Grow

Prologue

Crescent blood dripped off of a leaf, landing in the cushion of dirt below. The splashes of red formed a jumbled line, zigzagging through the forest. Only light of the moon kept the trees separate from the endless night. It was still difficult to see the many scattered rocks, a handful of them coated in larger splashes of blood than the rest of the ground.

"How much farther?" Yang gasped. She let her back bang against a tree as she sat down. It was the closest thing to comfort for miles.

"I don't know," said Ruby. She had her back to Yang, with her red cloak tattered and flapping in what little wind there was.

Weiss and Blake lagged behind. Blake had to rely on Weiss for support while she limped. A long red cloth dragged behind Blake's heel, reaching up to a knot on her thigh. The knot was slipping, letting blood drip from her leg.

"We have to stop," said Weiss, noticing the trail of blood after looking behind.

"Yeah," said Ruby, still facing away from her team. "Yeah, okay." She knelt down, pulling up a heavily damaged backpack that rattled with supplies. Weiss and Blake got down too, up against another tree just out of arm's reach from Yang.

"You two holding up?" asked Yang.

Weiss adjusted the makeshift bandage on Blake before she answered, "We're surviving."

"Barely," winced Blake.

Weiss shot her a quick look before standing back up to keep watch. It was impossible to make out any shadows in the darkness. Grimm made natural night time hunters with their ash fur. They only stood out at night when their fiery orange eyes could be seen, and by then it was usually too late.

"Ruby?" Blake asked.

Ruby finally turned to face her team. Her silver eyes had a dullness to them, a tiredness. She hadn't slept for days. It was a wonder any of them were still standing. She cleared her throat, "Yeah?"

"You're doing a good job. Really." Blake clearly felt bad about her remark.

The two exchanged nods. Ruby turned her back again, keeping a eye out. Nothing's gonna sneak up on us, she thought. So long as I remain alert, we'll be fine. I hope we'll be fine.

"You're not," said a voice on Ruby's shoulder.

Ruby jumped at the sudden voice of a conscience, but it was just Weiss, who quickly put a palm to the young leader's mouth.

Weiss whispered, "Quiet!" Ruby could see the other trace of her first aid skills; another torn piece of her cloak was used as a bandage on Weiss's forehead. It looked like a bandana, with a dark spot to the side where a gash would be.

"How did you know what I was thinking?" asked Ruby once her mouth was uncovered.

"What?" asked Weiss.

"Never mind, what are you talking about?"

"You're. . ." Weiss sighed. It was easy to tell when she had to rethink her manners. "You could be doing a bit better here."

Ruby sat down on a stone, and Weiss joined her on the grass. Their slight difference in height kept them both at eye level. "You think you could be doing a better job?"

"No, it's just that-"

They paused as they heard a rustle up ahead. Both of them made a grab for their weapon, but they quickly remembered where the weapons were; back in their bedroom, locked up some few dozen miles away.

They couldn't see anything, and the sound didn't repeat itself. It might have just been a squirrel. After a minute, Weiss continued; "It's just that, as second in command, I want to help the team as much as you do."

"Wait," Ruby raised a brow. "You're second in command?"

"Well, I am the W in our team name. Why would they make the second letter not second in command?"

"Because the letters form a word? RWBY? Like my name?"

"You can make other words."

"Like?"

Weiss bit her lower lip, "How about. . . BYR? Like beer?"

"What about the W?"

"The W is silent. Which would make me the stealth expert in the group."

"You're just trying to have an important role, aren't you?"

Weiss paused, "Yes. But still, I wanna give you some advice."

Ruby nodded, "Okay, shoot."

"Put Blake in the middle."

"Of our name?"

"No, of our formation. With her limp, she's the most vulnerable at the moment. We should keep her safe in the centre of the group so that she doesn't lag behind in the back or be more likely to get attacked first."

"Okay, uh. . ." Ruby thought for a moment. "I'll stay out front, you take the back, and Yang helps Blake in the middle. I figure it's her turn anyway. Any other tips?"

"Well, don't die."

Ruby shrugged, as if to say 'that's it?'

Weiss shrugged back before standing back up and keeping watch on the other side of the clearing.

Ruby called out, "Yang?"

Yang got back up on her feet and walked over to her kid sister. "Yep?"

Ruby looked up to Yang, seeing her right forearm still wrapped up in the last makeshift bandage of the group. The leader stood back up, but it did little to stop her from having to look up at Yang since she was the tallest. No matter how much older Ruby got, Yang was always the big sister. A part of her would miss when the growth spurges stop and they meet at the same height.

Ruby tilted her head in Blake's direction, "You're in the middle with Blake. Gonna try and keep you both safe."

"Are you implying I need to be kept safe?"

Ruby looked back down at Yang's injured arm. Even with the bandaging, Ruby knew it was a nasty one. "No, it's just that Blake-"

"Hey, don't sweat it. I'll stay out of harm's way, Ruby."

Ruby smiled. "We'll head out in a sec. I just hope we can make it."

"We will," said Yang as she rested a hand on Ruby's shoulder.

A second after, however, and Yang lifted her hand, turning towards the tree line up ahead. Ruby was about to ask what was wrong, but then she heard it too; growling, somewhere in the darkness. Ruby looked round and saw that Weiss and Blake both noticed the noise as well. The Grimm had arrived.

Maybe they'll just pass by, thought Ruby. The team didn't exactly blend into the forest, but it was still night time. Maybe Grimm had just as bad night vision as they did.

After a few seconds of continued growling, they heard footsteps on the other side of them, followed by more growls beating their ear drums.

Ruby gave Yang a quick look, and she nodded. Slowly moving into the centre, Yang signalled for Blake to come over. Blake shook her head, not wanting to risk it.

Ruby turned to face the darkness ahead again, and froze her stare once she saw them; two eyes, glowing faintly in the shadows. It was hard to tell, but she felt the beast stare right at her. It was as if instead of pupils the Grimm had a fire in their eyes that blazed in place of dilating. There was no point in hiding any more. She gulped.

How did I let this get so screwed up?