Prologue: A Story Will Be Told
The road, which was really more of a dirt path than anything else, had started off well enough. Worn smooth and relatively straight by the countless footsteps of those who frequently traveled it, it had seemed as clear and true as one's own good intentions.
That gradually changed as the hours and miles passed. Far from civilization and the tread of those who dwelled there, the earthen trail had become plagued with rocks and shallow roots, obscured by encroaching brush on either side.
The path snaked through a seemingly lifeless forest, the dwindling days of autumn leaving leaf-stripped trees in its wake, their bone-like branches clawing at a leaden sky. Following the winding pathway beneath this barren canopy trudged a lone, out-of-place figure.
A young blonde girl, her head bowed and face obscured by her hanging hair, the only sounds emitted by her travel being her panting breaths and the intermittent squeaking and rattling of the burden she pulled behind her.
Rolling along on dusty wheels was a little red wagon, and curled within was a tiny form swaddled in an equally red cloak. Even amongst the nest of blankets that lined the bed of the wagon, the too-large garment seemed to swallow the toddler up in its velvet embrace. The only features that were exposed were two dainty hands half curled into fists and her heart-shaped face, pale as the moon.
Her doll-like features were framed by locks of red hair so dark that it appeared to be black, only revealing their true scarlet hue near the ends when hit by the meagre light in just the right way.
The wagon's occupant appeared to be resting peacefully at first glance, but the hood over her head could not hide the fitful twitches that interrupted her repose, nor the dried tear tracks that marred her cheeks.
One of these bouts of unease just so happened to coincide with a sudden lurch caused by her bearer, the older girl stumbling as a small stone gave way beneath her foot. The blonde hissed in pain as her knee impacted with the unyielding grit.
These disturbances proved enough to rouse the toddler from her shallow slumber, her eyelids fluttering open to reveal wide silver irises. A soft yawn escaped her mouth before she sat up, rubbing the residual tears from her eyes.
"Yang?" The yellow head in front of her jerked up at the uncertain call, before turning around completely to respond to the sleepy five-year-old.
"Go back to sleep Ruby." her older sister replied quietly, as though to lull her into doing just that with her gentle tone alone, backed by a reassuring smile. Rather than complying, the younger sister looked around, their unfamiliar surroundings serving to drive away the last vestiges of drowsiness from her gaze.
"Where are we?" The last thing she remembered was her Daddy tucking her into bed for a nap before he stepped out of the house for some kind of errand. She didn't recognize anything about where they were now. The skeletons of the densely packed trees seemed to tower overhead, and they creaked ominously in response to the cold gusts of wind, moaning like the dying gasps of the world.
They did nothing to lift the slight layer of mist that drifted and clung to the forest floor. She shivered and pulled her cloak more tightly around herself, both in response to the chill hanging in the air and the dark images prompted from her young imagination. She succeeded in shutting out the former, but not the latter.
"I – We're going to find someone." Gratefully, she turned away from the dismal environment to listen to her sister's response. "Someone who's going to make everything all better."
Ruby's face brightened at the news, a tentative hope suffusing her voice, "We're going to find Momma?" Their Momma was a great hero, always going out to slay monsters and save people, just like in the legends and stories that she would read to them before bed!
A few weeks ago she had left on another one of her missions, leaving them all with a kiss and a promise to come back safe and sound. But she didn't. Her Momma hadn't come back, and now everyone was saying that she never would.
Ruby didn't understand. Why wouldn't her Momma come back? She always came back. She promised that she would. Where did she go? What happened to her? When would they see her again? Over and over she would ask these questions, but no one would answer her. They just seemed to make everyone more upset until they would start crying, and then she would start crying too, without really understanding why. But maybe now…
Yang's smile faltered in the face of that hopeful question. "N-not exactly…" And just like that, the flicker of hope that sprouted in her chest was smothered once more. Yang, unable to bear seeing that bright gaze darken and fall with disappointment, quickly attempted to rally, lifting her hands to reassure her sibling.
"But, but-" she winced as the movement peeled one of her hands from its grip around the wooden handle of the wagon. This drew Ruby's attention to said hand, and she gasped.
"You're hurt!" Yang's insistent protests that she was okay went unheeded as Ruby gently but firmly cupped her sister's appendage in her own smaller hands so that she could better assess the damage. Another shocked gasp was drawn from her lips as she examined the palm, rubbed raw and covered in popped blisters, slowly weeping blood and other fluids.
"Really sis, I'm fine." But she really wasn't. Now that Ruby took the time to really look at her sister, she could see that she was in a sorry state indeed. Her normally vibrant hair was matted with dirt, with sweaty bangs sticking to an equally dirty and scuffed face. Leaves and twigs were sticking out of her pigtails. Her clothes were rumpled and torn.
She tried to hide her other hand from view, but Ruby saw that it was in just as bad shape as the one she currently held. She had likely alternated her grip on the wagon handle in a futile attempt to alieve the friction of the unforgiving wood. Ruby leaned forward to better see the scraped knee and dust covered shoes, which she could now see had holes worn into them.
How long has she been walking? Ruby looked back at the distance they had already covered. The road stretched out of the forest, up and down rolling hills before disappearing into the distance. Her worry spiked sharply upon realizing that she had no idea where they were, or more importantly, how to get back home.
Yang grasped her shoulders with a feather light touch and slowly turned her back around, both to not startle her baby sister, and to avoid agitating her hands. "Ruby, listen to me. We're not going to see Mom again, but if we can find this person I'm looking for, everything will be okay. They'll be able to fix everything. I know it."
Seeing that Ruby didn't really understand, she looked into her sister's argent orbs with her own lilac gaze, filling it with all of the flagging conviction she could muster. "Ruby, do you trust me?" The hood covered head nodded hesitantly.
Yang may have only been two years older than her, but she was always so full of strength and confidence that Ruby couldn't help but follow along with everything she did. And Momma always told her that if they ever happened to be alone together, then she should listen to her big sister, and stay close to her no matter what.
That fragile smile returned, white teeth showing clearly against grime-smeared cheeks. "Good. Now just lay down and go back to sleep." She grabbed ahold of the handle before turning around to continue their journey. Her next words were barely audible, as though she were saying them to herself. "Everything's going to be just fine."
"…okay." Ruby sat back down without another word, but she didn't go back to sleep. She couldn't even if she wanted to. So instead she watched her sister's back, and the passing scenery, with steadily growing concern. With every step forward Yang took, the surrounding darkness seemed to deepen and encroach upon them further, and her shoulders slumped down a little more.
When Ruby offered to get out and walk for a bit in order to lighten her load, Yang immediately refused out of stubborn pride. With nothing else to distract her, she was left to the nonexistent mercies of her mounting fears.
The fell breeze carried dead and rotting leaves in its wake, and seemed to whisper things into her ears that she couldn't understand, no matter how much she focused on them. Shadowy shapes would shift and dart in the corners of her vision, only to dissipate when she tried to catch them in her sights.
Ruby shook her head sharply. Don't be scared! she scolded herself. Momma always said that bad feelings would help monsters find you. The best way to keep the Grimm away was to think good thoughts and be happy! Digging her fingers into the tangled cloth beneath her, Ruby felt a vaguely familiar shape.
With a bit of difficulty, she managed to pull out her discovery: her favorite stuffed Beowolf, which Yang had thoughtfully brought along. Ruby clutched the plush lycanthrope to her chest, squeezing every ounce of comfort from its fluffy frame that she could.
With her eyes peeking between the fuzzy ears of her toy, she was barely able to make out how the watery grey light from the overcast sky above seemed to be waning. Her mouth dried up when she realized that the sun was setting.
What did Yang plan to do once night fell? They had already come too far to make it back home in time, not that Yang was in any state to make the trip back anyways. Maybe the mystery person they were going to visit would let them sleepover?
As though signaled by her thoughts, the tree trunks suddenly opened up to reveal their apparent destination. In the middle of a circular clearing, framed by the background of the dark forest, stood a cabin. An old, rundown, and abandoned-looking cabin.
No welcoming lights shone out of the shattered windows to push back the approaching night. The tile roof was sagging, boards were missing from the walls, and only one of the splintered double doors of the entrance had managed to cling to the frame by a single rusty hinge. Right next to the dilapidated residence was a structure that might have been a stable, though Ruby couldn't be sure with how it had completely collapsed upon itself.
"We made it…" None of these details seemed to matter to Yang though. Beyond the hoarseness of her voice, Ruby could hear relief, satisfaction, and pride. Any misgivings she might have voiced shriveled on her tongue. How could she express any doubts in the face of that? As her sister eagerly stumbled the last few feet to the threshold, she allowed herself to think that maybe everything would be alright after all.
The bestial growl that came out of the doorway shook her to her core and drained the blood from her face. A pair of burning red slits appeared within the stygian interior of the portal. They focused on the two hapless intruders with boundless hate, only to be followed by another one, and another one. As their owners stalked forward into the suddenly bone-chilling air, the twilight revealed more details of their monstrous forms.
Curved, dagger-like claws, numerous spikes with the appearance of bone but were as hard as steel, slavering maws filled with razor sharp fangs, and thick fur-covered hides so black that they seemed to suck up the light. All culminating in the distinctive masks that made it seem as though the skin had been flayed from their skulls, with blood red detailing forming a design of unfathomable significance.
The trio of Beowolves that prowled towards them seemed a cruel mockery of the stuffed doll now strangled in Ruby's paralyzed grip, harbingers of brutal death instead of a comforting guardian. She didn't move, didn't dare to breath, in the futile belief that they wouldn't attack until she did.
As the Grimm on the flanks leaned forward with eager leers the center Beowolf, slightly larger and spikier than its fellows, snarled and snapped at their faces so that they cringed back in deference. Its message was clear: first blood was reserved for the leader. Ruby used this distraction to snap her wide-eyed gaze to Yang. She didn't know what to do but surely her big sister could-
An ice cold fist squeezed her heart as Yang turned to face her. She didn't seem to be aware of the endless stream of silent tears that fell from her glassy eyes, guilt and despair dulling lilac into a washed-out grey. Her mouth feebly opened and closed but no sound came forth, whatever apologies she may have been trying to express crushed by the magnitude of what she had led them into.
no
Her heart started beating again and increased in tempo until it was pounding against the walls of her chest like a frenzied animal. Her lungs followed suit, quickly matching the pace set by her out of control organ, causing her to hyperventilate.
No
It was looking into her sister's eyes that showed her the stark reality that they faced. There would be no escape. No one would come to save them in the nick of time like in the stories their parents told them.
NO
As the Beowolf coiled its muscles to leap upon them, Ruby felt something pushing within her. It felt as if…a burning, freezing light was trying to force its way through her eyes, squeezing past her tears and out into the world. But more than that, Ruby felt her fear, her anger, her hopelessness, and a hundred other dark emotions that she didn't know the name of, all swirling and growing and building up inside her until she felt like she would explode if she didn't do something.
With a triumphant roar the Grimm pounced upon the helpless girls. Time seemed to stop, and with perfect clarity Ruby watched as their end came for them with outstretched claws.
They were going to die.
"NOOOOO!" Ruby took the roiling mass of terror, despair, and hatred within her and threw her right arm forward as she screamed, like she was throwing an invisible ball at the oncoming monster. And a pitch black…thing, flew from her empty palm to splatter against the Beowolf's face with a heavy smack.
The impact knocked the lupine abomination off course and it crashed into the dirt a foot away from its erstwhile victims, where it immediately began to thrash wildly. The two smaller 'wolves reared back in surprise, before staring at their companion's predicament in bewilderment, their reactions to this unexpected event mirrored by the two dumbfounded sisters.
A thick tar-like substance clung to the Beowolf's masked snout, black as the creature's own midnight hide. The Grimm's frantic attempts to claw the ooze away were futile, its thick claws passing right through to scrape against the bone or gouge its own flesh as its muffled snarls quickly transformed to desperate howls.
The other Beowolves recovered first, the crimson glow of their eyes switching from their fallen comrade to the two girls with hateful focus. The shift snapped Yang out of her daze, and as the remaining creatures of Grimm leapt forward, she spun around and pulled Ruby into her arms in a pitiful attempt to shield her baby sister with her own body.
A sudden gust of wind tossed her pigtails about, and with a Clank-Clank-Slice! the snarls of the beasts were cut off and replaced with a series of heavy thuds. For a few seconds Yang could only stand there trembling, before slowly turning back in disbelief at their continued survival.
The cape was the first thing she saw, tattered and faded red, flapping in the lingering breeze caused by its owner's arrival. The figure it was attached to was tall and lean, seeming like nothing less than a giant from where she stood.
Their savior's head was topped by pulled back hair of a dusty black, their texture reminiscent of ruffled feathers. Said head was tilted down to look at the bisected pair of monsters at his feet before turning, his angular and grizzled features framed by the curve of the large segmented scythe blade resting on his shoulder.
As stern red eyes looked down at her, Yang's lingering terror and subsequent relief at their rescue drained away, replaced with a gnawing pit of shame. She hung her head, unable to meet the judgement of that gaze, wishing that she could sink into the ground and never be seen again.
Which is why she was so startled when the sound of grinding gears was followed by arms of corded muscle pulling both of the sisters into a gentle embrace.
"Thank God you're both okay!" came the raspy whisper, filled with such genuine heart-rending relief that it made Yang feel a thousand times worse.
"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby cried happily, her enthusiastic return hug squeezing her sister between the two of them.
"Hey there squirt." Qrow Branwen matched his youngest niece's smile before pulling back slightly and wiping away a couple of joyful tears. "That was close. For a minute there I thought I wasn't going to make it in ti-"
He was interrupted by a muffled yip, and in the blink of an eye he stood with his back to them in a defensive stance, his weapon pointed down in sword form at the incapacitated Beowolf still lying forgotten on the ground.
Seeing that the wretched creature was incapable of posing a threat, he lowered his blade a bit to stare at it curiously, his nieces peeking around either side of him to do the same. The beast's cries and struggles had gradually decreased as it suffocated under the layer of gunk that coated its mouth, nose, and eyes.
As the children and their protector watched, the panicked gurgles faded and flailing limbs slowed before slackening entirely. It was dead.
"So…" Qrow awkwardly drawled, "What exactly did I miss?" Before either of the girls could answer him, the corpses of the three Beowolves started to disintegrate. Faint wisps of black smoke rose up at first, before gradually growing and thickening until they became boiling clouds of black particles that faded away into the evening air as the bodies evaporated away. Not even the previously solid bones or masks were left behind, crumbling away into dust.
Soon all that was left was the black "tar", sitting in the dirt as a congealed puddle, its apparent purpose fulfilled. Qrow cautiously prodded at the puddle with his sword, his mouth tightening into a disturbed frown when the mass seemed to shy away from the sharp point. Before he could experiment with it any further, it too began to evaporate into an insubstantial black smoke. Just like the slain Grimm.
Hearing a quiet gasp behind him, Qrow turned to see Ruby staring at her right hand while a blood-red light outlined her body, softly pulsing like a heartbeat. In the center of her tiny palm was a single bead of the mysterious substance. After a few seconds the crimson glow around the five-year-old faded away, and the black droplet followed suit, disintegrating and vanishing before their very eyes.