Chapter 1: A Sprouting Flower

Ruby:
It was a cold Autumn night in Vale, on which the shattered moon shines its brightest. Being a beacon of light in the darkness of the forest. I can't sleep, my head filled with images of my past, my judgement shrouded in a mist of uncertainty too distracting to sleep. I get out of my bed and get dressed. I slowly open the door to my room, the rest of the house being so silent the noise of the door opening quitely echos through the house. I tiptoe down the stairs trying not to wake my father and sister. I make to the front door slowly opening and closing it behind me.

The night was quite aside from the occasional rustling of leaves in the tree's and the echo or crows cawing. I decide to take my usual path through the woods to try and clear my mind of all the unwanted thoughts and distasteful memories in my head. I slowly get deeper into the forest with less leaves appearing on tree's and the indistinct chatter of ravens and crows around me on the dead tree branches.

I make it to the clearing in the forest near the cliff's edge and stand at destination which I have arrived to. I can't escape these thoughts or push them aside any longer. Unless I want them to haunt me for the rest of my days.

I sigh. "Hey Mom...I'm here" I say looking down at her grave on the cliff's edge. "It's been a while hasn't it" I say slightly shaking. "Just want to let you know I'm doing just fine" I stammer feeling tears trying to escape my eye's. Truth is I'm far from fine. Ever since she left I never really felt the same. I've been suppressing my emotions for so long I forget to function. I lose thought talking with Dad and Yang. I never seemed to find joy in things that I use to enjoy doing and this forest in particular would always serve me as a grimm reminder in the setting in which I lost my caring and loving mother, Summer Rose…

(FLASHBACK)

I remember the day before it happened I was playing on the tree's in front of my house. Climbing on the branches without a care in the world. Besides what would trouble a 7 year old, well little did I know I was going to find out for myself. I slip off one of the branches I tried holding on to. Falling hitting another branch then hitting the ground scraping both my knees in the process. I scream in pain as I see the crimson red blood run from the two gashes on my knees.

I begin to cry as I see the wound fully. I then hear a familiar voice that was fragile and calm. She picks me up in her arms and holds me in her warm caring embrace,"There there little one" she spoke softly. She ran her fingers through my dark black hair then proceeded to wipe the tears from my dirt covered face. Her voice was so soothing it made me feel at ease."Lets get you cleaned up" she said carrying me into our home.

She carries me into the kitchen and sat me on the kitchen counter. She pulled open one of the kitchen drawers and pulls out of it a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a clean white cloth. Then from a cabinet finds a box of bandages. She runs the cloth under some warm water and proceeds to clean the wound on both of my knees.

"Now this might sting a little" She said as she poured some alcohol on to the cloth. She then dabbed the alcohol covered cloth on the bear wound on one of my knees as I scream from the stinging sensation from the gash on my knee. I grip the counter and wince in pain.

"Shhhh everything will be okay Ruby" she said lovingly hugging me with one hand and stroking my head with the other hand. I slowly begin to stop screaming she then finishes cleaning my other wound and finishes bandaging me up.

"There we go, that feel better my little rose." I smile back and hug her. "I love you mommy" I said. "I love you too Ruby" she said back with a smile reassuring me with a tender kiss on my forehead. "Now go play with your sister and please be careful." she said "you got it mommy" I reply. She gives me one last kiss on the cheek and sends me on my way. Little did I know that was the last kiss she would ever give me.

I went around looking through the house for her but no sign of her. I decided to look outside the house frustrated I couldn't find her. I walk by the swing we put on a tree near our backyard and spot something on the ground, wheel tracks, more specifically the ones of my red wagon. I follow the tracks through the woods behind the house the deeper I go the more thick the branches become and the darker the sky seems to get. I keep following the tracks until I see my wagon, its red paint glistening from the sun's rays that manage to shine through the forest leaves.

I walk up to my wagon and see my sister unconscious inside the wagon. I grab her shoulder and move her a bit. "Yang...Yang! you okay, please wake up" To my relief she opens her lilac colored eyes. "Umm Ruby, what happened" she mutters clearly dazed. "I don't know mom told me to find and I looked all over, what were you doing out her by yourself sis. You know mom and dad tell us not to go this far away from the house-" I'm cut off by a loud howl, that of a Grimm.

The red eyed creatures of no soul. Our smiles of being reunited quickly fade. "We have to get out of here and fast!" Yang exclaims. She grabs my wrist and tugs me along with her dragging the wagon with the other as we run as fast as our little legs can go. We hear the crunching of leaves getting closer and closer by the second. I try running faster to keep up with my sister and trip on a tree root and fall to the floor.

"Ruby!" Yang said. She goes back to help me up but it was too late. The creature of Grimm had caught up to us. A Beowolf, a really big one. It stares the both of us down. Its red eye's piercing through our very souls. I felt genuine fear for the first time until Yang breaks the silence. "Your not hurting my sister." she said with an angry tone as her eyes glow red. "I won't let you!" she yells at it her hands turned to fists. The Beowolf charges at her and swings at her with his sharp claws. Yang instinctively rolls under its attack and unleashes a strong right fist under the Grimms chin, uppercutting it as the red eyed beast falls over.

"See Rubes I won't let anything hurt you" she said in heavy breathes clearly tired from our encounter. We both turn our backs on the creature towards to the wagon. Big Mistake. The Beowolf had gotten up back up only dazed by Yang's punch. My back still turned I hear a swipe like small knives cutting through air andI then followed by a loud thud. I turn to see Yang unconscious on the ground at the base of a tree.

"Y-yang..." I said as reality sunk in I began shaking with fear. The Beowolf turns its attention to me. I begin to back away slowly tripping once more falling flat on my back. The Beowolf holds me down with one of its huge paws and tugs me around like a child playing with its food. Then it sinks its sharp white fangs into my shoulder, cutting through my flesh like a hot knife through butter. I scream in pain at the top of my lungs. Thoughts running through my head thinking thinking that surely he's where my life would end.

I shake filled with fear and disbelief, my eye's wonder looking at my surroundings, my injured sister splayed across a tree, the red shining eyes glaring at me. I want to go help Yang but how. How can I be at her side if I'm bleeding almost too weak to stand let alone walk. With almost no feeling in my left shoulder. Not to mention the force of the dark creature pressing me against the ground, ready to put my life to a slow painful end.

But I...have to try. I tried crawling out from the large claw in had on me but it only pressed it on me with more force. I feel my shoulder shattering, the pain pulsing through my body as a scream in agonizing pain. Then I hear the howl of more Grimm being attracted from my shrieking vocal distress.

Which catches the attention of the Beowolf holding me down who then loosens its hold on me. I suddenly feel the pain in my shoulder almost neutralize, like a warm force field like feeling around my wound along with the rest of my body.

I suddenly feel a little inner strength pulse through me and I manage to crawl out of its grip while the Beowolf is distracted seizing my opportunity and run to Yang's aid in what felt like an instant.

Little did I know at the time that it was in an instant. I pick her up with a second wind helping me lift her and rush her to my wagon putting her inside and grabbing the handle of my wagon.

To my dismay the Beowolf focused on me and growled ready to strike. I tug on the handle and push off my left foot into a sprint. It starts to gain on me with my small head start quickly fading away. I then feel my legs move faster and faster, tree's passing by me in a blurr. I turn back to see the Beowolf getting farther and farther from my line of sight through the storm of bright red rose petals trailing behind me.

Despite this I keep running and running. Step after step soon those steps turn to feet, which the turn to miles, miles turn to kilometers. I felt as if I'd been running for hours not slowing down in the slightest. I then smell smoke and see it coming from a brick chimney in the distance that I glance at in the horizon visible its appearance filling me with determination to run as fast as my small legs could carry.

I make it to the clearing in which the smoke was coming from and see the tinted blue windows of the a two story log cabin that I call home. The adrenaline that had kept me moving now begins to fade as I begin to limp to my front door still pulling the wagon along with my sister. I manage 4 hard knocks on the front door before collapsing on the floor. The shocked expression on my father's face being the last things my tired silver eye's saw that night before my world came to darkness and I passed out.

( END OF FLASHBACK)

My train of thought derailed as I hear that ever so familiar howl. It's gotten too dark. "Well I'll see you later mom." I say the words struggling to leave my mouth until I sense an familiar presence and hear large heavy footsteps. An Ursa, a soulless black and white creature in the shape of a bear with white spikes coming out of its back. I reach behind my back for my weapon but...I can't grab it...my crescent rose I had left leaning on my dresser in my bedroom. How could I be so careless to leave the safety of my home without my weapon at my side.

I stare the beast down until it finally charges at me knowing full and well it has me cornered. At the cliff's edge the only way I can go being down. Straight down.

Suddenly I hear the loud bang of gunpowder and the clash of a fist against the Ursa launching it off the edge and down on to the sharp spirals of rock protruding from the sea and to the creatures inevitable death.

"Care to explain what your doing here" the charismatic blonde spoke. "It's none of your business Yang" I say. "Don't give me that attitude Ruby...I just...I'm worried about you." she spoke softly. Then a sudden silence filled the air. So quiet you could hear the quiet winds coming from the blue ocean and the crashing of waves at the base of the cliff.

"I know its hard Ruby" she began to speak once more. "You don't understand" I snap back at her. "Yes I do Ruby I get it. I miss her too but one day you'll have to get over it. I'm still just as hurt as you."she said with a calm tone being present.

"Why should you be at least you still have both your parents!" tears begin to come out of my eye again this time I can't contain them as the come out freely. All that pent up emotion showing.

"Ruby..." she walks over to me and picks me up in her strong toned arms holding me close, her chest in my face her warmth engulfing my body in her soothing heat, calming me down. "It's okay Ruby everything will be okay" she tries to reassure me.

She carries me back to our home the sky showing signs of early morning. Light reds and blues with a tint of yellow. A cacophony of colors closing this terrible day and showing the start of a new.

( I hope you guys enjoyed beginning of my New RWBY Fanfic. Im new to this community and hope to improve with my time here. Please comment and review this chapter, what do you think I did well. What you would have liked better or any questions and make sure to address them in the next chapter. And As always Thanks for reading)