other questioningly before going to join the latecomers that were currently sitting and chatting on a stone block. Noticing the others coming dejectedly, Jaune said something he'd regret later. "So... giant Nevermore, huh?"