Chapter 1: Awake
It all began with the pain. That was the first thing that registered in Summer Rose's mind as her tired eyes opened to stare blearily at the sky, now growing dark as the sun began to set. She shut her eyes again as another surge of pain wracked her already broken body, a small groan escaping her chapped lips. The first thought to cross her mind was how strange it was to see a bone protruding from her leg, shattered at the end and constantly oozing blood.
Despite the powerful urge to stay where she was and rest, Summer's instincts as a huntress kicked in and she slowly, agonizingly pulled herself up into a sitting position, though her legs were splayed out beneath her, as she couldn't get them to respond to her commands. Tired silver eyes glanced around to scope the area in which she had landed before slowly drifting up to the high cliff she had been on prior to her fall. The large burn on her side ached as she recalled the fireball that had come out of nowhere to impact near where she had been standing after finishing off a pair of Beowulf alphas. The blast had rocked the already weak cliff face, breaking off the upper lip with her still on it and sending it plummeting to the ground below.
Another surge of pain had Summer doubling over before hacking up a glob of dark red, splattering across the dusty stone upon which she lay. Something throbbed painfully in her chest and her hand came up to clench at her dark grey blouse, now stained with her blood. Drained of what energy she had, she leans back against the stone, the cold seeping through her white cape and blouse to reach into her bones. She can see her dual long swords, Petala Luna, and Petala Solis, buried almost to the hilt in the ground some distance away, their blades chipped by the impact. A low beeping draws her attention to her side, where her scroll remains clipped to her dark red jeans, only slightly hidden by her dark grey half-skirt that wraps around her waist to be clipped at the front with a white rose clasp. She reaches down and grabs it before raising it to her eyes, grimacing as she notices the deep crack running along the side of the case and the spider web of cracks going across the damaged screen. Clicking the notification, her heart sinks at what she sees: her aura meter almost completely depleted and rapidly falling. It was already in the red.
Thoughts of her situation coupled with the pain she was feeling brought tears to her eyes, the salty liquid dripping down her face to the ground where it mixed with the blood pooled there. Her eyes were transfixed upon the picture that acted as her wallpaper, an image that showed what she held most precious in the world. There was her, of course, standing next to a tall blonde haired man with a silly grin on his face that had his arm wrapped around her shoulder while giving a proud peace sign with the other hand; her husband, Tai, and her former teammate. Then there were two little girls, both hiding in her signature white cloak that managed to completely envelop both until only their faces were showing. One, a cute little girl with long blonde hair and lilac eyes giving the camera a raspberry; her stepdaughter (though she may as well be her own), Yang. And then the adorable redhead trying to hide behind Yang, silver eyes wide as she looks at the camera with a nervous smile. Her little gem, her baby girl: Ruby.
The tears were flowing steadily now, dripping from her eyes and down her chin to plop on her white cape that billowed around her, leaving little dark patches to stain the fabric. Summer's mind drifted back to the day she had gotten the cape from two special little elves on Dustmas. Hand sewn with help from Tai, the somehow seamstress, the white cloak still held the scorch marks from when the sewing machine had somehow caught fire while Yang was using it and Ruby had accidently used the newly made cape to try and put out the fire, leaving the ends blackened. A pained giggle rose from her lips as she remembers coming home from a mission to find the living room a mess, a scorch mark up the wall, and two little girls covered in soot holding a hastily wrapped present. Summer smiled, though it quickly turned into a sad frown as she remembered where she was and the situation she was in. Her scroll had died some time ago and the sky was dark, lit only by the moon and a few stars, leaving the forest around her shadowed in darkness. She could hear things rustling around in the bushes, the wind weaving its song through the leaves and branches of the trees, but nothing else. With her injuries, she likely wasn't going to make it out of the forest on her own and that's if the Grimm don't get her first.
Summer closed her eyes, still leaning against the rock as she let her body slowly fall towards the rest it so very much desired. "Ruby, Yang, Tai. I'm so sorry. It looks like Momma isn't coming home this time." Summer whispered, voice cracking with emotion. But just as she's about to fall unconscious and let the cold hand of death take her, she hears something. Low growling, soft and menacing echoed from the darkness surrounding Summer as countless red eyes glowed through the shadow. "No!" Summer whispered as she slowly scooted back, hands scrabbling around on the rock to find a weapon to defend herself with. Her blades were too far away and the Grimm would be upon her before she could reach them, and that's if she would even be able to fight in her state. She finally grasped a long shard of stone maybe 6 inches long and held it before her, breaths becoming heavy as blood dribbled from her lips, her injuries refusing to be forgotten.
Six Ursa, two Ursa Majors, an Alpha Beowulf, and a King Taijitu emerged from the brush, circling around her until there was no route from escape. Summer's eyes widened, fear seeping into the liquid pools of silver, but her grip on the stone never faltered, following the crimson gaze of the Grimm. If this would be how she went, then Summer wouldn't go without a fight.
"Get out of the way!" came a voice from the forest, happy and bubbly. Yet there was an undertone to the voice, one that thrummed with sickening power that showed itself as the Grimm separated to form a path straight to Summer. From the darkness, a child approached, cloaked in the same darkness that surrounded the Grimm. Reaching at most 4 feet 5 inches, the child was a pale chalky white, with long white hair tied into twin pigtails and gleaming blood red eyes that were encircled by black vein like patterns. Coming to a stop in front of Summer, the girl (?) crouched down to look under the white hood, long red locks drooping out from under it. "Wow, you're hurt pretty bad, aren't you? Must hurt a lot, eh?" the girl said, pigtails bobbing as she nodded to herself as if answering her own question. Summer only glared, silver eyes sharp like a blade, teeth gritting in pain. "What are you?" escapes her lips, coming as more of a hiss than actual words. The girl backpedaled as if scared, though her smirk only grew as though amused by Summer's defiance. The Grimm bristled behind her, but she calmed them with a wave of her hand. She shook her finger at Summer as though scolding her. "That's so rude you know. No matter I suppose. There are other things we must discuss." She shrugged before looking at Summer, her eyes narrowing, growing harder.
The sudden shift in tone made Summer flinch, leading to another wave of coughs, sending more blood splattering across the stone and onto the girl's face. The girl drew one finger through the blood and stuck it in her mouth, humming as though savoring the taste. "You're dying." She stated plainly. Summer looked at her and gave her a dry look. "Why thank you for noticing. I couldn't really tell. The pain makes it hard to think about other things, you know." Summer remarked, smirk growing wider at the girl's frustration. But Summer's smile faded as her thoughts drifted back to Ruby, Yang, and Tai. She was not long for the world, and her ticket was coming, whether it is by time or Grimm.
"I could make it so that you don't die."
Those words froze Summer in her tracks and she raised her eyes to look back up at the girl, who was now staring at her with a more serious expression before smirking. "I could make it so that you're healed. Good as new, fresh as the day you were born, not a scratch on you." She said, growing closer to Summer with each word until she was practically face to face with her. "I could make it so that you're strong enough to protect those you care about and keep them safe from harm. I could make you strong." She said, smiling a little wider and revealing a mouth full of fangs. Rain had started to pour from the sky, dark clouds rippling to cover the stars, drenching them both and washing away the blood as lightning lit up the clearing before leaving it in darkness once more.
Summer stared at her with wide eyes before narrowing them again. "Why should I make any type of deal with a Grimm?" Summer demands, which only causes the small child to laugh. "Well, I can't say it will be without strings and as far as I can tell, you're plum out of options unless you want to die. You see, I'm quite the rebellious brat and I love to mess with my mother's plans. A pretty, little soldier of my own would meet that goal quite nicely." The girl said before leaning in closer, almost in Summer's lap at this point so that her brilliant red eyes stared into Summer's own silver irises. Summer's eyes darted down, deep in thought before rising to meet eager red once again. "Do you swear to leave my family in peace?" Summer demanded, stone spike slipping from her hand to clatter to the ground. "I swear on my black, rotted heart." The girl said, crossing her finger over her heart with a roll of her eyes before looking back to Summer, eyes flashing and smile wide. "Do we have a deal?" She asked, voice quiet as lightning flashes once more, revealing Summer's determined stare before the clearing is left in complete darkness again. "I…accept." Said Summer.
"Excellent" was all Summer heard before the girl's fangs sank into her neck.