Tags
Relationships: Jayne Arc/Pyrrha Nikos, James Ironwood/Weiss Schnee, Oscar Pine/Yang Xiao Long and to be updated.
Additional Tags:Au, Violence, Blood and Gore, Aged Up Characters
Notes, Embraced, Thin Bloods, all terminology words that have a different meaning then is inherent to the word are capitalized.
The woods pressed in around a young woman as she ran for her life. She could barely see ten meters before her, her silver eyes darting around as the slobbering sounds grew louder behind her. Her cloak was in rags, her knees skimmed and her hands bloodied from many a fall. The panting grew louder and louder behind her, with a high cry she fell and turned on her heel to the Beowolves prowling toward her with slobbering jaws.
She scrambled back into the tree pain growing in her head. All Grimm had a master, most often they beyond to Salem, other times the Tremere or Tzimisce, whoever controlled the Grimm could see what they saw. Her book bag tumbled open, a leather bound book with a silver pentagram with a circle around it. The crimonsotte scrambled to grab the book and clenched at a small pentacle she had around her neck. She knew she had brought this on herself practicing magic, she stretched out her hand and whispered. "Dliehs." A silver white shield formed around her in a thin orb, silver was her magic she curled up tight shrinking the shield around her.
The Beowolves leaped forward started clawing at the shield, their claws quickly punching holes into it that then quickly mended. Ruby Rose squeezed her eyes shut, tears collected in her eyes. Stupid stupid magic only ever brought harm.
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
BOOM
Ruby's eyes snapped open to the sight of slobbering jaws, too focused on snuffing out the little mage to be worried about the monster racing towards them till it was much too late.
The Garou was massive and in his Crinos form, it was almost double the size of the Grimm. It's red eyes were glowing gold as it ripped into the back of a Beowolf with claws several inches long. The Garou plowed all three Beowolves off of the young woman's shield, snapping its jaws around the neck of the next one, lifting and shaking it like a rag doll, while ripping the heart of the first. The last had enough common sense to run.
The Werewolf, paused taking a new massive breaths his huge chest expanding and contracting. Stupid little girl. The Garou turned it's massive head towards the girl, cowering under her flimsy little shield. "You're safe stupid girl."
Ruby did not believe him for one moment, her hand shaking as she held it out to keep the shield going. "What are you?" She shifted back even tighter into the tree, pulling the shield even tighter around her.
"You're kind call me a werewolf, but Garou is the correct term." His jaw moved slightly as he spoke she could see a long tongue in that mouth. The werewolf lowered himself slowly to the ground. "You've made almost as many friends as you have enemies little girl." He flopped down onto his side so he didn't dwarf the girl so much, he wouldn't shift out of his Crinos form right now. He didn't have any clothes, he supposed he could go into his Lupus form, get the girl out of this woodland.
"Friends? Enemies?" Ruby asked sweat starting to collect around her face, holding the shield was hard.
"The spirits like you, otherwise I wouldn't be here. Enemies, well there are many that will gladly take your blood. Stupid little girl playing with magic." The werewolf set his head on the ground, his pale red eyes fixed on her, she was weak the shield was going to die in moments.
Sure enough Ruby couldn't keep it up, her hand fell and with it her shield. She clenched her book to her chest, her silver eyes stared into his red. "You're not going to hurt me? Are you?"
So she does have a brain and no screaming, I'm amazed. The Garou smiled showing off his long sharp lupine teeth. "Points girly."
"Your kind always under estimate the worth of the Kine." Another figure appeared leaping down from a tree. "Though I must say I am surprised you didn't smell me Garou." The extremely dabber man appeared beside them several steps away. He wore black dress shoes and trousers, with a black jacket and green cowled shirt. His hair was platinum silver and he wore small glasses that sat low on his nose. His eyes were copper, but very sharp.
The Garou leaped to his feet faster than Ruby could blink. "VAMPIRE!" He roared, launching forward jaws salivating all the while. The copper eyed man leaped straight up into the tree again. "Calm yourself wolf!" A third eye opened in the middle of his forehead pure gold. He landed on the tree and pushed off it of with thunderous force the tree splitting under the force. He slammed his hand into the werewolf's side.
The wolf howled in pain as the Salubri used the Discipline of Valeren upon him. Pain raced through his body but he twisted his massive head and snapped it over the vampires arm and it ripped it clear off.
Ruby flinched as blood splattered her face and pushed herself up to her feet. Then turned tail and ran, clenching her book to her chest.
Forsaking his arm the vampire leaped upward into the trees then jumped and sprinted between them racing after Ruby. He activated his Obeah Discipline regenerating his arm by sacrificing some of his blood reverses. He could hear the Garou giving chase, he leaped down and snatched Ruby up, now she let out a scream as a arm closed around her waist. Then leaped up into a tree holding Ruby tight. The Garou missing catching them by millimeters.
The Vampire spun on the branch holding Ruby so tight she didn't dare struggle. "Calm yourself werewolf! I wish the girl no harm! No Vampire is kindred of mine!" He shoved his bangs out of the way showing off his third eye. "I am Salubri Garou! You know what that means! I am outcast among the clans, making an foe of you is not my goal."
The Garou had half a mind to bring the tree down, the vampire would protect the girl, but the Salubri did have a point, he was friend to no clan. "Put the girl down vampire."
"Not till I have your word you will listen what I have to say." The Vampire did move his hand to hold her more kindly.
"You have my word on the honour of my tribe." The Garou growled out, his hackles lowering marginally.
"I propose a truce, I require your assistance in … protection from the other clans. In return I will help you protect the silver eyed mage. You were assigned to her were you not?" The silver haired man spoke loudly slowly and clearly.
"What makes you think I'll need your help?!" The werewolf bellowed.
The Vampire smiled slightly and spoke again slow and measured. "You know that children with Silver Eyes only come about once a hundred years. You are going to need all the help you can get."
"Don't I have any say in this?" Ruby tried to squirm still clenching her book to her breast. She looked up and down between the two.
"No." Both said in unison, she didn't have the faintest clue what was going on. The Garou growled but didn't deny the vampire's statement. "Fine." He growled out. "Only because you are Salubri."
The vampire flicked his head his bangs falling back down as he closed his third eye. "Brace yourself." He spoke to the young woman he held and jumped lighting down from the tree and let her go.
The Garou considered attacking again but he had given his word. Slowly he stood straightening out to stand up and look down on the two. He looked to the horizon, it was still dark but he could practically feel the sun growing closer. "I take it you have a haven close by?"
"Not really, but there is a barn a few minutes run by our speed from here." The vampire looked to the west and considered his little haven. "The girl's home is closer and better suited to both our needs."
"Now wait! I am not taking two strangers home, can I least know your names?" Ruby looked between the two glaring at each other.
"Ozpin." The vampire said with a smile and pushed up his glasses with his now bare and freshly remade arm.
"Qrow Branwen." The Garou said turned back the way Ruby had come. "Let's go, I'm hungry and tried." He reached out and gently pushed Ruby from around her middle to walk before them. He didn't trust the vampire, Salubri or not he would rip the monster apart if he meant to harm her.
Ruby did a little jog to get ahead of them still holding her book tight. She didn't want to have the two people behind her but she didn't think they'd get anywhere any other away. What was a Salubri? Why did that get the 'Garou' to stand down?
"Sounds excellent, I need to rest as well." Ozpin rubbed up and down his new arm, he hated making new limbs.
Ruby was tired too, but she didn't want to admit it she started to jog again, home was sounding like a great idea. Her house was simple, she had gotten it when she wanted to start practicing magic without her sister or father getting wind of it. It was a simple log cabin, two floors with three exits and a huge window for a speedy second level exit. She also had a small garden for fruits and veg and a larger one for herbs.
Unfortunately her front door was smashed in from the Grimm, Ruby picked through the rubble and sighed she'd have to fix it in the morning. "There is food in the kitchen Qrow and you'll need someplace dark Ozpin?" She turned to the two as Ozpin picked his way through the rubble.
"Charming place young lady." Ozpin said glancing around the room, it was very nice, books wall to wall. A hearth in the middle of the room, it's fire dead to embers and a couch upturned table broken with a footprint of a Grimm in the center of it. There were flowers in a pot on the mantle and several thick rugs all over the floor.
Qrow had to angle his way into the room, it was much too small for him. "Tiny do you have a sheet I could borrow?"
"Uh sure one moment." Ruby sped off and wondered if he was going to shift back into human.
Qrow leveled a long look at the vampire while he looked through the girls home. Then pulled the wolf back in, the crunching and groaning turned Ozpin attention back to the werewolf. He watched the wolf man pull the wolf spirit back till Glabro form, his human features appearing but not turning completely human. He was moderately surprised that the red eyes belonged to the man and not the wolf. He lost several feet of height but was still at least seven feet tall and retained shape of wolf legs but reduced the length of each stand straight like a human. The rest of his features returned to human with only shorter claws and pointed ears. "Don't trust me enough to revert completely?" Ozpin asked raising a black brow.
"Not on your undead life." Qrow growled glaring at him as he walked over to the upturned couch and righted it. He figured the girl wouldn't want a full frontal and grabbed a pillow to cover his crotch.
Ozpin pursed his lips amused, he didn't mind the name calling, he had most definitely been called worse by other vampires. The Garou's demeanour was almost refreshing, for a start he wasn't currently trying to rip his heart out. "Understandable." He nodded his head toward the stairs. "That one is intelligent, for someone so young."
"Are you so old yourself?" Qrow sat on the leather dark red couch, he sniffed the air for a vampire he didn't have that usual bloody smell.
"Almost a hundred and fifty, my Sire died shortly after Embracing me. Left me without a understand of this world of Darkness. Needless to say I am a bit amazed I have lasted this long, my own kind have shown that I am not welcome among them." Ozpin stepped further into the house, away from all the windows.
"Tremere or Tzimisce?" Qrow asked, it wasn't every day or even every century a Salubri Sired.
"Anyone who wasn't an independent. Still I managed to get a few contacts within Kindred circles, favours for a favour that kind of thing. Enough to hear about the major events." Oz wondered when Ruby would returned. "Enough to hear about a Silver Eyes sighting."
"And you just decided to protect her? For some great divine search for Golconda?" Qrow offered, he had read about the habits of all vampire clans for they all had some common trait.
"Gol- what?" Ozpin asked cocking his head at the red eyed man.
"Man your Sire did die fast." Qrow waved a hand lazily. "Silly vampire Cainite superstition, don't worry about it."
"If you say so." The vampire shrugged, he was getting a little tired of the constant fight to survive, hopefully traveling with a Garou would aid with that. Only the REALLY stupid vampires tried to tangle with a Garou, he had been trying to gather more power to protect himself but loneliness was getting the better of him. Silver Eyes were well known miracle workers, maybe she could help him or at least make this undead life more worth living. He needed a purpose beyond seeing the next moon rise, she would do nicely, if he could convince her to allow him to stay with her.
Ruby zipped down the stairs minus book plus sheet, large and white, her eyes flew up at Qrow's form and she blushed. "Ugh here you go." She looked away and handed him the sheet.
"Thank you." Qrow unfolded it so it would hang long enough down to near his knees and swapped out his pillow. Then stood up when Ruby pointed up the stairs and said. "I made the guest bedroom, it's the one on the left. I'm too tired to cook, food tomorrow?"
"Works for me, and I'll explain more tomorrow. I had to run near forty miles to reach you, I'm beat!" He yawned and stretched holding his sheet in place with a hand. "Thank you for the room." He set off up the stairs.
Ruby turned to Ozpin, Gods it was weird to have people in her house. Well one was a werewolf and one as a vampire, could be worse she guessed it was better than Grimm. "I have a cellar, I think it's big enough. Do you need anything?" What did you offer a vampire guest?
Ozpin grabbed a large pillow from the floor and smiled. "No thank you and I shall find it you look exhausted, go rest."
Ruby rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Thank you, ugh goodnight." Ozpin nodded to her and headed deeper into the house, right towards her cellar. The silver eyed woman let out a long sigh. "Third weirdest day ever."
